Tag: Aspiring Doctors

How to Get the Most Out of Your Medical Scribing Experience

A young medical scribe with an eager expression follows a doctor, dreaming of medical school as they assist in a hospital.
Discover how scribing can pave your path to medical school with our ten key tips for aspiring doctors.

With each passing year, more and more doctors enter medical school after first scribing. Working as a scribe is a great way to gain clinical experience, sometimes while candidates are also taking classes to fill out their prerequisites. Medical scribing is a valuable experience for aspiring healthcare professionals, as it provides insight into the daily workings of a medical practice.

As more and more of our clients come to us from scribing backgrounds, we at Gurufi / FourthWrite created our ScribeToMD program, which seeks to provide scribes with free resources to help them with this process. To that end, here are ten tips for getting the most out of your medical scribing experience:

  1. Take detailed notes: As a scribe, you will have the opportunity to observe medical procedures, diagnoses, and treatments. Take detailed notes on what you see and hear, as this will help you gain a deeper understanding of the healthcare process. To help you do this, we created our downloadable Scribe Journal. Use it as a journal. Our clients who used the Beta version raved at how it helped them organize their thoughts, recall specific events, and note their growth when it came time to apply for medical school.
  2. Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the healthcare provider you are scribing for. This will help you gain a better understanding of the patient’s condition, the reasoning behind specific treatments, and the overall healthcare process. Doctors are typically quite receptive to explaining things and replying to questions. Use their insights -and perhaps even mentorship- to help guide you.
  3. Be attentive: Pay close attention to the interactions between the healthcare provider and the patient, as well as between the healthcare provider and other members of the healthcare team. This will help you understand the importance of good communication and teamwork in healthcare.
  4. Observe medical procedures: Take advantage of the opportunity to observe medical procedures, such as surgeries or physical exams. This will give you a hands-on understanding of what it is like to be a healthcare provider.
  5. Reflect on your experiences: After each scribing session, take some time to reflect on what you have learned. Think about how your experiences can help inform your future career goals and how you can apply what you have learned to your future studies.
  6. Network: Take advantage of the opportunity to network with healthcare providers and other members of the healthcare team. Ask for their advice and perspectives on the healthcare field, and discuss your own career goals with them.
  7. Shadow different healthcare providers: If possible, try to shadow different types of healthcare providers, such as physicians, nurses, and physician assistants. This will give you a well-rounded understanding of the different roles and responsibilities in healthcare.
  8. Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from the healthcare provider you are scribing for. This will help you understand what you are doing well and what you can improve upon.
  9. Volunteer: If possible, volunteer at a clinic or hospital to gain additional exposure to the healthcare field. This will help you build your network, gain hands-on experience, and better understand the challenges faced by healthcare providers. Moreover, having a broad and diverse perspective will both help you chart your course forward and be a credit to you in the application process.
  10. Pursue additional education: Take advantage of any opportunities to pursue additional education, such as courses or workshops, that will help you build your knowledge and skills. This will help you be a more informed and effective healthcare provider in the future.

Medical scribing is a valuable experience for aspiring healthcare professionals. By following these ten tips, you can get the most out of your medical scribing experience and gain a deeper understanding of the healthcare field. In the meantime, check out our Scribe to MD Facebook page.

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top Masters and Ph.D. programs in STEM, humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at service@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Ten Insider Tips for Your Medical School Personal Statement

A young adult appears stressed while sitting at a cluttered desk with medical textbooks, university application letters, and a laptop displaying an application page, symbolizing the challenging journey of medical school applications.
Embrace the journey, conquer the challenge. Your path to becoming a medical hero starts here. #MedSchoolDreams #FutureDoctor”

 

         How do you summarize your life and aspirations in just 5300 characters? With spring around the corner, this is the challenge facing thousands of medical school applicants. The AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) personal statement is the central pillar of your application, where you explain your achievements and contextualize your life, so you don’t want to get it wrong. To this end, we at Gurufi are producing a free video series that we’ll start rolling out next week detailing how you should approach your AMCAS personal statement. In the meantime, here are some tips you can use to craft a more powerful personal statement. In the meantime, if you’re feeling stuck, feel free to contact us atservice@gurufi.com for help, or visit our website at Gurufi.com!

