Becoming a Virtual Medical Scribe can be daunting. If you’re not familiar with the world of healthcare, it can feel like it will take forever to catch up, or that it will be harder for you to be successful. But what I learned at AQuity is that new hires are not alone in their anxiousness about starting down a new career path, nor do they stay in the dark about the profession of scribing for too long.
Most AQuity scribes are new to the scribing scene. Newcomers are more than welcome, and to aid in their introduction to the wonderful world of scribing, AQuity provides the training they need to be successful through AQuity’s Scribe Academy.
The Scribe Academy
AQuity Solutions’ Scribe Training Academy is a user-friendly Learning Management System that allows prospective scribes to start learning on Day 1. It contains easy-to-launch coursework and is the platform where students complete their exams. Academy Administrators and New Hire Coach Advisors guide trainees throughout each step of the course. Dedicated trainees who study hard and meet assigned due dates for coursework are transformed into highly trained professional scribes in short order.
Medical Scribe Students
AQuity’s Scribe Academy students are largely composed of gap year medical students or others who have some background in medical terminology, although such a background is not required. The exact background can vary, but any experience in the medical field or with medical terminology helps during the course process. For students who do not have a medical field background and are starting from the ground up, there are dedicated classes on medical terminology to help close the gap.
Content of the Program
The AQuity scribe training program consists of three phases. Academic training lasts about a week, followed by Chart Readiness, which lasts two weeks, and then, Operational Team Lead Training, which lasts a few weeks and varies depending on a number of student and targeted assignment variables.
Each phase includes different modules. For example, the academic portion covers the scribe’s role and job expectations, medical terminology and abbreviations, fundamentals of SOAP note writing, and pathophysiology. The chart readiness portion covers the trainees practice of encounter documentation, often handled via audio clips to simulate real medical environments. The team training segment instructs scribe-in-training on AQuity’s technology, basics in EHR navigation, and medical specialties. The trainees are able to master in-depth knowledge of specific medical specialties within these courses.
The program provides the scribe with a unique look into different medical disciplines, often serving as an incredible foundation for gap year med students within their desired medical specialty as they prepare for their future medical careers.
AQuity Scribe Academy students were asked about their favorite courses, with SOAP note instructions and specialty courses taking the top spots. It’s easy to see why; AQuity prides itself on helping all medical scribing students gain a thorough understanding of the clinical documentation process to become trusted and valued team members to the providers they will serve.
Preparation for Success
The Scribe Training Academy is a top-notch training program that allows new scribes to step through the SOAP note writing process in modules that are easy to understand. AQuity utilizes this continuing educational program with their specialty library, serving up over 40 specialty training courses with an additional 30 deeper dive topic courses. AQuity Scribes benefit from thorough real world training exercises during these instruction phases.
By completing the full program, including all aspects of scribing: medical knowledge, SOAP note writing skills, specialty training, technology training, and medical environment training, AQuity Virtual Scribes gain a unique look into the practice of medicine and their soon-to-be role as a virtual scribe. As a bonus, AQuity allows new hires to interact with coaches and instructors who are experienced scribes, so they can network within their new community and learn insider tips from those who have already proven themselves to be highly skilled.
Benefits to Gap Year Medical Students
Scribing with AQuity during a gap year helps medical students learn firsthand the range and scope of interactions between patients and providers during encounters. They learn directly from providers practicing in their chosen specialty, expanding their medical knowledge base and preparing for their upcoming career paths.
This also allows gap year med students a chance to boost their resumés and become stronger candidates for medical schools, giving them a bit of an edge to impress their top choices, often with letters of recommendation from the providers they supported. Gap year med students also gain the ability to expand their options, as virtual scribing with AQuity opens many different doors since the skills gained in the Scribe Academy apply to a wide range of healthcare career possibilities and opportunities.
Benefits to Career-Focused Medical Scribes
Scribes who embrace the impact of documentation support as a profession and demonstrate skills in leadership can advance their careers as Performance Coaches, Team Leads, Team Training Coaches, New Hire Coaches, or Implementation Coaches. There are multiple opportunities for those dedicated to the art of scribing, as well as those who love working remotely in a medical environment. AQuity’s scribing services division is rapidly expanding and career-focused scribes quickly can become scribe team leaders or expand their vast knowledge towards other healthcare documentation or direct care related fields.
Becoming a medical scribe is not without its challenges, but truly worth exploring for anyone interested in healthcare. AQuity strives to help industry newcomers as well as career-focused professionals to succeed. We foster a community of clinical documentation professionals who are expanding the definition of what is possible in virtual physician support services. Their experience, in turn, is redefining expectations for the next generation of scribes after them as the discipline continues to evolve.
AQuity Solutions is committed to ensuring our scribes begin their roles confident in the value they will provide to the physicians they support. We are continuously enriching the curriculum presented through the Academy to help them adapt to physician preferences, changes in technology, and to expand the scope of their support as virtual physician assistants. Graduates of AQuity’s Academy are exceptionally well prepared for their roles as scribes as well as lifelong success in the ever-evolving healthcare field, regardless of how their careers unfold.
