To Be or Not to Be a Medical Transcriptionist

Is medical transcription the right career choice for you? It certainly isn't for everyone. Without excellent grammar and spelling skills, it would be impossible to do. It also demands a listening skill that is almost supernatural. If you think doctors' signatures are bad, you should hear their dictations! I've actually heard doctors dictate things like, "Umpphacarumpaluma viral meningitis," and "Breath sounds are clafuandparmsolufbiraferty." Of course, not all doctors are nightmare dictators. Some are very clear and precise in their dictations. Sometimes the problem does not rest with the dictator at all, but with their dictation equipment.

Here is a list of problems you might encounter as a Medical Transcriptionist:

* Bad sound quality on dictations. Some doctors sound as if they are dictating from underwater.

* High noise levels in the background. Some doctors sound as if they are dictating from a frat party.

* Other strange background noises: Clicks, whirs, crashes, ringing phones, crying babies, arguments, sirens, alarms, yawns, and noises too bizarre to describe.

But for those select few who can get past those roadblocks, medical transcription is a rewarding and lucrative career. (And fortunately, with experience, those problems become easier to handle.)

Medical transcription is one of the fastest growing work-at-home careers on the Internet. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "Demand for medical transcriptionists is expected to increase due to rapid growth in health care industries spurred by a growing and aging population." Medical transcriptionist positions are predicted to grow 30.3% between 2000 and 2010.

This is a booming work-at-home industry with amazing benefits, sign on bonuses, and income potential. I recently saw a medical transcription position in my local paper which was paying $35 an hour for experienced transcriptionists! Would you like to make that kind of money? The average income is $40K per year.

The good thing about starting a career in medical transcription is that it can be done in a short period of time with a minimal investment in training. The online school where I trained has packages starting at $1320 and can be completed in 4 months to a year. The program is self paced, so how fast a student completes the training is based upon how hard they work at it and how much time they have to devote. Usually it requires about 2 hours per day. It took me 10 months to complete my training. Here's where I trained. http://www.homecareerinfo.com/0277

There are only a handful of training programs that receive formal approval from AAMT (The American Association of Medical Transcription).

The school I attended is one of those and is listed in the top 3, along with M-Tec and Andrews. It was an easy choice for me because my school was by far the least expensive, and most of the MT companies I know were hiring their graduates! And I know over 100 medical transcription companies who hire home-based medical transcriptionists!

If you've ever thought about a career in medical transcription, here are some of the subjects you'll be studying:

* Medical Word-Building

* Human Anatomy, Physiology & Disease Processes

* Abbreviations, Word Differentiation, Plurals

* Medical Specialties

* And much more.

It's an exciting career. I hope this article will help you decide if it's the right career choice for you.

Doralynn Kennedy

Doralynn Kennedy is the owner of the U.S. Work-at-Home Directory, http://www.doralynn.net. She is also a working medical transcriptionist

Transcription Jobs

Medical transcription and data entry are two popular jobs that come to mind when you consider the word telecommunication. Transcription jobs are more or less very similar to data entry type of jobs. Both require good typing skills on part of the employee, accurate typing, basic knowledge of computer and reliable Internet connection speed. Irrespective of many similarities between transcription jobs and data entry jobs still one can say that the former requires more training and good understanding of English language.

Transcription Jobs v/s Data Entry Jobs

Transcription is basically a process whereby the transcriber receives dictation by tape, digital system or voice file by doctors and other others related to the industry. The basic job description of a transcriber is to listen to the recording of the information and accordingly type it in document form for future reference. Transcription jobs require high quality training on part of the transcriber so as to ensure a steady and positive job. Medical and legal transcribers are more professional and specialized as compared to local data entry operators. Medical and legal transcriber requires appropriate and adequate training on part of the transcriber. A little bit of carelessness on part of the transcriber can lead to future flaws for the company.

The basic pay rate for a transcriber is anywhere around $0.06 to $0.12 on per line basis. The development of the Internet has seen a tremendous rise in demand for medical transcriber all over. Many employers are now seeking the services of a transcriber to get their work done more efficiently and accurately.

Home-based medical transcription is also on a rise considering the rapid growth of Internet all over the world and people find dealing online more secure than what it used to be in the past. As a result of this boost many people are now opting for freelance transcription services over the Internet.

