What Kind of Education is Needed to Become a Medical Transcriptionist?

Medical transcription is a great career with solid job security. As the medical field grows and physicians become busier and busier, fewer physicians have the time to hand write their patient notes. They are now dictating their patient notes, sending them to a medical transcriptionist, and the resulting easy to read visit notes are filed in the patient charts. More medical transcriptionists are needed every day, and this is a great field to get into. Depending on experience and whether or not the medical transcriptionist has passed the national certification exam, medical transcriptionists can expect to earn from $32,000 to over $40,000 per year.

What level of education is required to start working in the medical transcription field? Many colleges, technical and trade schools, and online companies offer courses in medical transcriptions. A familiarity with medical terminology is an absolute must, yet not all courses offer classes in medical terminology. Any course that does not include medical terminology should be disregarded. Depending on each individual's learning style, in person classes or online courses could be the best choice. There are many to choose from, and the price of each can vary significantly. One advantage of taking classes at a college or trade school is the possibility of financial aid. Most online courses do not qualify for financial aid. Again, this is a personal decision.

The American Association For Medical Transcription recommends a two year course with one hundred hours of externship. An externship is a period of time where the student works without pay at a facility, performing real world transcriptions and using their skills on the job. The experience gained during this unpaid externship is priceless, because even the best class can't simulate the real world environment perfectly. Also, many companies will look first to those medical transcriptionists who have worked as externs with them when they are hiring. Getting 'a leg up' on the other applicants can be very helpful when applying for a job in this highly competitive field.

Also, the American Association for Medical Transcription offers a few opinions and recommendations that should be kept in mind when choosing a school for medical transcription training. Rather than the courses which emphasize medical transcriptions as a work from home opportunity, the AAMT recommends that students search for a school that emphasizes excellence in medical transcribing and offers opportunities to interact with instructors and fellow students. While medical transcriptionists may be able to work from home as independent contractors or subcontractors, several years of experience in a hospital, business, or clinical setting is usually required first.

One of the most important considerations in choosing a medical transcription school is whether it offers assistance with job placement. Many newly graduated medical transcriptionists find that finding their first job is difficult. Many hospitals and clinics require several years of experience before hiring a full time medical transcriptionist. This is another area where the externship process can be vitally important. Giving a prospective employer the chance to see the newly graduated medical transcriptionist's work and personality in a real world setting can persuade an employer to hire the medical transcriptionist despite their lack of experience.

Medical transcriptionists are a vital part of today's healthcare field and are currently in high demand. By making sure that the training offered by the school or online course is adequate and comprehensive, a newly graduated medical transcriptionist can start work with the confidence that his or her skills are equal to the demands of the position.