The medical transcriptionist is like an artist in the sense that he/she does not need a formal qualification but the aptitude to enter his/her field. And like the artist learns to use the brush at some point in his/her life, the medical transcriptionist learns to transcribe in the medical transcription training.

Even though the profession does not demand anything of the medical transcriptionist-aspirant, one needs to have the aptitude to enter the field. Do YOU have what it takes to be a medical transcriptionist? Let’s find out.

• Do you have an above-average command over the English language? You cannot create a medical document if you are unable to make grammatically correct, meaningful sentences.
• Do you have good hearing skills? The most important part of transcribing is the ability to recognize words. If you think you can filter information from noise, you can become a medical transcriptionist.
• Can you handle a computer comfortably? You will need to handle more than a word processor when you start working as a medical transcriptionist.
• Do you have a reasonably good typing speed? Good typing speed helps you maintain a high level of productivity.
• Can you handle work on your own? Though you may get a supervisor in an office, if you choose to work from home, you will have to manage without any kind of guidance or supervision.
• Can you work with stringent deadlines on a daily basis? This profession requires you to meet very strict deadlines.
• Can you keep yourself motivated? The medical transcription work may get boring over a period of time. You have to keep yourself motivated to survive in the field.
• Are you willing to increase your medical transcription knowledge regularly? A medical transcriptionist has to keep updating his/her knowledge base regularly.
• Are you comfortable in doing extensive research for your work? As a medical transcriptionist, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort researching on medical information that is missing or ambiguous.

If your answers to most of these questions have been in the affirmative, you can pursue a career in medical transcription.