Medical Transcriptionist Training – Page 4 – Medical Transcription Basics

Category: Medical Transcriptionist Training (page 4 of 6)

What Is the Best Online Medical Transcriptionist School?

February 3, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

If you’re going to pay for the training you need to become a medical transcriptionist, you probably want the best training you can get. How will you know when you’ve found the best online medical transcriptionist school?

You just have to know what you’re looking for and what makes a great medical transcriptionist school.

It’s not just the price, of course. A higher price does not guarantee a better education. Good schools will usually cost more than bad schools, but that’s not a guarantee. Schools can set their fees to whatever they think they can get for their training, after all.

AHDI Approval is one good indicator that you’ve found one of the best online medical transcriptionist schools available. They only approve a relatively small number of schools, and only after they meet strict criteria in terms of training, finances and more.

Cost is a factor in terms of what you can afford. If you’re trying to decide between two schools, sometimes it comes down to the one you can better afford to attend. You can’t go cheap, but if all else appears equal, you may not need to go with the most expensive either.

Some things you’ll find to be true of most programs. You’ll often see that online schools allow you to learn medical transcription at your own pace. This is great if you need to work another job while you train or if you have small children or other family members to care for. You can do your training when your other obligations allow. You’ll then also be learning how to manage those obligations once you complete your training and find a job.

Quality programs also have teachers available to you by email, chat or phone. Most students don’t just learn on their own. It’s important to be able to ask for help when you need it. Having a qualified teacher available to you is vital to your long term success.

You also want to know that employers trust the school and will hire their graduates. Otherwise, you’re going to have quite a time getting past the standard requirement of two to three years experience in medical transcription that you see in most job ads. Finding a job with training but no on the job experience is a bear no matter what industry you’re talking about. If the training you’ve gone through is sufficiently trusted by employers, you’ve just minimized the experience issue.

Schools often but not always have job placement assistance. It may be as simple as job boards available to new graduates. You want your school to give you some sort of resources for landing that first job. You can’t always rely on the big employers having a need for new employers. You need to know how to find other employers so that you can apply for as many positions as it takes until you find a job.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

What Are the Future Prospects for Medical Transcriptionist Training?

February 1, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

You’re ready to learn medical transcription, but you’ve been hearing some things that have you a bit worried about the future of this industry. Will it all be worth it? What kind of future is there in getting medical transcriptionist training?

It’s not as bad as many would say, I believe. There is a future for medical transcriptionists, and you can use your time in training to prepare for it.

The big thing medical transcriptionists are concerned about is the growth of electronic medical records and voice recognition software. Why should a doctor pay a transcriptionist to do work that his or her computer can handle for him at the instant of dictation? It would save money to skip that part, right?

There’s some truth to that, and certainly many doctors are going to voice recognition software. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need someone to check to make sure the dictation came out right. There’s still a need for an editor to confirm that the software got it right, and that the doctor didn’t misspeak. They both make mistakes, and it’s important to keep such mistakes out of the medical records as much as possible. That’s where the future of medical transcription is likely headed.

This is something to consider during your training. Schools such as Career Step now offer training that includes preparation for dealing with electronic medical records. While it’s hard to say just how important that’s going to be, anything that gives you a step up in career related knowledge is likely to be a good thing.

Even so, you need the basic medical transcriptionist training to do the work of a medical records editor. You still need to know all the terminology, all the physiology, anatomy, disease processes and so forth.

As a career, medical transcription is still expected to continue growing in demand. Just think of all the requirements of an aging population, as the Baby Boomer generation gets older. Jobs in the medical field in general will probably continue to be high demand. The technology may change exactly what is demanded by the work, but the work will not disappear entirely for some time.

You’ll probably encounter some naysayers when you talk about pursuing this career from people who know how the technology is changing. Don’t let them get you down. Instead, learn to discuss the great options you have to keep things going. The changes don’t mean your career will vanish overnight, just that it’s changing. Be prepared and you’ll do fine.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Is It Possible to Become a Medical Transcriptionist Without Any Formal Training?

January 31, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

Many people want to become medical transcriptionists. Finding out the training requirements can be a bit daunting, however. Do you really have to go to school for so many months just to type up what the doctor says? Can’t you become a medical transcriptionist without all that formal training?

To put is simply, no. It’s not a good idea and it’s close to impossible. You will very, very rarely find a position that will train you completely from scratch in medical transcription. It’s much simpler for employers to hire experienced workers and new graduates from training programs than it is to spend the many months it takes to train someone who has no idea how to do the job at all.

