Scribing for gap year

[pacific1505]

Hello, I just have some questions about working as a medical scribe for my gap year. Currently a rising senior, so I just want to figure out my options a bit. Sorry if the questions seem a bit basic; just want to hear suggestions!

1. What's the difference between working under SA or some company like that, as opposed to individual job postings I've been seeing on LinkedIn/Glassdoor/etc? Is one better than the other? The individual postings also don't indicate a minimum time commitment... so what should I assume?

2. How strict are they on the 1-year minimum commitment policy? Due to some personal matters, I can only commit up to 7-8 months of my gap year doing this (June to Feb/March), but I still want to do this. Will I really get shut out from these scribing companies just for this alone? Is it really that common to do 1+ years of scribing, given some of the complaints/burnouts I've read about?

3. If I hope to start work after I graduate (maybe in June), when would one start applying?

4. How flexible are they when it comes to leaving for interviews?

5. Do you guys have other recommendations on what I can do during this gap 7–8 months? I'm not that into research, and would prefer clinical experience, but I also don't know if it's not long enough to do something licensed (EMT/CNA/etc.)

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[VikingWarrior]

1. No idea
2. No idea but there are more than enough people waiting to be hired. I imagine they would not have an issue if you were respectful and gave them a 2+ week notice and continued working until they found a replacement.
3. Feb/March
4. I would be shocked if a scribe company did not allow you to attend an interview.
5. Volunteer

 

[Robin-jay]

(Unrelated to your numbering)

1. Do your best not to work for a Scribe company, work for a family practice or something.

2. You are a minimum wage worker expected to write charts on a physician level.

3. I'm not saying you should tell them you plan on scribing for less than a year, but 6 months is definitely enough clinical experience. After that, consider retail if you're still not accepted to medical school. This will allow you to focus on what you need to get done for medical school.

4. Understand where your priorities are. Your scribe company (please avoid the companies) will tell you that scribing is the most important thing on the planet and not doing everything extra they ask (extra days, extra positions, unpaid work, etc.) is ethically reprehensible on your part.

5. I read somewhere that scribes usually have an average turnover rate after about 6 months of clinical work. I could be wrong.

Please remember your goal is to get accepted to medical school and not be the best 3-gap year scribe on the block making minimum wage (yes, I know scribes that have been working for several gap years).

Far too often I see people get stuck scribing and can't even find the adequate amount of time to study for the MCAT, etc.

Priorities.

 

[DrDumbDrum]

I'm currently a scribe for ScribeAmerica.

1. I've only worked for ScribeAmerica, so I don't know for sure. My experience has been positive, but the pay is rubbish, as expected. The general consensus is that it's better to be directly hired by a family practice or hospital than to be hired by a scribe company.
2. Most places aren't very strict about the minimum commitment. I've seen plenty of people quit within 5 months of starting for various reasons despite "committing" to 1 (or even 2) years.
3. It depends on the people hiring you. I began training within two weeks of applying. To be safe, apply 3+ months in advance.
4. Given that almost every scribe is pre-med, companies tend to be pretty darn flexible. In my experience, as long as you can find someone to cover your shift, you can take the day off for whatever reason. My hospital has a lot of scribes, which makes this easy.
5. I second VikingWarrior and suggest volunteering.

 

[Dwight Snoot]

I would at least try to find something that pays more. I personally worked as a medical assistant making almost double what I would have made as a scribe, and I would argue I learned more than I would have as a scribe. Just make some phone calls, ask around, and throw some application out-- you never know