For Medical Scribes ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have Claude set up as a persistent specialty-specific documentation assistant that remembers your physician's preferences, knows your specialty's terminology, and is ready to help you on demand — without you having to re-explain context every conversation.
What you'll need
Go to claude.ai in your browser. Click "Sign up" and create a free account with your email. Verify your email when prompted.
What you should see: Claude's main chat interface — a text input box at the bottom of the screen, with "New conversation" button in the sidebar. Troubleshooting: If the site doesn't load, try a different browser (Chrome or Firefox work best).
On the free tier, start each conversation by pasting a "context block" at the top. Write this block now and save it in your phone's notes app:
I'm a medical scribe in [specialty] at a [clinic type, e.g., outpatient cardiology practice / emergency department]. My assigned physician is [Dr. Last Name], who prefers [brief description of preferences, e.g., "detailed HPIs using OLDCART format, brief A&P language, always documents bilateral lower extremity exam"]. Help me with medical documentation questions.
What you should see: Claude responds acknowledging your context and confirming it's ready to help.
If you have Claude Pro ($20/month), click "Projects" in the left sidebar, then "+ New Project." Name it "[Specialty] Scribing Assistant."
In the Project Instructions box (look for "Set project instructions" or a pencil icon), paste your full specialty context:
You are assisting a medical scribe working in [specialty]. Key context:
- Typical diagnoses: [list 10 most common]
- Physician preferences: [paste your physician preference notes]
- EHR system: [Epic/Cerner/Athena]
- Clinic type: [outpatient/ED/inpatient]
- Most challenging documentation areas: [A&P phrasing / medication spelling / etc.]
Help with: terminology questions, A&P phrasing, note reconstruction, study materials, and shift prep. Always use clinical documentation language appropriate for physician review.
What you should see: Every new conversation inside this Project automatically has access to this context — you never have to re-explain it. Troubleshooting: If you don't see Projects, make sure you're on Claude Pro. The free tier doesn't include this feature.
Type: "I just encountered a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in my cardiology rotation. Explain the condition and give me the standard documentation language a cardiologist would use in their A&P section."
What you should see: A clear explanation of WPW syndrome, its ECG findings, and example A&P language like: "Assessment: Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with accessory pathway. Plan: Referred to EP for ablation evaluation. EKG reviewed showing delta waves and short PR interval." Troubleshooting: If the output is too long or too technical, follow up with: "Summarize that into just the documentation language I need as a scribe."
Before each shift, open Claude and type:
"I'm scribing for [physician] today in [specialty]. My patient list includes: [paste diagnoses]. For each diagnosis, give me: key exam findings to document, standard A&P language, and typical orders to anticipate."
What you should see: A structured briefing for each patient type, ready to reference during your shift.
When you've fallen behind on a complex encounter, open Claude mid-shift (on your phone) and type:
"I'm reconstructing a note. Patient had [chief complaint]. The physician mentioned [key points I remember]. Help me structure the HPI and A&P."
What you should see: A structured note draft you can paste into the EHR and review with your physician.
Use these copy-paste ready prompts in Claude for your most frequent needs:
Terminology in context:
I'm a [specialty] scribe. Explain [term] and give me how a physician would document it in an encounter note.
A&P phrasing for a diagnosis:
Write the Assessment & Plan section for a [specialty] physician treating [diagnosis]. Use standard clinical documentation language.
Shift prep:
I'm scribing for a [specialty] physician today. My patients have these diagnoses: [list]. Brief me on the key documentation elements for each.
Post-encounter reconstruction:
Reconstruct an encounter note for a patient with [diagnosis]. Physician mentioned: [key points]. Write the HPI and A&P in clinical documentation language.
Physician feedback analysis:
Here are 3 notes I wrote and my physician's edits. What documentation principles am I missing? Create a checklist of my recurring issues.
[paste notes + edits]