Medical Transcriptionists: Your advice please!

[ErikaS]

I'm a working mom who's very interested in beginning training as a MT. My hope is to work from home once the training is finished.

Is there anyone out there who was ballsy enough to go straight from training to home business? Any pointers to give?

I'm a fairly well educated and experienced person, and I'm somewhat confident in my marketing and business capabilities....but I'm completely mortified of venturing off into this unknown area and falling flat on my face.

I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement from someone else who left the conventional job thing and starting working as a MT from home independently.

[MTHome]

Are you asking about starting out as a new MT with your own accounts? If so, I'd say it's best to get some experience first so you know what you're doing.

But you can work at home, right out of school, for an MT company or service, either as an IC or as an employee. I started working at home for a local service right away.

When you're working for an MT company/service as a newbie, you have the benefit of getting help on the job and mentoring from the company, plus QA to help keep you from making critical errors in your reports.

When you're working on your own, on your own accounts, there is no one to help you along, no mentor and no QA, and a newbie needs quite a bit of help. You can make major mistakes without even realizing it.


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[ErikaS]

Thank you, MTHome!

[sms46030]

Is there a certain number of words you have to be able to type to work from home as in medical transcription? Do you have to be certified like you do in medical coding and billing. I have been transcribing a little less than a year through Amazon Turk and Quicktate, just to get experience. I was just wondering do you have to be a super fast typist. Also do you think it's easier getting a WAH job in coding or transcription.

[MTHome]

Is there a certain number of words you have to be able to type to work from home as in medical transcription?

I think some of the schools state a minimum of 40 wpm (which I think is very slow) when you start school. Most MTs I know type around 80-100 wpm. If you aren't fast, you won't make any money at it. However, accuracy and knowledge of the subject matter are both very important...MT involves much more than "typing."

Do you have to be certified like you do in medical coding and billing.

In MT, you can't actually become "certified" until you've transcribed acute care for at least two years. At that point, you can sit for the CMT exam and, if you pass it, you are then considered a certified medical transcriptionist (CMT). You can sit for the registered medical transcriptionist (RMT) exam right after graduation. It isn't required to get a job.

I have been transcribing a little less than a year through Amazon Turk and Quicktate, just to get experience. I was just wondering do you have to be a super fast typist.

Again, if you aren't fast, you won't make much money. MTs can use various shortcuts to improve speed, including macros, templates, text expanders, etc.

Also do you think it's easier getting a WAH job in coding or transcription.

Most new MTs can work at home right out of school. I believe coders spend time in-house before they can work at home.

[JulieW8]

No matter what school you go to, you'll have a difficult time going straight to servicing your own accounts. I made that mistake when I first started and I'm sure the people who worked in that office still think I'm the worst MT on the planet. You just aren't prepared. I had to backpedal really fast and go to work for someone else and get some training.

Technically speaking, if you're working for another company as an independence contractor, you're running your own business.

The hardest part is getting ANYBODY to hire you. Make sure the school you go to has a good reputation.

Is there a certain number of words you have to be able to type to work from home as in medical transcription?

Most MT is paid on production. The slower you type, the less you make.

[ahmudg]

you need at least two to three years of experiance to get work from home jobs in mt

[ahmudg]

transcription requires lot of mentoring so no company will give homebased work to fresh candidates