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The differences between medical specialists and medical scribes can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical specialist and a medical scribe. Additionally, a medical specialist has an average salary of $40,277, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a medical scribe.
The top three skills for a medical specialist include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a medical scribe are patients, medical terminology, and excellent organizational.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Scribe | |
| Yearly salary | $40,277 | $30,045 |
| Hourly rate | $19.36 | $14.44 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 68,607 | 80,035 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.
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.
Medical specialists and medical scribes have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Scribe | |
| Average salary | $40,277 | $30,045 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $75,000 | Between $23,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Adobe | Boston Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical specialist and a medical scribe in terms of educational background:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Scribe | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Biology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical specialists' and medical scribes' demographics:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Scribe | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |