While many EPPA Scribe locations are hospital Emergency Departments (ED), we also provide scribing services for specialty clinics like the TRIA Orthopedic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. EPPA starts all scribes in an ED to gain a wide range of clinical knowledge before they can transfer to a clinic specialty. EPPA Scribes have the possibility to transfer to TRIA where they see an in-depth look into sports medicine and non-surgical/surgical orthopedics.
A typical day for our scribes at TRIA begins between 7:00-7:30am. Scribes are paired with a provider for each shift and see between 18 – 36 patients per day. Some providers see a wide range of patients, while others focus on younger athletes after acute injuries or older patients dealing with chronic pain. Depending on the provider that scribes are with, they may only see knee or shoulder pain all day, while other days they will see everything from plantar fasciitis to rotator cuff injuries to a meniscus tear. This diverse learning environment keeps each shift at TRIA interesting.
Charting at TRIA is also different than the ED. Since it is a clinic setting, the scribe and provider have scheduled patients versus an ED where patient volumes are unpredictable. Both settings are very fast paced, but in unique ways.
In clinics, scribes are present for the entire patient visit including the initial patient history, test results, and plan discussion which all takes roughly 15-20 minutes. This means most patient charts are 90% complete when the scribe and TRIA provider leave the patient room. In an ED, the scribe is focused on taking the patient history in the patient room first and completes the rest of the chart throughout the duration of the patient’s stay.
Working in a specialty like TRIA orthopedics allows the scribe to gain useful information about a specialty that even our ER providers don’t know!
By working at TRIA, EPPA Scribes have the opportunity to diversify their scribing knowledge and experiences while continuing to prepare for professional school. They can take a deeper dive into to learning about orthopedic cases like reverse total shoulder or a torn ACL that would not be possible in an ED.
Like all of the providers that EPPA scribes work alongside, TRIA providers are consistently providing additional teaching and explanation about imaging and diagnoses with scribes. Which sometimes means our scribes know more about orthopedics than our emergency department providers! EPPA scribes also have the ability to shadow in the operating room with TRIA surgeons which is a unique opportunity to working at TRIA as a scribe.
"Working at TRIA is extremely special as I like to think we go the extra mile to get to the bottom of a patient's complaint. We always put the patient first and like to move quickly and efficiently in their care."