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Being a medical scribe is not something everyone understands at first. This is because most people have never heard of it before. Maybe they’ve had an operation and seen a scribe at work, but just don’t remember it.
Let’s learn about what a medical scribe is and what the benefits are.
What is a Medical Scribe?
A medical scribe is an important part of the medical staff. Their responsibilities mainly comprise of keeping the electronic health record current and correct for each patient the team is working with. Principally, a scribe is seen in the operating theater taking notes during the procedure about what happened.
When some anesthesia is requested, this is noted down including what pain relief was administered. The roles of each member of staff and what they did during an operation is also noted for future reference.
A scribe deals with the medical history of the patient, noting findings from physical exams, any labs ordered and received, imaging undertaken, and the outcome for the patient too.
What is the Purpose of the Role?
A medical scribe has multiple purposes when undertaking the role. They keep a record of what’s happened during the procedure and along with the history of the patient, have personal knowledge of the patient and their case. Physicians can check back information with the scribe to double-check that their logical reasoning is based on the correct facts in the case.
Scribes are also useful in the U.S. healthcare field because of the litigious nature of it,where both hospitals and staff can get sued for medical malpractice. Medical boards also consider whether a physician acted appropriately when something went wrong. For both these reasons, having a documented record from a scribe about the patient and the healthcare provided to them proves a useful record after the fact.
Why Does Someone Become a Scribe?
There are different reasons. Certainly, it’s a job that is available either part-time or full-time with shift work where it places you directly into the medical profession at the deep end.
Many future nurses and doctors were scribes at some point before they made the final decision about fully investing in their medical studies.
There are plenty of medical scribe jobs to consider in different areas. You can check what qualifications or experience you need to qualify for such a role.
Is it Easy to Become a Scribe?
It does take some intensive studying to learn what’s required and to become suitable for the role. However, it’s an excellent way to get a foot in the door of the medical profession. Normally, lengthy and expensive multi-year courses are required to get a job in the healthcare field; with scribing, it’s a practical job that makes it abundantly clear whether the medical profession is for you or not.
When considering the medical profession as a lifelong career, you ought to be sure before you invest heavily into it. Accordingly, studying to be a scribe and working in the field provides a bird’s eye view of what’s involved which is highly informative while earning a decent wage.
