How to hire a medical scribe

How to hire a medical scribe, step by step

Here's a step-by-step medical scribe hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a medical scribe job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new medical scribe
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a medical scribe do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your medical scribe job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a medical scribe for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a medical scribe to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a medical scribe that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of medical scribes and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Medical Scribe	Description	Hourly rate
   Medical Scribe	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$11-18
   Phlebotomist	Phlebotomists are workers in the medical field who specialize in drawing blood from patients. They ensure that patients are prepared by explaining the procedure to them, showing them tools they will use and where their blood will be stored, and answering any questions the patients may have... Show more	$12-20
   Certified Phlebotomist	A certified phlebotomist is a medical professional who specializes in drawing blood through venipuncture or finger and heel pricks, preparing the samples for laboratory procedures. Besides collecting blood, a phlebotomist is also responsible for gathering patient information, verifying identification, reviewing medical histories, labeling vials, and maintaining records, including diagnostic findings... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Medical Terminology
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Physician Assistants
   • Emergency Medicine
   • HIPAA
   • Patient History
   • Patient Flow
   • Medical Decision
   • Transcription
   • Dictation
   • Allergies
   • Past Medical History
   • Data Entry

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage sensitive and confidential materials such as patient health records following HIPAA regulations.
   • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
   • Rotate in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery, and burn medicine departments
   • Transcribe patient orders including laboratory tests results, radiology test findings, medications, allergies.
   • Utilize PC and LIS to enter and retrieve patient data, includes verifying orders and retrieving results using HIPAA compliance.
   • Perform Phlebotomy procedures on patients.

   More medical scribe duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the medical scribe job description is a good way to get more applicants. A medical scribe salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a medical scribe in North Carolina may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level medical scribe. Additionally, a medical scribe with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average medical scribe salary

   $14.44hourly

   $30,045 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level medical scribe salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average medical scribe salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$40,019	$19
   2	Maryland	$33,731	$16
   3	California	$32,344	$16
   4	Connecticut	$32,015	$15
   5	Iowa	$31,514	$15
   6	New York	$30,633	$15
   7	Washington	$29,560	$14
   8	Minnesota	$29,202	$14
   9	New Jersey	$29,197	$14
   10	Ohio	$29,071	$14
   11	Illinois	$28,095	$14
   12	Arizona	$26,058	$13
   13	Colorado	$24,785	$12
   14	Virginia	$24,725	$12
   15	Oklahoma	$24,163	$12
   16	Delaware	$24,156	$12
   17	Texas	$24,142	$12
   18	Missouri	$23,793	$11
   19	Pennsylvania	$23,764	$11
   20	Florida	$23,140	$11

   Average medical scribe salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Medical Center	$48,164	$23.16	28
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$44,657	$21.47
   3	UC Santa Barbara	$42,483	$20.42
   4	UC Merced	$42,008	$20.20
   5	University of California	$40,851	$19.64	84
   6	eyecarecenter	$38,482	$18.50
   7	Tufts Medical Center	$37,233	$17.90
   8	Ortho Montana	$35,515	$17.07	4
   9	MEDNAX	$33,544	$16.13
   10	Humana	$33,443	$16.08	273
   11	Fairview Health Services	$33,343	$16.03	81
   12	Texas Health Care	$33,341	$16.03	22
   13	Multi-Specialty HealthCare	$33,298	$16.01
   14	Treasure Coast Community Health	$33,282	$16.00
   15	Health First	$33,044	$15.89	24
   16	Community Medical and Dental Care, Inc	$32,952	$15.84	2
   17	Cincinnati Eye Institute	$32,917	$15.83
   18	US Oncology Holdings Inc	$32,382	$15.57	62
   19	Florida Medical Clinic	$32,333	$15.54
   20	UnitedHealth Group	$32,106	$15.44	291

4. Writing a medical scribe job description

   A job description for a medical scribe role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a medical scribe job description:

   Medical scribe job description example

   Job DescriptionThe Dermatology Medical Scribe duties include performing all clerical and information technology functions for and under the direction of a physician by documenting in the electronic medical record (EMR). Medical Scribes must be professional and discreet in performance of duties so as not to distract medical staff from patient care. Good judgment, organizational ability, initiative, attention to detail, and the ability to be self-motivated are required when working as a Medical Scribe
   PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   Document in the EMR for the physician during patient clinical visits or encounters. This includes documenting the patient medical and social history, physical exam, assessment and plan, diagnoses, medications, results, procedures, and treatments, and follow-up instructions. The medical scribe will be expected to learn and understand basic documentation requirements.
   
   Works to facilitate patient flow and ensure an accurate and complete medical record for each patient. Accompanies physician into patient examination room to accurately document the physician's encounter with the patient and others present following established policies and guidelines. Lists all proper diagnoses and symptoms as well as follow up instructions and prescriptions as dictated by physician. Document physician dictated patient history, including history of present illness, review of systems, past medical and surgical history, family and social histories, medications, and allergies during the visit exam. Document all procedures performed by physician. Document physical examination findings and procedures as performed by the physician. Document the correct time of patient care related activities, including physician to physician communication, family communication and re-examination of the patient. Create and queue medication, laboratory, and other orders for physician to authenticate and initiate. All orders for patient care must be communicated by the physician and not the scribe. Create and maintain guide of Dermatology physician documentation preferences. Medical Scribes do not participate in any patient care and should refer all requests related to patient care to the responsible physician or nursing staff; including, but not limited to transporting specimens, answering phones, assisting patients, calling physicians, etc.
   Assists the provider with all clerical activities related to the EMR. To help support workflow and documentation for medical record coding. Assists provider in navigating the EMR and locating information such as tests, lab results, and hospital dictation. Responds to messages as directed by physician. Search and collect pertinent past medical histories, test results, external medical records, or other needed patient information requested by physician. Prepares referral letters and other patient care correspondence as directed by physician. Assists physician with obtaining or locating information in EMR or other systems as appropriate.
   Ensures good teamwork and effective interpersonal relationships. Communicates effectively and handles confidential matters per policy and procedures. Recognizes sensitive situations and seeks appropriate guidance. Monitors personal work ethic, behavior, and attitude. Maintains strong and effective relationships with peers, staff, physicians, agencies, and other organizations consistent with MGB, BWH and Dermatology policy and standards. Works to improve patient satisfaction. Identify opportunities for process improvement related to quality initiatives. Actively participates in recommending plans of action to address any identified issues. Comply with all national and local PHI laws including in HIPAA and HITECH policy and standards. May perform other non-clinical tasks as directed by supervisor or designee.
   
   Qualifications
   High school diploma or equivalent is required, Bachelor's Degree desirable. Must be able to read, write legibly, speak clearly, and understand the English language. Based on physician and practice operational needs, may be asked to change work schedule and/or location. At times there may be little notice. Changes are typically short-term and long-term changes will be reviewed and discussed by manager. Previous EMR experience preferred. Completion of a medical terminology course or one year experience working with medical terminology in a clinical setting is highly desirable. Ability to multi-task and consistently communicate in a professional manner and perform duties under pressure. Adequate knowledge of computer usage and ability to tolerate viewing on computer monitors for extended periods of time. Able to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with physicians, administrators, clinical managers, and other staff. Strong attention to detail
   
   EEO Statement
   Brigham and Women's Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability. Partner's Healthcare is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find medical scribes for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any medical scribes they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level medical scribes with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your medical scribe job on Zippia to find and attract quality medical scribe candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting medical scribes requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new medical scribe

   Once you've selected the best medical scribe candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new medical scribe. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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