Medical Transcriptionist

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Job Description: Medical transcriptionists transcribe correspondence, medical reports, and other materials as dictated by physicians and health care professionals. Generally, this involves listening to recordings on a headset, and keying the text into a personal computer. These documents eventually become part of patients' permanent files.

In order to accurately complete their tasks, medical transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, and treatment assessments as described by physicians or other care providers. They also must be able to translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms for the permanent record. Seasoned transcriptionists are valuable proofreaders, and are able to spot mistakes or inconsistencies in a medical report, double-checking office records.

In certain environments (such as physician's offices), medical transcriptionists may have other office duties, such as greeting patients, scheduling appointments, sorting the mail, and answering the phone.

Working Environment: Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of comfortable office settings, from hospitals and physicians' offices to clinics, laboratories, medical libraries, or transcription service offices. Many transcriptionists telecommute from their home offices, working either through transcription services or as a self-employed contractor in medical transcription.

Office-based transcriptionists usually work a standard 40-hour week. Self-employed medical transcriptionists are more likely to work irregular hours, depending on their schedule - they can work part-time, during evenings, or on an as-needed basis.

Education and Training Requirements: Those who have completed training in medical transcription tend to land most transcriptionist opportunities. Post-secondary training in medical transcription can be found at many vocational schools and community colleges. Training in a certificate program takes as little as one year; while a two-year associate degree is highly recommended, but not required. Coursework includes anatomy, medical terminology, and English grammar and punctuation. Many of these programs include supervised on-the-job experience.

In addition to education, transcriptionists should demonstrate proficiency with computers and word processing software.

Salary Range: Pay is hourly for transcription services. Some professionals are paid based on the number of hours they work or on the number of lines they transcribe. Others receive a base hourly salary, with incentives for extra production. Among industries employing the greatest number of medical transcriptionists, were the following median hourly wages:

• General medical and surgical hospitals: $13.20
• Offices of physicians: $13.00
• Business support services: $12.42

Job Outlook: Good. Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. The demand for transcription services as high, especially as the population ages, and the number of tests and procedures that require proper documentation rises.

Contracting out transcription work abroad -- to countries such as India -- has grown more popular. However, hospitals, physicians' offices, and other health practitioners will continue to employ domestic medical transcriptionists, and contracting out transcription work is seen as supplementing domestic transcribing services.

Medical transcriptionists can advance in their careers to supervisory positions, home-based work, editing, consulting or teaching.

Medical Transcriptionist Schools:

Arizona
TechSkills  (Phoenix, Tempe) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

California
TechSkills  (San Francisco, San Jose) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration
Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

Colorado
TechSkills (Denver) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician
Westwood College (Denver) - Associate Degree - Medical Assisting, Associate Degree - Medical Transcription, Diploma - Medical Assisting

Florida
Edutech Centers (Riverview, Clearwater) - Medical Assistant, Medical Insurance Billing & Coding Specialist, Medical Transcription
Southwest Florida College (Ft.Myers, Tampa) - Medical Assistant, Medical Insurance Billing & Coding Specialist, Medical Transcription
TechSkills (Orlando, Tampa) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

Illinois
TechSkills (Chicago, Fairview Heights) - Medical Billing
Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

Iowa
Kaplan University (Davenport, Des Moines) - Health Care Management, Medical Assistant, Medical Transcription, Nursing

Kansas
TechSkills (Kansas City) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical, Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

Maine
Andover College (Lewiston, Portland) - Medical Assisting, Medical Transcription Certificate
Northeast Technical Institute (Hermon, Scarborough*) - Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Health Information Management, Medical Coding and Billing, Medical Office Assistant, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

Maryland
Kaplan College (Hagerstown) - Medical Transcriptionist

Massachusetts
Northeast Technical Institute (Haverhill) - Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Health Information Management, Medical Coding and Billing, Medical Office Assistant, Medical Transcription

Missouri
Everest College (Springfield) - Medical Assisting, Medical Insurance Billing/Coding, Medical Office Assistant, Medical Transcription
TechSkills (St. Louis) - Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Transcription, Medical Office Administration

Nevada
TechSkills (Las Vegas) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription

New York
Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute* (Binghamton, Poughkeepsie) - Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Billing & Coding Specialist, Medical Transcription Specialist

North Carolina
TechSkills* (Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh) - Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Transcription, Medical Office Administration

North Dakota
Rasmussen College (Bismark, Fargo) - Medical Coding, Medical Office, Medical Transcriptionist

Ohio
TechSkills* (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus) - Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Transcription, Medical Office Administration

Oklahoma
TechSkills (Oklahoma City) - Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Transcription, Medical Office Administration

Tennessee
TechSkills* (Nashville, Memphis) - Medical Coding, Medical Transcription, Medical Office Administration

Texas
TechSkills* (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio) - Medical Coding, Medical Billing, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription

Utah
TechSkills* (Salt Lake City) - Medical Coding, Medical Billing, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription

Washington
Capstone Career College (Tacoma) - Medical Coding & Billing Specialist, Medical Transcription Specialist

Wisconsin
TechSkills* (Madison, Milwaukee) - Medical Coding, Medical Billing, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription