Work from Home and Love It: The Changing Field of Medical Transcription

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

Over the past 50 years, the field of medical transcription has changed dramatically. Long gone are the days of deciphering written notes in rooms filled with filing cabinets. Today’s MTs face a new set of challenges thanks to the fast-changing world of technology. Patients’ transcripts are now processed much faster and filed more efficiently. With a wide range of degrees and certificates available for those interested in the field, it is easy to see why medical transcribing is still a popular career choice today.

The Dark Ages: The Early Days of Medical Transcription

Through the 1960s, all medical transcriptions were handwritten and difficult to decipher. The first evolution in transcribing came with the invention of Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP). This process included many resources that helped the process of transcribing function better.

The 1970s saw another improvement to the field as a new version of MRP was created known as MRP2. However, the field remained a long way from the efficient system that medical transcribing would eventually become.

Getting Better: The 1980s and 1990s

The 1980s saw the first real strides forward in the field of medical transcription as the typewriter began to be phased out. Instead, more hospitals began using electronic word processors to transcribe. In addition, early models of speech recognition technology began to emerge. And finally, tape cassettes were used to record notes so that transcription could be accomplished more accurately.

The 1990s saw a real boom in the field as medical transcribing schools began popping up all over the United States. Transcribing professionals started becoming in high demand and advancements in technology led to faster, more efficient medical transcribing techniques. Why the sudden boom in the industry? Speech recognition technology, widely available in the 1990s, fueled the boom.

The Golden Age: The 2000s

The medical industry is reaping the benefits of technology today as PDAs and laptops help those in the industry transcribe quickly and efficiently. Many people have chosen to pursue a career in the field of medical transcription and many already in the field are choosing to work from the comfort of home while still commanding a competitive hourly wage.
The average transcriber works 40 hours per week and commands $18-$25 per hour in overtime. The most popular industries within medical transcription and their average hourly pay rates are listed below:

  • Healthcare – $12-$18 per hour
  • Orthopedic Surgery – $12-$18 per hour
  • Hospital – $13-$20 per hour
  • Medical Office – $13-$18 per hour
  • Medical Services – $14-$18 per hour
  • Medical Transcriptions: A Peek at the Current Industry

In the field of medical transcription, the overwhelming majority is female; in fact, 98% of medical transcribers are women.

Even those who work from home may be eligible for some benefits. Of the most common benefits, healthcare averaged 60%, while dental insurance is offered to 45% and vision to 34%. However, 37% of those who work in the industry receive no medical benefits at all.
There are several different types of degrees and certifications available – which ones pay the best? The top certifications and their low and high hourly rates are listed below:

  • Medical Transcription Diploma: $12-$15 per hour
  • High School Diploma: $13-$19 per hour
  • Associate of Applied Science: $11-$14 per hour
  • Medical Transcription Certification: $11-$15 per hour
  • Associate of Science: $13-$15 per hour

No matter which degree program you choose, chances are great that you will find a job that will provide you with the income you seek in the coming years. Employment numbers in 2008 were approximately 105,200; by 2018 that number is expected to increase to 116,900. With numbers that hopeful, it’s definitely something to look into if you want a steady job that allows you to work from home.

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Being a Medical Transcriptionist

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

What does a medical transcriptionist do? A medical transcriptionist can work in an office or from their home office, dpending on what the medical transcriptionist wants. No matter where they work, however, all medical transcipionists need to have the same level of medical terminology knowledge. When you are a medical transcriptionsist, you will listen to recordings of doctors talking about patients after patient appointments. The way you get the audio file may differ depending on what office you work in, what program you use, the computer program used and so on. Part of the medical transcriptionist’s job is to catch any grammatical mistakes, and even correct medical terms or medication spelling errors if the doctor happens to miss it. Your job is also to make the doctor look professional.

To be a medical transcriptionist you need in depth knowledge of the medical jargon you are typing up. Medical transcription is a lot different than general transcription. With medical transcription, you need to know more about medical conditions, illnesses, and all kinds of pain medications. For the most part doctors are pretty accurate, but they are human and mess up too. Part of your job is to catch the mistakes they make while you type up their recorded notes from patients appointments. Mistakes can be made while recording the name of the medicine or the condition of the patient and it makes a big difference when you are dealing with the health, and sometimes in lives, of real people.

Some doctors require you to have a degree proving your depth of knowledge in medical transcription. However, this is not always the case. Some doctors also require a certain amount of hours of practice under your belt. The most important thing to know is you need to get the extensive medical terminology training. You want to easily understand what the doctor means when they verbally give a medical term. You should know exactly what the doctor is talking about and not have to look up information. Think about it, how much time would you want to spend going to your reference books and looking up a medical term you don’t know about? In a regular office, you’ll fall behind but you are getting paid by the hour. In a home office, you would lose money!.

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Become a Medical Transcriptionists – What You Need To Know

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

What is a Medical Transcriptionist?
What is a medical transcriptionist? Medical transcriptionists listen to the dictated recordings of health care professionals and, using a headphone and foot pedal system, transcribe the recordings into text. They who play a key role in quality patient care.The transcribed text becomes medical reports, intake reports, medical histories, discharge summaries, autopsy reports, test result reports, medical correspondence and other health care related reports and materials. Medical transcriptionists turn brief notes into professional, grammatically correct and formatted documents. Upon completion, they return a transcribed report to the doctor or health care professional who dictated it. After careful review, and any necessary revisions, the report is signed and included in the patient’s medical records.

What it Takes to be a Medical Transcriptionist
A medical transcriptionist must be detail-oriented and meticulous. They need computer experience with excellent spelling, grammar and communication skills; Fast and accurate typing ability is required. Medical transcription demands understanding medical terms, human physiology and anatomy, medical protocols, and pharmacology. Training includes extensive medical course work and is widely available through vocational schools, community colleges and online programs.

Educational Requirements for Medical Transcriptionists
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) evaluates and accredits quality training programs. The ADHI maintains a list of schools and programs that meet their strict requirements. Approved training programs range from 10 months to 2 years. Medical transcription graduates test for the Registered Medical Transcriptionis (RMT) credential to prove their knowledge, skill and employability. To qualify to take the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) credentialing exam, a medical transcriptionist must have at least 2 years of training in acute care transcription. Industry standards call for continuing education due to rapid changes in medical technology and terminology.

Employment Opportunities for Medical Transcriptionists
Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of settings. Some work in doctors’ offices, hospitals, transcription services facilities, labs and clinics. A growing number work from home as self-employed contractors. With changes in medical documentation and a call for greater record standardization, medical transcription is a growing industry. Between 2008 and 2018, experts estimate that employment for medical transcriptionists will increase by 11 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Medical Transcriptionist Job Description: Top 3 Things to Know

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

First and foremost, a medical transcriptionist job description involves transcribing duties. Entry-level medical transcriptionists would primarily work on transcribing and nothing else. They may work from home or telecommuting from any other place, or they would have to work in an office that may or may not be associated with a healthcare institution. They may also work for outsourcing firms, which means potentially working for clients all over the world. In such cases, fluency in a foreign language may be needed. Secondly, they may have to be experts in transcribing audio data that are made incoherent due to use of a different accent or pronunciation.

Secondly, A medical transcriptionist job description also involves interpreting duties. There are rare cases when a medical transcriptionist would be asked to work as a medical interpreter as well. In such cases, you are not working for a medical specialist or professional, but the patients instead. They will provide you with medical documents of various sorts, and it’s your job to interpret them into documents that can be easily read and understood by laymen or those without sufficient knowledge of medical vocabulary and terminology.

Last, but not the least, a medical transcriptionist job description involves supervisory capacity. Given enough time and experience, your company could promote you to a supervisory or managerial position. Once you’ve been promoted to this position, it’s unlikely you’ll still have to work on transcribing in a daily basis. Instead, you’ll be in charge of a group of transcriptionists to make sure that their work is in the best quality possible and free from errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling, and content. You should also make sure that the people in your team complete their files within the deadlines provided, and it’s your responsibility to give them the motivation and support they need to keep them goal oriented. In some cases, you’ll also be in charge of overseeing the staffing needs, choosing who to hire and sometimes who to fire as well.

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Top 3 Places to Locate Information on a Medical Transcriptionist Salary

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

Before you go into medical transcription, you may want to know what a medical transcriptionist salary is. You can find information on medical transcriptionist salaries online or at the public library. You can find information at three places online.

Salary.com. Once at the website, go to the Salary wizard and type in medical transcriptionist and the area where you live. A few job descriptions will appear and you can choose from the one that is closest to medical transcription, so that you can get an idea on how much you could possible make. Click on view salary info. A grid will appear to let you know how much the median income is for a medical transcriptionist. The median income is based on how much experience you have.

