Clinical temp or per-diem work options to support med school applications: now that scribing in person is dead, what would be best?

[bunkina]

Would a summer of unpaid internship in a local outpatient public mental health clinic that serves all ages be a good clinical/volunteer activity for an applicant who is considering becoming a psychiatrist? Most premed and psych major prereqs are/will be done by end of sophomore year, very high GPA from a tippy top school. If ACT is any predictor, MCAT should be very high, too, when it's time. I'm thinking that this will help define future specialty interest, but would it help with applications? Or simply try to get shadowing hours in same setting, shadowing MD clinician?

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[bunkina]

Medical Scribe in the ED, in person, was a fantastic but brief opportunity for clinical shift work with tremendous learning opportunity, but Covid killed it, and now it's really not an option anywhere that I can find in MA or CT. Any ideas for clinical contact work for which one can easily and quickly become qualified, that would be valued by MD schools? Phlebotomy in the ED looks like next best option, but I cannot find a quick, cheap training class. Hospital is begging for per-diem transport workers, but I just don't think that gurney-pushing is something that would help in a med school application. CMA/CNA/EMT all require too long a training period to be worthwhile.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Are you able to combine your posts about options, rather than having us straddle two different posts?

For this specific thread on medical scribing being "dead", where are you located? If this is your perception... I have seen applications and SDN WAMC descriptions where private clinics hire scribes or non-ED's in hospitals hire scribes (please correct me). I don't know if you have ever worked for a scribing company or how you got your original position, but I don't think that in-person scribing is "dead". There is a staffing shortage at most clinics right now. As long as you are up-to-date with shots and vaccines, you should hopefully have little issues getting something.

SDN Activity Finder. Have you used it?

 

[chilly_md]

Would a summer of unpaid internship in a local outpatient public mental health clinic that serves all ages be a good clinical/volunteer activity for an applicant who is considering becoming a psychiatrist? Most premed and psych major prereqs are/will be done by end of sophomore year, very high GPA from a tippy top school. If ACT is any predictor, MCAT should be very high, too, when it's time. I'm thinking that this will help define future specialty interest, but would it help with applications? Or simply try to get shadowing hours in same setting, shadowing MD clinician?

I have merged this post with this thread to consolidate your questions. The MCAT is much more difficult than the ACT. If you are having trouble finding clinical jobs, this unpaid internship sounds like it would count as clinical experience. A non-clinical job would be fine to take if you still need to earn some money.

 

[LunaOri]

Scribing is great, and there are definitely opportunities in CT and MA. Ditto for working as a medical assistant.

 

[WildWing]

Here's the link to Activity Finder:

Activity Finder - Find Extracurriculars for Med School Application | Activity Finder

Activity Finder helps you find common premedical extracurricular activities: medical and clinical jobs, research opportunities, shadowing, and community service.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[the phenol countdown]

current scribe here! In-person scribing is definitely....not dead lol. I don't mean to be rude, but it took me 2 seconds to find a ton of positions in MA:

ScribeAmerica

ScribeAmerica

jobs.scribeamerica.com