Medical Transcription Practical Tips

Medical transcriptionists convert voice recordings of medical professionals (such as physicians) into reports. These recordings may include doctor’s notes, medical histories, discharge summaries and many more. There are over 90 thousand number of jobs for medical transcription by 2010 and is expected to grow 6% by 2020 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are not only required to understand medical terms, diagnostic procedure and treatments but they are also required to have precision. For all professionals and all interested to be in the medical transcription career field here are some practical tips to help you be successful.

• Set up a goal – For you to able to track your personal growth, you must have goals that are attainable and measurable. It can be setting a target of 4000 lines per day then increase it after one month. Having goals can help you identify aspects of your career you can improve on (like how much work you can do per day).
• Take your time – working as a medical transcriptionist does not require you to be as fast as those working in the ER. Precision is necessary in your reports as mistakes and errors in any report might cause harm to a patient. Working with medical records requires that you produce accurate report so always take your time.
• Have the right resources – the medical industry requires workers to be equipped with the right knowledge of the field and the right references. You might not be able to memorize all medical terms specially those in Latin so you should have a Latin-English dictionary nearby. If you have books such as the Physician’s Desk Reference book, be sure to get the updated version.
• Don’t guess – If there are words you are unsure of, don’t go guessing. Leave a marker for this word you can’t decipher and when you are ready to review or proofread your report, go back to this marker and review your recordings.
• Have the right habits – keeping you healthy is one of the important thing to do when doing any kind of work. Here are quick tips you can stay healthy whilst working (whether from home or in an office):
  • Eat Healthy
  • Take a quick 5-10 minute break every once in a while
  • Posture your body right
  • Don’t work too much long hours

Now you are all set for your medical transcription career. Of course for those new in this field, a good medical transcription school such as Meditec is the place to start your career.