Medical Transcriptionist Bachelor's Degree

Did you know that getting certified may provide additional opportunities for your medical transcription career? Once you complete your medical transcription training, you should prepare for the certification exam, this credential can make you stand out among potential employers and demonstrate your level of dedication. To become certified, you need a solid foundation of knowledge and that starts with a high-quality medical transcription course.

Before you enroll in a medical transcription bachelors school, you should research what learning option is best for you. There are online and traditional brick and mortar schools that offer high-quality medical transcription degree training. How do you decide? Things to consider include: the learning method you prefer, amount of time you can commit to your studies, accessibility of your coursework, etc. Once you decide on the type of school you are looking for, you should really take a close at what a particular school offers. Is the school accredited? Does it have a job placement program? Can you talk to someone if you need help? All of these factors are important when looking to enroll in a medical transcription course. You're looking to start a career and need the resources to accomplish your goals.

In addition to your medical transcription bachelors degree, you will likely need on-the-job experience and certification. Today's job market requires that you maximize your potential. To be hired by a hospital or larger facility, you will need to show that you are committed to your career, and certification is the most effective way to do that. This demonstrates that you have a solid skill set to offer your employer and/or clients.

Today's health care industry is growing and ever-changing. Medical transcriptionists that become certified and continue their education and professional development will have the greatest number of opportunities. As the field evolves and the number of the elderly population increases, there will be a need for highly qualified professionals. After you complete your medical transcription course from an accredited school and get your certification, you will be ready.

Your medical transcription career starts with a solid educational foundation. From your training, you will gain the skills and know-how to effectively perform transcription procedures as a trained professional. You will also apply some of your existing skills to your career. Determine your strengths and pinpoint areas that need work. What skills are valuable to a successful medical transcription career? You need to be detail oriented, an effective communicator and effective time manager. In addition to what you learn in school, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, you will need to have strong knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation. You will also need to understand medical transcription equipment and how to use it in your career.

A bachelor's degree in medical transcription will prepare you for certification. The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) offers two types of certification designations: Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT). You can use the resources provided by AHDI to find an approved medical transcription school. The right school will prepare you to take the certification exam.

In conclusion, the right medical transcription school is going to offer a training program that provides the educational foundation you need to take your career to the next level. Once you complete your course and become certified, you will maximize your career opportunities. Work in a hospital setting, join an office team or work for yourself at home.

Top Traits for a Medical Transcriptionist

Computer Knowledge – It is very important that you have a good working knowledge of computers and the ability to learn new software packages. Many of the medical transcription programs are easy to understand once you spend some time with each one.

Detail Driven – As you can expect you the job requires you to be very detail oriented. Being accurate is probably the #1 trait that one can possess in this career. Lucky for you going to school and earning your Bachelor’s degree in medical transcription will give you courses that will improve you accuracy.

Entrepreneurial –Many dream of one day of owning their own business but very few actually see their dream come true. Medical transcription is a career that if you have an entrepreneurial spirit you can turn into a full-time job owning your own company.

Speed – The faster you can transcribe the more you’ll get paid as many doctors pay by the line as rates. As you grow your client base you can start raising your rates as demand for your work also increases.

Grammar – Transcriptionists that are good spellers and knowledgeable about the English language tend to do better than those doctors who try to outsource their work. One of the biggest advantages you have in working in the US is speaking English as so many doctors are moving away from hiring anyone oversees.

Organizational – Since you will more than likely work with a lot of different doctors it pays to be very organized. Every doctor will be different in the way they want you to transcribe their notes so keeping track of every doctor on how they want things done is extremely important.

Ethical – Without a doubt being a medical transcriptionist will involve you working with doctors and patients as well as their private information.

Life as a Medical Transcriptionist

If you intend to have a career in medical transcription you need to be prepared and very organized. Medical transcriptionist start early in the morning and keep a very similar routine. One key thing to remember is to not get distracted with emails and other things that can literally take up your entire day. It pays to be fast. If you work independently you will get paid by the line where as if you work for a doctor’s office or a hospital you are paid a salary.

One of the best things you can do is work for a good facility or group of doctors. Often we hear horror stories from workers that drop out of the industry early on in their career only to find out they just hated who they worked for. The industry is extremely large so if you aren’t happy with your current situation simply look for someone else to work for.

Another piece of advice, especially if you are working for an independent doctor, is to not work outside of your scope of work. By this I mean you were hired to be a medical transcriptionist so don’t do extra tasks that will take time away from your core work.

Another recommendation is to really leave how to use voice software efficiently. The better you are with all the different software packages the faster you’ll be. Once you get your lines per hour to a high rate you’ll have all the other offices wanting you to work for them as time is money and the more you can transcribe for a doctor the more money he will make.

The last piece of advice I’ll give is to always be looking for jobs. Some places need help and will pay for qualified transcription work. I don’t mean to sound like you should always take every position that comes up but keep looking until you find a facility that you feel comfortable in and one where you see yourself working for years to come.