Top 20 Dragon Medical One Voice Commands Every Clinician Should Know
Top 20 Voice Commands Every Dragon Medical One User Should Know
Dragon Medical One is one of the most powerful clinical documentation tools available today — but most clinicians only scratch the surface of what it can do. While its speech-to-text accuracy gets all the attention, the real time savings come from mastering voice commands.
Why Voice Commands Are the Hidden Superpower in DMO
- Navigate your EHR without touching a mouse or keyboard
- Format and edit notes entirely by voice
- Correct errors on the fly without breaking your flow
- Control your microphone and applications hands-free
- Cut documentation time — clinicians spend 35–55% of their day charting
Corrections
"Scratch That" "Delete That" "Scratch That Word"
Instantly deletes the last thing you said. Think of it as a voice-activated backspace. If you misspeak mid-sentence, say "scratch that" and re-dictate — no hands required. Use "scratch that word" or "delete word" to remove just the word at your cursor.
"Correct That"
Selects the last thing you said so you can fix it. After saying this, re-dictate the phrase or choose from Dragon's alternatives. The fastest way to handle a misrecognition without interrupting your flow.
"Select [Text]" "Select That"
Highlights any specific word or phrase you've already dictated. For example, say "select blood pressure was elevated" and Dragon will find and highlight that exact text — ready to delete, replace, or reformat entirely by voice.
"Select [Text] to [Text]" "Select [Text] Through [Text]"
Selects a range of text between two points. For example: "select blood pressure to within normal limits." A huge time-saver when you need to replace or delete a longer section of your note.
"Deselect That" "Unselect That"
Cancels the current selection and returns the cursor without making any changes. Useful when you've selected the wrong text and want to start over without touching the keyboard.
"Add to Vocabulary" "Add New Word" "Train Word"
Adds a word or phrase to Dragon's memory so it will recognize it accurately going forward. Essential for rare drug names, uncommon diagnoses, specialist terminology, or frequently referenced names. Multiple command variations all do the same thing.
Editing & Formatting
"Bold That"
Makes the most recently dictated or currently selected text bold. Useful for flagging abnormal findings or critical instructions directly within a note.
"Italicize That" "Underline That"
Applies italic or underline formatting to selected text. Handy for drug names, Latin terms, or any content you want to visually distinguish from the surrounding text.
"Normal That"
Removes all formatting from selected text — bold, italic, underline — and returns it to standard style. Great for quickly cleaning up over-formatted sections without manually resetting each style.
"All Caps That" "Format That Uppercase"
Converts selected text or your last dictated phrase to full uppercase. Perfect for acronyms, section headers, or critical alerts you want to stand out immediately in a note.
"Cap That" "Format That Caps"
Capitalizes the first letter of each word in the selected or last dictated text. Useful for titles, headings, or proper names that need title case formatting.
"Compound That" "Compound [Text]"
Joins words together and hyphenates where necessary. Helpful when Dragon spaces out terms that should be hyphenated — particularly useful for specialty compound words or medication names.
Navigation
"Next Field" "Previous Field" "First Field" "Last Field"
Moves your cursor between auto-text fields in your EHR template. These commands alone can eliminate hundreds of mouse clicks per day when working with structured note templates. Jump to the beginning or end with "first field" or "last field."
"Insert Before [Text]" "Insert After [Text]"
Places your cursor immediately before or after a specific word or phrase you've already dictated. Lets you add missing information with precision without scrolling or clicking around to find your spot.
"Go to End of Paragraph" "Go to Start of Paragraph"
Navigates to the beginning or end of the paragraph where your cursor currently sits. Variations like "end of paragraph" and "move to end of paragraph" work identically — useful for quickly repositioning before adding to an existing section.
"Go to End of Sentence" "Go to Start of Sentence"
Same concept as the paragraph commands but at the sentence level. Great for inserting an addendum to a specific sentence without disturbing the surrounding text.
"Next Control" "Previous Control"
Navigates to the next or previous control element in your EHR — similar to "next field" but for interactive controls like buttons, checkboxes, and dropdowns. Covers UI elements that "next field" alone doesn't reach.
"Press Tab" "Press Enter" "Press Space"
Simulates keyboard keystrokes entirely by voice. "Press tab" moves between form fields, "press enter" confirms entries or creates new lines, and "press space" inserts a space where needed — essential for EHR fields that don't respond to "next field."
Microphone & Recording Control
"Go to Sleep"
Switches the microphone to Standby mode without turning it off completely. Use this when speaking to a patient or colleague so Dragon doesn't accidentally transcribe the conversation. The microphone stays ready so you can resume quickly.
"Microphone Off" "Stop Listening" "Stop Recording"
Fully switches off the microphone. Use when stepping away from your workstation for an extended period. Note: if Standby mode is available on your setup, "stop listening" may switch to Standby rather than turning off completely.
Bonus: Microsoft Integration Commands
Requires Dragon Medical One version 2024.x or newer — not available on the LTSR version.
How to Build the Habit
Print a cheat sheet with your most-used commands and keep it at your workstation until they feel automatic.
Focus on one category at a time. Master corrections first, then move on to navigation commands.
Track your documentation time before and after — the improvement is usually dramatic enough to keep you motivated.
Most clinicians become comfortable with core commands within the first two weeks of active use. The biggest barrier is remembering to use them instead of defaulting to the keyboard.
Getting the Most Out of Dragon Medical One
The 20 commands in this guide are a strong foundation, but your full efficiency will depend on how well your setup — including your templates, custom commands, and EHR integration — is configured for your specific workflow and specialty. Working with a certified implementation partner can compress months of trial-and-error into a few focused sessions.
The right training doesn't just teach you commands — it builds a complete workflow tailored to how you practice.
Note: Microsoft integration commands (email, calendar, Word) require Dragon Medical One version 2024.x or newer and are not available on the LTSR version.