Medical Transcriptionist Career
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What a Medical Transcriptionist does:
A Medical Transcriptionist (a Medical Records
Transcriptionist) is an allied health
professional, who is trained in transcribing
dictated medical recordings. The Medical
Transcriptionist listens to dictated recordings
made by physicians and transcribes them into
correspondence, medical reports and other
documents. These documents become part of the
patient’s permanent file. The Medical
Transcriptionist must be familiar with medical
terminology, and can work from a Physician’s
Office, Laboratories, Medical Facilities or
their own homes.
The main duties of a Medical
Transcriptionist include:
- Obtaining medical recording tapes from the
Physician or other Healthcare Professional
- Using voice recognition software, digital or
analog equipment to listen to recordings
- Typing the text into a word processor and
editing as necessary
- Interpreting medical jargon and abbreviations
- Referring to Medical reference materials
- Checking the work and spotting mistakes of
junior transcriptionists
- Producing examination reports, consultation
reports, diagnostic imaging studies, referral
letters and other medical administrative files.
- Complying with the data protection laws in
terms of patient confidentiality
- Returning the finished documents to the
relevant Physician or Healthcare Professional
for review or correction
Education & Qualifications:
To become a Medical Transcriptionist you can
complete a Medical Transcription program.
Programs are offered by Community Colleges,
Distance Learning Programs and Vocational
Schools. Students can choose to complete a 1
year certificate program or a 2 year associate
degree program. Typical subjects covered
include: anatomy and physiology, medical
terminology, diagnostic procedures, treatment
assessments, pharmacology, law, grammar and
punctuation. The Approval Committee for
Certificate Programs (ACCP) offers voluntary
accreditation for Medical Transcription
programs.
Certification is awarded by the Association for
Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
Students completing certification requirements
can be credentialed as Registered Medical
Transcriptionist (RMT) or Certified Medical
Transcriptionist (CMT). The credential depends
on which examination the student has taken and
how many years experience he/she has. To keep
your credential you must earn continuing
education credits every 3 years.
Salary & Job Prospects:
A Medical Transcriptionist can earn between
$30,000 and $45,000 depending on qualifications,
experience, position held and location. As the
population ages, and the elderly require more
medical tests, this will result in rapid growth
of Medical Transcriptionist jobs. The Medical
Transcriptionist career prospects are excellent
especially for those with qualifications and
certification.
Find an Allied Health School:
Use the red search box above, to find Allied
Health schools and colleges in your area that
offer Medical Transcription Programs.
Below is a list of some of the various types of
allied health careers / professions: |
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