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A national campaign for electronic health records is driving business for at least 20 companies with thou- sands of workers ready to help stressed doctors log the details of their patients' care – for a price. Nearly 1 in 5 physicians employ medical scribes, many provided by vendors, who join doctors and patients in examination rooms. They enter relevant information about patients' ailments and doc- tors' advice into a comput- er, the preferred successor to jotting notes on a clip- board as doctors univer- sally once did. The U.S. has 15,000 scribes today and their number will reach 100,000 by 2020, estimates ScribeAmerica, the largest competitor in the business. After buying three rivals this year, it employs 10,000 scribes working in 1,200 locations. Regulation and training are not rigorous. Scribes are not licensed. About a third of them are certified and that's voluntary, according to the sole pro- fessional body for scribes. The American College of Scribe Specialists was cre- ated by ScribeAmerica's founders in 2010. "This is literally an exploding industry, filling a perceived gap, but there is no regulation or over- sight at all," said George Gellert, regional chief medical informatics officer at Christus Santa Rosa Health System in San Antonio, which uses scribes. Others suggest that scribes can benefit to doc- tors and patients by shouldering the minutiae of recording many of the details on a computer. "They're capturing the story of a patient's encounter – and after- ward, doctors make sure everything is accurate. Jobs for medical scribes are rising but standards lag see MEDICAL SCRIBES . . . page 6 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • December 10, 2015 By Lisa Gillespie Kaiser Health News (TNS) action regulations. Other companies have voluntary affirmative action policies because they believe having a diverse workforce is the right thing to do. The federal government's demand for affirmative action documentation is why the question is asked on applica- tions. It provides data to com- pare application and hiring rates. It's a way to tell if the company is getting diverse candidates and offering jobs with diversity in mind. The job hunter had another question: "The applications claim that there is no penalty for not answering the question, but do you think that is true? I recently read a story where a woman sent out identical applications. She marked white on one set of applica- tions and declined to identify on the other group. The group marked white had a much higher response rate." Many tests, both informal and statistically valid, have tested similar employer response rates. Some have found disparities aren't just because of a check-the-race box on applications. Some have looked at employer responses based solely on the applicants' names. Such studies generally have detected higher response rates for a John over a JaRon, or a Laura over a La'treya. Right or wrong, the second name in each pair may be assumed to be African-Amer- ican and possibly from a household with less income and less education than the first name in each pair. It's no secret that racial bias, both explicit and dis- creet, exists in America. But a business world dominated by white people isn't neces- sarily proof of racism. Many organizations try hard to be inclusive. They work to recruit and hire people of color and other non-majority backgrounds. In some cases, that gives hiring preference – affirmative action – to minorities. This topic brings to mind the job hunting truism: Rec- ommendations from family and friends who already work at your target company usual- ly are your best avenue for hiring. If they are good work- ers, you won't need to worry about checking a box. race . . . from page 1 A manager can't please everybody & A Q A. Rethink your goal.You'll never be able to make every- one around you happy, so focus on a vision of leader- ship success that is grounded in personal authenticity and integrity. About your vision. Setting aside your current day-to- day, what does it mean to be a good manager? What does a good manager do or say? Is that the same or different as a good leader? Take time to understand your aspirations. If you're not sure, consider examples from your past, including bosses you've admired and those you'd never want to be like. Now think about what other people want from you. It may feel like they want you to do certain things. In fact, your boss probably cares less about what you do than the outcome you achieve. Like- wise, your team is likely less invested in your activities than in how well you meet their needs. So, in considering what they want, take a step back to understand the con- tributions you make to them when you're operating at your best. For example, your boss is accountable to her boss. What pressures can you take off her? How can you make her life easier and equip her to be successful? It's essential that you understand her needs in order to meet her expectations. Note: Often when I hear this type of chal- lenge with a boss, it comes down to having an insuffi- ciently strategic approach to meeting the boss' expecta- tions. At the same time, you need to be clear about the tools you bring to bear. That goes back to authenticity. If your boss is putting pressure on you to be someone you don't want to be, you're set- ting yourself up for failure if you don't assert yourself. Similarly, take a big-picture view of your team's needs. It's easy to get bogged down in being the problem solver, but that will drain you dry and not help them develop, and also create bottlenecks that reduce productivity. If that's happened, it's time for a new era. Set an expectation that people will bring ideas for solutions when they have a problem, and encourage creative alternatives that get the work done. Not only will you have better outcomes, you'll free up time to be the strategic partner your boss needs. Creating this alignment may not be easy. Determine any gaps in your skills that need to be addressed to be suc- cessful.These are likely to be in the "soft skills" area of communication, negotiation and conflict management. If you've had a hard time set- ting limits (either with bosses or staff), some work on assertiveness may be needed. And remember that you can't be all things to all people. However, you can be your best self, advocating for ways you can be most valu- able in your role and sculpt- ing the role to best fit your gifts. Once you clarify this vision of your role, it'll just be a matter of selling it through demonstration of the benefits to boss, team, and company alike. Q. As a manager, I struggle with managing the pressures of my boss' expectations while trying to meet my team's needs. How do I best set priorities to keep everyone happy? By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. A publication of Conley Media Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 14 December 10, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Call 262-306-5008 for information.

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