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The differences between medical scribes and nurse technicians 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 technician takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a nurse technician has an average salary of $33,005, 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 technician are patients, CPR, and vital signs.
| Medical Scribe | Nurse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $30,045 | $33,005 |
| Hourly rate | $14.44 | $15.87 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 80,035 | 195,553 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
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.
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
Medical scribes and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Scribe | Nurse Technician | |
| Average salary | $30,045 | $33,005 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Boston Medical Center | Carondelet High School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical scribe and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:
| Medical Scribe | Nurse Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical scribes' and nurse technicians' demographics:
| Medical Scribe | Nurse Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| 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, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |