I asked a few medical transcription aspirants how they chose their medical transcription course. Here are some of the responses.

“My friend told me about the course.”

“I am doing the course online because I get to be at home.”

“I looked for ‘medical transcription courses’ online and found this course.”

How did you choose your medical transcription course? The same way these people did? Choosing the first course you come across or some course your friend recommended is not the ideal way to go about selecting a course that’s crucial to your career. And choosing an online course for comfort is not done either; you should be sure you can handle an online course and that it suits you better than a regular one. Ask the following questions before you zero in on a medical transcription course.

Does the course conform to COMPRO? The course you choose must conform to the competency profile for medical transcription education (COMPRO) guidelines as laid down by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).

Does the course contain sufficent dictation hours for practice? If a course does not contain enough dictation hours, it is of no use. A good course should contain a high number of hours of dictation and the dictation should be authentic. Avoid the courses that contain dictations recorded by actors instead of doctors.

Does the course offer any kind of job assistance on completion? You should not go for a course whose completion is not followed by job assistance. Go through the placement figures of earlier batches to understand the effectiveness of an institute’s placement assistance.

Has the course received good feedback in the past? Look online for feedback on the course. You will get a fair idea of the course from what people write in forums and discussion boards.

Your success as a medical transcriptionist starts with the course you choose.

Someone I know chose a certain cooking class because his high-school crush was the teacher. While it is OK to choose a cooking class like that, it is not OK to choose your medical transcription course that way. Don’t go for a course because your friends are opting for it or because you get to pass by your girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s place on the way to the institute.

Choosing the medical transcription course is one of the most important steps towards a career in medical transcription. And you have to be really careful about how you choose it. Here are four simple tips to help you select the right course.

• Get the curriculum of multiple courses and compare them. The course you choose must conform to the COMPRO (competency profile for medical transcription education) guidelines as stated by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
• Ask the institute about the number of dictation hours included in the course. A good course contains a high number of hours of dictation and the dictation is authentic. Avoid the courses that contain dictations recorded by actors instead of doctors. The practice with dictations is what prepares you for your job.
• Find out if the course is followed by some kind of job assistance. A good institute will have industry connections to help your entry into it easy. Also, go through the placement figures of earlier batches to understand the effectiveness of an institute’s placement assistance.
• Talk to the alumni of the institute. Getting feedback on the course from people who have attended it earlier will give you a good insight into it. You can ask the institute for contact details of the alumni or you can find them on the Internet.

Someone recently asked if it was important to undergo the medical transcription training if one had some kind of experience in the medical field before. Well, the answer to this question lies in your knowledge. If you have substantial medical knowledge then you may not learn anything new in the medical transcription course. However, you still need to learn transcription skills, brush up on your computer skills and learn ways to research while in the job.

The medical transcription training also gives you hands on experience by letting you practice with real dictations. Getting into the medical transcription field only with medical knowledge does not suffice. You need to be an expert transcriptionist who has adequate medical knowledge. Possessing just transcription skills or just medical knowledge is not enough.

Now that you know medical transcription training is important, you must choose it with care. Start with ensuring that the course conforms to the competency profile for medical transcription education programs (COMPRO). Next, find out if it has sufficient hours of authentic dictations provided for practice. You must make sure that it provides placement assistance on its completion.

People often ask me if it is OK to go for an online medical transcription course. It is perfectly alright. In fact, depending on your learning ability, an online course may work better for you than a regular course. Such a course lets you study at your own pace. It lets you study at hours convenient to you. It does away with direct competition with classmates. Moreover, you can start the course as per your convenience without waiting for a session to begin. And you can save time and money that you would otherwise spend in commuting. However, if you are not a self-disciplined learner, stick to a conventional course.

If you have more questions about the medical transcription course, ask us.

The medical transcription course is probably the most important step towards a career in medical transcription. What makes it so important? Should you be very careful while choosing the course then? How should you choose the course? Is it ok to take up an online medical transcription course? How long does a medical transcription course last? In today’s post, we will try to answer all these questions.

The medical transcription profession does not ask for any particular qualification or experience, and yet it is called a specialized profession. It is the training that makes the profession specialized. The training equips you with the knowledge you would need to work as a transcriptionist. It also prepares you for the real job by making you practice with real dictations.

