A scribe is a person planning to attend medical school in the near future who is looking to work in a clinical environment that will expose them to the world of medicine. The principle duties of a scribe include:

1. Documentation: The scribe accompanies the physician into examining rooms for all patient visits. While the doctor interviews the patient, the scribe listens and transcribes the information into a proper medical note. Physicial exam findings are also recorded in these notes.

2. ED Course: As laboratory results and radiology reports return on patients, the scribe updates the notes to include this information. All procedures are documented by the scribe, interactions with consultant physicians are recorded, and changes in the patient's course/ response to treatments are also entered.

3. Efficiency: Our emergency department is similar to a very busy restaurant in which we are simultaneously caring for many people. The scribes assist the physician with the challenges of multi-tasking, allowing our patients to be treated and managed with greater efficiency. This also allows providers to spend more time face-to-face with patients and family members.

Our Scribe program has been featured in several publications including the Minneapolis StarTribune newspaper:

StarTribune article, March 16, 2007

StarTribune article, October 12, 2009

Minnesota Medicine, April 2011