Medical transcriptionists (MT) are professionals that convert dictations and voice recordings into reports. They transcribe patient history, assessment, treatment/procedures and all records coming from doctors, physicians and healthcare professionals into medical terms and abbreviations. They work in healthcare establishments (hospitals, physician’s office, etc), some work from home and others work in offices that provides medical transcription services.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median pay in May 2010 for medical transcriptionists is $32,900 per year and that the employment in this field is expected to increase 6% in 2020.
You may have already noticed a couple of advertisements about the career so below are some facts about the industry:
1. Not a lot of people are aware of what medical transcription is and its contribution to the healthcare field. Unlike other professions in the industry (such as doctors, nurses, insurance representatives, etc), they do not interact and communicate with patients.
2. Speech recognition software will not replace medical transcription professionals. They are mainly used to aid the medical transcriptionist especially in companies where there is shortage of workers. The MT professional will still edit the report that has been generated by this technology as they still produce errors and mistakes.
3. Getting certification (CMT) is not required but training for medical transcription is a must. This industry requires knowledge in medical terms and accuracy in reporting and people can only acquire that knowledge through training. You may chose to take the exam to be a CMT or Certified Medical Transcriptionist or Registered Medical Transcription (RMT) but not a lot of companies require them – of course this credential can be of your advantage but again, it’s not required.
4. Medical transcription jobs in the US are not decreasing because of outsourcing companies. Medical transcription is instead being outsourced to overseas providers, due to the shortage of professionals to hire locally.
5. It can be a work from home job. Of course, when you just finished your training for this industry, it is going to be difficult to find an employer that will hire you for working from home. They usually choose those with experience over those newly graduates.
The same as to a lot of industries out there, if you work hard and responsibly, your work will definitely reward you fruitfully.
Resources to visit:
http://www.ahdionline.org/VisitorCenter/MTsPartnersInMedicalCommunication/AHDIAnswersFAQsAboutMedicalTranscription/tabid/243/Default.aspx
http://www.meditec.com/medical-transcription-training/
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-transcriptionists.htm
Nice article, This is very useful to me.
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