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Is Medical Transcription the Right Way to Work From Home?

By: Stephen B. St. Louis, Director, IHA and Work At Home Expert

You have decided to work from home or start a home based business. Now the problem is choosing which business to pursue. Usually, before a person decides to begin their business, a lot of research needs to be done. Your demographic area determines if the product you have to sell will be in demand by the public. Marketing a product that is already saturated in the area in which you live spells disaster for your business in its infancy. This article cuts through all of that research and presents you with a home based business product whose demand will continue to increase over the coming years.

A Rapidly Expanding Industry

Medical transcription is an industry that is exploding, a growing career that can be managed as a home based business. The job of a medical transcriptionist is to accurately translate a doctor's audio dictation into text form for patient medical records. A medical transcriptionist needs to have good communication and language skills. The most important skill is a working knowledge of medical terms including drug abbreviations, surgical terms and equipment, laboratory test abbreviations, laboratory values, medical specialty terms, and anatomy. Good word processing skills are also needed to present a professional finished product to your clients.

According the U.S. Department of Labor,

"Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population."

Transcription is one of those jobs that many people know can be done from home, and so the interest level is very high. A medical background is not a necessity for a home based business in medical transcription. Online and correspondence courses are offered to provide all the training you will need to pursue this career. This is an added bonus. You can train at home to start a business at home! These programs will not only teach you medical terminology, but also on how to transcribe from Doctor dictated recordings and to familiarize you with the latest equipment and software used in the transcription industry.

Medical Transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by physicians and other healthcare professionals and transcribe those dictations into documents such as operating room notes, discharge summaries, autopsy reports, and other documents which then become part of a patient's medical record. In order to be able to transcribe information accurately, medical transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, and treatment. Reports of patient care take many forms, including histories and physical examinations, emergency room notes, consultations, operative reports, progress reports, discharge summaries, clinic notes, radiology reports, referral letters, pathology reports, and a vast array of medical documentation spanning more than 60 medical specialties and subspecialties! Thus, the medical transcriptionist, or medical language specialist, must be well versed in the language of medicine.

Medical transcription is a medical language specialty, so you can see that it requires not only the proper training, but also an investment in reference materials and a commitment to ongoing learning as technology and terminology changes. Equally important to the long-term success of a Transcriptionist is having the right personality for the job. Some qualities that successful Medical Transcriptionist's share are: perfectionist, independent by nature, word specialist, and detail oriented.

What Kind of Training do Medical Transcriptionist's need?

During the course of my research, the first thing I learned was that you can't just jump into a career as an Medical Transcriptionist without the proper training. This is a very detailed, fascinating professional career which requires technical knowledge. The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) defines Medical Transcription requirements this way: Medical understanding is critical for the professional medical transcriptionist. The complex terms used in medicine are unlike the language of any other profession. Medical transcription requires a practical knowledge of medical language, anatomy, physiology, disease processes, pharmacology, laboratory medicine, and the internal organization of medical reports. A medical transcriptionist is truly a medical language specialist who must be aware of standards and requirements that apply to the health record, as well as the legal significance of medical transcripts. A great benefit of the business of medical transcription is setting your own hours of operation. The main problem with traditional jobs is that they are not structured to accommodate children's school schedules, family illnesses, and emergencies. The flexible hours that this medical transcription home based business provides allows you to tend to family matters as they come up. You do not need permission to leave work because you are the boss! Another huge benefit is the low overhead. Overhead references the costs factors in maintaining your business that are taken away from the bottom line to find your profits. Most new businesses that must have an office building or may have to employ staff will have higher operating costs including employer provided health insurance. Working from home, your costs will be limited to the hardware and software used to retrieve the dictation, a home computer with word processing software, a chair, a desk, and of course a phone. Probably most of what you require, you may already have. As well, these items can be written off on your taxes as a business expense, and that also includes the square footage of the room that you use to work from. Lower overhead costs results in more profits for you and your new business. Starting any new business requires time and a measure of hard work. A medical transcription business offers extremely low overhead, flexible work schedules, and of course a product that will remain in demand for as long as there are doctors. These benefits make it appealing to those who are tired of the grind and want a more balanced family life. Working from home in a medical support profession is a career that will always be in high demand. As long as doctor's practice, they will continue to dictate medical procedures to make their lives easier. Someone will also be needed to translate these dictations into text documents. So, you won't have to worry about your business becoming defunct in a couple of years unless you want it to. There is job security in the medical transcription industry. You can grow your business for as much or as little as you want. The sky's the limit.

