So, medical transcription entices you? You must have found out a little about the profession but you are not sure if you are eligible. Let me give you the good news first. The profession has absolutely no prerequisites. So, you don’t have to produce certificates or degrees. But there must be an eligibility condition. Well, there is no condition but there is definitely an expectation. You are expected to possess a certain aptitude. So, how can you find out if you have the aptitude? Let me take you through what the aptitude consists of, and you can decide for yourself.

You should be proficient at handling the computer, particularly a word processor. If you are not comfortable handling a computer, you should develop your computer skills before you join the medical transcription course. You also need an above-average command over the English language. If your grammar is poor, you will not be able to bring sense into the medical records, which may lead to misrepresentation of facts. And, yes, you should possess above-average analytical skills. You are required to analyze information logically in order to render meaning to medical records.

You should be able to work independently. If you long for guidance and supervision in all stages of work, this profession is not for you. You should be extremely disciplined and mature to handle work on your own. And you should be willing to research extensively for work. As a medical transcriptionist, you are required to refer to external material in order to ensure that medical records are complete and accurate.

You should also be willing to spend time and effort on learning. Yeah, the profession requires that you keep learning throughout your career. Obsolete knowledge can cost you your career. You have to make time for learning almost everyday.

Hope this helped. Let us know if you would learn something specific about the medical transcription profession.

Very often I come across people who ask me how they can find out if medical transcription is for them. So, in today’s post I bring to you a questionnaire and the reasons the questions in it are important.

Do you have an above-average command over the English language?
If your grammar is poor, you will not be able to bring sense into the medical records, which may lead to misrepresentation of facts.

Are you proficient at handling the computer?
If you are not comfortable handling a computer, you should develop your computer skills before you join the medical transcription course.

Do you possess above-average analytical skills?
You are required to analyze information logically in order to render meaning to medical records.

Can you work independently?
If you long for guidance and supervision in all stages of work, this profession is not for you. You should be extremely disciplined and mature to handle work on your own.

Are you willing to spend time and effort on learning?
The profession requires that you keep learning throughout your career. Obsolete knowledge can cost you your career. You have to make time for learning almost everyday.

Are you willing to research extensively for work?
As a medical transcriptionist, you are required to refer to external material in order to ensure that medical records are complete and accurate.

If the answer to each of these questions is a ‘yes’, start looking for a medical transcription course.

Gauging your potential is the first step towards the medical transcription career. If you are interested in medical transcription, you must find out whether or not you can be a medical transcriptionist. In today’s post, we give you a list of questions you should ask yourself in order to find out if you can join the profession.

Do I have an above average command over the English language?
If your grammar is poor, you will not be able to bring sense into the medical records, which may lead to misrepresentation of facts.

Can I handle the computer comfortably?
If you are not comfortable handling a computer, you should develop your computer skills before you join the medical transcription course.

Do I possess above average analytical skills?
You are required to analyze information logically in order to render meaning to medical records.

Will I be able to work independently?
If you long for guidance and supervision in all stages of work, this profession is not for you. You should be extremely disciplined and mature to handle work on your own.

Will I be able to take out time for regular learning?
The profession requires that you keep learning throughout your career. Obsolete knowledge can cost you your career. You have to make time for learning almost everyday.

Can I research extensively on my own?
As a medical transcriptionist, you are required to refer to external material in order to ensure that medical records are complete and accurate.

Look for a medical transcription course only if your answer to every question has been in the affirmative.

Do you get disheartened when you find out you don’t meet a certain profession’s eligibility criteria? I know some people who get very upset. The simple fact of the matter is that one cannot qualify for all jobs. But there’s definitely one (or more) professions where you fit perfectly. Do you think medical transcription is such a profession? Do you think you can handle the job? But how did you reach such a conclusion when the profession does not have any per-requisites defined? You think so because you can transcribe well? Well, that’s a good start but medical transcription is not about mere transcription.

Medical transcription is about creating medical records that are complete and accurate and which can be used by the healthcare and insurance industries. Look into what you can and cannot do very well before you make medical transcription your profession. Apart from the basics of possessing English grammar knowledge, being computer proficient, and possessing good hearing skills, you need a little extra to make your name in the field of medical transcription.

