There are many places that employ medical transcriptionists. In clinics, hospitals or other health care facilities, medical transcriptionists play an important part in ensuring good and complete patient care. Physicians need to document care and in order for that to occur a transcriptionist must be involved in the process. Further, there may be several health care workers involved in a patient’s file, which means that each part of their care must be legible.
Documentation is important because it helps physicians, nurses and other medical professionals stay informed about their patients, which in turn ensures patients are treated with a high quality of care. Patients can also be assured that they will receive a continuity of care that makes sense for their medical history. Check out some of the things you need to know about medical transcription.
Medical Transcriptionists Keep Healthcare Professionals on the Same Page
Similarly to other positions you are qualified for with medical and health administration training, being a medical transcriptionist means you must have an understanding of anatomy, abbreviations and other relevant medical information. Transcriptionists translate voice recordings made by doctors or other healthcare professions into typed reports. Documentation may also come in the form of handwritten exam notes, operative reports or correspondence between patients and doctors.
Transcriptionists must also understand medical jargon so that they can recognize any errors or inconsistencies in a report and know when to ask a physician to clarify information. This working knowledge makes sure everyone is on the same page and is very important to ensure that patients’ care is not compromised by inaccurate documentation.
Full-time or Part-time?
Some people do this job from home, which means that they often work for a third-party transcription service. Working from home would mean that you would not be responsible for any other office tasks, but your rate of pay would be determined by the volume of transcriptions you complete rather than a salary or hourly wage. Part-time work may also be available in an office and can offer you the flexibility you need after completing a medical and health administration program.
As noted above, there are many full-time transcriptionist jobs as well and those may involve office administration or management, meaning there is a little more variety of day to day tasks. In full-time or part-time positions, deadlines are extremely important. In Ontario, physicians are required to make notes on the day a procedure took place or as soon as possible. If the patient needs to see other doctors or health care professionals a quick return time on documentation will be necessary.
The Right Healthcare Programs Teach the Skills to Become a Medical Transcriptionist
In addition to having a thorough understanding of medical terminology and medical office procedures, healthcare programs will also give you the opportunity to improve typing and word-processing skills, which are necessary for medical transcriptionists.
On a regular basis, medical transcriptionists must review and edit reports that have been done by a speech-to-text program. Physicians sometimes use software like this to speed up the process of documentation, but these programs often produce errors, which a transcriptionist has to have the skills to recognize and correct.
Proper training will also prepare the medical transcriptionist for receiving, organizing, and returning files in various ways. They may enter the text of documentation into electronic systems or submit them directly to physicians for approval.
Want to become a medical transcriptionist?
Learn more about Canadian Business College’s medical and health administration program.