So, if you are the type of person who is ambitious, entrepreneurial, an effective listener and communicator, the home based medical transcription business is the perfect way to work from home. You can break out of the traditional job mold forever. A medical background is not really a necessity to start training to become a medical transcriptionist. Online courses are offered to provide all the training you will need to pursue this career. This is a huge bonus. You can train at home to start a business from your own home! These programs will not only teach you medical terminology, but also familiarize you with the latest equipment and software used in the transcription industry.

Medical Transcription - A Top Rated Career Choice

Have you been thinking recently about medical transcription as a career choice? What is holding you back?

Medical transcription is an excellent career choice which allows you the unique flexibility to work from your home, yet still earn a good living and have full control of your career. As a new medical transcriptionist your everyday work will be new and exciting as well as vary day by day. You'll build special relationships with doctors and other hospital staff. You'll have a fantastic career that's lucrative, exciting and prestigious in the medical support field. There are a wide variety of choices for jobs. You can elect to work from home for a local company or for a national online Medical Transcription Service Organization, (MTSO.) You can also choose to work in a local hospital, doctor's office or clinic. You can even commence your own local business with small physician accounts. Of course you can choose to start your own home based medical transcription business. Your clients can either be local where you pick up a micro cassette (where the dictation is recorded) or you can choose to have national clients where they dictate onto wav files which you retrieve over the web. The possibilities for medical transcription job choices are endless. You can choose as many or as little of the above choices as you'd like. Medical transcription is a business where you really do have full control of your earnings and growth.

And there is no shortage of medical transcription jobs in site, so you can be sure this will be a long-term profitable career. Here's what the US Department of Labor has to say:

Job opportunities will be good. Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population. Older age groups receive proportionately greater numbers of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can easily be shared among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients' records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and identify discrepancies in medical reports." With so many great statistics and opportunities for medical transcriptionist it's no wonder it was voted one of the top 10 hottest fields to go into.

Education Requirements for Medical Transcription

If you are looking for a job in medical transcription, you need education above and beyond high school. Fortunately, medical transcription education doesn't require the time and cost of a four-year community college or community university degree. Medical transcription education prepares you to transcribe medical reports. To do this, you need to be able to listen to recordings and understand medical terminology. Medical transcription education helps you do this. Medical transcription education will teach you medical terminology. It is essential for medical transcriptionists to understand medical jargon and identify proper terms to use. Medical transcription education will teach you to use appropriate medical reference materials to make sure you get it right. With a good medical transcription education, you will be able to spot errors and edit to make the report clear and to correct grammar. You will learn the standards that must by used for medical records. Medical transcription education is also essential for learning legal and ethical requirements of medical records. You also need strong computer skills and good grammar and punctuation skills. Pre-employment tests are often necessary, and you won't pass any of these with out a medical transcription education. Many medical transcription programs offer on-the-job experience, which will give you confidence when you look for your first job. Medical transcription education can be attained in a variety of ways. There are certificate programs that last a year. If you want to advance your education, two-year programs are offered at vocational schools. Distance learning works well for medical transcription education, so you may not even have to leave your home to learn.

As you can see, medical transcription education is essential to doing the job right. There is no other way to learn the terminology and technology necessary for work in this field. Fortunately, it is easy to find schools offering medical transcription education. You can even learn from home. Whatever your needs are, there is an opportunity for medical transcription education that will work for you.

Online Medical Transcription Course Scams - How to Avoid Online Medical Transcription Course Scams

Medical transcription is a lucrative profession which allows you the flexibility to work from home. Unfortunately, it's this appeal that has opened the doors for less than honest online medical transcription schools. If you don't know a lot about Medical Transcription, then I will assure you it is a real profession and a real possibility. It is not a get rich quick scheme or overnight money maker. If you're shopping around for an online medical transcription course, here are a few things to keep in mind.

