A Different Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving break being right around the corner, a lot of us students are jumping with excitement.

Normally during Thanksgiving break, I will make the most of my time off from school to visit with family and catch up and studying before finals week. However, this year my Thanksgiving will be a little different—I will be working a 10-hour shift at a hospital!

During my college career, I have been fortunate enough to take on two jobs. My first job is as an ambassador for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. However, my second job is as a medical scribe in the emergency department at a local hospital.

As a medical scribe, I get to shadow doctors while typing their charts during their patient visits. As a pre-med student, I was always told to shadow physicians as much as possible to really get a good understanding of their day-to-day schedules.

With scribing, I have been able to consistently shadow while learning a copious amount of medical information. Scribing in the emergency department has also taught me how to be work efficiently because I’m often running around with the doctor who see multiple patients within a short window of time.

I have been scribing for about two years and I learn something new during every shift. This position has given me an immersive healthcare experience and I’m so thankful that I was able to pursue this while being a full-time student.

As a scribe in the emergency department, we often have to work holidays, including Thanksgiving. But even though I will be working during this Thanksgiving instead of being back home, I’m excited to see what I’ll be learning at the hospital during another long, but fun-filled shift!