What is a Medical Scribe? I get that question a lot, mostly by patients who are startled by my presence as I walk into the examination room with the physician. Medical Scribes, believe it or not, have become a growing profession in the medical field; allowing undergraduate students and hopeful medical school applicants like myself, to gain exposure while working alongside licensed providers. The main goal: increasing the efficiency of physician-patient interactions as well as "provide accurate and complete medico-legal documentation for medical providers " according to ScribeAmerica, one of many companies that provide medical scribe services for healthcare providers. Each company trains medical scribes to utilize an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to document patient visits, which includes but is not limited to the history of present illness and reason for the visit. In addition, all medical staff and scribes must comply with a set of governmental criteria for each patient known as Meaningful Use, which includes the chief complaint, vital signs, height, weight, BMI, and smoking status. This information must be included in each patients chart, so double check with staff to make sure everything is in order. It is important to understand that as a scribe you are only responsible for documentation and observation of tasks. You are not allowed at any moment to take vital signs or touch the patient, that is the job of physicians, nurses, and medical assistants.
During my gap year, I currently work as a part-time Urology Scribe at a private practice. After my application was reviewed, I was informed of my duties through lectures provided by the company including medical terminology, description of illnesses, case studies, and proper documentation for billing purposes. After passing a final exam, I moved on to floor training where I was introduced to my assigned Urologist, his partners, and the rest of the medical staff. I'm not going to lie, the first month was difficult! In addition to the scribe duties mentioned, I also serve as the physician's translator. If you are bilingual (speaking English & Spanish) make sure that you understand Spanish medical terminology! You do not want to disrupt the flow of the practice. To be honest, there were a few terms I didn't know how to translate so I would review a new set of terms each day before going to work, and I have improved significantly!
You can become a scribe in your desired department such as the Emergency Room, Pediatrics, etc, as long as there is a physician in need of a scribe. Scribes are beneficial for the practice because they allow the physician to focus on the medical decision-making process. The best part is creating relationships with the medical staff. There is so much to learn from them, it's like getting paid to shadow!
So if you are interested in becoming a medical scribe, here is a list of companies that are hiring! Click on the company you are interested in below!
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