Medical Transcriptionist Job Description Example
What Does a Medical Transcriptionist Do?
A medical transcriptionist is someone who writes out the audio recordings of the medical procedures of physicians, doctors, and other medical staff, turning them into complete medical documents in the establishment.
The medical transcriptionist job description entails transcribing audio recordings of periods of emergency room visits, surgical operations, and routine check-ups by medical personnel.
The recordings are made to document treatment procedures for clarity and educational purposes.
The transcriptionist will discourse with the dictator to be well informed about items to include in the transcription and those to remove after receiving recorded contents.
Transcriptionists must keep their personal opinions aside and work strictly by the needs of the dictator and give them exactly what they need, in line with professional ethics of the job.
The transcriptionist must be familiar with medical terms and procedures to be able to transcribe medical recordings effectively and avoid unnecessary errors.
He/she must be well prepared for the job by studying medical materials, and by engaging in personal studies so as to be up to date with latest inventions and discoveries in the practice.
The job of the medical transcriptionist is advancing with increasing development in ICT as advanced technologies are now available for recording and maintaining transcribed materials.
The transcriptionist will therefore need to learn how to operate the latest computerized machines to remain relevant in the profession.
Medical Transcriptionist Job Description Example
Medical transcriptionists play crucial roles in the development of the healthcare sector by helping to document medical procedures for future reference.
The job description example shown below gives the major duties, tasks, and responsibilities of most transcriptionists working in the medical field:
- Collect pre-recorded audio materials of medical procedures performed by medical staff and check for clarity and accessibility
- Review audio recordings for accuracy, and ensure they are the right copies for transcription
- Personally transcribe audio recordings by using a computer, typewriter, or other typing machine specified by the organization
- Listen attentively to recorded materials; pay attention to each word to get exactly what is being said, and transcribe it verbatim without errors or misinterpretations which would alter the message
- Ensure that documents of properly transcribed records are arranged and submitted to the right channels in the organization for safe keeping. These documents must be handled with outmost care and privacy to protect the intellectual property of the owners and to abide by the hospital’s procedures
- Translate medical jargon and abbreviations to simple words and sentences for easy comprehension by officials who need the information to carry out their professional obligations
- Properly edit transcribed documents to make it perfect and ready for use
- Make documents available to the dictator to review and seek their permission to send it out
- Differentiate between homonyms; detect errors and inconsistencies in medical terminologies and use dictionaries, libraries, drug references, and other sources of knowledge to ensure document produced is error free
- Sign documents of confidentiality to keep contents of audio materials private; ensure to abide by the agreement to avoid legal suits in the event of contract breaches
- Give information of recorded materials to team members to facilitate work flow
- Develop codes to categorize different content types according to their areas of specialization for easy identification and sorting
- Communicate with dictators, supervisors, and team members to get current information on recorded materials to be worked on as directed by management
Preparing a resume for medical transcriptionist Job:
The preparation of a resume for the job of medical transcriptionist can be aided by using information in the job description sample above to make the professional experience section of the resume. This section basically requires you to state the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as a medical transcriptionist.
Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Medical Transcriptionist Role
To be successful working in the role of transcriptionist in a medical setting you need to possess the following skills, knowledge, and abilities, which most employers commonly require from applicants for the position:
- Possession of advanced computer skills, which help in storing recordings and processing of information using computers
- Possession of strong knowledge of medical terms and practices, which are required to perform tasks effectively
- Ability to listen attentively
- Strong ability to follow instructions to the letter, which ensures error free delivery of assignments
- Strong interpersonal skills, required to be able to understand and relate well with other team members
- Effective time management skills, required to be able to execute tasks speedily and get more assignments done within a time frame