Training

If you are an intelligent person you may be able to learn on your own all the medical knowledge required to become an MT. Medical transcription requires a practical knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, disease processes, and the internal organization of medical reports. Medical reports take many forms, including histories and physical examinations, progress reports, emergency room notes, consultations, operative reports, discharge summaries, clinic notes, referral letters, radiology reports, pathology reports, and an array of documentation spanning over various medical specialties. Thus, the medical transcriptionist, or medical language specialist, must be well versed in the language of medicine and surgery. In order to be sure that you are educating yourself in the proper areas, it is probably best to at least take a formal course in medical transcription.

 However, the recognized professional designation of "certified medical transcriptionist" (CMT) can be obtained only through successful completion of both parts of the core certification exam administered by the Medical Transcriptionist Certification Program (MTCP) at AAMT. This job requires a broad background in medical language and science, and experience, and the only way to get that is to take a reputable course and then work in a supervised position for a few years.