Frequently Asked Questions

The fellowship is about one year long (approximately 13 months). However, fellows can stay for another year as a senior scribe or apply to be a chief scribe (paid part-time leadership position). Fellows staying on for a second year do not need to pay the program fee again.

We ask that fellows make COMET their number one priority. We also ask that fellows notify the leadership team and their providers well in advance if they know they cannot attend their shifts. Fellows do not need to scribe on federal holidays and will have a break in the winter.

• After acceptance to the fellowship, complete medical scribe online training and COMET Fellowship online training to learn the basics of medical transcription and medical termininology (approximately 50 hours)
• Be available beginning  June 1, 2023 for program onboarding and in-clinic training on the Stanford campus
• Complete 25+ hours of in-clinic training with COMET trainers and physician mentor(s), where you will be become an expert in medical scribing

The COMET fellowship program has a long history of offering research opportunities that cultivate into presentations at national conferences. Please check out our research page!

No, research is an optional component of the COMET Program. We do, however, have a successful track record of connecting all interested fellows to a research project and attending a national conference at the end of the year.

Every year, our leadership team compiles a list of research projects that our COMET mentors are spearheading. While the majority of projects may come from providers in family medicine, there are opportunities in other departments and the leadership team is able and willing to support scribes in pursuing their own research ideas and projects.

Yes. Upon acceptance into the COMET program, we will ask your preference for clinic placement. Please note we will do our best placed fellows in one of their top 3 choices.
 

A fellow is required to work five, 4-hour shifts, adding up to 20 hours a week. The shifts are on the weekdays and can start as early as 8:00 AM and end as late as 5:00 PM.

Please click here to see what a typical scribe schedule may look like.

Fellows will typically complete their 20 hours of medical scribing on weekdays. However, there are a select few clinics and providers that have weekend shift availability. Fellows that work with providers in these clinics may be able to complete some of their 20 hours on the weekend.

We will ask incoming fellows for their availability at the beginning of the fellowship year. The leadership team will then work closely with each fellow to create a working schedule.

Your schedule will remain consistent once assigned. If your availability changes, your chief scribe will do their best to accommodate changes but this will depend on the availability of shifts available in the clinic you are assigned to. However, we do emphasize in the application and interview that once you commit to the COMET Fellowship, we expect it to be your top priority.

If a scribe has a strong preference to explore a clinic or specialty outside of their primary clinic placement, our team will do our best to accommodate by finding scribing shifts or shadowing opportunities in the other specialty of interest.

All COMET scribes complete a curriculum that prepares them to carry out their primary role in the clinic: document patient encounters. Some (few) clinics offer additional clinical training for vitals acquisition -- however, this is not guaranteed and varies each year.
 

Yes, many of our fellows go on to describe their time with COMET as patient care experience hours.

As a COMET scribe, you will sit in on patient encounters and document the medical note for 20+hrs each week. In doing so, you observe patient care and come into close contact with patients (in the same room) with each visit. Some (few) clinics offer additional clinical training for more “direct patient contact” such as vitals acquisition -- however, this is not guaranteed and varies each year.

Scribes will be provided a laptop if needed in the clinic, but many clinics have laptops for the scribes to use. Scribes can also use their own personal laptops as long the laptops are encrypted and allowed at their assigned clinic(s). The progress is gradual with regards to note completion (with goals designated at specific months in the program), but the end goal would be for the scribe to complete almost all of the note with only minor edits or additions made by the provider. Scribes will both dictate and draw on associated knowledge, derived from training and experience, when scribing with their providers.

Outside of their program commitment (20hrs/week), fellows often find employment in order to pay for rent and other living expenses. Each year fellows work in a variety of settings based on their interests, location, etc. Examples include coffee shops (Philz, Starbucks), retail (Lush, North Face), fitness (Soul Cycle) or paid research (at Stanford or externally). Employment is not directly provided by the COMET during a scribe’s fellowship year.

The Hoover Pavilion in Palo Alto is the program’s home base. We also have clinic sites in Portola Valley, Redwood City, and East Palo Alto.

The COMET program is adhering to California and Stanford guidelines and policies. We are adapting the program to meet the health and safety needs of each fellow. Fellows scribe remotely and in-person, depending on each clinic's guidelines.

Yes, the fellows keep their white coats when the program is over. The white coats will be embroidered with the fellow's name and the COMET program logo.

Fellows do not recieve grades or credits.

Yes, every fellow is awarded a certificate at the end of the program, signifying completion of the fellowship. 

If you would like to continue on for a second year, you will have priority choosing in one of our Stanford clinics and will not be required to pay another year’s tuition fee.
 

Fellows are required to dress in professional attire as they will be in contact with faculty, medical staff, and patients. This included button-down shirts, professional tops, pants, slacks, khakis, skirts, or dresses. Fellows will be provided with white coats that can be worn when scribing in clinic.

The COMET Fellowship will provide laptops for clinic use only. A personal laptop computer is not required for the fellowship; however, it may beneficial for note taking and research work.

No, housing and transportation will not provided through the COMET fellowship. Fellows can drive to their respective clinics or can take advantage of the free campus shuttles available to and from the Caltrain station.

Scribes will have to obtain their own parking permit. For more information regarding parking, please talk to your chief scribe or visit the Parking & Transportation Services website at https://transporation.stanford.edu/.

Commuting costs will not be covered under tuition.