A lot of people who are interested in medical transcription as a career already have an idea of where they want to work. The majority of medical transcriptionists are women. A lot of these women have young children and desire to work at home.
But, there are many interesting places to work as a medical transcriptionist.
Once you’ve achieved the required education and/or work experience you’ll be able to work in a hospital, doctor’s office, transcription service, at home, and as your own boss. Let’s take a brief look at what a transcriptionist would be responsible for in each role. Note,
there are multiple places one can work as an MT, but we’ll explore the most common.
Hospital – Here you’d be in either an office that’s dedicated to transcription or within the hospital’s medical record department. You’ll type a variety of report types such as: history & physicals, discharge summaries, consultations, operative reports, pathology and laboratory reports, emergency department reports, along with radiology and cardiology reports. In some facilities, you’ll have to manually place the printed transcribed report on the patient’s record. For those facilities with the electronic medical record, the reports will be stored in the patient’s chart electronically – no paper needed.
Doctor’s office – Working in a doctor’s office can be ideal for the transcriptionist. Here you’ll get to know each physician you work for. You’ll learn their particular style of dictating, which helps to reduce errors and increase production time. If you’re working in a specialty clinic, let’s say obstetrics and gynecology, you’ll only be typing reports that deal with that particular medical specialty. As you can see, it may be less stressful to work at a physician’s office versus a hospital or transcription service.
In the doctor’s office, you’ll be responsible for placing all transcribed reports into each patient’s chart. A lot of physician’s offices are converting to the electronic medical record, in which case, the transcribed reports will be uploaded into the patient’s chart in a digital format. Since you’re responsible for transcribing, you’ll have to be sure each report is accurate and complete, you will have to edit your own work, and fill in any blanks. That’s another plus to working in a physician’s office, the doctor is right there to answer your questions regarding their dictated voice file.
Transcription Service – Working for a transcription service is a great opportunity for the transcriptionist who wants to broaden her exposure to various medical specialties. When working at a transcription service, you will be responsible for transcribing reports of all types. It is possible that you will be assigned to a particular hospital or medical facility. However, it’s more than likely that you’ll have various accounts that you’ll transcribe for. Some transcription services may have offices throughout the US or be in one particular location. You will either work onsite or in the comfort of your home. A lot of graduates of the Career Step medical transcription training program find employment with a transcription service and are able to work from home.
Home based transcription - Home based transcription is centered around a transcription service, but isn't limited to just that. Home based transcriptionists can also be employed by a hospital, clinic, doctor's office or other facility, yet work at home. The home based transcriptionist works independently. Assistance when needed is via phone or email support. When working for a transcription service, you'll receive dictated sound files that are located within the transcription companies computer sound files. You will need internet access in order to hear the voice files. You'll be able to increase or decrease the speed of the recorded file via foot pedal. Once you have transcribed the report, you will then return the sound file to the company for editing or it will be sent straight to the facility and printed or stored in a patient's electronic medical record. It works somewhat like email. There are usually two files in queue. When one is complete and uploaded, another is ready to be transcribed, while another is sent in the background. Some companies will equip you with a computer system, but with recent advancements in technology, your personal computer system can be used. Working from home is challenging, but there's nothing like working in your pajamas.
Self-employed transcriptionist - You’re bold to take on this role! But you might find that it’s one of the best ways to work as a medical transcriptionist. First of all, all the money you earn goes into your pocket. When you work onsite, you’re most likely to be paid per hour or per line. For most transcription services, you’re paid per line. The average rate per line pay is 7-12¢. However, when working for a service, you’re only paid a percentage of this amount. It’s usually 7¢. The other 5 cents belongs to the service that hired you. This is how the service makes their money. But, as a self-employed transcriptionist, you earn the full 12 cents per line. And so that you know, a line consists of 65 typed characters (including spaces and punctuation).
As a self-employed transcriptionist, you’re able to set your own hours. You work when you want and as much as you want. You can work for one doctor or work for 10 doctors; the choice is yours. You’ll be able to know your physicians and become so knowledgeable of their transcription style. You can create templates for each physician, which will increase your production and pay, yet have you typing less. If you increase your clientele, you can also hire other transcriptionist to work for you. You could potentially quit typing and just manage your company. The potential for growth and excellent income is up to you.
As a medical transcriptionist you may also find employment in the following places: laboratories, home health care services, medical centers, colleges and universities, medical libraries, insurance companies, temp agencies, and even veterinary facilities. The opportunities are endless!
