Medical Transcription From Home – Legit or a Waste of Time?
One of the home based businesses that many people come across when they begin their search for a way to earn money at home is the option of doing medical transcription. But as with most opportunities that you find online you always have the nagging questions, is it for real?
Well, with medical transcription the answer is yes. However, there is a catch – like there always is, right? We’ll discuss that in a minute.
What Is Medical Transcription?
Medical transcription, otherwise knows as MT, is the process of converting voice-recorded reports that were dictated by physicians or other healthcare professionals and turning them into text format.
For those of you looking for typing jobs, or a form of data entry, this kind of position is ideal. But it isn’t the easiest one to get started with. Education and training is required and can be obtained through distance learning, certificate or diploma programs or by going through some on-the-job training offered by some hospitals. When you become a medical transcriptionists you become an expert at medical terminology and editing. You need the ability to listen and type simultaneously while be incredibly accurate. MT’s use equipment known as a transcriber machine that uses foot pedals to play back and adjust dictations.
Even though the majority of medical transcription agencies prefer a minimum of one year experience, formal instruction is actually not a requirement and there is no test that need be taken in order to begin work. Some hospitals only require a diploma for employment as an MT. It is also possible to acquire jobs through smaller offices of health professionals seeking medical transcriptionists.
What Kind of Skills Will You Need?
– Knowledge of medical terminology
– Above-average spelling, grammar, communication and memory
– The ability to sort, check, count and verify numbers with accuracy
– Skills in the use and operation of office equipment, i.e. computer
– Excellent hand, eye and foot coordination
– The ability to follow written and verbal instructions
– Above-average typing skills
What Kind of MT Knowledge and Skills Will You Need?
– Basic to advanced medical terminology is a MUST
– A good grasp of anatomy and physiology
– Knowledge of disease processes
– Knowledge of medical style and grammar
– Good communication skills
– Excellent memory
– Knowledge and experience in transcribing (from either a training program or previous work) in the basic FOUR work types: History and Physical Exam, Consultation, Operative Report and Discharge summaries
What Are the Duties and Responsibilities of a Medical Transcriptionist?
– Must accurately transcribe patient information (name, medical record and social security number)
– Must accurately utilize correct punctuation, grammar and spelling and edit for inconsistencies
– Maintain/Consult references for medical procedures and terminology
– Keep a transcription log
– Distribute transcribed reports and collect dictation tapes
– Follow up on physician’s missing and/or late dictations
– Return printed or electronic report in a timely fashion
– Perform quality assurance check
Depending on who you end up working for, the duties and responsibilities will vary. For example, you may have far more responsibilities when working for a hospital than you would if you worked for a small clinic.
Pros vs Cons:
Pros:
– Get to work from home
– Get to work your own hours
Cons:
– A lot of training and preparation involved before you can actually work
– Have to go out and find the work yourself (If you are struggling to find the work, read this book)
– Pays by the hour…and typically is minimum wage
Who is Medical Transcription For?
Medical transcription is a good job that is definitely legit and a service needed by medical professionals. It is something perfect for anyone who wishes to work from home, has excellent typing/transcribing skills and likes to work on their own and decide their own hours.
Medical Transcription Tools & Training
It can be confusing knowing where to find the right kind of program to get started with learning how to do medical transcription from home. Although the job is a legitimate one, it is a serious profession that you will need to have the proper training in order to do and in order to be taken seriously and get hired. There are online courses available through most universities.
How Much Does It Cost?
Since you will need to get proper education and training for this field, you are either looking at attending a college and taking the necessary required courses for medical transcription, or completing your training online. You can pick up this information “Work at Home as a Medical Transcriptionist” for $45. The program itself for in depth training through this company costs $1,945.00.
I also found training through Ed2Go.comthat goes through a college of your choice but can be completed online, it costs $1,795.
The most affordable option I found was to use Stratford Career Institute (a current special was $789, normally $1,089)
My Final Say About Medical Transcription From Home
I actually know a couple of people who successfully went through the training and began working from home as a medical transcriptionist, one of them still does this I believe. Here is what they say. “It was a little expensive to get going, a little difficult to find the work (as you still have to go out there and “pound the pavement” and find someone to work for), but a good job once I got going.”
This is a popular career choice because of the flexibility that it offers and it will likely always be in demand, however it does require a monetary commitment to get started and in-depth training.
Medical Transcription at a Glance…
Job: Medication Transcription from Home
Websites:
1) Most Affordable: Stratford Career Institute
2) Second Option: Ed2Go.com
3) Third Option: Medtranscription.com
Price: Between $789 – $1,945 (depending on where you decide to register)
VERDICT: LEGIT
If the cost to get started with this kind of job is a little too much for you, but you’d still like to be able to find a way to work from home, please read my review of the best Work from Home job that costs you $0 to get started.
Please leave me a comment below if you have any personal experience with this type of job or if you have any questions!
Thanks 🙂
Kat
Owner – OnlineStayatHomeJobs.com