Data entry jobs on the other hand are not as specialized and popular as compared to transcription jobs. The basic criterion of a data entry job is to be familiar with your standard keyboard skills and also with the ten numerical keys. The pay for a data entry job is far less as compared to transcription jobs. Data entry type of jobs, pay anywhere around $8 per hour to start with.

If you are seeking for a professional and a high rewarding career then Transcription jobs would be a better option as compared to data entry jobs.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Transcription Services

If you are looking for a reliable service to convert recordings of an audiotape in a friendlier and useful format then transcription services can probably be the best option. Transcription services are a great way to note down dictated recordings made by physicians and other professional in a friendlier format for future reference. Transcription services enable to produce a typed version of the text in a format that is clear to understand, east to read, consistent and accurate.

A professional transcriptional can help you create transcripts of taped meetings, training courses, seminars, dictated letters, reports and manuscripts.

Importance of Transcriptions Services

? Transcription covers a number of services on part of the employer or the company. It enables whatever editing is required in order to make the report and letter flow. Similarly it also ensures tweaking sentence syntax, adjust paragraphs, removes redundancies and accordingly corrects any grammatical or punctuations errors.
? Transcription services are very important in almost all hospitals. For instance a medical transcriber plays a very vital role to note down the recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals. They make sure to transcribe each and every detail of the recordings into reports, correspondence and other administrative materials. Medical transcribers are specially trained for this type of work as a result they correctly transcribe patient assessments and treatments thereby reducing the chances of patients receiving harmful or ineffective treatments.
? Apart from medical matters transcriber are also employed by lawyers to note down the testimonies rendered by people exactly as it is spoken. Similarly, police detectives also require the services of a transcriber to note down the statements by suspects and witnesses.
? As a transcriber you will find that there are many individuals and fields that may require your services. Some of these include doctors, universities, lawyers, marketers, corporations, conference organizers, lecturers, researchers and so on.

Qualities of a specialized transcriber

Many people are becoming transcriber just because there is lots of money in this profession. Nowadays one can find many people calling themselves as transcriber even though they have not undertaken the necessary training program. As a result it can be a bit difficult to select the best one of the lot. Here are some points that can help you select an appropriate Transcriber

? He must be well versed with the English language.
? Similarly he must have good sound knowledge of grammar and punctuations.
? He needs to have high quality typing speed.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Medical Transcription - Online Versus Classroom Training

If you've considered a career in medical transcription, you've probably already spent at least some time looking into the study options. And there are some serious decisions to be made when it comes to those training options. Should you study medical transcription in a classroom? Or would an online or correspondence course be better? It depends on your personality, your location and your needs.

Start by looking into schools in your area that offer medical transcription in a classroom setting. The sheer fact of your location in relation to any schools you'd be interested in attending may very well make the decision for you. While location is sometimes the deciding factor, don't let yourself be talked into taking what you consider to be second-rate medical transcription training just because it happens to be nearby. You can certainly get quality training from an online or correspondence school if there's nothing close to your location.

Your own personality - and limitations - should also play a role in your choice of training options. Do you work well without strict supervision and deadlines? Can you set goals for yourself and follow through? If your answer to those questions isn't a resounding "yes," you may not do well with online or correspondence training. There's a big difference between sitting in a classroom every day (or once a week) and being turned loose to do your own work. In a classroom, you're held responsible for keeping pace with the class. A correspondence class allows you to set your own pace. Some people simply need the structure of a classroom setting.

That's not to say that you have to attend classes in person to get that structure. Many distance learning programs allow students to "meet" with instructors and even classmates on a regular basis via computer. You simply set up a webcam at your location and you have the opportunity to interact with the teacher and even others taking the class. In some ways, this is the best of all possible worlds for the busy adult who still needs some structure to accomplish the goals of medical transcription training.

If you think the online "meeting" is a good idea for you, take a minute to look at your own computer and your connection. A dial-up connection with a slow computer may simply not be able to present the class in "real time." The lag can be annoying or even embarrassing, and you may find yourself losing out on some important points.

Regardless of what kind of training you choose, be wary of those offering claims that seem simply too good to be true. No one can guarantee that you'll find a job the week you complete your training and a school that offers those kinds of promises may very well be exaggerating other points of their training as well. Take time to be sure that any training facility you choose is reputable and that your hard work will end with training that will make you qualified to work in the medical transcription field.

