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Medical Scribe HCE


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I am applying of the 2015-2016 cycle. I have worked as a medical scribe in the emergency department for about a year and will have accumulated around 2000 HCE hours by the time I apply. The bulk of my HCE hours are from scribing. Can anyone who has already been accepted to a program give me some insight as to whether this is a favorable type of HCE? Thanks!

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Hi nelsoncl7,

 

I was accepted to three different schools in the past few months, and ER scribing was a part of my HCE. EMEDPA is right, some schools accept it, and some schools don't. However, I found that the answer isn't so black and white. While some schools DO accept scribing hours, it may rank a bit lower on the competitive scale vs. other means of direct patient care. I really enjoyed being a scribe, and I think it provides tremendous experience, knowledge and exposure to so many facets of the medical field. However, I felt that it was important for me to diversify my hours as well. I had already been involved in nursing/medical managing in the summer camp setting, ski patrol, and a bit of physical therapy aide work. Phlebotomy seemed to be a good route for me to continue putting myself in positions where I would have autonomous patient contact.

 

As a scribe it is rare (and usually not a part of your duties) to be talking to the patient, touching them, or providing them any sort of care. These are the meat and potatoes kind of things that schools (even those that accept scribing hours) want to make sure you actually possess the skills to handle and excel at. Now, from my experience, it was important for me to use the space in CASPA to explain how I felt like being an ER scribe was excellent experience and DID in fact contain some patient contact. I tried to use every character available on that CASPA section to briefly and with great articulation explain each of my patient care jobs as a means of giving me further confirmation that I was developing the skills to be a great provider, and that I was also nurturing my drive to be a part of the medical team.

 

At the end of the day it's up to the program to decide what kind of hours they prefer, but if you have the extra time, I would encourage you to do what you can to diversify your patient contact experience as much as you can. You'll only make yourself more open to other programs, and make yourself more competitive in the process.

 

And as EMEDPA said, do a quick forum search for scribing and you'll find all sorts of opinions!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have about two years of ER scribe experience, and a large variety of MDs and PAs that I have spoken with said it will help tremendously both during the interview process and during PA school. Plenty of former scribes have been accepted to PA schools. It can't hurt however to diversify your patient care exposure. Each school views scribing differently so shoot them an email and ask. Either way, the experience you get from the job is still valuable.

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I was accepted to PA school after 2 years of scribing experience. As a scribe, I got to directly observe MDs, PAs, and NPs interact with patients. I also got a better idea of what I was getting myself into from the providers' perspectives. PA programs look to assemble classes with a diverse student body. (Not everyone in my class is going to be an EMT) We each will be able to contribute to the class with our unique clinical backgrounds. Use your scribing experience as a selling point during the interview process. Best of luck! 

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Some programs accept while others do not.  For example, my program has it's HCE ranked in two tiers, desirable and partially acceptable.  The minimum is 1000 hours to apply.  Top tier includes Athletic Trainer, EMT, Nurse, PTA, PT, RT, med corpsman and stuff like that.  Tier two includes scribes, pharm techs, med techs, optician, etc.  Only 500 hours is accepted of tier two HCE.  So you can scribe, but not scribe alone for the 1,000 hour minimum of HCE.  Some people were ER scribes until they got their EMT cert or something.  Every program is different.  Good luck! 

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Some programs accept while others do not.  For example, my program has it's HCE ranked in two tiers, desirable and partially acceptable.  The minimum is 1000 hours to apply.  Top tier includes Athletic Trainer, EMT, Nurse, PTA, PT, RT, med corpsman and stuff like that.  Tier two includes scribes, pharm techs, med techs, optician, etc.  Only 500 hours is accepted of tier two HCE.  So you can scribe, but not scribe alone for the 1,000 hour minimum of HCE.  Some people were ER scribes until they got their EMT cert or something.  Every program is different.  Good luck! 

sounds like a good system. one program I have worked with does something similar with 3 tiers:

tier 1(best) medic, rn, rt and other similar 1-2 yr training programs

tier 2 emt, many types of tech, lab folks, etc

tier 3 cna, clinical research, dental, ophtho folks, scribe, etc

they give a composite score X months x tier level with points for tiers. I think tier 1 is 10 points, tier 2 is 5 points, and tier 3 is 3 points. so 1 yr of rn = 2 years of emt= 3 years of low tier experience.

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The two MOST important things are going to be:

 

1. Does a programs require it? Yes or no. 

 

2. It is VERY important to clearly list the duties you performed during your time as a scribe. Programs determine your health care experience hours by what an applicant lists as their duties. Simply listing 'scribe duties' will likely not get you the credit you may otherwise deserve.

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