Medical Transcription FAQs

Currently, there are over 105,000 medical transcriptionists employed by various healthcare institutions across the US that include state-owned and private hospitals, doctors’ offices, outpatient care clinics and diagnostic laboratories. Fueled by an increased demand for healthcare services, the profession is projected to grow by 6 percent between 2010 and 2020, as reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More and more medical transcriptionists are finding rewarding jobs in the abovementioned health care institutions, which should be reason enough for you to take advantage of this trend and take charge of your healthcare profession. If you are looking forward to further your career in the health information management industry or if you’re new to the world of medical transcription, then you’ve come to the right place as we have the answers to some medical transcription FAQs.

1.    What does a medical transcriptionist do?

A medical transcriptionist is a healthcare professional that listens, documents and interprets doctors’ voice notes. These notes cover a patient’s medical history, referrals to other physicians, prescriptions, operative and discharge reports. As these recordings heavily contain medical jargon, medical transcriptionists are expected to have a medical background, although not necessarily. 

2.    What can I expect from a medical transcription program?

A wide range of e-learning institutions, colleges and vocational schools offer different online medical transcription packages that would fit your needs and schedule. Typically, a medical transcription program covers medical transcription theory and practice, medical terminologies, and a comprehensive compendium on surgery and pharmacology. The program would also teach you the rudiments of writing and editing and acquaint you with the legal issues involved with healthcare documentation. Certifications would be provided upon the completion of the program.

3.    How much can I earn from the job?

The average median annual income for medical transcriptionists ranges between 33,000 to 39,000. The hourly rate for transcriptionists average for $16 an hour, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Transcriptionists may also be paid per output or by word count, which is usually the case with home-based or contractual transcriptionists.

4.    What devices do I need to use to facilitate my job?

Thanks to recent technological advancements, the job of a medical transcriptionist has by far become more convenient. Gone were the days when transcriptionists had to listen to the whole voice recording to transcribe it verbatim. Specialized speech recognition software is now available to automatically transcribe the voice notes for the transcriptionist in a word-processor. All the transcriptionist has to do is to check the document for errors. Medical transcriptionists also make use of an audio playback software that plays the voice notes and a foot pedal to controls the speed of the playback.



5. Are there any free career guides for medical transcription?


Thanks to Meditec.com you can take advantage of their free career guide which is not just for medical transcription but for a lot of other industries you might be interested in at. Check out http://www.meditec.com/resourcestools/request-free-career-guide/ for this free guide.



6. Are there any military grants available for this career?


Again, thanks to Meditec.com (Meditec is a leader in portable career training for various industries), you may enjoy military education benefits. To learn more about this program, check out http://www.meditec.com/military-grant-overview/ today.