Self Learning Medical Transcription

Greetings everyone,

I am about to venture into medical transcription field, but would like a few opinions first.

I have 7 years of experience in administrative tasks, clerical duties, customer service, billing, spreadsheets and all that sort of thing you do at the office.

For various reasons, I need to work from home and it will be that way for a little while, so for the time being, I'm starting out with the online jobs and marketing myself as a virtual assistant to offer service to small business. At the same time, I want to self-learn medical transcription.

The reasons for that are very simple. I cannot afford online courses or financing for community college. Since I have to keep working and generating income, I don't want to commit to an academic program. I have a lot of things going on in my life and it wouldn't be wise to add another stressor. I just think that if I start this slowly and on my own, i'll eventually get somewhere someday!!!!

So!!!! What I really want to ask is, first of all, is it feasible given the experience i already have. I say if I was to take a medical terminology test right at this moment, i would score 50%. So i have have another 50% worth of knowledge to learn on my own. My typing right now is between 60-70 wpm, depending on my day. Now, if it is feasible, given that i will self studying this, what are the core basics i really needs to know to say that i can even do transcription.
My goal is to be able to bring myself to a point where I can feel confident enough to try to volunteer my service as a starter and build my references based on that. From what I can gather from what i've read about medical transcription, it really seems to be all about experience and practice once you get through understanding medical language.

Anyways. Any suggestions on what would be helpful to learn and concentrate on. Any tips on the skills to master?

Thanks a bunch and everyone have themselves a great day!!!!

You could use the MT school competency profile as a guideline for what to teach yourself. It covers competencies in five categories: English language usage, medical knowledge, technology, healthcare documentation, and professional practice.

This includes English grammar and punctuation, medical language, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, pharmacology and laboratory medicine, transcription technology, medical transcription practice, healthcare records, privacy, ethics, and other medicolegal issues including HIPAA regulations.

Here's a link to it in more detail: www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/reducompro.cfm

I've never heard of anyone doing volunteer MT work before, so I'm not sure how that would work out. MT companies do want to know what they're getting when they hire a new MT. Most of them will only hire graduates of certain schools, so it might be very difficult to actually find a job once you've trained yourself.

Here is a good sample page just to get a look at the kind of thing you'd be expected to transcribe, if that helps. www.mtdesk.com/reports_cardio.shtml

Yeah, I do realize that going this avenue wouldn't get me a top paying job with a hospital, a clinic or anything too technical. But I was thinking, perhaps, those doctors that are on a budget and running their own practice. Even if i get to start just as a general transcriptionist first. I've heard of some instances where MT started out only as taking a medical terminology course and would find jobs in small doctors office. I obviously won't get the academic recognition one gets when they graduate, but if I can prove i have the skills and start out as offering to type for them for free. They would obviously know they're dealing with someone with less experience, so they will get what they "pay" for (not to say that i'll do a bad job because it's free, but my quality of work won't be the same as a transcription company obviously). When I was in web design, it's something i did to build my portfolio and it helped a lot and then the people i did the free work for would either refer me to someone else or call me back for some work from time to time.
I also thought of transcribing any sort of audio i could find, just to familiarize myself with typing audio and picking up my speed to keep up. It would be good to come accross medical audio of some sort, so i can get my ears used to medical terminology.
Anyhow, I'm very dedicated to do this and wouldn't there be a market of some sort for maybe new doctors who are starting small or don't quite have the big budget yet for transcription.
If I could, another question I would have is, who actually hires mt and pays for them? That should give me an idea of what i'm working with here.

thanks mtathome for the link and the sample. I was wondering, when u actually listen to these operative reports, what is it that ur listening too. Is it the medical staff recording their observations on audio, or meetings, lectures? When do they actually to record these sorts of things? Does every operations done require an operative report, or only for special cases?

What you're looking for is a mentor, someone who'll take the time to teach you. That would be great, but it's very hard to find, unfortunately. Whoever does it has to have a lot of time available out of their work day to mentor you when, even though you'd be doing it for free, they could easily do the work themselves or have an experienced MT do it quickly and accurately. A mentor is a very special person.

