Medical transcription involves transcribing the voice recordings of dialogues between a doctor, or group of doctors and the patient. Skills in understanding different kinds of accents, as well as knowledge in English as a Second Language can be extremely useful in this field. These requirements are just secondary to knowing how to type really, really fast.
It is important that when the medical transcription, or MT as it is also known is done; the document is formatted and presented well. These documents need to be clear and easy to read by various healthcare professionals who rely on this information to provide the best care to their client and/or patient. Accuracy is extremely important.
Many doctors will send digital sound files of their meetings with the patients via the Internet to the MT so the transcription can be done. There is also special software available to the MT to help in their work. This is a huge change and improvement from the days when this work was done with a typewriter and tape player. Most MTs can type at the alarming rate of 200 words per minute – about the speed of the average voice speaking.
The educational requirements to do medical transcription are not high. A high school diploma, or GED in the United States, coupled with one to three years experience working can garner this job. There are some schools that offer extra training and some MTs look to become certified to add more credibility to their work.
The pay for medical transcription can vary widely. Generally to start you can expect to make about $8 USD to $12 USD per hour. With about two years of experience it can range anywhere from $12 to $20. With an increase in years of experience, there is also an increase in the hourly rate of pay.
