(Newswire.net— August 9, 2021) — The wide use of digital technology has revolutionized our world; healthcare is no exception. When lives are on the line, the precise management of data is important to reduce human error and ensure the best possible quality of medical care.
The use of electronic health records, accurate documentation, e-prescriptions, and other related information system activities have led to the need for people to professionally handle the work so that physicians can focus on patient care.
There is just a vast amount of information that needs to be taken care of in medical facilities and so the need for a role focused solely on it is imperative – that’s where Medical Scribes come in.
What Exactly Is a Medical Scribe?
A medical scribe is a physician’s assistant trained and certified to do non-clinical, administrative tasks.
They document and organize medical data for ease of use and reference by the physician, the patient, relevant medical personnel, and the hospital management. Their tasks range from technical to clerical and organizational. In essence, a medical scribe is responsible for capturing and coding medical information as needed by the physician and the patient.
Most of the time, a medical scribe handles the data entry of medical records into an online portal, describing the details of physician-patient meetings, writing medical referral letters, assisting the physician with e-prescriptions, charting a patient’s medical procedures such as laboratory tests or examinations and results, and the timely monitoring and documenting of other patient management-related information.
What Are the Requirements to Be a Certified Medical Scribe?
Education and training
The minimum requirement is at least a high school graduate, but most institutions require college-level and medically-related course graduates.
There is no official license or credential for medical scribes, but those who are interested in working as medical scribes need to undergo online and on-site training programs that teach medical terminologies and provide paid residency training.
This is a qualification generally required by employers and is especially helpful for non-medical course graduates who want to make a career as medical scribes.
Certification
Formal certifications are not required, but being a certified medical scribe shows your serious commitment to your work and will open doors to higher-paying institutions.
The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS), a non-profit organization, certifies medical scribes as Certified Medical Scribe Specialists who meet its high education, professional standing, and examination standards.
Their Certified Medical Scribe Program requires completing a minimum of 200 hours of classroom and clinical instructions and passing an examination.
Key Skills
Working as a medical scribe entails working long hours in a fast-paced environment while honing a special set of skills. This includes proficiency in listening, comprehension, communicating, typing, and writing legibly. Other vital requisites to the job are knowledge of medical terminologies, computer skills, and multi-tasking.
Apart from being armed with knowledge, skills, and relevant experience, a medical scribe must be patient, disciplined, able to self-motivate, compassionate, caring, and display a good work ethic. Hard skills combined with these soft skills are what make medical scribes successful in their jobs and able to contribute significantly to the healthcare industry.
Do you have what it takes to be a proficient medical scribe? Your love for learning and easing other people’s burdens can be a good start to a promising and rewarding career in the field of healthcare data.