Employee Spotlight: Karissa Gerard

As a senior at the University of Northern Iowa preparing for medical school, Karissa Gerard is building her foundation in clinical care on the front lines. As a Chief Scribe at ScribeAmerica in a busy community emergency department, she leads a team of scribes while working side by side with emergency physicians to gain direct exposure to complex clinical care.

Working alongside ER providers has given Karissa unique insights into emergency medicine and the realities of patient care.

“I work in the ED, and I would say it’s definitely an experience that I’m very grateful for in my undergrad career, where I wouldn’t have expected to have otherwise,” Karissa said. “It definitely provides me a lot of professional experience and ways that I can connect with providers before applying to med schools.”

Navigating high-pressure shifts has also taught her the value of a strong support system in clinical environments. “The people that work there are really just a community, and they really support each other when things are difficult,” Karissa said. “Some ways that they do that are after a difficult case, doing debriefs and things like that. So I think that’s the main thing that stood out is just the support system that’s there.”

One shift in particular reshaped how Karissa views her future role as a doctor, when an emergency provider paused during a tense moment to walk an anxious patient through calming mental exercises.

“The provider really took a second to recognize that this is a person and we’re not just dealing with the condition that they have. We’re dealing with the actual person themselves,” Karissa said. “I think that’s something that I’ll definitely take with me moving forward: just understanding that this person has other things going on in their life that might also be impacting what they’re going through today. And it’s important to care for them as a whole rather than just medically.”

Seeing that impact firsthand continuously reinforces her goal of specializing in pediatrics. “A lot of times it comes from the family in the room, and they’ll just really express their gratitude for what’s being done there,” Karissa said. “That’s always been really impactful to me to really see this is something that’s making a big positive impact in this patient’s life, and also their family’s life, which ultimately is my goal in healthcare: to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.”

Now studying for the MCAT and preparing to apply to medical school, Karissa looks toward a future in pediatrics, grateful for the professional growth she gained as a scribe.

“This job has provided me with so much professional experience that I’m so grateful for, and a huge networking opportunity that is going to be extremely beneficial to me down the road in my professional career,” Karissa said.

For fellow pre-health students considering a similar path, her advice is simple: don’t hesitate.

“Get as many experiences as you can, because that’s the main way that you’re going to be able to see if this is for you,” Karissa said.

Karissa’s experience reminds aspiring healthcare professionals that the heart of medicine is learned at the bedside, and the best time to start is now.