Is it just me, or is there always a set of myths that come up in anything that you would think of? A lot of misinformation out there, and it is because a lot of us rarely felt the need to do our research before we come up with conclusions and run with these myths. Today we will look at some myths and misconceptions about the career that is medical transcription.
For starters, for those of you who have no idea what medical transcription is, let alone general transcription, I will fill you in before we get into the different myths and misconceptions that we have. Transcription is creating word transcripts from existing audios/ videos or live proceedings. With that said, you can tell that Medical transcription is creating transcripts from already recorded medical audios and videos. These could be real-time medical transcription that is done at the moment through dictation by a physician or pre-recorded audios and or videos.
Medical transcription is one of the transcription types where one needs specialized skills in Medicine in order to take it on as a career. But it is important to note that it is not cast in stone that you must have done Medicine in school in order for you to be a medical transcriptionist. Medical transcription is quite challenging, and that is the reason for having knowledge of Medical jargon would come in handy in making your work more convenient. With that said, we will get straight into the myths that you might have about medical transcription.
1. You will make $50000 from medical transcription working at home.
The only truth in this myth is that yes, you can work from home as a medical transcriber. What is not true though is that you will make this much money working as a medical transcriber. There are medical transcribers who actually make this much and much more, but they are very few and they are far up the rank. As a beginner medical transcriber, it will take you ions in order for you to make this much. A lot of companies lure beginner transcribers online with the claims that they will train them into making this kind of money in the shortest time possible, and 9 out of 10, they are usually scamming. The annual basic salary of a well renowned medical transcriber is usually $34,000 and from that, you can tell that $50,000 is definitely out of that range by far. As a medical transcriber, you can make enough money to live a comfortable life and take care of your family but if you want to live a luxurious life, then you should get another job that will give you extra income.
2. You will work and still take care of your children at the same time.
This is more of a general transcription myth rather than a medical transcription myth. Transcription is a job that needs a lot of attention and will take a lot of your time. Unless your kids go to school and come back in the evening, it will be quite overwhelming for you to work and still take care of them at the same time. You need to choose what will take up your time and attention, and it can’t be both. So yeah, it is extremely hard to work on medical transcripts and still take care of your kids. One has to cut. Many people who do transcription and have toddlers in the house usually take their kids to daycare in order to get some time to concentrate on their work.
3. Medical transcriptionists just need to type really fast
Being able to type really fast is one important skill that anyone trying to get into medical transcription needs. Though it is important to note that it is not the only skill that will make you get the job or even be good at it. Transcription is a blend of different multiple skills that work together to make things easier and convenient. Apart from great typing speed, you need an inquisitive mind where you are well accustomed to Medical jargon and always ready to learn new information in relation to Medicine. They always say an informed mind is a good and powerful mind, so strive to be informed. You also need the ability and motivation to concentrate intently for extended periods of time.
4. Medical transcriptionists need little or no training
For this myth, I have two thoughts on it. The first one is that you might work on transcription jobs with no necessary experience or training in medical transcription. This is because there are different transcription websites that offer transcription jobs and they are really not strict with experience and what not. If you work on such websites, then you will work on medical transcripts from time to time. Now if your plan is to work for a company that only deals with medical transcription, then you will definitely be required to have prior experience and training in medicine. In such a case, unless you have formal medical transcription training, your resume will never make it into the “to interview” stack. The training must be from a recognized, reputable source, such as a community college program or well-established medical transcription school. Otherwise, you’re toast.
If you are serious about taking on medical transcription as a career, then I would advise you to invest in getting the proper training needed. Study anatomy and physiology, medical terminologies, formatting of different report types, and many other skills that will come in handy.
5. Speech recognition technology will make medical transcriptionists obsolete
This is one of the craziest myths I have come across. Speech recognition technology really comes in handy in transcription. It is a technology that has really helped the transcription career. It helps in cutting transcription costs for Medical institutions, but it is normally not as accurate as one would like. If you don’t care much about accuracy then SRT’s will be 100% beneficial to you and you won’t need the need for a human transcriber but if you are someone who cares much more about the accuracy of the information, then human medical transcriptionists will never be obsolete. Speech recognition has added a fresh twist to the ever-evolving MT profession, not made it obsolete.
6. Electronic health records will eliminate the need for medical transcriptionists
We are living at a time where everything is being digitized and well enough, it could be seen as a way in which audio/video files would be saved online as they are and not be transcribed. There will always be a need for transcription. Everybody won’t really want to have all their important information online because the Internet also crashes and if you are smart, you will want to have a backup. Therefore, transcription is not going anywhere anytime soon. Digitizing information is great and convenient and so is transcribing it.
7. Most medical transcription work is being outsourced overseas
There is always this notion that outsourcing service is cheaper than getting it locally. This is actually very true and for the longest time, medical transcription services were being outsourced overseas because of the cheap labor and whatnot. Medical transcription began going abroad in the 1990s, and more was headed that way, but then things changed. In 2010, changes in federal laws related to protecting patient health information made compliance with federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules an even higher priority for medical transcription companies and healthcare facilities. In order to achieve tighter control over patient information, it’s being kept closer to home. So, this is a myth and not true.
8. Getting certified is the best way to break into medical transcription.
Don’t be those kinds of people who Fall for such advertisements online. You don’t need a medical certificate in order to work as a medical transcriptionist unless you are planning on working for a company that takes certification and training seriously. You don’t need a certification or a license to become a medical transcriptionist. There is a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) credential, but it’s not an entry-level kind of thing, and no training program can give it to you. If it is something that you would love to get eventually in order to go up the ranks in your career, then you need to at least have 2 years of experience working as a medical transcriber before you can apply and get it. Even then, you must pass a rigorous exam that will test your medical knowledge and transcription skills across multiple medical specialties.
9. Medical transcription is low-stress work
Every job has its ups and downs, and so does Medical transcription. Don’t let anyone lie to you you won’t have any kind of stress working as a medical transcriptionist. I can tell you for sure though, it won’t be stress that can kill you.
They’re very many other myths and misconceptions about medical transcription that you will come across as you grow in your career, but be sure to do your research thoroughly before you decide to believe in them.
