Medical transcriptionists (MTs) are those that use medical transcribers to transform doctor’s handwritten notes, doodles, and scrawls into a typewritten form. Where once patients relied on a doctor’s vigilance in taking quality notes and maintaining accurate records, the doctor now simply has to make a voice recording of a patient’s healthcare. It is these recordings that are then transcribed by the Medical Transcriptionist into a typed document that is easy to read and can be kept up to date with accurate information every time a patient sees their doctor. The field of medical transcribing is a very interesting one and is also one that doesn’t require a lot of formal education or training. However, MTs that want to keep up to date on the most recent technology and changes in the field are always searching for extra courses and training that can be taken.
In many cases, there is nothing more than a high school diploma that is required to become a medical transcriptionist. This is especially true for MTs that work at home and are hired privately by doctors or medical centers and hospitals. Work at home MTs can work easily by logging into the medical center’s server and gaining access to the voice recordings. These will then by typed up at home on the MTs personal computer and emailed back to the medical center in digital format. A similar process is used in the case of MT centers that hire dozens to hundreds of MTs. These centers also use a central server where the voice recordings are kept so that they can be accessed and turned into digital files. These larger centers also require no more than a high school diploma however they often also require some additional training.
Depending on the country and the medical transcription center, specialized Medical Transcriptionist training is sometimes required and this training can take anywhere from 18 months to 2 years. This training educates potential MTs in working the special equipment such as the medical transcribers, and also teaches them special skills such as listening and typing at the same time, learning medical terminology and processes, and how to do it all seamlessly
while having an earphone in your ear and pecking away at the keyboard!
Those who become an MT and are serious about their profession may seek additional training to add to their resume and help them keep current with the field. These additional courses are very helpful but only examinations that are executed by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and passed can qualify an MT for higher levels. These higher levels of MTs include becoming a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT),or a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT),which is the entry level of becoming a professional Medical Transcriptionist and must be done before becoming a CMT.
There are plenty of work from home medical transcribing jobs available out there!
