CEP America's Scribe Program

What is a Scribe?

Typically scribes are either undergraduates or post baccalaureate students with an interest in the health care field. Not all, but most scribes have the intention of attending medical, physician-assistant or nursing school.

Scribes are trained to be proficient in medical terminology and in the nuances of medical documentation—and the particulars of their specific ED documentation system. Furthermore, they are trained to communicate with physicians in the clinical environment and prepared to work with different physician styles.

In addition to generating the H&P, scribes import and can consolidate other clinical information into the EMR, such as laboratory results and radiology interpretations. They also retrieve old EKGs and lookup old medical records for the provider.

Scribes do not perform any clinical duties nor do they provide direct patient care.

The four key elements of the scribe role include:

  1. Documentation of the clinical encounter and diagnostic studies
  2. Tracking the progress of diagnostic studies
  3. Alerting the Physician to when studies have been completed
  4. Reviewing charts for proper and complete documentation
Expectations of a Scribe
  • Professional demeanor
  • Strong writing skills
  • Quick and accurate typing speed
  • Year + commitment 
  • Self motivated
  • Excellent follow through
  • Ability to handle high pressure and manage multiple priorities
 
Benefits of Being a Scribe
  • An invaluable opportunity to prepare yourself for a career in healthcare
  • First hand exposure to a clinical setting - you will be working side by side with a physician 
  • Learn how to interact with Physicians and Nurses
  • Outstanding networking opportunity 

What Scribes Say

"I have gained the ability to communicate with medical providers with the foreign language that is 'medical terminology'. I have also been able to witness what really takes place in the emergency room. I have also made priceless friendships with fellow scribes (who know what I am going through as a college student), and medical providers (who have been in my position and are able to give invaluable advice on what I can do to attain my goals)."

- Peter Sharp
Scribe
DMC-Modesto

 
 
"The CEP scribe program is one of the best learning opportunities pre-medical students can experience. I have been a medical scribe at Portland Adventist Medical Center for a year and a half and I still learn something new about emergency medicine with every shift. From learning how to electronically chart, observing emergent medical procedures, and gathering radiography and laboratory results, the amount of exposure to the medical field involved with the job is substantial. Becoming a CEP medical scribe was one of the best decisions for my career and I will hold onto my emergency room experiences for years to come."

- Andrew Wang
Scribe
Adventist Medical Center