Secure Your Future How to Become a Virtual Medical Scribe
This emerging field promises a fulfilling career that is ripe with professional opportunities and financial stability. Those who wish to make a meaningful contribution to the world of healthcare can begin considering becoming a virtual medical scribe today. Before that, though, one must also realize everything it takes to do this job and how to finally become a virtual medical scribe.
What Do Virtual Medical Scribes Do?
The exodus of the rise of demand for virtual medical scribes in the healthcare field is their ability to create medical documentation during patient visits in real time. However, this role is also way more multifaceted than that. Virtual scribes perform a series of tasks in and outside of patient encounters that significantly reduce the workload of healthcare providers.
Medical Documentation
This is the main role of medical scribes. Scribes listen while creating SOAP notes and medical documentation during patient visits. The notes they create are meticulously paid attention to so that they are as accurate as possible. These notes mention a multitude of essential aspects regarding a patient including medical history, symptoms, diagnoses, treatment plans, and more.
Chart Preparation
Outside of patient encounters, medical scribes also take the time to assist with chart preparation. This task involves organizing patient records, making sure they are updated, and preparing them before patient visits so that doctors are more informed about a patient’s health record, helping them reach more informed clinical decisions.
Information Liaison
As the main party responsible for taking down notes that contain valuable information about a clinic’s patients, the medical scribes can also function as its information liaisons. They can facilitate communication between healthcare providers, patients, and the other staff members of the clinic. They can gather and disseminate information when needed and provide answers and clarity to patients should they ask for them.
Productivity Motivator
The work of virtual medical scribes completely transforms how a clinic can function. By handling a range of time-consuming tasks such as documentation and chart preparation, they allow the other physicians and members of the staff to focus more on patient care. On top of that, the efficiency of medical scribes also streamlines the clinic’s workflow.
Billing Assistance
While not necessarily their main responsibility, the documentation done by medical scribes can assist billers create more accurate invoices swiftly. Accurate documentation is highly integral in proper billing and coding. Scribes create notes to ensure that all necessary information is noted and coded correctly. As a result, errors in billing are greatly minimized and mitigated.
Becoming a Virtual Medical Scribe
It takes a lot for someone to become a virtual medical scribe. This job requires a combination of education, training, skills development, and continuous learning. Those who have taken a pre-health career track will have an easier time landing this role, but even those who have no prior experience with the healthcare industry can find success in this role, granted they are willing to go the extra mile to be prepared for it.
Having said that, here are a couple of pieces of advice aspiring medical scribes can heed.
Educational Requirements
Individuals who have a degree in healthcare or other related fields will have an advantage when it comes to penetrating the industry as a virtual medical scribe. A lot of the best scribes of today are medical student graduates who opted for a remote position so they can experience a better sense of freedom while still taking advantage of the benefits of being in the healthcare industry.
Having said that, a medical degree is not a prerequisite to becoming a virtual medical scribe. Those who hold degrees in other fields can still become successful scribes. Those who fall under this category must take extra steps to be considered for the role, such as taking certifications, going on a series of training programs, and more.
Gain Medical Terminology Proficiency
Proficiency in medical terminology is an important skill for virtual medical scribes. Given that they are required to accurately transcribe medical information on a regular basis, they also constantly encounter a wide array of medical terms, jargon, abbreviations, and the like. Scribes must recognize the meanings of these terms, not only being familiar with them but also knowing what they entail in reference to a patient’s health.
Those who have no prior experience in the medical field must take the time to attend classes and medical scribe training programs to learn every possible medical terminology they can. In time, they can build up the necessary knowledge to expand their medical lexicon and knowledge.
Improve Your Typing Skills
Strong typing skills are highly essential for this particular role. Medical scribes are required to accurately transcribe medical information in real time. This means scribes must not only be fast when it comes to typing, but they must also be highly accurate. This requires a typing speed of at least 60 words per minute and an accuracy rating of 96 to 100%.
Those who believe their typing skills are below par should take the time to improve this aspect of their skills arsenal. There are several online resources and typing programs anyone can take for free where they can check their typing speed and continuously improve upon it.
Receive Certifications
Virtual scribes who take the time to obtain relevant certifications will appear more appealing to employers and doctors. Obtaining official virtual scribe certifications such as the Certified Professional Medical Scribe (CPMS) or the Medical Scribe Certification (MSCE) will solidify individuals as reliable scribes any doctor should hire for their medical practice.