Visit medical transcription online courses | medical transcription course or medical transcription school for more information on a career in Medical Transcription.

A Medical Transcriptionist Resume Will Highlight Your Unique Skills And Qualifications

A Medical Transcriptionist in short MT positions, require a certification with training, specific skills like fast type writing, listening skills, and a specific field like Radiology, Operations report OR emergency reports handling etc. Do make sure your mention your knowledge on industry standards like HIPPA requirements etc. Below is a list of things that should appear in your resume. Your knowledge history like training, certifications etc have to be highlighted. The quality you can deliver in terms of % accuracy. mention your type writing speed. Your years of experience in the MT field, and if you could explain in detail which field you were transcribing: opthology, nephrology etc. Give a brief description about the employer: what they are doing, if they are not well known. Whether you prefer to work from home. If so, you have the required computer and other MT hardware at your home. List your merit details like name of the institution, city, state, degree, major, year awarded and GPA. Mention your entire job related skills, computer proficiency and language skills to make your resume stand out. Use some technical jargon to convince the employer. Experience in Coordinated and requisitioned all patient diagnostics, Maintained census and dietary records, operating room reports, autopsy reports and maintenance in physical examination documentation. Mention any technical or computer qualifications and personality development, diploma in medical transcription etc done as a course with its content in brief, the duration, institute and also its result. Mention your current and recent clients with specialties like internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, and ENT/head & neck surgery etc. Mention how you have reduced the costs and saved money in your department or the organization in general by any means. Highlight any other achievements that have benefited to your department and obviously your organization in general.

Robert is a Freelance Writer For ResumeHowTo.com. They Specialize In All Kinds of Different Resume Issues. They have information on various Types Of Sample Resume, Also thay can connect you with companies that are dedicated to Resume Writing So You Needn't Worry.

Start a Medical Transcription At Home Career

As a medical transcriptionist, I do get asked several times a month, how I got started in this business. So many people nowadays want to work from home, especially mothers with young children. Thats the primary reason I started my home business ten years ago, so I could be there for my daughter. I didnt want someone else taking care of her after school instead of me.

Its really not hard to start a medical transcription business. The start-up costs are low compared to many other home-based businesses.

You need a form of education, via home study courses or by attending your local community college. You do NOT need a degree in medical transcription to start a business either. In a short amount of time, usually nine months or less, you can be working from the comfort of your own home, just like me.

You will need some equipment, such as a computer, a printer, a transcriber, and some reference books. All of which can be purchased second hand if need be. The latest and greatest equipment is not necessary to get started.

Now, there are some special skills you will need, outside of the education, which include:

* Excellent grammar skills

* Good Listening Skills,

* Basic computer skills with a word processing program

* Research Skills

* Ability to type your speed will increase with experience

* Must be detail oriented

* Ability to work on your own

* Ability to maintain work deadlines and be a self-motivator

You will also need some computer programs such as a medical spellchecker and a word expander utility to cut down on the amount of actual typing you do. Some programs, such as Microsoft Word include this type of utility. It is the best invention by far, in my opinion.

Basic bookkeeping is necessary, but not difficult. A good bookkeeper is great to have when it comes to taxes and advising you about saving money with tax deductions for your business.

Medical transcription is usually paid by the amount of work transcribed. Therefore, it is quite normal to charge your clients by the line. If you charge 13 cents per line and type 200 lines per hour, (this is a very comfortable speed to type) your hourly rate would end up being about
$26.00.

Being self-employed does have some pitfalls. One must consider, as with any home based business, that once you become self-employed you are responsible for securing your own health insurance, and putting away money for retirement.

However, there are many positive things about being self-employed, as Im sure you can imagine. For me, what I love the most, is the flexibility I have with my time. If I want to work late in the day I can, and if I want to work early in the morning, thats up to me. Running a home-based medical transcription business is a lot of fun.

Medical transcription is not for everyone, and it is important before venturing in to any business that you weigh up the pros and cons of it all and do what is best for your situation.
Michele Miller is a home-based business owner and author of an Ebook about starting a medical transcription business. http://www.medical-transcription-at-home.com