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Becoming a medical transcriptionist can be an excellent career choice for those with keen attention to detail and a passion for healthcare. Medical transcriptionists are responsible for transcribing doctors’ notes and dictations into accurate and readable documents for patient records. At Fast Chart, we follow an easy, straightforward medical transcription process that allows users to achieve maximum success. Have you considered taking a transcription course? Read on!
Medical Transcription 101
If you have an interest in administration and a passion for healthcare, you should consider taking a transcription course to become a medical transcriptionist. By doing so, you can eventually land a job in transcribing, proofreading, and editing medical dictation. You’ll gain skills and experience in the following:
- Returning dictated reports in electronic form for a physician to review, sign, correct, and include inpatient medical records.
- Reviewing and editing transcribed reports or dictations for grammar, spelling, clarity, and correct medical terminology.
- Distinguishing between homonyms and noticing inconsistencies and errors in medical terms.
- Transcribing dictation for patient histories, physical exams, chart reviews, emergency room visits, discharge summaries, and a variety of medical reports.
- Translating medical abbreviations and jargon into their proper forms.
- Generating medical reports, information for patient care, and administrative documents.
After you take one transcription course, you will have to take more in order to earn a medical transcription certification which typically takes around six months. You can also choose to earn an associate’s degree in about two years. Both are adequate ways in becoming a medical transcriptionist.
Types of Transcription Courses
Becoming a medical transcriptionist usually involves the need to complete a post-secondary training program and gain certification through an accredited organization. These programs provide training in medical terminology, anatomy, and transcription techniques, as well as essential computer skills. There are a wide variety of transcription courses available. Some of the most common ones you’ll find when enrolling in a certification or degree program include:
- Introduction to Medical Transcription: During this course, you’ll learn how to transcribe, edit and proofread reports. You’ll also gain experience in identifying and formatting different types of reports.
- Medical Transcription Language: Spelling, pronunciation, definitions of medical terms, and terminology used in diagnostic and surgical procedures are learned in a medical transcription language class.
- Introduction to Word Processing: Since medical transcriptionists must be experts in word processing, the introduction to word processing class can help you learn how to create, format, and merge documents.
- Medical Office Procedures: In a medical office procedures class, you’ll educate yourself on modern medical office procedures and find out how medical records are managed, how appointments are scheduled, how insurance forms are filled out, and more.
Where to Find Transcription Courses
To find reputable transcription courses, you should start by performing an internet search and reading reviews. You can also contact practicing medical transcriptionists to find out where they took their courses. Reaching out to healthcare facilities that hire transcriptionists is another good option when choosing courses for becoming a medical transcriptionist.
With the rise of technology, medical transcriptionists can now work remotely from anywhere in the world, making it a flexible and convenient career option. Overall, becoming a medical transcriptionist can be a fulfilling and rewarding career for those who enjoy working in the healthcare industry and have a strong aptitude for language and technology.
Fast Chart has built a reputation for providing industry-leading results that healthcare professionals can rely on. Our state-of-the-art technology combined with a 100% U.S.-based staff of highly skilled medical transcriptionists, quality assurance specialists, customer service representatives, information service technicians, and account managers, we have a system uptime of 99.9% with an accuracy greater than 98.5%. If you think a career in medical transcription is right for you, contact us or call our office at 1-800-334-6606.