You cannot afford to go for just any course. Choosing a course solely on the basis of the institute’s proximity to your place or because your friend chose it is a bad idea. You should look for conformation to the competency profile for medical transcription education programs (COMPRO) in a course. You should make sure the course has sufficient hours of authentic dictations for practice. The course you choose should have placement assistance. You can check the quality of the course by talking to the former students.

Now, there’s a lot of hullabaloo about courses that are delivered on the computer. Is a web-based or computer-based medical transcription course any good? Well, yes. In fact, it may prove to be an extremely effective one if you are a disciplined learner. An online course lets you study at your own pace and convenience. You don’t need to deal with competition from classmates. And you get to save time and money that you would otherwise spend in commuting.

If you decide to become a medical transcriptionist today, you will need to wait for around six months before you can start working. That is because the typical duration of a medical transcription course is six months.

If you have more questions on the course or the profession, let us know.

More often than not, the criteria for choosing the medical transcription course includes the quality of instructors. But what if you are not comfortable being taught by an instructor? If given a chance, most adults would like to do away with instructors. Instructors are people who, they feel, can be condescending. Now, you don’t want that after you have grown up.

Instructors are not the only reason adults may rule out a conventional classroom course. The sheer pressure of competition with classmates can exhaust you. Then there is the tag of being a good, bad, or mediocre student that gets attached to you in a classroom. Adults want to be learners, not students.

Is there a respite for adults who abhor this kind of a course set up? Yes. Don’t go for such a course. But isn’t a medical transcription course important? Yes, it is, but it need not be a classroom course. You can choose to attend a course that lets you study at your convenience. Yes, I am referring to a computer-based course.

A web-based or computer-based course will let you learn at your own pace. You don’t have to wait for your classmates to grasp something or lag behind others because they learned faster.

An unconventional course like this can fit into any kind of a routine. You learn at your convenience, at any time of the day. In fact, you can begin the course at any time, without waiting for a new session to start.

A web-based or computer-based course also saves your precious time. Also, you don’t need to commute to attend the course. Thus, it saves money too.

So, the next time someone suggests an online or a computer-based course don’t shirk the idea. However, the onus of benefiting from such a course lies completely on you. Go for a computer-based medical transcription course only if you are a disciplined learner.

You have heard that the medical transcription training is important, but is it mandatory? Actually, no. If you have had experience in the medical field, you may not need to undergo the training. However, you may not be able to work well from day one as you may not have the requisite transcription skills. It is, therefore, recommended that you undergo a short course before you get into the profession. A good medical transcription course will help you practice with real dictations.

For freshers with absolutely no medical knowledge, the medical transcription training is a must. However, you have to be careful not to go for just any course. Here’s what you should look for in a medical transcription course:

• Conformation to the competency profile for medical transcription education programs (COMPRO)
• Sufficient hours of authentic dictations provided for practice
• Experienced and qualified instructors
• Placement assistance

You may come across many online medical transcription courses. Are they worth a shot? Some of them, yes. You just need to make sure you choose a good one. If such a course meets the criteria if being a good course, find out if you can handle it.

Yes, you have got to be extremely disciplined to handle it. An online course is self-paced and convenient. It helps you avoid unnecessary competition. You also save money by attending the course from home. However, an online course is effective only if you are disciplined and you like learning on your own, in isolation. If you cannot study on your own, go for the regular course.

Every job today requires you to undergo some kind of training even if on the job. Do you dislike sitting in a classroom? Do classroom trainings take you back to school in not such a great way? Does it bother you when some of your classmates seem to grasp things faster than you or are extremely slow in understanding anything? No, don’t blame yourself; you are one of the majority of adults who do not like conventional learning. This is the reason we insist you do not shirk away the online course when looking for a medical transcription course.

As adults, we do not want unnecessary school-like competition. Yes, we may need the camaraderie but when it is accompanied by competition, it makes life uneasy. Your class is not the only thing in your mind when you are sitting in a classroom. Wouldn’t you prefer learning at your own pace, at your convenience, without being judged by fellow students?

An online medical transcription course makes sense for a lot of reasons. First, the pace of the course depends on your pace as a learner. Whether you are a fast learner or a slow one, such a course will rescue you so that you don’t have to wait for your classmates to grasp something or lag behind others because they learned fast.

Secondly, an online course promises to fit into any kind of a routine. You can learn at your convenience, at any time of the day.

