Medical Transcription Careers

A Career in High Demand

Medical Transcription is one of today's fastest growing healthcare professions because the healthcare industry is based on the ability to collect insurance, and detailed medical records are needed for processing insurance claims. A medical transcriptionist listens to dictated recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative material. The documents they produce include discharge summaries, history and physical examination reports, operative reports, consultation reports, autopsy reports, diagnostic imaging studies, progress notes, and referral letters. These documents eventually become part of patients' permanent files

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014. A high level of demand for transcription services will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can easily be shared among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients' records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and identify discrepancies in medical reports.

Medical Transcription Training

Employers prefer to hire transcriptionists who have completed postsecondary training in medical transcription, offered by many vocational schools, community colleges, and distance-learning programs. Completion of a 2-year associate degree or 1-year certificate program--including coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, legal issues relating to health care documentation, and English grammar and punctuation--is highly recommended, but not always required. Some transcriptionists, especially those already familiar with medical terminology from previous experience as a nurse or medical secretary, become proficient through refresher courses and training.

The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) awards the voluntary designation Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT), to those who earn a passing score on a certification examination. As in many other fields, certification is recognized as a sign of competence. Because medicine is constantly evolving, medical transcriptionists are encouraged to update their skills regularly. Every 3 years, CMTs must earn continuing education credits to be recertified.

In addition to understanding medical terminology, transcriptionists must have good English grammar and punctuation skills, as well as proficiency with personal computers and word processing software. Normal hearing acuity and good listening skills also are necessary. Employers require applicants to take pre-employment tests and usually prefer individuals with experience.

Opportunities Without Boundaries

Medical transcriptionists who are employed by hospitals, outpatient care centers, clinics, and doctor's offices are paid on an hourly basis. Employees of transcription services and independent contractors receive production-based pay. Experienced medical transcriptionists can work at home as an independent contractor or they may run a medical transcription business using employees or independent contractors. Hourly pay for hospital based employees averages $14 but self-employed medical transcriptions can easily earn $25 to $30 per hour. Because it offers the choice to work from home or work as an employee Medical Transcription is an excellent career choice for those seeking a new healthcare career as well as for those wishing a change from direct patient care fields such as nursing, and for certain healthcare students who might wish to be able to work part time from home while in school and earn excellent pay while doing so.

(Excerpted in part from: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Medical Transcription, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm)

Getting Started

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