Should I still scribe if already accepted?

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hypericum

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I just got offered a scribe position, 24-36 hours a week. The pay and the hours are pretty bad, and I'll have to work some weekends and holidays. I'd also have to scale back on my current part-time jobs, one of which is really fun and one of which pays really well.

I've already been accepted to med school, so it's not like I desperately need clinical experience, but I would be able to include it in update letters. Don't know how much it would help though, since the main thing that needs improvement at my reach schools is my grades.

However, I'm still leaning towards taking it because I've never been in the ER and am curious about what it's like. My friend who was a scribe said she saw a lot of really cool/exciting cases and the occasional trauma. (Also let her rule out ER as a specialty.) Except for occasional shadowing in the OR, all my clinical exp has been in a primary care clinic, but I feel like I've always been more drawn to something a bit more high-paced. For those of you who have been ER scribes, do you think the experience would have been worth it even if it hadn't been useful for getting into medical school?

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If you want to. It certainly can't hurt experience wise. I had a slightly similar situation but ended up not taking it because the pay was so awful and I couldn't afford to take that much of a pay cut.

Personally I wouldn't...you've already been accepted, use the time before matriculation to relax and have lots of fun imo.

But if its something your really interested in, then by all means, I'm sure its a good experience. That was no help I'm sure.
 
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Are you a student of are you graduated? Working those hours senior year would be horrendous. If that's all you're doing, however, you can get some cool experience, a small paycheck, and still enjoy your year before med school.
 
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But to say what j would do... I would run like hell and enjoy my time before med school if you can. Travel. Drink. Make mistakes. You've presumably worked very hard for your acceptance, I would not waste my time scribing. You'll have the rest of your life in medicine, I would personally do literally anything else now.
 
If you have time...go for it. You expose yourself to some clinical medicine...learning common palpations...medications...checking INR on coumadins...troponins on chest pains...tpa exclusions on strokes...subtle differences between palsy and stroke...bnp on chfs..imaging studies...consults...diagnoses...the list goes on. If you have a busy schedule...I would relax though. Medical school is going to be rough...might as well live a little. Maybe work minimum shifts/week?
 
If you have time...go for it. You expose yourself to some clinical medicine...learning common palpations...medications...checking INR on coumadins...troponins on chest pains...tpa exclusions on strokes...subtle differences between palsy and stroke...bnp on chfs..imaging studies...consults...diagnoses...the list goes on. If you have a busy schedule...I would relax though. Medical school is going to be rough...might as well live a little. Maybe work minimum shifts/week?
...
very... fascinating
 
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I just got offered a scribe position, 24-36 hours a week. The pay and the hours are pretty bad, and I'll have to work some weekends and holidays. I'd also have to scale back on my current part-time jobs, one of which is really fun and one of which pays really well.

I've already been accepted to med school, so it's not like I desperately need clinical experience, but I would be able to include it in update letters. Don't know how much it would help though, since the main thing that needs improvement at my reach schools is my grades.

However, I'm still leaning towards taking it because I've never been in the ER and am curious about what it's like. My friend who was a scribe said she saw a lot of really cool/exciting cases and the occasional trauma. (Also let her rule out ER as a specialty.) Except for occasional shadowing in the OR, all my clinical exp has been in a primary care clinic, but I feel like I've always been more drawn to something a bit more high-paced. For those of you who have been ER scribes, do you think the experience would have been worth it even if it hadn't been useful for getting into medical school?
I find I am really learning a lot about how the real world of medicine works. Also, learning the computer systems is useful. Pay and hours are awful though, no joking around about that. I would say pass and enjoy your time before med school.
 
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I find I am really learning a lot about how the real world of medicine works. Also, learning the computer systems is useful. Pay and hours are awful though, no joking around about that. I would say pass and enjoy your time before med school.

No kidding. Our pay rate was lowered in a transition with a new company. Too bad we're extremely replaceable and can't do anything about it :/
 
I wouldn't..I mean you learn a lot, don't get me wrong but I think you've earned time off to be a regular person before medicine becomes your life forever...do something else...

If you wanna see the ER, shadow in your free time. No need to be a scribe for that.
 
One of the best times in medical school is the brief period between acceptance and matriculation, don't squander it. Just FYI: this year and the summer between MS1 and MS2 are your last extended breaks of your life.

There is nothing you will learn from the scribing experience that you won't later when you're just entering (but not yet signing) notes, nor is there anything that you'd learn from the experience to help you with the first year of medical school. If anything, scribing would have been useful to decide if you're going to apply at all, and it's too late for that now. Might be better to just have faith that medical education you're soon paying for will do its job.

So, unless this is direly important to you, I'd just kick my feet up and enjoy the calm — excluding fulfilling requirements or contingencies you're beholden to, you were accepted for what you've done and not for what you might do.
 
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You will learn a lot as a scribe. If I was you, I would see if you can find a better paying job and if not then take the scribe job. Or take the scribe job while you are searching. Or work as a part-time scribe and then do something else since you said your scribe pay would not be much. Med school is a lot of money so personally I would want to save up as much as possible
 
Just take the job that pays the most prior to matriculation.
 
As an attending I can tell you medical students with scribing experience prior to med school out distance their peers by miles. The difference is amazing and makes you stand out. Do it but don't tell anyone you did it when you do clinicals. Be humble instead and it will do you well. Good luck.
 
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As an attending I can tell you medical students with scribing experience prior to med school out distance their peers by miles. The difference is amazing and makes you stand out. Do it but don't tell anyone you did it when you do clinicals. Be humble instead and it will do you well. Good luck.

I've also heard this is when scribing pays huge dividends.
 
As an attending I can tell you medical students with scribing experience prior to med school out distance their peers by miles. The difference is amazing and makes you stand out. Do it but don't tell anyone you did it when you do clinicals. Be humble instead and it will do you well. Good luck.

I'm really glad to hear this.
 
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