Career Profile: Medical Transcriptionist

See Available Medical Transcriptionist Schools

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.

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

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

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

Florida Schools
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
	(Orlando, Tampa) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician

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

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

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

Maine Schools
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 Schools
	(Hagerstown) - Medical Transcriptionist

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

Missouri Schools
	(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 Schools
	(Las Vegas) - Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Administration, Medical Transcription

New York Schools
	(Binghamton, Poughkeepsie) - Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Billing & Coding Specialist, Medical Transcription Specialist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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