One of the unfortunate aspects of the deployment of hospital EMRs is that it converts the highest priced talent in hospitals, physicians and nurses, into transcriptionists. The solution for this problem has been to hire scribes who enter and retrieve EMR data for the clinical staff (see: Shift of Hospital EMR Data Entry Tasks from MDs to Scribes). The need for this new category of personnel, however, raises another issue -- how to recruit the personnel to function as scribes. The answer to this hiring question, at least in Toledo, turns out to be medical students (see: Medical student scribes gain early clinical experience, assist physicians). Below is an excerpt from the article:
A new and innovative initiative created by students at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Science [UTMC] is giving them early exposure to the clinical environment....In the Scribe Program, students assist physicians in UT Medical Center’s Emergency Department by transcribing patient information for their records. The scribes, who are first- and second-year medical students, document the patient’s chief complaint and medical history, and take notes on pertinent findings in the physical exam. The scribes go over that written information with the physicians after the exam, then transcribe the data into the patient’s electronic medical record....In addition to documenting the initial physical exam, the medical student scribes alert the physicians when lab results and imaging study data are available. They also document all procedures performed, consultations ordered, and changes in a patient’s course of care or response to treatment....The training the students receive to capture medical information with a state-of-the-art electronic medical record system also puts them ahead of their peers at a very early stage....The scribes are encouraged to share their experiences with their peers to enhance the education of the full group; this is done through a secure, password-protected blog. The exercise in collaboration also will prepare them for such interactions in their future medical careers.The student scribes, who wear pins that distinguish them as members of the program, can serve for six or 12 months and arrange the program around their schedules. The scribes work six-hour shifts. UTMC is looking to expand the program to encourage additional students and hospital departments to participate.
The article was silent about whether the medical student scribes are paid for their services. Given the tone of the article and the fact that they are volunteers, I will assume that they are indeed paid for their six-hour shifts. There is no question that such students will gain an early edge when working with the EMR that will put them ahead of their peers when they enter their clinical years. However, why pay them at all? Make "medical scribing" a mandatory medical school rotation as a means to learn how to use the EMR and the hospital routine. By this means, the hospital can obtain a talented group of personnel who will pay for the opportunity to serve.
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