Owner: Home-Based Medical Transcription URL:www.mj-daily.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 13:11:58 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Articles and personal experiences about being a home-based medical transcriptionist. Talk about some of the requirements and training for becoming an MT. Site statistics:Click here
Medical Transcription Beginner's Requirements 1970-01-01 00:59:59 BEGINNING MT REQUIREMENTS1. You must be able to type! If you don't know how to type or you have not typed for some years, then you need to get a typing program and start learning and practising. Some of the jobs require a certain speed starting at least at 60 wpm and up. For a new medical transcriptionist quality is much more important than quantity (yes, you do need to spell those drugs correctly) but, your speed will pick up as you do more and more work. 2. Take a medical transcription course! I truly don't know how someone can do it without a course, maybe someone already working in a medical facility and already familiar with the medical terms could do it, but the average person needs specialized knowledge for this type of work. There are many medical transcription schools out there. Start researching them and find one that suits you financially and academically.3. I have only worked for clinics. Hospital transcription might require a more advanced course. Read more:Transcription
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Medical Transcription Certification 1970-01-01 00:59:59 MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION CERTIFICATIONA lot of new MT's believe that when they graduate from a medical transcription course that the certificate they receive for completing the course makes them a CMT (certified medical transcriptionist). This is not true. Some of the eligibility requirements for becoming a CMT are:· You must have two years of actual medical transcription experience in acute care or the equivalent. Acute care includes ESL's (English as a second language), many different report types and all of the major and some of the minor specialities.· You will take the AAMT (American Association for Medical Transcription
) CMT exam that consists of medical transcription knowledge and performance items. There are testing centers where you will go to take your test. Check with AAMT for their specific guidelines and fee for the testing. · Your certification is valid for three years. After that time you must recertify by paying a recertification fee and e Read more:Medical Transcription
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Medical Transcription 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Well, the doctors I type for are back from vacation so I will be having more transcription to do today. It is nice to not have to get dressed or leave the house to make money. I have a WAV pedal so I am connected with the clinic. I can just download my transcription from my doctors, type it, then download it to their desktops. I even have my paycheck mailed to me so I never have to leave the house. Today I will also be working on the second page of my new novel. At this rate it will take a year to finish it but I don't care as long as I do finish it. I am also going to be writing another article on medical transcription for my home business site, then I am going to write another article on real estate for my other web site. My goal is to have 100 articles on each web site. I am also going to try to buy an orange juice put in the commodities market. That is a very risky business but I seem to have a knack for it and I am making some money at it. Usually in commodities tradin Read more:Transcription
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Is It Nearly Christmas Already? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I can't believe it. It's that time of year again. I am already seeing Christmas
decorations in the stores. Every year I tell myself I am going to start the new year by buying one Christmas present a month and by Christmas most of my shopping will be done. Have I ever done this? No-o-o. I am always going to but that's as far as it gets. I love Christmas but I don't like shopping at Christmas. I think this year I am going to buy all of my presents online. That will be so much easier. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to put some stores on my web sites just for Christmas. Do you think anyone will buy from them? I think they would. Anything would beat getting into all that traffic and fighting for a parking space. Another month and I will be dragging out all my decorations to put up after Thanksgiving. After last Christmas my boxes of Christmas decorations sat in my livingroom until April because no one wanted to lug them all upstairs. I didn't even take my decor Read more:Nearly
MJ's Day 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today was a very crazy day. Lana came down, we have been working for weeks to build these two Home business Web Sites. It has been a nightmare to get it all going. I think we have finally finished www.at-ease-home-businesses.com that is mostly about Medical Transcription, but, the other site www.homebusinessessite.com has a ways to go yet. I was excited to add a good sitemap to the at ease website, I read where it says that having the sitemap makes it easier for the search engines to find you. So that is a major step in the right direction, I guess. We worked for 4 hours adding content, man, I never knew there was so much involved in building a web presence, but I am learning alot of great stuff in the process. Now that we have the at ease site functional I guess it is time to start advertising the site. I have been researching different ways to advertise, now I have to gain the strength to start posting on all the forums I have been lurking at for months, ha ha. I am seriously going t
