Is the certificate you receive at the end of the medical transcription training proof enough that you are a good medical transcriptionist? No. It just mentions that you have completed a course. If you want your expertise in medical transcription to be recognized, seek a credential from the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).

AHDI awards a number of credentials recognizing your expertise in the field. The one called Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) is much in demand. This is often confused with the certificate you receive at the end of a medical transcription course. Becoming a CMT requires you to take a test. And not everyone can take the test. Only those who have at least two years of medical transcription experience in acute care are eligible.

Wondering what acute care is? Here’s what AHDI says about acute care.

(Source) Acute care is defined as incorporating medical center dictation to include many dictators including multiple ESL dictators, many formats and report types, and all the major specialties, including and especially surgery dictation of all types, and some minor specialties.

Once you have decided to take the test, be prepared to sit for five long hours. Yes, the CMT test lasts that long. You will get to know your result as soon as you complete the test. You will be given a report containing detailed feedback on your performance, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. In case you don’t pass the test, you can take it again after six months. The CMT credential is valid for three years, after which you have to take another test to renew it.

The test fee is $275 USD at the time of writing this post. However, AHDI members get a discount.

Now, the big question is whether CMT is important or not. Well, it is not required, but yes, it definitely helps establish your credibility in the field.

After you finish your medical transcription training, you are given a certificate. But this certificate does nothing but indicates that you have completed a training in medical transcription; it doesn’t tell the world how good a medical transcriptionist you are. In order to tell employers and clients about your work, you can make use of a credential issued by the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). The credential is called Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT).

Now, one is eligible to become a CMT if one has two years of medical transcription experience in acute care for taking the CMT test. Wondering what acute care is? Here’s how AHDI defines it:

(Source)…incorporating medical center dictation to include many dictators including multiple ESL dictators, many formats and report types, and all the major specialties, including and especially surgery dictation of all types, and some minor specialties.

Does this mean that one cannot get a credential in the first two years? AHDI has a credential called Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) for transcriptionists with less experience.

In order to become a CMT, you have to take a test conducted by AHDI. You are required to pay a fee of 275 USD. However, if you are a member of AHDI, you need to pay only 195 USD.

The test lasts for five hours. You will know the results as soon as you complete the test. The test report will give you value-added feedback to help you understand your strengths and the areas of improvement. If you do not pass in your first attempt, you can always try again after a gap of six months.

The CMT credential is valid for three years. You are required to take another test for re-certification after three years.

With either of these two credentials from AHDI, you should have no problem getting and keeping a job in medical transcription.

For the ones who know, the title of the post would be more apt as ‘Who is a CMT?’ But this post is for people new to medical transcription who want to understand the credentials in the profession. CMT stands for Certified Medical Transcriptionist. It is a credential offered by the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).

If you want to be a CMT, you cannot become so immediately after joining the profession. You have to establish yourself in the field in order to be certified. You need to possess two years of medical transcription experience in acute care for taking the CMT test. Wondering what acute care means? AHDI defines acute care as:

(Source)… incorporating medical center dictation to include many dictators including multiple ESL dictators, many formats and report types, and all the major specialties, including and especially surgery dictation of all types, and some minor specialties.

You have to pass a five-hour test to become a CMT. And, yes, you will know your results as soon as you complete the test. In fact, the test report will give you value-added feedback to help you understand your strengths and the areas of improvement.

Don’t be disheartened if you don’t pass the test in the first attempt. You can take the test again after six months of your previous attempt. The credential is valid for three years. On completion of three years, you are required to take another test for re-certification.

You have to pay a fee of $275 USD for the CMT test. However, if you are a member of AHDI, you need to pay only $195 USD.

Check the AHDI website for more information on medical transcription credentials.

CMT and RMT are credentials given to medical transcriptionists to honor their expertise in medical transcription. The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) hands over these credentials.

CMT is an acronym for Certified Medical Transcriptionist while RMT stands for Registered Medical Transcriptionist. Both these credentials require you to take a voluntary exam. A medical transcriptionist with more than two years of experience in acute care can apply to take the exam that qualifies him/her as a CMT. A transcriptionist with less experience can take another exam to become an RMT. Passing the Level 1 examination will make you an RMT while clearing the Level 2 examination will make you a CMT.

Once you are sure about the examination you are eligible to take, you need to apply and pay an examination fee of 10 dollars. The same fee applies to both examinations.

Both the CMT and RMT credentials are valid for three years. On completion of three years, you are required to undergo a course and take another exam to renew your credentials.

Not everyone passes the exam in the first attempt. You are allowed to take the exam again after six months. In fact, you are given a detailed score report to help you analyze your performance so that you are prepared better the next time.

