Medical Transcriptionist – Medical Transcription Training Expectations

by Karen on November 8, 2011

As the health care industry continues to grow related careers such as medical transcriptionists and medical billing and coding specialists also continue to grow. There are some good opportunities within these fields and completing the training for these two important jobs can help a person to break into these important careers.

The job of a medical transcriptionist may seem simple since it would seem that one would have to just listen to the voice of a health care professional and type up exactly what is said and while this is the general idea the fact is that to be a professional transcriptionist one must be trained for the job. There are reasons why health care facilities and health care professionals only want to hire those who have had sufficient training.

Medical Transcription Training

One of the reasons that training is so important is because of the medical terminology. Doctors and medical professionals often use words that we may not hear in everyday language. It is very important that these words are understood and transcribed correctly. For example, if the doctor uses a word like “tibia” the transcriptionist needs to be able to recognize that the doctor is talking about a bone in the leg. If the words are not understood and the transcription ends up being incorrect it could negatively affect the patient, the doctor and the facility. This is a very important part of training and schooling.

Completing this kind of training can assure that you will be able to keep up with the demands of your job. There are times when you will have quite a bit of transcription work to do and if you must stop to look up words and phrases that you don’t easily recognize you will just be wasting your valuable time. And if you get the medical details wrong in your transcriptions you can cause problems for the patient, the doctor and everyone involved.

Medical Transcriptionist Training Online

Most training programs will also offer training to prepare you for other situations. Medical transcriptions may need to create notes for patients exiting the hospital, during medical testing and even in the emergency room. In these cases, it is very important that your notes are accurate legible and that everything is recorded correctly even if you are experiencing a high-stress situation.

It is vital for you to listen and understand what is being said. The information must be recorded accurately, quickly and efficiently. Training to be a medical transcriptionist will help you develop those skills that you will need to be able to transcribe and record information in a variety of different settings all while keeping calm under pressure. Many medical situations are high-pressure and this is one time when it is crucial to be accurate and precise.

What To Look For In Online Medical Transcription Training

Below is a list a things to consider when looking for training:

  • AHDI-approved program
  • Make sure the online courses are convenient and interactive
  • Make sure they have real world experience from actual CMTs
  • Is it college level education
  • Program utilizes The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd Edition
  • Nationally Accredited Medical Transcription School

There are also other fields that use transcriptionists and while the demand may not be quite as high as it is in the medical field, the opportunities are still there. Lawyers, along with other professionals sometimes employ transcriptionists.

In your training you will also learn how to make use of the most current technology, software and other resources that can help you to accomplish your work. Your career opportunities will rise significantly with the proper training.

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