Entering into a new job profession is an important life decision and should be considered 
very carefully. Medical transcriptionists in Minnesota are part of a growing health care industry that serves one of the larger populated states in the country. There is a constant demand for medical transcriptionists in Minnesota and that demand translates into steady work and competitive pay. A future as a Minnesota medical transcriptionist has the potential to open a lot of doors.
Medical Transcription Job Outlook and Potential Pay
A medical transcriptionist is required to produce administrative documents from audio recordings, which are comprised of dictation from health care professionals. The act of transcribing is used to convert these oral recordings into a document form. Medical transcriptionists are also responsible for recognizing grammatical errors and identifying medical terminology. To complete these tasks with the utmost efficiency, medical transcriptionists will need a sound knowledge base of medical terms, medical abbreviations and medical treatments.
Numerous health care facilities continually hire new medical transcriptionists every day. That could mean employment with a health agency, hospital, private physician, nursing, health clinic and many other establishments. However, medical transcriptionists do not always work in those establishments as much of their work can be done at home or inside an office.
Medical transcriptionists are often required to use transcribing machines, which assist in the completion of each project. Medical transcriptionists may also be asked to sit in and transcribe notes from a health care professional in person. To complete all of those aforementioned job duties, medical transcriptionists are expected to utilize a number of skills to reach a 100% accuracy rate.
The typical medical transcriptionist is able to meet deadlines and produce quality work with quick turnaround times. Dependability is a common trait of a medical transcriptionists as it is a major part of the job. Listening skills are above average in medical transcriptionists and they also possess above average typing skills.
Physicians and health care professionals place great emphasis on the reports and documents they submit for transcription. Therefore, medical transcriptionists in Minnesota are expected to conduct themselves in a highly efficient manner while attention to detail is a must.
Medical Transcription Training and Education Requirements
Minnesota requires medical transcriptionists to be at least 18 years old to begin their training. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED equivalency. There is also the need to pass a drug test and a criminal history check. It is beneficial if candidates have some basic typing skills and a prior familiarity with MS Word and Word Perfect platforms.
Medical Transcription Certification Requirements in Minnesota
To obtain a job as a medical transcriptionist in Minnesota, it is highly recommended to obtain a certificate from an accredited state institution. Those certificates can be obtained from a college or university in the form of an Associate’s Degree in Medical Transcription. There are also several one-year training programs from various Minnesota institutions that specialize in medical transcriptionist training and course work.
These programs and colleges offer curriculums that cover the basics of anatomy and physiology. There is also a concentration on transcription, keyboarding and computer applications. Those programs are designed to prepare medical transcriptionists to enter the Minnesota job market and provide them with the skills needed to pass nationally-recognized certification examinations, such as the ones offered by the AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity).
There is no one unified Minnesota medical transcriptionist certification that all institutions issue upon the completion of their respective course requirements. However, these individual certifications are a general prerequisite for employers. These certificates are also a way to evidence that individuals have acquired the appropriate skill set needed to provide quality medical transcription in a timely manner.
Medical Transcriptionist Licensing Requirements
The state of Minnesota’s medical board does not issue licenses to medical transcriptionists. The burden falls on health care facilities to hire qualified medical transcriptionists. That has prompted a heavy reliance on the completion of an accredited medical transcriptionist program. There is no need to apply for a state license, nor are there any annual fees required to be paid by Minnesota medical transcriptionists.
Job Prospects and Potential Pay in Minnesota
A medical transcriptionist in Minnesota can expect to make an annual salary of $35,500 per year. There are more than 4,000 full-time medical transcriptionists working in Minnesota and that number is expected to grow by more than 10% in the next year. The Health Care industry continues to grow in Minnesota and that has created a higher demand for professional medical transcriptionists.
Resources
Minnesota Medical Transcriptionist Job Network
A network of health care facilities regularly advertises job openings for medical transcriptionists on this site, along with contact information and pay rates.
Medical Transcriptionist Jobs in Minnesota
Browse through job listings in various Minnesota cities as this site brings together a collection of employers looking to hire new medical transcriptionists.
Minnesota Medical Transcriptionist Salaries by City
This is a breakdown of the salaries paid to medical transcriptionists in Minnesota, according to their geographic region.
Minnesota Hospitals and Medical Centers
This is a complete listing of the different hospitals and medical centers in Minnesota, complete with links and contact information.
Minnesota Health Care News and Events
The Minnesota Hospital Association provides the latest news, industry trends and statewide events in the health care industry.