How To Find Medical Transcription Jobs From Home In 8 Steps

A medical transcriptionist is a professional who converts medical audio recordings into written documents. If you have fast typing speed and want to work in the healthcare industry without a supervisor, you can work from home. Working from home as a medical transcriptionist gives you more flexibility, provides you with an opportunity to work from anywhere and helps you pursue other interests while maintaining a consistent salary.

In this article, we explore what medical transcription jobs are, understand how to find medical transcription jobs from home, explore the equipment required and discuss the average salary and the steps required to become a medical transcriptionist.

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How to find medical transcription jobs from home

To understand how to find medical transcription jobs from home, follow these steps:

1. Explore company websites

Visit the website of various hospitals, medical facilities or nursing homes to find open positions and explore various work environments available for you to work. The hospital or medical facility's website includes every detail about a vacant role. Some hospitals also provide testimonials from previous employees. This can help you understand the work environment and give you insights into the work environment of a hospital or medical facility. By exploring a website, you can understand whether the hospital's culture and mission align with your values.

2. Gain the skills

Apart from exploring a hospital's website, you can find medical transcription jobs from home by improving your skills. A medical transcriptionist requires several unique skills to complete their day-to-day tasks. The ability to understand and interpret advanced medical terminology is one of the essential skills. You can use online software to hone your typing skills. You also require mastery over electronic health record systems, knowledge of audio file editing software and proficiency in the different word processing software.

3. Apply to hospitals you want to work for

Getting in touch and contacting medical facilities you want to work for is a great way to get information about various job openings. It can help you increase your chances of getting hired for a desirable job because employers prefer hiring candidates they are familiar with than someone they meet on job portals. Call or email the medical facility's hiring manager and ask for information about the medical transcriptionist job opening.

4. Complete certifications

Getting a relevant certification is another great way to advance your career as a medical transcriptionist. Though certifications are not mandatory, they can help you get hired for a desirable job. Often, when working from home, employers rely heavily on a candidate's skills and certifications. So, when looking for a medical transcription job from home, complete one or two relevant certifications.

5. Complete a training

Often, employers prefer hiring candidates with some training or experience in medical transcription. Knowing medical terminologies, medical-legal issues, a basic understanding of biology and anatomy is essential for this role. As you transcribe audio recordings into text, this role requires excellent grammar and punctuation. This is because using the wrong punctuation or grammar in medical transcription can change the meaning and result in the wrong diagnosis of a disease.

6. Contact your alumni network

To get hired for a desirable job, contact the college's alumni network from where you completed your graduation. Having a strong alumni network can be a valuable way to get hired in medical transcription job. Often, alumni network collaborates with different career service departments to help you find a job based on your skill set, experience and education.

7. Use an online job board

You can upload your resume to different job boards and find work from home opportunities for a medical transcriptionist. One benefit of using an online job board is searching for job openings based on your experience, skills and qualification. This enhances your search criteria and ensures you find an appropriate transcriptionist job. For instance, when searching for a medical transcriptionist job, you can use keywords like “medical transcriber” or “medical transcriptionist” to personalise your results.

8. Contact a career consultant or coach

For candidates who cannot find a desirable medical transcription job, contact a career consultant or coach. Usually, career consultants have access to an extensive database and they are often in touch with recruiters. They can recommend your candidature to potential employers and help you get hired in a well-paying job. A career coach can help you prepare for your interviews and help you create a resume that gets noticed by a potential employer.

Medical transcription job description

In a medical transcription job, a professional listen to various doctor or health professionals' recordings and translates the audio into text recording. Using their transcribed reports, doctors and healthcare professionals can complete their work. It helps in keeping detailed notes of every patient. Often, a medical transcriptionist uses headsets and foot pedals to transcribe the patient's recording. The foot pedal helps them rewind, slow down and fast-forward the audio speed while typing.

As a medical transcriber, you can work as a medical transcriptionist in a physician's office or work from home. When you work from home, you can work in one physician's office or institution or work for different physicians. When working remotely from their home office, medical transcriptionist uses online portals to receive work and download and upload the transcription files.

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Average salary of a medical transcriptionist

The average salary of a medical transcriptionist is ₹17,172 per month. Their salary may depend upon many factors such as experience, location, qualification and skills. Medical transcriptionists with some years of experience earn more salary than entry-level transcriptionists. For instance, the average salary of a senior medical transcriptionist is ₹24,113 per month. Also, some cities pay a higher salary than others. For instance, the average salary in Chandigarh is ₹12,990 per month and the average salary in Hyderabad is ₹22,322 per month.

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Equipment required for medical transcription jobs from home

Working as a remote medical transcriptionist, you require various tools and equipment to complete your job-specific duties. As a transcriber, you may need a computer, a high-speed, reliable internet connection, headset, foot pedal and transcription software. Often, hospitals provide their transcription software to use. A noise cancellation headset can help in focusing on the transcription because it cancels all outside noises. This can ensure accuracy in the transcribed file.

Where to find work from home opportunities?

When looking for a medical transcriptionist job, search for different job portals by uploading your resume. After uploading your resume, apply to relevant work. You can even add an email alert so that you do not miss out on any vital job. You can search various freelance websites if you want to work with over one client. Searching for keywords like “medical transcriptionist from home” is likely to provide you with valuable results.

How to become a medical transcriptionist

To become a medical transcriptionist, follow these steps:

1. Complete your education

While there are no specified guidelines for hiring a medical transcriptionist, most hospitals and nursing homes prefer hiring candidates who completed their 10+2 or equivalent in English and biology as subjects. Upon completing their 10+2 from a recognised university, the candidates undergo a training course in a medical transcription (MT). After completing the MT, you are eligible to work in an entry-level position.

2. Gain relevant work experience

Based on your 10+2 subjects, you can pursue an internship in a medical institution to gain relevant work experience. For further understanding the day-to-day activities of this job role, consider job shadowing an experienced medical transcriber. Also, you may come across online courses that offer technical training on ways to become an effective medical transcriber. Using various online software, you can improve your typing skills and learn how to operate transcription software.

3. Network with people

Focus on becoming a medical association member to connect with professionals who can help you find relevant job openings. Through a professional network, you can get freelancing opportunities. Also, networking is a great way to connect with professionals who share the same passion as yours.

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Skills required for a medical transcription job

Here are a few skills that are essential for a medical transcription job:

• typing speed

• typing accuracy

• medical knowledge

• grammar, spelling and punctuation accuracy

• active listening

• attention to details

• time management skills

• critical thinking skills

• computer skills

• time management

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.