My Favorite Medical Transcription Jobs & How To Apply

Healthcare organizations all over the world require medical transcriptionists, also referred to as medical scribes.

If you have the skills and qualifications but don't know where to start, we've got you covered.

We'll show you the types of medical transcription jobs, the differences between them, how to become a medical transcriptionist, where to start to become one, and how much it pays.

Best 3 Medical Transcription Jobs Overview

1. Medical Report Dictation
2. Medical Conference Transcription
3. Medical Interview Transcription

What Is Medical Transcription and Why Should You Consider It?

A medical transcription process is when medical voice reports or speeches by doctors and other healthcare professionals are converted into written reports.

The difference between a medical transcriptionist job and any other regular transcription is the complexity of medical terminology.

Because of that, the transcriptionist must have a great deal of medical information that healthcare professionals use.

How Much Can a Medical Transcriptionist Make?

According to ZipRecruiter, medical transcriptionists make around $43,500 a year, which translates into $3,625 a month.Add Image

Is Medical Transcription Still in Demand?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job may see a 7% decline from 2021 to 2031. However, over 9,000 vacancies open every year, so it's safe to say that the job is still in demand.

Types of Medical Transcription

Saying that medical transcription has types would be overshooting it.

Instead, we may say that there are three subcategories under medical transcription: report dictation, conference transcription, and interview transcription.

Medical Report Dictation

Report dictation is arguably the most common type of medical transcription. It involves recording the physician's visits in the form of medical records or electronic health records.

When a patient visits a doctor, many details are discussed.

And once the visit is over, the doctor would verbally inform the details of the visit to their medical transcriptionist, who would type the findings and add them to the list of patient records.

The doctor would then have a quick look at that record before your next visit as a refresh of the case, or send it to a specialist, should a case requires a referral.

Medical Conference Transcription

Many medical professionals worldwide attend medical conferences, and all of them try to communicate through the most common language, English.

However, there are countless English accents, and not everything said in those conferences can be understood by everyone.

That's when conference transcriptionists can come into play.

Since they're trained in various English dialects, they'll listen to the voice recordings of the conference and create written reports that everyone may understand.

Medical Interview Transcription

Physicians conduct interviews on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis, and these interviews often need to be written down for the record.

The problem is these interviews are usually recorded on basic devices like smartphones and dictaphones, which aren't known to have the best quality.

In this case, medical transcriptionists must have a good ear to recognize and understand the terminology they hear, even through bad-quality audio.

Top 2 Places to Find Medical Transcription Jobs

Here's where you can expect to land a medical transcription job:

Upwork (Online)

Upwork is one of the most well-known freelance websites on the internet.

It doesn't solely focus on transcription jobs, but the abundance of such jobs on the platform is enough to make it a good candidate for this list.

The idea of Upwork is simple; once you create a customized profile with your transcription skills highlighted, the website will show matching jobs on your homepage, which is similar to Facebook's wall.

When you click on a job, you'll see its details, along with how many "connects" you need to apply for the job. Think of connects as the website's currency to apply for jobs.

Pros

• Opportunities are everywhere for those who are consistent enough
• New jobs are posted every day
• There are many beginner-friendly clients who are willing to hire transcribers with little to no experience.

Cons

• The competition is too difficult for most newcomers to handle
• The monthly replenishment of connects is low, and you'll have to buy some more if you run out. They're not cheap.

Indeed (Offline)

Much like Upwork, Indeed serves as a hub for employers who are posting jobs. The difference is that Indeed is often looking for employees, not freelancers.

Once you like a job posting and meet the requirements, you may visit the company's website to proceed with your application.

Pros

• You're not limited by a currency like "connects." So, you can apply for whatever job you like
• You get the chance to land a full-time job

Cons

• Most jobs requirements are pretty high, and landing a job can be difficult
• If you have no prior experience, getting a job through Indeed will prove to be challenging

What You'll Need to Work as a Medical Transcriptionist

To land a medical transcriptionist job, you need to have the following:

Transcription certificate

The first thing you need is to pass the AHDI exam to get one of the following certificates: Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) or Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS).

Fast and accurate typing

A medical transcriptionist needs to convert speech into text. This process requires fast, mistake-free typing.

Good hearing and hand coordination

Your hands need to start typing as soon as your ears pick up the information. That requires a good mix between hearing and concentration.

Proficient grammar and punctuation skills

Good grammar knowledge will help you convey the required meaning with as few words as possible, helping you type faster.

Basic knowledge of medical terminology

Medicine uses various Latin expressions and seemingly odd words to describe conditions.

For example, instead of saying a stomach is inflamed, medical professionals would say: gastritis.

A medical transcriptionist should be aware of these words to write them down without breaking a sweat.

Tips to Succeed as a Medical Transcriptionist

Even if an applicant does land a medical transcriptionist job, success isn't yet guaranteed.

The transcriptionist will need to improve their writing speed and organizational skills, minimize their writing mistakes, and increase their medical terminology by keeping up with the ever-expanding medical vocabulary.

Similar Jobs to Check

Here are some jobs that you can try if medical transcription isn't for you:

• Voiceover Jobs: If you have good control over your voice, why not make some money from it by pursuing a voiceover career?
• Jobs Hiring Immediately: Do you need to land a job as soon as possible? Have a look at this list.
• Work From Home With No Experience: If you have no prior work experience but still need to secure some cash, check out these home jobs.

Wrapping Up

Medical transcription is different from other transcription types because of the complexity of the terminology used and the importance of the information provided.

As such, there are more requirements than a regular transcriber.

If you have the medical knowledge or are willing to acquire it, you can make some decent cash from the job.

Do your best to pass the AHDI exam, acquire the certificate, and you're good to go.

And if you found this article useful or know someone who might, consider sharing it.