What It Takes To Have A Career In Medical Transcription

If you have an interest in the medical field and enjoy office work, you should consider a career in medical transcription. Demand in this field continues to grow and each year there are more job opportunities.

Quickly and accurately transcribing medical records that are dictated by doctors and other medical professionals is the job of medical transcription clerks. To name just some of the record types that you will be working on, there are consultation reports, operative reports, psychiatric evaluations, laboratory results, pathology reports, x-ray results, clinic notes, physical reports, and office notes.

The information on a dictation tape is what the clerk receives and to listen to this, it is transcribed into a word processing program and a Dictaphone machine is used. Different doctors use different word processing software but all have medical dictionaries. Several things are required and these include medical definitions, medications, and abbreviations.

In order to do this job you must have good computer and language skills. Medical terminology, , laboratory terms, surgical terms, procedures, and abbreviations are among the things that you must also be well versed in. Medical transcription clerks must be accurate as they are responsible for correctly transcribing patient medical records.

You can complete a Medical Transcription certification program online. On average, the length of programs take anywhere from 6 months to 9 months to complete but they can vary depending on the level of training you undertake.

Afterwards, you will be qualified to work in a medical office or a hospital as a transcriptionist. There are also job opportunities in the field becoming available online. In the United States you can expect to earn around $10.00 per hour to start, and with just a few years experience this can jump to $20.00 per hour or more. About 2-5 years of hospital experience is required in national transcription companies but they pay substantially better. Online, in a self employed environment, you can earn up to $40.00 per hour.

Although membership in a professional association is not required, it is recommended. The AAMT, The American Association for Medical Transcription, was founded in 1978 and provides you with the bimonthly Journal of the Association for American Medical Transcription, discounts on professional services and products, access to educational conferences and seminars, access to AAMT professional staff, and the opportunity to become a Certified Medical Transcriptionist.

If a career in medical transcription is for you, check with the many online universities about their program requirements.

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