Hello,

My name is Jessie Rhodes, I'm 24 years old, and I am a work-at-home Medical Transcriptionist.

I decided to create this page after several friends of mine started asking questions about how I managed to work at home and earn such a nice living. I thought it would help to explain things better if I just wrote it all down. I sincerely hope this page will prove to be as helpful to you as it has been to them.

If you have any questions about the wonderful world of Medical Transcription, please do not hesitate to ask!

About Medical Transcription:

Medical Transcription, which is also known as MT, is the process of transcribing or converting recorded dictations by physicians and/or other healthcare professionals regarding a patient's medical record into a written text. Medical Transcription follows prescribed and established document (record) formats and is highly dependent upon trained professional, known as Medical Transcriptionists.

About three out of ten Medical Transcriptionists work from home. And because the medical field continues to boom, it's one of the two fast growing employment fields in the U.S.! There are plenty of new opportunities for Medical Transcriptionists!

What does a Medical Transcriptionist do?

Medical Transcriptionists receive a recording of various medical records. They then accurately type a transcript of the recording. Good listening is mandatory, as are computer and language skills and knowledge of medical vocabulary. A good transcriptionist is able to note errors or inconsistencies and bring them to the attention of the recorder. Medical Transcriptionists handle a number of types of reports, as well as summaries, correspondence and notes; all documents become part of a patient's permanent file and therefore accuracy is extremely important.

How do I become a Medical Transcriptionist?

There are a lot of home study courses available online, as well courses offered at colleges and hospitals. The BEST home study course available online is The VLC School of Medical Transcription Training. They offer financial aid assistance, monthly payment plans, and will even help you find a good job after your training is done. I simply cannot say enough good things about this company. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today.

If you would like to see what Medical Transcription is all about -- right now -- then check out the Free Introductory Online Course, available online from The VLC.

What supplies will I need?

After training, Medical Transcriptionists need access to medical dictionaries, spellcheckers and other resources. All of these resources and more are available through The VLC website mentioned above.

How do I get a job as a work-at-home Medical Transcriptionist?

The VLC offers free job placement services; they will help you find a good job as soon as you graduate one of their programs.

There are also national companies that will hire you, including:

• Ascend Healthcare
• Ascriptus
• C and C Transcription, Inc
• Cobb Medical Transcription, Inc
• Diskriter Health Care Solutions and Placement Service
• eTransplus
• Fast Chart, Inc
• Fast Transcription
• HealthScribe
• Huntington Transcription Services
• JLG Medical Transcription Company
• MEDGARDE
• Medquist
• Med-Type, L.L.C.
• Med-Write
• Oracle Transcription, Inc. (OTI)
• Phoenix MedCom, Inc
• QT Medical
• Range Medical Transcription, Inc
• Rapid Text
• Rapid Transcript, Inc
• Sten-Tel Inc
• TBT Medical Transcription Service
• TrueScribe
• Vasant Scribes
• Western Medical Management
• Worldwide Dictation

Most companies are looking for Medical Transcriptionists to work at home, especially on the national level. Local employers are going to be more accommodating to new transcriptionists as well.

What kind of pay can I expect?

In 2006, the median wage for a Medical Transcriptionist was $13.64. The middle 50 percent earned between $11.50 and $16.32, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $19.11.

I started out at $14/hour and have worked my way up to $16.50 an hour in less than 2 years.

What kind of advancement is available for Medical Transcriptionists?

Experienced Medical Transcriptionists can become supervisors, teachers and consultants. There are often editing and writing opportunities as well.

What kind of problems might I face as a Medical Transcriptionist?

Like anyone working in a position that requires a lot of typing, medical transcriptionists are prone to repetitive motion injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. It's very important for Medical Transcriptionists to stretch regularly. Ergonomic equipment, such as a good chair and keyboard, are well worth the investment.

How can I get started?

Visit The VLC's website. It's loaded with free information and resources to get you started. They even have a FREE introductory course you can take to see if Medical Transcription is something you'd be interested in.