Accredited Medical Transcription Schools in the United States
Higher Education Articles February 26, 2013Audio recordings from healthcare professionals are turned into text documents by professionals called medical transcriptionists. Students are able to earn their certificate from numerous accredited colleges and universities across the United States. In this article, we will look at accredited medical transcription programs.
Selecting a Medical Transcription School
Vocational schools and two-year community colleges usually offer medical transcription degrees as certificate programs. A student seeking enrollment in a college or university has to verify whether the school offers opportunities in medical typing and terminology. The student would also benefit from knowing whether or not the school carries the accreditation of the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs, an agency established by the American Health Information Management Association and Healthcare Documentation Integrity Association. While accreditation is voluntary and not mandatory to secure a job in medical transcription, it will be helpful for candidates who are looking for an entry-level position; in addition, this is a requirement for individuals who have decided to take the Health Information Technology Competency Examination.
Students should consider programs with coursework that include classes in office systems management, web page coding, pharmaceutical terminology, anatomical terminology, voice recognition technology and medical transcription; in addition to a transcription seminar. The programs chosen should make students adept at finding discrepancies in medical dictation, editing their own work and increase their words-per-minute rate. To improve student’s career opportunities, they should look for colleges and universities that teach them how to manage a home office or business. Potential medical transcriptionists could choose schools, which make use of business-standard software and equipment. These include foot pedals, mp3 playback, and headsets used for slowing down, restarting, and stopping tape speed.
Medical Transcription Certificate
Students who are enrolled into a medical transcription program learn how to transcribe other medical professionals and physician’s notes into a report form. A majority of programs takes one year to complete, and students will study the following courses:
•Spelling
•Computer Applications
•Medical Terminology
•Language Dialects
•Anatomy
•Keyboarding
