Andrews School

Medical transcription is the process of taking what a physician dictates, listening to the dictation, and transcribing it into a written medical report. Sounds easy, right? Not as easy as it sounds!

Medical transcription is like nothing else you'll ever experience. Doctors see patients in hospitals, clinics and physicians' offices and dictate important information about the patient's history, physical examination, diseases, procedures, laboratory tests and diagnoses. They talk in technical terms and often so quickly that you must know approximately what they are supposed to say or you won't be able to understand it when you hear it!

New students often think that the "dictation" doctors do is like some executive dictating a letter to a secretary, in which he/she specifies every line break, every paragraph, every punctuation mark, and most of the spelling. This is absolutely NOT how doctors dictate. They expect the medical transcriptionist to do the formatting, the spelling, and to convert that dictated material from the doctor's shorthand medical slang to formal medical language. That means a medical transcriptionist must have a good grasp on the English language as well.

Medical transcriptionists rely on having the most up-to-date reference materials because medicine changes every day and there is always something new to learn.

Physicians provide services to patients and want reimbursement for what they do. An industry journal recently reported a nationwide shortage of medical coders. Why? The health care system has become complicated. Knowledge is more important than ever. Medical office personnel years ago could simply open a code book, place a code on an insurance form and submit it for payment. In addition to medical reimbursement, coding is used for planning and research. Investigators may track diseases. Administrators may determine if a hospital's facilities are being used effectively and if they are adequate for the needs of the community.

The medical reimbursement process includes descriptions of procedures and services the physician provides. As you can imagine, these would be terribly long and confusing left in narrative form. Someone was wise enough to realize that. They devised a system of code numbers representing each procedure and service a physician is likely to provide and another to represent each disease, disorder or injury.

Both of these professions are great for future jobs. The US Department of Labor predicts that medical transcription will have an 11% increase in the need for medical transcriptionists through the year 2018. For coding, that projection is a 20% increase. The skills needed to do these two jobs are not something someone can just sit down and do, so it is important to be sure you get the proper education.

Medical transcriptionists earned a median hourly wage of $15.43 in 2008, according to the US Department of Labor statistics. The median salary for a coder in 2008 was $30,610, according to the US Department of Labor. You can find their information here.

Medical transcriptionists are often compensated on a production-pay basis, giving you the potential to increase your earnings by producing more work. Because of this, your keyboarding skills should be accurate and fast.

Medical transcription is a portable career, making it perfect for the military spouse. When your spouse is in the military, you make frequent moves with your change in duty stations. That often means spouses have a difficult time finding work, and when they do, they aren't at the same company long enough to be eligible for promotions.

With medical transcription, as long as you have a computer and an internet connection, your job goes with you. You can work for the same company, build your seniority, and be eligible for the promotions available in that company. In addition, the availability of flexible schedules with some companies makes it easier for you to do the things you need to do to take care of your family.

The military spouse also has CAA (Career Advancement Account) funding available for education, and medical transcription is a career that has been identified as something that fits in what is funded. As a spouse, you may have assistance in paying for your education through this program.

"Work is still going great. I couldn't be happier with my job and can't wait to get started every morning."

Here are some notes and testimonials from our students so you can hear what they have to say about the program.

"Had my first day on the job today, as you know. My supervisor told me to MAKE SURE you are commended on your excellent course. They want you to know I did an excellent job today, and they are very pleased with my intensive training. I told them you put us through the wringer (sorry, but you do), and they said that's fantastic."

"The quality assurance person for my account was shocked when she found out what little experience I have. She said that my work was top notch, and that she just assumed that I was an "old pro" and not a newbie. It certainly made my day for sure!"

"Results count most! I took the Andrews School MT course and started working at home almost immediately after finishing the course. I was hired by a national MT company. I went full time today! The Andrews School is set up to give you as much or little help as you need. Most working MT's seem to be self-motivated, self-driven individuals able to work on their own, and receiving an education that encourages this helps a lot. New MT - New full-time employee!"

"I DEFINITELY made the RIGHT decision. What a great program! What great organization and attention to detail. I LOVE IT! You have been absolutely wonderful. I can't believe how EXCELLENT this is! Someone pinch me - I must be dreaming!"

For any student exploring options in education, in the end, it is really about whether you are employable at the end of your program. Here are some comments from employers who have hired our graduates.

"Andrews School is a course owned/operated by an actual MT with experience!" - Supervisor for a company

"Andrews teaches the right way. Their graduates have a great reputation. They take this very seriously and don't graduate 'mini' MTs" - Supervisor for a medical transcription service

"You have reason to be proud. Your program has an excellent reputation throughout the entire MT community."

"I have supervisors who work with me who have always been reluctant to hire a new graduate. It just seems there is so much to teach still. What has happened now that we gave an Andrews grad a try is that they have hands down said 'if they are from Andrews, HIRE THEM. What a testimony to your program and all that you do." - National transcription service manager