Jul
23
2010
Medical transcription involves converting voice information into text and making sense of it to create medical records. Now, this job requires certain software. Can you tell me what all you need?
For starters, you need an audio software with playback controls to help you listen to the voice recordings properly. Then you need a word processor to type out the text in. Getting hold of the speech-recognition software at this point can make your work a little easier and help you save time. This is because this software can roughly transcribe medical records. It doesn’t do the work for you but it definitely takes the pressure off by helping you a bit.
While the word processor is equipped to check the spelling of the regular English words, you need to take care that you don’t misspell medical terms. This is why the medical spell checker is a must have. It ensures that you do not make errors while writing those medical terms. Along with the medical spell checker, get yourself the medical dictionary. It comes to your rescue when you are not sure about some medical terms. Again, this will ensure that you don’t make grave errors in your medical records.
You will also need the medical abbreviation expander. This expander helps save you save time by using shortcuts as it expands abbreviations of medical terms for you. You cannot go wrong with this tool at your disposal.
Irrespective of whether you work in an office or at home, you need the antivirus and the firewall. You have to make sure your antivirus and firewall software are up to date.
Is there any other software you would like to add to the list? Let us know.
Jul
21
2010
The process of becoming a medical transcriptionist includes undergoing an in-depth training in medical transcription. It becomes important to choose just the perfect course or you may have your basics messed up. Now, how do you look for a medical transcription course? Do you look up the term “medical transcription course” on Google, and then click links randomly? You will get as many as 50,000 results in a fraction of a second. But how do you choose a course that is good and right for you?
First, analyze each course and compare it with the rest of the courses. Begin by checking if the course conforms to the guidelines specified in COMPRO. COMPRO stands for the competency profile for medical transcription education programs as laid down by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
Next, find out how many hours of dictation is included in the course. You should also make sure that the dictation is recorded by doctors and not by role-playing actors. You can check with the former students about this.
You should also find out if the completion of the course is followed by some placement assistance. You need this to make a smooth entry into the field. A training institute, therefore, should have good references in the medical transcription industry.
Ask former students about the instructors at the institute. The course instructors should have a considerable experience working as medical transcriptionists. Only such instructors can help you prepare for the challenges in the medical transcription profession.
Jul
07
2010
Every good advice about medical transcription courses will insist on taking your time on making the right decision. The medical transcription training is extremely important for your career. Therefore, it is important you don’t settle for just another course. But don’t all courses offer the same medical information and transcription skills? Well, a good course provides a little more than that. A good course prepares you for the job ahead by giving you an idea of what to expect in your job.
Typically, medical transcription training will provide you with practice dictations. Now, a good course will give you enough hours of dictation. And a good course will also ensure that the dictation is authentic. Wondering what authentic means in this context? It refers to the dictation recorded by real doctors. Yes, there are institutes that offer dictations recorded by actors. Now, such dictations won’t help you get an idea of the real job, will they?
The medical transcription aspirant need not have any prior information or knowledge on medicine; the training is what equips him/her with that. The training is what introduces you to the basics of medicine, medical terms, diseases, treatments, medicine names, etc.
The training also provides you with knowledge on technology and tools you will use as a medical transcriptionist. You will develop transcription skills during the course of the training. And, yes, you will also learn to research. Research is an important part of medical transcription, and every transcriptionist should be able to look for information on his/her own.
If you are looking for a medical transcription course, make it a point to compare different courses before deciding on one.
Jul
02
2010
Your choice of the medical transcription course determines how smooth your entry into the medical transcription industry will be. The course is what equips you with medical knowledge and transcription skills and prepares you for the medical transcription job. Let’s look at how you should find a good course.
Start with finding out if the course conforms to the guidelines specified in COMPRO. COMPRO is an acronym for the competency profile for medical transcription education programs as laid down by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
Next, inquire about the number of hours of dictations provided for practice in the course. You should also make sure that the dictation is recorded by doctors and not by role-playing actors.