My Birthday Today! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 It's been a great day today. Went to lunch with some MT friends (they bought my lunch for my birthday). I started writing my novel today. Got one page done. It's a start. I have already written one book but it was so bad I wouldn't send it in to a publisher. I hope this one will be better. I would love to write like Nora Roberts or Julie Garwood or for horror, Dean Koontz (I have all of his books). I worked a lot on my web sites today. I need to write some more articles but I just haven't had time. I like my medical transcription site but I think I am more excited about my real estate site. I love to get involved in real estate. I hope to flip either one or two houses next year. Read more:Today
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Marketing Your MT Business Early 1970-01-01 00:59:59 MARKETING YOUR MT BUSINESS, GET STARTED EARLYWhile you are still in school for medical transcription you can start working on your marketing materials. Once you graduate you will not have to spend a lot of time that could be used go get that first job. Plus, working on your marketing will keep you enthused and ready to get out there and transcribe! At the end of your course your school will probably give you a list of things to do to get started. If you follow the tips below you will have a jump start on marketing your transcription business.Resume - Always have an updated resume to promote your business. Starting it before you graduate gives you plenty of time to get it just right. Your resume needs to be as professional as possible. This plays a major role in introducing you to prospective clients. You can get it professionally done if you do not feel you can do an appropriate job of it.Business
Cards - You can also get your business cards printed up ahead of time. Choos Read more:Marketing
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SEO on Website 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Since I have only recently started my website on medical transcription I have decided to change a few things on it before I really advertise it. I took off all affiliate links that were not related to medical transcription. I have about 8 articles on the site that I have written. I am going to link my welcome page to each article and have each article link to each other; article 1 to 2, then 2 link to 3, etc. I am also going to change my sitemap to reflect each of my pages. Right now I have not done the linking because I have to have someone else do it for me as I have not learned how to do it correctly yet, some of the linking is done but none from my welcome page yet. I also have to wait a couple of days until I can get my sitemaps correct to reflect only my related medical transcription pages (which is all I am going to have on this website). Each article page will have a sitemap at the bottom of the page. Next I am going to submit at least five articles (not the ones on my Read more:SEO
Home-Based Medical Transcription 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A lot of people wonder if they would have the right basic skills to be a medical transcriptionist. I am not talking about an MT course, which you would need to have. Some important things in a medical transcriptionist are typing, preferably 60 wmp or better (although sometimes lesser speeds could be acceptable with certain transcription companies), and good spelling and grammar. As I am an avid reader I feel this has helped to make me good at spelling and grammar, at least good enough to correct the doctor's grammar and spelling. I had typing in high school and my speed has slowly built up over the years as a transcriptionist. Now, I can type 100 wmp but I don't transcribe at that speed. I probably transcribe at about 75-80 wmp. As far as typing goes, practice will build your speed, but in medical transcription quality is more important than quantity. Also, working at home makes for a lonely business. That is why it is important to visit the MT forums so that you don't feel Read more:Transcription
Medical Transcription Using a WAV Pedal 1970-01-01 00:59:59 When I first started medical transcription I would go and pick up tapes from the doctors and transcribe them at home on a transcription machine and put them on a floppy disk and the next morning take the disk and tapes back to the clinic and pick up new ones.Eventually my clinic started using dictation which could be transcribed via a WAV pedal. Now all I do is log into the clinic and download the doctor's voice dictation and transcribe using the WAV pedal to hear the doctor's dictation.Using the WAV pedal allows me to transcribe for transcription companies and clinics anywhere in the US. Now I never have to leave the house at all. I even have them mail my pay check. This is what I call really working at home. Read more:Transcription
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Medical Transcription Tips For New MTs 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The question I am asked most often by new medical transcriptionists is how to get their first job. You have probably been told to call the hospitals and clinics in your area or write them a letter about getting a job. Also to place ads in the newspaper and read the ads in the newspaper and to contact medical transcription companies to see if they are hiring inexperienced MTs. All of those things can work if you persist and don't give up, but recently I had a new MT emailing me about getting a job and I told her about all of the things above and then I told her to be sure to go to the MT forums such as MT Desk and ask there about who is hiring new MTs. She finally did that and in less than two weeks she had a job. There are more transcription companies hiring inexperienced MTs than there once was. You wouldn't be starting out at a very high rate of pay but as your experience builds so will your pay. The MT forums will know who those companies are. You can also network with oth Read more:Transcription
