Recently, a friend remarked that  I tend to scare readers by emphasizing the challenges of the medical transcription profession. I retorted saying that I want my readers to be aware of all aspects of the profession. And that’s the truth. If you want to be a good medical transcriptionist, you should know all the challenges you have to come across.

The deadlines in the medical transcription profession make it challenging. You have to deal with the deadlines here everyday. You won’t get much time ahead to plan. In fact, at times you may be given tasks that have a turnaround time of just a few hours.

The high quality goals in the profession make the deadlines all the more stringent. While the overall goal is 98% accuracy, the profession does not tolerate a single error when it comes to critical errors.

Another thing most people are not prepared are for is the learning required in the job. And I am not referring to on-the-job learning. As a medical transcriptionist, you have to make an effort updating your knowledge base. Yes, you have to study. You cannot do well in the field if you are not willing to learn.

As a medical transcriptionist, you are required to create complete and relevant medical records. Now, transcribing is just a part of your job. You have to analyze information, research and refer to materials. And that’s the tough part of your job. If you are ready for making that effort, only then you should join the profession.