When should I start scribing?

[deleted916225]

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I'm an upcoming sophomore in college and I'm worried about getting in meaningful EC's without stretching myself too thin. Currently I'm working at a research lab 20-25 hrs/week and volunteering every other week at a science museum. I'm hoping to start scribing at some point so that I may gain some clinical experience. I was also thinking of volunteering at my university's sexual assault/crisis center. I'm wondering if I should wait to start scribing until next summer and start volunteering at the crisis center now, or vice versa? For each of these I need a time commitment of at least another year (2 yrs for scribing) and I'm worried I won't be able to study and perform as well as I need to if I overload myself. I know there's probably hundreds of students on this forum who could easily do all this, I'm just not sure I'm one of them.
Also if it matters, I'm taking physics II this summer (a condition my parents made when allowing me to continue research) and I know if I don't get an A it will look very bad to medical schools, especially since I got a B in physics I first semester.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Doesn't matter which one you start first. Just take on what you can handle. I would say start both by the start of the fall semester but be very firm about what time you can commit to each. Volunteering can usually be cut back on as need be and scribes are almost always students in a pre-health track so it is expected to be part time. Just be firm about how many shifts/hours you can commit. Ask details before you accept the offer of employment. Also recognize that if you are working for a group in an ED, the shifts will not always be 9-5 and often there are requirements for being available weekends and overnights. Clinic/private practice is different of course.

On a separate note:

(a condition my parents made when allowing me to continue research)

I feel like your parents shouldn't have a say in this unless they are paying for school AND your grades are suffering. But maybe that is a battle for another day.

 

[usernamesaredumb]

never

 

[soysizle]

Yeah you don’t have to scribe to get into medical school. You can volunteer at a hospital at your own pace and schedule. Unless you just want to make some money from scribing.

 

[DrRiker]

My opinion: replace research with scribing as soon as you can leave on good terms with the PI (for the LOR). Research is very low yield relative to clinical work.

 

[DrRiker]

The second of my two cents: A vs B in physics won't matter in the long run

 

[Tenk]

Scribing is an incredibly meaningful activity and far more useful than most other ECs in that it puts you into a position of power with an attending which is in addition to providing you an incredible boost when you hit year three of medical school. We really appreciate scribes and know you don’t make hardly a dime for doing the thing we hate most: charting. Therefore a lot of attendings will write letters, make phone calls and just provide good advice to see you succeed. My advice would be to start the summer between year 2-3 and do it throughout years 3 and 4. This way you’ll have plenty of time to get some contacts for application season while still starting you in the summer when you have more free time and you can get used to the fast pace. Also, try to do it in the emergency department because we are a cooler breed and will help you out a ton both on admissions and when you hit third year.

 

[DrRiker]

Scribing is an incredibly meaningful activity and far more useful than most other ECs in that it puts you into a position of power with an attending which is in addition to providing you an incredible boost when you hit year three of medical school. We really appreciate scribes and know you don’t make hardly a dime for doing the thing we hate most: charting. Therefore a lot of attendings will write letters, make phone calls and just provide good advice to see you succeed. My advice would be to start the summer between year 2-3 and do it throughout years 3 and 4. This way you’ll have plenty of time to get some contacts for application season while still starting you in the summer when you have more free time and you can get used to the fast pace. Also, try to do it in the emergency department because we are a cooler breed and will help you out a ton both on admissions and when you hit third year.

Partially why I like the idea of EM as a premed.

 

[doc05]

Why focus on scribing? Sounds like a waste of time. Your other activities are more interesting.

 

[doc05]

My opinion: replace research with scribing as soon as you can leave on good terms with the PI (for the LOR). Research is very low yield relative to clinical work.

That is terrible advice. Research is a legitimate academic credential. Scribing is secretarial work.

 

[DrRiker]

That is terrible advice. Research is a legitimate academic credential. Scribing is secretarial work.

https://www.aamc.org/download/434596/data/usingmcatdata2016.pdf

On page 3 you will find extracurricular activities categorized by importance. Healthcare experience is of high importance for both public and private schools. Research experience is of medium importance for private schools. Research experience is of low importance for public schools. The data was gathered from 127 different admissions committees. Why was my advice terrible?

 

[deleted916225]

Thank you all for your replies! The scribing position I was offered is in a community clinic located in a low-income part of the city, and a large proportion of its patients are minorities/recent immigrants who would otherwise have little access to quality healthcare. It is also affiliated with the university I am attending, so there are many residents and some medical students as well. Is clinical scribing looked as favorably upon by med schools as ER/hospital scribing?

 

[MonkeyArrow]

Is clinical scribing looked as favorably upon by med schools as ER/hospital scribing?

Yes. It’s all the same.

 

[DrRiker]

Thank you all for your replies! The scribing position I was offered is in a community clinic located in a low-income part of the city, and a large proportion of its patients are minorities/recent immigrants who would otherwise have little access to quality healthcare. It is also affiliated with the university I am attending, so there are many residents and some medical students as well. Is clinical scribing looked as favorably upon by med schools as ER/hospital scribing?

It will be the same. Watching your physicians overcome those cultural and language barriers will probably give you more to talk about in interviews too!

 

[tekkenman11]

I had a love hate relationship with scribing. I’d recommend doing it over the summer (per diem) if you can find a job with a clinic. The major scribing companies are garbage.

 

[lull]

Scribing is great. You get paid to shadow physicians and learn to write up H&Ps, which is no doubt useful. Just don't do it in place of long term clinical volunteering.

 

[usernamesaredumb]

I had a love hate relationship with scribing. I’d recommend doing it over the summer (per diem) if you can find a job with a clinic. The major scribing companies are garbage.

This this this. 1000x this. Do not take a job from ScribeAmerica or any of their competitors. Work directly for a clinic or hospital. They'll pay you better and treat you better.

 

[deleted916225]

This this this. 1000x this. Do not take a job from ScribeAmerica or any of their competitors. Work directly for a clinic or hospital. They'll pay you better and treat you better.

Haha um that's the company that offered me the job ... I've found only one listing to work directly for a hospital, and the requirements included scribing experience, physiology/anatomy courses, and being an upperclassman or a college grad. Is ScribeAmerica really that bad?

 

[deleted916225]

Scribing is great. You get paid to shadow physicians and learn to write up H&Ps, which is no doubt useful. Just don't do it in place of long term clinical volunteering.

I'm kind of torn on clinical volunteering. I've heard from friends that a lot of the time it's menial stuff like working in a gift shop or sitting in the waiting room or filing things. Would I have to do clinical volunteering in addition to scribing then?

 

[lull]

I'm kind of torn on clinical volunteering. I've heard from friends that a lot of the time it's menial stuff like working in a gift shop or sitting in the waiting room or filing things. Would I have to do clinical volunteering in addition to scribing then?

I had a volunteer position in the surgery center, so it was a lot of wheeling out patients and cleaning beds and I think I was able to get a lot of patient interaction that way. It helps to try and seek out volunteer positions in a specific department (i.e., ED), especially at a larger hospital, but sometimes it can be hard to find the right position. In the end, volunteering shows a lot of commitment to the needs of others and that you're not just someone who studies all day and works in the lab, so even if it ends up just menial stuff, you definitely should have the experience.