Typing without looking in order to be a scribe? And acceptable WPM?

[boba96]

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For those who have been (or are currently) scribes or those with knowledge about the position, do scribes have to type without looking at the keyboard? I am asking this because I saw ( on some thread here on sdn) that there is a minimum WPM requirement and that you are required to type in front of the interviewers. I was wondering if they expect you to type without looking at the keyboard AND have a fast WPM. Although I can type without looking at the keyboard, I am much faster and less error prone when I type while looking at the keyboard. Also, will an average WPM like 40 WPM get you in or do you have to be super fast like 65 WPM and above? I appreciate any insights I can get. Thank you!

 

[Jeffrety]

Im jealous of the attendings with their scribes. No you dont have to look away from the keyboard. They want you to be accurate and fast no matter your technique. 40 WPM wont cut it Im afraid. You need at least 60 WPM.

 

[scooter tooter]

It is not a requirement to type without looking, as long as you are fast and have good short term memory.

For those who have been (or are currently) scribes or those with knowledge about the position, do scribes have to type without looking at the keyboard? I am asking this because I saw ( on some thread here on sdn) that there is a minimum WPM requirement and that you are required to type in front of the interviewers. I was wondering if they expect you to type without looking at the keyboard AND have a fast WPM. Although I can type without looking at the keyboard, I am much faster and less error prone when I type while looking at the keyboard. Also, will an average WPM like 40 WPM get you in or do you have to be super fast like 65 WPM and above? I appreciate any insights I can get. Thank you!

It's not a requirement to type without looking, you just need to be able to type fast and have good short term memory. I worked as a scribe for a year, and you just need to make sure you get everything the physician is dictating. As far as typing speed, there are online tools you can use to help you get better.

 

[mehc012]

It is not a requirement to type without looking, as long as you are fast and have good short term memory.


It's not a requirement to type without looking, you just need to be able to type fast and have good short term memory. I worked as a scribe for a year, and you just need to make sure you get everything the physician is dictating. As far as typing speed, there are online tools you can use to help you get better.

👍 I used Jumpstart typing as a kid, I'm fairly certain that's why I've been a very speedy typist since middle school.

Typing games seem silly, but they really do work. Might as well try it, no? You'll be typing charts for the rest of your life!

 

[horse__pills]

the scribe company that hired me required min 60 wpm

i had 104 wpm and my tester just kind of stared at me because of how noisy it was. all you gotta do is practice

 

[Hospitalized]

At least 60 wpm is a must. Honestly, you don't need to know jack about medicine to be a scribe if you can 1.) type fast and 2.) listen well. I can do 80 very comfortably while not looking at the keyboard. Some physicians are harder than others to take dictation from. With more difficult doctors, I think I get up in the 90 range but I usually have intermittent typos.

I learned to type well by playing an MMORPG.

 

[genericpremedstudent]

If it makes a difference, when I interviewed with scribeamerica, they didn't make anyone take a typing test. I think that is handled during the mandatory training. They also never mentioned a definite minimum for WPM.

 

[mehc012]

If it makes a difference, when I interviewed with scribeamerica, they didn't make anyone take a typing test. I think that is handled during the mandatory training. They also never mentioned a definite minimum for WPM.

I also did ScribeAmerica...there was no typing test in the interview, but there was in the application (for me). You took one online and then shared the url.

 

[mk2015]

Our site doesn't care how fast you type. I think you had to put a wpm on the application but as long as your notes are accurate and you aren't staying too long after your shift, typing speed doesn't make too much of a difference. Also, I never had any formal typing class or training and my technique is insanely incorrect but I've still gotten a lot faster since I've started scribing.

 

[Gandyy]

Our site doesn't care how fast you type. I think you had to put a wpm on the application but as long as your notes are accurate and you aren't staying too long after your shift, typing speed doesn't make too much of a difference. Also, I never had any formal typing class or training and my technique is insanely incorrect but I've still gotten a lot faster since I've started scribing.

This is how ours seems to be as well. (Still in training)

 

[Booster_Gold]

Current scribe here. I believe it largely depends on your site and the company I work for. I work in a company that has a large base in Northeast US. For mine they are VERY strict with their WPM. Actually, I don't think you'd be able to survive the job, let alone the difficult training without a fast WPM. But that might just be for my company because we mostly work in the ED.

 

[BeachBaby]

At our site for the application you can take the typing test multiple times in order to get the WPM that looks the best but really you will get much faster on the job, it is good to feel comfortable typing sorta fast but there is much more to scribing than that

 

[boba96]

when I interviewed with scribeamerica, they didn't make anyone take a typing test. I think that is handled during the mandatory training.

What do you mean that it was handled during mandatory training? Like they trained you to type without knowing your WPM? I am very much looking into applying for scribeamerica. However, from what I have gathered, they are a company that send you to different hospitals. So is the training and regulations under scribeamerica or the individual hospitals?

 

[boba96]

I also did ScribeAmerica...there was no typing test in the interview, but there was in the application (for me). You took one online and then shared the url.

Was the typing test a one-shot thing or you could have multiple attempts/ redos?

 

[mehc012]

Was the typing test a one-shot thing or you could have multiple attempts/ redos?

You could do whatever you want...you could try it over and over until you got a score you liked and submit that URL. Heck, if you wanted to be duplicitous you could have someone else do it for you (not that I'm recommending that.)

