Emergency Scribe Consultants is a subsidiary of Emergency Care Consultants, PA (ECC). ECC is the group of emergency physicians who provide exclusive coverage for the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Emergency Department in Minneapolis, MN. ECC Scribes work in the emergency departments at both Abbott Northwestern Hospital and United Hospital in St Paul, MN.
Our scribe program is currently comprised of more than 40 part-time and full-time scribes. All plan to attend medical school in the near future and are looking for a way to work in an environment that will give them maximum exposure to the world of medicine. As physicians (and people who remember the effort and commitment that it takes to gain admission to medical school) we feel that our scribe program offers a unique opportunity to gain invaluable medical experience.
As a scribe, you will be exposed first-hand to all aspects of emergency medicine, and you will play a vital role in the management of our patients. Virtually all of your time here is spent working one-on-one with our physicians, entering every exam room with the doctor, involvement in behind the scenes activities, and learning a lot of medicine along the way.
Christopher Obetz, MD, FACEP
Words From Scribes:
When I started as a Scribe at Abbott Northwestern hospital I really didn't know much about medicine or how it was delivered. The learning curve was steep, but the docs were friendly and helped me to get up to speed in the medical language and note-writing quickly. In my two years (part time) I had a few thousand patient encounters in which I was witness to medical care being delivered from the ambulance unloading to admission upstairs; that's more than most first year residents have experienced! Some of the doctors would even quiz me about how to manage certain patients----just be careful not to embarrass any medical students rotating through the ER!
This is a very unique experience that makes you stand out as a medical school applicant, and also provides the opportunity for some great letters of recommendation. I have found learning in medical school to be easier than lots of my friends simply because I can correlate school lessons with so many patients that I have seen in the real world. Because I saw care delivered from 20+ different providers, I was able to model my personal method of patient interviewing from the best aspects of each of these mentors. Overall, this is hands down the best preparation anyone can have for medical school. AND YOU GET PAID!
David R
University of Minnesota Medical School Class of 2012
ANW Scribe '06-'08
Being a scribe is an absolutely INVALUABLE opportunity to actively learn the art of medicine. The exposure to such a broad array of medicine as an undergrad is unparallelled. Not only are we bedside for the history, physical exam, radiography readings, lab orders, and many procedures, but we learn how to formally document the information, and the physicians are fantastic teachers.
In the 12 months that I was a scribe, I learned so much, and I still can't believe that I was getting paid for the experience! Forget anything about making the resume or application look good, the knowledge, exposure, and networking alone are enough to do this full time - as a volunteer! After the first few months of medical school, it's clear that being a scribe has given me an advantage in regards to the medical language, comfort with patient interaction, understanding the relationships and communication among physicians and between physicians and other health professionals, and some of the behind-the-scenes business that is necessary for operating a medical practice. I would advise anyone interested to jump at the opportunity and not to think twice.
-Erik S., medical student, scribe '06-'07
Hey Scribes!
I am sitting here with my nose buried in a book, learning another pathway replete with words that could give a scrabble player a buzz, and I had to give pause and ask myself the question: was the scribin’ worth it? My answer – you bet it was! You know why? It gives context to everything I have been learning in school.
Each day when you saddle up that cow and stride into the ANW pasture you are going to see and hear things that you will see again. That elevated white count, percent bands, troponin level, cardiac silhouette, patient note, psych presentation and insulin administration record – each and every one will come back to you again (in the form of a test question). Never fear though because you have seen it all before.
On more than one occasion during lecture I have thought about how lucky I am to have been involved in the scribe program. When the speaker up front is talking about central lines, lab values and a detailed patient history, I can focus on the details of the lecture and not sit there trying to generate my own framework for what is being discussed. You guys are in a truly great position to get a look at the lifestyle of a physician and a free head-start on your med school experience!
-Winston W., medical student, scribe '06-'07
I believe this job is one of the best and most unique medical experiences any pre-med student can have. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the daily realities of life as a doctor and an excellent understanding of how emergency medicine is practiced. Working as a scribe, one will exponentially increase their medical knowledge including terminology, patient protocol, different diseases, symptoms, treatments and more. I have learned so much about medicine working as a scribe and highly recommend this opportunity to anyone who is committed to becoming a doctor.
- Leela R., current Scribe
