Skip to main content

TranscribeAI

TranscribeAI captures conversations, summarizes into SOAP notes, and saves time with AI insights, helping teams document visits faster.

What You Need to Know

  • No need to navigate to a specific field - TranscribeAI identifies the right SOAP section based on context.
    ​

  • Captures complete medical details while skipping unrelated conversation and ensures accurate punctuation, formatting, and placement.
    ​

  • Works across presenting complaints, history, vitals, exam findings, treatment plans, discharge instructions, and more.
    ​

  • Available within both Comprehensive and Quick SOAP workflows, making it easy to capture documentation during brief rechecks, technician appointments, and follow-up visits.
    ​

  • If you want a Physical Exam to generate, please note that you must manually select a PE template and confirm it.
    ​

Before the Exam: Check mic permissions; confirm the audio wave animation is active.
​

During the Exam: Speak naturally; use cues like "On exam…" or "Plan is…" to help structure notes. (Check our Speaking Tips)
​

After the Exam: Stop and review the transcription; apply AI Insights before syncing.

Take a Look

Enabling TranscribeAI

TranscribeAI is managed from the AI Settings area in Admin, where practice administrators can enable AI features and control which team members can access AI settings.

To enable TranscribeAI:

  1. Go to Admin > Clinic Settings > Practice Management > AI Settings.

  2. Toggle Enable TranscribeAI on.

  3. Adjust the Default to normal Physical Exam Template values setting:

    • On (default): All systems marked normal unless you note an abnormality.

    • Off: Each system must be filled manually.

  4. Click Save.

To control who can enable/disable AI Settings, update the AI Settings permission within user roles in Admin > Users > Roles > Permissions, Admin Tab.

Data Protection & Privacy

  • Encryption: Audio and transcripts are encrypted during capture, processing, and storage.

  • Transcript storage: Text transcripts are saved in Shepherd and linked to the user who recorded.

  • Audio retention: Audio may be temporarily stored for troubleshooting, but is never part of the patient record.
    ​

How TranscribeAI Learns — and How It Doesn't

TranscribeAI does not learn in real-time from individual practice usage. To protect your data privacy, the AI model is neither trained nor tuned from your practices’ patient records or transcriptions in a way that personalizes outputs or shares learnings across customers.
​

That said, usage and patterns observed across all practices, edge cases surfaced through support, and feedback reported by users all directly shape where we tighten veterinary ontology, sharpen clinical accuracy, and expand coverage of species, conditions, and workflows.
​


Supported Devices

  • We recommend using a laptop in the exam room for the best success. (Mobile devices can time-out or rotate and you can lose your progress.)

  • Chrome is the recommended browser for best performance.
    ​


Microphone Setup

For best transcription results, we recommend using a wearable Bluetooth clip-on microphone with active noise isolation. A lapel-style or collar-clip Bluetooth mic keeps the recording source close to the speaker, minimizes ambient clinic noise, and leaves your hands completely free during the exam. Look for models with:

  • Noise isolation or noise-canceling capability

  • Wearable/clip-on form factor (lapel, collar, or coat pocket clip)

  • Bluetooth connectivity compatible with your workstation or tablet

  • Reliable range of at least 30 feet for movement around the exam room

This type of setup consistently produces the clearest transcriptions, especially in busy or multi-person clinic environments.
​

Depending on your device and browser's microphone settings, you may need to grant permission to use your microphone before using TranscribeAI within Shepherd. Once browser permission is granted, you'll see your approved audio devices listed and can test your audio volume before recording.

Speaking Tips

The quality of your transcription depends largely on what gets said out loud during the appointment. A few habits that make a big difference:

  • Narrate as you go — verbalize your observations and recommendations in the moment rather than relying on mental notes.
    ​

  • Avoid repeating historical vitals — stating a series of past weights or measurements (e.g., "Fluffy weighed 16 lbs, then 15.4 lbs, now 15 lbs") can create multiple vitals entries in the SOAP. Instead, state the current value and note the trend conversationally: "Fluffy is 15 lbs today and has been gradually losing weight over the past two visits."
    ​

  • Prompt with key words — use specific terms related to the SOAP so that your transcription information sorts appropriately. ("Historically…", "My differential is…", "Recommended treatment…")
    ​

  • Speak directly to the owner — client-facing explanations are rich with clinical context and transcribe well into discharge-ready language.
    ​

  • Include timing and frequency — be specific out loud ("every 4–6 weeks," "for one month") so those details land correctly in the SOAP.
    ​

  • Explain your reasoning — briefly stating why a treatment is being done helps TranscribeAI place it in the right context.
    ​

  • Summarize home care before leaving the room — a verbal recap gives the AI a clear, consolidated source for discharge instructions.
    ​

  • State follow-up instructions explicitly — don't assume they'll be inferred; say them clearly so they're captured.
    ​

Recording a Session

  1. Open any Comprehensive SOAP or Quick SOAP.
    ​

  2. Click the microphone icon in the lower right corner to start recording.
    ​

  3. Grant browser microphone permissions if prompted.

  4. Transcribe AI will begin listening automatically and the recording button will turn red as an indictor.

5. To end the recording session, click the Red button.

6. Confirm you wish to end the session when prompted.

7. The Review Window opens automatically (transcription may take up to a minute).

8. Review the Fields for accuracy and edit or add information as needed.

  • Physical Exam - if you want the transcription to apply to a PE template, you must manually select it and click Confirm Template. It will not apply to a PE template automatically.

