A Career In Medical Transcription Can Be Yours With Your Distance Degree!
The rapid advances in information technology are changing just about everything we do, from entertainment to the way we work. One interesting change can end up having a very positive effect, particularly for those who want to work from home, such as single parents.? From attending college online to working in health care, the opportunity is there.
Like many other fields, the medical field is being vastly altered thanks to the current information revolution. Many jobs no longer require its personnel to report to the office every day. As long as they have a laptop and access to the internet, they can work comfortably from the confines of their home. One such profession that benefits from this change is the medical transcriptionist.
What a transcriptionist primarily does is listen to dictated recordings from a facility’s medical professionals and transcribes them into reports, correspondence and other paperwork. One of their primary tools is a headset, so they can hear the dictation in detail. From there they key the text, editing as necessary. After they are done, usually all a physician should have to do is review and sign or correct and send back.
It should be made clear that a medical transcriptionist is not a secretary. They have to have a thorough knowledge of medical terminology, which is highly specialized. They must also know their way around medical reference sources, many of which can be accessed over the Internet. They must also know a specific style of writing, one that complies with local legal and ethical requirements for keeping patient information confidential. After all, a mistake on their reports – such as not noting an allergic condition – can lead to fatal consequences.
It’s because of the Internet, such things as Wi-Fi and the high speed modem that have made all this possible. The transcriptionist wakes up, has her coffee, and turns on her system. From there she just has to access her mail or a website, and can get right to work. The process is now so easy it can be done on a PDA with the right apps. Speech recognition software is also getting a foothold inside the industry.
Employers prefer to hire transcriptionists who have completed postsecondary training in medical transcription offered by many vocational schools, community and online college. Completion of a two year associate’s degree or a one year certificate program – including courses in legal issues relating to healthcare documentation, and English grammar and punctuation – is highly recommended
Transcriptionists tend to be hourly workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the rate at slightly over $15.00 an hour, depending on location, place of employment and skill level. The rate can go as high as $21.00 an hour. Two key things though are there never seems to be a lack of work for them or, as said before, the comfort of working from one’s home.
It’s also a growing field. There are slightly over 100,000 transcriptionists out there, and 10,000 more will be needed by 2018, with nearly 40% of them working from home.? Many will have their online diploma, which gave them the skills they needed to succeed.? Some will even take college further and complete their medical assistant degrees that can be utilized for different jobs within health care. For more information about distance learning college degree, check the internet. ?