TRUSTED BY THOUSANDS OF HAPPY CLIENTS SINCE 1999

What are the Key Skills that an Employer seeks in a Medical Transcriptionist?

June 9, 2019

Medical transcription is the process of converting voice recordings of the doctor or the physician into digitized texts. The Medical transcription process requires the medical transcriptionist to be not only competent in understanding the medical terminologies but they should also be proficient in transcribing the voice recordings within a specified amount of time.

In a nutshell, it’s all about having the speed without compromising on the accuracy of the report – The balance of these two factors is what an employer should seek in a transcriptionist so let’s look into the key skills that can help you, as an employer to distinguish such a medical transcriptionist:  

  • Proficiency in Medical Terminologies: This is one of the most important and the first key skills that an employer seeks in a medical transcriptionist. While it is a fine practice to refer to the medical dictionary, doing so always can waste a lot of time which is why proficiency in medical terminologies is considered to be of prime importance! This skill is most likely skimmed through by an employer when seeking to hire a new recruit. Proficiency in Medical terminologies starts with a basic knowledge of regular medical and surgical procedures, anatomy as well as physiology. It’s also an added advantage if the transcriptionist is skilled in understanding medical terminologies of specialized areas like urology, neurology or cardiology.
  • Grammar Proficiency: In addition to being proficiency in medical terminologies, they should also be extremely proficient in grammar and punctuation. This should be the next key skill that any employer should focus on! The reason is to do so is simple – Medical transcriptionists create reports and documents for doctors and physicians hence, these reports need to be not only accurate technically but they must be free of any punctuation or grammar errors. Also, any incorrect grammar poses the potential to change the meaning of the entire sentence which is why it is absolutely essential that the medical transcriptionist is skillful in applying grammar rules and correcting any incorrect punctuation.
  • Adept Listening Skills: Amajor chunk of medical transcription work is about listening to the physicians’ voice recordings and writing which is why one more key skill that an employer seeks in a medical transcriptionist is that they should have strong listening skills! Medical jargons can often be complex and there might be instances when the voice recordings may include 2 or more speakers or speakers with heavy accents – In such cases, you need a medical transcriptionist that has absolutely adept listening skills. If the transcriptionist can listen better, they can analyze better which helps them to transcribe the reports with utmost accuracy.  Thus, the ability to listen intently is an invaluable skill in the field of medical transcription!
  • Strong Research Skills: Very often, voice recordings of the doctor or physician will include various kinds of medical procedures, details of the doctors and hospitals. Even though a transcriptionist is experienced and is aware of the various medical terminologies, it is not always possible to know each and every terminology which is why they should be open to researching anything that is not coherent to them.  
  • Attention to Detail: This is akeyrequirement for any job but how does it apply to a medical transcriptionist? When it comes to the health care industry, it is absolutely essential that the type of medication and the administration of dosage forms are accurately noted. Any incorrect entry of detail can significantly change the meaning of the transcribed report; hence it is absolutely crucial that the medical transcriptionist is attentive to each and every detail of the transcribed report. 
  • Excellent Typing skills with Speed and Accuracy: The next skill requirement that an employer seeks in their transcriptionist is that they have excellent typing skills. This does not necessarily mean that they are fast in typing. It means that they should not only be fast but they should also be able to type with absolute accuracy! The productivity of the medical transcriptionist increases significantly when speed is intertwined with accuracy. 
  • Multi-tasking Skills: This is one of those skills that may be overlooked but it is a key skill that employers seek when hiring a medical transcriptionist. Very often, the transcriptionist has to type while listening to the transcribed document which in itself requires the ability to multi-task. In addition, the medical transcriptionist needs to be aware of the various approaching deadlines.
  • Computer Savvy: Whether the medical transcriptionist is going to be working from office or remotely, they will be required to use transcription software’s on the computer to type and listen – This is requirement of the daily job however; this is not the only requirement. In addition to typing and writing, the transcriptionist will also need to research for any details that are not clear, spell check and use various other transcription tools to ensure that the yielded report is of the highest quality! For these reasons, it is absolutely essential that the transcriptionist is computer savvy – They need to be efficient in using computer application and they should also be able to navigate themselves on the web.   
  • Analytical Skills: And finally, one of the key skills that an employer seeks in a medical transcriptionist is that they have strong analytical skills! This is essential because there will be few transcription roles that will be more complex than the others and they will require that the transcriptionist poses strong analytical skills to catch any type of inconsistency in the documents. Medical transcriptionists with strong analytic skills are able to transcribe complex voice recordings and yield error free documents.

These were to list some of the few key skills that an employer looks in a medical transcriptionist. It is absolutely essential that the transcriptionist is not only adept with the medical terminologies and the jargons of the industry but they are also able to incorporate this knowledge in an efficient manner to yield high quality error-free reports on a daily basis. Eyered transcription services are one such medical transcription service provider that understands how these skills are key to providing a quality service to their clients. We ensure that our medical transcriptionists are experienced and skilled so that the quality of your medical report isn’t compromised.

By: Anna williams Category: blog

TAGS:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *