Overview

Due to the growing numbers of the population and the surge in patients seeking medical help, healthcare facilities are paying more attention than ever to the efficiency and accuracy of patient records and data.

Enter medical scribes!

Today, the implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems in clinics, hospitals, and private practices all need the help of medical scribes.

So, how to become a medical scribe? And what does a medical scribe do? Additionally, is the salary and risks worth it?

Before pursuing a career in this field, you need to be willing to learn more about medicine and develop your listening and communication skills. Of course, a basic knowledge of computers is also necessary.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about medical scribing, including how to become one.

What is a medical scribe? 

A medical scribe is an employee who’s responsible for the documentation of interactions between physicians and patients. One aspect of this job includes the transcribing of written information to their EHR, allowing physicians to focus on patient care instead of paperwork.

Furthermore, a medical scribe will serve as a liaison between the physician and other departments, especially when the patient requires some tests (e.g., CT scan, MRI).

Note that some students opt for a job as scribes to gain some experience during the pre-med period. Simultaneously, the salaries gained from scribing can help with the hefty loans of medical school.

In some cases, working as a medical scribe before applying for medical school can increase your chances of acceptance.

How to Become A Medical Scribe

If you are interested in a medical scribing career, you need to at least have a high school diploma to meet the minimum requirement.

If you already have some background in the medical field, this will significantly help you as a scribe.

Here are some basic skills to acquire before becoming a medical scribe:

Multi-tasking – as a medical scribe, you will need to listen and write information at the same time. Of course, you don’t need to be born with superhuman skills to perform this task since it will come naturally with time.

Computer skills – as we mentioned above, scribes collect and write down information on computers. At the very least, you should have some basic understanding of the ins and outs of MS Office applications.

Typing skills – since you will be spending a lot of your time typing information into a computer, you need to be relatively fast at typing. As a general rule of thumb, typing 40–60 words per minute is optimal for a medical scribe.

Master EMR software – due to the digitalization of the healthcare field, you should learn how to use electronic medical recording software.

Fortunately, you can learn all these skills and more at ACMSO, which provides the most advanced medical scribe certification developed by physicians to empower healthcare workers in the clinical setting.

How are medical scribes different from medical transcriptionists?

People often confuse a medical scribe and a medical transcriptionist. The former will take notes during the interaction with the patient, whereas the latter writes down information via dictation. In fact, many medical transcribers work remotely after being sent the recording of the physician.

What is a career path for a scribe like?

Unlike what most people think, medical scribes have some room to grow.

You can start this job as a part-time worker, doing 2–3 shifts per week. Depending on where you are working, the shifts may last between 8 and 24 hours. For full-time workers, expect at least 4–5 shifts a week.

The good news is that you get to choose your work hours to focus on other projects (e.g., family, school).

While many workers consider this job to be a temporary thing, people who take full-time positions are likely to become trainers, department heads, and even get promoted to higher positions within their healthcare facility.

What is an average salary of a scribe?

On average, a medical scribe gets paid $10–15 per hour, which adds up to be $31,000 a year. Some positions get better pay, such as ER scribes, who can earn up to $44,000 a year.

Albeit, you don’t have to limit yourself to this salary range, especially if you take a full-time position. As your career advances, you can expect bigger cheques and bonuses.

We should note that these numbers are extracted from agencies that supply medical scribes to clinics and hospitals, which means that they will take a cut or offer discounts. As a result, you will receive a low starting salary.

Experienced medical scribes state that salaries can be much higher, especially if you get hired directly by the healthcare facility. 

Finally, and while it is not a general rule, some hospitals and clinics offer health insurance for their scribes.

What are the risks of being a scribe?

Working in the medical field comes with some risks and adverse effects regardless of what you do. As a medical scribe, the primary inconveniences include fatigue due to long night shifts, unwanted reactions to the sight of blood, and dealing with difficult patients.

However, a more serious risk is getting contaminated by viruses and bacteria, including meningitis, tuberculosis, and coronavirus.

Despite these challenges, working in the medical field and helping patients (even remotely) can be a satisfying experience, especially when you have a passion for medicine and patient care.

Takeaway message

Medical scribes are part of the hospital staff that runs some sides of the administrative work. Becoming a medical scribe might be a great career choice for you if you have a passion for the medical field, or if you are a medical student who wants to get his/her feet wet in the hospital.

We hope that this article helped you understand and appreciate the role of medical scribes in the healthcare field.

If you have any questions or concerns about today’s topic, do not hesitate to drop a comment in the section below. We will be happy to hear from you!