The job of a medical transcriptionist is to keep a record of a patient’s medical records for future reference of the doctor. A medical transcriptionist is responsible to make documents on a patient’s medical history, physical and laboratory examination results, discharge notes, autopsy reports, consultation reports, referral letters, etc. It is essential for a medical transcriptionist to have a thorough knowledge of medical terminology and jargon and also about physiology, anatomy, treatment procedures and assessments.
The doctor records his/her assessment about the patients in the Dictaphone (digital tape recorder) and the medical transcriptionist listens to it and produces written data on the computer. With the advancement of technology, the job of a medical transcriptionist has become a little more easier. Nowadays, notes are dictated on the Internet and there is also speech recognition technology which automatically transcribes the data while the medical transcriptionist has to check for major and minor errors.
Educational Qualifications
Educational qualifications required to become a medical transcriptionist is a one year certificate course or a two year associate degree in medical transcription. Most recruiters prefer people who have done a postsecondary training in medical transcription. Even people who have worked as nurses or medical secretaries can apply for this job after completing a refresher course. Along with these qualifications, the medical transcription jobs also requires a person to have good tying speed and computer knowledge. The job of medical transcriptionists can be stressful because they have to be alert all the time, as any mistake in the reports may have dangerous consequences to the health of the patients.
Average Salaries for Medical Transcriptionist
After completing the course in medical transcription, one can work at hospitals, clinics, medical libraries, medical transcription companies, laboratories, etc. Experienced people also opt to work at home. Though medical transcription is quite a significant career in the field of medicine, medical transcription employment pays very little compared to other medical jobs. The salary status of medical transcriptionists are different in different countries and states. Usually, medical transcriptionists earn as per the lines or reports they have written. People who are freshers in this field may be disappointed at the salary they would receive initially. However, with increase in efficiency and perfection in their work, it is possible to receive more salary.
People working at transcription companies or hospitals are normally expected to produce a minimum 1200 lines every day. The average salary for a medical transcriptionist will come to around $84 to $96 each day, depending on the lines they write. Some companies also give incentives if the employees write more than what is expected from them. Transcriptionists who are self employed or work at home are paid higher salaries than the office going people, however they do not enjoy the benefits offered to full time employees.
One of the major disadvantages of working as a medical transcriptionist is that the work does not involve much movement and one would have to spend a lot of time in front of the computer. This can give rise to many health problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, eye problems, etc.
Medical transcription jobs are opted for by most people because as is a flexible job and those who are self-employed can work according to their own convenience. People who want to earn some extra money can also work as a part time medical transcriptionist, apart form their regular jobs.
