1. What made you want to become a medical scribe?
Needed medical exposure. I had done some EMT volunteering and pretty much nothing else directly medical. This gives you one of the most realistic experiences of what the physician's day to day life is like which is an advantage over something like a PCA/PCT/EMT or volunteer things. It worked with my school and EC schedule.
2. How did you receive training for the job/what type of training did you receive?
My company (PM for specifics) is a corporate thing based in a different state but has a large presence in my locality. We applied and took a super basic typing test online before we began online training. We were drug tested and had to update vaccines. After learning to do basic charts and "passing," we got trained on the specific EMR we use and had a number of residency shifts with trainer scribes. After a while of being on our own we could get scheduled in our low acuity area which is faster and branch out into some clinics. We also could progress to becoming trainers. Different companies usually have comparable training with some differences in online vs in house and number of shifts. If you have a small company or private arrangement with a physician, you may have more personalized training. Ours helped us learn medical terms, what is important in an HPI, and how to accurately document for billing and legal reasons (as well as the things you learn along the way in clinic).
3. What was a typical day like as a scribe?
Every scribe and company is different. I work in the ED in a busy suburban facility. Some trauma but not a Trauma Center so the craziest cases are usually shipped out or do not come to us. Enough stabbings, GSWs, and MVCs to keep it interesting at times though. Medically interesting cases often enough - borders low income areas and is a draw from across state lines. We work 8, 9, and 10 hour shifts, usually between 7 and 16 per month for most scribes. Shifts are staggered throughout the day and include overnights, weekends, holidays. We staff 24/7. They work around our school schedule.
We use laptops and follow the physician from room to room, prepping charts and documenting the patient encounters. We take dictation for physical exams and consults, etc. We also follow and document procedures: So far I have seen I&D, central lines, ear wax removal, cardioversion (electrical, chemical, and modified Valsalva), arthrocentesis, chest tube insertion, epistaxis management, foreign body removal, foley catheter insertion, IO infusion, intubation, CPR, lac repair, suture removal, lumbar puncture, procedural sedation in combo with ortho injury reduction, paracentesis, arterial blood draws, almost a baby delivery...there have been thoracotomies and cricothyrotomies but I wasn't there for them. Some people die - this is good for perspective but is obviously sad.
Sometimes it is overwhelmingly fast paced, sometimes it is super quiet. Usually somewhere in the middle where it is steady. We often get out 30 minutes to an hour early. The earliest I ever got out was almost 3 hours early. The latest was almost 2 hours after a late night shift. Some places have an on-call schedule but we do not. We work with one physician each shift and there is a roster of a couple dozen docs. There are PAs and NPs as well but we do not document for them. Some places wear scrubs, some wear polos and khakis.
Over about 18 months I have over 2000 hours and over 4500 patient encounters with about 30 different docs (rough estimates).
4. Rewards?
Depends on place. Pay sucks, raise schedule sucks, even incentives to work short term at other locations suck. Although one reward is getting paid (even the small amount) for shadowing. Don't get into it for the pay though, just view it as a bonus. Fantastic views of what the daily life of the doc is like. You can ask questions about the medicine and how to succeed in school. Some docs like teaching more than other buts you can always learn something new daily (really!). They often buy us lunch or coffees. Some people get letters of rec. Sometimes shadowing connections or other gigs like research projects or babysitting for the docs kids outside of work (rarely even drinks or partying with the docs). It really depends what you put into it. A trained monkey could be a minimally passable scribe but to get the max out of it you need to work to improve, learn things, and be trusted by the docs.
5. Drawbacks?
It is not "direct patient care". My company is not allowed to have patient contact although I feel comfortable in anonymously saying the physicians will often have us go confirm certain details with the patient or get water if the nurse/techs are busy. Some physicians will also show us cool things on exam if the patient is okay with it (listening to murmurs, looking through otoscopes at cool things, etc.). In this regard, the PCA/PCT/EMT/whatever is better, but less interaction with the docs. It hasn't been a problem on the interview trail and I got into multiple schools, drawing on this experience for essays and interview responses. Some people die - this is good for perspective but is obviously sad. You are exposed to a lot of illness and I have never felt in danger but there are "gross" sights and smells and you will likely get a URI/the flu at some point due to just overwhelming amounts of these complaints. Aside from that, the late nights can be disruptive and you may not like some docs. You may not like the environment of the ED. In that case, try to find a company/arrangement where you aren't in that environment.