         Here are ten tips for making your personal statement pop!

  1. Clearly state your motivation for pursuing medicine: The first thing that a good AMCAS personal statement does well is clearly state the applicant’s motivation for pursuing medicine. This is an opportunity to express why you are interested in becoming a physician and what drives your passion for the field. Be specific and concise, and make sure that your motivation is evident throughout the essay.

You don’t, though, have to state this in the opening paragraph. Use good storytelling to make your essay stand out, and part of this means that you should avoid overly rote openings like “I want to become a doctor because…:” I made these three videos for MBA applicants, but most of the core ideas are relevant to med school personal statements. Check them out here, here, and here!

  1. Understand you can’t say everything. The horror of medical school applications is that there is just so much to do! The flip side, though, is that in addition to your primary personal statement, you also have the AMCAS Work & Activities Section, secondaries, and even letters of recommendation to highlight additional parts of your application. Because you have so many opportunities to talk about what you’ve done, do NOT try to overstuff your Personal Statement. Most good personal statements will have three beats: “origin story,” “relevant accomplishment,” and “why medicine?” This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but a useful rule of thumb. In other words, in your PS, look to cover a few things really well, and then use the Work & Activities and individual school secondaries to address additional themes and tell additional stories.

  1. Highlight your unique experiences and skills: A good AMCAS personal statement should also highlight the applicant’s unique experiences and skills. This could include experiences in healthcare, volunteering, research, or leadership positions. Be specific about the experiences and explain how they have shaped your understanding of medicine and your goals for the future.

  1. Show your personality: The AMCAS personal statement is a chance for you to show your personality and make a connection with the admissions committee. Use a clear and conversational tone to describe your experiences and motivations. Avoid using medical jargon and technical language, and instead, write in a way that is easily accessible by an intelligent reader who might not be familiar with your particular area that you’re talking about.

  1. Emphasize your commitment to medicine: Good AMCAS personal statements also emphasize the applicant’s commitment to medicine. This could include a commitment to helping underserved communities, a desire to improve patient care, or a passion for medical research. Be specific about what drives your commitment and how you hope to contribute to the field of medicine.

  1. Discuss any challenges or obstacles you have overcome: A good AMCAS personal statement should also discuss any challenges or obstacles the applicant has faced and overcome. This could include personal or academic challenges, and how you were able to overcome them. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your resilience and determination, and to show that you have the qualities necessary to succeed in the challenging field of medicine.

  1. Highlight your long-term goals: A good AMCAS personal statement should also highlight the applicant’s long-term goals. This could include goals for their medical career, as well as personal goals that are relevant to medicine. Be specific and explain how these goals align with your motivations and experiences in medicine.

  1. Showcase your knowledge of the medical profession: A good AMCAS personal statement should also showcase the applicant’s knowledge of the medical profession. This could include an understanding of the responsibilities of a physician, current healthcare issues, and a passion for ongoing medical education. Be specific and explain how you plan to continue learning and growing as a physician.

  1. Provide a well-structured and organized essay: A good AMCAS personal statement should also be well-structured and organized. This includes having a clear introduction, body, and conclusion and using appropriate headings and subheadings to help the admissions committee easily follow your story. It should also be free of grammar and spelling errors and carefully proofread before submitting.

  1. Keep it concise: This is an obvious one. The system simply won’t let you upload more than 5300 characters (including spaces) so be sure to plan, outline, and write with this hard cap in mind. Remember Point #2: you can’t say everything, so don’t try. Remember, two well-told stories (or even one!) is much better than five stories that are rushed and thin. As such, be selective about what you include and focus on the most important experiences, skills, and motivations that you want to showcase.

No pressure, but this could be the most important essay of your life, so plan, leave time for revision, and seek outside help if necessary. At Gurufi, we have 17+ years of experience helping people get into top medical schools. Last year, we placed candidates at top programs like Harvard Medical School, UCSF, Northwestern, Duke, UCLA, USC, OHSU, and Johns Hopkins. We also have an excellent track record with Canadian and UK medical schools. If you need help crafting a powerful personal statement, check us out!

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top Medical Schools. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email atservice@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.