If medical writing allures you, and you're set to become a medical transcriptionist, this story will provide you an understanding of the job description and how to enter this field.
A career in medical transcription (MT) can glut you with opportunities. They are skilled professionals who listen to dictated recordings made by doctors and physicians, and transcribe them into medical correspondence, reports, and documents.
It might be an interesting job, but is extremely difficult at the same time, for even a single interpretation gone wrong could cost someone his life. This is one of the popular work from home occupations available and provides a work-life balance which many are looking for.
Job Profile
A headset, a foot pedal to modulate sounds, a word processor file, and a great deal of concentration, well, that's a medical transcriptionist's tool kit!
They produce documents that include summaries of discharge, medical histories, physical examination reports, consultation documents, autopsy and operative reports, notes and referral letters for the medical institution's documentation purposes.
After a document is transcribed, it is sent to the physician or any other health professional for review, revision, correction, and authorization. Finally, these documents become a segment of a patient's health summary.
Following are the areas that medical transcriptionists are required to be well-versed with so that it is easy for them to write medical records:
Medical Terminology
Anatomy and Physiology
Pharmacology
Diagnostic Procedures
Medical Jargons and Abbreviations
They comply with the standards of medical records, and abide by the legal and ethical requisites, so as to keep the information of all patients extremely confidential. Those experienced are adept at spotting mistakes in a medical report. They are expected to produce flawless reports so that the patient gets the correct treatment.
Today, the Internet has served to be one of the most popular sources for transmitting documentation, for many of these workers receive dictations over the web, which has made it extremely easy for them to respond quickly with transcribed reports.
Becoming a Medical Transcriptionist
The first thing worth mulling over is that you need to have a good background in medical health specialties. In other words, a high school diploma or a graduation degree in the field you prefer is a must.
After that, enroll for a training with a reputed medical school. In order to get registered, you need to pass a test conducted by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
Even though there aren't any established standards, an aspirant is required to have a strong grasp of medical terminology, at the least. Note that, the salary highly depends upon how well and how fast one can type. On an average, a medical transcriptionist in the US makes about USD 100 per day.