Ask the training institute if the completion of the course is followed by placement assistance. You will need some help in making the entry into the field. A training institute, therefore, should have good references in the medical transcription industry.
Learn about the instructors. The course instructors should have a considerable experience working as medical transcriptionists. Only such instructors can prepare you for the challenges of the medical transcription profession.
Take references of the alumni of the course and talk to them. Inquire about the quality of the course, its instructors, and its credibility. Also, find out if they were provided with placement assistance by the training institute and if it was any good.
Join a course only when you are satisfied that it is a good one. And yes, don’t rule out taking up an online medical transcription course. If it meets the criteria of being a good course and if you are disciplined enough to handle it, go for it.
Jun
21
2010
Medical transcription training is what lays the foundation of your medical transcription career. How much do you know about this training?
Do you know what a good medical transcription course offers? It offers medical information, medico-legal information and information on relevant tools and technology. The course helps develop transcription skills in you. It teaches you research skills. It helps you get ready for the job by letting you practice with real dictations.
How should you go about finding the right course? Start with finding out if the course conforms to the guidelines specified in COMPRO. COMPRO is an acronym for the competency profile for medical transcription education programs as laid down by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). The course should have sufficient hours of dictations recorded by doctors. The instructors should have considerable experience in the industry. Make sure the completion of the course is followed by placement assistance.
Is an online medical transcription course any good? The good thing with an online course is that it lets you study at your own pace and convenience. You can go for the online course if you are comfortable learning on your own and as long as it meets the criteria of being a good medical transcription course.
The duration of a medical transcription course can range from three months to a year. Some courses may cost a few hundred dollars while others cost 3-4 thousand.
It is important you don’t go for the first course you come across. Make sure you have compared different courses before you get into one.
Jun
19
2010
Numerous times in this blog we have discussed that a medical transcription course should be chosen with care. We have given you a list of criteria to ensure that you pick up a good course. Ever wondered why we give so much importance to medical transcription training? Because that is where you learn medical transcription.
A medical transcription aspirant is not expected to know about medicine or even possess transcription skills. The easy entry into the profession is one of the major reasons people find the profession lucrative. So, one does not have the skills required for the work when one decides to get into the profession.
Of course, there is the aptitude we so often talk about. Even though the profession has not laid down any prerequisites, we insist that you make sure you have the aptitude for it. And this aptitude refers to computer proficiency, command over the English language, willingness to learn and research while working and commitment to deadlines. One needs to possess a number of soft skills in order to do well as a medical transcriptionist and these are what we expect you to ensure before you commit to the profession.
Now, coming back to the medical transcription course, it is important to look into every aspect of the course before you take it up. After all, this is what is going to prepare you for the job. You should make sure that the course curriculum is a standard one. Next, you should be sure that you will get to practice well before your job. And, yes, don’t forget the job assistance part; your institute should be able to provide with you some kind of placement assistance on completion of the course.
I hope you get the idea of why you should choose your medical transcription course with care.
Jun
18
2010
Upon completion of your medical transcriptionist training, the time has come to find a job. It is not easy for a new transcriptionist to find a company that will hire you fresh out of training, but it can be done with the right resources. There are, unfortunately, also plenty of scams related to this industry just waiting to take you for a ride. See below for some tips to keep in mind when searching for a job.
There are basically two types of medical transcriptionists in the world; employees and independent contractors, which means you are self-employed. Here are the differences between the two:
- Employee. You are put on the company’s payroll. This means you sign an application for employment, complete a W-4, and other necessary paperwork that makes you eligible to be an employee. You can work either part-time or full-time for the company (whatever you agree upon). Full-time employees usually have all the benefits that in-house employees enjoy, including vacation time, paid holidays, etc.
- Independent Contractor. In this situation, you basically work for yourself, but contract with a company to work a set amount of hours or complete a set number of lines. You sign a contract that becomes binding. You usually have the option of working part-time or full-time, but do not enjoy paid time off. In this scenario, you are also responsible for your quarterly taxes paid to the IRS.