Medical transcription is a tough job, and it is not just typing what you hear the doctor dictate. There are formatting rules. There’s confusing terminology. There are mistakes made by doctors that a transcriptionist can request clarification about to help keep errors out of the patient’s medical records. It’s a highly demanding career.

Good quality training will teach you these things and more. You have to learn about anatomy, physiology, disease processes, drugs and much more. You have to learn how to format the different types of reports. You have to learn what to do when a doctor makes a mistake in his or her dictation so that the report can be corrected.

You may also want to get training that will help you to advance your career as electronic medical records become more common. The work done by a medical transcriptionist keeps changing, and the better trained you are for the career and the changes coming now, the better off you will be in the long run.

Formal training can be a smarter move for your career in medical transcription as well.

First and foremost, it will cut down on how long it takes you to find work. You aren’t going to find many, if any at all, positions that will even consider you as a medical transcriptionist without training. Think about how much money you could be earning monthly once you start working. If you spend less time training and job hunting than you would spend in job hunting without the training, isn’t that a good deal?

Given that it’s extremely close to impossible to get a transcription job without training, I would expect this to be the better option.

Second, many medical transcriptionists are paid on production rather than hourly. This is especially true among home based medical transcriptionists. The better trained you are, the more you will earn as you work because you’ll better understand what you need to type. The terminology the doctor is so quickly throwing at you in his or her dictation will be familiar if you’re well trained.

It may not be easy to find a way to pay for training, but if you’re serious about this career, it’s what you have to do. Check with the schools you’re considering, and you may be able to get a payment plan that will allow you to pay for the training you need for this challenging career.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Is Medical Transcriptionist Training a Good Choice for Military Spouses?

January 29, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

If there’s one constant in the life of a military family, it’s change. You never know when you’ll need to move to an entirely new area with little notice. It’s great serving your country, but hard on a military spouse’s career.

That’s where a career in medical transcription can be a good thing for military spouses. It’s highly flexible, in demand, and may even be done from home. Medical transcription is a job that can travel with you. Even if you don’t get a home based position, you have the skills to find work in most areas.

There’s even funding for military spouses to go through medical transcriptionist training. Schools such as Career Step are eligible for MyCAA funding, so that you can get your training with no out of pocket expenses. It’s a great way to take those first steps into a new career.

Key to success as a medical transcriptionist, of course, is good training. You will want the flexibility of home based training. Not only does this ensure you can continue your training with minimal interruption if you have to move, it’s practice for home based working conditions. You’ll learn exactly what it takes to get your work done without supervision. You’ll learn how to keep the kids distracted when you need to study. These are skills the home based medical transcriptionist needs to master above and beyond their transcription skills.

While many medical transcriptionists dream of working from home, and many succeed in that dream, it’s important to understand that home based work is not your only alternative. You can work in a doctor’s office, hospital, medical school, transcription service, clinic, laboratory, rehabilitation center, veterinary office, and many more locations. Any place that deals with a physician’s dictation will need a medical transcriptionist. Some will allow home based work, but others won’t.

One of the greatest benefits a career in medical transcription offers military spouses is its flexibility, especially if you are working from home. Home based transcriptionists usually set their own hours, making it easy for you to be there when your spouse or children need you. You can move your work hours around to when they’re convenient to you. You will probably still need to work a certain number of hours, and even have something of an agreed upon schedule, but they’re usually easily changed to suit your needs at the time.

If you’re ready to start a career that’s flexible enough to cope with the lifestyle of a military spouse, take a look at medical transcription while MyCAA funding is available. What better way to be there for your family while enjoying the transition to a new career?

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training, and inquire about receiving MyCAA funding for your education.

Are All Online Classes for Medical Transcription Created Equal?

January 26, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

There are a lot of online classes for medical transcription out there. They all say they’ll give you the training you need to become a successful medical transcriptionist if you sign up for them. But should you sign up with just any of them?

Of course not. There are always differences, and you should make sure you’re getting the best deal you can. That includes being certain that the classes are worth signing up for in the first place. I define that as classes that will really prepare you for your first job in medical transcription.

One way to tell if an online class will do that for you is to check with the AHDI. They review courses and give approval to the ones that meet their criteria. These are courses which will teach you much of what it takes to transcribe successfully. Work hard in your studies, and you improve your chances of graduating well enough to land a job after.

