Once you are working as a Medical Transcriptionist, you will want all the tips and knowledge you can find on getting jobs and building yourself in the field. But, what better way to understand the mechanics of the business than understanding what it is those who will hire you want?

First of all, companies looking to hire medical transcriptionists such as yourself are considering many different factors. First and foremost, they are looking for a good price. If you charge too much for your services, especially in the beginning, you just might find yourself with little or no work. They are also looking for turn-around time. Companies, doctors or anyone else hiring you want the most bang for their buck. They do not want to wait for their transcibed documents. Be as speedy as you can without sacrificing quality.

Though there are some places that will hire you right out of school (don’t expect a lot in the beginning), most companies are searching for transcriptionists that have a good and lengthy track record. The longer you have remained in business and been consistent and successful, the more people will want to hire you. Keep this in mind as you build your business. Prospective employers are going to want more than just a resume; they will also want references and possibly examples of your work.

Customer service is not only for retail businesses. When you are hired, you may have to deal one on one with those whose work you are transcribing. Your attitude will make a big difference. They will expect someone they can work with unhindered by a negative outlook.

Lastly, but certainly not least, your knowledge and use of technology will play a factor in your procuring jobs. Technology continues to change and grow and as a medical transcriptionist you should be able to keep up with the latest technology so that regardless of the software the client offers you will be at ease using it.

Will voice recognition software help or hinder medical transcription into the future? Those on the fringe of the profession often claim that transcriptionists will soon be redundant because of this medical transcription technology. Trouble is, they have been claiming it since voice recognition software first came out.

The truth is, most voice recognition programs tend to be cumbersome and, for most users, a distraction from what they are trying to dictate. If you are a doctor or medical professional, there are several other drawbacks. First, you have to spend many hours teaching the software to transcribe your voice. Given some of the medical terms in use today, that can be quite some job.

There are other drawbacks. Imagine dictating a diagnosis. This requires careful thought with little distractions. For software to understand what is being dictated, you have to add commands as you dictate – even for full stops and commas. Could you provide an accurate diagnosis while also remembering to tell the software when to add a full stop or comma (or capitals etc)? This is the one big drawback to any software program and it is one that is almost impossible to fix.

On the other hand, a medical transcriptionist knows where to put commas and full stops based on the voice, the inflection and the pauses on the recording. They also use a little common sense as well and it is this human involvement that will always ensure that medical transcriptionists are in work.

Will voice recognition software replace medical transcriptionists? Perhaps one day, but at present the technology is not quite good enough. Where medical transcription technology is moving forward is in the field of quality recordings and the digital transfer of voice files. Tape recordings are out and small digital recorders are in along with computers that can transmit the recording quickly. The future is still bright for medical transcriptionists.