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
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.
Training Options
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/
MTDaily
http://www.mtdaily.com
--------------------------------
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.
www.2Work-At-Home.Com
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