How to Become a Medical Scribe
The first step is to figure out what opportunities exist in your area. Most states have a couple organizations that compete for emergency department, hospital and clinic contracts. These are a good place to start looking for a position. Check out the Medical Scribe Jobs page to see what companies serve your area.
The selection process for medical scribes has become increasingly competitive. Any prior training can be a great advantage for an applicant; courses like anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and prior training as an emergency medical technician (EMT) training can all greatly improve your chances of being hired as a scribe.
Doing some self-training prior to applying can also be a great boost for your chances at getting hired. A great first step is to purchase a reasonably cheap scribe training handbook like The Ultimate Medical Scribe Handbook on Amazon. This will give you a headstart on your peers and ease your transition into official company training, if hired. If you are worried that you won't be able to handle the demands of the job with the limited training offered by your company prior to your first shifts, you can purchase an online training course through Medical Scribe Training Systems, which is the only online retailer of on-demand courses that we know about.
The selection process for medical scribes has become increasingly competitive. Any prior training can be a great advantage for an applicant; courses like anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and prior training as an emergency medical technician (EMT) training can all greatly improve your chances of being hired as a scribe.
Doing some self-training prior to applying can also be a great boost for your chances at getting hired. A great first step is to purchase a reasonably cheap scribe training handbook like The Ultimate Medical Scribe Handbook on Amazon. This will give you a headstart on your peers and ease your transition into official company training, if hired. If you are worried that you won't be able to handle the demands of the job with the limited training offered by your company prior to your first shifts, you can purchase an online training course through Medical Scribe Training Systems, which is the only online retailer of on-demand courses that we know about.
What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Medical Scribe?
The medical scribe industry burgeoned because of the benefit to physicians, but the benefits to the medical scribe have been significant as well. Most scribes are pre-health students that are interested in pursuing a graduate medical degree. While the practice of using scribes has increased, the access to shadowing has dwindled because of increasing concerns about patient privacy. Work as a medical scribe is therefore one of the most direct forms of clinical experience for many undergraduate students pursuing a pre-medical degree.
Some scribes have entered the industry knowing for certain that they wanted to pursue a medical degree, but desired some clinical experience before entering graduate school. Others have become scribes to learn if medicine is truly the career that they envisioned. The majority of scribes continue onto a medical degree, but others go into hospital administration or other medical realms. For those that are applying to medical school or PA school, having letters of recommendation from the physician(s) that you work with can be a huge asset in the application process.
For those that do eventually continue towards a graduate degree in medicine, experience as a medical scribe can give you a significant headstart on your peers. Through your experience as a scribe, you will have gained:
Some scribes have entered the industry knowing for certain that they wanted to pursue a medical degree, but desired some clinical experience before entering graduate school. Others have become scribes to learn if medicine is truly the career that they envisioned. The majority of scribes continue onto a medical degree, but others go into hospital administration or other medical realms. For those that are applying to medical school or PA school, having letters of recommendation from the physician(s) that you work with can be a huge asset in the application process.
For those that do eventually continue towards a graduate degree in medicine, experience as a medical scribe can give you a significant headstart on your peers. Through your experience as a scribe, you will have gained:
- Logistical skills
- Computer skills including maneuvering of electronic medical records and understanding of medical note billing criteria
- Clinical skills - you will have a first-hand understanding of medical practice. Many medical schools schedule the first two years for textbook learning and provide minimal clinical experience. Having an experience as a scribe can give you the framework for understanding and retaining the information you learn in these first two years.
Check out The Ultimate Medical Scribe Handbook!