Do you consider yourself to be the kind of person who just can’t help but pay attention to detail? Are you also an organized person who is a good listener? Are you interested in putting these natural abilities to good use in the medical field somehow? Have you recently begun to consider pursuing a career as a medical transcriptionist? If you said yes to each of these questions, then you will surely want to continue reading so that you can learn everything that you really need to know about this potential career path. If you need to find medical transcription classes that will fit around your schedule then research the schools here on our site.
In a position as a medical transcriptionist you will spend the majority of your time listening to audio files that are created by a physician or other individuals in the medical field and to transcribe them into electronic medical reports. In some cases you may find yourself transcribing medically based administrative materials or other medically related correspondence. In order to ensure that your transcriptions are accurate you will typically listen to the audio recording with a headset and use a foot pedal to pause the recording as necessary. It is critical that the text you enter in a word processing program is completely accurate, which is why a headset and foot pedal will likely come in handy. In addition to ensuring that all text is accurately entered, it will also be important that your document is free of spelling or grammatical errors. Keep in mind, the documents that you will be transcribing will become a permanent part of a patient’s file. On any given day you may be transcribing documents such as discharge papers, autopsy reports, consultation reports, physical examination reports, medical history reports, or operative reports.
In addition to your ability to be accurate in your transcriptions it will also be important that you have an extensive knowledge of medical terminology, diagnostic procedures, medical abbreviations and jargon, and the human anatomy. In some situations you may find it necessary to use methods of research in order to determine answers to medically related questions. Keep in mind, your transcriptions will need to be legally appropriate and you will be required to keep the content of your transcriptions completely confidential. Due to the nature of the work that is performed by a medical transcriptionist, if you are not willing, or perhaps even eager, to become a lifelong learner then this profession may not be an ideal fit for you. While many medical transcriptionists work at a doctor’s office or a hospital setting, in today’s technologically advanced society it is also possible for many individuals to work from the comfort of their own home. It is also important to note that while there continues to be a growing need for reliable and accurate medical transcriptionists among the medical industry, many individuals report that this is a somewhat stressful profession to work in. After all, one simple mistake within a transcription could cause major problems for a patient in a subsequent medical visit.