Thirdly, an online course rescues you from unnecessary competition.

Fourthly, it saves you precious time as you don’t need to commute to attend the course. And Fifthly, you get to save money too as you no longer need to commute.

The good thing about an online course is that it typically is learne centric. However, all is not rosy with such a course. You have got to be extremely disciplined as a learner to benefit from the distant course. If you are the kind of person who can study on your own, without being forced, an online medical transcription course is the right choice.

How important is the medical transcription training?

The medical transcription training is extremely important for you to become a medical transcriptionist. Since the profession lets you be a part of it regardless of what your qualifications and experience are, it is the training that equips you with the knowledge you would need to work as a transcriptionist. It also prepares you for the real job by making you practice with real dictations.

How should I select a medical transcription course?

Here’s what you should look for in a medical transcription course:

• Conformation to the competency profile for medical transcription education programs (COMPRO)
• Sufficient hours of authentic dictations provided for practice
• Experienced and qualified instructors
• Placement assistance

Can I go for an online medical transcription course?

An online course is nothing to be wary of. In fact, it has several advantages. Let’s look at a few of them:

• You can study at your own pace.
• You can study when it is convenient to you.
• You can start the course as per your convenience without waiting for a session to begin.
• You don’t need to deal with competition from classmates.
• You can save time and money that you would otherwise spend in commuting.

However, an online course is effective if you are disciplined and you like learning on your own, in isolation. If you cannot study on your own, you should go for a regular course.

What is the typical duration of a medical transcription course?

The duration of a medical transcription course can be anywhere between three months and a year. Most courses, however, last six months.

How much does a medical transcription course cost?

There is no standard course fee. While some courses cost a few hundred dollars, others cost 3-4 thousand dollars.

One question that people frequently ask is what sort of guarantees there are in finding work once they have completed their medical transcription training. It’s a cheeky question really since no profession really offers any guarantee of work. After all, it really does depend on your work history, your work ethics and sometimes even your personality and how you approach things.

Some organizations offer guarantees when it comes to their training products – a satisfaction guarantee if you like. Others make wild claims such as having you in paid work within a week of completing their training. You really do need to read the fine print, however, since there are often obscure conditions to this such as passing with very high scores, or having prior experience in a related industry.

That is not to say that medical transcription training doesn’t lead to work fairly quickly.  Most graduates who submit a resume can expect to find paid employment within 60 days. FutureMT, for example, does guarantee to find you employment within 60 days, or they will provide you with free access to their employment services for a full year. Now this is not a training guarantee, it is employment service guarantee.

In the case of FutureMT, if you complete and pass their medical transcriptionist training course and receive a Certificate of Completion, all you need to do is submit a resume and their guarantee comes into play. No fine print, no hidden conditions. This is what you need to check with any guarantee.

No training course in the world can ever really guarantee employment.  They can do their best to help you find employment, and to continue to do so until you are successfully employed. To expect much more is not really a reasonable expectation – even in an industry that is crying out for more medical transcriptionists. The fact there is a shortage of course is a big plus for you.

Humans are not the same and each of us has a different learning style. One of the problems with distance training, particularly self-paced training, is that one can lose focus very quickly. The cause of this can be as simple as not comprehending what is in front of you, and having to wait, hours, days or even weeks to get a clarification. By the time it arrives, you have forgotten the context, and perhaps much of the work if the issue has brought you to a grinding halt.

Medical transcription training can be made a lot easier if a live mentor is available to answer questions. By its definition,  a mentor is someone who is highly skilled in the the area they are mentoring – in this case, medical transcription. Not only are they highly skilled, they are up to date with their training and are fully versed in the training material you are working through.

Of course, some medical transcription training businesses do have forums where you can discuss issues related to your course. But you are in effect discussing issues with other students – a little like the blind leading the blind. This can actually make matters worse since the advice provided could be totally wrong. This leads to even more frustrations down the track.

A live mentor is someone who is there ready to answer questions and, at the same time, offer moral support to help keep you motivated. Remember, they were once in your shoes, wondering which medical transcription course to take and whether or not a worthwhile career was at the end of the training. they have proved there is and they are offering their skills and experience to help you.

If you’re considering a medical transcription career then be sure to check on whether or not a medical transcription training program also includes a live mentoring program supported by qualified medical transcriptionists.