A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The profession of the scribe was previously widespread across cultures, but lost most of its prominence and status with the advent of the printing press. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as secretarial and administrative duties such as the taking of dictation and keeping of business, judicial, and historical records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities. The profession has developed into public servants, journalists, accountants, bookkeepers, typists, and lawyers.
In modern medicine, a medical scribe is a professional who supports physicians by completing certain tasks, such as gathering charts, handling documentation, and taking notes. Essentially, a medical scribe handles most of the note-taking and documentation tasks for a physician to ensure they can offer more face time to their patients. Medical scribes ensure that everything is updated correctly to avoid physicians getting mired down in documentation and virtual systems. This means that, depending on the setting, medical scribes will see everything that a physician sees throughout the day.
