How to Become A Medical Transcriptionist

Medical transcription is a rewarding and challenging career you can do at an office or from the comfort of your own home. This article takes you through the steps so you can achieve your dream of becoming a successful medical transcriptionist.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Get a good education. Medical transcription courses can be found in many community colleges, the back of magazines, and on the internet. How do you know which schools are best? By learning what medical transcription employers are looking for.
   
   Most medical transcription companies will only look at graduates from schools accredited by the AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity), formerly known as the AAMT. Currently there are 13 schools accredited by the ADHI. These schools include standard colleges, online schools, and even a Canadian school. Go to www.adhionline.org to find the school list.

2. Start networking with other medical transcriptionists. You can find local transcriptionists at an AHDI meeting. They have meetings throughout the country. Just look at the AHDI website.
   
   Find other websites for medical transcriptionists and network there. Most transcription websites have areas for newbies trying to break into the field. These contacts will be great resources later in your career.

3. Try to find an internship while in school. You can look anywhere for an internship. Try your local hospital or your doctor's office. You can ask your networked friends for help finding an internship. Internships not only give you real world experinience, but an internship also helps fill the holes on a beginner's resume.

4. Learn how to take a test. There is no way to get around it, to become a medical transcriptionist, you will have to take a test. In order to graduate from school, you will need to take a test. To get your first job, you will have to take a test. If you have worked as a transcriptionist for 15 years, you will have to take a test if you want to switch companies. Relax, remind yourself that you have prepared ahead of time for this test, and have your transcription resources on hand.

5. Once you graduate, start looking for a job. Use the school job placement program. Ask the people you networked with where to find job. When you have a good foundation (good education, networking, internship, and learning to take a test), you can present yourself to a potential employer, have the confidence to take the test, and get your first transcription job.

Tips & Warnings

• www.mtstars.com, www.mtdesk.com, www.mtchat.com, and www.wahm.com have information about job openings.
• While in school, don't just concentrate on medical terminology. Properly transcribing medical reports is more than just learning how to spell big words. You will need to learn how to format medical reports, how to punctuate a sentence, how to understand accents, and how to use resources to look up information you do not know.
• Remember you get what you pay for. A proper education costs money.
• If you email a company, use spell check and proofread your email. Any mistake on correspondence can cost you a job.

[joyful327]

on 4/14/2008 Helpful articles and good links - i've though about looking into MT when my kiddos are a little older - THANKS for this! I gave it 5 stars!