Medical transcriptionists specialize in medical language and healthcare documentation. With the proper medical transcriptionist training, they transcribe and edit recorded dictation--relating to patient assessment and treatment--from doctors and other healthcare professionals. Medical transcriptionists should have good keyboarding skills and the ability to work accurately, quickly, and with great concentration. Excellent knowledge of English usage, grammar, punctuation, and style is also important. Medical transcriptionists generally work in hospitals or doctors' offices, or for medical transcription services. Lately, however, there has been an increase in the number of self-employed medical transcriptionists, who subcontract for hospitals and transcription services.

If you want to learn how to become a medical transcriptionist, you must first attend one of several medical transcriptionist schools, where you'll receive specialized medical transcriptionist training. Among other important skills, you will learn the following: medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, diagnostic procedures, treatment, medical law and ethnics, computer literary and applications, English grammar and punctuation, and more. Some medical transcriptionist programs can last up to two years, and may require up to 240 hours of externship in a healthcare facility. Other schools offer shorter programs. Those who do choose to attend a medical transcriptionist school will be more attractive to potential employers.

Medical transcriptionist schools bestow their own individual certification once you complete the required medical transcriptionist training. However, additional voluntary certification is also offered by the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). In order to take the AAMT's Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) exam, you must first have two years of transcription experience. If you earn your CMT qualification, then it's likely that you will earn a better salary. Lastly, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that demand for medical transcriptionists is on the rise. Because of rapid healthcare industry growth, which has been fueled by our growing and aging population, the demand for medical transcriptionists should increase 23 percent by 2012.