Starting a new job as a medical scribe.

I’m catapulting myself into the world of medical scribing. 

I applied to be a medical scribe a couple months ago through ScribeAmerica, and recently heard back from one of the locations. Last week I got the job and now I’m sitting in a pool of anxiety over whether or not I will make a good medical scribe.

A medical scribe is someone who acts as a physician’s personal note taker to ensure that the physician-patient interaction is maximized since the physician no longer has to worry about taking notes while talking to the patient. It’s a mutually beneficial job: I get to shadow physicians and learn more about their day-to-day functions (a win for me) while helping to make their patient interactions easier and more effective (a win for them)- a win-win situation! 

The world of medicine is something that I aspire to enter. I know that this new job will propel my dream forward and make me feel the thrill of being a medical professional. However, I cannot help but freak out as I think about what my first day of scribing with a physician will be like. Scribing is a taxing job. I have to constantly be on my toes, anticipate the physician’s actions, and take extraordinary notes on their patient interactions. This terrifies me because what if my notes are not good enough? What if I screw up? What if I get yelled at by the physicians themselves?! Self doubt is a cruel thing. 

I keep having to reassure myself by understanding that it is okay to be nervous for a new job. I remind myself that I am required to undergo extensive training through the company before I’m allowed to work alone, so I’ll be fully prepared to be a good scribe. I also have a couple months before I even start this job, so that gives me time to control my nerves. 

I think what scares me is the fact that I’ve never had a job before, so this whole idea of having to balance my education, extracurriculars, AND a job is new to me. It’s a shock to my rather habitual lifestyle. 

I’m eager to learn and expand my knowledge through my time as a medical scribe, but I am equally anxious and terrified. On the brighter side, I’m using this opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone and catapult into the “unknown.”