How to Choose the Right Course and Avoid Scams

Make sure the company offering the course is reputable and has been around for a long time. You can do this by checking with the Better Business Bureau. Here are a few other things to look for.

1) Send the school an email asking a question about their course. If they respond promptly in a professional matter that's a good sign. If they seem overly pushy be a bit weary.

2) Look at their web site. Is it professional? Do they give you statistics about their success rates, student testimonials, Q and A section?

3) Do they have an online student log in area or online support if you have questions?

4) Are their company details listed on their web site? Such as how long they've been in business, contact details (mailing address and phone number).

5) Do they make exaggerated promises about their course? If they are promising you will make a lot of money in a short time, then be careful. No one can really predict how much you will make or how long it will take you. They should give general statistics and figures in an unbiased way.

6) Do they provide financial aid or payment assistance?

7) Do they have a list of graduates or companies which have hired their graduates?

8) Do they give you updates of students who have graduated from their school?

9) Do they have a student message board, a newsletter or information which will make you feel part of a community? Studying from home can be lonely at times, a reputable course will offer you assistance from the very beginning until you find a job.

And if you know of any scams or have been affected by online medical transcription scams, please report them to support@homeworkers.org so that we can help other potential Medical Transcriptionists avoid them.

Advantages of Medical Transcription Training At Home

If you are interested in medical transcription training but have a busy schedule, there are options to brick-and-mortar vocational schools. You might want to consider medical transcription training at home.

A legitimate online medical transcription school will offer the same type of classes as a brick-and-mortar school. For example, a legitimate online medical transcription school will offer courses in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and ethics. Other courses a legitimate online medical transcription school will offer will include laboratory tests, medical procedures, and transcription formatting.

Medical transcription training at home is for students who are independent. Self-discipline is essential for successful medical transcription training at home. It's a good option for students who do not have a vocational school nearby or who cannot physically attend classes for a variety of reasons. Medical transcription training at home can be the option of choice for those who learn best on their own.

Medical transcription training at home offers several advantages. One of these, of course, is the ability to work at your own pace. You can take the time you need in more difficult areas, but move quickly through course work that you find easier. You don't have to pace yourself with your teacher and classmates. Another advantage is the ability to schedule course work around other commitments, such as your job. You don't have to worry about following the class schedule. Of course, the most obvious advantage of medical transcription training at home is the ability to work in comfort. You don't have to commute. You don't have to look for parking. If you have a hectic schedule, you don't have to worry about showing up late for class. Homework gets done when you have time, and you can take tests when you feel you are ready for them instead of cramming to meet the teacher's deadline.

You will find some online schools in any field that will give a diploma or certificate for very little effort. Medical transcription takes a lot of memorization, which takes time. You must also get used to medical terminology. A legitimate online medical transcription school will not advertise how quickly you will be ready to work. It will focus on teaching you the job well

A legitimate online medical school will also allow you to talk to graduates for references. Make sure you don't skip this step. A legitimate online medical transcription school will require extensive transcription practice, and graduates can tell you if this is really what happened. Don't choose to learn online because you think it will be easier than learning at a traditional school. A legitimate online medical school will be just as tough as any other school. The goal is to learn how to do your job right. A legitimate online medical school has to teach you what any other school teaches to prepare you for a job.

It is easier than ever to learn medical transcription through online courses. Just make sure you pick a school that offers the courses you need, and follow through with references. If you are certain that the course work is comprehensive and the course will last at least a year, you are probably looking at a legitimate online medical school. Though the work will be tough, you will probably be glad you learned this way.

Some medical transcription schools offer video instructional videos. This gives you the opportunity to hear the terminology, an important part of medical transcription training. The ability to replay the videos as often as necessary to understand the terminology is another advantage to medical transcription training at home.

Medical transcription training at home is not for everyone. For those who are disciplined and don't need supervision, though, medical transcription training at home can be rewarding.

