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.
Below is a list of some of the various types of allied health careers / professions: