Medical Transcription: A Viable Work At Home Career
(c) Copyright 2003, Sharon Davis
Are there really viable work at home jobs out there? This is a
question that I'm asked almost daily. The fact is, there are
most definitely careers that can be done from your home and
there are people who are actually successful in those jobs.
One of the fastest growing industries happens to be one that
can be done from home: Medical Transcription.
>>A Growing Industry
Medical Transcription/Billing is an industry that is
exploding. It's prestigious and in demand. According the the
U.S. Department of Labor, "Employment of medical
transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than the average
for all occupations through 2010. Demand for medical
transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging
population."
Transcription is one of those jobs that many people know can
be done from home, and so the interest level is very high.
Unfortunately, there are many companies out there trying to
capitalize on that interest. The results are over-priced and
sub-standard courses.
All too often, I receive emails like this one from one of our
readers. She wrote:
Hello Sharon,
I am emailing you to inform you of a work at home job listing
that I contacted in our local paper. It was concerning Medical
Billing at home. The name of the company is *****, Inc. They
sell software for Medical Billing purposes. Before I sent them
any money I decided to check out their website www.******.com
and then the local Better Business Bureau from the area that
they are located which is near Los Angeles, Ca. The report
came back today and it is not favorable. I thought you might
want to know about this supposed home based business so you
could inform your other members and visitors.
Sincerely,
Margaret
This is what inspired me to research the field and determine
what the options are for those who are looking to enter it.
>>What Do Transcriptionists Do?
Transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by
physicians and other healthcare professionals and transcribe
them into documents such as operating room notes, autopsy
reports, discharge summaries and other documents which then
become part of a patient's medical record. In order to be able
to transcribe information accurately, medical
transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy
and physiology, diagnostic procedures, and treatment.
>>What Kind of Training Must MT's Have?
In the course of my research, the first thing I learned was
that you can't just jump into a career as an MT without
training. This is a detailed, professional (and fascinating)
career which requires technical knowledge. The American
Association for Medical Transcription defines the requirements
this way:
"Medical understanding is critical for the professional
medical transcriptionist. The complex terms used in medicine
are unlike the language of any other profession.
Medical transcription requires a practical knowledge of
medical language, anatomy, physiology, disease processes,
pharmacology, laboratory medicine, and the internal
organization of medical reports. A medical transcriptionist is
truly a medical language specialist who must be aware of
standards and requirements that apply to the health record, as
well as the legal significance of medical transcripts.
Reports of patient care take many forms, including histories
and physical examinations, progress reports, emergency room
notes, consultations, operative reports, discharge summaries,
clinic notes, referral letters, radiology reports, pathology
reports, and an array of documentation spanning more than 60
medical specialties and subspecialties! Thus, the medical
transcriptionist, or medical language specialist, must be well
versed in the language of medicine. "
Medical transcription is a medical language specialty, so you
can see that it requires not only the proper training, but
also an investment in reference materials and a commitment to
ongoing learning as technology and terminology changes.
Equally important to the long-term success of a
Transcriptionist is having the right personality for the job.
Some qualities that successful MT's share are:
==Independent by nature
==Word Specialist
==Perfectionist
==Detail oriented
==Training Options
It's also important to note that most companies require
candidates for telecommute MT positions to have on-site
experience- as is the case with most all telecommute jobs. In
many cases, 2 years of experience working in a hospital or
doctor's office is required. If this is a field that you are
truly interested in, getting those 2 years under your belt and
then being qualified to telecommute is a pretty good deal.
The second thing I found was that there sure were a lot of
courses out there. They ranged in price from a couple hundred
dollars to a few thousand! I was overwhelmed! It was then that
I realized that I would need some help. I found a great place
where working MT's hang out and support each other. If you are
seriously interested in this field, you'll want to visit this
site. It's called MT Daily.
The course that I decided to recommend at 2Work-At-Home.com is
offered by MedTrans, Inc., which has been in operation for
almost a decade. Founder Mary Park-Youhanaie began by working
from home as a medical transcriptionist. She saw the
opportunities that medical transcription could offer to other
individuals. When Med Trans, Inc. began hiring
transcriptionists and then discovering that more training was
needed, Ms. Park-Youhanaie decided to draw on her past as a
college level educator and medical terminology training to
develop Medical Transcription Made Easy.
Whichever course you choose, just be sure to do your homework
by checking with the Better Business Bureau and asking for
references.
The bottom line is, for the right people, Medical
Transcription is the real deal when it comes to viable work at
home careers.
>>Resources
MedTrans
http://www.2work-at-home.com/transcription
American Association for Medical Transcription
http://www.aamt.org/
Sharon Davis, Work-At-Home expert, author and consultant,
helps people to achieve their goal of working at home,
telecommuting or starting a home business.
http://www.2Work-At-Home.Com
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