Anybody know anything about medical transcripting?

[leahannpen]

Just curious. In our area there have been radio ads advertising seminars on this. I don't know anyone who does this, but a relative does and said they know the person who does this really enjoys it, and makes pretty good money.

I'm just curious if it's even feesable. Do I need to spend alot to get started and how much schooling do I need. Just looking for general info and experiences.

Thanks much!

 

[Blondie]

A co-worker was looking to make more money and spend more time at home with ther children, so she took a class offered locally here. I think it cost her around $700. It helped that she already had a good deal of the medical terminology needed from working in a hospital as a unit secretary (like myself.)

She tried doing the medical transcription from home on her computer, but after a few weeks, gave it up. It was too boring for her. She found out she is more of a people person than she thought and would rather work at a job than stay at home pecking away at a keyboard.

You can make good money once you establish yourself and get your speed up, but it's not for everyone.

 

[Karista]

I did medical transcription for many years and I loved it. However, I was in a surgeon's office and most of her reports were the same over and over, and it got to the point where she would finish her letters with "blah blah blah" (telling me, "you know what to insert here"!). The only downside that I can see with doing it at home is that if there is a question about a word, and that DOES happen (someone walks by and sneezes while doctor is dictating, doctor is interrupted while dictating and then resumes in a totally different spot, etc.) then you really have no way of asking - I could always run down the hall if I had a question. Also, once I filled in at a local hospital and I found it very difficult to understand all of the different accents and dialects of the various physicians.

Personally, I would never do it at home because there are too many interruptions (in my house anyhow) and you really do need to concentrate. For the right person though, it would be a great way to work at home.

 

[LtlTee]

I have been a medical transcriptionist for 12 years, 8 of them working at home. I go into my office 2 days a week to drop off work and pick up work. It does take a lot of self-discipline, and the isolation factor is something to take into consideration. However, I work while my kids are in school and it allows me to be there when they get home. My schedule is flexible; if there is a function going on at school during the day, I can be there. Also, having to stay home with sick kids isn't a problem.
I never had formal schooling -- I learned as I went along on my first job. Since then I have worked in many different medical fields; orthopedics, GI, neurology, podiatry,etc. Fields are so specialized today -- being well-versed in one field doesn't necessarily mean you can do any type of practice. There are schools all over my area, but two of the doctors I worked for wouldn't hire anyone right from school, as they wanted them to have some experience. There are a couple of different ways to approach it. You can work as an independent contractor and work for docs that way (which is how I started, because I specifically wanted to work at home), or work as an hourly/salaried employee, as I do now. Just keep in mind that working as an independent contractor means no benefits, vacation time, etc. If you take a vacation, you have no $ coming in for that period of time. It has become a bit of a cut-throat business, at least in my area, and there are always other people looking to undercut you price-wise.
I don't mean to sound negative about the whole thing -- I wouldn't have done it for this long if it wasn't beneficial for me. But, like someone else said, it is not for everyone. THere is a lot to take into consideration.

 

[rebbeca]

Hi. I have been a medical transcriptionist for 20 years. I have done it every way of doing it, except working in a physician's office (which I always refused to do). I even owned my own company for six years. I have been working for the same company now for nine years. I live in TN. The branch office is in NC and the corporate office is in NJ.

Anyway, I do pretty well. I do not have set hours, however, I also receive no benefits. The company I work for has several options and I chose this one because it is more money. I do get paid on production, but I have worked on hospital accounts for many, many years and I tend to just breeze through most of the day.

The company I work for is the largest in the country. I know that they offer off-site training and training at local schools. It may even be the one running the commerials you are hearing.

I enjoy working for this company. If I need time off, I just let them know. If I need extra money, I just work more. I am listed as a staturatory employee, so the company does withhold taxes.

It does take a while to learn the terminology, programs, etc. I would say at least a year of working on actual hospital accounts. There are a lot of skills being used together, i.e. typing speed, grammar, following different instructions for each account, foreign dictators, etc.

My experience working at home as been great. I even have been homeschooling my now 17YO DS for the last five years. We travel frequently to horse shows out of state. I enjoy having a job that pays well, which is very flexible. I enjoy not having to get ready to go to work five days a week, traveling to a job, and all of the other hassles involved with being in a work place setting.

If you have any questions, let me know. I'll be glad to help.

Becky

 

[Pin Wizard]

I have a friend that's been doing medical transcription for about 15 years now. She used to work in a doctor's office and gave it up to work at home. She also homeschools her 3 kids! At one point she returned to working in a doc's office. Then she quit and went back to transcription at home because she made more money doing that! She still loves it!

 

[Cindabella's Mom]

I'm a medical transcriptionist also. I've been an MT for almost 15 years, almost 9 at home. Most people don't realize it's more than just sitting down in front of the computer and typing. You have to know terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, etc. Also some of the accents are very difficult to understand. I've ran the gamut from working in the hospital, working for a service, being an independent contractor, and now working at home for a hospital with full benefits/great pay (the last is definitely the best).

I cannot imagine working in an office, but it takes a lot of self-discipline to work at home. Most of the time, you don't work, you don't get paid as it is usually paid by the line.

I love what I do. As stated above, the pay is great and the flexibility is wonderful. I'm able to start early and finish early. Even being an "employee", my hospital is very flexible.

The only thing I would advise is be careful about the seminars. I've heard that a lot of times it's a big con to get your money. If you're seriously interested try looking into a local college or vo-tech school and see if they offer courses.

HOpe this helps some.

 

[leahannpen]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your honest replies... I truly appreciate it. I just may check into this further.

I appreciate everyone's answer... if there are any others with information... I'll take it.

Thanks again!!