Medical Scribes

The average salary for medical scribes employed in the United States in January 2020 was $34,235, according to Salary.com. The lowest paid 10 percent earned about $23,327 and the highest paid 10 percent earned $40,811 or more.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a separate category for medical scribes, but reports that salaries for medical records and health information technicians employed in May 2018 ranged from $26,550 to $66,250 or more, with a median salary of $40,350.

The BLS reports medical transcriptionists to have a median salary of $34,770, while medical assistants have a median salary of $33,610. A search of available jobs and industry specific resources reflect entry level and median wages for medical scribes primarily at the lower end of the pay scale, often hovering at minimum wage. This is most consistent with the position of “medical assistant” in the BLS, though the tasks required of medical scribes mirror many of the tasks in all three BLS categories.

Higher wages are reported in large urban areas and larger hospitals or medical facilities. While there are many independent medical scribes, a vast majority of scribes are employed by large companies, such as ScribeAmerica, which has more than 3,000 health care facility partners in all 50 states. Salaries increase only minimally with experience. However, many medical scribes use the position to obtain valuable experience prior to moving on to other medical endeavors, such as a nursing career, physician assistant program, or medical school.