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To become a medical scribe as a premed, you typically need to complete a medical scribe training course and pass a certification exam or competency assessment, depending on the employer.
The steps below explain how to prepare through coursework and testing so you can qualify for scribing roles and gain valuable clinical experience for medical school.
There are many courses hosted both online and in-person throughout the US and Canada. There are also several colleges that provide training courses, such as the following:
There are many different courses you can take to get certified. If you can not find one that suits your needs, taking courses in human anatomy, typing, or biology would help you learn important skills that will look good on your CV.
If you decide to take a course, you may have already obtained certification at the end of the program. However, if you choose not to take a course, you can simply take a certification exam.
The Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE) is offered by the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group. The exam consists of 100 questions and costs $185 to take. To pass the MSCE, you must score at least an 80%. The MSCE is not required by most hospitals in order to be a medical scribe, but it can help improve your applicant profile.
Please note that some medical scribe positions require a training course and exam, but many large scribe programs train new hires internally and do not require a separate certification, so you should always confirm the requirements for each job posting.
You should become a medical scribe as a premed because it gives you direct clinical exposure, strengthens your medical school application, and helps you understand how real healthcare teams work, all while earning a paycheck.
Scribing also helps you build comfort in clinical environments and develop communication skills that directly translate into medical training.
Medical scribing has become one of the most popular pre-med extracurriculars because it provides consistent patient-facing exposure without requiring years of certification or training.
You also support physicians by documenting patient encounters, which improves workflow efficiency and helps you learn medical terminology, clinical decision-making patterns, and the structure of patient care.
Admissions expert Nate explains why this type of experience matters:
“One of the really other important things about clinical experience that makes it meaningful and impactful is if it's a meaningful academic experience; beyond just learning the communication skills you also get in these settings, but you can also start to take away little bits of valuable clinical knowledge that can then sort of prepare you for that next step in your career when you do make it to med school."
If you’re pursuing scribing specifically to strengthen your medical school application, Inspira Advantage can help you identify the best clinical experiences that fit your goals and present them strategically to admissions committees in your admissions essays and AMCAS Work and Activities Section.
The average medical scribe salary in the US is $42,807 per year or $18.38 per hour, according to Indeed job reports. The highest-paying cities are as follows:
A medical scribe is a health paraprofessional who transcribes medical appointments in real-time. The role of the scribe is to capture everything said by both a patient and a physician during an encounter. In doing so, the scribe allows the physician to focus solely on patient care without having to worry about writing everything down simultaneously.
Scribes also perform administrative tasks such as locating information, completing forms, and finding patients for doctors.
Nate, a USC graduate and admissions expert at Inspira Advantage, describes his time doing medical scribing in our clinical experience webinar:
"As a medical scribe, it really like affirmed my passion for medicine. Medical scribing is where you work really closely with the physician, seeing with them all the patients and cases and procedures they do in a day and documenting for them… I think one of the most valuable aspects of it that goes just beyond physician shadowing is that you are a valuable member of the team and you are actively learning as you are doing it."
The addition of a scribe to a healthcare setting decreases wait times, improves the overall patient experience, and dramatically improves the efficiency and accuracy of physicians.
Being a medical scribe can feel demanding. Many scribe roles provide on-the-job training and do not require formal certification, which makes entry relatively accessible. However, scribes often work in fast-paced clinical environments, where they must type quickly, stay organized, and accurately document medical encounters in real time.
Former scribe Morgan Carter describes the experience as challenging but rewarding:
“Working in a busy clinic or health care setting can be demanding, both in time and energy, but if you stay persistent, humble, and reliable and show kindness to everyone, you will succeed in becoming an invaluable member of the medical team.”
Yes, being a medical scribe is worth it for many premed students because it provides consistent clinical exposure, physician interaction, and real insight into patient care.
Scribing can strengthen your medical school application by giving you meaningful experiences to reference in your personal statement, activity descriptions, and interviews.
However, scribing is a good fit only if you feel comfortable with fast typing, detailed documentation, and clerical work in a high-pressure healthcare environment.
Most medical scribe positions only require a high school diploma or GED, basic typing skills, and strong attention to detail. Many employers also prefer applicants with some college coursework, especially in biology, anatomy, or healthcare-related subjects.
Although certification is not required for most roles, completing a medical scribe training course can make you more competitive and help you learn medical terminology, documentation standards, and clinical workflow.
It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to become a medical scribe, depending on the employer and training path. Some scribe programs provide training in a matter of weeks, while formal certificate programs can take several months to complete.
Because many employers train scribes internally, you may be able to start working shortly after being hired, even without completing a separate certification program.
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