Medical dictation software can refer to a number of different product types:

• Software and related systems for receiving, storing, organizing, replaying and controlling the audio for a medical transcriptionist (MT).
• Software that receives, stores, replays, controls the audio for the one speaking, and transcribes the speech directly to text without a medical transcriptionist involved.

The use of software in the transcription process does not necessarily mean the software is converting the speech to text.  It could be that the software is utilized for receiving, storing, organizing, replaying and controlling the audio for a medical transcriptionist.    The software simply makes the whole process easier.

Probably the most notable example of medical dictation software in the class described above is eScription.  eScription is a platform the provides computer aided medical transcription.  Their speech recognition software can convert voice dictations into text.  The text is then reviewed and edited by medical transcriptionist.  This speeds up the process compared to fully dictation by the transcriptionist.  For more information about eScription, visit the Nuance website.

Another notable medical dictation software product is Dragon Medical.  Dragon medical is such an exceptional product that it is reviewed separately on this site.

Sometimes, people mistakenly refer to an MT as a transcriber.  That is not correct.  The equipment used by the transcriptionist is termed a medical transcriber, or simply a transcriber.  The person using the transcriber is known as a transcriptionist.

A person employed in a medical transcription job is involved in converting the patient’s medical records from recorded voice recordings to text.  They will use equipment (transcriber) such as a cassette player with pedals to control the playback.  A transciber can also be entirely on the computer, the voice recordings may have been phoned into the the system and the doctor’s voice recorded digitally and stored on the computer itself.  The transcriptionist will then listen to the recording on the computer, and will normally still use foot pedals to control the playback of the audio.

Medical transcription jobs can be found in a number of venues.  Medical transcriptionist can be hired by a hospital or other medical facility, or may work for a third-party that specializes in providing medical dictation to the medical field.

The transcriptionist may work physically at the hospital, but many transcriptionist work from home.  Third-party transcriptionist can be anywhere!  Much like call center workers are often located in other countries, so it is with transcriptionist.  With the use of the Internet, the voice recordings can be listened to, and transcribed just about anywhere.

The fact that medical transcriptionist can work from home provides a compelling reason for many mothers with young children to pursue this field.  I personally know a woman that works as a medical transcriptionist from home.  She is employed by a local hospital, and enjoys the flexible schedule.  She has a second job that she can also do from home, using the computer.  Working from home, with it’s distractions can be difficult for some.  However, if you can train yourself, and your family to recognize your need for quiet time while transcribing, you may just find a perfect job for you.

The actual job requires special abilities.  For example, one must be a very attentive listener.  A transcriptionist must be able to simultaneously listen and type.  In addition, she will need to control the transcriber to play back audio that was difficult to understand,  or to listen again to ensure accurate dictation.

Another aspect of the medical transcription job is mastery of medical terms.  The medical field has it’s own jargon.  Doctor’s expect the medical transcriptionist to understand what is being said.  Many times, the transcriptionist is not only listening and transcribing, but also performing real-time editing too.   Medical transcription is not like court transcription.  Court transcriptionist transcribe exactly what is said.  In the medical transcription process, the doctor’s input is transcribed into a ”readable”" text with careful attention to accuracy as well.

There are a number of ways by which one may enter medical transcription jobs.  Training may be obtained through local certificate or diploma training programs.  Distance learning is another possible approach.  Some hospitals offer on-the-job training as well.    The woman I mentioned earlier, that works from home,  is a nurse.  She is already well versed in the medical terminology, and is a very fast typist (about 160 words per minute).  She wanted more time at home with her family, and used her past training, and exceptional typing skills to obtain a job she enjoys.

Some countries are competing strongly for medical transcription jobs.  To gain credibility in the field they may require 18 – 24 months of training for their medical transcriptionists.  It takes awhile to gain mastery of today’s medical terminology and the way it is used in the medical professions.  For countries with english as a second-language, it is even more demanding for students to acquire the necessary proficiency.

Many schools offer medical transcription training.  Some schools such as Ashworth College, or the US Career Institute offer online courses.  Kaplan College is another school that comes to mind.  They also offer training for the working student.

You can research the schools online  and contact them via email for phone.  Keep in mind, websites offering medical transcriptionist training may simply be diploma mills.  Before you commit to a specific school it is important to be sure you know what you will be getting.  You should check the accreditations of the school.  You may ask to speak with graduates of the programs.  Any school that has a good reputation should be happy to furnish you will such references.

