Medical Scribe Resume Sample & Writing Tips

Having an excellent education and practical background for a medical scribe doesn’t guarantee a candidate will land a job. What are the secrets for a successful hire? What should you start from to win over an employer? The answer is simple: you need to create an excellent resume to assert yourself as a perfect candidate. Check our comprehensive guide on how to write a job-winning medical scribe resume and use our hiring experts’ experience to develop your career.

Don’t underestimate the resume’s value

We analyzed dozens of medical scribe resumes. Most of them are written by professionals with a solid background. However, many resumes look too generic, hiding the unique candidate’s potential from the employer. One of the typical misconceptions among job seekers is that being a good specialist already makes you a winner. However, statistics prove that it is far from being enough. According to GetCoverLetter surveys:

• 59% of recruiters reject resumes with typos and errors.
• 54% say no to resumes with irrelevant information.
• 50% hate cliches.
• 35% of employers reject unprofessional email addresses.
• 34% of recruiters refuse if they see no quantifiable proof of a candidate’s achievements.

Such failures can cost you a job regardless of your professionalism. As BLS reports, the job outlook for medical scribes will get 2% lower in the next decade. It means that you should do your best to win the desired position over the rest of the candidates. The best thing you can do is to have a correctly structured, informative, good-looking, and carefully proofread resume. Check the medical scribe resume example below to understand better what a hiring person expects to see.

Sample resume for a medical scribe position

The first sample shows a resume for a medical scribe with experience. It features strong points with quantitative proof of key achievements and a winning combination of soft and hard skills for this position.

This sample medical scribe resume for a postgraduate focuses on the education and trainee experience of an applicant. Regardless of your professional background, you can find substantial competitive advantages that can potentially interest employers. The secret is in the right presentation:

How to write a medical scribe resume that leads to a hire

Here are a few general rules that every resume needs to follow:

1. Put all information into one page: A resume gets less than a minute of attention on average.
2. Avoid using cliches and spacious expressions: Every phrase should carry facts interesting to the hiring person.
3. Put accurate dates for education and work experience. If there are no months in dates, recruiters automatically suspect something is wrong. For example, you tried to hide an employment gap or wasn’t careful to remember such details.
4. Use a tempered, classy graphic template: No fancy designs, colorful backgrounds, artistic fonts, emojis, etc. Graphics should not distract from text and make you seem frivolous.
5. Use reverse-chronological order for listing your education and work experience. If you are a career-starter without a prior work history, use a functional format to emphasize your skills and training practices.
6. ALWAYS tailor your resume to the target job opening: List relevant skills, duties, and objectives.
7. Proofread your resume to ensure there are no errors and typos. Medical scribes should demonstrate accuracy and attentiveness.
8. Avoid using tiny font sizes and line spacing. A resume should be comfortable and easy to read.
9. Check the application instructions properly. If it says to put a specific phrase in your resume summary, do it. Otherwise, recruiters will ignore your application.
10. Add your photo only if such a requirement is listed in the job description. Many employers prefer to consider candidates regardless of their gender and appearance.

Begin by filling out standard information like personal details and education. Further move to skills, experience descriptions, and finish with the summary. Keeping this order will help ease the process. Here are useful dos and don’ts for each resume section with real right/wrong examples from resumes.

1. Personal Details

Right

Sample

Jennifer Smith
Medical Scribe

France Ave S. 10731 Bloomington, Minnesota 55431
t: +1-930-932-1985
e: jennifer.smith@mail.com
in: linkedin.com/in/jennifersmith

Wrong

Sample

J. SMITH
Medical Scribe

France Ave S. 10731
t: +1-930-932-1985
E: jennieedwardhospital@gmail.com
In: @jennie_crazy_in_love

The first example shows how to do it right. Put the personal details at the top of your resume. This section should include:

1. Full name and position.
2. Complete physical address (it is optional, but if you list the address, write the full physical location, including zip code and state).
3. Phone number in international format.
4. Professional email address.
5. Link to professional social network profile.

Look at the second sample that contains the most common mistakes in arranging personal info in resumes:

1. First name shortcut: A hiring person will need to guess your name when trying to reach you.
2. Incomplete physical address: It demonstrates your negligence that is unacceptable in the medical scribe profession. Moreover, it may cause problems for employers from other cities/states.
3. Unprofessional email address: It is completely inappropriate for a resume. Always use an email address consisting of your first and last name and not the corporate one from your past or current place of work.
4. Link to a personal Instagram account: You can put only links to professional social network profiles, a blog, or a website with information related to your career.

2. Education

The minimum education requirement for medical scribes is a high school diploma. However, most employers prefer candidates with a college degree and certification from The American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group (AHDPG). Being currently enrolled in getting a degree is also acceptable.

The education section has much value for a medical scribe resume with no experience. If you are new to this profession, focus on listing your relevant academic achievements like scientific publications, participating in research, contests in biology, medicine, and other related fields. Uncover your interest and ambitiousness. Having no degree can be compensated for with professional training courses and certificates.

Right

Sample

Jefferson High School, Portland, OR
2018/07

• 2017 - winner of Biology Olympiad
• 2017 Volunteer assistant in the school laboratory

Wrong

Sample

Jefferson High School
2018/07

If you have a degree, write the college or university name and its location. Mention your specialization and years of entrance and graduation.

