While working my medical scribe job in the ER, I came across a unique benefit of becoming a medical scribe. Scribing makes taking the MCAT easier!
For the most part, patient traffic is very busy in the ER. On a busy day, you can expect to be on your feet, chasing around an ER doctor, and quickly charting documents for 8 or so hours straight.
This sounds pretty intimidating, and it is. But so is the MCAT.
Part of the MCAT challenge is pushing yourself through a difficult 7.5 hour exam, with little breaks. In order to prepare for this, the AAMC recommends taking plenty of practice tests to simulate test day. It’s like training for a marathon. You practice running similar distances in advance so that the actual marathon doesn’t seem like any new endeavor.
Scribing is conditioning for the MCAT.
When you start scribing, you will get off your shift and your brain will be completely fuzzy and unable to function. You may even find it very difficult to properly complete your charts during those long nights. However, eventually you will find yourself conditioned to effectively use your brain for hours and hours, and those long shifts become a lot easier.
When you reach this point, the MCAT is just another day another dollar.
Not to mention the benefit of learning about medicine. Being a scribe allows you to shadow a physician full-time. Because of this, there are many opportunities to ask questions and apply what you learned in the classroom to real life.
The result: A better understanding of the material. This adds to what I like to call “getting into the mindset of the MCAT.”
Conclusion
Scribing trains your brain to work longer and harder. It helps you push past that moment when you feel like you can’t possibly take in any more information. Not only that, but it helps you develop a deeper understanding of the sciences.