7 Tips to Improve Your Medical Transcription Skills
- Listen to whole audio first. While listening to the recording first may seem like an unnecessary step that’ll likely waste time, it’s actually quite the opposite.
- Listen to the whole sentence before transcribing it. After you’ve listened to the whole audio, you can start transcribing sentence by sentence. ...
- Accuracy over speed. Speed is definitely important when it comes to medical transcription but accuracy should be your first priority, and is a skill that you should certainly focus ...
- Work on your editing skills. Being a quick and accurate editor is also an important skill to work on if you’re a medical transcriptionist.
- Practise your typing skills. Practise your typing in your free time as much as you can. Forget about medical transcription for a while and just practise typing, about anything.
- Get to know the lingo. If you already work as a medical transcriptionist, then you’re probably already familiar with some medical terms.
- Checking for critical errors. Proofreading goes beyond editing grammar and making sure you get the correct term on a transcription.
- Listen to whole audio first.
- Listen to the whole sentence before transcribing it.
- Accuracy over speed.
- Work on your editing skills.
- Practise your typing skills.
- Get to know the lingo.
- Checking for critical errors.
- A career in medical transcription.
How to improve transcription speed?
You would have to consider yourself a transcriptionist and it means it is important to make every minute count. It then becomes essential to have a good transcription speed otherwise, you are just losing those few extra bucks that you have the potential to score. You need to keep in mind that increasing only your typing speed won’t do it for you.
How do I become a good medical transcriptionist?
Practise your typing skills Practise your typing in your free time as much as you can. Forget about medical transcription for a while and just practise typing, about anything. This skill is more about typing technique than anything. Lots of people tend to type using two or three fingers at most, when really you have ten fingers at your disposal.
How to transcribe more efficiently when writing?
Hence, make sure you are using an autocorrect tool. For instance, AutoCorrect when using Microsoft Word or any autocorrect tool for that matter depending on the software you are using. This will amplify your efficiency and save a lot of time. As a result, you can transcribe more in lesser time.
How to increase your financial income by transcribing fast?
If you are into the blogging industry, then you can increase your income by transcribing fast. Therefore, figuring out ways to transcribe faster will automatically raise your financial income. You would have to consider yourself a transcriptionist and it means it is important to make every minute count.
How can I improve my transcription speed?
Let's have a look at these tips to get a faster transcription.Make use of an Autocorrect Tool.Practice Typing to perfection.Making use of High-Quality and noise cancellation headset.A comfortable and quiet environment.Type Smartly.Get your hands on a good transcribing software.Take Breaks.The final word.
How can medical transcription be improved?
7 Tips to Improve Your Medical Transcription SkillsListen to whole audio first. ... Listen to the whole sentence before transcribing it. ... Accuracy over speed. ... Work on your editing skills. ... Practise your typing skills. ... Get to know the lingo. ... Checking for critical errors.
How fast does a medical transcriptionist need to type?
Speed. While most transcriptionists can type at least 50 words per minute (wpm), there is not an official typing speed requirement for this profession. Transcriptionists who work with time-sensitive projects usually type 65 to 75 wpm.
What is a good transcription speed?
Typing speeds vary greatly, but it's safe to say that transcriptionists should have a typing speed of at least 60 words per minute, which is equivalent to 120 keystrokes per minute.
What are the 3 most important skills of a medical transcriptionist?
You May Be Surprised To Know The Skills Required Of A Medical Transcriptionist Include…Typing Excellence. ... Easy to Understand Grammar. ... Easy to Train. ... Attention to Detail. ... Strive for Accuracy. ... Constantly Learning. ... The Ability to Multitask.
Is medical transcription hard?
Since then, I've been asked, “Is medical transcription hard?”- and I have to say the resounding answer in my experience is, YES! The training I had was a certificate course, and honestly one of the hardest courses I've ever taken (and I have a Bachelor's Degree plus some post-graduate credits!).
Is medical transcription a dying field?
Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to decline 7 percent from 2020 to 2030. Despite declining employment, about 6,600 openings for medical transcriptionists are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
How long does it take to transcribe 5 minutes of audio?
Generally, the industry standard for transcribing one hour of audio is four hours. That means you should expect any audio that is less than 15 minutes to be transcribed within an hour. Some experienced transcriptionists can transcribe files much faster.
What makes a good transcriptionist?
A good transcriptionist is a keen listener and punctilious to small details that smart and pure verbatim transcriptions require to be transferred in print. For instance, the speaker said “like” five times, the audio transcriber should type exactly that – “… like – like – like – like – like…” – in the transcript.
How long does it take to transcribe 60 minutes?
