Medical Transcription Jobs Online - Guide

There are lots of Medical Transcription Jobs Online. You will have no trouble finding them on job boards and other sites. However, not all medical transcription jobs are the same. Regardless of what online medical transcription job you consider, you must read the Special Report. The special report gives you all the inside information on the medical transcription career field. It tells you what you need to know to succeed. It's worth a look (the link is at the bottom of this page).

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

"Wage-and-salary medical transcriptionists had median hourly earnings of $14.40 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.17 and $17.06. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.22, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $20.15. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical transcriptionists were:

Medical and diagnostic laboratories $15.68
General medical and surgical hospitals 14.62
Business support services 14.34
Outpatient care centers 14.31
Offices of physicians 14.00

Compensation methods for medical transcriptionists vary. Some are paid based on the number of hours they work or on the number of lines they transcribe. Others receive a base pay per hour with incentives for extra production. Employees of transcription services and independent contractors almost always receive production-based pay. Independent contractors earn more than do transcriptionists who work for others, but independent contractors have higher expenses than their corporate counterparts, receive no benefits, and may face higher risk of termination than do wage-and-salary transcriptionists."

(source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

"The AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity) awards two voluntary designations, the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT). Medical transcriptionists who are recent graduates of medical transcription educational programs, or have fewer than 2 years experience in acute care, may become a registered RMT. The RMT credential is awarded upon successfully passing the AHDI level 1 registered medical transcription exam. The CMT designation requires at least 2 years of acute care experience working in multiple specialty surgery areas using different format, report, and dictation types. Candidates also must earn a passing score on a certification examination. Because medicine is constantly evolving, medical transcriptionists are encouraged to update their skills regularly. RMTs and CMTs must earn continuing education credits every 3 years to be recertified. As in many other fields, certification is recognized as a sign of competence.

Graduates of an ACCP approved program who earn the RMT credential are eligible to participate in the Registered Apprenticeship Program sponsored by the Medical Transcription Industry Association through the U.S. Department of Labor. The Registered Apprenticeship program offers structured on-the-job learning and related technical instruction for qualified medical transcriptionists entering the profession.

In addition to understanding medical terminology, transcriptionists must have good English grammar and punctuation skills and proficiency with personal computers and word processing software. Normal hearing acuity and good listening skills also are necessary. Employers usually require applicants to take pre-employment tests."

(source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)