Medical Transcription Course FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions & Answers

Every time a doctor examines or consults with a patient, whether in a hospital, an office, a nursing home, or for a diagnostic procedure, a record must be kept of that visit. The medical record details things such as the date of the patient’s visit, the patient’s condition, the patient’s statements, the physician’s physical findings, and the plan of treatment the doctor recommends.

Years ago, doctors hand wrote all this information in the patient’s medical chart. Now, with modern technology, doctors simply dictate their findings into a tape recorder or digital recorder and employ medical transcriptionists to transcribe these findings. The result saves valuable time for the physician, allowing him to see even more patients.

Doctors aren’t the only ones who dictate reports -- nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and other medical professionals dictate reports for their physicians. Because of this, even a small practice can generate literally hundreds of reports in a day’s time.

Most practices request a 24-hour turn-around time for their work, making digital dictation the fastest, most efficient way for the physician to send work to a transcriptionist for a timely turn-around. In some cases, such as impending surgery, a physician needs STAT (immediate) turn-around of a report. In cases such as this, the digital dictating system helps a transcriptionist complete vital reports minutes after they’re dictated.

A whole new field has opened up for trained professionals who know medical language as well as they know the English language. These individuals are called medical language specialists, another name for medical transcriptionists.

According to the predictions of the United States Department of Labor, Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow 14 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population. Older age groups receive proportionately greater numbers of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can be shared easily among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients’ records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and identify discrepancies in medical reports.

Are you ready for a new career? This accelerated CD course is designed to train you as a professional in both medical language AND the English language. With years of experience behind us, we know ALL the tricks of the trade.

For more information please visit http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm and http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2001/Fall/art06.pdf.

What does a Medical Transcriptionist do?

Let’s use a taped dictation as an example. Very simply, the medical transcriptionist takes the tape and inserts it into his/her transcriber. (A transcriber is a tape recorder that can be operated with a foot pedal instead of using the fingers. It’s made especially for transcriptionists.) The transcriptionist puts on headphones attached to the transcriber and pushes the pedal with her foot. As the tape begins to play, she hears the doctor’s dictation. Because she’s trained in the art of medical transcribing, she quickly transfers information to the appropriate places in the computer, making sure all information is correct. Medical transcribing is more complex than data entry and goes beyond copying data from paper into a computer. A transcriptionist hears full sentences and thought processes about a patient, which makes the job much more interesting than data entry.

Many transcriptionists work from home offices rather than commuting to a clinic or acute-care facility on a daily basis. The technology has enabled transcriptionists to work for companies in remote locations, all from the comfort of a home office. Our accelerated CD course shows you how to work from home as well as from a physician’s office, clinic, or hospital – the choice is yours!

The medical transcription profession is both lucrative and challenging. To do your best at the job, you’ll need commitment and a burning desire to produce quality documentation for the medical professionals who hire you. This is not a profession to be taken lightly, nor is it one that an individual can enter without the proper training.

How much can I make?

A beginning medical transcriptionist can make up to $10.00, an hour depending on the area of the country in which she lives. However, most medical transcriptionists don’t work for an hourly wage – they work on production. This means they’re paid according to the number of words, lines, or pages they type. Obviously, in this situation the transcriptionist needs to accurately transcribe as much information as possible in a short time. In this accelerated CD, we train you in ALL aspects of medical transcribing so you can make the most money quickly. You’ll learn about medical terminology, diseases and conditions, diagnostic tests, drugs, and laboratory data, as well as grammar and punctuation. In addition, you can add on our computer classes to teach you shortcuts, macros, and other computer tricks to get your volume as high as possible in the shortest time. Experienced transcriptionists who have the proper training and shortcut skills can easily make $40,000 to $50,000 a year. Medical transcription service owners can make over $100,000 a year and more.

What kind of assistance can I expect?

Our accelerated training sets this course apart from other courses. The S.M.A.R.T. MT course was designed for the student who can work independently on their own. While there is always someone available to answer your questions, you won't have a one-on-one instructor, so you can go as fast or as slow as you would like. The end result is that you learn MT at an accelerated pace from proven trainers who have already trained hundreds of students before you.

Career Assistance!

Career assistance and resources are included as part of the course package. We will provide a referral directory explaining where you may apply for jobs, along with contact information.

Why should I choose S.M.A.R.T. MT Systems Accelerated CD Course?

We have already instructed hundreds of students who are already working as successful MTs. This accelerated CD course teaches you what you need to be successful, not just pass the course. See course information to learn more.

How long does it take to complete the course?

