Accepted, Should I Quit $9/Hr Scribe Job?

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kevin2400

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Hey all,

So I was accepted to medical school for this August so that leaves me ~3.5 months or so before I start medical school. I started working as a scribe in February, and to be honest the only reason why I did it was for medical school.

Now, I enjoy scribing and learning, but I already work part time in a doctors office (that pays significantly more), but the downsides for the scribe job are the low-pay ($9 hours an hour), the commute, and the hours (we need to be available weekends and overnights). I commute over an 45 mins - 1hour (with no traffic, with traffic probably 1.5 hours!) there and back. With rising gas prices and two gallons of gas needed everytime, the ~$60ish I get after taxes per 8 hour shift is getting very hard to justify. Plus, I honestly want my weekends and nights free, especially if I want to go home on a weekend and spend time with family etc. Working two part time jobs is honestly very tiring and I'm scared I'll burn out before I even start school. I never really did scribing for the money, but now it seems like I don't really need the experience nor the money. Considering both part time jobs are clinical experience, I kinda hoped to do something non medical related before I spend the rest of my life devoted to my medical career this august. But quitting my scribe job, and working just 3 days a week at my other part time job just seems so unproductive to me and I feel like I'm just wasting time sitting at home browsing reddit and watching TV shows.

I also regret quitting because I just started in February, and I told them I could commit at least a year with them, which was honestly what I felt that time, considering I hadn't received an II and I was planning on re-applying that summer. Granted, I wasn't accepted to medical school back in February (I got the job around the same time I got my first II) and I didn't see much hope but to my surprise, I was accepted at the end of February. I feel like a horrible person quitting now!

Right now I already have a part time job (3 days/week) at a doctors office I will probably keep that pays enough for me to pay for my rent, utilies, food, occasional going out with friends, etc. I don't really make enough from that job to save much money, and I figured keeping the scribe job part time will give me a LITTLE extra spending money/savings money maybe an extra 300-400 or so a month. Is it really worth it? I don't have much in my savings but I figured any little amount of money I save up from working as a scribe won't do much in terms of saving up a significant amount for school since I'm already going to take out like 50k in loans.... so I don't really see the point?

For those who were accepted and quit their jobs, do you regret it when you found yourself just doing nothing? Or those who did work, did you find that saving up money like an extra grand before medical school was needed when you were already going to take 50k in loans anyway? Did you find that you wish you took the summer before medical school off if you did work?

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If you can afford it financially to leave the job, I would leave the job. There is probably a line out the door for premeds wanting to become scribes so it isn't really an issue of census for the company. I actually just gave my 2 week (well, 3 week) notice at my job as well and they were understanding about it.

I'm fairly confident that the ED will be able to run without you :-D. If you are making $60 per pay period, that won't be a thousand dollars anyway.
 
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Sounds like the job sucks and isn't worth it. Quit and enjoy life while you can. The amount you would earn/save is miniscule in the long run anyways.
 
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I am quitting my full-time job very soon. I will be matriculating in the fall. I consulted with multiple people before setting my quit date, and every single one (ESPECIALLY the MDs), told me to quit at the earliest financially viable point. This sentiment was universal.

Post-acceptance, pre-matriculation is the most relaxed period of your life you'll have for a very long time. Enjoy it.
 
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If I were in your situation, I'd consider quitting if I could. Maybe try to find something if it made me more money.
 
Congratulations on your acceptance! Quit scribing and drop all of your ECs unless you genuinely enjoy them.This is the time to enjoy your life, because once medical school starts, you won't have that chance!
 
I agree - if you don't need the money and you don't feel the benefits of the job are worth it, then I would quit. I would also feel very guilty about quitting a job so soon, but you should do what's best for you first and foremost.

If on the other hand you felt you are learning a lot on the job and it's something you really enjoy doing then of course it would be worth it to stay. It doesn't sound like that's the case.
 
Sounds like the job sucks and isn't worth it. Quit and enjoy life while you can. The amount you would earn/save is miniscule in the long run anyways.

This.

I'm currently working my last month as a scribe. I am on contract for a year, but almost everyone breaks it because after you get an acceptance, the benefits are far outweighed by the time commitment.

I plan on playing lots of video games with my new free time while I sit on my mountain of cash (lol) that I earned while being a scribe.
 
I quit my job as an ER scribe right after the Texas match (but I had worked over a year for them so I didn't feel too bad about it). Traveled to South Korea, road tripped to California and DC, ate a bunch of places, hung out with friends, and just enjoyed my free time before I started med school. It was awesome, and I'm really glad I did it, especially now that I'm in the grind of med school.
 
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Unanimous agreement on SDN, this must be a sign from god himself.

