The medical transcriptionist career uses technology to transcribe and transmit oral reports they receive from doctors and physicians. They then create drafts and reports that are added to a patient’s medical file.
What to Expect - Medical Transcriptionist Career
The primary duty involved in a medical transcriptionist career is listening to recordings and typing them into written reports. These professionals perform a necessary and crucial role since many doctors and physicians simply lack the time to draft their own reports. By using medical transcriptionist the doctors have more free to time to see additional patients or to perform other important tasks.
Medical transcriptionists utilize technology in order to listen to the recorded notes and reports. By using a headset they are able to carefully listen to the oral notes pausing when necessary to add, edit, or change the report as needed. Often times they are able to transcribe the notes directly though. There are also instances where they need to edit the reports to fit a proper format or to make sense.
They must understand medical terminology so they can properly transcribe abbreviations and jargon into their long form to reduce any possibilities of ambiguity in the final draft.
Once the medical transcriptionist has completed a recording they send the draft to the doctor of physician for review. If there are any changes or editing is necessary the transcriptionist completes them before adding the report into the patient’s medical file.
A properly transcribed report reduces the chances of the patient receiving treatment that can be harmful to the patient or that is simply not effective.
Many of the medical transcriptionist career options allow the professional to work from home. This telecommuting opportunity makes the profession highly attractive. Otherwise, the professional works from the doctor’s office or hospital on computers and word processors.
Along with transcribing oral reports, transcriptionist will sometimes review speech to text drafts. These drafts are created by software that translates speech into text which is then sent to the transcriptionist. The primary problem this software presents to the medical transcriptionist is that there may be errors and inconsistencies in the text. The transcriptionist must spot these errors and correct them as needed.
Education, Training, and Certification-Medical Transcriptionist Career
The importance of excellent communication and computer skills cannot be overlooked in the medical transcriptionist career field. Several vocational schools and community colleges actually offer courses specifically tailored to the medical transcriptionist career. These courses train students in;
- Medical terminology
- Proper grammar and punctuation
- The proper way to handle medical documentation including legal issues and ethics
- Typing skills
- Office procedures
- Word processing skills
Ideally an individual looking for employment in the medical transcriptionist career field will require completing a 2 year degree or the completion of a certificate program. Employers look for applicants that have some form of advanced training though the medical transcriptionist career does not necessarily require it to enter into the field.
Certification is available in the medical transcriptionist career field. Through accreditation a professional can become a Certified Medical Transcriptionist or a Registered Medical Transcriptionist.
Employment Options-Medical Transcriptionist Career
Medical transcriptionist careers can be found in any facility that regularly sees patients. Such places include;
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Outpatient care facilities
- Physician offices
- Therapist offices
Employment Outlook-Medical Transcriptionist Career
Like many careers in the healthcare arena, medical transcriptionist careers are expected to grow at an incredible rate. As the need for increased medical care continue the medical transcriptionist will be needed more than ever to help doctors and healthcare facilities handle the influx of patients.
A highly trained and skilled medical transcriptionist will be in high demand creating stiff competition for those individuals lacking any form of formal training. Certification will ensure continued success in the medical transcriptionist career.
Projected Salary-Medical Transcriptionist Career
The average hourly wage for the medical transcriptionist career is $15 though it can be as high as $18 depending on certification and training. Some transcriptionist are not paid hourly but according to the amount they transcribe.
The editors of McGraw-Hill and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Big Book of Jobs, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2012-2013 ©2009 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Material "Adapted"