5 Quality Skills Needed of a Medical Transcriptionist
Understanding the Career Before Beginning: Do your Homework!
Before starting a career, it is important to have an understanding of what skills are needed to effectively perform tasks. This knowledge can help you determine what job or specific career field is right for you. Finding the right fit for your skills is beneficial not only for the employer but also to ensure you enjoy the position.
There are many different types of jobs and choosing a career field can feel overwhelming. Understanding what skills are needed to be a good candidate for different jobs certainly helps narrow down the pool of choices.
Are you looking for a career in the Allied Health field? Is the career you’re interested in growing at a steady rate? Health care positions are typically in demand. They have continued to rise as a result of COVID, and having individuals who are knowledgeable in this field are certainly needed.
Here are five exceptional qualities that every medical transcriptionist should have for their career and why they are important assets.
Medical Transcriptionist Skills
- Accuracy: Being accurate with information is imperative. Especially when dealing with patients and doctors. Taking the information that the doctor notes and then translating it into the proper documentation for the patient is important to make sure no miscommunication occurs. Developing accuracy means that typing up the information must be correct every time.
- Fast Typing: It is also necessary for a medical transcriptionist to be quick with their typing skills and be able to obtain a high speed. When needing to input information for one patient and then move on to the next, fluency with your fingers is necessary to make sure you do not have work pile up or keep doctors or patients waiting.
- English: Having a working knowledge of the English language and a strong grasp on grammar is also important to make sure information is delivered and written down in a way that is easily understood.
- Listening: There is a difference between hearing and listening, and making sure that you, as the medical transcriptionist take note of everything that is being said is vital. The key to listening is comprehension and understanding the information being conveyed. If you are unsure about something, it is essential to clarify or even provide a summary of the information you heard to guarantee that it was interpreted correctly.
- Medical Terminology: Working in a doctor’s office, you will need to know the terminology that is discussed frequently among the doctors, nurses, and staff. Understanding the verbiage is necessary for being able to transcribe everything correctly so that there are no misdiagnosis codes or misinformation put in someone’s chart, which could be detrimental to a patient getting the proper care.
Ready to Become a Medical Transcriptionist?
Blackstone Career Institute provides an online medical transcriptionist course that will prepare you for entering the career force and ensuring that your skill sets are ready to meet the demands of this job. With your course, you will receive a foot pedal and will have opportunities to practice typing to improve your accuracy and speed with the keyboard. Master medical transcription practice using modern transcription equipment. Gain a working knowledge of medical terminology, medical diagnoses, and laboratory procedures. Receive online access to BenchMark KB, Quick Look Drug Book, and medical abbreviations.
Certification as a Medical Transcriptionist
Graduates of Blackstone‘s Medical Transcription training program are qualified to sit for the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) exam, administered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and after gaining work experience the Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) exam offered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).