What's The Advantage Of Going To A Doctor Who Employs A Medical Scribe?

What kind of person is hired to be a medical scribe? Traditionally, the few doctors who chose medical scribes had elite practices and many doctors vying to train under them. Some doctors in training would be allowed to take notes during examinations as part of their qualifying for training.

 

Nowadays, a medical scribe may not have any kind of license at all, but is more likely to be an RN or a nurse in training,  a doctor's assistant in training, or perhaps a first-year medical student. Sometimes medical professionals take a break from their usual duties to serve as a scribe, especialliy when they are learning new technologies and new procedures or they are starting with a different doctor. 

 

 

Students who are acutely aware of terminology and processes, because they have been learning terminology to pass classes, have fewer problems recording visits in real time. The doctor or other licensed health practitioner still has to sign and date the record of the visit (this may be done electronically), and the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation also requires that doctors themselves sign orders to minimize confusion. However, a medical scribe who is a licensed healthcare practitioner can sign orders commensurate with his or her training and certification.

 

What are the advantages of going to a doctor who employs a medical scribe?

In the United States, you are most likely to encounter a medical scribe at your cardiologist's office. The reason for this probably is that the use of medical scribes has "caught on" with cardiology offices, and office managers who are familiar with the use of medical scribes tend to move to other jobs with doctors in the same specialty. The presence of a medical scribe is a good sign you'll get in and out of your appointment quickly, and you'll have a second person who cares about the results of your treatment.