Compare Online Medical Transcription Schools to Find the Right One

There are a lot of medical transcription schools online. Some are great, some are okay, some are scams. Comparing the schools you are considering is the best way to find the one that most suits your needs.

Step 1: Check for AHDI Approval.

You may be thinking about cost, but I would suggest thinking about quality first. You aren't saving money if you can't get a job because your training was so poorly done. AHDI Approval means that the AHDI has looked over the program and feels it offers the training a medical transcriptionist needs.

Step 2: Consider cost.

Now you can look at the costs. What is each school offering for the price you pay? Will it include all the books and materials you need? What about online forums with your classmates? What about job placement?

Cost isn't just about dollars, after all. It's about what you get for the money you spend.

Step 3: Ask about job placement rates.

This tells you if graduates tend to find jobs. It's not a guarantee that you will find a job, as that depends significantly on you, but it's a guideline. If graduates don't tend to find work, there's a problem.

Step 4: Consider how long the program takes.

This often depends on you as well as the program itself. Most online programs are primarily self paced. If you aren't a dedicated student, whether you go part or full time, it's going to take longer to finish your course.

Most schools know about how long their program usually takes a student to complete. That's what you should consider.

Step 5: How much real doctor dictation must be transcribed?

Transcribing real doctor dictation is a vital part of your training. It's when you learn what being a medical transcriptionist is really like. It's where you use the skills you've learned elsewhere in your course.

And most important, it's most like what you'll be doing when you get a job. Without a lot of real doctor dictation, you simply won't be ready to work.

Step 6: Ask about partnerships with potential employers.

Some schools are partnered with major medical transcription employers. This is not the same as being owned by the company that says it will hire graduates, which I've seen sometimes and usually indicates a poor quality program.

A partnership with a real employer means that employer trusts the quality of that school. This gives you a better shot at being hired by the partnered company after graduation, if you meet their standards and they have an opening. It may be a great benefit.

It doesn't mean you're guaranteed a job after graduation, but there are few guarantees in life. Your ability to find work after graduations significantly depends on how well you really learned medical transcription.

Stephanie Foster created http://www.medicaltranscriptionbasics.com/ for people interested in becoming a medical transcriptionist. Learn about the value of accredited medical transcription online schools at her site.