You also want to consider if the courses are preparing you for the future. Medical transcription has gone through some changes in recent years, and will continue to do so. Electronic medical records are changing the job significantly. The better prepared you are for dealing with these changes, the better off you will be in the long run.

Don’t sign up for online classes, or classes anywhere, that promise you too much. No excessively quick training. No promises of higher pay than what can really be expected.

You should expect them to offer significant support during your training. There should be ways to contact a teacher quickly. Forums to chat with other students are handy also. Job placement assistance is great as well, for after graduation.

Some will claim you can do it almost entirely on your own. Online classes do mean you’ll be doing a lot of work at your own pace, but most students need some support. Medical transcription is a highly challenging industry, one that demands accuracy. You don’t want to be adequate. You want to be great. Having the right support in your online classes will help you become a great transcriptionist.

Take some time to learn about the online classes you’re considering to learn medical transcription. Make sure they’re a good choice for your budget, schedule and career. Think about the long term to be sure you get a good one. You don’t want to find out after graduation that you wasted time and money on a class that didn’t teach you enough.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

How Long Should Medical Transcriptionist Training Online Take?

January 18, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

When you decide to study to become a medical transcriptionist, it’s natural to be eager to finish your studies and find a job. That’s your actual goal, after all. It’s perfectly reasonable to wonder how long medical transcription training online should take.

Don’t believe every answer you read.

Some courses will claim you can learn medical transcription in as little as eight weeks. I don’t believe it, and I don’t feel you should either, at least not if you’re serious about a career in medical transcription. You can learn quite a bit in eight weeks if you work hard at it, but not enough to become a really productive medical transcriptionist. That takes time.

The programs offering to teach you to be a medical transcriptionist in a very short period of time will rush you through things you need to spend more time on. That’s especially true of transcription practice. Becoming a medical transcriptionist is not all about knowing the words or being able to type. You have to know how to transcribe, and that takes something a bit more.

On the short side of things, four months is not an impossible goal for a serious student with plenty of time for studies. You can do it that fast, and really that’s not too bad for learning an entirely new career. You’ll have to work hard to make it that fast.

It often takes longer, however. Nine months isn’t entirely unreasonable.

Some schools offer two year programs in medical transcription. This usually comes from a community college, and they may expect you to take unrelated courses in order to graduate. If you just want to become a medical transcriptionist, that’s not necessary.

Add in the inconvenience of having to register for each individual course needed to graduate from the community college program, and being slowed down if your schedule doesn’t work out with the classes available, and you may see why I suggest sticking with training online.

Many online training programs for medical transcriptionists are self paced. There’s no real promise about how fast you will complete the course.

That’s useful. That means you can keep your day job or continue with your family obligations as you learn your new career. It’s harder to get into a new career if it means giving up your old work before you’re even qualified for the new.

Do not rush yourself as you learn medical transcription. Take some time. Make sure you’re really picking up the skills you need.

If you find you can do this more quickly than you had originally planned, congratulations. That’s a wonderful thing.

But if you find you’re struggling a bit more, or your schedule isn’t working out, or other challenges slow you down and the whole thing is taking longer than you planned, well, that’s how things go sometimes. Be glad that self paced programs are flexible enough to allow you to learn at the rate you can do best. You don’t have to worry so much that you aren’t going to finish on time. The amount of time medical transcriptionist training online takes can be the amount of time you need it to take.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Why Go With Medical Transcriptionist Online Training Rather Than Your Local School?

January 17, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

When you’re researching your educational options, you may notice a lot of medical transcriptionist online training courses, as well as local schools. Are there any good reasons to take a chance on an online training program rather than attend your local school, which you probably know more about?

There are many good reasons to prefer an online program. Here are just a few.

1. Online training is often self paced.

This is not true for absolutely every medical transcriptionist online training program out there, but it is true for quite a number. You decide what times and days you study, and for how long. It’s great if you have other work or family obligations to deal with. Your education works completely with your schedule.

Local schools need you to keep to their schedule. You have to attend classes when the professor can be there. You have to know what the lab hours are for your transcription practice if it’s not available to take home. You have to drive there. You have to arrange childcare if you have kids. Local just isn’t as convenient in many ways.

2. Online training is practice for working at home.

Not every medical transcriptionist works at home, but it’s a goal for many people who become interested in this career. Do your training online, and you learn how to cope with working from home. You have to set your own schedule, motivate yourself and even deal with the fact that you aren’t interacting with your classmates in person. It’s not for everyone, and the sooner you find out if you like working that way, the better.

