Medical Transcriptionist Training | Enroll in a Medical Transcriptionist Course

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Medical transcriptionists transcribe dictated recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals into medical correspondence, reports, and other administrative material.

• Nature of the Work - The work they produce may include referral letters, consultation reports, discharge summaries, operative reports, medical history and physical examination reports, progress notes, autopsy reports, and diagnostic imaging studies. Medical transcriptionists send back the transcribed documents to the physicians or other health care professionals who dictated them for review, correction and signature. These documents soon become part of patients’ medical records.
• Medical Transcriptionist Training - Employers would rather hire transcriptionists who have completed medical transcription postsecondary training provided by many distance learning programs, community colleges and vocational schools. Many transcriptionists, particularly those already familiar with medical terminology from prior work as a medical secretary or nurse, become skilled in transcription by taking refresher courses and additional training.
• Certification - The AHDI offers two voluntary designations, the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT). Medical transcriptionists who are recent graduates of medical transcription educational programs, or have less than 2 years acute care experience, may become registered as a RMT. The RMT credential is given to candidates who successfully passed the AHDI level 1 registered medical transcription exam. The CMT designation requires at least 2 years of experience in acute care working in several specialty surgery fields using various report, format, and dictation types.
  
  

Medical Transcriptionist Training | Enroll in a Medical Transcriptionist Course

Formal accreditation is not a requirement for medical transcription programs. Nonetheless, the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (AACP)—established by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the American Health Information Management Association—provides voluntary accreditation for medical transcription programs. Though voluntary, an ACCP approved program completion may be necessary for transcriptionists seeking certification.

Since medicine is always changing, medical transcriptionists are urged to keep their skills updated. To be recertified, CMTs and RMTs must accumulate continuing education credits every 3 years. As in many other careers, certification is seen as a sign of competence.

ACCP approved program graduates who earn the RMT credential are eligible in time to enroll in the Registered Apprenticeship Program sponsored by the Medical Transcription Industry Association through the U.S. Department of Labor. The Registered Apprenticeship program provides structured on-the-job instruction and related technical training for qualified medical transcriptionists joining the profession.


Medical Transcriptionist Training - Courses - Graduate - Job Outlook

In 2006, medical transcriptionists held about 98,000 jobs. Approximately 41 percent were employed in hospitals and another 29 percent had jobs in doctors’ offices. The rest were employed for offices of physical, occupational, and speech therapists, and audiologists; outpatient care centers; business support services; and medical and diagnostic laboratories.

Employment opportunities for medical transcriptionists are expected to increase faster than the average; job prospects should be good, particularly for certified medical transcriptionists.

Job opportunities will be good, notably for those who are certified. Hospitals will continue to offer a large percentage of medical transcriptionists’ jobs, but job growth there will not be as rapid as in other industries. A continuing demand for standardized records should end up in fast employment growth in doctors’ offices, particularly in big group practices.

Jobs for medical transcriptionists are expected to increase 14 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all careers. The need for medical transcription services will be driven by the growing number of senior citizens. Older people receive many more treatments, medical tests, and procedures that need to be documented. The high demand for transcription services also will be bolstered by the continued demand for electronic documentation that can be easily exchanged between consumers, providers, health information systems, and third-party payers.

Medical Transcriptionist Training - Graduates - Earnings Statistics

In May, 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that wage-and-salary medical transcriptionists had average per-hour wages of $14.40. The middle 50 percent made between $12.17 and $17.06. The lowest 10 percent made less than $10.22, and the top 10 percent made more than $20.15.

Related Occupations: Workers in similar careers also type, process paperwork, and record information. Included in these are receptionists and information clerks; human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping; secretaries and administrative assistants, and court reporters. More workers who provide medical support services include medical assistants and medical records and health information technicians.


Medical Transcriptionist Training - Courses - Schools

There are an excellent number of choices for attaining Medical Transcriptionist Training. Online schools and colleges now provide the same curriculum as the traditional education. Learning online provides you with so much more flexibility to suit your lifestyle and current employment. We include our top recommendations for Medical Transcriptionist Training.


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