Are you disciplined enough to work independently? If you get distracted too easily and cannot handle work without supervision, this profession is not the right one for you.

Are you willing to learn while working? The learning for the medical transcriptionist doesn’t end with the training. One has to keep updating one’s knowledge in order to survive in the field.

Are you willing and capable to research independently? The profession will cause several instances where you will be required to research extensively in order to ensure that the medical information is accurate.

Do you have analytical skills? If you cannot analyze information logically, you should not join the profession.

Are you willing to meet deadlines everyday? The profession is such that you have to meet deadlines every few hours. If you cannot handle the pressure, this industry is not for you.

So, are you ready?

Is the certificate you receive at the end of the medical transcription training proof enough that you are a good medical transcriptionist? No. It just mentions that you have completed a course. If you want your expertise in medical transcription to be recognized, seek a credential from the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).

AHDI awards a number of credentials recognizing your expertise in the field. The one called Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) is much in demand. This is often confused with the certificate you receive at the end of a medical transcription course. Becoming a CMT requires you to take a test. And not everyone can take the test. Only those who have at least two years of medical transcription experience in acute care are eligible.

Wondering what acute care is? Here’s what AHDI says about acute care.

(Source) Acute care is defined as incorporating medical center dictation to include many dictators including multiple ESL dictators, many formats and report types, and all the major specialties, including and especially surgery dictation of all types, and some minor specialties.

Once you have decided to take the test, be prepared to sit for five long hours. Yes, the CMT test lasts that long. You will get to know your result as soon as you complete the test. You will be given a report containing detailed feedback on your performance, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. In case you don’t pass the test, you can take it again after six months. The CMT credential is valid for three years, after which you have to take another test to renew it.

The test fee is $275 USD at the time of writing this post. However, AHDI members get a discount.

Now, the big question is whether CMT is important or not. Well, it is not required, but yes, it definitely helps establish your credibility in the field.

The medical transcription profession doesn’t want you to flaunt educational or professional qualifications; it doesn’t ask for any experience. And yet, it is a specialized profession. If you have been following this blog closely, you know that the profession requires niche knowledge and expert transcription skills. A medical transcription aspirant gains these from the training he/she undergoes before starting work. However, there are certain skills that should be inherent in a medical transcription aspirant even before the training.

Here are what you should possess before you step into the field of medical transcription.

• Analytical skill: If yours is an analytical brain that looks into things with a logical perspective, you will do well analyzing information in medical transcription.
• Self-motivation: You won’t have your employer/client motivating you on the job. You have to keep yourself motivated through all times.
• Discipline: In a job like medical transcription, you cannot survive if you are not disciplined enough. Lack of supervision and the nature of the job make discipline critical for your work.
• Self-dependence: In medical transcription, you have got to handle everything on your own, even the crisis situations. Now, this is not everyone’s cup of tea.
• Learning: The ability to learn is a skill. And when it comes to the medical transcription profession, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort in learning on a regular basis.

If you think you have all these skills, look into the pros and cons of the profession, and then, if you think you can handle the job, start looking for a good medical transcription course.

So, you want to be a medical transcriptionist? You must have looked into the profession and figured out that you can handle the job. So, what is it that you have that makes you feel that you can be a good medical transcriptionist? Good hearing skills? Congratulations! That’s a great start. Now, let’s look into some of the other skills and attributes that can make you a good medical transcriptionist.

Do you have an above average typing speed? No, you need not be a typing expert, just a decent speed is good enough. A good typing speed is not critical but important in order to maintain a high level of productivity.

Now, let’s talk about your command over the English language. A medical transcriptionist should be able to put sense in the medical records he/she creates. If your English grammar is poor, you may end up changing the meaning of some information. Thus, it is important that you possess an above-average command over the English language.

How comfortable are you handling a computer? You have to be extremely comfortable working with a word processor. If you are not so comfortable yet, start using it extensively before you get into medical transcription.

As a medical transcriptionist, you should be able to work on your own, without supervision. This requires extreme maturity and discipline. Can you do that? You are also required to keep updating your medical knowledge almost on a daily basis. Are you willing to make that effort and take out time for this? You will also be required to refer to external materials and research independently while creating medical records. Enter the medical transcription profession only if you are willing to do all this.

Actually, the medical transcription profession does not ask for anything. Yeah, it does expect an aptitude, but there are no prerequisites anywhere. And yet, we write so many posts on possessing that magical aptitude for the profession. Why? If the profession does not ask for qualifications or experience, why should we? Well, we don’t ask for these things. We just want you to find out for yourself if you have what it takes to be a medical transcriptionist. We want you to find out if you have the interest and the skill to handle the work and the profession’s challenges. Read on to understand what we are implying.

The profession does not mention anything about your expertise in English, but we insist that you possess an above-average command over the English language. Why? Because the medical transcriptionist is required to make sense of all the medical information and create meaningful records. Poor English grammar can risk changing the meaning of information, thereby risking the occurrence of critical and major errors.

We also insist that you possess analytical skills. This is because you are required to analyze information logically to render meaning to medical records. Imagine all the trouble you will have in work every day if you don’t like to analyze information.

Self motivation is part of the aptitude we expect in a medical transcription aspirant. That’s because of the nature of the medical transcription work; the work may tend to become monotonous in the long run.

We insist you should be comfortable working on your own. The medical transcription profession does not provide you with regular guidance and constant supervision. You have to be able to handle everyday tasks on your own, but also to deal with crisis situations independently.

We also expect a medical transcription aspirant to be willing to learn and research. Now, obsolete medical knowledge will not keep you in the medical transcription industry for too long. Thus, you have got to be willing to make an effort and spend time in learning.

It is for your own good that you should look at the pros and cons of the profession and how you fit into the medical transcription field.

It has such an easy entry. The pay seems good. And I can choose my work timings and hours. I can even work from home. Wow, the medical transcription profession seems to be the right profession for me.

Is that how you look at medical transcription? Wait, before you undertake medical transcription training, ask “are you sure you are ready for the profession”? Yes, even if the profession doesn’t ask for qualifications and experience, you may not be the right candidate for the job. Do you have what it takes to be a medical transcriptionist? What do you need? You need an aptitude and the willingness to handle the challenges the profession throws at you. Make sure you are really ready before you get into the field.

Here are some of the medical transcription facts you should know before making up your mind on the profession.

• Medical transcription deadlines are known to be extremely stringent and sacred. You cannot take your own time in delivering medical records. As a medical transcriptionist, you have to deal with deadlines everyday. And then there are those tasks that have a turnaround of just a few hours.
• Meeting deadlines won’t help if the quality of your work is bad. And in medical transcription, quality goals are sacrosanct. Missing out on the goals in medical transcription can impact the safety of a patient. While the overall quality goal in the job is 98%, the goal with respect to critical errors is 100%!
• The profession requires you to be self-dependent. While not having a boss sounds good, not everyone can handle the work without any supervision or guidance.
• The profession requires you to keep updating your knowledge regularly. Thus, you have to continue learning as long as you are a medical transcriptionist.

Become a medical transcriptionist only if you think you can handle the job even in the long run.

The medical transcription profession needs certain skills and an attitude. Together, they form what we have been referring to as the aptitude to become a medical transcriptionist. So, can you figure out if you have the aptitude? Let’s call it the medical transcription quotient. Do you have it? Wondering how to figure that out? Answer the questions below.

• Do I have an above-average command over the English language?
• Do I have good hearing skills?
• Can I handle a computer comfortably?
• Am I comfortable handling work on my own?
• Will I be comfortable working without any supervision or guidance?
• Can I work with stringent deadlines on a daily basis?
• Can I keep myself motivated in the long run?
• Can I keep my focus for long hours?
• Am I willing to invest time and make an effort in learning regularly?
• Am I interested in spending time and making an effort in doing extensive research for my work on a regular basis?

Be honest when you answer these questions. If the answer to any of your questions is ‘maybe’ then you are not ready yet and there is a chance you will not be ready for medical transcription. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have the medical transcription quotient; you are likely to have the aptitude for another field that will keep you happier. Joining medical transcription just because others are is not a good way to start a career. If you can’t, you just can’t. Don’t feel bad about it. In fact, be glad that you made the right decision or you would have cribbed throughout your career.