About Scribes

The duty of the ER Scribe is to perform the recording of all details of a patient’s visit, as dictated by the Emergency Room physician. ER Scribes will have the responsibility of accompanying the Emergency Physician on the patient examination in order to manage proper documentation of the visit. In doing so, this allows the doctor to spend more time with the patient. To read more about the benefits of having a scribe program, visit the “Program Benefits” page.

A scribe has many responsibilities and requirements. To name a few, scribes are expected to be able to multi-task, have legible handwriting, and possess a passion for the medical field. Many of our scribes are college-age students who are interested in becoming doctors, physician assistants, or nurses. Being a scribe allows for the opportunity to learn things that cannot be taught in the classroom, and to provide medical work experience that no other volunteer position or internship can offer. To view in detail what the responsibilities of the scribe are, click on the PDF link below.

Scribe Responsibilities Outline

In order to keep up in the fast-paced environment of the Emergency Room, the scribe must be knowledgeable of medical terminology and the functionality of the ER. To facilitate this process, ScribeMD has established an orientation and training program that has already proven to be a great success at the St. Joseph Hospital Emergency Department.

Hiring, Orientation, and Training Process

For an application, click on the “Apply Online” link to the left.

After reviewing the application, ScribeMD will contact the applicant and set-up an interview. The applicant will interview in-person with a panel of ScribeMD administrators.

If accepted, the scribe will begin the orientation process. This consists of a four day class, lasting three hours per day. In this class, medical terminology will be reviewed along with hospital documentation and protocol. If the scribe passes this class, then they will proceed into the Emergency Room and begin their paid training.

For the ER clinical training, the new scribe will be paired with an experienced scribe. This allows for the experienced scribe to overlook the progression of the new scribe and to also impart any knowledge that only experience can teach. The cumulative duration of the training will be 18 hours.

Once hired, ScribeMD scribes will have a 90 day probation period where they will be watched closely by a Lead Scribe and/or ScribeMD representative to ensure the ability of the scribe to work alone with the doctor and thrive in the fast-paced environment of the ER.