Have you heard about medical scribes? They’re one of those hidden heroes of healthcare who work behind the scenes to ensure all essential details are documented during patient visits. Today, we’re talking about how to become a medical scribe… and why you should want to become one!
If you’re looking for a new career path and want to consider the healthcare field, seeking a medical scribe job might be the perfect fit for you.
In this post, we’re exploring the role in-depth, tracking job benefits, required skills, and companies hiring in the field.
What are the Job Duties of a Medical Scribe?
Medical scribes dictate in real time what physicians and healthcare providers say during medical encounters with patients. This work can be done in person or virtually.
The role requires an in-depth knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy, excellent communication skills, and fast and accurate typing skills.
Here are some typical day-to-day duties of a medical scribe:
- Listen and document medical encounters between medical providers and patients in real time.
- Properly document the patient’s history, assessment, plan of care and follow-up instructions in the EHR (electronic health record).
- Follow HIPAA regulations to ensure the privacy of sensitive patient information.
- Access lab and radiology results for healthcare providers.
- Medical scribes may assist in coding medical diagnoses and procedures in some clinics.
- Some companies may have medical scribes listen to audio files and provide medical transcription services; however, this is rare.
Medical scribes work in various settings, including healthcare facilities like hospitals and medical offices, or from home. The shifts you’ll work will vary depending on your work environment.
If you work for a practitioner whose hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:00-5:00, these are the hours that you’ll generally work. However, if you work for a hospital, they are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In this case, you may have an unpredictable work schedule.
What’s the Difference Between a Medical Scribe and a Medical Transcriptionist?
While medical scribes work in real-time alongside healthcare providers, medical transcriptionists have a more independent role.
They work to transcribe voice-recorded medical reports into written text; this doesn’t require any interaction with patients and only requires limited interaction with medical staff.
What is the Compensation for a Medical Scribe?
According to data provided by Salary.com, the median salary is $19 per hour or $39,520 annually.
While medical scribes don’t earn a ton of money, they often have a lot of flexibility, being able to work full-time, part-time, PRN (as needed), and from home.
Some companies may even provide in-house training and benefits to full-time workers.
Is It Hard to Be a Medical Scribe?
Before learning how to become a medical scribe, it’s a good idea to see if you’re a good fit. While most medical scribe jobs will require training, there are some key skills you’ll need to be successful in this role.
- Time Management: This is a fast-paced career where you’ll often work with many providers and must provide accurate documentation. Typing competency is necessary; most medical scribes must type at least 40-60 WPM (words per minute).
- Attention to Detail: Since your documentation reflects someone’s health, it needs to be accurate. You’ll need to listen and quickly type out precisely what is being said.
- Tech-Savvy: You’ll be working on a computer using EHR software, so you’ll need to be computer-savvy, with proficiency in basic to advanced programs. You’ll also need the ability to adapt to different programs and software systems.
- Bedside Manner: If you’re interacting directly with patients, you need to be able to show empathy and patience. You might be helping them navigate the paperwork, so you need to be able to give clear instructions.
- Excellent Communication: You’ll be in contact with many different departments and healthcare professionals. Being able to clearly and concisely document electronic medical records without spelling and grammar errors is crucial. If you’re bilingual, this will be an asset, as many companies are looking for bilingual medical scribes.
What Are the Benefits of Working as a Medical Scribe?
If you’re weighing the pros and cons of whether or not this job is right for you, here are some key benefits of working as a medical scribe.
Gain Medical Experience
The healthcare industry is full of many different medical specialties and salaries. If you’re looking to dip your toes in or want to pursue a career in medicine, learning how to become a medical scribe is a good place to start.
You can shadow physicians and work alongside them or at a distance. This is a good chance to work in healthcare settings with little to no experience. The exposure may open further doors, offering exposure to clinical experiences and more.
Less Stress
Compared to many other healthcare careers, being a medical scribe is less stressful. You’re working primarily behind the scenes and focusing on administrative and documentation tasks instead of providing patient care.
Freedom
Medical scribes are one of the unique healthcare careers that can be done in a remote environment. Being able to work from home offers flexible work hours and schedules. As long as you have a private space to work and respect patients’ privacy, you’re all set to work.
High Demand
And yes, medical scribes are in high demand! Federal law requires medical providers to use EHR to store medical data for patients. However, many doctors have a difficult time focusing on filling out the EHR while delivering care to their patients.
This is where medical scribes come in – filling out the forms while the clinician focuses on patient encounters.
What Training Do You Need to Become a Virtual Medical Scribe?
You have a few options when it comes to becoming a medical scribe.
In some cases, companies will provide in-house training. All you need is a high school diploma or equivalent GED, excellent communication skills, a typing speed of 40-60 WPM, and a passion for the medical industry.
But more often than not, workplaces will give preference to students taking a pre-health career track (interest in medical schools), individuals with a certification in EHR, or those with healthcare job experience (like a medical transcriptionist or a medical assistant).
Remember, for this role, you’ll need to be familiar with medical terminology and human anatomy, which usually requires training, education, or work experience in the medical field.