MTs are hired and paid by individual doctor offices (though doctors who are affiliated with hospitals may have their dictations done by the hospital), MT companies, local MT service owners, or hospitals.

When you're listening to a dictation, it's the doctor dictating, or, rarely, someone dictating for them. They dictate at the end of the day, or throughout the day, sometimes after each patient visit. For instance, a surgeon who has just completed a bypass operation dictates the details, the MT transcribes it, and that then becomes part of the patient's medical records. Any kind of operation, procedure, office visit, ER visit, etc., is dictated and transcribed and becomes medical records. Every time you see your doctor, an entry is made in your medical chart explaining the visit, though clinic notes are often now done by EMR rather than by dictation.

George Brown College offers Transcription courses in the evening:

coned.georgebrown.ca/section/hsci/medo.html

There is an excellent book for studying Medical Terminology called: The Language of Medicine by Davi-Ellen Chabner

Hey Valerie,
I would like to suggest to you to check out this website www.transamassociates.com/default.asp This is a great company to work with and can help you out more than you would think. So do yourself a favor and check it out. You will be glad you did. I know I was.

Best of luck on transcribing and God Bless.

I sent flyers to all private practices after I earned my medical transcription certificates at BOCES. I offered my transcription services for FREE, as I had very minimal experience.....thus far, no one has even responded. luckily, one of our np went to another Dr's office and I was lucky enough to land a day day stint to do her transcriptions...even though I am making peanuts and I mean PEANUTS...(remember I offered to do this for nothing one year before)this is the best job anyone could ask for...I work from my home after working an 8 hr day at the office, and I have a good reference in the near future. Be creative with your search, however, I do recommend taking a transcription course at BOCES $300.00??? for 2 months/one day a week.

Theresa in Richmond, Virginia said: Hey Valerie,
I would like to suggest to you to check out this website www.transamassociates.com/default.asp This is a great company to work with and can help you out more than you would think. So do yourself a favor and check it out. You will be glad you did. I know I was.

Best of luck on transcribing and God Bless.

Theresa -
I have read a lot of negative comments on this company. Your post is just a month old and newer than others that I have read. Do you still work for them? And have you had any problems?
Linda

mtathome in Yorba Linda, California said: You could use the MT school competency profile as a guideline for what to teach yourself. It covers competencies in five categories: English language usage, medical knowledge, technology, healthcare documentation, and professional practice.

This includes English grammar and punctuation, medical language, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, pharmacology and laboratory medicine, transcription technology, medical transcription practice, healthcare records, privacy, ethics, and other medicolegal issues including HIPAA regulations.

Here's a link to it in more detail: www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/reducompro.cfm

I've never heard of anyone doing volunteer MT work before, so I'm not sure how that would work out. MT companies do want to know what they're getting when they hire a new MT. Most of them will only hire graduates of certain schools, so it might be very difficult to actually find a job once you've trained yourself.

Here is a good sample page just to get a look at the kind of thing you'd be expected to transcribe, if that helps. www.mtdesk.com/reports_cardio.shtml

I have never heard of anyone letting you do "free" work. They want you to have an education as well as experience, if possible. Some places hire newbies if they have the education background. You have to understand about HIPPA and know formats and terminology and grammar and punctuation. There are terms, abbreviations, anatomy, and the list goes on. It is possible to do this, and I enjoy it. However, I don't think you get taken serious when you want to train yourself.

Linda in New York, New York said: Theresa -
I have read a lot of negative comments on this company. Your post is just a month old and newer than others that I have read. Do you still work for them? And have you had any problems?
Linda

Transam is known as "Trans Scam" all over the internet, and has been for several years. Anyone saying otherwise either is a paid recruiter for Transam or a flat-out lying trouble maker.

Transam makes its money by selling overpriced books, software, email accounts, and more. The poor people who fall for it just pay and pay and pay and ALSO work for the company for nothing. And it all hides behind a "Christian" theme -- stay away!!!

je fais des transcriptions audio de tout genre a un prix très abordable, je suis joignable sur rafotsy arobase gmail point com
merci a tous

im planning to persue my career in MT. Please can anyone suggest me how to start im stay home mom.