There are some common requirements shared by everyone who is looking for a new
career opportunity. Flexible hours, competitive pay and job stability are all highly sought-after features in any profession. A career as a medical transcriptionist offers all three of those features along with a host of other benefits. Becoming a part of the health care industry also means joining a profession that is always in high demand. A future as a medical transcriptionist can bring all kinds of benefits and stability to you and your family.
Career Overview
Health care professionals and doctors frequently dictate patient histories, medical summaries, pathology reports, consultation notes and much more over the course of their workday. This dictation is stored on audio recordings, which need to be converted into actual reports and documents. This has created a growing need for medical transcriptionists in Colorado as it is their job to produce documents and reports of these recordings.
Colorado medical transcriptionists are expected to produce those documents and reports with 100% accuracy. That requires fast and accurate keyboarding skills combined with above-average listening skills. The listening part of the process also requires the immediate identification of medical terminology. Colorado medical transcriptionists instantly recognize all the specifics on the audio recordings they are required to transcribe.
This particular skill is acquired through in-depth coursework that explains the terminology, abbreviations and jargon used by doctors and health care professionals. Medical transcriptionists in Colorado have a broad comprehension of different medical procedures, treatments, and ailments. They are also skilled in basic anatomy and physiology and can instantly identify various parts of the body by their textbook terms.
Medical transcription in Colorado also involves a complete review and editing procedure. Context, grammar, spelling and consistency are all thoroughly checked for accuracy. These skills can also be used in a clerical capacity or to help maintain medical records. Being well-versed in proper health care documentation allows a Colorado medical transcriptionist to perform an array of duties. All of those duties are carried out with dependability, reliability, an attention to detail and the ability to work independently.
Medical Transcription Certification Requirements in Colorado
To become certified as a medical transcriptionist in Colorado, there is a need to complete a certification program offered by one of the state’s accredited post-secondary schools. These programs introduce all the concepts, practices and techniques used by Colorado medical transcriptionists. Programs are offered by a Colorado technical institute or vocational school that is accredited. Some community colleges also offer medical transcriptionist certification programs.
Another avenue that will meet certification requirements goes through a college or university. There, students can earn an Associate’s Degree that focuses on medical transcription. The curriculum also requires a number of core competency classes. For that reason, it generally takes two years to earn an Associate’s Degree. Meanwhile, certification programs offered at accredited Colorado post-secondary schools usually take just one year to complete.
A certification or Associate’s Degree is used to fulfill a major requirement when applying for a medical transcriptionist job in Colorado. Employers are much less prone to hire an individual who does not possess some kind of medical transcription certification. Certifications have not been made mandatory by the state, although it is often a universally-accepted job qualification to work as a medical transcriptionist in Colorado.
Colorado Education Requirements
Colorado has set a minimum age requirement for prospective medical transcriptionist students at 18. There is also a prior education requirement, which states that a high school diploma or GED equivalency is necessary to begin medical transcriptionist education in Colorado. Candidates must also pass a criminal history screening and drug test in order to gain admission.
Medical Transcriptionist Training and Education Requirements in Colorado
In the state of Colorado, medical transcriptionists are not required to obtain a license. There is no procedure which would require a medical transcriptionist to apply for such a license. Certifications in medical transcription are held in high regard by many Colorado health care facilities, although they are not referred to as licenses. Colorado medical transcriptionists also do not have to deal with the state medical board the way other medical professionals do when it comes to licensing.
Job Prospects and Potential Pay in Colorado
Colorado’s annual job salary average for medical transcriptionists is one of the nation’s highest. On average, a medical transcriptionist salary in Colorado checks in at $41,950 per year. That annual salary can reach as high as $58,120 with proper training and experience. Colorado is expecting a continued boom as far as job prospects go for medical transcriptionists. Over the next decade, there is expected to be more than a 20% increase in medical transcriptionist jobs in Colorado.
Resources
Colorado Medical Transcriptionist Salaries
Explore this website to find out how much medical transcriptionists make on a per-year basis in the state of Colorado.
Colorado Medical Transcriptionist Jobs
Check out which health care facilities are hiring medical transcriptionists in the state of Colorado.
Browse through the different health organizations located in Colorado and click on links that lead directly to their respective websites.
Medical Transcriptionist Job Listings in Colorado
LinkedIn provides updated job listings for medical transcriptionists in the state of Colorado.
Look for career opportunities and explore numerous resources through this association’s website.