It's settled then:

frabz-quit-your-job-come-drink-385b06.jpg
 
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Hey all,

So I was accepted to medical school for this August so that leaves me ~3.5 months or so before I start medical school. I started working as a scribe in February, and to be honest the only reason why I did it was for medical school.

Now, I enjoy scribing and learning, but I already work part time in a doctors office (that pays significantly more), but the downsides for the scribe job are the low-pay ($9 hours an hour), the commute, and the hours (we need to be available weekends and overnights). I commute over an 45 mins - 1hour (with no traffic, with traffic probably 1.5 hours!) there and back. With rising gas prices and two gallons of gas needed everytime, the ~$60ish I get after taxes per 8 hour shift is getting very hard to justify. Plus, I honestly want my weekends and nights free, especially if I want to go home on a weekend and spend time with family etc. Working two part time jobs is honestly very tiring and I'm scared I'll burn out before I even start school. I never really did scribing for the money, but now it seems like I don't really need the experience nor the money. Considering both part time jobs are clinical experience, I kinda hoped to do something non medical related before I spend the rest of my life devoted to my medical career this august. But quitting my scribe job, and working just 3 days a week at my other part time job just seems so unproductive to me and I feel like I'm just wasting time sitting at home browsing reddit and watching TV shows.

I also regret quitting because I just started in February, and I told them I could commit at least a year with them, which was honestly what I felt that time, considering I hadn't received an II and I was planning on re-applying that summer. Granted, I wasn't accepted to medical school back in February (I got the job around the same time I got my first II) and I didn't see much hope but to my surprise, I was accepted at the end of February. I feel like a horrible person quitting now!

Right now I already have a part time job (3 days/week) at a doctors office I will probably keep that pays enough for me to pay for my rent, utilies, food, occasional going out with friends, etc. I don't really make enough from that job to save much money, and I figured keeping the scribe job part time will give me a LITTLE extra spending money/savings money maybe an extra 300-400 or so a month. Is it really worth it? I don't have much in my savings but I figured any little amount of money I save up from working as a scribe won't do much in terms of saving up a significant amount for school since I'm already going to take out like 50k in loans.... so I don't really see the point?

For those who were accepted and quit their jobs, do you regret it when you found yourself just doing nothing? Or those who did work, did you find that saving up money like an extra grand before medical school was needed when you were already going to take 50k in loans anyway? Did you find that you wish you took the summer before medical school off if you did work?

I was in your exact shoes and quit my job 1 week after my first acceptance. Scribing is a good learning experience, and a great clinical experience. But now that you're in, those two benefits drop by the wayside as you'll get plenty of those experiences in med school. The pay is terrible, especially considering the amount of education, time, and effort required to become a scribe. This makes scribing a niche job, as most if not all of the scribes I know were people who are in a transitional period in their life and had no intention of staying on for more than 1 year, 2 at most. You're right, the shekels you're earning now will not make the smallest dent in your tuition. Starting from this point on, your time will be worth more and more, reaching a point a few years from now when you'll have more money than time.

Remember how it felt when you got that first acceptance after years of hard work. Enjoy your time off, you deserve it.
 
Hey all,

So I was accepted to medical school for this August so that leaves me ~3.5 months or so before I start medical school. I started working as a scribe in February, and to be honest the only reason why I did it was for medical school.

Now, I enjoy scribing and learning, but I already work part time in a doctors office (that pays significantly more), but the downsides for the scribe job are the low-pay ($9 hours an hour), the commute, and the hours (we need to be available weekends and overnights). I commute over an 45 mins - 1hour (with no traffic, with traffic probably 1.5 hours!) there and back. With rising gas prices and two gallons of gas needed everytime, the ~$60ish I get after taxes per 8 hour shift is getting very hard to justify. Plus, I honestly want my weekends and nights free, especially if I want to go home on a weekend and spend time with family etc. Working two part time jobs is honestly very tiring and I'm scared I'll burn out before I even start school. I never really did scribing for the money, but now it seems like I don't really need the experience nor the money. Considering both part time jobs are clinical experience, I kinda hoped to do something non medical related before I spend the rest of my life devoted to my medical career this august. But quitting my scribe job, and working just 3 days a week at my other part time job just seems so unproductive to me and I feel like I'm just wasting time sitting at home browsing reddit and watching TV shows.

I also regret quitting because I just started in February, and I told them I could commit at least a year with them, which was honestly what I felt that time, considering I hadn't received an II and I was planning on re-applying that summer. Granted, I wasn't accepted to medical school back in February (I got the job around the same time I got my first II) and I didn't see much hope but to my surprise, I was accepted at the end of February. I feel like a horrible person quitting now!