Choosing The Right Online Medical Transcription Course and School

Finding the right online medical transcription course on the Internet can be really challenge. After all you're making a big investment of your time and your hard earned money. Regardless, it's vital to choose the right course. Sadly, there are way too many online medical transcription schools making unrealistic claims about their programs. And how do you know whether their claims are false or not? Buyer beware is the slogan you need to use here. Well you can begin by doing your homework. Don't jump head first into any course too quickly and beware of false claims which promise you can become a Medical Transcriptionist in a month or less and/or earn a huge amount of money right at the start. Neither is true in this case.

Medical transcription is a top notch career, and like all good careers it will take time and effort. But I'll let you in on a little industry secret here. you can make more than an registered nurse or perhaps more then an entry level doctor with way less financial and time investment.

Now of course, I'm not advocating every Medical Transcriptionist is going to make more income than a doctor, but the possibility is truly there and A LOT of Medical Transcriptionist's do earn that and more, all while working from home and running their own very flexible medical transcription business.

To help you choose the right school, I.ve put together a full review of The Virtual Learning Center. This is the ONLY school at present I and "Ask The MT" recommends. In addition, over 60 large and midsize medical transcription service companies that have hired medical transcriptionists from the Virtual Learning Center, would no doubt highly recommend as well.

The Virtual Learning Center offers an excellent, well-rounded medical transcription course, which will get you started in the right direction. Read the full VLC review below.

The Virtual Learning Center Review

The Virtual Learning Center is at present the only school Ask The MT recommends for online medical transcription training. This school offers great value for money and excellent all around medical transcription education.

Introduction: The Virtual Learning Center has been around for 7 years and offers a flexible study-at-home MT program. And their medical transcription course curriculum is in accordance with all processes outlined in the American Association for Medical Transcription's (AAMT).

The VLC also has many features which are exclusive to them and which will help you make the most out of your training including, job placement assistance, job data bank access, internship program, online student forums, online graduate forums (you can speak to VLC graduates and find out how they're progressing in their career), employment consultation, resume evaluation, and many other exclusive VLC features.

In a nutshell, this school not only trains you in the practical aspect of medical transcription such as typing, medical terminology, etc. The VLC also does everything possible to make sure you get the right start in your MT career. It's like having your foot in the door before even finishing your course.

Benefits of Choosing The VLC:

Waived 2 year experience period national companies require.
Employment with national companies upon graduation. (Expert & Advanced Course)
Internship program, here is what The VLC has to say:

We are pleased to announce a new Internship program available to all VLC Medical Transcription students in our Course. This program is available to the MT Expert Course so that you will start to earn while you learn. During the last stages of your Expert course you will be transcribing medical reports for one or more companies. This will assist you in the transition from student to professional. You will gain valuable work experience while completing your course. The Internship program will start you off with real work experience before graduation. In fact there is a possibility that you will be hired by the company that hosts your internship upon graduation.

The VLC has devoted a substantial amount of time and resources into the development of this program. As part of the program your work will be proofed to ensure that 98% accuracy is maintained. You will be earning anywhere from 2 to 6 cents a line during your internship. This is only available to Expert students and the workload will depend on the volume of transcription needed at the time.

Student support, a team of five trained and experienced MTs and CMTs each specializing in a different area are there to support and mentor you through your course.
Student message boards, to find support from other trainee Medical Transciptionists who are in the same position as you.
Grad message boards, chat with VLC grads and find out how their new medical transcription career is going.
List of companies which hire VLC graduates.
Student newsletter to keep up-to-date with all the latest MT news.
Guide to starting your Medical Transcription home business including pricing guide, contracts, getting started guide.
After employment help hotline in case you have any questions or concerns about your new career.
Resume evaluation, employment consultation, work placement program and a unique Internship program.
Mentoring Interactive Modular Education (M.I.M.E.). M.I.M.E. makes distance education easier, faster, more efficient - and more personable. It was specifically developed by VLC staff to improve online training.

Course Information and breakdown:

The VLC offers a different number of courses, so it's easy to find the right course to suit your particular situation. The best way to choose is too look through each course, compare and go with the one you feel will work best for you.

Intermediate Course - Offers a high standard of training but is geared more towards Medical Transcriptionists who want to work outside the home at a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, etc.

Advanced Course - This course is for MTs who want the option to work from home or outside the home and offers good value for money.

