Medical Transcription: Alternative Career Paths
It’s no surprise to any of us, as MTs, that our world and our profession is changing all the time. Every day, we have new medications, new procedures, new technologies, and sometimes I think we just sit back and say what next?! Where do I fit in all of these changes? Thinking on that makes me think about alternative career paths for MTs.
We’ve always said, well, you can start out as a medical transcriptionist. After awhile, you could go into quality assurance, become a speech recognition editor, maybe go into management if that’s what interests you. But what else? Think about the skill set that you have as a medical transcriptionist. In what other areas could you take those same skills and use them?
For some MTs, they choose to go into education. I did that for awhile. Well, actually I am still doing that, by offering the courses we offer and will soon have a compliance course for healthcare documentation as it relates to HIPAA and the HITECH Act. Many medical transcriptionists choose to teach the next generation of our profession. I think that’s one awesome area to be involved with because you get to watch someone learn and grow.
Others will choose to become business owners. Tired of working for someone else, you will branch out to working for yourself and finding your own clients. Lest you think this one is easy, think again! For ten years, I ran my own business and I think I slept less during that time than any other time in my life. If that’s your thing, then be sure you have the business skills to do this one as it takes more than just being a good MT!
Some medical transcriptionists have become authors and published books. There is always a need for a good writer in our industry. If this one interests you, maybe you start with a blog about medical transcription and see where it goes!
I know another MT who operates several websites. She’s taken the technology knowledge she has and turned that into an alternative way to make money. I’m in the process of exploring that avenue even more as I learn about the world of blogging and the big “make money online” groups that are out there. This one isn’t an overnight success story, but it’s a possibility with the right skill set.
Now think about how our industry is changing. Compliance has become front and center and is a major force in the arena of healthcare documentation. Do you have some special knowledge there? How could you use that to create a new and exciting role for yourself?
What have I missed here? What are some alternative paths that you have either tried or considered? I’d love to hear from you!
P.S. – I will be doing a webinar this week for the Online Chapter of AHDI on Using Social Media to Advance Your Career. I hope you will join us!
Related posts:
- Medical Transcription: How do you stay connected?
- Medical Transcription – What is your Vision for the Future?
- Medical Transcription: How Did We Become a Commodity?
- Are You Preparing for Certification as a Medical Transcriptionist?
- Medical Transcription: I Have a Dream
Tagged with: Goals • leadership • medical transcription • medical transcription and HIPAA • medical transcription goals • using social media in medical transcription
Filed under: Goals • Professional Development
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How about proofreading for a medical journal?
I am an MT who has also done proofreading and translating, and they really all require variations of the same skills–knowledge of the subject matter and a facility with language. I don’t know any other profession that requires the ability to make good decisions about punctuation and the mechanics of grammar on the fly like we do while remaining absolutely faithful to what the dictator said.
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Kathy Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
That’s a great thought. Translating. Wow. I used to do sign language interpreting and always said it was some of the same skill sets, in through the ears, processed in the brain and out the fingers.
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JulieW8 Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 8:50 am
I’ve looked at medical journal editing. A degree seems to be absolutely required. For MTs with a college degree, it might be an alternative. A good website for information about this is http://kokedit.com – lots of links and resources there.
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Cat Reply:
May 15th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
You know that a lot of proofreading for all the publishing houses is done in India, don’t you? Also, you would have to be highly educated to get a job at a medical journal, probably medical doctors who don’t want to practice medicine, etc.
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Record reviewer
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Kathy Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
I think MTs definitely have that skill set! Also wondering about the people who will eventually have to be in place to assist patients in inputting the information into their personal health records?
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Hello!
I am an MT just out of school and I have just received my first job. For me personally, I am going to get a degree in medical billing and coding. I think that is an alternative path for an MT. You would be able to offer transcription services and coding services to an potential employer.
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Kathy Reply:
April 9th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Pam, that’s a great plan. The two are so closely connected it would be a great fit!
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Any alternate field to medical transcription…
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any alternate job/field to medical transcription…
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It seems coding would be an excellent fit for an MT. What time frame can we expect for training on transitioning to coding, and the cost of that? I have thought it just may well be the answer in the long run. There are a lot of good ideas out there, and I appreciate those of you sharing them.
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