Ohio

How to Become a Medical Transcriptionist in Ohio

A career in healthcare is a smart move in this growing industry. You can enjoy a good salary, job security, and you don’t need a degree to get a position as a medical transcriptionist. While growth is stronger in other jobs in healthcare, transcriptionists are still needed to listen to, interpret and transcribe medical dictations. This is a great career if you want to start working sooner and if working directly with patients is not a priority. You can even work remotely or on a contract basis as a medical transcriptionist.

What You Need to Be Medical Transcriptionist in Ohio

Ohio does not set any guidelines or requirements for working as a medical transcriptionist, but employers will look for certain things. You should first have a high school diploma or the equivalent and then complete a post-secondary program in medical transcription. Most of these programs take less than a year to finish and confer a diploma or certificate. They provide you with the basic knowledge and skills needed to begin working right away.

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Medical Transcription Training Programs in Ohio

You can find plenty of online programs that will train you to work as a transcriptionist in less than a year. Some are based at Ohio schools:

  • University of Cincinnati. This school offers two options for online training in medical transcription. For $129 you can take the instructor-led course over a period of six weeks. If you prefer to go at your own pace, you can get three months of access to the course materials for $135. The program includes practice working with real dictations and transcribing software.
  • Cincinnati State. Another online program is available at Cincinnati State. The coursework includes 570 hours and allows you to work on your own schedule and at your chosen pace. The program is approved by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), the leading professional and certifying organization for medical transcriptionists.

Getting Certified

While the state doesn’t require certification, employers may only hire workers with this credential. The AHDI offers two levels of certification, both of which require a passing score on an exam:

  • Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist. The first level of certification is designed for new transcriptionists. You can earn this credential if you have worked for less than two years and only in a single-specialty workplace, like a physician office.
  • Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist. The second level requires that you first hold the initial credential. You can then take the CHDS exam once you have completed two or more years of work and have transcribed for more than one medical specialty.

Salary and Job Growth

There is a decline in jobs available for medical transcriptionists across the U.S. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a decline of three percent per year. In Ohio, that slowdown is even more rapid. Jobs are decreasing at a rate of eight percent. Even with that decline, Projections Central reports that there are 230 job openings each year for medical transcriptionists in Ohio. This is because people retire or leave the field periodically.

The national median salary for a medical transcriptionist is $16.72 per hour or $34.770 per year. In Ohio, those numbers are $18.35 per hour and $38,170 per year.

Beginning a Career as a Medical Transcriptionist in Ohio

You’ll have some flexibility for how you work as a transcriptionist once you have the right training. Many people in this field work remotely for support services companies, which offer support to doctors’ offices and hospitals. You can also work directly for medical facilities. If you don’t have any interest in working remotely, try seeking jobs in Ohio’s bigger cities, like Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron and Dayton.