  • Click AI Insights to refine information as needed.

  • Click Sync to Fields if you want to update the fields with AI enhanced details.
    ​

9. Once you're done, click Confirm & Save to apply transcription information to the SOAP.
​

Reviewing & Syncing Content

  • Review transcribed suggestions in the verification window.

  • TranscribeAI separates entries with dividing lines if multiple sessions are used.

  • Use the yellow circular arrow to toggle between suggested and manual entries.

  • Add clinic shortcuts or manual notes before saving.

  • Sync selected content into SOAP fields, then save.


AI Insights

AI Insights lets you refine transcriptions with built-in or custom prompts. Built-in options include:

  • Summarize

  • Translate to Spanish

  • Summarize for Client

You can also enter custom prompts such as:

  • "Format this in bullet points."

  • "Expand the assessment into full sentences."

  • "Write go-home wound care instructions in numbered steps."

Note: AI Insights changes are not applied automatically. You must click Sync to Fields to save them into the SOAP.

Viewing Transcription History

  • In the SOAP: Review transcript text or SOAP field summaries during verification.

  • In your User Profile: Go to My Profile → Transcripts to view all transcripts linked to your user.

Avoiding Data Loss

To avoid data loss, finalize and save all recordings as soon as possible rather than leaving them open.

  • Multiple Sessions: You can complete multiple recording sessions within a single SOAP. Each session is user-specific and must be initiated by the recording user. At the end of each session, you'll be prompted to confirm which SOAP fields should be updated with the captured text.
    ​

  • Navigation Warnings: If you navigate away from the SOAP or session without verifying changes, you risk losing transcription suggestions. Shepherd will prompt you to confirm if you try to leave mid-session.
    ​

  • Logout Protection: Shepherd protects active sessions from automatic logout while the application is in use. However, this protection does not apply if the device goes to sleep — a sleeping device can trigger a session timeout regardless of activity in Shepherd.

Avoid Editing the SOAP While a Session Is Active

Once a TranscribeAI session has started, other team members should not make changes to that SOAP until the recording user has finished reviewing and confirmed their changes.
​

TranscribeAI captures a snapshot of the SOAP at the time the session begins. If another user — for example, a technician entering notes in the treatment area — updates a field on the same SOAP while a session is still active, those changes may be overwritten when the recording user confirms and saves the TranscribeAI output. This is expected behavior: TranscribeAI does not have visibility into edits made to the record after the session started.
​

To prevent this, let your team know when a TranscribeAI session is in progress. Any additional notes or updates to that SOAP should wait until after the session has been confirmed and saved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can multiple users record at once?

Yes. Each session is user-specific, and multiple users can record simultaneously in different SOAPs.
​

Does TranscribeAI store audio?

No. Only the text transcript is saved in Shepherd.

Can I use it for multi-pet visits?

Not yet. Each SOAP requires its own session.

What if I navigate away before syncing?

You risk losing work. Always stop, review, sync, and save before leaving.

Does it assign diagnoses or create invoices automatically?

No. It may capture spoken treatments or assessments, but you must manually assign codes and invoice items.

Can I edit content later?

Yes — once synced, it becomes part of the SOAP like any other entry. However, AI Insights is only available during the active session.

Workaround

What if my transcript isn't populating into the SOAP automatically?

If transcribed content isn't syncing into SOAP fields as expected, use the following workaround:

  1. Copy your transcript — copy the full transcript text you want to use.
    ​

  2. Return to the SOAP — navigate back to the SOAP page.
    ​

  3. Start a blank TAI session — begin a new session and either mute your microphone or remain completely silent for at least 2 seconds. No audio or text can be captured during this step — even brief sounds or filler words can prevent the workaround from functioning. The session must remain entirely empty.
    ​

  4. Open AI Insights — navigate to the AI Insights tab.
    ​

  5. Paste the transcript — paste the full transcript exactly as-is. Do not remove timestamps or add any prompts or formatting.
    ​

  6. Submit — click the Arrow button to submit. Do not click "Confirm and Save" yet.
    ​

  7. Wait for processing — allow time for the transcript to process. Longer transcripts (20+ minutes) may take several minutes. Keep your device awake and avoid logging out during this step.
    ​

  8. Return to Field Review — navigate to the "Field Review" tab. The count may still show (0) at this point — this does not necessarily mean the transcript failed.
    ​

  9. Sync to Fields — from the Field Review tab, either select a PE template and click "Sync to Fields," or click "Sync to Fields" directly. The extracted information should now populate into the fields.
    ​

  10. Save the SOAP — once fields are populated, click "Confirm and Save."
    ​

Workaround Video Walkthrough

Did this answer your question?