Medical Transcription

[65browneyes]

I have a question for you MTs here. When I was transcribing last (3 years ago), I bought a Panasonic Transcriber. I've got less than about 20 hours on it. I didn't use it in the office, and after I left the office, I thought I might go into transcribing at home, but that never came to be.

At any rate, my question is, do MTs still use these units, or has transcription become mostly digitalized?

I don't really have a use for this unit anymore and thought about selling it. I've researched and new units run an average $200. But, if there's not really a market for them, is it worth the effort to try to sell?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

In five years I've never worked on anything but digital sound files via the internet. Still, try a listing on ebay. That wouldn't cost much to do.

HTH

 

[65browneyes]

I thought it had gone mostly digital. I'll give it more thought before I decide what to do, if anything.

I appreciate your input, thank you!!

 

[seismic wonder2]

I have a question about MT.
What the heck is it?
I see comercials on TV about "Become a highly prised MT at our school for underwater basket weaving ETC..."

What is it? I assume you need to type fast in order to make money.....
but how does it work?
Is it like those people the type on that crazy three button thing in court rooms?

 

[65browneyes]

MT (medical transcription) is typing what the doctor has dictated into either a cassette tape or a digital unit, which I am not familiar with.

Yes, the faster and ACCURATELY you type, the better. Good transcriptionist can make really good money. But, accuracy is HIGHLY important. Depending on the enunciation of the person dictating, this can be fairly easy with medical terminology background.

With the growing number of doctors with strong accents, it might be difficult for me to transcribe them. In MY experience, accuracy was more important than speed. But, I never had the pressure of multiple docs that many transcriptionist have.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

The biggest challenge for me was fixing their grammar. It's amazing to me that someone could go to school for that many years and still not be able to construct a sentence that makes SENSE!

Most of the current crop of MTs transcribe for hospitals. That means having a strong background in MANY specialties--knowing each specialty's drugs, terminology, equipment or knowing where to find what you need in a hurry AND being able to recognize when what was dictated was not what was meant. Doctors for whom English is a second (or even third) language can be a real challenge to transcribe. They put phrases in all the wrong places and the results can be hysterical.

 

[seismic wonder2]

I guess It wouldn't be good for me even though I have a medical terminology background (Nutritional Consultant) AND I work with people that english is a second or third language almost every day.
It took me no time at all to figure out that "How oie canal poo!" means "How can I help you?"

My spelling is horrible and I only type about 10 to 15wpm. (that does NOT count complex words like Ventricular Tachycardia, Thyrotoxicosis, or Nephrolithiasis (one of my clients asked me what that one was and how it related to her back pain because her MD was TOO BUSY!!!)
It's kidney stones BTW.

any way, I type too slow.
Do they help with that in school or is fast typing a prereq?

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

When I started school I typed 90 wpm. When I graduated I did 100 lph. But not all jobs are heavy typing. Lots of MTs now edit exclusively. (That's where the company's software program does the first pass and the MT corrects its errors. Some of those errors are real doozies!) I never cared for editing, so I only transcribed.

BTW all my contracts specify that I MUST use a medical spellchecker. This is a common requirement.

HTH

 

[Stormy]

So how in the world would one find a legit company to work for to do the MT at home?

I've been an RN for 20 years and have taken the summer off. At this point and time I am not planning on returning to nursing.

I worked doing MT BEFORE my 20 year career as a nurse, but it was in a Medical Records office in a hospital setting.

Would love some leads on where to go to find work at home as an MT.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Edited because this thread is 2 years old and most of this information is out-of-date.