Pros And Cons of Medical Transcription Career
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I do not see any threatening cons in this career apart from a few work related ailments or computer related health concerns which can be averted or overcome by adopting some ergonomics that we have discussed in ergonomics for computer users and medical transcriptionists, while the pros that I find for you to choose a medical transcription career are:
Good command over English
You are confident that you have a good command over English and are good with words. Language proficiency includes knowledge and use of correct words, punctuation and spelling, as well as sentence formation (syntax). It’s the basic quality to become a transcriptionist and if you have it, well and good, everything else can be acquired. (And that you even learn a word a day as we discussed in “how to improve your vocabulary“!!!).
Typewriting skills
If you are good at typing and like a typing nature of job; that’s an advantage.
Like working on computer
In today’s world, it has become a necessity that we know at least the basics of computer operation and if you have it, it’s an added advantage especially if you have exposure to word processors like Microsoft Word. Note that it’s only an added advantage and if at all you do not have exposure, no problem, it can be attained through training. If you have a strong wish to work on computer, that’s enough.
Friendly training
You can learn medical transcription from an on-site facility, in a private doctor’s office taught by someone trained in the same methods being used there; in a public facility, such as a hospital or other treatment center; at home or on site in a specialized learning program with either hard copy or via the internet. The very best part is that you do NOT need a degree to start a career in medical transcription.
Inclination towards a sedentary job
Medical transcription job is essentially a sedentary job and if you have an inclination towards a sedentary, white-collar, computer-based job, this one will perfectly suit you.
Good pay
The pay is very much competitive in today’s market and your pay packet depends entirely on number of characters/lines/pages you could transcribe, so you decide what you earn. Read how much you can convert your time into money in the post start a medical-transcription-at-home career. You get pensions, health plans and other employee benefits if you work in house and if you are really good, you can get bonuses too!
Scope, demand and supply
No matter it is fall or summer, rain or shine, recession or progression, inflation or deflation, people will get sick. Medical transcription business is roughly a $25 billion industry (annually). While the number of medical transcriptionists in the US has remained static, the demand for transcriptionists is growing by about 15% every year. Hence, there is a need for GOOD transcriptionists. So do you think there is a chance for doom days in this career?
Challenging career
If you have an inborn aptitude to face challenges, you have plenty of it in this career on a daily basis. Read what sort of challenges in who can become a transcriptionist? If you are interested in medicine and would appreciate the idea of being inside of the latest medical breakthroughs, yes, you can. You get to use the latest technology as well.
The world of medical transcription grows smaller each day as technology advances and if you want to be a successful medical transcriptionist, preparation and practice are key factors to live by.
Career progression
From an entry level transcriber you can grow up to an expert in any subspecialty of medicine like cardiology, urology, radiology etc. You can choose the subspecialty of comfort and progress towards being a master in that subspecialty. As well in an organizational setup, you can even graduate to management positions depending on your skills and aptitude.
Work atmosphere
You choose the atmosphere you prefer. You have an option to work from home or in an office; work alone or work with other professionals.
Job independence
You have a choice of being an independent contractor working for a medical center or a public or private facility. You can often set your own working hours, thereby having a choice to be with your family more and not miss important times of being together. In an independent contractor setup, you can work for one or several employers at a time. In short, you can be your own boss! The only con of being an independent contractor that I could find is missing those statutory employee benefits provided to in-house employees.
These are just a few of the too many good reasons to start a medical-transcription career, so what are you waiting for?
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Jeanette Dobbyn said:
I found information very usefull being just starting on line course for medical transcription in February of 09 Would like to know if some one can make more money being a Transcriptionist in one subspecialty like urology or cardiology, in a hospital? or clinic? What are in House employee’s? Can being a certified medical assistant advance my career in any way besides knowledge of medical and clinical term’s. After finishing my course how do I find best employment and pay rate? Will I have to purchase a tape recorder for transcription information from my employer ? at home study leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions. Thanks.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:14 pm -
Serena said:
Nice article. However, I would recommend a good training course over on-site training, especially for someone who is an absolute newbie. Limited training on-site would severely hamper career advancement on many levels. As long as you are careful about choosing your training venue, it should offer a much better start to the newbie, as opposed to on-site training.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am -
praveen said:
sir,
I have completed my degree in B.tech biotechnology and i am planning to take medical transcription how far it will be useful for professional student like me, because most say u can earn more money in bpo or other marketing field why u want to land up in medical transcription. What is your opinion about this?June 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
Raj reply on March 7th, 2009 2:24 am:
1.) Concentrating on one subspecialty could fetch you repetitive type of reports, hence better in terms of productivity but would lack yourself in terms of exposure to other disciplines and types of reports.
2.) Transcriptionists working in an office setting either at a hospital or at a medical transcription service organization (MTSO) are in-house employees, and those working from their own space procuring independent contracts are independent contractors.
3.) An additional credential is good for a newbie to get into a job especially in these tough economic times but not necessarily needed.
4.) Getting into a medical transcription job as a fresher is rather a distant dream, as everywhere you could see requirements only for experienced transcriptionists. You may have to squeeze yourself somewhere with intensive campaigning in the local hospitals, MTSOs, online or with the aide of your medical transcriptionist/doctor/nurse/hospital staff friends. I would urge you to read “What next after your diploma for a job?”
5.) Gone are the days with tape recorder and clickety clack typewriting machines. These are the days with computer and internet. You do not require them for learning. You’ll get to know it once you have enrolled into the course. However, if you’re getting employed in a hospital which hasn’t yet transformed to the digital age, you may still need a tape recorder and a typewriter!
6.) I think you need to improve yourself in terms of English spelling and apostrophe being a medical transcription career aspirant. Check my article on apostrophe abuse in medical transcription.
Hope I threw some light into some of your concerns. Wish you good luck in getting transformed to a medical transcriptionist.
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