With so many medical scribe job openings, you might be wondering: Are medical scribes in demand? The answer is yes. Currently, they are extremely sought-after in the US. Hospitals and clinics see an increase in the need for EHR documentation, and medical scribes are being hired to remedy this headache. But that’s not the only factor that generates the demand for scribes—let’s discuss this in more detail.
The Medical Scribe Demand
The demand for medical scribes has never been higher as healthcare facilities started recognizing the benefits of hiring them. To showcase this, at the time of writing this article, our careers page contains…408 medical scribe job openings!
Healthcare providers are actively looking for medical scribe candidates to enhance their operations, boost productivity, and even improve the satisfaction and engagement of their physicians. Yet, at the same time, their search is highly vetted—although the demand is high, you need to have a certain medical scribe skillset to land the job. This is because medical scribes require extensive training (both online and on-site)—this requires investments; hence, the candidates must be promising!
Why Are Medical Scribes in Demand?
The fact that medical scribes are in demand in healthcare is not random—there are a lot of reasons behind this healthcare trend. Let’s look at them now.
Healthcare Professionals Understand the Benefits of Working with a Scribe
The first and foremost reason is that healthcare professionals, including providers, realize that hiring a scribe is…a way to save time, money and stress. Depending on the facility, working with a scribe can increase the number of patients treated daily to up to 20%.
What is more, healthcare providers often want to work with medical scribes themself, as they can see how much easier their job gets thanks to this. It also affects their well-being, as having a scribe at one’s disposal reduces the risk of physician burnout.
The EHR System
The electronic health records system is always hungry, waiting to be fed more data. Healthcare providers simply don’t have time to do this, making their employers look for alternative options. Medical scribes are a solution to this problem, hence the higher demand.
Turnover
Finally, most scribes are pre-med students wishing to gain invaluable experience or increase their chances of getting into medical school. Therefore, they resign after a year or two to pursue their studies and become physicians in various specialties. As a result, they create openings, increasing the demand for scribes!
The Takeaway
The demand for medical scribes is high, so you should use this opportunity to get your first healthcare experience. Remember, although it is a purely administrative job, it lets you observe and shadow physicians, giving you an inside overview of their tasks that you would not be able to gain anywhere else. Hence, if you are planning to apply for medical school, we strongly recommend working as a scribe for at least a year!
You may also read: Does Medical Scribe Count as Clinical Experience (USCE)?
