subject: 5 Things You Do Not Want In A Medical Transcription Course [print this page] There are a lot of things that make up a good medical transcription course. Basically they come out to being a course that will let you qualify for a job after graduation. What else really matters?
But at least as important are the things you do not want from your medical transcription courses. These are the things that may signal a scam or simply a low quality training program. With the cost of a good medical transcriptionist education, you want to be sure you're getting things right.
1. You do not want a school that teaches everything.
Lots of general purpose colleges and vocational schools teach medical transcription. They also teach many other courses.
The trouble with this is that these schools are rarely any good at teaching medical transcriptionists. It's not their focus. They'll teach anything they can make some sort of curriculum for, but they usually aren't using the best ones, and may not focus enough on giving students serious time doing real doctor dictation.
2. Schools that do not use experienced medical transcriptionists as teachers.
Who better to teach you to do medical transcription than someone who has done it for years? At the very least you want experienced medical transcriptionists to be a major part of the training program.
3. You do not want a short course.
You can't learn medical transcription in four easy lessons. Six months of solid training is doing it fast, although that one is possible if you're in a good self paced program and really work at it. Don't be surprised if it takes 9 months or more.
4. You do not want to be promised certification.
There's nothing wrong with a certificate of completion. This is not the same as being a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) or even a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT). These are offered through AHDI, and you cannot even try to become a CMT without at least two years of acute care transcription experience. If the school is implying you'll be ready, be wary.
5. You do not want a school that claims to hire its graduates.
The best medical transcription schools are schools. They are not medical transcription services themselves, and they aren't going to hire their graduates immediately after graduation to be medical transcriptionists. Maybe someday in the future you'll be one of those experienced transcriptionists helping with the training, but it's not likely and it's far away in any case.
Claims that they'll train you on the job or start paying you once your work is up to par is usually the sign of a scam when it comes to medical transcription. Look elsewhere for training.