Right now I already have a part time job (3 days/week) at a doctors office I will probably keep that pays enough for me to pay for my rent, utilies, food, occasional going out with friends, etc. I don't really make enough from that job to save much money, and I figured keeping the scribe job part time will give me a LITTLE extra spending money/savings money maybe an extra 300-400 or so a month. Is it really worth it? I don't have much in my savings but I figured any little amount of money I save up from working as a scribe won't do much in terms of saving up a significant amount for school since I'm already going to take out like 50k in loans.... so I don't really see the point?

For those who were accepted and quit their jobs, do you regret it when you found yourself just doing nothing? Or those who did work, did you find that saving up money like an extra grand before medical school was needed when you were already going to take 50k in loans anyway? Did you find that you wish you took the summer before medical school off if you did work?
Drop it like its hot. Relax and destress before med school starts up, and don't feel guilt. This stuff happens all the time.
 
Quit the job and go enjoy life while you still can;)
 
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Hey all,

For those who were accepted and quit their jobs, do you regret it when you found yourself just doing nothing? Or those who did work, did you find that saving up money like an extra grand before medical school was needed when you were already going to take 50k in loans anyway? Did you find that you wish you took the summer before medical school off if you did work?

You answered the question yourself, but just read that line again if you need reassurance…

Quit the job, enjoy the summer, you're going to wish you had if you don't.
 
9$ , thats awesome compared to what physassist gives us ...measly 8$/hour....an hour commute each way.

Bro quit and enjoy your time off, screw scribing.
 
Save as much as you can before you start school. At some point you'll need to buy things for yourself to stay sane.
 
You're not going to be able to gain much more from scribing (learning wise) in ~4 months unless you worked 3+ shifts/week. Just keep your HPI skills and anything else useful you learned. Other than that, QUIT!! Go have fun!!

I'm doing nothing right now and let me tell you, this **** is thoroughly good.
 
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Hey all,

So I was accepted to medical school for this August so that leaves me ~3.5 months or so before I start medical school. I started working as a scribe in February, and to be honest the only reason why I did it was for medical school.

Now, I enjoy scribing and learning, but I already work part time in a doctors office (that pays significantly more), but the downsides for the scribe job are the low-pay ($9 hours an hour), the commute, and the hours (we need to be available weekends and overnights). I commute over an 45 mins - 1hour (with no traffic, with traffic probably 1.5 hours!) there and back. With rising gas prices and two gallons of gas needed everytime, the ~$60ish I get after taxes per 8 hour shift is getting very hard to justify. Plus, I honestly want my weekends and nights free, especially if I want to go home on a weekend and spend time with family etc. Working two part time jobs is honestly very tiring and I'm scared I'll burn out before I even start school. I never really did scribing for the money, but now it seems like I don't really need the experience nor the money. Considering both part time jobs are clinical experience, I kinda hoped to do something non medical related before I spend the rest of my life devoted to my medical career this august. But quitting my scribe job, and working just 3 days a week at my other part time job just seems so unproductive to me and I feel like I'm just wasting time sitting at home browsing reddit and watching TV shows.

I also regret quitting because I just started in February, and I told them I could commit at least a year with them, which was honestly what I felt that time, considering I hadn't received an II and I was planning on re-applying that summer. Granted, I wasn't accepted to medical school back in February (I got the job around the same time I got my first II) and I didn't see much hope but to my surprise, I was accepted at the end of February. I feel like a horrible person quitting now!

Right now I already have a part time job (3 days/week) at a doctors office I will probably keep that pays enough for me to pay for my rent, utilies, food, occasional going out with friends, etc. I don't really make enough from that job to save much money, and I figured keeping the scribe job part time will give me a LITTLE extra spending money/savings money maybe an extra 300-400 or so a month. Is it really worth it? I don't have much in my savings but I figured any little amount of money I save up from working as a scribe won't do much in terms of saving up a significant amount for school since I'm already going to take out like 50k in loans.... so I don't really see the point?

For those who were accepted and quit their jobs, do you regret it when you found yourself just doing nothing? Or those who did work, did you find that saving up money like an extra grand before medical school was needed when you were already going to take 50k in loans anyway? Did you find that you wish you took the summer before medical school off if you did work?

Do you mind if I ask how you ended up at 50k in loans? It seems like most people are in it for the full 300K (or ~200K for public) or get parents to pay. Also, quit that job asap.
 
Do you mind if I ask how you ended up at 50k in loans? It seems like most people are in it for the full 300K (or ~200K for public) or get parents to pay. Also, quit that job asap.

So parents can either pay everything or nothing?
 
I'm holding onto my nursing job until the last possible second because I want a bunch of money saved up. I might even go crazy deep into overtime this spring/summer, but I doubt it. But my commute is 10 minutes and my wages are a lot higher.
 
You're not going to be able to gain much more from scribing (learning wise) in ~4 months unless you worked 3+ shifts/week. Just keep your HPI skills and anything else useful you learned. Other than that, QUIT!! Go have fun!!

