Will Quitting The Scribe Position after 5 months and putting it on my application look bad?

[Lopero3]

I was hired by a popular scribe company in September, however due to the more than advertised hours (I was expecting 2 shifts a week, but I am actually getting 3-4) and very disorienting shift times( over night shift one day and then a morning shift the next day) I don't think it is worth it for me to continue scribing. I am planning on applying to medical school in this upcoming cycle and I really need to focus on studying for my MCAT and getting good grades this upcoming semester.

The scribe job is taking up much more time and energy than I expected and I don't think it is worth it for me to continue scribing and jeopardize my MCAT scores. If I quit by the end of February, I will have had 5 months of scribing under my belt; which is under the expected 2 year commitment. The contract is an "at-will" contract so I know I can leave whenever.

Would it significantly hurt my medical school application if I include scribing on my application, even though it was for only 5 months? I have one W on my transcript, but other than that I have been consistent in all the ECs I have been involved in.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SValley]

Have you talked to your chief about this? Usually they are pretty flexible with scheduling needs. Don't suffer in silence. Lol

As far as quitting in 5 months...I *personally* cannot stand that kind of lack of commitment. I make it a rule of thumb never to leave a position in <1 year. It's poor form to do otherwise. Will it be the end all of you app, probably not.

 

[utah34]

I agree with SValley. I'm the chief scribe at my site and if somebody needs to talk about scheduling I am very open to it since it's much easier to change shifts around than rehiring and training. Just ask and see what happens.

 

[jpkb24]

Agree with the above. Either get your hours changed and stick with the job, or quit and don't mention it at all. Remember, you're applying into a field where the hours suck! (In fact, I'm about to head to hospital right now and it's 3:30am). So that sort of reasoning won't fly with an admissions committee...

 

[Coltuna]

Agree with above posters. As Chief Scribe, I would MUCH rather cut down on your hours than have to find someone to rehire and retrain. As far as listing this on your application, be prepared for a potential "why only 5 months?" during interviews.

 

[YoungDoc25]

Agree with the above about talking with the chief to see if your schedule can be adjusted. However, if the answer is no then I would quit without any hesitation. Go ahead and keep it on your app and if the question gets asked "why only 5 months?" during your interview, just be honest and say they weren't willing to cut back on your hours in order for you to dedicate enough time to your MCAT prep. Perfectly justifiable and you still got 5 months of quality clinical experience. Your MCAT score and grades are much more important than that job.

 

[21Rush12]

I have to disagree with the "have to stay for a year" thinking. A part time job to supplement your experience and exposure is just that.

Would this "non-committed" sentiment apply if it was a dishwashing job? I can't see how it would be considered a fault for someone to leave an employer that pays poorly and does not keep its word regarding expectations.

If you need to protect your MCAT and GPA, then you need to quit the scribe work unless it's easily fixed by accommodating your schedule. I think the "why only 5 months" question can be easily answered with "I wanted the experience and exposure to really understand from a new perspective what medicine was, and I had to refocus my effort on my academics as the demands of the job were too much to juggle."

Bottom line, would you rather have a 505 MCAT and say "but look how long I scribed for!"? Commitment to service/medicine/etc can be demonstrated (and should be!) in the other aspects of your ECs.

I would love to hear others' thoughts on this, as it seems to be a sentiment that is not uncommon.

Good luck OP, I'm sure you can work this out and either way you'll be okay.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[YoungDoc25]

I have to disagree with the "have to stay for a year" thinking. A part time job to supplement your experience and exposure is just that.

Would this "non-committed" sentiment apply if it was a dishwashing job? I can't see how it would be considered a fault for someone to leave an employer that pays poorly and does not keep its word regarding expectations.

If you need to protect your MCAT and GPA, then you need to quit the scribe work unless it's easily fixed by accommodating your schedule. I think the "why only 5 months" question can be easily answered with "I wanted the experience and exposure to really understand from a new perspective what medicine was, and I had to refocus my effort on my academics as the demands of the job were too much to juggle."

Bottom line, would you rather have a 505 MCAT and say "but look how long I scribed for!"? Commitment to service/medicine/etc can be demonstrated (and should be!) in the other aspects of your ECs.

I would love to hear others' thoughts on this, as it seems to be a sentiment that is not uncommon.

Good luck OP, I'm sure you can work this out and either way you'll be okay.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Completely agree. Very easy to tell interviewers that your boss wouldn't adjust hours so that you would have adequate study time for class and MCAT. Being a scribe is a dime a dozen on the interview trail too. Not a deal breaker IMO.

