Medical scribe vs nurse

The differences between medical scribes and nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical scribe, becoming a nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a medical scribe.

The top three skills for a medical scribe include patients, medical terminology and excellent organizational. The most important skills for a nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Medical scribe vs nurse overview

	Medical Scribe	Nurse
Yearly salary	$30,045	$57,564
Hourly rate	$14.44	$27.68
Growth rate	16%	6%
Number of jobs	80,035	696,124
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	37	44
Years of experience	12	2

What does a medical scribe do?

As a medical scribe, their main responsibility is to follow a physician's daily work and do charting of patient encounters in real-time by accessing their medical electronic health record (EHR). It is their duty to make sure the patient schedules are followed, generate referral letters for physicians and manage and sort medical documents within the EHR. Medical scribes can be held as data custodians, medical assistants, and nurses to focus on patient in-take and care throughout clinic hours. In addition, they manage patient flow through the clinic and increase productivity to cater to more patients.

What does a nurse do?

Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.

Medical scribe vs nurse salary

Medical scribes and nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Scribe	Nurse
Average salary	$30,045	$57,564
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Boston Medical Center	Conviva
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between medical scribe and nurse education

There are a few differences between a medical scribe and a nurse in terms of educational background:

	Medical Scribe	Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	-	Duke University

Medical scribe vs nurse demographics

Here are the differences between medical scribes' and nurses' demographics:

	Medical Scribe	Nurse
Average age	37	44
Gender ratio	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 9.7% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between medical scribe and nurse duties and responsibilities

Medical scribe example 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.

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Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

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Medical scribe vs nurse skills

Common medical scribe skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Terminology, 17%
Excellent Organizational, 10%
Physician Assistants, 8%
Emergency Medicine, 6%
HIPAA, 4%

Common nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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