You can also take an online training course that will teach you the fundamental skills and education to become a certified medical scribe. CareerStep is a leading industry-recognized healthcare training provider. Their medical scribe training can be completed online in a couple of months; however, you have up to eight months to complete the course.
Once you’re done, you’ll be prepared to take the Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) exam and ready to enter the workplace upon completion.
For more information on their training and medical scribe certification exam, head here.
Where Can You Find Remote Positions?
If you want to work from home as a medical scribe, there are many legitimate companies to explore! While I included some below, you can also explore job board sites like FlexJobs (which screens listings for legitimacy) or Indeed and LinkedIn.
If you’re using the latter, be sure you’re screening job postings for legitimacy, as the big job boards often have scammers and imposters posing as real companies. Verify the job posting on the company’s website and make sure emails from the company contain their domain name.
For more scam prevention tips, check out this post.
Try these medical scribe jobs to get started:
1. Athreon
Athreon hires part-time and full-time scribes who are based in the United States. For a virtual medical scribe position, you must have medical scribe training or six months of experience. Athreon offers competitive pay and benefits to full-time employees.
2. DeepScribe
DeepScribe hires part-time and full-time remote medical scribes. To apply, you must have a high school diploma, a typing speed of 40 WPM, an Apple computer (this is what their software is compatible with), and a hard-wired or wifi connectivity with a download speed minimum of 5.0 Mbps.
These are independent contracting roles. DeepScribe offers 3-hour shifts, flexible scheduling, and a paid training bonus. Experienced medical scribes earn an average of $15 per hour, according to reviews on Glassdoor.
3. iScribeHealth
iScribeHealth hires virtual medical scribes at a rate of $11 per hour. After 30 days, you’ll be paid per chart completed. There’s not a lot of information about qualifications needed, but it looks like they’ll provide training in the first 30 days.
4. ProScribe
ProScribe hires bilingual (Spanish/English) virtual scribes in the following states: AL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KY, LA, MS, NC, ND, NH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, WI, and WY. To be considered for these positions, you must have a high school diploma or GED, the ability to pass a background check, excellent communication skills, a typing speed of 45 WPM, and be tech-savvy.
ProScribe offers paid training ($11 to $16) per hour; preference is given to job candidates with a college healthcare track and knowledge of medical terminology. ProScribe offers lots of room for advancement, and full-time positions come with benefits.
5. Vesta Healthcare
Vesta Healthcare offers remote bilingual medical scribe positions. Applicants must have a certification as a medical assistant or medical scribe and two years of experience. For these roles, you must be able to work nights and weekends.
6. Vituity
Vituity hires experienced medical scribes to work from home. These positions are full-time and come with benefits. They also have in-person positions where they’ll provide training for these roles; however, you must be willing to make a one-year commitment. The average pay at Vituity for medical scribes is $18 per hour.
7. Scribe America
Scribe America is committed to giving their remote medical scribes an active role in the medical field, working side-by-side with healthcare providers. They stress that this is not an admin role but rather an integral piece of providing quality healthcare.
This company offers over 3,000 work locations in the US and Canada, with plenty of remote positions available. The pay ranges between $10 to $15 per hour, with higher pay available to those with experience or who are bilingual.
To qualify as a medical scribe here, you’ll need to work a minimum of 2 shifts per week, commit to a year-long contract, and be able to type over 50 WPM.
8. Scribe-X
If you have further career goals in the healthcare industry, such as working to become a doctor or nurse practitioner, Scribe-X may be the right option for you.
They emphasize providing students with training and practical experience – the kind that will look stellar in future applications! As a medical scribe, you’re essentially offered a mentorship position where you’ll learn from both patients and practitioners.
This company hires remote scribes with paid training for up to 30.5 hours. Their hourly rates range between $11 to $17 per hour based on your experience level, location, and time commitment. Bilingual scribes will earn an additional $1 per hour.
Other perks of joining their team include:
- Reimbursements of GRE/MCAT fees
- Eligible for a 401(k) program after 12 months of employment
- Paid time off
- Access to their employee wellness program
- Written letters of recommendation
- Healthcare plan reimbursement (up to $150/month)
- 3.1 star rating on Glassdoor.com
9. IKS Health
IKS Health brands itself as a “medical scribe solution” designed to relieve physician workload through their highly-trained remote medical scribes (that’s you!). They employ a global workforce of 14,000, with careers available in the US, Canada, Australia, and India.
Their medical scribe positions require a hefty commitment, working a minimum of three shifts a week at 8-10 hours per shift. You’ll also need to complete their scribe training program to qualify. Positions come with all the equipment that you need to do your job and a wide variety of employee benefits.
How to Become a Medical Scribe: Conclusion
If you’re looking for a work from home entry-level career in the healthcare field and you enjoy data entry work, becoming a medical scribe might be your calling. With multiple options to break into the industry, you can start working from home as a scribe relatively quickly.
While the pay isn’t great, learning how to become a medical scribe can still be beneficial. There is room for growth and advancement! Who knows, maybe this career will spark your interest in other medical occupations like nursing or medical coding and billing — both of which have remote offerings in their respective fields!
Originally published September 7, 2022. Content updated September 2024.