Finding A Reliable Online Medical Transcription Training Program

This is a guest article by Michele Miller, Simplistic Solutions, a multi-talented home transcriptionist from Florida.  She was the first to do a guest post, Start A Medical-Transcription-At-Home Career, on MT Herald.  You too can do guest posts here, check out the guest posting guidelines.

Couple of weeks back when I happened to contact her, she was in busy preparation for launching an online medical transcription course, which gave me the chance to invite her again to do a guest post on the title “How to find a reliable online medical transcription course?”  She instantly agreed amidst her busy prelaunch schedule.  Now here she goes:

Online home study courses have allowed many people to study for a new career in the comfort of their own home, and the amount of training programs available is quite extensive, compared to several years ago, when such technology wasn’t available.

Nowadays, a lot of people choose this route for the flexibility it allows.  No longer do you have to sit in a classroom on a specified day at a specified time.  Online home study courses allow you the freedom to study when it suits you.

It is a personal choice whether you want to go to college or get your education on the Internet with an online course, but a lot of people choose the online method because it is a more flexible solution to suit a busy lifestyle.

Taking your training online is a great way to study to become a medical transcriptionist.  The problem is, which course is best for you, which should you choose?

With so many scams out there, how do you know you are going to get the best education possible, for a reasonable price?  How can you know who to trust?

I am going to give you a few guidelines here to help you avoid getting ripped off, and to also give you some food for thought before you choose a medical transcription online course.

First of all, what makes me qualified to help you not get scammed and to help you choose a suitable medical transcription training course?

Therefore, I will tell you a little about myself, and why I feel I am qualified to tell you this.  My name is Michele Miller.  I am British by birth, and I have lived in Florida since 1993 when my American husband and I, and our daughter moved here.  I went to our local community college to get my MT education ~ back then we didn’t have home study courses!  Within a year, I started my own medical transcription service, and I haven’t looked back.  My passion for medical transcription comes across in so many ways.  I love teaching and helping people.  My college instructor was so impressed with my success she asked me to come and talk to the students at the college, which I did.  Shortly after that, I was asked if I would take students from the college for their Internship programs, and I did.  I helped students where school leaves off; I taught them productivity short-cuts they never would have learned, and I offered free ongoing mentorship to them.  I have continued to do this over the years, although I have had to cut back on the amount of interns I can take due to time constraints, but I actively help just as I did before.

Jumping ahead, so as not to make this too long, I decided it would be easier to put all the information and help that I was giving to these students into an ebook, so that I didn’t have to keep writing things out and making copies.  That is how my original website came about in 2004, Medical Transcription At Home.

After that, things progressed and I have devoted a lot of time to helping people become successful medical transcriptionists.  And more recently, after two years of interviewing over 17 different companies, I finally put together my own training site, which includes a lot of my own study materials, and I’m very proud to say we have lots of students enrolled in the course, and I feel it is a very comprehensive course.

However, every situation and person is different, and I don’t want to toot my own horn here.  I just needed to explain why I think I’m qualified to help you not get scammed when it comes to your transcription training!

Here are some things I think you should consider asking about before you sign up with any online medical transcription training course:

• Anybody can put up a website and take your money and not deliver.  Unfortunately, I know of one such site, but I cannot mention it publicly.  If the website is authentic, they will allow you to contact some of their past and current students!  Ask to be put in contact with some of the students, and better yet, get a phone number for each person.  After all, anyone can be sitting behind a dozen different email addresses, and you wouldn’t know any different!
• Check to see if they are listed with the offline and online Better Business Bureau.  This is a great way to save yourself money and heartache before you get scammed.  Most reputable training courses will be listed with them, and you should have access to any complaints.  Any reputable company will list the BBB logo on their website so you can get immediate access to their consumer rating.
• Before you sign up with any course, check their cancelation fee!  I have been astounded to find out that many courses charge you a huge fee for canceling your course.  Life happens, and sometimes you are not able to complete a course in the time frame allowed, or maybe you find out this is not the career for you; why should you be penalized for this?  The company takes your money and you get next to nothing, because of the fine print and the clauses.  Do due diligent research about this before enrolling with any company.  Remember to find out if you can cancel at anytime, or if you have to pay for the whole course up-front!
• Check to see if the person that is going to be your instructor has ever actually been working in the medical transcription field or merely “teaches” the course.  There is a night and day difference between an instructor and an actual experienced medical transcriptionist.  Experienced medical transcriptionists will be able to give you “real world” advice and help that some instructors may not be able to give.
• Before making any payments, be sure to call and speak to a representative of the company.  Ask a lot of questions, and see how receptive they are to giving you advice and being there for you in the long term, as well as the short term.
• Ask for a course syllabus so you can see exactly what you will be doing and how extensive the course work really is.

I’m sure there are other important questions you can and should ask, but I hope this article helps you think ahead so that people cannot take advantage of you or your wallet!

A medical transcription course gives very detailed instruction on medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, language skills, the ability to listen and other various components of day-to-day transcribing. The courses are not simple, but they are laid out in an easy step-by-step fashion so that you do not end up getting lost during your study.  Instructors will give you lessons to follow on the Internet and will also be available for one-on-one guidance when necessary.  A good course instructor will also provide a phone number in case a student needs specific help that cannot be handled by e-mail.  Internet courses provide the same training as off-line courses, but the methods used are different.

If you are looking for an online medical transcription course you should be looking for one that not only teaches you how to become an MT, but one that will teach you about your different employment options once you have completed the course.  It should also give instructions on job searching and the different places that hire medical transcriptionists.  You should also be able to talk to the instructor about opening your own business at home and how to get it set up properly.

Finding a good medical transcription training course on the Internet is important if you’re serious about this career.  You should check out the course thoroughly and make sure it is not too costly.  An expensive course does not mean that it is any better than a less expensive one, and your money is valuable to you.  Better yet, you should look for a course that offers a payment plan.  If you find out that medical transcribing is not your cup of tea, then you should be able to cancel without a penalty.

I hope this helps you decide which course is best for you.  Remember, you are the most important factor in this equation, so don’t let anybody talk you into signing up with them without getting the information you need first!

Michele is admitting international students too to enroll and has got quite a few offshore students also enrolled recently.  Hence if you are looking for a career in medical transcription with a medical transcription course online, get trained in four months with Michele Miller’s BBB accredited Affordable Course and Easy Payment Plan.

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• Medical Transcription Courses And Training Programs
• Which Medical Transcription Educational Course To Join In India?
• Start A Medical-Transcription-At-Home Career