I'm doing nothing right now and let me tell you, this **** is thoroughly good.

I was considering doing this. I'm glad to know that I'm not the first.
 
So parents can either pay everything or nothing?

Yeah I guess that would explain it. Now I don't know much about how financial aid works in in medical school, but for undergrad (at my school at least) you found yourself in one of three camps. 1) Parents paid full freight, 2) Parental income small enough for a package, packages covered most of what parents couldn't 3) Parental income enough to be disqualified from financial aid, but not enough to afford a brand name education (aka, you went to state school).

So most people had very small loans to make up the extra 10K or so that fin. aid and contribution from parents didn't cover. A few sorry souls tried to finance 4 years of private undergrad with loans, and a bunch had parents willing to foot the bill. I suppose with fin. aid much tighter in med school there are plenty of people in position 3 whose parents will give them the affordable amount and have them pick up the rest in loans.
 
I'm accepted and work as a scribe. Since I get bored with too much free time, really love my job, and would be completely broke without it--I'm not planning to quit.

But I live 3 miles from work and make a few dollars more than you.
 
I cannot believe you're getting paid $9/hour as a scribe. That's slavery. I was making $10 as a sales associate and $25 as an entry level lab technician. Sounds like you got screwed money wise, but at least you got a clinical experience. I would quit and find another higher paying job. You can easily become an entry level lab tech for Pfizer, Bayer, etc
 
Quit it. Everyone knows that the majority of people do this stuff to get into med school. You got there. Time to drop the hassles.
 
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Quit. Any job that requires me to drive 2 hours uncompensated is not a job I want.
 
Do you mind if I ask how you ended up at 50k in loans? It seems like most people are in it for the full 300K (or ~200K for public) or get parents to pay. Also, quit that job asap.
Err I meant 50k for the FIRST YEAR. Haha... And thanks for the responses everyone, I just quit.
 
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My scribe job started me at $8.05/hr for the first 3 months. The McDonald's next to the hospital was starting at $9/hr. I don't understand the arbitrary low wage they start at, considering being a scribe involves some level of skill.
 
My scribe job started me at $8.05/hr for the first 3 months. The McDonald's next to the hospital was starting at $9/hr. I don't understand the arbitrary low wage they start at, considering being a scribe involves some level of skill.
There's an infinitely large number of students that would kill for the experience and the hours you can get as a scribe, not to mention many would do it for free. Why pay more?
 
My scribe job started me at $8.05/hr for the first 3 months. The McDonald's next to the hospital was starting at $9/hr. I don't understand the arbitrary low wage they start at, considering being a scribe involves some level of skill.

Yeah, like the above poster said, the demand for scribe positions is much higher than the demand for McDonald's positions. It's a job that premeds do for more than the money it pays.
 
There's an infinitely large number of students that would kill for the experience and the hours you can get as a scribe, not to mention many would do it for free. Why pay more?

I didn't know premedical students were so eager to scribe, makes sense - supply outstrips the demand. Regardless, it's still exploitation, just adding another for profit entity into the healthcare system.
 
You're coming up on the last couple months of your "relax" time before you hit med school. If you are getting by fine with your volunteer job, there is no need to continue scribing for 9$ p/h (which seems kinda horrid). Unless you're the type that enjoys having money (that's me) then continue with both.

Good luck!
 
Yeah I guess that would explain it. Now I don't know much about how financial aid works in in medical school, but for undergrad (at my school at least) you found yourself in one of three camps. 1) Parents paid full freight, 2) Parental income small enough for a package, packages covered most of what parents couldn't 3) Parental income enough to be disqualified from financial aid, but not enough to afford a brand name education (aka, you went to state school).

So most people had very small loans to make up the extra 10K or so that fin. aid and contribution from parents didn't cover. A few sorry souls tried to finance 4 years of private undergrad with loans, and a bunch had parents willing to foot the bill. I suppose with fin. aid much tighter in med school there are plenty of people in position 3 whose parents will give them the affordable amount and have them pick up the rest in loans.

OP already answered your first question (he or she was referring to the first year of loans) but in medical school, if you have a cosigner for the GRAD Plus loan, almost everyone is eligible for the full cost of attendance in federal loans. You can always borrow less than that if you have savings or other income (parental, spousal or otherwise) or just don't require that much money beyond tuition.
 
I'm in a similar position, and when I filled in my AMCAS they told me to put down what I expected to work as a scribe. At the time that was 40hrs/week for 1 year, but after being accepted I'd like to quit and work a different job that will allow me to save some before I start school. Will quitting my job affect my acceptance status? Any thoughts?
 
Sorry to open up an old thread, but has absolutely anyone had an issue with an ADCOM trying to confirm that you were still working (whether as a scribe, or lab assistant, etc.) after acceptance?
 
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