Being a Medical Scribe: Good Preparation for Becoming a Doctor
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COMMENTARY
Being a Medical Scribe: Good Preparation for Becoming a Doctor Denise Abdulahad 1 & Ndifreke Ekpa 1 & Emma Baker 1 & Kasey A. Foley 2 & Benjamin Fogel 3 & Troy Allan Phillips 4 & Benjamin Levi 5
# International Association of Medical Science Educators 2020
Introduction Medical scribes are individuals who specialize in documenting patient health information in real time within an electronic health record (EHR) platform. In emergency departments, inpatient settings, urgent care, and other outpatient clinics, scribes facilitate efficient patient care by allowing clinicians to focus on patients rather than the clerical work associated with practicing medicine. Extensive research has shown scribes have a beneficial impact on revenue, patient satisfaction, length of stay, and workload distribution [1]. Clinicians report that work with a scribe decreases work-related stress and improves their ability to multitask while increasing their workplace satisfaction and overall quality of life [2, 3]. Despite mounting evidence on the benefits of scribes for licensed clinicians, little attention has been given to the impact of the scribe experience for those who work as medical scribes, many of whom aspire to become medical doctors. As current medical students and former scribes who are enrolled in the Penn State College of Medicine in the USA, we recall from our own experiences and from discussions with multiple former scribes the influence that scribing had on preparing us for medical school. In particular, this commentary will describe how the scribe experience has prepared us to work as part of a medical team, introduced us to pattern recognition
* Ndifreke Ekpa [email protected] 1
Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
2
Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
3
Department of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
4
Department of Learning and Performance Systems, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
5
Departments of Humanities and Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
as it relates to medical-decision-making, and spurred our personal and professional development. This commentary will also discuss the role of a scribe in the healthcare setting, the potential benefits of scribing for medical school graduates who wish to pursue residency training in a new country, and, from a clinician’s point of view, will explore the idea of scribing as an apprenticeship.
A Realistic Picture For aspiring medical students to acquire a clear understanding of the responsibilities, challenges, and daily proceedings of practicing physicians, firsthand experience with a physician is essential. Usually, this occurs in the form of shadowing, which involves following a physician for one or more days while the physician interviews patients, conducts physical examinations, and performs procedures. Such shadowing experiences provide students with opportunities to ask questions an
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