Some people confuse these credentials with the certificate given by a medical transcription training institute on completion of the course. This certificate is not the same as AHDI’s certified transcriptionist credentials. You may take the CMT exam to establish your expertise in the field.

What says that you are a good medical transcriptionist? Your work. Yes, it is you who can establish that goodwill for you. But wouldn’t it be nice if someone concurred that you are good. The Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) helps you establish your expertise by issuing certain credentials to you. Now, of course, you have to earn these credentials.

The Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) is a popular credential offered by the AHDI. You need to pass a test to become a CMT. You need to possess two years of medical transcription experience in acute care for taking the CMT test.

Wondering what ‘acute care’ is? Here’s how AHDI defines it:

…hospital-based dictation comprised of a variety of dictators (including ESL), and multiple report types and specialties, primarily operative reports, consultations, discharge summaries, and history and physicals.

The CMT test lasts for five hours. You will know the results as soon as you complete the test. The test report will give you value-added feedback to help you understand your strengths and the areas the improvement. You have to pay a fee 275 USD to take the test. However, if you are a member of AHDI, you need to pay only 195 USD.

In case you don’t pass the test in the first attempt, you can take it again after six months. The credential is valid for three years. You are required to take another test for re-certification after three years.

If you don’t have relevant experience, you can take the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) test.

Before I tell you about the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT), let me clarify a doubt that many aspiring and new transcriptionists have. The certificate awarded on completion of the medical transcription training does not make you a CMT. Now, let’s see who or what the CMT is.

CMT is a credential offered by the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). AHDI awards this credential recognizing your expertise in the field. You have to take a test to become a CMT. Anyone who has two years of medical transcription experience in acute care is eligible to take the test. If you are wondering what acute care is, here’s the definition from AHDI:

(Source) …hospital-based dictation comprised of a variety of dictators (including ESL), and multiple report types and specialties, primarily operative reports, consultations, discharge summaries, and history and physicals.

The CMT test lasts for five hours, and you get to know how you fared as soon as you complete the test. You are given a report containing detailed feedback on your performance, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t pass the test, you can take it again after six months.

Currently, you need to pay 275 dollars (USD) to take the test. If, however, you are an AHDI member, you have to pay only 195 dollars.

Once you are awarded the CMT credential, it stays with you for three years. You have to take another test to renew it after that.

You don’t have to be a CMT to prove your merit in the medical transcription industry, but the recognition from AHDI definitely helps.

Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) is a credential offered by the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). In today’s post, we’ll try answering a few of the frequently-asked questions on CMT.

Who is eligible for the CMT test?

One needs to possess two years of medical transcription experience in acute care for taking the CMT test. AHDI defines acute care as:

…hospital-based dictation comprised of a variety of dictators (including ESL), and multiple report types and specialties, primarily operative reports, consultations, discharge summaries, and history and physicals.

What is fee for the CMT test?

The fee for the CMT test is 275 USD. However, if you are a member of AHDI, you need to pay only 195 USD.

How long is the test?

The test lasts for five hours.

How soon can I know my results?

You will know the results as soon as you complete the test. The test report will give you value-added feedback to help you understand your strengths and the areas the improvement.

If I don’t pass, can I take the test again?

Yes, you can take the test again. However, you can take the test only after six months of taking the first test.

How long is the CMT credential valid for?

The credential is valid for three years. On completion of three years, you are required to take another test for re-certification.

Click here to access the AHDI website for more information on the CMT exam. Come back tomorrow for more information about the medical transcription profession.

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity honors medical transcriptionists with two kinds of credentials. They are based on the exams conducted by the associations. Let’s take a look at the credentials.

Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT)

Eligibility
A medical transcriptionist with more than two years of experience in acute care can apply to take this exam.

Examination Name
Level 2 Examination

Examination Fee
10 USD

Result
Candidates who pass the exam are awarded the CMT credential. The ones who cannot pass are given a detailed score report to help them analyze their performance.

Validity
This credential is valid for three years.

Renewal
A CMT has to undergo a course and take an exam to renew his/her credentials.

If you would like to become an CMT, apply here.

Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT)

Eligibility
A medical transcriptionist who has less than two years of experience in acute care can take this exam.

Examination Name
Level 1 Examination

Examination Fee
10 USD

Result
Candidates who pass the exam are awarded the RMT credential.

Validity
Like the CMT credential, this too is valid for three years.

Renewal
As a CMT, an RMT too has to undergo a course and take an exam to renew his/her credentials.

If you would like to become an RMT, apply here.

It must be noted that no medical transcription training institute can provide the credentials mentioned above. The certificate given by a medical transcription training is just a certification mentioning that you have completed the training successfully. Such a certificate does not make you a CMT.