Medical Transcription Trends

As a medical transcriptionist, you’ll be one of the most important members of the medical profession. That doesn’t mean you’ll take part in patient care, diagnose illnesses, or prescribe medications. It does mean that you have an important job.

To fully understand the medical transcriptionist’s impact, you’ll have to understand who relies on you for what. Here are a few ways you have a big impact on the medical profession:

• Hospitals – Hospitals will lose their government accreditations if they don’t keep their medical documents updated and if they fall below a certain quality in medical document preparation. Who prepares those documents? You do – the medical transcriptionist.
• Doctors – Doctors are the hands-on practitioners of the medical profession. If the medical documents they use to administer care are not accurate and turned in on time, then patient care may be drastically reduced.
• Insurance Companies – Insurance companies require an accurate patient report in a timely manner or they will not pay invoices. That means both doctors and hospitals could go a long time without being paid. The medical transcriptionist is the only person standing in the way of payment.

When you look at those three points, you suddenly realize that the medical transcription profession is a very important profession. You have the power to cause hospitals to lose accreditation, doctors to screw up patient care, and insurance companies not to get paid. That’s a lot of power and impact.

In any profession, a mentor can make a big difference between getting by and being successful. That’s also true in the medical transcription profession. That’s why I recommend finding a mentor, and the best place to find a mentor is in an online medical transcription course.

A good mentor will have the following characteristics:

• Patience
• Answers to the most in-depth, well thought out questions
• Available when you need them
• Willingness and ability to help
• Experience
• Knowledge of the subject matter
• Ability to establish and build rapport
• Understanding of your needs
• Excellent communication skills

The Future MT online medical transcription course offers a 24/7 mentoring program that uses mentors with all of these qualities and more. You are sure to find a mentor who is available any time you need them, and they are mentors with years and years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. You’ll be able to have all of your questions answered throughout the learning process.

A live mentor can help you solve your problems when you have them. As you work through the course material, you will have questions. And instead of being left alone to figure it out for yourself or being stuck in a forum where you ask questions only of other students, you can have access to medical transcription professionals and subject matter experts – around the clock!

Do you live in an area that is known for harsh winters? Are you likely to get snowed in for long periods of time? So what do you do for income during that time? One option is telecommuting.

There are several professions that have a high number of telecommuters. One of those is the medical transcription profession. The upside to getting snowed in for the winter is you can do your work and deliver it through e-mail or online and get paid all winter long.

The first step to capitalizing off your winter snow-ins is to take an accredited online medical transcription course. This course will prepare you for a career in medical transcription.

Medical transcriptionists get paid to create and maintain medical documents for doctors, hospitals, and medical specialists in many fields. If you are accurate and fast in delivering your work, then you can make a good penny as a medical transcriptionist. What better way to earn a living if you are stuck at home and can’t get out.

Instead of driving to work, just walk into your home office and get the day started. Meet your deadlines, meet the minimum accuracy requirements, and get paid well for being at home. It’s a dream job for many. I’m sure it will be for you too.

Medical transcriptionists should be familiar with certain medical terms in order to produce high quality medical documents on time. If you enroll in an accredited medical transcription course that is highly recognized and respected by members of the profession, then you’ll learn medical terms as a matter of course.

Your medical transcription course textbook will introduce you to several medical specialties that you will likely work with in the course of your work. Those specialties include:

• Dermatology
• Otorhinolaryngology
• Ophthalmology
• Pulmonary medicine
• Cardiology
• Hematology
• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology
• Urology
• Nephrology
• Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Orthopedics
• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Pathology
• Radiology

You should be familiar with the basic medical terms of these specialties. You are likely, after all, to produce medical documents for them at one time or another in your career. By familiarizing yourself with medical terms before you need them, you ensure that your research time is cut short when producing medical documents and that will lead to greater job satisfaction and higher pay.

Medical transcriptionists are typically paid by the line unit. Your salary could be anywhere from 7 cents to 13 cents per line. Medical transcriptionists who command the highest rates are those who are faster, more accurate, and easier to work with. Knowing the medical terms for the specialties you are more likely to work with will increase your prospects for greater pay and satisfaction.

Yahoo! Education has listed medical transcription among jobs for people who don’t like people. Really? Is medical transcription really a profession for people who can’t stand to be around other people?

Actually, it does make sense. When you consider that medical transcriptionists spend most of their time with head phones on their ears, taking dictation and transcribing notes into a readable format, yes, you could say that there is quite a bit of “alone time.” If that’s your thing, then the medical transcription profession just might be something you should consider.

Even if you work for someone else – a doctor or a hospital – you’ll still spend a lot of your time working alone. In fact, many employers of medical transcriptionists hire telecommuters so you’ll actually be in your home office – alone. Even if you work onsite you likely will not get a lot of personal interaction with co-workers. A high degree of autonomy and independence is necessary to make it as a medical transcriptionist.

Says Yahoo!:

Petty office politics and gossip don’t easily reach the ears of medical transcriptionists, who wear headphones while transcribing dictated recordings from doctors and other health care pros. A no-nonsense, buttoned-up approach can help since you’ll be editing reports for grammar and clarity. Many MT’s work at home or off-site from their clients.

And Yahoo! lists the salary for a medical transcriptionist at $15.41 per hour. That coincides with our knowledge of current medical transcription salaries as well. And there’s a good chance that could go up in the future as demand for services increases.

If you don’t consider yourself a people person and you like to work alone, then medical transcription could be the career choice for you.

