Learn Medical Transcription

The other day, a stay at home mom asked me how she could learn medical transcription without taking a training course.  This mom is really anxious to stay home with her kids, but time’s running out and soon she’ll have to consider going back to work.

My heart goes out to her and I definitely understand what she’s going through.  But realistically is this possible?

Can you learn medical transcription without taking a course?

Yes, in some cases it can be done but it’s not easy.  I’ve seen it happen before where a secretary at a hospital has started practicing on the side and eventually started taking on small accounts.   She is now working from home full time, making a nice income and loves her work.

So can you do this too?

The answer is it depends on you.  Be honest and ask yourself a few questions.  Do you have a background in the medical field?  Can you type fast?  Are you good at grammar/English?  Do you have patience and perseverance to learn on your own?

And realize even if you answer yes to most of these questions, you will still need some sort of training.  It doesn’t mean you necessarily need to take a formal course, but you will need to train in some way.

If you feel you can do this then great!  Now lets explore your options for learning. 

Your best option is having a friend in the MT field.  Ask your friend to pass you a few sample dictations for you to practice on.  Maybe you can trade doing a little admin work for her in exchange for her proofreading your transcripts and giving you feedback. 

If you don’t have a MT friend, then contact a local medical transcription service.  Let them know how interested you are in becoming an MT and offer to help them with deliveries or admin help in exchange for a little practice.  And of course realize you’re not going to get paid for this.  Try to focus on the benefit in it for them instead of focusing on what’s in it for you. 

And if they don’t react well don’t give up.  Not everyone is willing to take the time to do this.

Buy a few books on medical terminology, anatomy and brush up on your English and grammar skills.  You don’t need to spend a lot of money. You can find anatomy and grammar books at your local library, and medical terminology ones on Ebay or at Amazon.

Once you have a basic grasp of medical terminology then you just need hands on training.  You can find practice medical transcription tapes online by doing a simple search under “practice medical transcription tapes”.  The downside is these can be a bit pricey.  And if you’re still not sure if medical transcription is right for you it may not be such a good idea.

Finally, be persistent.  If you really want to do this you can find a way.  It won’t be easy and it will take a little time, but keep at it. 

Just realize that medical transcription isn’t really just about typing.  You do need to know medical terminology, basic anatomy and a few other rules along the way.  It is possible to learn these while training rather than taking a course, but the tricky part is finding someone willing to take the time to train you. 

Or if you’re really the motivated type then you CAN learn on your own.  But be sure to do your homework and shop around for the best prices and products out there.  And practice, practice, practice!

With a little perseverance, hard work and self-believe you’ll soon be on your way to a rewarding career as an MT.