Medical Transcription/Medical Transcription Editor/ Supplement FAQ’s
What is medical transcription (MT)? What does a medical transcriptionist do?
Medical transcriptionists render doctor-dictated reports, procedures, and notes into an electronic or paper format to create files representing the treatment history of patients. Health practitioners dictate what they have done after performing procedures on patients. Medical transcriptionists listen to the recorded voice of the practitioners (called dictations) verbal notes about a particular patient and type what they hear into a report. The reports are then sent back to the practitioner’s office or hospital to be put into the patient’s file.
What is medical transcription editing? What does a medical transcription editor do?
Some medical transcription organizations utilize speech recognition (also known as voice recognition) technology. This software converts a doctor’s dictation into a text report. Medical transcription editors listen to the doctor’s dictation while reading the computer-generated report and make any necessary corrections to the report, ensuring the information is accurate.
What is the future of the medical transcription / editing industry?
Medical transcription/editing employment is projected by the U.S. Department of Labor to grow 11% between 2008 and 2018.
Does speech recognition technology impact the need for medical transcriptionists?
Currently, speech recognition technology is unable to adjust for variances in pronunciation, accents, grammar, or speed of speech. Therefore, medical transcription editors are required to identify and edit the errors in the reports generated by speech recognition systems.
Speech recognition or voice recognition is most prevalently used as a tool to create a rough draft that medical transcription editors then edit. Speech recognition technology does not eliminate the need for transcriptionists—it simply changes the responsibility to an editor role.
How will electronic medical records (EMR)/electronic health records (EHR) affect the field of medical transcription/editing?
Electronic medical records will increase, rather than decrease, the demand for medical information by allowing faster, more accurate creation, use and distribution of medical information. The role of medical transcription/editors can and will play a large role in this process.
The healthcare system in the United States today is already operating a hybrid medical documentation system that includes both electronic medical records and paper records.
Do I need to be certified?
A certificate of graduation is provided to all graduates who pass the final examination. This program is recognized in medical transcription/editing training, and many employers seeking entry-level transcriptionists/editors accept this certificate of graduation as proof of superior training and may even waive their experience requirements.
The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) maintains a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) program, providing independent certification. A small percentage of medical transcriptionists have obtained this certification. Few employers require it for employment. Graduates of this program generally do well on the RMT exam.
What skills do I need before beginning the training?
Strong skills in the reading, writing and speaking of standard American English are recommended. Students must also have a minimum of a high school diploma or a General Education Development Certificate (GED).
Do I have to follow the program order as it is outlined in the syllabus?
The idea of an independent program is independence; however, the syllabus was designed to optimize training, and we recommend that students progress through the program in the order it is presented. All the materials are self-explanatory and provide a step-by-step process that guides each student’s training.
Can I skip modules if I already have experience in the medical field?
It is required that each student achieve 85% or above on each test before moving on. If the desired score is achieved, students are welcome to move on to the next unit. However, information in each module is the information that will be tested on the final exam.
How soon will I receive my materials?
Materials will be shipped within 48 business hours. Generally it takes about 7-10 days for materials to be delivered. Students should receive an email from UPS the day the materials are shipped that includes a tracking number.
Will the final exam also be taken online? How many times can I take the final?
Students take the final exam online from the comfort of their own homes. Students have forty eight hours to complete the exam, and it generally takes about six to eight hours to complete. The final exam may be taken three times.
If the final exam is not passed on the first attempt, the student have the opportunity to have a consultation with a skills assessment advisor to receive feedback and assessment on their work, assistance in preparing themselves for the next attempt, and an action plan of how to improve for subsequent final exam attempts.