It’s not enough just to learn the medical jargon and to type fast.  You will need to know how the terminology is used. You will learn alot about human anatomy, conditions and diseases.  You will learn about many types of medical procedures.   In addition to all that, you will need to improve your listening and comprehension skills.   You should insist on attending schools that provide extensive practicum work.  You need to be able to have practice listening to many types of recordings.  Some doctors speak fast, some speak slowly.  Some doctors have a heavy accent.  A good medical transcription training program will help you practice and improve your abilities under such conditions.

Another area you should inquire about is equipment.  What type of equipment will you be trained on?  Does the school only use foot operated cassette equipment?  What happens if you are hired by a hospital or outside agency that utilizes more modern transcribers? Will you feel confident to use it?  It is best to be trained on the equipment in school first.

The length of training can be from 6 to 18 months.  Some countries offer medical transcription training as long as 2 years.  Why the wide range in course lengths?  Course content!  Practical exercises take time, but build experience.  Experience is a great teacher.   Again, it’s important to check into the school’s training program.   Talk to teachers if possible, talk to current students and past graduates if possible.

The process of converting from speech to text is typically accomplished in two different ways.

• A trained professional listens to the recording while typing the words they hear into a computer.
• The health care professional speaks into a microphone and the speech is recognized by special software installed on the computer and converted to text automatically.

The first method of medical transcription requires a trained medical transcriptionist to listen to, understand and transcribe the information to a written form.  A clear voice recording of the speaker is also needed.  Usually, the person doing the transcribing must be able to stop the recording at any point,  re-wind the recording, and play specific parts again.  This will often be accomplished with foot pedals, since the persons hands are already busy on the keyboard.

This person should possess a unique set of skills and knowledge in order to perform the functions of transcribing quickly and without error.

A transcriptionist must:

• Be able to understand the unique and sometimes very complex vocabulary of the health care profession.
• Be able to listen attentively for long periods of time.
• Be able to type at a very quick rate in order to process the information in a reasonable amount of time.

The second method of medical transcription requires the use of special software.   The software must be able to receive the recorded voice,  recognize its content as words, and accurately transcribe the words as text.  Usually the person doing the speaking must be able to speak clearly enough for the software to recognize what is being said.  Typically, they can see the text being produced as they speak, and can make real-time corrections if needed.

There are many software products available to transcribe speech to text.  However, the software needed for medical transcription must be very specialized.  Not only does the software need to recognize normal, everyday speech, but it must also be capable of understanding the complex jargon of the health profession.  Amazingly, such software is available today and is quite functional.

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The medical field has its own special vocabulary, acronyms and  abbreviations.  In order to produce quick and accurate text reproductions, the person or software doing the transcribing must be capable of translating the specialized speech without errors.   Accuracy in medical dictation is paramount.  A patient’s well-being, or indeed their life may be affected by errors or omissions in the transcription process.  If specialized software is used to transcribe the speech, it must be capable of recognizing the specialized medical jargon used in the medical field.

Dictation can be defined as the act or manner of saying or reading something for another to transcribe or for a machine to record.   In addition, we can say that dictation is the act or manner of transcribing words uttered by another.

In other words, we are discussing the two sides of the transcription process.  On the one hand, the speaker is providing the words to be written, and on the other hand, someone or something is reproducing the words in written form or recorded form (such as a digital or magnetic recording).  The speaker dictates the message, and the person doing the transcribing ‘’takes dictation”.

Let’s look at a few examples.

• A nurse may record a description of a patient’s condition into a Dictaphone machine.  Later, someone else can listen to the recording, and transcribe the speech into written text.

• A doctor may speak directly to the individual doing the transcribing.  The individual listening to the doctor can write or type the information into a written form.

• A medical professional may speak into a microphone connected to a portable computer inside the examining room.  As the medical professional speaks,  she can see the text being produced by the medical dictation software.  In this case, the medical dictation software is acting as the transcriber, and converting the spoken word of the doctor into written text on the computer.

Medical dictation as described in the above scenarios are happening thousands of times a day throughout the United States and indeed, throughout the world.  Many different types of scenarios could be described,  but hopefully the ones described above give you an idea of how the process typically works.

Usually, the person that transcribes the text will be a trained medical transcriptionist (MT).  The job of a medical transcriptionist and the training required to be a medical transcriptionist is described in other areas of this site.

With the vast improvements in speech recognition technology, medical dictation software has become an indispensable tool in many medical establishments.  Medical dictation software is also discussed in other areas of this site.

In the area of medical dictation software, the product known as Dragon Medical has become one of the premier products currently available to assist medical professionals in their dictation needs.  Dragon Medical is described in its own area of this site.  See the menu if you are interested.