i'm starting college in the fall and i decided i want to be a medical transcriptionist. i'm a very very good typist and i would love to work from home and choose my own hours, etc, so i think it would be the perfect job for me. i just have a few questions that hopefully medical transcriptionist themselves can answer!
i searched online to find out what kind of training/degrees i need, etc. i will be going to a 2yr community college here in my town.
"Completion of a 2-year associate degree or 1-year certificate program—including coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, legal issues relating to health care documentation, and English grammar and punctuation—is highly recommended, but not always required"
FIRST QUESTION: does this mean that all i need to complete is my 2 yr commnity college and leave there with an associates degree... then i'm done? i was planning on transferring to a 4yr university after community college.. but it sounds like i might not even have to do that.
then there's all this
Formal accreditation is not required for medical transcription programs. However, the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (AACP)—established by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the American Health Information Management Association—offers voluntary accreditation for medical transcription programs. Although voluntary, completion of an ACCP approved program may be required for transcriptionists seeking certification.
Certification and other qualifications. The AHDI awards 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 fewer than 2 years experience in acute care, may become a registered RMT. The RMT credential is awarded upon successfully passing the AHDI level 1 registered medical transcription exam. The CMT designation requires at least 2 years of acute care experience working in multiple specialty surgery areas using different format, report, and dictation types. Candidates also must earn a passing score on a certification examination. Because medicine is constantly evolving, medical transcriptionists are encouraged to update their skills regularly. RMTs and CMTs must earn continuing education credits every 3 years to be recertified. As in many other fields, certification is recognized as a sign of competence.
Graduates of an ACCP approved program who earn the RMT credential are eligible to participate in the Registered Apprenticeship Program sponsored by the Medical Transcription Industry Association through the U.S. Department of Labor. The Registered Apprenticeship program offers structured on-the-job learning and related technical instruction for qualified medical transcriptionists entering the profession.
and that's where i got lost! what does all this mean? i have to take some sort of test and get certified? if you are a medical transcriptionist.. please tell me how you got to where you are! what did you have to do to become one?
also, how much do they make on average? i found something that said between 14 and 15 dollars an hour... i hope that isn't true! that's not much..
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This is one of the lowest-paid careers. And one that has the least chance for advancement. It has traditionally been a job that people worked for a while , then quit. The down economy has changed that. People now want the job because it is secure.
You don’t even need the 2 year degree if you are a good worker. It is more important to the doctor that you show up on-time and that you work hard. What degree you have is not nearly as important.
Visit a doctor’s office near you tomorrow. If it is more than $15 an hour, ask who they know who is hiring today. If it is $15 an hour ( i think it is) reconsider your career choice. You can be a nurse in 2 years.
Correction: Medical transcriptionists are few of the higest-paying professions in the planet next to surgeon or businessman. There’ nothing wrong taking up that course. I even finished that for 3 months with flying colors. It may be difficult to die for but for me, it’s challenging. Plus, in my country, I would even paid extra incentives for overnight work.
Try here for free medical transcription tutorials
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