September 2014 • Newsletter
The very first PhysAssist Family Fun Day, 06/07/14
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September 2014
What’s New? Breaking into Business!
East Chicago scribe, David Jung, has created a harness geared to help scribes who have difficulty finding a surface for their laptop. Check out his story below. “My largest issue during residency was speed and I was wasting time looking for surfaces to type on. To solve that issue, I made a harness so I could always type with two hands. I have been able to get physical exams from physicians while walking, and I never have to worry about turning my back on a psych patient. Overall, it improved my speed at charting. My trainer commented that I performed better when I didn’t have to go searching for a surface to type on. I still need to get faster and learn more but the harness helped me move in the right direction.” You can get a better look at and order a Type Harness at:
http://www.thirdcoasthinking.com/shop Good Luck David!
Lacey Floyed from Allen Presby with Dr. Hwang, a few nurses and the “biggest pizza in Texas”.
Knoxville East, West and Northeast, trainers having a barbecue in the park.
CTSs Jobin Philip, Connor Kristof, John Micah Powers and Josue Estrella, from Seaford, DE, enjoying some sun and sand. Implementations department at a Rangers Game
Want to be in the next newsletter? Send us your Team Building/Scribe Pride pics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email us at news@iamscribe.com!
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September 2014
Connect the Docs Winner The fifth winner of the $2500 scholarship was Marysia Watson, a member of the Hoffman Estates scribe team.
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I can’t believe two years with PhysAssist Scribes, Inc. has gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was interviewing for the job and receiving all the pre-Scribe U material. Now I am the one sending out the information to trainees and taking them through their first few days of training. It has been quite the journey from trainee to scribe ambassador to trainer to CTS (Syracuse). Now, I am finishing up my time with PhysAssist on the corporate side as a Scribe U Coordinator. When I first researched PhysAssist Scribes, Inc., I was instantly attracted to the SCRIBE acronym (Sincere, Caring, Responsive, Innovative, Balanced and Efficient). These characteristics appealed to me because I knew I possessed them. I also had a strong desire to strengthen them before entering medical school. My experience with PhysAssist has better prepared me for the challenges I will face in medical school. I am ready to continue building on these qualities to become the best physician that I can be. I would like to emphasize that I alone cannot be credited for all that I have accomplished. I am grateful for the support I have received from corporate and current employees at PhysAssist. Without the full support of my friends, family and PhysAssist family, I would not be heading off to Midwestern University this July to pursue my dream.
The Staffing department announced the new winner in July.
I am extremely grateful for this scholarship and I guarantee that it will be put to good use. I look forward to reconnecting with the people I have met through PhysAssist in medical school, residency and/or as future business partners/co-workers. This company truly does “Connect the Docs” and I am honored to have had this experience. Once again, thank you PhysAssist for all your support for last two years. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me!”
-Marysia Watson
Want to be our next winner? Refer a friend to scribe with us! Visit the scribe blog or log in to your ShiftAdmin account to learn more and submit an entry.
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September 2014
Scribe Spotlight Brittanie Knowles has been a PhysAssist Dallas/Kaufman scribe since 2012. In 2014, she was awarded the North Texas ACE Foundation (NTAF) scholarship from the founding father, Dr. Compton Broders. an impact on her are a gastrointestinal physician, a home nurse and family physician.
1. How did you get started with PhysAssist? She graduated from University of Texas in Dallas last Spring, and played college softball throughout. During her time there, she went to a job recruiting fair, spoke to a recruiter from PhysAssist and decided to apply. She got hired as a scribe and began working June of 2013.
4.Tell us about your experience as a PhysAssist Trainer Scribe. What is the most rewarding part about being a Trainer on your home team?
2. What are your future professional aspirations?
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Brittanie would like to apply to medical schools primarily in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. She has not quite decided on a specialty but really enjoys the idea of working in Family Medicine or long-term care due the experiences with her mom.
It is really tough sometimes..., However, you won’t get better if you don’t take risks.
