Im a stay at home mom considering going to school for one of the two careers.
Thanks!
Im currently a stay at home mom 
Medical Transcription Training Resources
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I agree with the previous posters – they are two entirely different careers! Depends on what your goals/needs are.
The US Department of Labor states" Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow 14 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population. Older age groups receive proportionately greater numbers of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can be shared easily among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients’ records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and identify discrepancies in medical reports."
"Wage-and-salary medical transcriptionists had median hourly earnings of $14.40 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.17 and $17.06. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.22, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $20.15."
If your hoping to get into this field, though, you will most likely need training from an AHDI ‘approved’ program. Most employers require experience or participation in one of the top AHDI approved schools. If your looking into Medical Transcription pay the extra in tuition to attend an ‘approved’ school. The top three schools are Career Step, Andrews, and M-Tec.
Many people have received training through inadequate programs only to find out that they are unable to find a job. AHDI sets the standards for MT courses. Employers know that graduates of these ‘approved’ courses have gained the skills necessary to begin their career as an MT. —— AHDI is the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity – www.ahdionline.org (formerly known as the American Association for Medical Transcription).
I attended Career Step and recieved a job (at-home) less than a week after graduating. I’ve received several more job offers since, but have stuck with my original employer because of the flexibility they offer. Career Step is an AHDI approved program and they are partnered with many of the major MT employers. In other words, their graduates get the jobs. Many companies require 2-3 years experience, however, a lot of these companies will waive this requirement if you graduate from the right school.
I recommend CS because they are partnered with MANY employers, self-paced (you can finish in a few months or take as long as over a year or two), and more affordable than the other top 2 courses. Plus, I have personal experience (and success) with the program. Attending your local community college will give you a good chance at a job in-house, but if you are wanting to work from home, an online ‘approved’ course is the way to go. Choosing the right school is so important! They do offer financial aid and payment plans.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: bcharmed01 at yahoo dot com
The two careers are very different. As a nurse, you will interact with doctors, patients, and medical staff on a regular basis. You will be making a difference in the lives of your patients. As a transcriptionist you will not have much contact with others. It is a much more solitary job. Medical transcriptionists sit at the computer for long periods of time.
Registered nurses (RNs) work to promote good health and prevent illness. They educate patients and the public about various medical conditions; treat patients and help in their rehabilitation; and provide advice and emotional support to patients’ families. RNs use considerable judgment in providing a wide variety of services.
Many registered nurses are general-duty nurses who focus on the overall care of patients. They administer medications under the supervision of doctors and keep records of symptoms and progress. General-duty nurses also supervise licensed practical nurses (LPNs), nursing aides, and orderlies.
RNs can specialize: (1) by work setting or type of treatment—critical-care nurses work in intensive care units, and psychiatric nurses treat patients with mental health disorders; (2) by disease, ailment, or condition—HIV/AIDS nurses care for patients with HIV infection and AIDS, and addictions nurses treat patients with substance abuse problems; (3) by organ or body system—nephrology nurses care for patients with kidney disease, and respiratory nurses treat patients with disorders such as asthma; and (4) by population—school nurses provide care for children and adolescents in school, while geriatric nurses provide care for the elderly. RNs may also work in combined specialties, such as pediatric oncology (the care of children and adolescents with cancer) or cardiac emergency (the care of patients with heart problems in emergency rooms).
To facilitate the number of patients to be seen and to move quickly in their profession, patient care providers record medical notes, observations and patient histories into a tape recorder to be transcribed into a hard copy at a later time. Medical transcriptionists are the professionals that perform this work.
Using digital or analog tape playback equipment, medical transcriptionists enter the vocal recording into a computer using word processing software. A foot pedal controls the speed of playback and can pause or rewind the recording. The transcriptionist will edit for clarity and grammar. Transcriptionists produce such documents as patient history, examination reports, discharge summaries, autopsy reports and referral letters to specialists or other facilities.
It is necessary for a transcriptionist to have knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, assessments and more since they may have to clarify inconsistencies in the report. Additionally, legal and ethical rights to privacy must be adhered to.
You should choose the career that you think you would enjoy most. I think that there are more opportunities for registered nurses, but you will need to select the career you prefer.
Wouldn’t that be like…NOT being a stay at home mom?
Either way. My Mom did it…although on THE DAY of her graduation from nursing school, which was hell on the family those 3 years (sometimes 2 though depending)..she up and left and "lived her dreams" for many years.
No more stay at home Mom for her!
On a lighter note….
If you work hard enough and make time, you could do it..but remember your family and children..they need you too, that’s all I mean, I am sorry.
PS- One more thing..there is NO shame in taking care of your children and not having a career that will not matter in the end. Your children will…and they will always love you…will your career?
IDK your motives, so I won’t speculate, but I think it is beyond sad and pathetic the way supposed "feminists" shamed woman into thinking they are worth nothing without a job…as if children are nothing but time wasters or something robbing them of "what they could be". They have done a major dis-service to woman as far as this, IMO.
Good luck.
PS- medical transcriptionist schooling would be easier and I believe faster as well as allow you to be at home more if that’s a concern. I worked at Center City Legal Reproductions. Similar. But most were Moms and had plenty of time for being home or whatever. Nurses seem to have much more demanding hours. As a transcriptionist..I believe much of the work can actually be done at home via computer to transcribe after the deposition…unless i am too closely relating the 2 fields..though I do not think I am.. If I am wrong anybody..PLEASE correct me. Thanks.
Again…Good luck.
Very different careers indeed! An RN will earn more than a MT but will work harder and longer hours for it too. There is an online guide to MT (the pros and cons of the field, and what’s involved) at the link below.