Expert Course - Complete and comprehensive course including everything you need to make a success out of your new Medical Transcription career. You will finish this course trained to a high standard and able to take on many different types of work. You will be able to start your own business, find employment from home or work outside the home. It also includes internship program, work placement program & employment evaluation.

Medical Records Specialist - Complete training in medical transcription, medical billing, medical coding and medical terminology. This fantastic course is great for either increasing your marketability or if you want to run a medical center from home, working in all 3 major fields.

Refresher Course - Perfect if you've worked or trained as an MT in the past but haven't done it for a while. It's great for getting your skills up-to-date.

Whichever course you choose, you'll receive a high standard of education and well-rounded medical transcription training.

Click Here To Start Your New Medical Transcription Career
Free VLC Medical Transcription Course
Read Real-Life Interviews of VLC MT Graduates

Job Outlook for Medical Transcription

"Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population."

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

The outlook of medical transcription looks good. This is a lucrative, in demand-career with great growth opportunities. If you're considering a medical transcription course or are already taking one, this is good news. It means you will have plenty of employment as well as financial opportunities. Although, medical transcription is predicted to grow and remain stable, there are a few common concerns among the MT community.

Will voice recognition replace transcriptionists?

There has been talk for a long time about voice recognition and new software which will replace the jobs of Medical Transcriptionists. This will not affect you any time soon. There are a number of growing issues and concerns with this software. It is not being used in a large setting and has not yet replaced the need for medical transcription on the whole. Medical terminology is complex and the regulations for patient records are stricter than ever. At present, the most accurate way to transcribe these records is by trained MTs. According to the Medical Records Institute, which actually promotes the use of computerized medical records, current research shows use of speech recognition in the medical fields is less than 1%.

From: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics...

"Contracting out transcription work overseas and advancements in speech recognition technology are not expected to significantly reduce the need for well-trained medical transcriptionists. Outsourcing transcription work abroad.to countries such as India, Pakistan, Philippines, and the Caribbean.has grown more popular as transmitting confidential health information over the Internet has become more secure; however, the demand for overseas transcription services is expected only to supplement the demand for well-trained domestic medical transcriptionists. In addition, reports transcribed by overseas medical transcription services usually require editing for accuracy by domestic medical transcriptionists before they meet domestic quality standards. Speech Recognition technology allows physicians and other health professionals to dictate medical reports to a computer that immediately creates an electronic document. In spite of the advances in this technology, the software has been slow to grasp and analyze the human voice and the English language, and the medical vernacular with all its diversity. As a result, there will continue to be a need for skilled medical transcriptionists to identify and appropriately edit the inevitable errors created by speech recognition systems, and to create a final document.". Click here for full text

The demand for working at home as independent contractors is also on the rise. To increase marketing skills many MT's are also learning medical coding and billing. To review the VLC's Medical Records Specialist Course, please go to: http://medcenter.thevlc.com. This course includes medical transcription, terminology, billing and coding.

What about offshore transcription companies?

Some companies are using offshore transcription companies to save money. However, while outsourcing medical transcription to offshore companies can save money, many companies are not following this route. There are various concerns and issues with outsourcing to offshore companies. Offshore MT companies are not required to comply with HIPPA regulations. This means they don't follow the HIPPA security and privacy guidelines to safeguard medical records. In some cases it can be done, but mandatory agreements required by HIPPA guidelines must be signed. And precautions must be taken so that data is not sent overseas. The overseas vendors must log on to U.S. database to do their work, which means extra systems and measures must be put in place. This can be expensive and time consuming. Although, some companies may find the need for saving money is worth these risks, most won't. I agree with the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics and believe the future of medical transcription looks good and there are many opportunities out there for the taking.

However, although the future of MT looks promising, times HAVE changed. MTs of today should start adapting to the ever changing business technology around them. The technology is there and available for us to take our businesses to the next level. With a few clicks of a mouse we can build our own MT web site, set up an online diary or download files for transcribing.

Be smart in your business, keep up with the times, adapt to technology and your future outlook will look better than ever. Again, the demand for working at home as independent contractors is also on the rise. To increase marketing skills many Medical Transcriptionist's are also learning medical coding and billing.

To review the VLC's Medical Records Specialist Course, please go to: http://medcenter.thevlc.com. This course includes medical transcription, terminology, billing and coding.

Average Medical Transcription Salary

Your medical transcription salary will depend on a few different factors. A Medical Transcriptionist who works from home and has her own accounts will usually make more money than an MT who works for an online service or at a traditional job setting.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor the average earnings for MTs in the year 2004 was between $11.50 and $16.32 per hour. Medical Transcriptionists in the higher earnings range (10%) earned $19.11 per hour. Now, keep in mind that's just a statistic. Medical transcription earnings can greatly vary and it's really difficult to come up with a 'true' earnings statistic. For example, if you work from home on your own accounts there may be months where you have extra work and months when you have less. Your earnings could also differ dramatically from another fellow MT who works from home on her own accounts.

A great advantage about having your own Medical Transcription business is you can truly have control over your earnings. The more accounts you have, the more money you'll make. As your business grows you can hire subcontractors, which you outsource, work to. You pay them an agreed rate and make a percentage on their work. There really is no limitation in how large your business can grow. You may also choose to have a smaller and easier to handle business. You can always work a little extra to increase your earnings, or simply take on the amount of work that suits your needs. A typical home-based Medical Transcription business earnings can vary greatly. Some one-MT operations will earn between $20,000 a year to $50,000 a year. Larger services, which hire subcontractors can earn between $50,000 a year to $200,000 and upwards. Medical transcription jobs outside the home can vary just as much, depending on where you live. Earnings can be from $9.00 per hour to $22.00 per hour. It's really difficult to say exactly how much your medical transcription salary will be. But one thing to keep in mind is the earning potential is there and there are many opportunities for you to take.

This is TRULY a business which allows you to have control over how much you earn.

Typical MT Day

Okay, so you want to know what a typical day is like for an MT. I can't tell you about all MTs, as this varies from person to person, but I will give you an example of my day.

My typical MT day:

GRAD INTERVIEWS

Medical Transcription as a Career

- Taken from Ask-the-Mt, Mila Sidman, founder of Ask The MT, www.askthemt.com

"Medical transcription is one of those careers where you either hate it or love it. I have been a medical transcriptionist for 7 years and absolutely love it. I enjoy the continuous learning, take pride in my work and think it's absolutely fantastic."

What will it be like for you?

There are some MTs who have found this just isn't the field for them. Maybe they didn't get off to a good start, or didn't have a mentor or just weren't cut out for it. What's right for one person may not be right for another.

If you're thinking about a career in medical transcription here are a few things to consider:

Do you enjoy working on your own?

Whether you work outside the home or from home, this is one career where you will have to be self disciplined. You are left to produce your own work and will not have someone looking over your shoulder.

Do you have a good grasp of the English language?

You will need to have a good understanding of English and Grammar. Grammar you could learn through a class, but if you have trouble understanding spoken English then perhaps you could take a class to improve your language skills before starting your MT course.

Will I be able to sit in front of a computer for extended periods of time?

Medical transcription is all about typing. You will sit in front of a computer for hours at a time transcribing documents.

Do I need a social career?

Medical transcription isn't the most social career out there. You will network and meet other MTs but while you're working you will be on your own concentrating on your work, and you can't have a conversation while transcribing. So whether you work from home or in an office, you really won't spend a lot of time involved with others while working.

Am I good researcher or willing to learn?

As an MT, you will really develop your researching skills and will become very resourceful! You will need to look up medications and terms you don't understand or can't clearly make out. This will take some thinking and resourcefulness on your part.

Will I be able to apply common sense?

You will find yourself in many situations as an MT where you really need to think outside the box. You will find yourself applying common sense on a daily basis. There is no precise 100% formula in medical transcription. Good common sense will really help you.