A 60-minute high-quality audio file could possibly be transcribed in three hours or even two! This works out to about one hour needed to transcribe 20-30 minutes for an hour of audio by a transcriber.
How long does it take to transcribe 1000 words?
How many hours does it take to translate 1000 words?Translation project word countExpected turnaroundUp to 1000 words1~2 days1000~3000 words2~3 days3000~4000 words3~4 days4000~5000 words4~5 days
How much time will it take to transcribe 31 mins?
It depends. Various factors affect how long it takes. As a very broad rule of thumb, many transcribers say it takes four hours for every one hour of audio. Obviously, if you're wondering how long to transcribe 30 minutes of audio file, around two hours.
What is medical transcription?
Medical transcription is all about speed and accuracy, which can be a tricky combination when you’re required to write about health conditions and actual human beings. Time efficiency is a must, and transcripts are usually needed as soon as possible so you need to be comfortable working to quick turnaround times.
How to transcrib a sentence?
After you’ve listened to the whole audio, you can start transcribing sentence by sentence. It’s better practice to do this, rather than listening to a few words at a time, pausing the audio and then continuing to write. If you do it only a few words at a time it could result in more errors because it will be harder for you to know the context of the sentence that the words and phrases are occurring within it. In addition, if you just go ahead and assume a word, you may get it incorrect and will have to waste time deleting it and re-writing it again.
What is the importance of being a quick and accurate editor?
Being a quick and accurate editor is also an important skill to work on if you’re a medical transcriptionist. Even if you get really good at avoiding mistakes and improving your accuracy skills, you’ll always have to go back to make sure everything is in order and that the grammar makes sense. After all, you’re writing about medical conditions ...
How many fingers do you need to type?
Lots of people tend to type using two or three fingers at most, when really you have ten fingers at your disposal. Use free training programs online to practise your typing speed and technique. 6. Get to know the lingo.
Why is it important to be a medical transcriptionist?
As a medical transcriptionist, it is imperative that you are accustomed to standard jargon, which is used in the healthcare sector. You cannot achieve optimal accuracy, unless you have gained a thorough understanding of the medical terms. Such a strategy can also increase the speed of your transcription, as you have to research less while looking for a term. It can especially help you to distinguish between similar terms.
Is there a magic potion to improve typing accuracy?
However, in the longer run, it is only slowing you down because you will have to edit the text and fix your misspellings later. There is no magic potion to add accuracy to your skill set; you need to use online typing software and practice heavily.
Can you improve your transcription accuracy?
You cannot achieve optimal accuracy, unless you have gained a thorough understanding of the medical terms. Such a strategy can also increase the speed of your transcription, as you have to research less while looking for a term. It can especially help you to distinguish between similar terms.
How to improve transcription speed?
2. Practice Typing to perfection. There is nothing in this world that is ever perfect, but you can always get close to perfection. Practice makes a man perfect. If you practice your typing, the speed will definitely increase. As a result, your transcription speed will increase.
What to do if you aren't using a transcription software?
If you aren’t using a transcribing software, then your first step should be to get your hands on one. Working with good transcribing software will have a massive impact on transcription speed. Think of all the times you have to pause the audio or rewind to type a missed word or phrase.
What is more important than typing speed?
If you ask me what’s more important than your typing speed, then it is definitely the quality of sound you hear. You cannot transcribe accurately and in time if you are unable to hear the audio properly. Transcribing, while having high levels of white noise, will have a major impact on your transcription speed.
What is the best way to listen to audio?
A comfortable and quiet environment. Listening something through your ears and typing it down with your fingers requires a lot of focus and concentration. Therefore, it is very important that you can pay full attention to the audio. Moreover, being in a comfortable environment is also essential.
Is it hard to do transcriptions with a mouse?
It is really hard to do so with a mouse. There are many free and paid transcription software out there that you can get your hands on. They will solve all the problems you normally have. It will minimize the frustration you have to go through with the mouse on normal audio or video.
Does typing make a difference?
Typing fast will make a difference, but typing smartly will make a major difference. As soon as you start, set up shortcuts for words that you commonly use. For example, shortcut for because can be “bec” or for with can be “w” etc. you can make shortcuts for any words that you come across.
How to get faster typing?
Avoid typing with a single finger, which is also known as wood-pecking. Don't use keyboards position a crutch. If the urge to glance at the keys deters you, cover the keys with a paper while typing. Practice diligently, and before you know it, your typing speed will be faster than you imagined.
How to improve typing skills?
Practice for Perfection. Practice daily for improving your typing performance over time. Regular practice will help you retain the good technique and you won’t lose the muscle memory you have developed. You can get help from the online typing tests for regular practice and also track your progress.
How to practice typing on the right hand side?