3. Work experience: quantify your achievements

The requirements for the same positions in different hospitals and health centers may vary. Rather than a standard listing all your responsibilities from past places, focus on listing your experiences relevant to the employer’s needs. It is not ‘the longer, the better’ contest. You should maximally tailor the medical scribe job description on your resume to the target job requirements. Don’t make the responsibilities list longer than 8-10 points.

Results attract employers much better than duties and qualifications. Phrase your achievements in figures, where possible. Statistics that show your productivity, accuracy, value to the hospital, and patient satisfaction make a ‘wow’ effect on hiring managers.

Right

Sample

Emergency Medical Scribe
New York Hospital Med Center-Queens, NY
2019/01 - Present

• Performed medical records (CC, HPI, PMHx, PSxHx) for 20+ patients per day.
• Stably maintained a 99% accuracy rate.
• Managed medical records using NueMD EMR software.
• Checked patients' medical insurance status according to HIPAA compliance.
• Managed the patients flow in the ER to minimize the wait time according to the patient’s category.
• Assisted in arranging diagnostic tests (EKG, Skin Testing, physical qualities assessment) and medical procedures (banding, plastering) as per physician’s directions.
• Ensured the supply of necessary medications and expendable materials.
• Monitored patient medical charts and eliminated data mismatches.
• Planned weekly calendars and appointments for 3 physicians.

Wrong

Sample

Emergency Medical Scribe
New York Hospital Med Center-Queens, NY
2019/01 - Present

• Performed medical records for incoming patients.
• Managed the patients’ flow.
• Entered medical records to EMR software.
• Helped physicians to perform procedures and tests.
• Took care of the ER department.
• Answered phone calls and messages.

Do you see the difference? Both are the same job. However, in the right sample, the reader can clearly see the scope of work, the candidate’s performance, and the exact actions they performed. The wrong example is too general. It’s hard to judge what role exactly a candidate took in all listed processes.

If you haven’t worked as a medical scribe before, list other past jobs and emphasize the duties that coincide with future employment. Any paramedical assistance, working with CRM systems, data entry, or clerical experience in your professional experience can be a huge plus.

If you are a new grad, consider taking some internship or volunteer practice to have something you can record in the experience section of your resume.

4. Skills: aim for relevancy and competitiveness

Often, job seekers list their most vital skills and do not customize them for each job opening. It results in the resume getting a poor response. Why? A recent report shows that 75% of resumes are never read by a human. ATS systems analyze them to discard irrelevant candidates. The lack of target keywords in the analyzed resume text guarantees a candidate won’t move further in the hiring process.

The skills section is a perfect place to put the necessary keywords to pass ATS checks successfully. Follow simple steps:

1. Check the skills requirements from the job description.
2. Research the most popular keywords for medical scribe jobs.
3. Compare these findings with your skillset and find matches.
4. Put matching medical scribe skills on your resume.

Right

Sample

SKILLS:

• In-depth knowledge of medical terminology
• Patient care
• Fast typing 60 wpm
• Advanced computer skills
• Medical records
• Verbal and written communication skills
• Teamwork
• Organizational skills
• Patience
• Stress-resistance

Wrong

Sample

• Confidence
• Decision making
• Endurance
• Compassion
• Clarity
• Gathering data
• Creativity

The wrong sample list contains qualities that are also great on their own. However, they are not priority skills for a medical scribe position. Such skills don’t characterize you as a perfect match for a job and are not relevant for ATS.

5. Summary: your professional elevator pitch

Hiring managers spend only a few seconds viewing a resume to find what they want. If nothing catches their attention at first glance, most likely, they will skip it and move to the next. Writing a strong summary will save you from being overlooked.

The first line of the summary should answer the questions, who you are, and what benefits you can bring as a specialist to the employer's organization. A perfect summary takes up to 5 text lines and consists of a few key points:

1. Experience summary: Profession, years of experience, one or two strongest qualities that characterize you.
2. General experience: A couple of key responsibilities you’ve successfully managed.
3. Top achievement: Your biggest accomplishment to date.
4. A couple of your top skills.
5. Objective (optional).

The need for an objective is doubtful: Some career experts claim it is unnecessary for candidates with relevant experience. However, it could be an excellent way to tailor your resume for a specific job opening. And it is a must for an entry-level medical scribe resume with no prior experience.

Right

Sample

An AHDPG-certified medical scribe with 2+ years of experience in the emergency clinic department. Assisted 2 ER physicians, performing medical records for 20+ patients a day. Highly-organized and detail-oriented, maintained a stable 98% accuracy rating. Looking for a medical scribe position at the University of Chicago Medical Center to keep efficient and accurate medical recording.

Wrong

Sample

I am an experienced medical scribe looking for an opportunity to apply my medical knowledge in assisting physicians with the paperwork. I am a self-motivated, dedicated specialist with an optimal skillset for a medical scribe position in a fast-paced hospital environment.

The wrong sample neither summarizes your experience nor shows your potential value for a future employer. It is a combination of standard phrases without any quantitive proofs for your achievements. Such a medical scribe resume objective doesn’t work even for a beginner.

Conclusion

Medical scribe requirements can vary greatly depending on the specific hospital and department. The more relevant your resume is, the higher your chances of getting hired. Take your time to study the employer’s needs and optimize each section of your resume for a specific job ad. Taking into account the widespread use of ATS software and recruiters’ fluency in checking applicants, a correctly composed resume may compensate for the lack of practical experience in the chosen profession. Now you have everything you need to land your next job with ease!