If you’re looking to work within the healthcare industry, you’ll find there are thousands of jobs in a variety of industries to choose from. One popular job that seems to be on many candidates’ radar these days is a medical scribe. A medical scribe is primarily a personal assistant to other medical professionals, such as a physician. As a scribe, you’ll need to examine patients’ past medical histories, as well as perform other duties.

If this sounds like a job you’re interested in, have a look at some of the skills you’ll need to succeed as a medical scribe.

Professional Approach

The healthcare industry is filled with professionals so it’s important you hold the same approach. Interviewers aren’t going to be interested if you don’t have a professional demeanor as you’ll often work with patients and other healthcare professionals.

Ability to Thrive in High-Pressure Environments

As a medical scribe, you’re not only going to be documenting a patient you’ll also be interacting with them. Sometimes this can lead to high-pressure incidents, so it’s important you have the skillset required to stay calm and in control. There are thousands of medical scribe jobs available and they all expect employees to remain calm when under pressure.

Devotion

If you want to succeed in the healthcare industry as a medical scribe or go on to a different path, it’s still important you’re able to devote at least one year to being a medical scribe. Otherwise, other healthcare professionals won’t take you seriously. If you don’t feel you’ll be able to devote a year to being a medical scribe, maybe it isn’t the industry for you. Many physicians start out as a medical scribe and later study to go on to bigger and better things, and it’s the one-year experience of being a scribe that sets them apart from the rest.

Proficient in the English Language

Being proficient in the English language is the key to the success of any medical scribe. Make sure you understand the English language in detail or at least take extra classes to gain more knowledge.

Excellent Typing Skills

Another skill that is required is the ability to type quickly. When you’re not working with patients or other professionals, you’ll be filling out documents and other paperwork on the computer. This means you’ll need a good eye for detail and the ability to type quickly so you can keep on top of the workload.

Technology Experience

As stated above, you will need excellent typing skills to help document patients and keep all paperwork in order. You’ll likely need to be able to type at least 50 words per minute, as you’ll often be working in-between patients so it’s important paperwork gets completed promptly. This means you will need to have extensive tech experience so you know how to work with computers and the other technology you’ll have at your disposal.

Becoming a scribe isn’t an easy feat, but if you’re motivated and you have the above personal skills, there’s no reason why you won’t have a successful career in a very rewarding industry.