Many nurse practitioners have preconceived notions about working with a virtual scribe.
- Maybe nurse practitioners may not have entertained the idea of working with a virtual scribe because we are told we don’t bring in enough income into the practice.
- That virtual scribes are only for specialty or surgical physicians.
- Virtual scribes cost too much and are not an option for nurse practitioners in a primary care, urgent care, home health visits, or specialty clinic setting.
- Assistance from virtual scribes may require more work for the nurse practitioner.
- Virtual scribes are not able to help with ordering diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, coordinating referrals, obtaining past medical records, or billing and coding.
The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner is here to bust these myths and encourage you to think about working with a virtual scribe!
But first, let’s take a look at what a virtual scribe is.
What is a virtual scribe.
A virtual scribe is a person highly trained in medical terms and documentation. The scribe is remote and connects via video and/or audio on a computer or tablet. The virtual scribe will listen to the entire clinic visit and abstract any important information. The scribe then adds the information into the electronic medical record.
A scribe can have the note completed before the patient walks out of the clinic room! This can be a tremendous benefit to the nurse practitioner. Think about it, staying on time during the workday AND having all of your charts signed before the end of the work day! A virtual scribe can offer so many benefits to a nurse practitioner!
Maybe working with a virtual scribe sounds too good to be true! Maybe you believe the myths and that it is not possible to use a virtual scribe. The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner will break down 4 myths and bust them for good!
Myth #1: Nurse practitioners are not able to work with virtual scribes.
Nurse practitioners are constantly being told by the healthcare community that we are not enough. We don’t bring in enough income to justify a virtual scribe. Nurse practitioners are meant to be a workhorse and accommodate the needs of a physician. But nurse practitioners need to know their worth!
We may be seeing the same amount of patients as a physician or physician associate. We are able to provide similar services and bring income into our practice location. Nurse practitioners work hard and deserve to have a solution that will help to improve our work-life balance and ultimately, overcome nurse practitioner burnout. Virtual scribes are trained to help all kinds of healthcare providers- nurse practitioners included!
Myth #2: Working with a virtual scribe will require more work.
Virtual scribe companies like ScribeEMR take care of the hard work for nurse practitioners! When starting services with ScribeEMR, staff will connect with your practice’s clinic manager to determine how virtual scribes can best help your practice!
ScribeEMR also connects with your IT department to connect the virtual scribe to the electronic medical record remotely. A virtual scribe is paired with a nurse practitioner. This means you will have the same virtual scribe every day! No more adjusting to a different scribe.
ScribeEMR virtual scribes are highly trained healthcare professionals that are familiar with medical terms, documentation requirements, even billing and coding. Onboarding a virtual scribe may take a few weeks to get accustomed to the nurse practitioner’s practice and preferences.
But once the scribe is familiar with the nurse practitioner (and vice versa), ScribeEMR’s virtual scribes handle the rest! Think about having those charts finished right after the patient encounter! No need to go back to your desk and dictate into a voice recognition system or click through a template.
In the long term, ScribeEMR virtual scribes require less work for the nurse practitioner! It is very easy to start working with a virtual scribe from ScribeEMR!
Myth #3: Virtual scribes are unable to do additional tasks.
As nurse practitioners, we know the amount of work that goes into our clinic day. Not only do we see patients and document the visit, we also have to refill medications, order and analyze diagnostic tests, review medical documentation, and answer those dang patient communications.
ScribeEMR virtual scribes can help with some of these tasks, freeing up your time to complete the rest!
When a virtual scribe is present during the clinic visit, they abstract information and document into the chart note. Virtual scribes also order any labs or diagnostic tests. They can prepare prescriptions via electronic prescription (although the nurse practitioner has to sign the actual prescription).
Virtual scribes can also assist with obtaining past medical records or sending a referral for the patient. ScribeEMR virtual scribes help nurse practitioners with all the additional tasks!
Myth #4: Working with a virtual scribe is too expensive.
Nurse practitioners working with a virtual scribe can see an average of 2.8 more patients during their workday- without adding additional hours. The extra income brought into the clinic pays for the virtual scribe.
And the best part (even if seeing more patients) is the fact that you can have all of your notes signed before you leave the office! What kind of work-life balance could you experience if you didn’t have to bring charts home. More money coming into the clinic and less time spent charting, it’s a win-win for nurse practitioners!
I hope I was able to bust these 4 myths and show nurse practitioners the value of working with a virtual scribe from ScribeEMR!
With several virtual scribe companies out there, it is hard to know which one would be a good fit for you as a nurse practitioner.
That is why The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner has partnered with ScribeEMR to offer nurse practitioners a quality, customized service to help you overcome nurse practitioner burnout and get your life back! ScribeEMR virtual scribes are dedicated to providing real-time documentation and easing the workload for nurse practitioners.
If you have seen the value that ScribeEMR virtual scribes can bring to nurse practitioners and would like more information, please contact me at erica@burnedoutnp.com. I would love to help facilitate ScribeEMR services to your current nurse practitioner practice!
For time management and charting tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– The one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners. Learn more at www.npchartingschool.com
**Full disclosure, this blog post may include affiliate links. I do receive a commission if any of the affiliate programs/services/supplies are purchased. This is at no extra cost to you but does allow me to continue to provide content as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner! Thank you!
