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

Online Medical Transcription Courses

There are many courses that are available online for medical transcribers. As the subject of medical transcription is very vast, the courses are also varied. These courses can be taken at the comfort level of the student as they can be done from home at their own convenience. There are a lot of institutes that offer higher continuing education that have an affiliation with reputed institutes. The institutes that provide medical transcribing courses online also offer certificates upon the completion of the course. If people want to take up a medical transcribing course and cannot find an appropriate one, online schools provide the freedom of obtaining a degree by sitting at home. All that a person needs to do is browse through various online sites and find the apt course.

A good online school offers courses similar to those of regular schools. Courses in medical terminology, physiology, ethics and anatomy are offered. There are other training schools that have laboratory tests and medical procedures, and teach how to transcript the format. Learning to transcribe in medical terms takes time and people who want to get into the profession of medical transcription have to get used to the medical terminologies. Online training courses do not make any false promises and teach what is mentioned in the syllabus. These online schools promise job placements as soon as the students finish the course.

If choosing to learn online individuals must prepare themselves as the courseware is not easy and requires a lot of commitment. The main aim of these online schools is to provide the best training to the students just like the regular schools.

Before individuals choose to register online for medical transcription courses, they must be confident, focused and should be willing to perform to their best ability.

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Medical Transcription Schools

Medical transcription is a valuable (and lucrative) medical service that does not require actual qualification in medical science. In simple terms, medical transcription deals with converting patient reports and records dictated by doctors into an electronic or paper format. Their notes are dictated into digital recording devices and outsourced to such units all over the world.

Medical transcription is also crucial in optimizing the commercial viability of medical establishments, since it facilitates efficient time management, elimination of backlogs and reduced operation costs. It is a highly specialized field and carries an enormous burden of responsibility. Errors, inconsistencies and delays in transcribed reports can have very grave legal and medical consequences for doctors and their patients.

The baseline requirements for an aspiring medical transcriptionist are excellent command of the English language, an exhaustive fund of medical terminology and a willingness to learn constantly. While it is possible to qualify as a medical transcriptionist through courses offered at certain colleges and schools as well as through correspondence courses, true expertise is only obtained by professional medical transcription schools.

In America, medical transcription schools follow the parameters of the Model Curriculum for Medical Transcription laid down by the AAMT (American Association for Medical Transcription). These are quite exacting, since a course that follows this pattern can last two years, and it requires a period of training at an actual medical care facility. Upon the successful completion of such a course, a student acquires the highly coveted qualification of Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMA).

For those who intend to make medical transcription their primary career, not attending medical transcription school is not really an option. There are various professional guidelines involved in medical transcription ? confidentiality, turn-around times, accuracy, research skills etc. - that are best learned under expert professional guidance.

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10 Effective Tips for Promoting Your Medical Transcription Business

Looking to build your existing MT business or just starting out? These marketing tips will give you some good ideas for finding new clients.

Promotion Letter ? A very effective way of landing accounts. Send out a promotion letter to all your local medical offices describing your services. And follow it up a few days later with a personal phone call.

Freebies and Giveaways ? Give away a certain amount of services for free, such as a free sample transcript or a discount for a certain amount of work. Tell clients about your giveaways in all your advertising material.

Flyers ? Flyers are great for marketing a medical transcription business. Distribute them to doctor?s offices, hospitals, clinics, social workers or any other targeted customers.

Business Cards ? Carry them with you wherever you go and give them out as necessary. Use proper business card etiquette. Always ask for a business card in return and don?t just stick the card in your purse or wallet. Glance at it a few seconds to show the person you are interested in them.

Magnetic Signs ? Place a magnetic sign or bumper sticker on your car. Make it short but effective so people will remember you. Include your website address and/or contact details on it. Remember it will be easier for people to remember a catchy .com website address than a phone number. Not everyone will have pen and paper handy.

Pens or Other Tokens ? Pens, mouse pads, mugs, t-shirts or other small tokens with your business name and details on them is an inexpensive and effective marketing tactic. Pens, mouse pads and mugs work especially well in the MT field. Your business name will be displayed in busy medical offices and hospitals for potential clients to see.

Charitable Acts ? Support a local charity in return for exposure. Choose a medical related charity for targeted exposure, such as cancer awareness or heart charities. You?ll raise funds for needy charities and feel good about yourself in the process.

Ask for Referrals ? Don?t be shy about asking for referrals from current clients. If you?ve provided a good service for them, they will be happy to spread the word about you in return. Ask if they would please pass out some business cards to their colleagues for you.

Network, Network, Network ? Find other local MTs and network with them. The key to network is not to go out with a ?what?s in it for me? mentality. Genuinely make friends and help others wherever you can and people will do the same for you in return.

The Phone Power Hour ? Set aside an hour every day or every few days of uninterrupted time and make this your phone power hour. Pull up a list of local potential customers and start calling them. If you?re a bit nervous at first, write down what you would like to say. Follow up with potential customers you?ve sent letters to or potential marketing partners. Use this hour to expand your networking opportunities as well.

That?s it, 10 easy, affordable and effective ways to start spreading the word about your MT business. With a little practice you?ll be well on your way to finding new clients.

Mila Sidman is an experienced MT and owner of www.AskTheMT.com - an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions.