Medical Transcription Education

Medical transcription is the process of converting audio recordings of reports by doctors and other health professionals into text format. A medical transcriptionist listens to a doctor’s voice recording on a tape and then transcribes it into text format reports. To ensure correctness of reports it is crucial for the transcriptionist to understand medical jargon, terms, treatments, procedures and more. Apart from having all this medical knowledge at their fingertips, medical transcriptionists also need to be experts in English grammar and punctuation. Word processing software efficiency is also necessary for such individuals. As these are the minimum requirements for a transcriptionist, a medical transcription education is necessary to enter and succeed in this field. 
Medical Transcription Degrees and Programs

Employers do not employ transcriptionists unless they have some level of medical transcription education under their belt. Schools offering medical transcription degrees teach students various related courses. These include courses on medical terminology and knowledge of legalities related to medical documentation. 
Medical transcription schools offer a 1 year certificate and a 2 year Associate degree to students. There are online options available as well for those wishing to enter the medical transcription field, which allow you to study from home. Approximately 9 – 12 months of study can equip you with the knowledge required to launch a career. By this time you would be familiar with the human anatomy, illnesses, treatments, procedures and medical abbreviations. 
While pursuing a medical transcription education, it is important to ensure the school you enroll in teaches the practical application of what is learned. A good medical transcription school ensures that there is a specifically designed syllabus in place that focuses on the work a medical transcriptionist would be doing in reality. 
Process of Medical Transcription
A doctor or other health care professional makes a voice recording regarding a patient, which is then transcribed by a transcriptionist who listens to it and types out the report in text format using word processing software. The transcriptionist listens to the recording on a headset using a pause-and-play method to type out the information using correct grammar. The typed report is then sent back to the doctor or other medical professional for verification. Reports transcribed in this way include patient medical history and operation reports. Consultation and autopsy reports among others are also transcribed in this manner. It is vital that the reports be accurately converted so as to ensure patients receive the correct treatment in a timely fashion. 
careers in Medical Transcription
Medical transcriptionists can be employed at hospitals, clinics and in laboratories. Many medical transcriptionists also have the option of working from home for any of these places. With the increasing use of the Internet, it is becoming easier for transcriptionists to do the same tasks from their houses. Those medical transcriptionists that work on location at a physician’s practice or at a hospital may have additional administrative responsibilities such as checking in patients and scheduling appointments. A good medical transcription education can provide you with the foundations for building a successful career.