You should also have access to your teachers online or by phone, which is rather like having a supervisor available to you online or by phone when you’re working. You can ask your questions as they come up even though you aren’t sitting in a classroom. Emailed questions or questions asked on a forum may take a little time to be answered, but in many cases you will have faster ways to ask for help.

3. Great medical transcriptionist online training programs are available.

Some of the best programs are the online training programs. They’re familiar to more employers. They train a number of medical transcription students from across the country. The best online programs have great reputations.

4. Start when you’re ready.

Some medical transcriptionist online training programs have particular start dates for sessions, but many allow you to start when you’re ready. You decide it’s time for a new career and pick the school, they’re ready for you. No waiting for registration to open up for the next quarter or semester.

5. Student forums and resources to use after graduation.

Online training programs usually have student forums that are useful during your student days as well as after graduation. You can network with your fellow students to increase your chances of finding work later.

There may also be reference materials and job hunting tools that you can use after graduation. These are quite valuable to new transcriptionists. It takes time in a real job to get to where you aren’t having to look things up regularly.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Can an Online Medical Transcriptionist Course Really Prepare You For Work or Are They a Waste?

January 16, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

There’s one very important thing you want from any online medical transcriptionist course you might choose to take. You want it to prepare you to work in the real world, very possibly from home. Without that, you’ve just wasted your time and money.

Do online medical transcriptionist courses really provide that, or are they just one of those online fantasies?

You may be glad to hear that some of the best medical transcriptionist courses available are in fact available online. Some of the schools most trusted by medical transcription employers are online. Many of the programs approved by the AHDI are online.

That doesn’t mean every online medical transcriptionist course is a good one. Many aren’t. You really have to be picky about the program you choose. It’s very easy to set up a school online, or at least something that looks like one. You need to confirm that the course you’re considering is going to be worth the time, money and effort you put into it.

A simple check is to look for AHDI Approval. This means their curriculum has been reviewed and should be enough to train you up as a medical transcriptionist. An experienced medical transcriptionist must be involved. This isn’t a formal accreditation process, but it’s the nearest thing available that has industry acceptance.

You can also check with employers. Some have partnerships with certain schools, and that improves your chances of a job, should one be open, after graduation. Partnerships do not guarantee a position, but it is helpful to know when certain employers give extra consideration to graduates of a particular program.

The most important thing to consider is how you will treat your online course of study. Are you going to take it as seriously as you would if you had to attend classes in person? Online courses don’t work out for everyone. Some find it too difficult to take them as seriously as they know they should.

You must take your online studies seriously if you want to become a medical transcriptionist. This is your best chance to build your skills before you get a job. If you hope to work from home right from the start it becomes even more important, as you won’t have anyone right there to help you if you encounter a problem. You really need to know your job.

That’s another benefit to studying online if you want to work from home. It’s practice in self discipline. Want to know if you have what it takes to work from home? Set up your studies on a schedule as close as you can get it to what you would like to have if you were to work from home. By the time you’ve graduated, you’ll know if you can handle it or if you should search for an office based medical transcription job.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Which Medical Transcriptionist Online Course Should You Avoid?

January 12, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

If you’ve looked at medical transcriptionist online courses much at all, you know there are a lot of them available. There’s a lot of information out there, and it’s hard to sort through it all to decide what’s worth signing up for and what’s going to waste your money.

There are many hints that you should avoid a particular medical transcriptionist online course. Some are in plain sight while others take a bit more research to figure out.

Sign 1: Extravagant Promises

What are they promising you when you graduate from their program? Do they go on and on about earning up to $50,00 a year as a medical transcriptionist without solid statistics to back that number up? Do they rave about the flexibility you will enjoy as you work from the comfort of your own home?

It’s true enough that some medical transcriptionists earn that much a year. Some. Big emphasis on some. Most by far do not.

That doesn’t mean you don’t earn good money. The pay is still pretty good, with the median hourly rate being about $15.

It’s also true enough that you may end up working a highly flexible position from the comfort of your own home. Many medical transcriptionists do. But you can’t always get a home based position right away, and even if you do, you will be expected by most employers to keep to the schedule you’ve written or to set deadlines.

I have to admit, the scheduling thing isn’t that bad. Just don’t think the life of a medical transcriptionist at home is one of near complete leisure with just a bit of work to do. You’ll probably be paid on production, and the work is not always all that easy. You may even need to pay for childcare if you have kids who are too distracting while you work. Sure nice to avoid the commute, though.