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SEO On Medical Transcription Web Site 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Well, I got my articles written and got an account with Article Marketer, but when I tried to put my articles in to get them distributed in the directories, they kept coming back with a formatting error. I have tried and tried to fix it but can't figure it out so I can't submit them yet until I learn how to submit them. So I was at the Warrior Forum and saw a WSO by James B. Allen to write and submit 2 articles for me, also he will bookmark my site on some social networking sites, and make some directory submissions for me. So my medical transcription site might actually start being seen. I am very excited. I am still having a lot of medical transcription work but that is what is financing getting my website up and running so I shouldn't begrudge the hours I spend at the keyboard doing transcription when I would rather be working on my web site. Now I can sit back a little and see if I will get any results from James' efforts. Read more:Transcription
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SEO Continued 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I finally got my linking done and a Google sitemap done although I haven't learned how to take off the old sitemap on my site and put the new one on, but the new one is in effect. I also have submitted my site to 7 directories. I've got a lot to go but I am only doing a few at a time. This week I will be working on my articles to submit to article directories. Although I wrote all of the articles on my site, I am a fiction writer, not an article writer so I will probably outsource the articles in the beginning. In about another week I will be working on my other web site, homebusinessessite.com. This web site is going to be about my real estate experiences and other related articles. I know that this is a popular field with lots of competition but both of these first web sites are mostly going to be informational sites with very few affiliate programs. I am just dipping my toes in the water and learning the basics. I will keep updating my progress as I go along about getting Read more:SEO
SEO On Medical Transcription Site 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have put my web site in 38 directories now. I am also ready to submit 5 articles to directories. So my plan is on the way. I will need a lot of relevant back links before my site is really going to be noticed. I have really been busy this week with medical transcription. It seems like everyone is sick or just getting flu shots. My doctors are busy so therefore I am also, although I would rather work on my web site. My commodies trading is looking good. Waiting for orange juice to fall and also sugar. I did really well with sugar as I have been bearish for a long time. It is getting harder to hang in there waiting for OJ to come down, I might have to liquidate some options and get some new ones. I am hardly finding time to write on my book but I will keep chugging away page by page and hopefully by the end of next summer I will have a book. I am thinking about getting back into real estate again also. That is a very profitable business. So much to do, so little time! I Read more:Transcription
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Medical Transcription School-How to Choose The Best 1970-01-01 00:59:59 There are a lot of medical transcription schools out there, so how do you know which one to choose, which one has the best program, which one will help you get a job when you graduate.Some of the things you want to look for in choosing a school are:1. Do they have a good support staff?2. Do they have a good program for medical terminology?3. Do they focus on medical specialities?4. Do they teach style and grammar essentials?5. Do they offer good training on human anatomy, physiology and disease processes?6. Do they offer good training on abbreviations, plurals, and word differentiating?Do a thorough research before you sign up for a medical transcription course. Ask about schools on MT forums. You will get pros and cons on the schools. If you find the top schools too expensive you could take your course through a school such as Career Step at http://www.homecareerinfo.com/0109. They have different payment plans and are one of the top medical transcription schools. Take your time Read more:Transcription
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Working At Home As A Medical Transcriptionist 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Do's and Don'ts Having a career as an MT working at home can sometimes be very challenging. One of the great things is that you are doing a real job and are receiving a real pay check for it.Some Do's:Treat this as a real job. Meet your deadlines (which is normally 24-hour turnaround).Stay in touch with the real world of medical transcription via the MT forums.Keep your work area as isolated from the rest of the house as possible so as to not become distracted. This work requires a lot of concentration.Do use a good ergonomic chair and keyboard as you will be sitting and typing for hours at a time.Some Don'ts:Don't accept a lot of phone calls while working. Keep the answering machine on.Don't take long breaks for TV or internet surfing. Both of these can be a real downfall to producing timely work.Don't ever leave patient information or transcription work where it is accessible to anyone who comes to your house. There is a strict code of confidentiality that must be maintained
