How well do you know the medical transcription profession? Who are you getting the information from? You may have heard a lot of things about the profession that are completely untrue. Let me take you through some of the common misconceptions about the profession.

Misconception: There aren’t many medical transcription opportunities.

Fact: The world will need transcriptionists as long as it needs medical records. It is proved by the fact that this profession is one that came out unaffected from the recession which affected the economies the world over. Thanks to the ever-increasing and aging population, the demand for medical records will keep increasing.

Misconception: You cannot earn much as medical transcriptionist.

Fact: Your income in this profession is completely dependent on your competence and experience. And medical transcription pays reasonably well. The US Department of Labor states that the mean hourly wage of a medical transcriptionist is $15.84 and the mean annual wage is $32,960. You can earn more as you become more proficient.

Misconception: You don’t need to undergo a training to become a medical transcriptionist.

Fact: The transcriptionist needs to possess a sound medical knowledge to be able to do his/her job. This is why, the medical transcription training becomes mandatory for anyone interested in pursuing a career as a medical transcriptionist. However, individuals related to the medical field may not need to undergo the training.

Misconception: The speech-recognition software will eventually replace the medical transcriptionist.

Fact: The software had threatened to take away the medical transcriptionist’s job. But once the software was started being used, people realized that it was not capable to work like the transcriptionist. Doctors are required to spend a considerable amount of time and effort in training and using the software. And yet, the results delivered by the software are not accurate. Thus, instead of becoming a threat, the software becomes a liability. The medical transcriptionist has now started using it as an aid.