 

[Fancy_Feast]

No. I quit a CNA position because I honestly couldn't survive on the pay (I live in an expensive city) and was offered a salaried job. None of my interviews have asked why I quit after only a few months, they've only been interested in what I gained from the experience.

 

[Sardinia]

@21Rush12 The core issue as other people have pointed out is the likelihood that the OP hasn't discussed with their chief scribe their needs. There is no need to burn down a bridge if the only issue is the time commitment. Jobs in several sectors will offer you time off, PTO, vacation days, or just an adjustment in your schedule if you are proactive in voicing your needs before they become issues. I expect that there are other factors at play as the OP mentions "time and energy" conflicts as well as "disorienting shifts."

 

[21Rush12]

@Sardinia I totally agree, attempting to accommodate scheduling would be preferred in this instance.

What I take most issue with is that it's somehow a negative reflection to not stay at a job for a year out of commitment. I think it would certainly reflect poorly on OPs judgment to stay and suffer academically because s/he felt obligated to. People leave jobs all the time for many reasons, both economic and personal, and I would be very surprised if this was looked down upon by an ADCOM without a red flag like termination. Perhaps @Goro could weigh in?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[SValley]

@Sardinia I totally agree, attempting to accommodate scheduling would be preferred in this instance.

What I take most issue with is that it's somehow a negative reflection to not stay at a job for a year out of commitment. I think it would certainly reflect poorly on OPs judgment to stay and suffer academically because s/he felt obligated to. People leave jobs all the time for many reasons, both economic and personal, and I would be very surprised if this was looked down upon by an ADCOM without a red flag like termination. Perhaps @Goro could weigh in?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Mmm really? Signing up for a 2 year job and leaving after 5 months, sits well with you? Interesting.

Maybe I'm just from the "if you commit to something see it through" camp, barring extenuating circumstances of course.

 

[21Rush12]

If I'm not mistaken the contract is "at-will", which doesn't sound all that binding nor does it give the impression that the employer is under any obligation to afford the same loyalty to OP (or any whatsoever).

I did not say that commitment isn't important to honor. In this case, what OP signed up for is not what the employer is doing. S/he didn't sign over full rights and ownership of him/herself, it was an at will agreement for x hours and the employer is demanding >x hours.

This kind of loyalty because of perceived obligation/fear of recourse is why scribe companies can get away with abysmal pay, bad hours, and exploitation of their workers. They hold the product all the premeds want, those premeds are willing to work for less than their services are worth because they feel they're gaining experience, and if they "burn the bridge" by making any missteps, they lose this investment. A minimally binding or completely non binding agreement like this only serves to benefit the scribe company by instilling this sense of fear.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Terry Toma]

Mmm really? Signing up for a 2 year job and leaving after 5 months, sits well with you? Interesting.

Maybe I'm just from the "if you commit to something see it through" camp, barring extenuating circumstances of course.

It sounds like the employer did not honor their commitment to schedule the OP for two shifts per week. Why hold the employee to a higher standard than the employer?

If this was a full-time professional job and the hours were more than expected, I'd say just stick it out, but I wouldn't expect someone to let some part time wage position interfere with their other commitments.

 

[SValley]

A job is a job is a job. Part time or otherwise, it should be taken seriously. All of that other background noise is irrelevant. OP, you already know what you should do about speaking with your CS.

 

[21Rush12]

A job is a job is a job. Part time or otherwise, it should be taken seriously. All of that other background noise is irrelevant. OP, you already know what you should do about speaking with your CS.

I respectfully accept that we will likely not agree on this issue, but I am interested in better understanding your perspective. I recall from your posts that you have had a great experience scribing, and I imagine you had to deal with the frustrating consequences of people quitting early. I don't mean to suggest that commitment is not important or that the job should not be treated with respect and dedication. This is true of any job, especially those where patients and people are affected directly by the work being done.

However, I don't think that it's reasonable to expect someone to stick it out when they are being taken advantage of or when their employer is not abiding by the agreement. I also don't think that someone should remain at a detrimental or unhealthy working environment for fear of negative perception by adcoms or otherwise. Scribes get taken advantage of on a regular basis by scribe companies, especially through this reference hostage situation created by long-term contracts. This is an unacceptable practice that won't change unless people stand up for themselves.

Out of curiosity: If you don't consider this instance to be sufficient grounds, what type of situation do you feel would warrant an early departure?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[SValley]

Sure, so my perspective is a bit different because I'm viewing the situation from a managerial POV. I was the head for a team of 25, who worked with a group of ~30 physicians (across two specialties). When people leave the job unexpectedly, it creates a strain on the rest of the team and our physicians. The scribes become overworked, shifts go uncovered, entrance to floor admission time for patients increase, overall quality of our services decrease, etc.

