Working as a medical scribe is a great way to combine two skill sets into one job. The combination of a little medical knowledge and a skilled typist’s hands can ensure that your career as a medical scribe is a good one.
Here, let’s talk about what a medical scribe is, as well as why you might want to pursue that line of work, and how you can become a medical scribe.
What is a medical scribe?
A medical scribe is a key part of any healthcare system, as are all the other paraprofessionals who work in that industry. A paraprofessional is just what it sounds like – someone with a professional-level skill that they can use to work in a range of different industries. In this case, someone with professional-level transcribing skills working in the medical field.
Essentially, the role of a medical scribe is to take down everything that’s said in a medical appointment in real-time. A good point of comparison would be a court stenographer – both jobs ask their workers to be accurate, fast, and detailed.
Perhaps the most important element of the job is the role of support that a medical scribe can play to a doctor. This allows the doctors themselves to focus on caring for the patient without being nervous about copying down everything that can. This support role extends out a little too, sometimes, with scribes often performing administrative tasks that their doctor colleagues don’t have time to do.
Essentially, this support system frees the doctor up to do what only a doctor can: care for patients.
Adding a medical scribe to any healthcare environment has benefits for both the patients and the scribe. The scribe can expect to learn a lot about the healthcare system and gain experience in that world. The patients, on the other hand, can expect decreased wait times, a better patient experience, and improved doctoral efficiency.
This role wasn’t terribly popular for quite a long time, simply because the potential benefits of having someone in this role were underestimated. In recent years, though, as medical scribes have become increasingly popularized, the benefits have become more well-known. As such, the demand has increased massively!
Why become a medical scribe?
There are a number of reasons why someone may choose to be a medical scribe, both from the ability to help patients and work in a key support role in healthcare, to the chance to show off their transcribing skills.
However, perhaps the most popular reason is because it’s a stunning qualification for a medical school CV.
For many pre-med students, the opportunity to shadow a key figure in a healthcare setting while being paid offers a great level of on-the-job experience. This experience is sure to boost their knowledge while also not detracting too much from the busy studying schedule they have.
How to become a medical scribe
Well, there are two main ways to become a medical scribe: take a course, or take an exam.
Take a Medical Scribe Course
Many different medical scribe courses exist out there in the world. Some are offered by prestigious universities that see the value in the position, and others are offered by specialist organizations designed to create people for this role.
Research a medical scribe course in your city, county, or state, and read up on the requirements.
If there’s no course near you for that specific skill set, you can still learn about the topics you’ll be dealing with. For instance, you could take some time to learn knowledge and vocabulary in human anatomy and biology, or perhaps take some classes in typing. This would build a knowledge base ideal for working as a medical scribe.
Since there’s no technical entry requirement for the role, many small qualifications may look excellent on your CV.
Take a Medical Scribe Certification Exam
If you already have good medical knowledge and typing skills, you may feel that there’s no real reason for you to take a course in these things. Therefore, an exam to prove your level of skill would be ideal.
The Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE) is an exam that’s offered by the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group. To do the test, there’s a $165 fee to pay. To pass the examination, you must score at least 80% overall.
While the MSCE isn’t technically a job requirement for a medical scribe in most hospitals, it will look great on a range of applications. Consider getting it all the same to improve your applicant profile.
Becoming a medical scribe can be a great way to earn a reliable income in the healthcare field, as well as earn great experience. With a little time and patience, you can become a skilled scribe that any hospital would love to hire.
