Scribe w/ commute or local research?

[mehc012]

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Hey SDN!

Question:

I am interviewing for two jobs right now: a scribe job ~1hr away, and a medical research job ~30min away. Of course, it is highly likely that I will not be lucky enough to choose between them, but if I do end up in that situation, I want to have a clear path forward.

Quick background: I did not decide to do medicine until I had already graduated from college, so I need to build up some ECs. I already have ~3yrs of research experience (1yr each in 3 diff labs in completely diff subjects), though no publications beyond my UG senior thesis, and a few poster presentations at my own school. Additionally, only 1/3 of that was medical, and it was the oldest (senior year of highschool).
I am currently volunteering at the hospital where the research would be, and taking classes in the evenings nearby. So, even though it's also a commute, it's less cumbersome than it seems because I already make it several times a week (and I ride a motorcycle).

I can't move because I get free room and board w/ family right now.

As I see it, the scribe job will pay less, give me fewer hours (even less $), but be a far better EC, get me more involved in medicine, etc...and I'm a lot more excited about it!

The lab job will pay more, but might have a 9-5 attitude, which would severely limit my other ECs (which is supposedly my focus this year). It also might result in a LOR, which I sorely need.

If the schedules work out perfectly, I might be able to pull off both, but I'd have to take fewer classes, which would suck a little bit.

So...is it crazy to travel an hour each way for a lower paying job with fewer hours and no LOR? I'm definitely leaning that way at the moment...

 

[Lya]

It's possible to get a LOR from the physician(s) you collaborate with, so it is certainly possible to get a LOR from your scribe experience.

My first impression is that since you already have 3 years of research under your belt and recently started volunteering, scribe might be better as it gives you more clinical exposure to supplement your relatively low clinical volunteer hours and more shadowing hours.

However, it's difficult to turn down that research opportunity at a hospital...

 

[mehc012]

It's possible to get a LOR from the physician(s) you collaborate with, so it is certainly possible to get a LOR from your scribe experience.

My first impression is that since you already have 3 years of research under your belt and recently started volunteering, scribe might be better as it gives you more clinical exposure to supplement your relatively low clinical volunteer hours and more shadowing hours.

However, it's difficult to turn down that research opportunity at a hospital...

My clinical volunteer hours will be fine...I've picked up 2 shifts at the children's hospital and take all of their extra slots...so I earn more than 6hrs/wk every week of good, direct patient contact (as in, I actually make rounds, perform a diagnostic, and update the discharge board). I've gotten almost 70hrs in the past 3 months and plan to keep it up until I apply! No shadowing, though...only shadowing will be when I observe a few surgeries (one of my volunteer spots is in the surgical dept, so I should be able to get into a bunch, esp as volunteers have to pass background checks and do HIPAA training, so there's less bureaucratic concern for it).

It's more that the scribing seems like such a wonderful opportunity...and I would be actually helping and participating in medicine (by making the doc more efficient). Plus, it'd be a non-kids exposure. I can't think of a more perfect premed experience than scribing. And let's face it, a free and flexible schedule is nothing to scoff at...

 

[Lya]

Go for it, then! Good luck on your scribe interview!

 

[mehc012]

Go for it, then! Good luck on your scribe interview!

Haha, I'll try to rock both of 'em, and then I'll take what comes out of it. Hopefully I get at least ONE of them!