What It’s Like to Be a Medical Scribe
What is the job market like for scribe
positions?
The medical scribe profession is an emerging
field that some applicants are going into while in
college or during a gap year. The benefits of being
a medical scribe include gaining more experience
in a medically related environment, earning
income to pay off loans, saving money for medical
school, and shadowing physicians while working
closely alongside them.
What does a medical scribe do?
Name: Clay Downey
Every year, there are numerous positions that
open up, mainly in the fall as senior scribes are
entering their respective schools (medical, PA,
nursing, M.H.A., etc.). Therefore, we begin
hiring new scribes in March or April and continue
until September or October. Hiring in the winter
months is minimal and dependent on staffing
requirements.
Undergraduate: James
As a scribe, I was responsible for taking notes
Madison University, 2010
during a patient interview, writing up the
How did your experience as a scribe prepare
Major: Business-Marketing
encounter on a medical chart, and assisting with
you for applying to medical school? Post-bacc: Virginia
the flow of patients through the emergency
Commonwealth University
It prepared me a great deal for both medical
department. On a given day, I was scheduled to
Medical school: Virginia
school and upper-level undergraduate
Commonwealth University
work with a single health care provider for the
courses. There is so much that you learn about
School of Medicine, 2017
entire shift. After taking notes from the patient
physiology, anatomy, etc. that can be applied
interview, if time permitted, I would enter the
to real life cases. I tend to learn best when I
history of present illness (HPI), review of systems, and
see something in context, so making the connection
document physician dictated notes such as the physical
between the classroom and the emergency room was
exam, differential diagnoses, and progress notes. There
extremely helpful for me. In addition, there was an entire
were also a number of small duties to manage at various
class dedicated to the physical exam and how to chart,
times throughout the visit, such as calling consults and
something that I was intimately familiar with before
obtaining medical records from other facilities. The
entering medical school. I continued to work as a scribe
ultimate goal is to improve physician productivity by
through my first year of medical school because it was so
allowing them to focus on the medical decision making,
beneficial.
thereby improving patient flow and overall outcomes.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in
How did you find out about medical scribing?
becoming a medical scribe?
I found out about scribing from my undergraduate
I would say go for it, no matter what your level of
academic adviser. I received an email regarding an open
experience or education. Apply early in undergrad and
position at a hospital about an hour away from my house.
plan to stick with it for a while. One of the untold benefits
I applied but didn’t get the job. I then researched other
of being a scribe is the connections that you make with
programs in my area and was surprised to find a few
the providers you work with that will serve you well
located closer to my house. I applied to another program
in the future. They were always willing to offer advice
and was accepted.
and assistance in any way possible. Another piece of
How long did it take to be trained?
Once I was hired, there was a lengthy orientation session
to teach the basics of the computer program our hospital
used for Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), the layout of a
note, and how to write an HPI. After this session, we were
required to complete eight to 10 training sessions with
another senior trainer. We were paid for all of the sessions
(at a slightly lower rate than our base pay), and it took
approximately two months from the time I was hired until I
was permitted to scribe without supervision.
advice would be to stay humble. No amount of medical
experience was necessary coming into the program, but
the best scribes were always the ones who wanted to
learn. After all, the medical profession is a continuous
learning process, and being a scribe is just a starting point
of a lifelong practice. Finally, act like you really want the
job. Don’t be afraid to apply twice, three times, whatever
it takes.
6/15
www.aamc.org/aspiringdocs
Association of
American Medical Colleges