from summer 2011 to summer 2012.
“It’s really the best thing you could do before medical school,” Huber said. “Your first
two years of med school are largely in the
classroom. Then they become more clinical.
Scribing really gives you a leg up for those
clinical years. Getting to see the physician/
patient interaction, seeing the different tests
run, just being part of a team was a plus.”
During Huber’s emergency department
shifts, the patients seen would vary wildly
including illnesses, burns, strokes, heart
attacks and occasional trauma. Huber, who
was promoted to chief scribe during his
year of service, typically saw between 25
and 40 patients each shift. Over that time,
he worked with numerous physicians and
became accustomed to the rigorous nature
of a day in the ER.
To become a scribe, Huber visited PhysAssist in Dallas/Fort Worth where he spent
a few days in the classroom learning terminology before following senior scribes around in emergency room
scenarios. Just a few years later, the training has changed to better
personalize the learning experience.
PhysAssist currently has three “I Am Scribe” Universities across
the country for medical scribes to receive training before joining a
health care facility. The current locations are Fort Worth, Texas, St.
Louis, Miss., and Chicago, Ill., but more are expected to open in 2015.
Incoming scribes now start with pre-scribe online classes focusing
on the basics, particularly terminology. Afterwards, scribes arrive
on-site and develop their knowledge of office protocol, emergency
medical records and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
“Once all that is complete, the next day is spent on each scribe’s
specific EMR,” said Cameron Cushman, VP of Sales and Marketing
for PhysAssist, who noted the majority of scribes are stationed in
emergency rooms. “All this takes place in small training environments. We have a mock emergency department set up with curtains,
the checkered floor, the whole thing.”
Trainees are then led through six practice shifts where they shadow
a trainer. Each time, the scribe takes on more responsibilities. Upon
completing those shifts to the expectations of PhysAssist staff, they’re
considered prepared for a standard day scribing for a physician.
“We invest a ton on the front end of these scribes so they are as
prepared as possible. We want them well trained before they ever
hit the floor,” said Cushman.
Because PhysAssist was built out of an emergency department
group, that criteria has remained the organization’s primary focus.
“That’s our bread and butter. It’s open 24/7. There are peak volumes
and times,” Cushman said. “Scribing really works best in the emergency department, though we do offer scribes for clinics.”
There are several other organizations that train and coordinate
medical scribes, but one of the most successful is Proscribe LLC.
Unlike PhysAssist, which existed in limited capacity as far back as
1995, Proscribe is a relatively fresh face in the health care world,
opening just five years ago in Texas not far from its biggest competitor.
Proscribe CEO Toby Mulligan is excited about the opportunities
ahead for his organization which has taken an interest in specialty
medicine. “The scribe industry is really focused on emergency
medicine but now a lot of specialties have realized the potential of
hiring medical scribes. We’re getting requests for scribes in family
medicine, orthopedics, hematology, oncology, you name it. I think
physicians all over are realizing the improvement in efficiency.”
Mulligan would even argue that using scribes is a naturally better
way to practice medicine. “You don’t want to drive in a car with
someone texting. Why would you want to go to a physician who
was typing the whole time he was seeing you?”
In the last several years, both organizations have seen exponential growth. PhysAssist now employs 2,000 scribes across 24 states.
Proscribe is coast to coast with more than 600 scribes trained as
well. While the growth is great news, turnover is high by necessity.
“Turnover is high because the best scribes are those who want to
be in the medical field in the future. They’re hungry and they have a
good understanding of medical terminology,” Cushman explained,
adding that he hopes physicians will encourage young people interested in medicine to consider becoming a scribe.
“If you’re looking for a future in medicine, it’s really the best way
to go.”
Note: Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater
Louisville Medical Society.
FEBRUARY 2015
17