What are oncology medical scribes? They are trained professionals who assist the oncologist by documenting patient encounters with great attention to detail. Their role is to prevent any omissions in the records, enabling the specialist to provide the best care possible. In this article, we will look at them more closely. We invite you to read on.
What Is an Oncology Medical Scribe?
An oncology medical scribe is a trained professional responsible for documenting patient encounters with the oncologist in real time. Their role is not only to document the visits but also to input them (and the results of laboratory tests) into the electronic health records system (EHR), enabling medical professionals to have full access to the information on a given patient.
The impact of oncology medical scribes is significant. Due to their work, oncologists don’t have to struggle with massive amounts of paperwork. As a result, they are able to provide better care (since they can spend more time on each patient), and they feel better, avoiding physician burnout.
What Skills Does an Oncology Medical Scribe Need?
Due to the specifics of the work, an oncology scribe’s skillset extends that of a regular medical scribe. This means that apart from quick typing, the knowledge of HIPAA regulations and EHR systems, such scribes also need to:
- Know medical terminology – An oncological scribe needs to know cancer-related terminology and medical terminology in general since they might work with a plethora of different cases or… a really specialized physician dealing only with a particular type of cancer.
- Have mental resilience – Unfortunately, oncology wards are strongly connected with human tragedy. This means that you need to be strong mentally to prevent those tragedies from affecting you.
Is It Worth Being a Medical Scribe in Oncology?
Oncology might seem like a difficult specialty for medical scribes, especially considering the mental burden, but in fact, it’s not that scary – the patients are often sweet, and you get to learn a lot.
Moreover, if you work with a specialized oncologist(s), you will get in-depth knowledge in that field. You will witness both patients just at the beginning of their treatments and those that are deeply in their battle against cancer, observing and learning how to treat them at all stages.
Finally, working as an oncology scribe increases your chances of getting into medical school. How? Not only will you get valuable experience to add to your application, but you might also ask one of the providers you are working with for a letter of recommendation, which will make your application significantly stronger.
The Takeaway
Working as an oncology medical scribe is an excellent opportunity, though you will mostly get knowledge about cancer treatments. Whether it is the perfect pre-med job for you depends on your goals post-medical school. However, even if you don’t feel like the perfect fit for an oncology scribe, there are many different options to choose from – you can find them in our medical scribe job openings.
You might also read: Does Medical Scribe Count for PA School?
