Hospitals and clinics have a lot of paperwork to do. So much that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners do not have the time to do it. This is where a Hospital transcriptionist comes in. They usually work with hospitals, physicians’ offices, and third-party companies that offer transcription services. If you have no idea what they do, this article will shed some light regarding your questions.
What They Do
A medical transcriptionist is in charge of listening to the voice recordings of healthcare workers. These recordings get converted into encoded reports. The reports get used for the healthcare practitioner’s records, insurance claims, or the patient’s medical chart.
The transcriptionist listens to the recorded dictation of the healthcare worker, interpret, then transcribe it. After reducing it into the encoded form, the transcriptionist then reviews the draft before sending it to the medical worker for checking.
The Skills They Have
To qualify as a medical transcriptionist, one must have post-secondary education. The transcriptionist must likewise prove his or her accurate and comprehensive understanding of medical anatomy, physiology, and terminology. They should be able to translate the medical abbreviations used, so they familiarise themselves with these terms to know the context in which it got used.
They must also have the skill of producing accurate transcription. Those who can transcribe with less error are preferred to do the job. If you do not possess these skills yet, you can undergo formal medical transcription training. Also, the ability to type fast and with minimal error will make your job easier.
Professionals Take Hours to Complete One Recording
If you are a new medical transcriptionist, know that it would take you hours to complete one recording. Accordingly, if you are already a professional transcriptionist and type around 80 to 100 words per minute, you still get to finish one recording in four to six hours. The recording usually lasts for an hour only, but because you have to be precise with the details and look up unfamiliar terms, it would take a lot of time to complete it and finish it error-free.
So, if you want to join this industry, you should be patient and cautious.
Their Annual Pay
The highest payment, as stated by the rumour mill, is $50,000 annually. Most transcriptionists get paid around $33,000 a year, although it is possible to get the $50,000 per year salary, but you have to be the best to get to that level. Although the promising $50,000 is not a reality for most, the job still pays decently.
Being a transcriptionist is not a joke. It requires training and well-honed skills to get the job right. Medical practitioners are outsourcing this job because it is very tasking and it needs a specific set of skills. If you are ready to fulfil this service with quality outputs, you are probably fit for the industry. Otherwise, if you cannot ensure excellent service quality or guarantee your skills, you can always practice harder.