PayScale.com. This is another site where you can locate information on medical transcriptionist salary by city. Click on By City and the top cities that hire medical transcriptionists will appear, including the medical transcriptionist salary. You can get an idea on which city you may want to relocate to if you want to work with a doctor in a certain city. For example, if you move to Seattle, Washington, you can make up to $62,000 a year. You can also find out how much a medical transcriptionist salary is by how much experience you have. An entry-level medical transcriber may make lower than someone with 15 years of experience.

FutureMT.com. Future MT is a medical transcription school that offers information on a medical transcriptionist salary. The website breaks down on how much you can make per line and hour as a full or part-time medical transcriptionist. You will find out what the median income is for an experience medical transcriber. You can also find information on how much entry-level and experienced medical transcriptionists make per year. According to the Future MT site, you can make more as an independent contractor than an employee. As an employee, you will receive your benefits, including medical, life, and 401(k).

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The 3 Best Places to Find Medical Transcriptionist Jobs

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

Are you looking for medical transcriptionist jobs? After getting a degree or certificate in medical transcription, it can be difficult to know where to find employment opportunities. Medical transcriptionists can work from home, or in a doctor’s office, hospital, or other medical practice. They can be self-employed, or hired to work as an employee. There are many places you can find medical transcriptionist jobs, but the 3 best places are: online forums, websites for job seekers, and college career centers.

FIND MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST JOBS ON ONLINE FORUMS
Do you want to read feedback about companies that hire medical transcriptionists? Do you prefer to discuss your options with others before making a major decision? Online forums and message boards not only help you find medical transcriptionist jobs, they give you information about a company before you apply. Sadly, some medical transcriptionist jobs are scams. An online forum allows you to learn whether you are applying for a real medical transcription job, as well as find information about salary, working conditions, and requirements for employment. Not sure which online forums to check? Visit forums designed for individuals who work from home, such as WAHM.com. There are also online forums geared towards health care professionals seeking employment, including medical transcriptionists.

USE WEBSITES FOR JOB SEEKERS TO FIND MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION JOBS
When was the last time you picked up a newspaper? Many individuals now get their daily dose of the news online, and the same goes for employment opportunities. In addition to websites specifically for job seekers such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com, jobs for medical transcriptionists can be found on Craigslist, Yahoo, and local news sites. Healthcarejobs.org is another great site for medical transcriptionists seeking work.

UTILIZE THE CAREER CENTER AT YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE
Many colleges now offer career centers that assist with job placement. Before visiting other colleges, check with the college where you received your medical transcription degree or certificate. Even if you obtained your medical transcriptionist training online, your college may still offer assistance with finding health care jobs. If you are looking for a medical transcriptionist job that allows you to work outside of the house, a college career center is your best option. Many colleges work hand in hand with the companies who hire medical transcriptionist graduates. There are numerous places you can find medical transcriptionist jobs, but online forums, websites for job seekers, and college career centers are the best.

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The 3 Best Medical Transcriptionist Training Programs

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

Medical transcriptionist training is important to have when pursuing a career in medical transcription. In order to find the right program, you will need to find an approved medical transcriptionist training course. You can locate approved courses at the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) website. Go to education and training and a list of approved medical transcriptionist training programs will appear. Some of the programs are self-paced, while others are through a community college. When choosing a school, choose one that will allow you to complete you training in a year. The three best schools to attend for medical transcriptionist training are Everett Community College, Richland Community College, and Career Step.

Going to a community college may be beneficial for someone who does not have the out-of-pocket money to pay for their education. You can complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid and receive a Pell grant and other student loans. Everett Community College will allow you to complete your medical transcriptionist training online in a year. You will receive all of the materials that you will need to complete your training, including textbooks. Everett Community College is one of the schools that uses Career Step’s materials for their medical transcription program. Richland Community College, on the other hand uses their own materials, but it is AHDI-approved. You will learn all of the skills that you will need to obtain employment after you graduate.

Career Step is a self-paced career school where you can complete your training in as little as six months. You will have the option to take as long as a year, if you need the extra time to complete your training. When it comes to paying for your education, you can pay out-of-pocket, receive private loans, or a scholarship. Some graduates have been fortunate enough to find employment before they graduate. They also offer an internship program with different medical transcription companies. When you graduate, the company will hire you on with them.

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Learn How to Become a Medical Transcriptionist

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

People who are interested in learning how to become a medical transcriptionist can learn how to fulfill their goal. Medical transcriptionists listen to audio recordings and type the information. Their jobs are vital because they their work is incorporated into patient medical records. If they make an error, a patient’s life could be at risk. Oftentimes people who seek to become medical transcriptionists already know how to type, but the training involved in becoming a transcriptionist teaches them to type quickly and accurately when working with difficult medical terms.

