When you are a medical transcriptionist, your main job is all about accuracy and your typing speed. This can actually be a very tricky combination when you are required to write about human’s health conditions in a timely manner. Your transcriptionists need to be finished as soon as possible so you also need to be comfortable with very quick turnaround times. How can you make sure that you work is at it’s best while also in the fastest time as well? There are a few ways to improve your skills with a few easy tips below.
- Listen First– When you first get a recording at first it may seem like it’s a waste of time to listen to the entire thing but it can help you save time. If you have a complete picture of what the work of the transcriptionist is to be about, this can help you when it comes to actually transcribing it later on. It’ll actually allow you to work more efficiently and make it easier if you are unsure about a certain part of the audio. This really comes in handy if the doctor you are listening to has an accent or can be difficult to understand. You’ll be able to mark this spot and know to listen to it slower the second time you listen or when it’s ready for you to transcribe. While listening, start by working sentence by sentence. Rather than listening to a few words at a time, pausing and then writing, this makes it a little easier for you. If you did a few words at a time, you might get a few errors because it will be difficult for you to get the entire sentence in its entirety rather than just a few phrases at a time.
- Take Your Time – As important as it is to have a transcript done on time it’s also important that you are extremely accurate as the main focus. Any typos or errors that occur when you type way too fast will slow you down for you to correct it. My advice would be to use the internet to help you with your speed and accuracy using free typing tests and practice as often as you can.
- Sit It On Webinars – If you’re wanting to brush your skills and what is going on in the world of coding and all things that come with being a medical transcriptionist, why not look into attending webinars. Not all of them are at one location but can also be viewed online. A company called iMedX offers several webinars for you to stay up to date with including ICD-10 and many updates to the Official Coding Guidelines. Their courses are developed by their Training and Education team. This is compromised by their senior education consultants led by Katie Fowler. Each course is structured as an easy-to-learn format which includes real-life cases and narration to help you succeed and be at your best. They also offer education and training courses through their own education courses that you can take online. These courses are lessons and offer tests and trainings at an affordable price for you to improve your skills or also begin your career as a medical transcriptionist.
- Make Sure You Know Medical Terms– If you already work as a medical transcriptionist, you’ll be familiar with some medical terms. The more you know and understand about medicine, medical terms and more, the easier your job will be. It’s really important when it comes to abbreviations where is’ not uncommon that three terms can actually be three different things. The more informed you are, the fewer mistakes you’ll make which is essential for keeping patient’s medical records up to date with the latest medicine or diagnoses they are encountering.
There are many other ways to improve your medical transcriptionist skills but I think these four items are important for you to get started. If you are just starting out becoming a medical transcriptionist, make sure that you are comfortable with the turnover rate, your typing skills accurate and your ability to work independently. Know that your help as a medical transcription is extremely valuable as you are helping several patients keep their records up to date as they move on to their next surgery, cancer remission or ability to keep playing their favorite sport. Your job is just as critical to keep doctors that they see in the future aware of what they’ve taken and the proper care they’ll need to have a happy, healthy life.
