Medical Transcription Courses Online
Professional Development Training through Elearning Education
Nov 4, 2009
Careers in the healthcare industry are becoming more and more popular everyday. Beside the lack of nurses and doctors, the medical field also must the fill gaps for a variety of other jobs. However, many people do not know of the other positions that are making money, and not only in an office setting. With some of these jobs, people can train and then make money right in their own home.
One area of the healthcare industry that particularly needs more workers is medical transcription. In this field, a medical transcriptionist (or MT) listens to recordings that physicians and other health care professionals dictate and transcribes them into documents such as medical reports and other administrative materials. Using a headset, MTs listen to a recording and then type it into text form on a computer. In the editing process, they then check for grammar and overall clarity of the text.
It can be a rigorous job because an MT must understand medical jargon and abbreviations, and have a thorough knowledge of medical terminology such as pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, etc. It can be especially tricky if a doctor's voice on a recording has a thick, foreign accent. Therefore, to break into this field, a person must receive proper training and education.
Why It Pays to Pursue an Allied Health Career
In a November 29, 2008 interview on CNN's "Your Money" segment, financial expert Ali Velshi discussed how the field of medical transcription continues to grow and seems to be recession-proof. In fact, during the interview author of Healthcare Job Explosion [Bookhaven Pr., 1998] Dennis Damp says:
"It's a great job. You can work part-time or full time. My editor for many years worked part-time as a transcriptionist because she wanted to stay home with her young children and it was a good fit for her. You start at $30,000 a year and you can either work for a major organization and work independently and they're hiring 18,000 a year."
Thus, this job offers a flexible hours and a decent starting salary, which can increase to upwards of $45,000 a year. It is not only a good option for stay at moms (or dads), but also for those wishing to start up a business of her/his own or pursue other interests.
Top Online Medical Transcription Schools
A wise choice for prospective students is to educate themselves virtually. Online classes can be relatively inexpensive and cut travel time completely. The list below shows where a student can get an MT certificate.
- University of Phoenix – A student can earn an associate's degree in healthcare administration with a special focus in medical records, including medical transcription topics. S/he can learn disease diagnosis and treatment terminology, medical claims processing and patient information management. Low-interest financial aid is an option. A student can apply for a Stafford loan, PLUS loan or Federal Pell Grant.
- DeVry University – A student can enroll in DeVry's health information technology program, which encompasses coursework in application systems and managing electronic health information databases. Upon successful completion of coursework, a graduate will earn an associate's degree with hands-on experience in up-to-date coding. DeVry offers scholarship and loan options for their students.
- Kaplan University – A student can earn an Associate of Applied Science in the field of medical transcription. In the program, s/he will learn how to turn transcription tapes of doctors into well-formatted and concise print and electronic documents in an efficient manner. If the student meets certain requirements, they may sit for a certified MT exam. Kaplan assists students in finding the right financial option for them, whether it be federal loans, grants or military aid, if applicable.
Becoming an MT is a good choice for the future because it is a growing career in the healthcare industry. An MT receives decent pay and has the convenience of working from home. In addition, top MT schools* can be easily found online, thus a student can save her/himself time and money by earning an MT certificate in the virtual world.
*This article, Medical School Online, discusses other careers for certified medical assistants that a person may want to research.
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