Nearly everyone dreams of being able to work from home and make a living. If you are one of those people you should consider a career as a medical transcriptionist. In this article we will look at what a medical transcriptionist does and what it takes to become one.

Medical transcription job description

In the most basic definition a medical transcriptionist takes what a doctor has said and turns it into English that the rest of the world can understand. It is more complicated than that, but the end product is that what seemed to be gibberish becomes plain English that people outside of the medical industry can read, and hear without getting lost.

A transcriptionist must not only reinterpret what they see or read but they must do so without losing important information in the translation. A medical transcript that is missing what the doctor told the patient, or instructions given would be useless. This means that a medical transcriptionist must be alert and listen well to what is said or read closely what the doctor has written. Attention to detail is very important.

They must understand shorthand, specifically the shorthand that doctors and other medical professionals use in their day to day work. If a potential medical transcriptionist can’t understand shorthand they are useless and won’t find much work.

Qualifying to be a medical transcriptionist

While one can be a medical transcriptionist without official qualifications most health care providers will require that you are formally trained before considering using your services. This is to protect themselves from potential lawsuits, but it also protects you. Many schools around the nation offer courses in medical transcription. In addition you can find many courses online both free and for a fee.

If you chose to become certified you can do so by passing examinations that are offered by the AHDI (American Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity). In addition to that you will need a minimum of 2 year of medical experience. This certification will give you a huge advantage over your competition in the job place. Additionally it allows you to command a much higher salary than people who are not certified.