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

Short term memory is much more important than WPM IMO

 

[genericpremedstudent]

What do you mean that it was handled during mandatory training? Like they trained you to type without knowing your WPM? I am very much looking into applying for scribeamerica. However, from what I have gathered, they are a company that send you to different hospitals. So is the training and regulations under scribeamerica or the individual hospitals?

I mean that I believe they do the WPM assessment during the training. There is like a 2 week mandatory training in which you are tested, and if you don't pass then you lose the job. I didn't get the far, I was offered the position but a better opportunity arose, so I passed on the scribe job. For the interview I attended, they were staffing for two different hospitals, but they made it clear which one you were applying for. I think it varies from location to location. They said the only reason you would move back and forth between hospitals is if you agreed to cover someone's shift. The hospital has nothing to do with the training. Or anything for that matter.

 

[mehc012]

I mean that I believe they do the WPM assessment during the training. There is like a 2 week mandatory training in which you are tested, and if you don't pass then you lose the job. I didn't get the far, I was offered the position but a better opportunity arose, so I passed on the scribe job. For the interview I attended, they were staffing for two different hospitals, but they made it clear which one you were applying for. I think it varies from location to location. They said the only reason you would move back and forth between hospitals is if you agreed to cover someone's shift. The hospital has nothing to do with the training. Or anything for that matter.

The hospital has to do with your individual experience: the doctors you interact with dictate what you learn, what the environment is, the pace, the depth, the expectations, whether you eat/sit/pee in a given shift, etc. They are the ones who see how you perform, but they have nothing to do with your employment.

ScribeAmerica dictates your employment, your pay, and whatever meaningless hoops you have to jump through. They are irrelevant to your actual experience. You just kowtow to them enough to fluff them up so they leave you alone. I pity the managers who actually have to *interact* with them.

 

[genericpremedstudent]

The hospital has to do with your individual experience: the doctors you interact with dictate what you learn, what the environment is, the pace, the depth, the expectations, whether you eat/sit/pee in a given shift, etc. They are the ones who see how you perform, but they have nothing to do with your employment.

ScribeAmerica dictates your employment, your pay, and whatever meaningless hoops you have to jump through. They are irrelevant to your actual experience. You just kowtow to them enough to fluff them up so they leave you alone. I pity the managers who actually have to *interact* with them.

I was speaking in terms of your conditions of employment by working for a 3rd party.

 

[mehc012]

I was speaking in terms of your conditions of employment by working for a 3rd party.

I know. I was elaborating 😉

 

[Spector1]

Also be sure that your wpm is consistent even with keyboards that you are not familiar with. My wpm drops significantly when I am not using my keyboard at home so that is something to be aware of and hospital keyboards tend to be particularly old and often "sticky"

 

[genericpremedstudent]

Also be sure that your wpm is consistent even with keyboards that you are not familiar with. My wpm drops significantly when I am not using my keyboard at home so that is something to be aware of and hospital keyboards tend to be particularly old and often "sticky"

its ok, im sure most people's keyboards at home are "sticky" too 😉

 

[ngc 2170]

its ok, im sure most people's keyboards at home are "sticky" too 😉

now now

 

[Spector1]

its ok, im sure most people's keyboards at home are "sticky" too 😉

edgy. I like it

 

[boba96]

Thank you all for your helpful insights! However, for those that are scribes or have been, what other commitments/ECs are/were you guys also juggling? ( I'm not sure if I'm suppose to start another thread but I hope I can still ask here :/) It seems like scribeamerica requires 3 days a week of 9 hour shifts with 2 years of commitment. That seems like a lot of time commitment :/ ! So is scribing manageable for an undergrad? Or is more for those taking a gap year?

 

[mehc012]

Thank you all for your helpful insights! However, for those that are scribes or have been, what other commitments/ECs are/were you guys also juggling? ( I'm not sure if I'm suppose to start another thread but I hope I can still ask here :/) It seems like scribeamerica requires 3 days a week of 9 hour shifts with 2 years of commitment. That seems like a lot of time commitment :/ ! So is scribing manageable for an undergrad? Or is more for those taking a gap year?

Mine had 12hr shifts, so the days/wk were lower.

Initially, I was working 3 12s/wk (I was a fulltime employee) with an hour commute, 2d/wk at my other job, volunteering 1d/wk and taking 2 classes. I then cut out the volunteering.

During MCAT period, I dropped to 2 12s/wk scribing, went to 3d/wk at my other job, and took no classes.

Then I did 2 12s/wk scribing, 3d/wk at my other job, and at 2d/wk at an internship 2hrs in the other direction, before finally quitting the scribe job.

Most of my coworkers were fulltime students in undergrad.

 

[nhnative]

Thank you all for your helpful insights! However, for those that are scribes or have been, what other commitments/ECs are/were you guys also juggling? ( I'm not sure if I'm suppose to start another thread but I hope I can still ask here :/) It seems like scribeamerica requires 3 days a week of 9 hour shifts with 2 years of commitment. That seems like a lot of time commitment :/ ! So is scribing manageable for an undergrad? Or is more for those taking a gap year?

I currently work full time a scribe (graduated college 6 years ago, took me a while to find medicine!). The company I work for is about 50/50 full time scribes (out of college) and part time scribes in school. It's definitely possible to do both. Just make sure you're very clear with your availability, managers hate it if you overstate your availability then can't manage your schedule. Good luck!! I've been scribing a little over a year now and can't even believe how much I've learned, it's really incredible experience.