Become a Medical Transcriptionist | The Work At Home Link Blog
Medical transcription is a career that offers a true opportunity to work from home. Many people are interested in this career for that reason. The fact that medical transcription offers a legitimate work from home opportunity makes it a career in which scammers may try to con people out of money for inadequate training.
What does a medical transcriptionist do?
Medical transcriptionists listen to tapes dictated by physicians and other health care professionals and transcribe them to documents, medical reports, or correspondence. Recordings are listened to through a headset, and a foot pedal is generally used to stop and start the recording. Text is input into a personal computer and edited for grammar and clarity. Some documents typically prepared by transcriptionists include physical examination reports, autopsy reports, discharge summaries, diagnostic imaging studies, etc. Documents are returned to the physician who prepared the tape for signature or correction.
Medical transcription training
Training will include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, legal issues involving medical documents, and English grammar and punctuation. Most courses are two year degrees or certificates. There are correspondence courses available, but not all offer adequate training to become a medical transcriptionist. Be sure to thoroughly investigate any school you are considering by calling the Better Business Bureau and asking for references.
If you are interested in becoming a medical transcriptionist, the most important thing you need to know is that even though you can eventually work at home, you will have to have at least two years of on the job training before you will be considered for most telecommute positions. Still, two years isn’t a long time to invest in order to be able to work at home after that. Medical transcription is a field that once you have some experience, you will definitely be able to find steady work from home.