is anyone a medical transcriptionist and how to become one

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 13, 2011

Are any of you medical transcriptionists? I do not want to sound dumb but what goes into learning to do this? And I have heard it is something you can do from home? I am currently an RN. Just wondering????

A family member was one for years, but with the advent of eMAR, the job became obsolete. You may have a difficult time finding a job like this as hospitals and physician offices are going electronic.

NellieOlsen · Sep 13, 2011

I am a medical transcriptionist. I went to school online back when my youngest was born. I work from home for a hospital, and I have a great gig. I make really good money and now that I'm in nursing school, it offers me the flexibility to work around my classes.

Like the previous person said, with the introduction of emr, the need for transcriptionists has gone down. It's not an obsolete field, though. Not yet, at least. It will be harder to find a job than it was back when I started. And the starting wages are pretty low. (Approx 5 cents a line).

The uncertainty of the MT field is what pushed me to go back to school. I love my job and I love transcription, but I don't know how long the field will be around. So I'm being proactive and going back to school.

If you have the opportunity to learn on the job without paying for schooling, I'd say go for it. (Those kind of opportunities are pretty rare though..) But I probably wouldn't recommend spending any money on a formal education in this field. The payout wouldn't be worth it, IMHO.

Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions. :)

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2011

Are any of you medical transcriptionists? I do not want to sound dumb but what goes into learning to do this? And I have heard it is something you can do from home? I am currently an RN. Just wondering????

My Mom went back to school at 50+ to become a transcriptionist and she loved it. It is NOT something you can do by answering an ad in the back of a magazine! She worked in-house for a couple of years and then was hired by a very large healthcare agency in our area and was able to work from home. MANY "at-home" transcriptionist positions are where you are your employer and arrange your own contracts with providers offices.

Yes, the advent of electronic transcription has decreased the need for human transcriptionists, but providers with thick accents, mumblers, fast talkers, etc still seem to need the human interaction. (The last couple of years b/4 she retired my Mom did those docs who fit the above bill that voice-rec could not transcribe)

OhioRn11 · Sep 13, 2011

I worked as a medical transcriptionist for ten years but my job ended at the end of 2007 because my main client went paperless. With more and more companies doing this, I decided to go back to school for nursing. I did make really good money and was able to stay at home with my kids while they were little, but it's not really a good field to get into right now because of everyone going paperless. And it can be a hard field to break into. I sort of lucked out into finding my main client who kept me very busy for the better part of ten years. Good luck to you!!

Bonnie86 · Sep 13, 2011

I worked as a transcriptionist for 20 years. It was great while it lasted, but then a combination of the work going overseas to India and voice recognition changed all that. It's not the field it used to be. That's why I decided to go to nursing school. It's not something you can learn overnight and I wouldn't spend money to get training.

tishluvnc · Sep 15, 2011

What about getting an associate degree in medical office administration and learning how to code while in nursing school. How is that field do any one knows. I went to a locat hospital and spoke to the him department and it was very lonly looking. I thought maybe medical records would be for me because I love A&P and the sciences. Pharmachology even sounds interesting. But the lack of person-to-person contact may kill me.I'm a social person.llllllllooooove to talk.

Bonnie86 · Nov 18, 2011

Do you want to go to nursing school? I'm confused. Why would you want to waste time and money getting an associates and then learning to code if you plan on going to nursing school??