3. How have the experiences in your life helped prepare you for your future in medicine? Her mom has gone through quite a bit of treatment and procedures due to her medical condition and has had to have multiple physicians care for her. Brittanie states that she has been one of the primary care-takers of her mother and had had to learn to communicate with several physicians about these conditions, procedures, and treatments. She has learned a lot about medicine during this time and states that the top providers that have made
She began as a trainer in November of 2013 and the most rewarding part of the job is to “see the lightbulb go off ” during training and beyond that, to see the progression that the scribes have made throughout the first several months of being able to work solo with the physician. She has observed some of her former trainees and have noted them using and applying the tips that she gave them, which makes her feel that she has truly made a difference.
5. Based on your experiences as a scribe, what advice would you give other pre-health students? She states that there are multiple facets of learning when working as a PhysAssist scribe. Not only is a scribe learning the medical terminology, the scribe duties and the workflow of the ED, but a scribe also Center, clockwise from bottom left: NTAF Directors: Carey Geesbreght, Alex Geesbreght, Dr. Compton Broders & 2014 NTAF Scholarship Recipient Brittanie Knowles
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September 2014
gets to experience all of the roles that are in the ED such as nurses, techs, hospitalists, radiologists and other consulting physicians.
able to experience the rewarding parts of the job.
6. What advice would you give someone considering the Trainer Scribe position?
Brittanie was still working all of her jobs and taking care of her mom any spare moment she obtained. She had taken the MCAT but did not do very well since she had no time to study. She was training someone one day while scribing that apparently had connections in the NTAF. Brittanie had told this trainee about her situation but went home and did not think anything about it. When she was presented with this scholarship, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and relief.The contract was to quit all other jobs other than PhysAssist Scribes. The scholarship paid for her MCAT Kaplan classes and paid for her expenses for 4 months so she could study. She retook the MCAT and did much better! During this time, she worked part time but now that she has completed her MCAT, she has returned to her full time status at PhysAssist. Brittanie said she would have not gotten this opportunity if she was not a trainer at PhysAssist and is truly grateful for her trainees, PhysAssist and also Dr. Broders. Dr. Broders has been voted one of the Top 50 Most Positive Doctors in America and one of the Best Doctors in Dallas by D Magazine for several years.
The Trainer Scribe is a rewarding position and provides scribes with having the opportunity to step into a leadership role. She states, ”If you have never had leadership role before, it pushes you outside your comfort zone. It is really tough sometimes and it is not easy to train. However, you won’t get better if you don’t take risks. You get to know more about yourself as well if you can handle the pressure.”
7. Was there any time during your pre-med career that you felt like giving up but you decided not to? “A million times”, she stated. During college, she was constantly busy trying to be superwoman. Overall, she worked 3 jobs which included being a scribe, a bartender and a softball coach. She also went to school, traveled during the week for softball, and was one of the primary care-takers of her mom. Most of the money went to paying her mom’s medical expenses and she literally had no more time to spare, as she was sleeping a maximum of 3 hours a night most of the time. She frequently worried about paying for classes or having enough time to study when she was taking a class. She felt at times she could not stay afloat and that she would have to either give up softball or give up her pre-medical career path. However, she pushed through because she knew it was all worth the fight and the struggle. She did not know if there would be light at the end of the tunnel, but it all paid off when she was awarded the NTAF scholarship this year.
8. What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a PhysAssist scribe? Hard work and a good attitude pay off; physicians are willing to help her out since she is hard working. She is now a more tenured scribe and is
9.What all was involved in accepting the NTAF scholarship?
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September 2014
PhysAssist Scribes President Announced As Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Finalist On May 6, 2014 Ernst & Young announced that PhysAssist Scribes’ President and CEO Alex Geesbreght had been named a finalist for the 2014 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year for his company’s founding role in the medical scribe services industry. This prestigious award program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
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It’s a tribute to the entire PhysAssist team, whose dedication has made PhysAssist the most trusted provider for quality medical scribe services.
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“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by Ernst & Young, and to be nominated alongside so many inspiring entrepreneurs,” said Geesbreght. “It’s a tribute to the entire PhysAssist team, whose dedication has made PhysAssist the most trusted provider for quality medical scribe services.” “Our growth, although dramatic, has been measured and purposeful,” said Geesbreght. “Our outstanding record of client retention and satisfaction says more about our relative place in the industry than I ever could. Because of the value our scribe services bring, all of our clients have expanded their scribe programs. In fact, almost two decades later, we are still the contracted scribe provider where it all began, at our very first hospital in Fort Worth.” Friends, family and colleagues joined Alex at the gala to show their support.