On top of making scribes more attractive to prospective employers, certifications also completely prepare them for the role. Certifications require passing an exam that tackles almost every single piece of information every scribe must master, including documentation practices, medical terminology, HIPAA knowledge, and more.
HIPAA training certification is also important for scribes. HIPAA certification lets employers know they are ready to take on the role while also knowing how to completely protect the sensitive information of patients.
Gain Technological Proficiency
Every medical scribe must be tech-savvy enough to handle any software and digital tools they come across in their jobs. Scribes will have to work extensively with systems and applications that manage and deal with things such as electronic health records, appointments, billing, and more. This aspect of the job calls for technological proficiency.
There are also many online courses and medical scribe training programs that tackle EHR documentation and management of other systems. Scribes must develop strong technical skills so they can easily navigate the platforms they are given efficiently, and have the flexibility to manage any other platforms they may come across in the future.
Improve Your Communication Skills
Scribes are constantly required to interact with healthcare professionals, patients, and administrative staff. Strong verbal and written communication skills are required for this job. They must be able to articulate their thoughts efficiently and communicate properly enough so that information is properly conveyed and documented.
Aspiring virtual scribes must take the time to improve their active listening skills, articulation skills, and writing abilities for the role. Joining professional groups and organizations can help a lot in this aspect. This preparation gives ample opportunities to interact and communicate with others.
Cultivate a Sharp Attention to Detail
Another crucial skill every medical scribe must have is a sharp attention to detail. This skill is responsible for ensuring that all documentation remains accurate and complete. This is a skill that one learns through time with experience, but those who want to become virtual scribes now must take active measures to cultivate this skill.
This skill is developed through repetition and active efforts. Aspiring scribes must practice meticulousness and thoroughness when completing their tasks. They must always review their work, double-check everything, and make sure everything is organized and accounted for. Aspiring scribes must keep doing this until it becomes second nature.
Prepare Your Resume and Apply for Positions
Those who are ready to begin virtual scribing and become full-time employees, with skills honed and certifications accounted for, can start preparing their resumes and begin applying for virtual scribe positions. The resume must highlight all the skills, experience, education, and certifications that are required for a medical scribe position.
Once the resume is ready, applicants must scour online job boards such as Indeed, OnlineJobs, LinkedIn, and more for listings. They can also turn to freelancing sites if they want contractual jobs instead of full-time positions.
Better yet, aspiring scribes can look for medical scribe agencies such as VMeDx. This way, they can join a pool of talented scribes in a company that is well-connected with several doctors, dentists, and other physicians virtually, giving scribes access to a wide range of potential clients.
Preparing for the Job
Before applying for a medical scribe position, be sure you are knowledgeable enough about everything related to medical scribing. Understand the specific EHR systems that are being used by modern clinics and know the specific workflow of healthcare practitioners today.
Being a remote employee, your hardware also matters a lot in your profession. Make sure your laptop or desktop is powerful enough to handle several productivity applications. You don’t necessarily need to have the most powerful modern PC equipment. It simply needs to be powerful and current enough to handle remote, full-time work.
Study as much as you can before applying for positions. Although employers and medical scribe agencies provide on-the-job training programs before onboarding you, you must still be knowledgeable and educated enough to tackle the intricacies of the healthcare industry before diving into it.
During interviews, be sure to be proactive. After answering questions, do not hesitate to ask any questions of your own. Seek feedback so you can learn and perform effectively. Employers prefer a scribe who is proactive enough to be inquisitive.
Finally, take the time to network with other virtual medical scribes. This will help you get to know the industry better. On top of that, getting to know other scribes will also give you professional and learning opportunities.
Become a Bonafide Virtual Medical Scribe with VMeDx
If you are finally ready to embark on a highly fulfilling career within the healthcare industry as a virtual medical scribe, join VMeDx and become a part of an incredible group that values its scribes as they should be valued. VMeDx offers fundamental and comprehensive training to those who are willing to expand their skills and knowledge as a virtual scribe. We also offer a range of employment opportunities.
VMeDx will pair you up with doctors and healthcare providers that fit perfectly with your skills and knowledge. Receive guidance from the most experienced professionals industry and bolster your career as a virtual scribe today.