Medical transcriptionists are some of the highest paid non-degreed professionals in the workforce today. The reason is quite clear. It all boils down to demand. That’s what all five of these reasons have in common. Here are five reasons medical transcriptionists are as highly paid as they are, and why they might even make more money ten years from now.

1. Baby Boomers are retiring. This means that demand for health care services will rise over the next 20 years furthering demand for medical transcription services.
2. Doctors do not have time to perform their own dictations. Demands on their time and services are expected to increase as well, and they don’t have time for dictation now.
3. Insurance companies require an accurate dictation report before they will pay invoices. Who provides these dictation reports? Medical transcriptionists do.
4. Medical transcription is a specialized skill. If you enroll in a medical transcription course and receive the industry certification, you will be a top-notch medical transcriptionist whose services are in high demand.
5. The rigors of the job are demanding. You have quick turn around times and tight deadlines. You also are expected to maintain 0% critical errors and are allowed only 2% on major and minor errors.

The rise of modern technology has made medical transcription an even more necessary skill for any doctor or hospital. There’s just one problem. They can’t do it themselves. They’d rather hire you.

Medical transcriptionists can be very busy professionals. There is a high demand for the services of a qualified MT and you will seldom find yourself working for just one person, or employer. You will likely get your business from a variety of medical specialists even if you work for a company.

So how many medical specialists utilize medical transcription services? Quite a few actually. Here’s a list that you’ll learn about in a medical transcription course – if you read the textbook:

• Dermatologists
• Otorhinolaryngologists
• Ophmalmologists
• Pulmonary medicine specialists
• Cardiologists
• Hematologists
• Gastroenterologists
• Endocrinologists
• Urologists
• Nephrologists
• OB/GYNs
• Orthopedic surgeons
• Neurologists
• Psychiatrists
• Pathologists
• Radiologists

And that’s just a few. The subspecialties that work with these medical specialists also use medical transcription services.

As a medical transcriptionist, you may find yourself working in a hospital, as a freelancer or for a doctor’s office. You should be familiar with many medical documents and their formats.

What is a test for Medical Transcriptionists and why would you need to take one – after you graduate school that is?  A medical transcription test is often given by employers who want to test the competency of prospective employees. Often a transcription test will be given online as part of an online application. Other times, companies will ask that an applicant submit their application and resume before getting the log-in information to complete the medical transcription test. Most medical transcription tests required by companies will be done online, so prospective applicants should consider what they can do to help them pass and excel at these tests.

Study Tips:

If you have just graduated from a medical transcription training program then you should spend some time reviewing all of your study materials, especially medical terminology and spelling of common medical terms. In addition, you should practice your typing skills and aim to reach at least 75-80 words per minute without any errors.

To help you study and prepare for an online medical transcription test, you should practice with free online transcription tests.  Online practice tests will help you become comfortable taking tests online and can help you to improve your grammar, spelling, and typing speed. Many websites offer free typing tests that you can use to help hone your skills.

If you have a transcription foot pedal, noise cancelling headphones, or any other type of transcription device that will assist you while taking the test, then be sure that you are using those devices while practicing so that you are comfortable using them during the test.

With unemployment on the rise – more than 30,000 jobs were lost in December 2009 alone – more people are turning to careers that are least likely to be affected by today’s tough economy. One area on the rise is the need for good Medical Transcriptionists.

Vocational schools and colleges report being faced with more inquiries about health care programs than ever before! Health care is one of the industries expected to increase by double-digit numbers in the next decade – with 3 million new wage and salary jobs projected from 2006 to 2016. This is prompting more job seekers to turn to training schools, such as medical transcription schools, to get skills that will be in demand today and in the future.

As an aging population requires more medical care, and as medical research continues to advance, there will be a growing need for people to provide transcription services – creating high demand for trained medical transcription professionals. The increased need for properly transcribed documentation will lead to opportunities in doctor’s offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics and rehabilitation centers nationwide.

With job prospects “good” for most health care fields, including medical transcription, more people will make the decision to get trained and re-trained in a secure health care career. As other industries decline, health care will continue to be a good choice for a recession-proof career. So, what are you waiting for? As unemployment rates go up, get your Medical Transcriptionist training and get on the 21st century bandwagon with a great 21st century career.

If you want to know exactly what being a Medical Transcriptionist is really like, conduct an informational Medical Transcriptionist interview with someone in the field. Find a local company, doctor’s office or fellow transcriber and make an appointment for an informational interview. This should be easy – most people would be happy to talk with someone that is interested in their medical transcription career.

This type of interview is less formal than a regular interview, and provides you with the opportunity to ask the questions. Imagine having someone sitting in front of you that you can ask such questions as:

1. What is your medical transcription job like?
2. What does a typical day entail?
3. What are your duties and/or responsibilities?
4. How did this type of work interest you?
5. How did you get started?
6. What medical transcription training or knowledge do you need to succeed?
7. What do you like most about your medical transcription career? The least?
8. What do you recommend I do first?
9. What advice can you offer for my medical transcription career?

Some important things to consider: make a list of questions beforehand, dress as you would for a normal interview and bring a notebook. First, you don’t want to go to your interview unprepared. Take some time beforehand to come up with some thoughtful questions. This is your one chance to ask pointed questions about medical transcription – don’t hold back!

Second, you want to make a good first impression. You never know if your informational interview will lead to an actual interview or job offer, so dress in a professional manner. Third, bring a notebook to the interview. This will enable you to refer to your written questions as well as take notes. You want to remember what you learn, so go ahead and write down the important points.