The reason few places hire new MTs is because they need people who are experienced and can come right in to help on their accounts. With new MTs, it takes time to review their work and give feedback, which most companies do not have the time to do. They work on a 24-hour turnaround time to keep their accounts in good status.
Jun
09
2010
You know the medical transcription profession doesn’t have any prerequisites. How does one then gain the skills needed to perform medical transcription work? From the medical transcription training. Let’s look at what all the training has to offer.
The medical transcription course equips you with medical knowledge. It familiarizes you with medical terms. It gives you an overview of subjects like Anatomy and Physiology. You learn about human diseases. You get an overview of treatments. The course also familiarizes you with medicine names. And yes, you also get acquainted with medico-legal information. The course also familiarizes the transcriptionist with information on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The medical transcription training will also hand over to you information on relevant tools and technology. Your computer skills will be brushed up during the training. You will learn transcription methods, tools and technology and also develop transcription skills during the course of the training.
A medical transcriptionist should be able to research extensively in order to deliver quality work. A good medical transcription course will teach you the research tips and techniques. The training will also refresh your knowledge of English grammar.
Any professional course should provide the much-needed hands-on experience to the trainees before they take up a job. A good medical transcription course provides authentic dictations to practice with. This is what prepares you for the work that lies ahead.
It is important that you choose your medical transcription course with care.
Jun
01
2010
Or will it make more jobs… or make the Medical Transcriptionist’s job easier? The Medical Transcriptionist’s job is to decipher recordings and written notes from medical professionals and type them into a computer document using very definitive terminology.
But now we have voice recognition software. It’s not new; I was using it as a writer ten years ago! But back then it was not as refined as it is now, it made too many mistakes and took too long to “train” for it to be a lot of use to a Medical Transcriptionist. But, like all technology, it is improving and it is being made to understand better and better and become more accurate. At this point, you still must train it to know your voice inflections and understand what you are saying and then type it correctly for you. With all the medical jargon in the Medical Transcriptionist’s job, it can be difficult and time consuming to train.
However, will there be a voice recognition software in the future that is made for the sole purpose of transcribing medical data? Or, will ordinary voice recognition software become so “trainable” that doctors will use it directly instead of sending their recordings and documents off to someone else to transcribe?
From an anonymous Hospital Administrator: “Voice technology, i.e., where the clinician dictates into a microphone and a COMPUTER types the report, is getting better and better and in the process, is replacing Medical Transcriptionist positions. Many places have cut back the transcriptionist staff. Some places have replaced the Medical Transcriptionist with lesser trained typists, to proof reports and make minor corrections and what not.”
May
30
2010
You have always wanted to work from home. Medical Transcription was the perfect choice for you. Now you have a chance to create your own nice little work space, a comfortable place where you can work, alone, and make money. But, how you organize that work space is a very personal thing.
I’m sure you have heard of Feng Shui. The art of arranging your living space in a manner that improves positive energy flow into your life. Well, your office at home doesn’t have to be a model of Feng Shui perfection, but it does have to be comfortable for you, private enough to let you work with limited interruptions and set up in a manner that makes you work more efficiently.
If your office has windows, try not to let them distract you from your work. A view of the kids playing outside can get a bit distracting. Place your desk away from the windows if you can so you are not tempted to peer out. Immediately within reach should be the items you will need the most such as pens and pencils, dictionary of medical terms, the work you are transcribing and any voice dictation needs you might require (such as the microphone or headset you use).
Keep the colors of the room happy. Dark walls and a dark atmosphere can become depressing. If your area is dark and there’s not much you can do about it, try to brighten it up with something you enjoy, such as a nice plant on the desk (away from your work) or a water plant in a vase with a Betta swimming in the bottom. Just try not to get too distracted by the fish.
Decorate the walls as much as you can with family pictures and/or things that make you very happy. If you start to feel alone and lonely you can look at the pictures.
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