Choosing a Medical Transcription School

In addition to the medical transcription courses you can take at community colleges or trade schools, you can also complete a course online or have the course sent to your home to complete.

If you take an online course or are completing your course at home and are working at the time of taking your course, it can be very beneficial as you get to choose your own hours for studying and testing. If you are either not working or only working part time you can probably complete your course in less than 6 months. If you are working full time it will probably take you longer. It is up to you to choose the time frame you are comfortable with. There will not be someone standing over you telling you to hurry up. You will set your own schedule and the amount of time you will be spending on your course.

When you are researching your school be sure you check out their support staff. This can be very important during your training. You want to be able to contact them and get a response quickly to your questions. A lot of the top schools have chat rooms and forums where you can communicate and interact with other students. This can be very helpful and can sometimes get you a lead to a job when you finish your schooling.

Your course should consist of not only textbook lessons but also in getting to transcribe actual doctor's dictations. This is something you can really only learn by doing. One of the most important things you will need to learn is how to correctly interpret the doctor's voice dictations. This will take practice. But the more that you practice the better prepared you will be becoming a medical transcriptionist.

There are many medical procedures and fields that you will learn during your course. One of the most important is medical terminology. This is the basis for every medical term you will be typing. You will also be learning disease processes, some training in specialties such as gynecology, GI and GU, dermatology, chiropractic terms and procedures, physiology, and many others.

You need to have a broad knowledge of all different types of fields because you do not know what your first position will be. Maybe working in a pediatrician's office or a psychiatrist's office. Working for a clinic is a good place to start and has a combination of many different diagnoses and treatments from a sore throat to a cut toe. It will be good experience to get you started on the right track.

A lot of the medical transcription schools have started giving some training in different types of medical transcription software and types of transcription equipment. With the internet playing such a large role in medical transcription today, you will need to familiarize yourself with different applications and transmission formats. You will need to have a compatible system with the health care providers you will be working for.

Do a thorough research of the many medical transcription school programs that are out there now. Find the one that suits your needs for convenience and financially. Some programs have a payment system for monthly payments, some require half down and monthly payments, and some require the entire fee up front.

Source by Marilyn Roberts