Medical Transcriptionist Job Description

Medical transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by physicians and other healthcare professionals and transcribe them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative material. They generally listen to recordings on a headset, using a foot pedal to pause the recording when necessary, and key the text into a personal computer or word processor, editing as necessary for grammar and clarity. The documents they produce include discharge summaries, medical history and physical examination reports, operative reports, consultation reports, autopsy reports, diagnostic-imaging studies, progress notes, and referral letters. Medical transcriptionists return transcribed documents to the physicians or other healthcare professionals who dictated them for review and signature or correction. These documents eventually become part of patients' permanent files.

To understand and accurately transcribe dictated reports, medical transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, and treatment assessments. They also must be able to translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms. To help identify terms appropriately, transcriptionists refer to standard medical reference materials—both printed and electronic; some of these are available over the Internet. Medical transcriptionists must comply with specific standards that apply to the style of medical records and to the legal and ethical requirements for keeping patient information confidential.

Experienced transcriptionists spot mistakes or inconsistencies in a medical report and check to correct the information. Their ability to understand and correctly transcribe patient assessments and treatments reduces the chance of patients receiving ineffective or even harmful treatments and ensures high-quality patient care.

Currently, most healthcare providers use either digital or analog dictating equipment to transmit dictation to medical transcriptionists. The Internet has grown to be a popular mode for transmitting documentation. Many transcriptionists receive dictation over the Internet and are able to quickly return transcribed documents to clients for approval.

Also, because of the popularity of using the Internet to transmit documentation, many medical transcription departments are beginning to work closely with programmers and information systems staff to stream in voice communication that provides seamless data transfers through network interfaces. This practice allows medical transcriptionists the convenience of having hand-held personal computers or personal data assistants (PDAs) that utilize software for dictation.

Another increasingly popular method uses speech recognition technology, which electronically translates sound into text and creates drafts of reports. Transcriptionists then format the reports; edit them for mistakes in translation, punctuation, or grammar; and check for consistency and any wording that doesn't make sense medically. Transcriptionists working in specialties such as radiology or pathology, which have standardized terminology, are more likely to use speech recognition technology, a medium that will become more widespread in all specialties as it becomes more sophisticated and is better able to recognize and more accurately transcribe diverse modes of speech.

Medical transcriptionists who work in physicians' offices may have other office duties, such as receiving patients, scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, and handling incoming and outgoing mail. Medical secretaries, discussed in the statement on secretaries and administrative assistants elsewhere in the Handbook, also may perform transcription as part of their jobs.
Work environment. The majority of these workers are employed in comfortable settings, such as hospitals, physicians' offices, transcription service offices, clinics, laboratories, medical libraries, government medical facilities, or their own homes. Many medical transcriptionists telecommute from home-based offices.

Workers usually sit in the same position for long periods. They can suffer wrist, back, neck, or eye problems caused by strain and risk repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The constant pressure to be accurate and productive also can be stressful.

Many medical transcriptionists work a standard 40-hour week. Self-employed medical transcriptionists are more likely to work irregular hours—including part time, evenings, and weekends. Some may be on call at any time.

Article Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm#earnings 

Medical Transcriptionist Salary

Wage-and-salary medical transcriptionists had median hourly wages of $15.41 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $13.02 and $18.55. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.76, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $21.81. Median hourly wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical transcriptionists were as follows:

Medical and diagnostic laboratories	$17.26
General medical and surgical hospitals	15.88
Outpatient care centers	15.46
Offices of physicians	15.02
Business support services	14.52

Compensation arrangements for medical transcriptionists vary. Some are paid on the basis of the number of hours they work or the number of lines they transcribe. Others receive a base pay per hour, with incentives for extra production. Employees of transcription services and independent contractors almost always receive production-based pay. Independent contractors earn more than do transcriptionists who work for others, but independent contractors have higher expenses than their corporate counterparts, receive no benefits, and may face a higher risk of termination than do wage-and-salary transcriptionists.

How to Become a Medical Transcriptionist

Before you decide that MT is right for you, there are many idiosyncrasies that will occur as you learn. If you are from New York and the doctor you are transcribing is from Tennessee, you might have problems understanding certain words.  There are many idiolects (not dialects, but regional pronunciations) in the United States alone. Since many medical professionals are from other countries such as India, their English (learned from the UK, usually) might be a challenge for you.

