Medical Transcription on Squidoo

I have now started a Squidoo lens on medical transcription. My Squidoo has a great link to Cafe Press which has some really neat medical transcription items. I didn't even know you could get MT things like that. I am getting a T-shirt and a plaque for my office. It is all teddybears and they will lighten my working day when trying to understand some difficult doctors and I can look up and see my teddybear medical transcription plaque. Sometimes it takes a little levity to get through some of my transcriptions.

I have been pretty lucky in the docs that I transcribe for most. No ESL's (English as a second language) and they all dictate pretty well. I find the hardest things to transcribe are when they are talking non-medical and I can't look it up. With just ordinary conversation they seem to fly over it and it is hard to understand. That is when I leave the most blanks.

When someone asks me if I am worried about my docs going to something like Dragon Naturally Speaking and taking away my job, I just tell them that my doctors are way too busy to try to train it. If it did happen I would still be working for them transcribing what the computer didn't get right. I just don't see this as taking away medical transcription jobs for a long time. Even if it does, they will still need MTs to edit.

Medical Transcription Medical Reports and Specialties

As a medical transcriptionist you will be typing dictated reports from doctors on a variety of different systems and specialties. I have listed some of these below:

Cardiovascular System
Dermatology and Allergy
Gastroenterology
Immunology
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ophthalmology
Otorhinolaryngology
Pediatrics
Plastic Surgery
Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery
Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Respiratory System
Urology

Some of the general terms you will be using are:

Anatomy
General Medical Terms
General Surgical Terms
Drugs and Chemistry
Laboratory Terminology.

Abbreviations and symbols are used a lot in medicine so you will need to know them.

Soundalikes are also rampant in medical terminology. You have to be very careful with these.

There are many things you need to learn in order to become a medical transcriptionist. Taking a medical transcription course is necessary in order to transcribe doctor's reports accurately. The reports you type will be going into a patient's chart so they must be correct.

I had absolutely no experience in the medical profession when I started but now typing long medical terms just comes naturally. It is like anything else, once you know it, you know it.

Marilyn Roberts
Medical Transcriptionist

Getting Your First Medical Transcription Job

The question I get asked most often is "how do I find my first job as a medical transcriptionist?" This is one of the most difficult challenges a new MT has to face. Of course, everyone wants someone experienced as most health care providers do not have the time or personnel to train a new MT.

More transcription companies are starting to hire beginning MTs but it can still be a nerve wracking process. I have listed below a few ways to get started finding that first job.

1. Visiting the MT forums such as MT Desk will bring you in contact with many new MTs and many experienced MTs. They are now or have been in your same position. They can help guide you to the companies that are hiring new MTs. Start your networking early and get to know the MTs at the forums.

2. I got my first MT job during my last weeks of medical transcription school just by answering an ad in the newspaper. I got an interview and didn't do too well on transcribing the actual doctor's dictations but I got the job because I was familiar with the medical terminology and could spell the medical terms. So check your newspaper and you might get that first job right away as I did.

3. Sending letters to your local clinics and hospitals could also pay off in a job offer. Sometimes the smaller clinics are more willing to hire new MTs as they may have more time to help train you. Sometimes you will have to work in-house for awhile until you are experienced enough to work at home alone.

4. You can mention to your own doctor that you are now a medical transcriptionist and that give you a chance to give him some of your business cards that he could pass on to other doctors and your doctor might be willing to give you a chance if he is in need of a transcriptionist.

These are just a few of the things you can do to get started as an MT. Everyone had to get that first job, even the most experienced MTs.

Please read my article about medical transcription here and visit my medical transcription squidoo for more information on medical transcription.

Marilyn Roberts
Medical Transcriptionist

Home Based Medical Transcription

Having a career as a medical transcriptionist working at home can sometimes be very challenging. One of the great things is that you are doing a real job and are receiving a real paycheck for it. Below are a few tips on what to do or not to do when you have a home based medical transcription business.

Things To Do:

1. Treat this as a real job. Meet your deadlines (this is usually a 24-hour turnaround).

2. Stay in touch with the real world of medical transcription via the MT forums.

3. Keep your work area as isolated from the rest of the house as possible so as to not become distracted. This work requires a lot of concentration.

4. Use a good ergonomic chair and keyboard as you will be sitting and typing for hours at a time.

Thing to Not Do:

1. Don't accept a lot of phone calls while working. Keep the answering machine on.

2. Don't take long breaks for TV or internet surfing. Both of these can be a real downfall to producing timely work. Remember, the more you type the more money you will make.

3. Don't ever leave patient information or transcription work where it is accessible to anyone who comes to your house. There is a strict code of confidentiality that must be maintained if you are working at home.

There are advantages and disadvantages to working at home. Only you can decide if you have the discipline and desire to work at home. Some people do not like the isolation of being home based and others, like myself, enjoy the freedom working at home gives them.