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Clinic & emergency documentation

Medical Scribe

The cheapest seat in the exam room, and the best one for premed.

Typical pay

$30k-$42k

How you get in

2-6 weeks of employer training

Outlook

Steady; high turnover by design as scribes move on to school

Scribes document patient encounters in real time so the physician can focus on the patient. The pay is low and the role is temporary by design — it exists largely as a pipeline into medical, PA and nursing school.

A day in the life

  1. 6:45aLog in, review the physician's patient list
  2. 7:00aShadow into the first room, document the history and exam
  3. 10:00aKeep pace through back-to-back patients
  4. 12:30pQuick lunch when the board clears
  5. 1:00pAfternoon patients, chart in real time
  6. 5:00pClose out charts and sign off with the physician

How to get in

Scribe company hire

Duration

2-6 weeks

Cost

$0 — paid training

Credential

None; medical terminology training provided

  1. Apply to a scribe staffing company or directly to a hospital system
  2. Complete training in medical terminology and the EHR
  3. Work alongside a physician, usually part-time around school
  4. Accumulate clinical hours for your graduate school applications

Scribe into PA or medical school

Duration

1-2 years scribing, then the program

Cost

$0 now

Credential

Scribe experience, then PA-C or MD

  1. Scribe for one to two years while completing prerequisites
  2. Build relationships with physicians who will write strong letters
  3. Apply to PA, medical or nursing programs with real clinical hours
  4. This is the actual purpose of the job for most people who take it

Scribe into health information

Duration

1-3 years

Cost

$2,000-$8,000

Credential

Medical coding or health information certification

  1. Learn documentation, coding and EHR systems deeply
  2. Add a coding or clinical documentation improvement credential
  3. Move into medical coding, CDI or health information management
  4. The route for people who like the documentation but not the schooling

What people love

  • · Unmatched exposure to real clinical medicine
  • · Counts as patient care hours for PA and med school
  • · Trained in weeks
  • · Physicians write your recommendation letters

What wears people down

  • · Low pay, often near minimum wage
  • · Explicitly a stepping stone, not a career
  • · Fast-paced documentation with no margin for error
  • · Emergency department shifts include nights and weekends

From people doing it

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