Medical Transcriptionist Career Interview

Valerie Barrett
Medical Transcriptionist – Medquist Auburn Hospital Radiology
Over 16 years in the field

I'm task oriented and self-motivated. I like to have a chunk of work to do and get it done. It's like I'm in competition with myself, how many lines can I get done today. I also really like typing and I like words. I like bringing a sense of perfection to the job.

The best part is the flexibility of the job, I love working from home. I love being able to work anytime. After I had kids, I really couldn't work full-time, so the flexible hours have allowed me to make some extra money and still be home. A lot of companies prefer part-time work-at-home workers because they don't have to pay benefits. You can make a great living if you work full-time. But I usually work only 3 hours a day.

Also, it's a job where you can keep growing and learning. I'm only working part-time, but if I worked full-time and had the inclination to expand my job, the transcription service I work for would train me to do pathology, emergency medicine, surgical, orthopedics.

Some days I do 40 reports in 3 hours, other days I only get through a dozen reports. It depends on the individual exam. My client has an 8-hour turnaround time, but some clinics have a 24-hour turnaround. When I'm available to work, I just dial into the hospital and get whatever exam is waiting to be done.

You must be self-motivated and you must like working alone. You have to know your personality. You have to be task oriented. You need to sit for long periods of time, and you must type well. Also, you must be a good listener. A lot of it is intuitive, you just have to get used a doctor's voice, accents can be difficult. Hopefully you can work for someone who will take the time to train you.

You will definitely need to take a medical terminology course and a medical transcription course. Then just be persistent, don't give up. It's the kind of profession where you have to have experience to get a job, but of course that's impossible. You'll eventually get lucky.

It might also help to find out what branch of medicine is most popular. Right now, radiology is really popular in my area. It depends on the hospital or clinic.

Every hospital or clinic has their own style. Every specialty has a language all of it's own. I found that it was beneficial to work on site when I trained so that I could ask my coworkers questions. I was able to ask the doctor questions and it really helped to see the instruments. A lot of the techs showed me the instruments and machines which helped me get a better understanding of what they're talking about.