: g in d a e L d n a g Lea rnin Page 7
September 2014
The Biannual PhysAssist Leadership Conference On August, 31 Chief Scribes and 5 Lead Trainers attended the biannual PhysAssist Scribes Leadership Conference at the corporate office in Fort Worth, TX. The Chiefs and Leads attended seminars held by leaders of the corporate team on essential leadership principles and ED industry education, and participated in hands-on exercises with colleagues from across the country. They also received education on the importance of professional development and practical tools to effectively lead their teams. Throughout the conference, the Chiefs and Leads had the opportunity to hear from several great speakers, including a guest physician speaker, Dr. Shane Zatkalik, as well as PhysAssist’s Executive Vice President, Andrew Geesbreght. A fun group dinner brought the conference to a close. It was truly a great experience for the corporate office and PhysAssist’s on the ground leaders from across the country.
Below: Sarah Joeckel from our North Fort Worth team, sent us a selfie from the conference. Thanks for sharing Sarah!
Phys Tips: Need to report a grievance, harassment or give any other type of feedback to Human Resources? The form to do so can be found on ShiftAdmin. “Scribe Feedback Form” or www.tfaforms.com/337140
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September 2014
Meet the Team
Human Resources
Each quarter, we’ll feature a different department of the corporate office. This month...
Laura Bustamante - VP of Human Resources
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If you could meet anyone in the world (past or present), who would it be? Diana, Princess of Whales Do you have a nickname? How did it originate? McGillicuddy. My B-Pa growing up used to cut cartoons of the newspaper and give them to me. One of the characters was named McGillicuddy, and he always called me that. As an adult, many people tend to call me LB (Laura Beth) What are your hobbies? Cooking, Reading, Playing with my kids, Scrapbooking, Cleaning (isn’t that sad?)
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Tara Calvey - HR Generalist
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If you could go anywhere for vacation where would you go and why? Australia Great Barrier Reef - Beautiful scenery and snorkeling, relaxing What is your favorite movie quote? Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get -Forest Gump If you had to go head to head against our President, Alex Geesbreght, in the World Karaoke Championship, what song would you sing to put him away? Hotel California - Eagles
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Meagan Malicoat - HR Manager, West If you could meet anyone in the world (past or present), who would it be? My new little one! December is too far away. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you? Meg Ryan What are your hobbies? Singing karaoke and repainting furniture.
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September 2014
Beccy Weiner - Receptionist
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If you could go anywhere for vacation where would you go and why? Paris. It’s a beautiful city and I want to go and take a Ballet class there. What was your first job? Waiting Tables at a little Italian restaurant when I was 15 If you had to go head to head against our President, Alex Geesbreght, in the World Karaoke Championship, what song would you sing to put him away? Bonnie Tyler -- Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Hannah Kim - HR Manager, East
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What is your favorite thing about working at PhysAssist? We are constantly growing and evolving, so there is always something new to learn or do. And, on top of that, it’s just a downright fun company! If you could meet anyone in the world (past or present), who would it be? Nelson Mandela What is your favorite movie quote? Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! – The Princess Bride
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Shelly Williams - Travel Manager
What is your favorite thing about working at PhysAssist? Looovvveee the people I work with!!! I enjoy the environment because it is challenging, and we are constantly striving for improvement and innovations. If you could meet anyone in the world (past or present), who would it be? Leonardo Da Vinci. He was an artist, a sculptor, an engineer, an inventor, mathematician, cartographer, anatomist, and I speak Italian. He was so advanced for his time, I find him absolutely fascinating. What was your first job? Photographic Model for JCPennies catalog
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1.) How many times
Before you go, Do you know...?
does the average heart expand and contract daily? a.) 250,000 b.) 1,000,000 c.) 100,000
2.) Which organ filters out foreign material, eliminates worn out blood cells and produces white blood cells? a.) Spleen b.) Liver c.) Kidney
3.) What is the average number of sweat glands in an adult human body? a.) 200,000 b.) 2,000,000 c.) 20,000,000
4.) How much time does a human blood cell take to complete one circuit of the body? a.) 30 seconds b.) 1 minute c.) 1 hour
Answers: 1.) C - 100,000 2.) A - Spleen 3.) B - 2,000,000 4.) B - 1 minute