Position your fingers on the home keys: A, S, D, and F for the left-hand side and J, K, L, and ; for the right-hand side. Use all fingers to speed up typing and practice regularly for strengthening you muscle memory. Try to memorize their positions and keep a mental map of the QWERTY keys.
How accurate is a typist?
An average typist generally maintains 92% Accuracy. It means nearly 8 typos for every hundred words typed. Your typing speed could determine whether you’ll succeed in the booming industry or will be left out of the competition.
What is the best website to improve typing?
You can chat with friends and compete against them in a private typing race. GoodTyping.com - GoodTyping.com is one of the best online websites to improve typing. It gives you the option to switch between 23 keyboard styles. As you complete the provided 27 typing lessons, you will find yourself typing really fast.
Can you manage transcription jobs?
You can manage all transcription jobs that come on by learning useful tips from experts who have been there, and done that. Learn the best typing tips to embark on your mission of improving your typing speed.
Why is accurate transcription important?
Accurate transcription is requisite for the quality of medical care, which in turn is indispensable for the patients' safety. If there are errors in the medical transcription, then the hospital has to spend their valuable time to correct the dictations. Thus, it is vital to say that for accurate, timely, and reliable transcription, ...
What is the most important task in transcription?
Editing is the most crucial task that makes sure that the transcription is correct. It is always possible to make some spelling, syntactic, or grammatical mistake, which can only be rectified while editing the file. Thus, keep improving your editing skills.
Is medical transcription easy?
Medical transcription is not an easy task, it requires the medical records to be transcribed via speech recognition software and can be daunting if the recordings are not clear or accented.
Can you compromise accuracy in transcription?
However, as a transcriptionist, you should never compromise with the accuracy rather make it as your priority. This way, you can minimize the possibility of typos. If you want to improve your accuracy without compromising on the speed, then you can use any touch-typing software available online.
Do prescription drugs state dosage?
The prescription drugs do not state the appropriate amount of the dosage; thus, the doctors have to decide on the prescribed amount. And when the lingo or the dialects of the doctors are different, the software may struggle to transcribe the exact dosage amount. So, take utmost care while transcribing the numeric values.
How to improve transcription?
One of the simplest ways to improve at your online transcription job is by utilizing Word’s AutoCorrect or Macro features. Word expander software such as Instant Text or Shorthand can also greatly increase your productivity and reduce your turnaround time.
How long does it take to complete a transcription?
There is no hard and fast rule for how long any given unit of audio will take a transcriptionist to complete. Many transcriptionists, myself included, shoot for a 4:1 or 3:1 TAT, finishing an hour of audio in three to four hours. But that’s an average—sometimes you’ll have files you can complete in less time, and sometimes, you’ll just have one of those days. Just remember, the more experience you gain, the more efficient you’ll become overall.
What is TAT in transcription?
Turnaround time (TAT) is a big deal for transcriptionists. The more you can increase your transcription speed, the more you can make as a freelance transcriptionist. Quick turnaround times also make you more attractive to employers and clients. But, how can you work faster?
Is it easier to transcribe a one-speaker document?
A one-speaker file is generally easier to transcribe than one with many participants. Having said that, there are always exceptions. For instance, if someone is speaking fast, has a heavy accent and is discussing highly technical terminology, you’ll spend longer transcribing the document.
Can you get an audio file from a transcription?
Yes, there are many factors in your transcription job that are simply outside your control when you receive an audio file, but the good news is that there ARE steps you can take to improve your turnaround time.
Is typing speed a factor in transcription?
One of the more common myths about transcription turnaround times is that typing speed is the biggest factor in how fast you transcribe. Sure, being a hunt and peck typist isn’t going to help you. And it seems logical to say that a speedy typist should automatically be capable of a shorter transcription TAT. But it’s not the case.

Prefer Accuracy Over Speed
Polish Your Editing
- You must become an accurate and fast editor if you want to become a pro at medical transcription. Even if you are experienced enough to avoid misspellings and are exceptionally accurate, you must review the text thoroughly and make sure that the grammar is spot-on. Unlike other transcription, there is no room for error because if you convey wrong s...
Get Clarification
- Have you just recently started to work with a clinician? Hold a meeting with them and request clarification on the content and style. Yes, you have to be as much precise as possible while mentioning health-related terminology, but how to go about the remaining document? Since it is only for the clinician’s use, it is possible that they don’t take grammar too seriously. In such case…
Medical Terminology
- Establishing a solid foundation and perfecting the medical language is important. As a medical transcriptionist, it is imperative that you are accustomed to standard jargon, which is used in the healthcare sector. You cannot achieve optimal accuracy, unless you have gained a thorough understanding of the medical terms. Such a strategy can also increase the speed of your transcr…