Impact of Medical Scribe Experiences on Subsequent Medical Student Learning.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Training
• Clinical Skills Development

Background:

• Many pre-health students scribe to gain clinical exposure before medical training.
• Limited research exists on the educational impact of pre-medical scribing experiences.
• This study explores student perspectives on scribing's effect on clinical skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the educational impact of medical scribing on pre-health professional students.
• To understand student perspectives on how scribing influences clinical skill acquisition.
• To assess the effect of scribing on confidence and perceived clinical abilities.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews with medical and physician assistant students.
• Participants reported on clinical experiences and confidence levels before medical training.
• Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in student perspectives on scribing.

Main Results:

• Of 658 students, 214 completed the survey; 66 had prior scribing experience.
• Scribes reported significantly higher confidence in clinical note writing and history taking (p ≤ 0.001).
• Perceived impacts of scribing included improvements in note writing, medical knowledge, communication, and healthcare system understanding.

Conclusions:

• Pre-health scribing experiences enhance student confidence and perceived clinical skills, especially in note writing.
• Findings suggest scribing is a valuable preparatory experience for medical training.
• Future research should use performance-based assessments to objectively measure scribing's impact on clinical skills.