Medical Transcription Jobs for Doctors: Start Now

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Medical transcription jobs for doctors provide graduates and students with a great work-from-home opportunity. To get started, you only need excellent typing skills and a strong foundation in medical knowledge. This flexible job allows doctors to leverage their expertise while working remotely.

Transcriptionists in the healthcare industry have an important job and are highly integral to the medical workforce. They listen to voice recordings from doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals and compile notes and other documents for patient files. Insurance companies also work with them to ensure proper arrangement of medical reports.

Overall, though the job may seem simple, medical transcription services require a lot of work and dedication to produce the best results. That being said, let’s break down exactly what medical transcriptionists need, how to apply for positions, and which companies are hiring.

Required Skills, Training, and Equipment

Although the job may seem simple, medical transcription jobs for doctors require a specific skill set and a medical course completion certificate. You must also acquire some equipment to get started. In this section, we will explore the specific skills required, the recognized degrees, and certifications necessary when applying for a medical transcription job. These qualifications ensure you have the right medical knowledge to perform the role accurately and efficiently.

Skills

First and foremost on the list of required skills for medical transcriptionists is typing. Specifically, transcriptionists must type quickly and accurately. Every day, more and more recordings from doctors or nurses will come through, and to stay on top of them, you’ll need to process them as quickly as possible while maintaining good grammar and syntax. A quick turnaround time is essential in medical transcription jobs for doctors, as timely and precise documentation is crucial.

You will also need to have good listening skills to be successful. Listening goes beyond just hearing words – it also requires understanding. Good comprehension is crucial, primarily because of the rate at which new recordings occur or how quickly doctors can speak.

Beyond these two fundamental skills, a keen mind and good discipline are also essential. Transcribing medical reports may be as simple as typing out exactly what you hear, but you will need to be willing to put in a considerable amount of time and effort into your job if you hope to stay onboard.

Degrees and Certificates

Transcribing medical reports is not a job that everybody can do. Despite its relative accessibility, it requires specific skills compared to other occupations within the world of medicine. Besides the necessary skills we mentioned previously, employers will also check your credentials to ensure that you have the right amount of medical knowledge in order to perform your job adequately.

Medical transcription jobs for doctors require postsecondary training, typically a one-year certificate program or a two-year associate’s degree. These programs cover essential skills such as medical terminology, anatomy, and medical-legal issues. Both programs include courses on anatomy, medical terminology, and medical-legal issues.

You may also need additional medical specialties. To succeed in medical transcription jobs for doctors, you must also complete grammar and punctuation courses to ensure accuracy in documentation.

All in all, these programs will extensively prepare you for all of the tasks a medical transcriptionist will need to perform. Naturally, the more experience you have (or, the more courses you complete), the higher your chances of finding employment.

Equipment and Tools

Transcriptionists sometimes require highly-specialized equipment in addition to essential tools and hardware. It goes without saying that you will need a laptop or desktop computer along with high-speed internet access. You will most likely also need a headset to listen to the recordings you are provided with.

Foot pedals are standard tools for medical transcription jobs for doctors. However, they are not always necessary for the job. Sometimes, specialized transcription software will also be required. While this may seem like an extensive list of equipment, most companies hiring for medical transcription jobs for doctors are willing to provide these valuable tools as long as you remain employed with them.

Still, suppose you have access to any of these tools. In that case, it is helpful to get properly acquainted with their use even before you apply for a job as a transcriptionist, as this will ease the transition process and allow you to work more efficiently much sooner.

Work Environment

Nowadays, most Medical Transcription Jobs for Doctors allow you to work from home. However, some companies may require transcriptionists to work on-site. For instance, if you work in a hospital, you might follow doctors around, while working in a physician’s office will often require you to stay put. Working for an insurance company also typically means an office setting. Regardless of the environment, medical transcription jobs for doctors offer flexibility and the opportunity to leverage medical knowledge in a rewarding way.

Duties of Medical Transcriptionists

Medical transcriptionists play an essential role in the general operation of medical services. Their duties may be fewer than those of a nurse or physician. However, they must perform these tasks efficiently to remain viable. These duties include:

• Listening to recordings and voice files made by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals
• Correctly interpreting the information provided by such recordings and compiling them into patient records, exam notes, operative reports, and other critical medical documents
• Reviewing and editing drafts compiled by transcription software in order to make sure that the tone, grammar, syntax, and overall style is consistent
• Translating medical short-form and jargon into their proper long-forms
• Identifying inconsistencies, errors, and omissions in patient reports which may jeopardize the patient’s health
• Ensuring that every report is accurate by following up with the appropriate healthcare professionals
• Submitting various records and documents for approval from physicians
• Ensuring compliance with proper legal protocols for records and documents
• Entering medical documents into electronic health records
• Performing audits to improve quality

Additionally, transcriptionists who work in the offices of physicians may have other duties, such as answering phone calls and greeting patients. 

This list of duties is quite extensive, which is why medical transcriptionists are highly valued. However, to be recognized, you must ensure you can perform all the tasks mentioned above effectively.

Companies Hiring Medical Transcriptionists

Finding work in medical transcription jobs for doctors can be challenging if you don’t know where to look. Fortunately, several companies and healthcare organizations are always seeking skilled transcriptionists. These are some of the most popular options hiring now.

Ascend Healthcare Systems

Ascend Healthcare Systems is always looking for professional medical transcriptionists with a minimum of three years worth of experience. Extensive knowledge of medical terminology is essential if you want to contact them.

Eight Crossing

Eight Crossing mostly hires from the Sacramento area where they are based, though they sometimes offer home-based positions. At least two years’ worth of experience is recommended before contacting them, though they do sometimes recruit people who have completed approved medical transcription programs.

FastChart

FastChart hires independent contractors. All applicants must fill out an online registration form with their resumes attached. If accepted, candidates must pass several medical terminology and grammar tests, though they do not technically need prior experience.

Conclusion

As you can see, a job in medical transcription jobs for doctors is relatively demanding. However, the experience you receive is often invaluable, and many companies are willing to recruit new people. Be sure to put your name out there if this is something you think you may be good at.