Sign 2: Cost of Your Education

A good education in medical transcription online isn’t going to be just a few hundred dollars. The education may be virtual, but any online course worth taking has experienced medical transcriptionists involved in the learning process. They have other expenses as well.

While costs do vary, expect a good program to run over $1500 at the very least. That’s not a bad cost at all if you think about it, and not too hard to make up once you get a job and really start working.

Never go for a free medical transcription course or with a company that promises on the job training if you’ll just buy their software. It’s not going to work out. These aren’t legitimate offers.

Sign 3: Accreditation

Many schools out there are accredited. That only means so much until you check them out. Not every accreditation is equal.

For medical transcription, the one that matters is AHDI Approval. That one is specific to medical transcriptionist training. It’s not a bad thing for a school to have other accreditation, but it doesn’t mean as much if the medical transcription course hasn’t been specifically reviewed.

A bit of caution goes a long way when you’re looking into becoming a medical transcriptionist. Don’t pay for an medical transcriptionist online course until you’re sure you’re picking a good one.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Are Schools for Medical Transcription Honest About Your Chances of Working in Medical Transcription?

January 11, 2011 / Stephanie / Comments Off

You know that when you look at schools for medical transcription that they’re trying to sell you a service, that is, an education that will allow you to break into a new career. But are they honest about your chances of working in medical transcription and what the salary is like?

Some are, some aren’t.

If they’re being honest, the schools for medical transcription are probably using the data from the U.S. Department of Labor, which quotes job growth of 11% by 2018 for medical transcription. Ideally, they’ll link to that information as well on the Department of Labor’s website, so you can see it from the source yourself. That’s being honest.

Some schools will talk about how medical transcriptionists can earn up to $50,000 a year or so. It’s true enough that some medical transcriptionists earn that or even more, but most don’t. From that same Department of Labor report, the middle 50% of medical transcriptionists earn between $13.02 and $18.55 an hour. That comes out to under $40,000 a year even on that high side. Only the highest 10% earn more than 21.81 an hour.

In other words, don’t plan on a high income, especially right after graduation. You can hit the midrange if you really work at it and get a good job, but don’t be surprised to start on the lower side.

A part of this is due to how medical transcription salaries work. They aren’t usually based on hourly work, particularly for home based transcriptionists. Pay is often based on production.

That’s great once you get going. You can improve your pay rate by learning to work faster.

But most important right at the start are your chances of getting hired with training but no actual work experience. That’s the tough part, and no easily accessible outside statistics will tell you how good a chance you have of that. You have to look at the school itself and what it says.

Job placement rate is one factor to consider. If they’re placing a high percentage of graduates, you have a better chance of working in medical transcription after graduation. However, schools may count finding any work, whether it’s as a medical transcriptionist or not, as an employed graduate.

Better is to look at the trust medical transcription employers put in graduates of that program. What do they think? Will they hire new graduates who haven’t worked in the industry yet if they have done well at that school for medical transcription?

That’s what tells you a school may be worth attending when you want to become a medical transcriptionist. It’s a good hint that the program teaches you well enough to get a job if employers trust that school.

Get free information from Career Step about their online medical transcriptionist training.

Medical Transcription Basics

Medical transcription training and schooling tips

Category: Medical Transcriptionist Training (page 4 of 6)

What Is the Best Online Medical Transcriptionist School?

What Are the Future Prospects for Medical Transcriptionist Training?

Is It Possible to Become a Medical Transcriptionist Without Any Formal Training?

Is Medical Transcriptionist Training a Good Choice for Military Spouses?

Are All Online Classes for Medical Transcription Created Equal?

How Long Should Medical Transcriptionist Training Online Take?

Why Go With Medical Transcriptionist Online Training Rather Than Your Local School?

1. Online training is often self paced.

2. Online training is practice for working at home.

3. Great medical transcriptionist online training programs are available.

4. Start when you’re ready.

5. Student forums and resources to use after graduation.

Can an Online Medical Transcriptionist Course Really Prepare You For Work or Are They a Waste?

Which Medical Transcriptionist Online Course Should You Avoid?

Sign 1: Extravagant Promises

Sign 2: Cost of Your Education

Sign 3: Accreditation

Are Schools for Medical Transcription Honest About Your Chances of Working in Medical Transcription?

Medical Transcription Resources

Choose Your Medical Transcriptionist Training

Top Medical Transcriptionist Training Articles