OCCUPATION: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST

Name: Judi K. Riefel

Company: Juleo Medical, Tustin

Thumbs up: “I like working with professionals. I work with physicians and other allied health professionals and with attorneys on workers’ compensation. I also like the flexible hours.”

Thumbs down: “Generally, in hospital situations, administrators have cut back on hours and employees, overloading remaining transcriptionists with demands that are difficult to meet. In some instances, hospitals have dissolved the transcription department altogether, which eliminates a training ground for new transcriptionists.”

Next step: “Due to family situations or the changing health care business, some transcriptionists may choose to free-lance. Also, you make a lot of contacts in a hospital setting; as you gain a reputation, a physician may ask you to work for him or her in his or her office.”

Advice: “The most important thing is to be wary of companies making promises that you can make $50,000 a year after attending their classes for six months. You need at least two years of acute-care hospital experience before you’re even up to speed on the work. Junior colleges have excellent programs and reputations for turning out well-trained transcriptionists. I would also advise transcriptionists to get certification from the Orange County chapter of the American Assn. for Medical Transcriptionists.”

Salary range: In Orange County, $18,700 to $75,000 yearly.

Educational and training requirements: Must complete sufficient course work to acquire thorough knowledge of medical terminology.

Size of work force: Small. About 500 people work as medical transcriptionists in Orange County.

Expected demand: Modest growth projected. Some hospitals are using outside transcription services for virtually all their transcription, rather than doing it in-house.

Job description: Type medical reports from dictating or transcribing machines or from direct dictation.

Major employing industries: Health care facilities, physicians, medical transcription services.

For more information: Call the Orange County chapter of the American Assn. for Medical Transcriptionists: (714) 836-7838.