This accelerated CD course can be completed in 4 or 5 months if you work on it several hours a day 5-6 days a week. You never have a deadline. Our focus is always on quality before quantity, so take as long as you need.

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What kind of computer do I need for the course?

For this training, you will need an Internet ready computer that has a USB port.

Minimum computer requirements are as follows: A 486 PC, Windows 95, 64 MB RAM, 33.6 KBPS modem, monitor, video card, sound card and speakers, Real Audio browser plug-in, available USB port.

Recommended system requirements are as follows: Pentium-class PC, Windows 98 or higher, 128 MB RAM, 56 KBPS modem, monitor and video card capable of SVGA (800 x600) resolution and thousands of colors, Real Audio browser plug-in, and USB port, printer, and latest version of Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, or AOL.

What type of transcription practice will I get with this course?

The S.M.A.R.T. MT Accelerated CD course provides approximately 500 reports of varying types and specialties, including keys, so you can get lots of practice.

Can I see the course before spending any money?

This course is an accelerated CD course. If we sent you the course before you purchased it, anyone could easily just copy it and keep it. For that reason, we cannot send you the course ahead of time. However, we also sell an advanced online version of this course with instructor assistance and you CAN see what that is like by clicking here.

What is a day in the life of an MT like?

I wake up each morning, actually looking forward to going to work. What a difference loving the work you do can make in your life! I get up around 6 a.m., wash my face, brush my teeth, and then go downstairs for my morning coffee. I bring a cup of coffee upstairs to my home office and relax, reading the morning’s e-mail. About 6:45, it’s time to get ready for work!

I enter my bedroom to get dressed for the day. Let’s see here...the navy slacks and the dressy white blouse? No. That nice skirt and blouse peering at me from the corner of my closet? No, thank you! I grin and don my typical attire—a big t-shirt! I worked in the corporate world many years, so please make allowance for me as I chuckle about not having to get dressed in typical office attire. I always hated that, but that’s just me. :)

Decked out in my big t-shirt (oh, but I have many colors!), I sit down to begin my day as a medical transcriptionist. I close down my e-mail program (and any other possibly distracting programs) and head for my client’s FTP site. From there, I download (transfer) my work for the day (electronic files) to my personal computer. I open my word processing program, open the first medical report for the day, and put the pedal to the metal! Oh, in case you don’t know what the pedal is for, MTs use foot pedals to control the sound file of the dictated medical report that they are listening to and transcribing. My pedal has 3 foot buttons, play, rewind, and forward. Just like a tape player. Keeping our hands on the keyboard is the name of the game.

I am an independent contractor, which means I set my own hours. Of course, I have to meet my client’s TAT (turnaround time), but I can do my work anytime during the day or night, as long as it’s completed on time. My work is usually ready for me to pick up at around 7 a.m. It’s due back to my client by 6 a.m. the next morning. I stop for lunch at anywhere from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s so nice not to be locked into a rigid timetable. Heck, I could never eat on demand anyway! *laugh* After lunch, I sit down and finish my work for the day, taking breaks when I need to or want to.

I always try to take time each day to stop and look out of my office window, to watch the birds and to cast an eye on my garden. I consider myself fortunate indeed to not have to commute to work in terrible weather and in that awful rush hour traffic. I live in a big city, and it can be a nightmare on the freeways!

I like to finish my work by about 6 p.m. Then it’s dinner, maybe a favorite TV program, and bed. That may sound boring to some people, but it works for me! I’m as “happy as a tick on a dog” as we say in my part of the country! I am thankful every day for a job that I love, one that allows me to use my skills, one that gives me so much flexibility, and one that I’m happy to wake up to the next morning!

(Comments from an actual working MT)

Will I be a CMT when I graduate?

No, the CMT is only available via a national examination process. What you will have is a valuable diploma stating you graduated from our program. If you would like to take the national CMT exam, we will give you detailed information upon graduation. For your convenience, we have provided some general information below.

What is a CMT?

A CMT is a Certified Medical Transcriptionist. The American Association of Medical Transcription (now called AHDI) offers certification through testing. You must have a minimum of two years' transcription practice (acute care or equivalent) before testing. Our parent company, MT Advantage Career Center, is an educational member of the AHDI.

Can you tell me more about becoming a CMT?

Sure, we'd love to! The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT, now called ADHI) is the professional organization representing medical transcriptionists. (There are also other organization as well.) The AAMT offers testing which, if passed, will earn you your CMT credential. AAMT recommends students have at least two years' experience before attempting the exam. Because of the interaction and the advanced studies within our program, our students can graduate with more than enough experience to pass their CMT exams. Just another one of the MT Advantage perks!