Job Opportunities for Medical Transcription

Medical transcription job opportunities are expected to grow faster than average for the next several years. Health care facilities continue to expand, and mt job opportunities should expand with them. Settings for work in this field are varied. Medical transcription job opportunities include working in hospitals or physician's offices. Government medical facilities provide another option for job seekers. Individuals looking for work in this field can also look in diagnostic laboratories, business support services, and transcription service offices. Medical transcription job opportunities can be found anywhere there is medical need. Medical transcription job opportunities are not restricted to offices. Many transcriptionists work from home. Some work as contracted freelancers and have varied hours. Others work as employees of hospitals or clinics who allow their transcriptionists to telecommute. The Internet can be used to receive and send transcription, making it possible to work from any location. An aging population requires more health care. More health care services coupled with the need for electronic documentation insures continued medical transcription job opportunities.

Pay for medical transcription job opportunities ranges from approximately $10.00 an hour to about $20.00 per hour. Pay can be based on an hourly rate or a production rate. Some medical transcription jobs are paid an hourly rate with bonuses for high production. Medical transcription job opportunities include the chance for advancement. After gaining experience, transcriptionists can move into editing or consulting. They can also teach.

If you are looking for a career in a growing field that offers the ability to advance or to work from home, consider medical transcription job opportunities. It's difficult in this day to find careers that are not threatened by layoffs, but the future looks bright with medical transcription. Outsourcing to other countries is expected to be limited in this field, and increasing medical demands will only make these jobs more secure.

For individuals who are independent, career-oriented, and enjoy the medical field, explore medical transcription job opportunities. It might just be what you've been looking for.

In Conclusion:

I would strongly urge you to visit the Virtual Learning Center, to see exactly what I was talking about. Their pricing is very reasonable and range from $999 for an intermediate course, $1599 for the advanced and $2399 for the Expert course, which is top of the line.

Now if money is a serious problem, we do have one other alternative that is very budget conscious indeed. The Independent Homeworkers Alliance offers medical support courses, including a medical transcription course at budget rates. It is self-directed, so that mean without Instructors and mentoring. So if you are a good study, able to correct your own work, and can learn on your own, then this might be a good alternative. The course itself, rates just a good as the Virtual Learning Center, with pricing from $488 to $888. It does not cost anything to look at these course, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Good luck in all your endeavors, and may your road to success and happiness be paved with good tidings and fond memories.

Stephen B. St. Louis
Director, IHA

Confessions of a WAHM

Women work at home for different reasons. Some choose to work at home because of the flexibility it gives them. Some choose to work at home because they want to be their own boss. And some, wanting to raise their families full-time, choose to work at home because a job outside the home takes them away from this awesome responsibility. Those in this last category often call themselves WAHMs.

Since I've been a stay-at-home mom, I've always had lots of jobs to help pay for the "extras" in our family. Nothing was ever really long term, just some freelance work here and there, usually where the kids could help me out. My children were always the priority. Personally, my role in the family hasn't been the main breadwinner, but the heart. As my kids continued to grow and become more independent, however, I found that I had more free time to pursue a career of sorts. I didn't want to work outside the home, because I am a firm believer that a call on a mother's life does not end when the kids reach Middle School. It is essential that a mom be available for her kids - even, no ESPECIALLY, when they are teens. So I found my niche and started working toward establishing myself in the field of writing, working from the computer in my parlor.

But I found that while I pursue this new career, I need to be careful that I don't neglect my primary job - being a wife and mother. Many days I have found myself at the computer until late at night while my husband and kids were off taking care of themselves. It really was an easy trap to fall into. I no longer had a toddler to pull at my pant leg or try to climb up into my lap while I was working. And they were really good about it, so it was easy to go back to the computer after supper and work into the night. One day I realized that this was becoming a habit and they were living there lives around me, not with me.

Many times we forget that our teenagers need us to be available for them. Being constantly busy sends a message to our kids that other things are more important to us than they are. If we are too absorbed in our work, even while we are home, we will miss valuable opportunities for communication. Children need their mom no matter what the age. Even if they seem all grown up on the outside, they still need their parents to show an interest in and be a part of their lives. During the teen years we still have a precious opportunity to mold and shape our children's lives. If you are like me, a stay-at-home mom who has taken on a new career as a work-athome mom, let's not forget our true vision for being a WAHM - putting our families first.

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Patti Chadwick is the creator of Family Tymes. She is also the creator of History's Women, an online magazine highlighting the extraordinary achievements of women throughout history.
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