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Medical Transcription Overview
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Is This Career
For You? Medical transcription is the process of producing reports from dictation by medical providers of the details of patient office visits, clinical, radiographic and operative procedures, etc. Virtually every encounter a patient has in the medical arena is documented in some way. Most providers and institutions have formalized this documentation into the patient's medical record through dictation and subsequent transcription. In addition to typing the report into the desired format, transcriptionists also verify the dictation for accuracy -- both medical accuracy and English-language accuracy -- so that the final report is a clear, medically accurate representation of the encounter between patient and provider. This "verification process" means that the transcriptionist must have a thorough foundation in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, laboratory tests and values, medical equipment and procedures. In addition, every successful medical transcriptionist will have superior research and English grammar skills, along with excellent computer skills, typing skills and (if you plan to have your own business) some familiarity with business marketing and management. Paying close attention to detail is another quality that is essential in a good medical transcriptionist. Just having a computer at home and knowing how to type is definitely not enough to become a working, successful medical transcriptionist. If you have a clinical background in the medical field you may have a head start -- as long as your English knowledge is as broad as your medical knowledge. In my opinion, the real foundation for this field is a love for the English language and outstanding grammar skills. All other necessary knowledge can be "layered" upon this, but if you are weak in the English department, I feel your success would be limited. As you will verify and often correct the provider's English usage, you need to be certain that the final structure of each sentence is grammatically correct. You need to know why (technically) a comma goes here, but not there.... how to make this verb or pronoun agree with that subject's number and person.... the special needs of a compound sentence -- and don't forget semicolons, conjunctions, gerunds, modifiers and prepositions! If you don't love the English language, If you have to check the dictionary as you sign your name, If hyphens and apostrophes give you cold chills, forget medical transcription. It's not for you. Although medical transcriptionists are not necessarily solitary creatures, this is a solitary job. For most of your day it will be just you, your transcriber (with that voice in your ear), and your computer. This job does not have personal interaction as would a customer service or medical assistant's job. You may care about "your" patients and pray for their recovery, but you won't see them or speak to them personally. Your part of their medical care is doing your absolute best with every report, every day. So what do you get in return for your in-depth training and your excellent work? There's no easy answer to the question of compensation in this field. There are many different working environments available to a trained, experienced MT, including hospitals, clinics, individual and group medical, chiropractic, radiology, physical therapy practices, national transcription services that hire or contract home-based MT's, local transcription services who may also hire or contract MT's, and owner-operator MT's (who may also subcontract work out). Income varies by geographical area, by employment versus entrepreneurial situation, by your own desire to work full-time, part-time or something in between. A broad range would probably be from $8.00 per hour in a doctor's office in a rural area to $75.00 per hour as an independent (with all related expenses, including "benefits" coming off the top), and even more as a service owner. While this appears to be an excellent field for those transitioning from another career to working at home, you need to be aware that there can be a "catch-22" in this profession. Because of the difficulty of the work, experience is so valued that it is sometimes difficult for "newbies" to get a job or clients without experience (and of course, how do you get experience without a job or clients?). Many experienced (and very vocal) MT's on the Internet and online services will flatly state that it is foolish to even attempt to work at home without having spent time in an office or institution or in an apprenticeship program or mentoring situation. They claim that only with an MT angel perched near your listening ear can you make it through the first few difficult months. Maybe so.
I suspect that some of these MT's have not had formal MT training and that they learned transcription through OJT with a helpful pair of ears nearby, and thus they think it's the best way.>
However -- I have a slightly different opinion since I began working at home with my own clients the week I finished my MT training, and have worked full-time-plus since. I feel that IF you take a reputable MT training course -- Those are a lot of "ifs" and they cover a lot of territory -- but with persistence, skills, commitment and the courage to follow your dreams, it can be done. There are also quite a few moms with new babies or toddlers who hope that a field such as medical transcription will allow them to supplement their income from home. I can't imagine it myself, but there are several women who participate on the Internet who do have small children at home and who are successful MT's. I defer to their experience -- you'll have to check out their stories on your own. (I have my hands full with Jake, my yellow Labrador....)
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