Potential candidates who would like to know how to become a medical transcriptionist conduct research to determine the education involved. In the case of a medical transcriptionist, education extends beyond earning a high school diploma. A potential medical transcriptionist needs to get specialized training from a technical or a vocational school. However, not all certificate programs are created equal. The candidate should be sure to get recommendations from other medical transcriptionists and experts in the field to learn which schools and programs are the best.

Good medical transcription schools will allow students to transcript audio, which is unclear or difficult for the students to understand. Oftentimes doctors from abroad have accents that may be unfamiliar to the transcriber. Likewise, the doctor on the audio may be from a different region of the United States and have a strong accent or pronounce the terms in a manner that is unfamiliar to the student, according to “How to be a Medical Transcriptionist” on the MedicalTranscriptionist.org website.

Becoming a medical transcriptionist can be a great career choice because the career allows people to work from home, using technology to transcribe and the internet to send the transcriptions to their employer. However, time management is even more important when working from home. Medical transcriptionists need to be aware of the time that they spend at work. Carpal tunnel, eye problems and back problems can occur from sitting in one position, typing for long periods of time. Although transcriptionists who have children, would prefer to work at home, they should understand that they will need a quiet environment to work, and constant interruptions can cause them to incur errors in their work. However, with the proper information on how to become a medical transcriptionist and determination, people can launch a career in this field.

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Certified Medical Transcriptionist: Top 3 Things You Must Know

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

A certified medical transcriptionist is a professional that has undergone certified training to transcribe audio data into written data. He or she must be knowledgeable about medical terms and, in general, the kind of vocabulary used not only by medical experts, but healthcare specialists in general, as well as professionals working in the field of science. The work of certified medical transcriptionists starts with the receipt of audio data, which they have to validate, because they could be held legally liable if the file ends up missing or compromised in any way. All data between medical specialists and their patients are, after all, confidential, and it is the medical transcriptionist’s responsibility to keep it that way while in the process of transcribing. Upon receipt of the audio file, they will also receive instructions as the type of transcribed document they would have to create. It could be in the form of a medical report, which can be written using a wide range of formats, or as a correspondence from one doctor to another. Once transcribing has been completed, the transcriptionist must double-check his or her work for any errors in grammar, spelling, and content, because the smallest error could have a negative impact on any further use of the report, such as subsequent diagnoses or treatments performed on the concerned patient.

It would be preferable if a certified medical transcriptionist has completed either a bachelor’s or associate degree in a relevant field. In any case, transcriptionists would have better chances of getting hired if they are able to complete a certification program in medical transcription from a school or academy that has been accredited by the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP). Certification would either have them designated as registered medical transcriptionist (RMT) or certified medical transcriptionist (CMT). When you pass an ACCP course, you are qualified to take the Registered Apprenticeship Program offered by the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that a certified medical transcriptionist can earn an average of $15.41 per hour, but it’s possible to enjoy higher earnings with better skills and experience, as well as the type of setting or company you are working in.

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Top 2 Places to Find Medical Transcriptionist Jobs from Home

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

When you graduate from a medical transcription school, you will want to locate medical transcriptionist jobs from home. In order to locate a medical transcriptionist job from home, you will need to either browse work from home forums or obtain employment information from career services at the school that you received your training. Once you obtain the information that you need to get a medical transcriptionist job from home, you will need to apply and test for the medical company. A medical company will more than likely consider you for employment if you graduated from an AHDI-approved school or have at least one year of medical transcriptionist experience. By going to an approved school by AHDI, the medical company will waive their experience requirement.

Sign up for a free membership at a work from home forum, such as Work from Home Moms and Transcription Essentials. Both forums have folders that lists medical transcriptionist jobs from home. At Transcription Essentials, besides the lists that is provided, some members often post companies that are hiring. You can find overflow work through this forum. While you’re waiting to hear back from a company, you may post your availability on each forum site. Some members who work as independent contractors tend to have extra work.

A semester before you graduate from your medical transcription program, sign up with career services. They will be able to get you into contact with medical transcriptionist jobs from home. The school may already have a list of medical transcriptionist companies that hire their graduates. The medical transcriptionist company may be willing to hire you before you graduate. You will need to test with the company before you are hired. Your program instructor is another person you can obtain information on employment. Since they may have worked as medical transcriptionist themselves, they will more than likely have an idea on which companies hire new graduates. If you went to a career school, such as Career Step, they have a forum that medical transcriptionist companies visit looking for new graduates.

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