As someone who invested 6-8 weeks into training a new scribe (on top of regular duties), it's a slap in the face to the CS and team when someone leaves unexpectedly. Giving a standard 2-week notice doesn't really fly with scribing. It takes at least 6 weeks to get a fully functioning replacement on the floor. And if you're not overstaffed, losing a member immediately puts you below your staffing goal.

Are large scribe companies the most compassionate employers? Absolutely not. But if you have a solid leader, most of those grievances won't even touch you as an employee. Besides the abysmal pay, obviously. But a solid chunk of the job benefits are intangible, which is the allure of it all.

For OP, it doesn't sound like he/she has explored all of the options before quitting. If nothing changes after discussing a need to cut back hours, then by all means, pack your bags. Otherwise, the only real reason I find acceptable for an abrupt exit are personal/family emergencies, deciding medicine isn't right for you, etc.

 

[FeinMS]

Residents work for more hours than they want and may have brutal shifts, but they stick through. Will OP quit residency for the same reason? I hope not.

 

[Fancy_Feast]

Residents work for more hours than they want and may have brutal shifts, but they stick through. Will OP quit residency for the same reason? I hope not.

There is no comparison here at all. OP'S job as an undergrad is to focus on the MCAT and their GPA. A resident's job is to work at a hospital. OP shouldn't be shamed for quitting a job to focus on the metrics admissions committees care about most.

 

[Coltuna]

Residents work for more hours than they want and may have brutal shifts, but they stick through. Will OP quit residency for the same reason? I hope not.

This situation is hardly apples to apples.

 

[21Rush12]

Residents work for more hours than they want and may have brutal shifts, but they stick through. Will OP quit residency for the same reason? I hope not.

You're right, I wish I thought of this earlier...I quit a retail job once, so I'll probably fail as a resident. Better call my mom and tell her I'm moving back home.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[benjamin94559]

No one is going to notice or care unless you write somewhere that it was a 2 year committment.

 

[Terry Toma]

Residents work for more hours than they want and may have brutal shifts, but they stick through. Will OP quit residency for the same reason? I hope not.

Wow, this has given me a whole new way of looking at things. I slept in until 10am this morning. Residents get up way earlier than that. Will I sleep through residency?

Now I'm worried.

 

[FeinMS]

I had pre-med scribes who couldn't handle the stress of working at the hospital or as a scribe and decided to change their career. It is not the same experience, but I think it's a good entry level position to observe if one can handle the environment for the rest of their life.

 

[MareNostrummm]

I've currently been a scribe for about 8 months with a company with pretty good management. As stated by the chief scribes above, if you bail out in only 5 months its a huge slap in the face to the management, as well as the rest of the scribes that have to try to cover those shifts, and to the ED physicians who absolutely depend on scribes and see HALF as many patients without them.

Training a new scribe is a huge investment of resources, especially since about 20-25% of them seem to **** the bed when they get air dropped into a hospital on their own for the first time, and this is after passing an interview and classroom training.

That being said I agree that a 2 year investment is pretty lame, after 1 year you will have had more than enough exposure to move onto other extracurricular activities while also reimbursing the company on their training investment, with dividends.

If you tell your chief scribe that you want 3 months off just to study for the MCAT and that you will come back to work afterward as well as during your gap year before matriculation (if you get accepted) then I am pretty sure they would gladly keep you on, or let you just work 1 shift a week. My company KNOWS scribes need to study for the MCAT and always accommodates for them.

 

[JB50]

No. I quit a CNA position because I honestly couldn't survive on the pay (I live in an expensive city) and was offered a salaried job. None of my interviews have asked why I quit after only a few months, they've only been interested in what I gained from the experience.

Were you a salaried CNA?

 

[Fancy_Feast]

Were you a salaried CNA?

LOL, no! I was a minimum wage CNA

 

[JB50]

LOL, no! I was a minimum wage CNA

What did you end up doing post-CNA doom?

 

[Fancy_Feast]

What did you end up doing post-CNA doom?

I'm part of a school's IT department now

 

[JB50]

I'm part of a school's IT department now

Definitely an upgrade

 

[BeddingfieldMD]

In my opinion, it would be fine to quit and include it on your application. Your primary job at this point is being a student and preparing for medical school. Don't let a part-time job get in the way of that if you don't need the money.

I'm sure in 5 months you got some valuable clinical experience from scribing. No offense to scribes, but it's not exactly like you're partner at a law firm and quitting after only 5 months.