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| FAQs |
| For information on pay and demand, see Industry Stats |
What does a medical transcriptionist do?
 Medical transcriptionists listen to doctor dictation and type it for the patient’s medical file. So, for example, when someone comes in for a doctor visit, the doctor will dictate into an audio device what happened during the visit. That audio file is then sent to a medical transcriptionist who listens to the file and then formats and types it for the patient’s medical record. A foot-pedal is used to slow down, speed up, pause, and rewind dictation. That way you don’t have to take your hands off the keyboard. After the medical transcriptionist has completed the transcription, the typed report is then sent back to the medical office to be further processed for coding and billing. |
How long does it take to complete a course?
The length of time it takes to complete a medical transcription course depends on the school. The school that I am most familiar with takes about 570 hours. It is a self-paced course so in terms of months, that depends on the amount of time you devote to it. If you were to work on it full-time, you can graduate in about 4 months. If you have less time to work on it, you can estimate to graduate in about 8 months or so. Again, it all depends on the amount of time you spend on it since you work at your own pace. |
What is AHDI?
AHDI is a medical transcription association. AHDI stands for Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity. They approve medical transcription courses- so you will want to be sure to enroll in a course that is AHDI approved. That way you know that it is a good, reputable course! |
Do I need to be certified?
No, it is not necessary to become certified to work as a medical transcriptionist although having the certification credential will help set you apart from other applicants when applying for jobs. AHDI offers 2 types of optional certifications- Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT). If you have less than 2 years of experience in acute care, you have completed training and you want a certification credential, then you would want to go for RMT. CMT requires 2 years experience in acute care. To get a certification, all you have to do is take the certification exam. Again, certification is not required to enter this career field. |
Where can I find a job?
You can look for jobs through your local newspaper; websites such as Careerbuilder, Monster, Indeed, etc; hospitals; physicians’ offices; or medical transcription companies such as MedQuist, Sten-Tel, AllType, Amphion, eMTS, eTransPlus, 360 Transcription, Lemar, Alpha Transcription and more. For more information about finding a job, view a 20 minute webinar- Where are the JOBS? |
What typing skills are required for training?
If you are concerned that you may not have the typing skills required to begin medical transcription training, don’t be. You don’t have to be an expert typist to train to become a medical transcriptionist. A quality medical transcription training program will include training to help increase your typing speed. Many medical transcriptionists are compensated on a production basis, which means that the faster you type, the more money you can make. A quality medical transcription training program will recognize this and incorporate training to help you type faster and succeed as a medical transcriptionist. |
What equipment do I need for training?
The only equipment that should be required to take medical transcription training will also be used while working as a medical transcriptionist. This includes a computer and an internet connection (with an online, self-paced course) as well as a foot-pedal. When you become employed as a medical transcriptionist, a computer will be required to do the transcribing and an internet connection will be required to download dictation. A foot-pedal will more than likely be included in the course price. Foot-pedals are used to slow down, speed up, pause, and rewind dictation. Check to make sure that your training fee includes a foot-pedal. So if you are going to need to purchase these items in order to begin your medical transcription training, your investment will be well worth it. |
What about speech recognition technology?
“Speech recognition technology allows physicians and other health professionals to dictate medical reports to a computer, which immediately creates an electronic document. In spite of the advances in this technology, the software has been slow to grasp and analyze the human voice, the English language, and the medical vernacular with all its diversity. As a result, there will continue to be a need for skilled medical transcriptionists to identify and appropriately edit the inevitable errors created by speech recognition systems and to create a final document.” Source: US Department of Labor Occupational Handbook 2010-11 Edition |
What is Medical Transcription Editing?
Since speech recognition technology is unable to completely and accurately create electronic documents, medical transcription editors are needed to review, edit and correct the documents created by the speech recognition software. With so many ways to pronounce the same words, words that sound the same, speech accents, background noises, etc. speech recognition will not be able to accurately transcribe medical reports. There is only one school that I know of that offers a medical transcription editing course and it covers everything you need to know about medical transcription as well as medical transcription editing. This is a good option because you can train for multiple career paths. You can learn more about medical transcription editing training here. |
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