Guest Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Hi everyone! I Was wondering if anyone heard of the Medical or ER Scribe program? It is for pre-med AND pre-PA grads so it should be a nice one to get the clinical experience I need, but I am not sure. I don't have any other experience. Here is the description: The Role of the Scribe Recording patient histories in a web based electronic medical record (EMR) Transcribing details of the physical exam and patient orders in the EMR Documenting procedures performed by the physician Checking on the progress of lab, X-ray, or other patient evaluation data Recording physician dictated diagnoses, prescriptions, and instructions The Experience Accompany emergency physicians to the bedside for the evaluation and treatment of acutely ill patients Observe medical resuscitation, including cardiac and respiratory arrest cases Observe ER procedures – laceration repair, lumbar punctures, central lines, chest tubes, joint reductions, and intubations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USN2UNC Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Here is a quote from EMEDPA that was just posted about this. I would respect his opinion on this as he has sat on boards: many programs don't count ed scribe as experience. it's basically shadowing as far as I am concerned. no hands on component.it's a real time medical transcriptionist who gets to watch the exam and hear the history but they don;t ever touch pts or do procedures. like I said...shadowing and typing at the same time....ed scribe is a common pre-medschool experience but doesn't offer the breadth and depth of experience that a hands on position does. this is why I would never consider it adequate pre-pa experience.(no offense jake8700- I'm old school so unless you are touching the pt and doing the procedures yourself and being responsible for pt outcomes I don't think of it as quality experience). http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php/25384-Best-job-to-gain-experience-for-PA-school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brianz Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 I would agree that it would be preferable to have more hands on experience. However, if this is a way for you to get into the ER and get to know the people there, then it might help you to get to that 'hands on' position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gambit Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 It really doesn't get much more hands on. I did this off and on for about 5 years, logging over 6000 hours. I took the patient history and filled out the chart, not the doctor or PA.... they came in and verified information that I wrote. I'm sure each program is different, but ours utilized the scribe as the doctor's primary assistant. I assisted in countless procedures, was exposed to every disease/trauma, and got to see cases through from presentation to diagnosis. I could read CT's, x-rays, determine labs, etc. When traumas come in, I'm interviewing the paramedics,family, looking at old charts... trying to get as much information about the patient as possible. You really learn how to take a patient history which is where the majority of your diagnosis is going to come from. The majority of the kids in the program I was at get into Med school or PA school. All the interviews I went on, highly commended my healthcare experience and were very impressed. It was weighted very heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 18, 2010 Moderator Share Posted March 18, 2010 gambit-this is not a typical scribe position that you describe. I work at places that use scribes and they just follow the provider around and type and have zero hands on interaction with procedures. in fact most of the time a procedure is done they are not in the room but out doing a hx with someone else. as I said in the other thread...most places don't count scribe as experience so check with each individual program. it is basically paid shadowing and most places view it as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 18, 2010 Moderator Share Posted March 18, 2010 It really doesn't get much more hands on.. see above. any job with specific healthcare training(emt/cna/medic/lpn/rt/etc) is much more hands on than the avg scribe position. scribes are mobile transcriptionists. they watch a lot( which has some value) but most of the time do nothing but type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtonsApple Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 The programs that I applied to equated my scribe hours as shadowing. It was specifically stated in a few programs that scribe would not count towards HCE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 I think it amounts to a lot more than shadowing, personally. You're actively involved in the history taking process, and just recording prescriptions alone can be a huge help down the line. It's much more structured than just going in with your doc/pa and observing. I understand why it's not considered hands-on or clinical experience, but I can also understand why it would be weighted more heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Awww I was so excited about it, but I will believe you guys. But it is weird that they say it;s good for pre-pa. Why would they pay you to get a wrong experience? This is something companies would do if you were paying them. I will still take an EMT class and then apply there just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 19, 2010 Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2010 they just want warm bodies that can type. do you really think the scribe companies care about you? they would say it was great pre-law or pre-vet experience too if you asked them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtonsApple Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Some of the scribes I worked with were specifically working to network with Dr.'s for a letter into medschool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 19, 2010 Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2010 Some of the scribes I worked with were specifically working to network with Dr.'s for a letter into medschool. ALL of the scribes that I know are doing the same thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake8700 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 It's great experience, exposure to medicine, learn the medical language, write the doc's prescriptions, etc. My program was started by a group of democratic independent E.R. physicians 8-10 years ago. We are alot different from most programs, we don't follow the physician around with a computer & are not in sense a medical transcriptionist. We type out the discharge papers, write our doctor's verbal prescriptions orders, discharge our patients, get past hx's, ROS, HPI, & sometimes even get to perform physical examinations. Our program is well know around our city and luckily we have two pa programs with/in 20 minutes of our e.d. It really depends on how comfortable your physician feels with you on how far he/she will let you go i.e. (patient contact). Trust me i've had my fair share of hands on direct patient contact working as a scribe. I have sutured / staple pnts. help with codes, I&D's, all of this with physician supervision of course. The program i will be starting in july counts scribe / physician tech jobs as (hands - on care). Like i mentioned before, it all really depends on the program Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtonsApple Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 The reality is most scribes do not participate to the degree that you have and while you have personally gained great insight and experience from your training, recommending someone to go that route for hands on experience to satisfy program requirements is not sound advice. The OP should always call the program when in doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Well I have been working as a scribe for the past year. After applying to schools very late in the application cycle (late September), I have finally been invited to an interview at Drexel! Apparently some schools do accept it as experience, or I would not have been invited :). I also know a lot of other scribes who got into PA schools. Most of them got into multiple programs :). Oh btw, I will be starting as ER Tech next month just in case ;). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thielen91 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I specifically sat down with the advisor of one of the PA schools I applied to and gave them the job description of the scribe and was looking for it to count towards hand on exp. She said it would not count, but it may be good for me personally for the experience but whether I did it or not it would not weight on my application what so ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Some schools do not accept it. I am from Northern VA area and I know JMU does not accept it. However GWU does. As far as ranks are concerned, GWU is a better school. From my experience most schools would accept it. I guess you discussed it with a school which is an exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrelight74 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 My scribing experience was in an office, but much like Gambit described, with lots of patient interaction. I think this is a growing field since the advent of EMRs, and thus some schools do not have a policy on scribing yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Its been a while since I did my application, but if I remember correctly.... For CASPA, If I remember correctly, if your position (by job description) was part hands on, and part not hands on, you could list in twice... For example if the hands on care you do in your scribe position is legitimately 20% of your job description, (and not just a Dr letting you help him out beyond what your position entails): then if you worked 1000 hours in the position, 200 hours is direct hands on care. The other 800 hours is other medical related experience... Each school can place more or less value on different experiences, but if you and candidate #2 both had 1500 as a paramedic, that added experience may put you over the edge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I was offered a scribe position here in Texas. They basically feed on pre-meds who are so thirsty for success in med school, they're willing to be treated like crap and paid sh*t by the company. After doing an on-line interview, I had to sit through a 1 hour conference call with some new hire director. He basically talked to us like a bunch of 5th graders and literally made us repeat (all 15 of us on the call) that we were excited about the job and promised not to cancel any shifts. They pretty much tell you that you are their b*tch and your schedule will be absolutely horrible. Even if you get sick, you are not allowed to call in - you have to show up and "hope" your doctor will send you home. They also pay minimum wage, besides the hours being absolute crap, and give you basically no choice in scheduling. Then they try to brainwash you into thinking you are privileged to be doing this job and should drop to your knees to thank them. The company I am talking about is called PhysAssist (yep, another kick in the teeth) and their website is iamscribe.com. If your opportunity is through them, run the other direction. The company is a joke. Needless to say I ended up turning down the job and have been happily accepted to PA school with all my hours as a CNA/PCT. The actual job itself may be great, but just a fair warning, the company you are working for may adopt the mentality that they can treat you like crap because they think 100 other pre-meds with no self respect want the position (hell, they may be right, but still, come on). Now if you find a good company, honestly I think it could be a great experience. But still it will not take the place of an actual hands on, interactive health care job. Call the schools you're interested in and see if it'll count. I know for most of mine it would not. However I do think it'll look good on an application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiwang Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 To rebut winterallsummer, I actually work for PhysAssist as a scribe on their Fort Worth team right now, and it's definitely not as bad as you make it sound. I've been with them for five months now. Yes, that conference call you mention was long and corny but the job itself has been great. I don't know why you make it sound like the schedules are horrible or that you have "no choice" : you send in a schedule request a month in advance every month and they'll schedule you around any classes you're taking. They've never ever scheduled me when I asked not to be. I work maybe one or two overnights a month but those aren't that terrible and you'll be working the same type of hours if you decide to work ER or surgery anyways as a PA. You start out at minimum wage during training but you're bumped up to $9/hr once you finish training and you get raises the longer you work. The pay isn't great but it's nice for people who are still in school and don't have the time to become licensed as a tech or other similar jobs. Yes, you're expected to show up to all shifts but if you know you're sick or you have prior commitments during a shift you're scheduled for, you can always email other scribes and ask someone to pick up or trade your shift. Are there some sketchy things about the company itself? I'm not gonna lie and say no, I was warned by veteran scribes not to let the company take advantage of me. But the job is what you make of it, and it's not a pit of doom. All the doctors I've worked with have been great and very open to teaching me. I enjoy my job and the wide variety of patients and scenarios that I've seen in the ER. The only thing major thing I have to complain about so far is that a few times a month, I'm sent out to Burleson and Cleburne, which are about an hour drive away from where I live. Otherwise, I work at a hospital in downtown Fort Worth. I interviewed with UTSW, so I'm guessing they didn't mind my scribe experience. Waiting to hear back from them right now about whether or not I got in, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 The reality is most scribes do not participate to the degree that you have and while you have personally gained great insight and experience from your training, recommending someone to go that route for hands on experience to satisfy program requirements is not sound advice. The OP should always call the program when in doubt. Totally agree...IMHO its not real HCE but some schools allow it...whatever... Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiwang Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Totally agree...IMHO its not real HCE but some schools allow it...whatever... Agreed, I wouldn't rely on just scribing as experience for most schools since it's not direct patient care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrelight74 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Agreed, I wouldn't rely on just scribing as experience for most schools since it's not direct patient care. Once again, DEPENDS on the type of scribing experience. Some jobs are more patient involved than others, requiring you to get patient history, vitals, even EKGS or injections in addition to assisting the physician with minor surgeries, etc. Some are closely akin to an MA job with scribing thrown in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvdude Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I know a few of you listed some companies you work for, but would you mind sharing others? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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