Now you’ve decided that despite the peculiarities of the profession, you want to become a medical transcriptionist, who is called an MT (the vocation itself, Medical Transcription is also abbreviated as MT but in context, it will become clear of whom or of what you are talking).

What to Do Before You Become a Medical Transcriptionist

Do your research. MT courses are a dime a dozen but ask other MTs (to be explained below) which companies are actually hiring and which certificates from which schools are worth your hard-earned tuition. In this case, the Internet is both a blessing and a curse since you can find a plethora of information on MT. Everyone wants to stay at home and become Parent of the Year so they believe that the stay-at-home MT option will solve their financial dilemmas, however…

Be careful! Do NOT be roped in by “get-rich-quick” sites that promise you the moon and the cheese it produces. There are also books on the Internet that guarantee that you’ll be making some unrealistic sum of money in your first year. Unless your uncle is the president of an MT outsourcing company, your English grammar and spelling is impeccable and you miraculously memorized all of the medical (and legal) lingo in a few months, you’ll be making the normal $12 to $14 an hour like most first-year MTs, who are lucky enough to get a job first. Even though MT has proved to be pretty recession-proof, you will still need to get your size 12 in the door and keep it there for a while.

• Network with those in the know. For those of you who are familiar with Internet newsgroups (and you should anyway for support and networking purposes), sci.med.transcription is an excellent resource. Other MTs gather there and discuss tricks of the trade, advances in MT, etc. Most newsgroup members truly enjoy helping “newbies” since it gives them a sense of purpose and also reminds their ego where they began before they developed into MT gurus.
• Join the Association for Healthcare Documentation (AHDI). They have an abundance of invaluable information for any MT. If you are a student currently enrolled in a MT course, the cost is $55 (as of May 19, 2009). When you join a professional organization, it always looks good on your resume. Also, you can network, join professional development courses, and find much other helpful information such as advocacy groups for the MT.

Once you have done most of the above, you still must remember that when you have finished any online MT certification course or have attended a community college, you will still have plenty to accomplish (and you haven’t paid off that beach house in Barbados yet, either!). You have your CMT in hand and now you can interview with companies that desire your services. Most importantly, don’t stop networking – it is the fundamental strategy in order to land your dream MT career.

Top Medical Transcription Schools

Kaplan University Kaplan University offers students a great deal of benefits, including career placement assistance, financial aid for those who qualify, and day and evening classes for added convenience. Kaplan University’s high-quality, caring instructors want to give students the training they need to be successful in their respective fields and the education they need to stand out to potential employers.
Career Step Career Step offers two medical transcription education Diploma programs. The full Medical Transcription Editor program is a vocational course designed for students without medical transcription knowledge and skills, while the Medical Transcription Editor supplemental program is designed for those who have a solid foundation of medical transcription knowledge and skills. The Medical Transcription Editor program is estimated at 640 completion hours and the Medical Transcription training program is estimated at 570 completion hours, but both programs are completely self-paced and can be completed in as little as four months.
Medical Transcription Education Center Medical Transcription Education Center’s Certificate program is designed for the novice with no prior medical training. This diploma-level program offers approximately 940 clock hours of optimum training in many specialties, for home-based and on-site positions. The program is an online home-study course that provides beginning, intermediate, and advanced training. M-TEC’s program is designed to be completed in 12 months; however, students are expected to commit a minimum of 25 hours per week toward their studies.
Allied Schools Allied Schools recognize the vital need for a quality curriculum in medical transcription education. Students will find focused training modules that provide the college-level education they need to become medical transcriptionists. Through Allied Schools’ 685-hour Medical Transcriptionist Certificate program, students are prepared with a comprehensive education that provides hands-on, practical experience.
Ashworth College The Medical Transcription Course is comprised of 18 comprehensive lessons that give students the skills you need in less than 6 months. This comprehensive program covers basic medical procedures and terminology, a study of the human body, how diseases are diagnosed and treated, as well as real-world transcription practice. Students can start at anytime, study online at their own pace, and move ahead as quickly as they like. Graduates of the Medical Transcription Diploma program are prepared for a flexible and rewarding position as qualified medical transcriptionists.
US Career Institute US Career Institute offers a Certificate program in medical transcription that can be completed in as little as four month. After enrollment, students are sent course materials and are allowed to work at their own pace. Once the course is completed, graduates will be ready to work as medical transcriptionists. Article Source: Medical Transcriptionist