Medical transcription is the process of listening to dictated text and converting it into a properly formatted medical report. The dictation is done by medical specialists such as doctors; physician assistants; physical, respiratory, and occupational therapists; hospital administrators, and nurses. So how hard can medical transcription be?

A medical transcriptionist (MT) is a medical language specialist who utilizes a headset in conjunction with a medical transcriber (a machine that is equipped with a foot pedal that plays, fast forwards, and backs up the tape or digital recording) when converting the audio dictation into an accurately formatted medical report.

While transcribing medical reports from recorded dictation may sound easy, it is not. Most medical doctors are in a hurry, and one of the last things doctors want to do is take time to dictate medical reports. Thus, most of the time the dictation is done in a hurried fashion. To the untrained ear, a doctor’s dictation often sounds like anything but English!

Medical transcription is difficult under the best of circumstances but in addition to a fast-talking medical doctor, the background noise can make it all but impossible to complete. Sometimes doctors will dictate in a very noisy area, and the background noise can drown out what the doctor is dictating. If a doctor is dictating in a hospital, hopefully he or she will dictate in a room set aside just for medical dictation; otherwise, the hospital’s paging system, hospital visitors, hospital staff, and the overall noise from beeping equipment and noisy gurneys will all but drown out what he or she is dictating.

The medical transcriptionist must have at the very minimum a complete understanding of the medical terminology involving human body systems, anatomy and physiology, human diseases, types of diagnostic studies, and medical procedures. A basic understanding of laboratory values and ranges is required. MTs also are familiar with the names of generic and brand name drugs. Additionally, medical transcription also entails extensive knowledge of English, punctuation, grammar, and composition.

Medical transcriptionists are also aware that many words sound alike. Based on critical thinking skills, MTs can determine which medical term is correct under the given situation.

The best medical transcriptionists make medical transcription look easy. The medical language specialists who are good have taken years to hone their skills. They understand how important it is to create an accurate medical report that reflects exactly what the doctor has dictated and even, at times, what he or she has meant to dictate but was too busy to say properly. The next time you read a typed medical report, remember that it has been transcribed by a medical language specialist—known to you and the rest of the world as a medical transcriptionist.