Medical Transcription's Most Used Abbreviations 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This is for the beginner medical transcriptionist just to show you some of the abbreviations I use most every day when transcribing my doctor's dictation.One thing that scared me about becoming an MT was typing drug prescriptions. I had no medical background so I was not sure I would be able to do it. But I discovered that after awhile medical terminology became a second language and the more you did it the better you got. Some of the most common abbreviations for drugs and prescriptions are:p.o. - by mouthq.d. - every dayq.h. - every hourq.h.s. - each bedtime, every nightb.i.d. - two times a dayt.i.d. - three times a dayq.i.d. - four times a dayp.r.n. - as neededq.4 h. - every four hoursq.2 h. - every two hoursSo a prescription for 1 p.o. q.d. p.r.n. would mean 1 by mouth every day as needed. A prescription for 2 p.o. b.i.d. would mean 2 by mouth two times a day.Keeping up with new drug names can be challenging. My doctors will usually spell new drug names for a few days until I g Read more:Transcription
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Medical Transcription Squidoo 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have now started a Squidoo
lens on medical transcription. It is at www.squidoo.com/mj-dailyblogspotcom/My Squidoo has a great link to Cafe Press which has some really neat medical transcription items. I didn't even know you could get MT things like that. I am getting me a T-shirt and a plaque for my office. It's all teddybears but they will lighten my working day when trying to understand some difficult doctors and I can look up and see my teddybear medical transcription plaque. Sometimes it takes a little levity to get through some of my transcription.I have been pretty lucky in the docs that I transcribe for most. No ESL's and they all dictate pretty well. I find the hardest things to transcribe are when they are talking non-medical and I can't look it up. Just ordinary conversation they seem to fly over and it is hard to understand. That is when I leave the most blanks.Whenever someone asks me if I am worried about my docs going to something like Dragon Naturally Spea Read more:Transcription
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Medical Transcription - Medical Systems and Specialties 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As a medical transcriptionist you will be typing dictated reports on a variety of systems and specialties. I have listed some of these below.Cardiovascular SystemDermatology and AllergyGastroenterologyImmunologyInternal MedicineObstetrics and GynecologyOphthalmologyOtorhinolaryngologyPediatricsPlastic SurgeryPsychiatry, Neurology, and NeurosurgeryRadiology and Nuclear MedicineRespiratory SystemUrologySome of the general terms you will be using are:AnatomyGeneral Medical TermsGeneral Surgical TermsDrugs and ChemistryLaboratory TerminologyAlso very important are the abbreviations and symbols used in medicine.Soundalikes are also a big part of transcribing medical dictation.There are many things you need to learn in order to become a medical transcriptionist. That is why it is necessary to take a medical transcription course that will teach all of the above and will help you be better prepared to complete correct medical reports. Read more:Transcription
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Medical Record Confidentiality for Medical Transcriptionists 2007-03-11 20:44:00 One of the major health care principles has always been confidentiality of the medical record. Protecting the patient's privacy has always been a top priority of the medical world. As a medical transcriptionist you are responsible for making accurate medical records and at the same time maintaining patient confidentiality concerning those records. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the Privacy Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to assure that patient's health information is protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide high quality care.Each medical transcriptionist needs to be always aware of patient confidentiality and follow the HIPAA guidelines. Read more:Record
Is Medical Transcription Training Necessary? 2007-04-13 15:15:00 Some people think that medical transcriptionists are just "typists" and that anyone who can type can do medical transcription. This is far from the truth.Medical terminology is like a second language and you need to know it to transcribe medical reports. There are many abbreviations and sound alikes in MT work that someone untrained in the field will just not know.In some cases if you have worked in a medical atmosphere you might be able to become a transcriptionist without extensive training but even then you would benefit from at least a medical terminology course.You need to think of medical transcription as a career and not just a job so therefore you will need some schooling just as you would in any career.Don't take shortcuts. Get the schooling and become a medical transcriptionist. (I highly recommend it.)Have a great day!Marilyn RobertsMedical Transcription
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