WHAT DO THE ACTUAL DICTATIONS SOUND LIKE?
An actual dictation is just the sound of a doctor’s voice talking about that particular patient’s visit. Doctors will usually dictate the report in order, starting with the chief complaint, reason for visit, or indications for procedure. They will then describe the visit or the procedure in the body of the report. Some doctors speak FAST. Some doctors speak ssssssllllloooooowwwwww. There are many ESL (English as a second language) doctors who have a hard time speaking English and have very thick accents from their native country. Once you become a transcriptionist and start listening to doctor dictations, you realize that doctors are “people,” too. They make mistakes. They use incorrect grammar. They eat, sneeze, cough, chew gum, get interrupted, etc. while they are dictating. Some doctors dictate their reports as their day at work goes along. Other doctors will dictate all of their reports at the end of the day or at the end of the week from home, their office, or even a cell phone! A
