12 Skills a Medical Transcriptionist Must Have

So, you think you might want to become a medical transcriptionist. From my nearly 30 years as a medical transcriptionist, I have learned there are certain skills that each medical transcriptionist must have in order to be successful. These skills are outlined below.

1. Excellent spelling, grammar and punctuation.

As a medical transcriptionist, you must have excellent spelling skills. A dictionary is a must; however, if you have to stop frequently to look up words you won't make much money since chances are you will only be getting paid for the amount you type. It's a good idea to brush up on the old grammar and punctuation too. I try to do this yearly because you would be surprised at how grammar and punctuation skills can slip over time - especially now that we text and IM so much.

2. Ability to sit and focus for long periods of time.

A medical transcriptionist must sit in front of a computer for long periods of time with one foot on a foot pedal. Good focus is imperative as making mistakes on a patient's medical report could very well endanger the patient's life.

3. Attention to detail.

It is not only the job of a medical transcriptionist to type reports, but you must also pay very close attention to what the doctor is saying. In the event the doctor makes a mistake in a medication dosage or says "right arm" instead of "left arm" or mistakenly says the patient does have cancer instead of does not have cancer you need to catch that and transcribe it correctly.

4. Ability to work unsupervised and stay motivated.

Chances are, at some point you will be performing your medical transcriptionist duties at home. For that reason, it is very important that you are highly motivated and can work unsupervised. Report turnaround times must be met, and many times a report is due in only one to two hours after it was dictated.

5. Excellent research skills.

A medical transcriptionist must have excellent research skills. It is not enough to just have the right reference books. You must know how to pick up the right book quickly and find what you need. There are different books and websites for different medical specialties. A medical transcriptionist must know how to find hospitals and physicians in case you need a proper spelling. Physicians will abbreviate words and phrases, and you must know where to look for the meanings of the abbreviations.

6. Above average typing skills.

Typos are not acceptable for a medical transcriptionist. You must be able to accurately type at a fast speed because a slow medical transcriptionist will be a hungry medical transcriptionist.

7. A knack for picking up new medical transcriptionist software quickly.

There are many different software options in the medical transcriptionist, and it seems that each hospital uses a different one, so you must be familiar with a number of them. In many cases, you will be required to use a proprietary software to transcribe reports which is in many cases tied to some type of patient database. In addition, you will use a word expansion software so you can type macros for frequently used terms, and these macros will expand a few characters into a larger phrase.

8. A good memory.

A good memory is a must for a medical transcriptionist. You simply cannot stop every few minutes to look something up, yet it must be accurate; therefore, you must depend on your good memory.

9. Desire for continuing education.

The medical transcriptionist field is constantly changing. Every day, there are new medications, new surgical instruments and even new diseases. Even after being a medical transcriptionist for almost 30 years, there is still hardly a day that I don't learn something new.

10. Adaptability.

Many times, in order to get enough work to meet financial goals a medical transcriptionist will have to type reports for more than one medical facility or account. This will mean different physician dictators, report styles and formats and different softwares. Even if you stay indefinitely on just one account there will still be frequent changes and updates.

11. Knack for different languages and accents.

With today's internet technology, chances are a medical transcriptionist will be typing for doctors in different regions and with different accents. The more familiar you are with a range of accents, the more employable you will be as a medical transcriptionist.

12. Ability to work different shifts and holidays.

A medical transcriptionist will generally be asked to work weekends and holidays, and some will work night shifts. Patients need care around the clock, and this means having their medical reports transcribed and on the charts...even at night.

If you feel you have what it takes to become a medical transcriptionist then my advice is to contact your local community college and get into a medical transcriptionist program. To succeed in this field, you must have a passion for words, a curiosity for meaning and a desire to continue to grow in this difficult and demanding career as a medical transcriptionist even though the salary may not be growing so much.