Careers 101: Medical Transcription Jobs

Published on 2008-08-05

If you've got top-notch grammar and typing skills and a flair for medical terminology, you might consider medical transcription jobs as a full-time career or as an income supplement.

Tools:

Although no formal education is required for this branch of healthcare jobs, a two-year associate's degree or a certification from a one-year accredited program is recommended to gain familiarity with medical terminology, anatomy, grammar and punctuation, and legal issues. Some transcriptionists may have previously held nursing jobs and will enroll in these courses to refresh their memories.

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) offers two professional designations for transcriptionists. The Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) designation, which is designed for transcriptionists who have less than two years of acute care experience, requires a degree from a medical transcription educational program and successful completion of the AHDI level 1 exam. After a minimum of two years of acute care experience in multiple surgery areas and report and dictation types, a transcriptionist can take another AHDI exam to earn the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) designation. To retain certification, RMTs and CMTs are required to earn continuing education credits every three years. Certification generally indicates commitment to medical jobs such as transcription.

Tasks:

These medical careers call for focused workers who can quickly and accurately transcribe recordings and turn them into reports that are added to patient files. They are closely related to medical assistant jobs.
As they type, transcriptionists edit the text for usage or clarity or fix inconsistencies in the information. They may also be required to translate medical jargon using reference materials. Like other forms of writing, medical transcription adheres to a specific style. Because patient information is confidential, however, there are usually additional compliance requirements for transcription. When the document is typed, it is returned to the physician or healthcare professional for review. Medical transcriptionists' jobs are important because the accuracy of their work helps ensure that patients receive the correct treatment and care. In time, transcriptionists may pursue medical coding jobs or other healthcare opportunities.

Depending on experience and whether they have freelance, office, or hospital jobs, medical transcriptionists may earn anywhere from $10.22/hr to more than $20.15/hr, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor. To find medical jobs in Pennsylvania or Nevada, search the database at Fresho.com. We'll help you find medical transcription work opportunities in your area.