ANSWERS: 4
  • I used to do it part time as well and was not certified however, I did take some classes as part of my BSN studies -- to answer your question, yes you can as long as you can transcribe using the correct medical terminology... Good luck :)
  • It will be very hard if not impossible to find a place that hires at-home MTs to hire you without training. Many even want at least 2 years' experience. Many places specifically state that being a nurse does not qualify you to do MT. I don't think you can take the RMT without training either, but you can check the AAMT website. You certainly will not be able to pass it without schooling. It's not just terminology. There are specific rules for medical documents. You have to know grammar inside and out (much more than your usual high school grammar). Also, you would want to learn how to use an expander or you will not make much money as we get paid by the line. If you are constantly looking up spellings and definitions because you don't have training and/or experience, you will be lucky to make minimum wage. I suppose it might be possible to work in an office if you can find a local place that will hire you, but not at home. It is very, very rare anyway.
  • No. Even though she would be familiar with medical terms a medical transcriptionist deals with medicine and medical procedures. A physician would be able to make the transition much easier than a nurse. That's why they call it "medical" transcription instead of "nursing" transcription. I am a RNP (registered nurse practitioner) and also have a Masters in business. I recall hearing my former office manager telling an MSN who was gung ho that she could do transcription (after she had just failed the transcription test), "just because you have a license to drive a car, it doesn't mean you can pilot an airplane." If this is what you really want but don't want to put in the hard work for an education (yes, it is more difficult than nursing school), you might take some transcription classes at your local college and go to work for ONE doctor. If you want to work at home, you are talking MAJOR universities with tons of ESL (English as a second language) dictators. There are literally hundreds of different report types, etc. The list goes on. Medical transcription is not for the fainthearted. It is hard to learn and MTs are to be held in high regard as they work hard to get to where they are. I salute MTs everywhere.
  • I'm guessing all the people who are saying you need certification are speaking of England, Canada perhaps? There is no certification required to be a medical transcriptionist in America. School is not required. There is just the requirement that you know how to do it, and trust me, if you can't you will be fired very quickly. This is not to say there aren't associations quite willing to take your money and test you so you can have a "CMT" to go after your name (certified medical transcriptionist), and I have heard that the tests are good and if you get a CMT you probably deserve it. However, I've made my living for 25 years as a medical transcriptionist, at the highest level, every medical specialty, and I don't have a CMT and I wouldn't spend a dime to have the certification. Also, I don't recommend AAMT, whch is the American Association of Medical Transcriptionists, as they will not do anything to help improve the pay of transcripionists, they are only interested in getting your dues and having a convention every year. The usual association BS. A nurse would have a tremendous advantage over anyone without any training, since a nurse will know the basics of meds, equipment, procedures, etc. Probably someone with nursing training would quickly be hired at a clinic that does in-house transcription as a beginning transcriptionist for this very reason. It does not mean that the nurse would then succesfully learn transcription (the frustration involved in learning is incredibly high, it's a solitary job, the docs mangle their pronunciation so you much you really have to know what they are trying to say, not what they're saying).

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