thedrifter
04-30-07, 07:56 AM
Transcribing jobs a good fit for spouses
Career offers flexible schedule, abundant demand
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : May 07, 2007
Marine wife Debbie Kean’s career will hardly skip a beat when she leaves Okinawa, Japan, in a few weeks.
A medical transcriptionist working from her home, Kean says she will work right up to the day the movers come to pack and ship her family’s household goods, and resume working when she receives the household goods at the next duty station.
With laptop in tow, she can even work while in transit.
As a medical transcriptionist, Kean listens to audio files created by health care providers, and transcribes — types — what is said. And she ensures that what she transcribes is grammatically and medically correct.
People such as Kean are in demand, said Kim Buchanan, director of credentialing and education for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity. That organization and the Medical Transcription Industry Alliance have teamed up with the Pentagon and the Labor Department to launch “Mission Medical Transcription: A Career that Moves With You.”
“We’re excited,” Buchanan said. “This will fill needs for the profession; will give spouses something they can do that will make them feel good about themselves.”
Medical transcriptionists are already in short supply, and demand continues to grow, Buchanan said. She cited a November 2006 study in which 90 percent of the industry’s employers surveyed said they expect to have increasing staffing needs over the next several years.
Medical transcriptionists make about $25,000 per year, and more if credentialed. Buchanan said once the skills are mastered, including shortcuts to increase production, earnings can be in the $40,000 to $50,000 range; career paths also exist that are stepping stones to management positions.
Pay is based on production. The first year or so may be tough, Buchanan said, but the industry has developed an apprenticeship program to help new transcriptionists get on their feet.
Most medical transcriptionists work from home, she said, and in most cases, employers prefer to provide computers to their workers for security reasons having to do with privacy issues of health records.
Although costs vary by institution, training programs average $3,000, and typically last nine to 18 months, she said.
Several training programs are offering discounts to military spouses, Buchanan said. For example, Career Step, the industry’s largest online training program, offers a 20 percent discount.
Buchanan cautions those who are considering the career to choose programs approved by the American Association for Medical Transcription.
Some programs purport to be valid training programs but are not, and they can be a painful waste of money, she said. For example, one woman spent more than $8,000 for training and credentials that no employer recognizes, Buchanan said.
A list of approved schools, including some community colleges and online programs, is on the Internet at www.aamt.org/scriptconten...roved.cfm. The list is constantly growing, she said.
Kean began her training while her family was stationed in California, and finished it after their transfer to Okinawa.
While the job transfers easily to locations within the U.S., spouses overseas should check with their base legal office to find out if there are restrictions on working from home while abroad because of Status of Forces agreements, Kean said.
As her family prepares to move, Kean is working 20 to 40 hours a week.
“Once we’re settled at our new duty station, I will work a minimum of 40 hours and probably more if there is work available during the times my husband is training or deployed.”
This career is a “near-perfect fit with the military lifestyle ... no matter what is going on militarily — PCS, deployment, TAD/TDY, field ops, 24-hour duty,” said Kean, who chairs several committees of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, including their Military Spouses Special Interest Group.
“I have more flexibility in my job than in those I’ve held in the civilian sector or on base,” she said. “I can see my husband off when he deploys or leaves for training. I can see my daughter’s school play. I can go to the doctor or dentist without the hassle of trying to schedule it for after my workday, which we all know doesn’t work very well with the hours of service on base.”
Ellie
Career offers flexible schedule, abundant demand
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : May 07, 2007
Marine wife Debbie Kean’s career will hardly skip a beat when she leaves Okinawa, Japan, in a few weeks.
A medical transcriptionist working from her home, Kean says she will work right up to the day the movers come to pack and ship her family’s household goods, and resume working when she receives the household goods at the next duty station.
With laptop in tow, she can even work while in transit.
As a medical transcriptionist, Kean listens to audio files created by health care providers, and transcribes — types — what is said. And she ensures that what she transcribes is grammatically and medically correct.
People such as Kean are in demand, said Kim Buchanan, director of credentialing and education for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity. That organization and the Medical Transcription Industry Alliance have teamed up with the Pentagon and the Labor Department to launch “Mission Medical Transcription: A Career that Moves With You.”
“We’re excited,” Buchanan said. “This will fill needs for the profession; will give spouses something they can do that will make them feel good about themselves.”
Medical transcriptionists are already in short supply, and demand continues to grow, Buchanan said. She cited a November 2006 study in which 90 percent of the industry’s employers surveyed said they expect to have increasing staffing needs over the next several years.
Medical transcriptionists make about $25,000 per year, and more if credentialed. Buchanan said once the skills are mastered, including shortcuts to increase production, earnings can be in the $40,000 to $50,000 range; career paths also exist that are stepping stones to management positions.
Pay is based on production. The first year or so may be tough, Buchanan said, but the industry has developed an apprenticeship program to help new transcriptionists get on their feet.
Most medical transcriptionists work from home, she said, and in most cases, employers prefer to provide computers to their workers for security reasons having to do with privacy issues of health records.
Although costs vary by institution, training programs average $3,000, and typically last nine to 18 months, she said.
Several training programs are offering discounts to military spouses, Buchanan said. For example, Career Step, the industry’s largest online training program, offers a 20 percent discount.
Buchanan cautions those who are considering the career to choose programs approved by the American Association for Medical Transcription.
Some programs purport to be valid training programs but are not, and they can be a painful waste of money, she said. For example, one woman spent more than $8,000 for training and credentials that no employer recognizes, Buchanan said.
A list of approved schools, including some community colleges and online programs, is on the Internet at www.aamt.org/scriptconten...roved.cfm. The list is constantly growing, she said.
Kean began her training while her family was stationed in California, and finished it after their transfer to Okinawa.
While the job transfers easily to locations within the U.S., spouses overseas should check with their base legal office to find out if there are restrictions on working from home while abroad because of Status of Forces agreements, Kean said.
As her family prepares to move, Kean is working 20 to 40 hours a week.
“Once we’re settled at our new duty station, I will work a minimum of 40 hours and probably more if there is work available during the times my husband is training or deployed.”
This career is a “near-perfect fit with the military lifestyle ... no matter what is going on militarily — PCS, deployment, TAD/TDY, field ops, 24-hour duty,” said Kean, who chairs several committees of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, including their Military Spouses Special Interest Group.
“I have more flexibility in my job than in those I’ve held in the civilian sector or on base,” she said. “I can see my husband off when he deploys or leaves for training. I can see my daughter’s school play. I can go to the doctor or dentist without the hassle of trying to schedule it for after my workday, which we all know doesn’t work very well with the hours of service on base.”
Ellie