Taking an at home medical transcriptionist course is one of the best ways to learn medical transcription. At home courses are highly flexible, so you can take them around your current schedule, and adapt if your schedule changes. All you need to do is find one that’s good enough to train you for the job you hope to land after graduation. And that’s the challenge.
Not all at home courses are worth taking. Many are flat out worth avoiding. They just don’t give you enough of the skills you need if you’re going to work as a medical transcriptionist. You don’t want to take time for the classes, paying the money the course costs and then find out you didn’t learn enough to get a job after graduation. That’s just a waste. You want a course you can do at home that will teach you everything you need to know to find work as a medical transcriptionist after graduation.
To find an at home course that’s worth taking, you need to know a bit about the school offering the course. Medical transcription can be taken from a variety of schools, even your local community college may offer one that you have to attend in person, but some of the best focus exclusively on training for various careers in the medical field.
Don’t assume that accreditation means something. There are many accrediting agencies out there, and some mean more than others. For medical transcription, AHDI Approval is more important than any other kind of accreditation, as it is specific to the medical transcription training being offered.
Another factor to consider is how employers feel about the course. If the at home medical transcriptionist course you’re considering is not well regarded by potential employers, how do you expect to find work after you graduate? You’re better off if the course is so well trusted by major employers that you can skip past the requirement that you have two years of experience. This requirement challenges many newly trained transcriptionists, and any advantage you can gain in getting past it should be considered.
Cost is naturally a factor, especially in an area like medical transcriptionist training, where few schools have grants or student loans directly available. You should balance cost with attending a good at home course. You don’t have to sign up for the most expensive courses to get good training, but you should usually avoid the cheapest, as they may not offer really good training.
Fortunately, while many don’t directly offer loans, they may offer a payment plan so you can spread the cost out a little. Alternatively, they may offer a discount for payment in full at the start. Sometimes one or the other will be just enough to allow you to pay for the course. Offers may change from month to month, but if you don’t see what you need, contact the school to see if you’ve missed information that may help you to pay for training.
There’s even a program for military spouses to get medical transcriptionist training through MyCAA. This may cover the entire cost for military spouses.
Don’t sign up for just any course without doing a bit of research on it, no matter how good it looks at first. You want to be sure you’re getting the benefits you need for the cost of the training. There are some really great home based programs available to you, and that’s probably what you want to sign up for.
