Future of Med. Trans. in this economy

[Sailor]

I'm curious as to anyone's experiences with medical transcription in this economy.

I am certified, and I haven't had any issues in taking on projects. But, I do VERY little ... mainly just one or two contracts per month. Really just to keep up my certification and not regress in terms of skills/technology/medical terms. The certification is "just in case/emergency" backup plan. Which I hope I'll never need - but you never know. I like to be prepared with lots of contingency plans. I may be a little OCD.

Anyway, I was curious what you all thought about the future of MT, considering the economy and the amount of job loss other fields are experiencing.

It doesn't look like any of the schools have changed their "fastest growing job" spiel.

But, I was curious as to personal experiences and/or predictions.

I think it should be OK - after all, we'll always need medical care. But, I don't think I'm involved enough to really know.

What does everyone else think? Has the economy affected your ability to get work/projects?

Thanks. And I hope I posted in the right place!

[GAmomto5]

Sailor, I am as busy as I want to be. I'm actually having to turn down work (which I hate to do). Maybe it depends on what area of the country you are in, but there are always jobs out there. Now, whether or not they pay what you want to make is another story. I see jobs with nationals all the time, but I wouldn't work for 0.7/line with 13 years experience. I think the difficulty is in finding your own accounts. A lot of accounts are being snapped up by national companies.

With MT being in the medical field, I feel we are safe. I also don't worry about EMR (electronic medical records) because I have seen those fail time and time again. Same with voice recognition. I realize there are some small offices that can do that, and even some departments in the hospital with the same dictators, but as a whole, its a failure and there will always be the need for a "real" person to do transcription.

[Sailor]

Thanks for that. It's always good to hear from someone more experienced.

I'm really just still in the beginnings, so I am taking the .7/line, lol. But I figure I have to start somewhere in order for this to realistically work for me.

Anyway, thanks for your input. I appreciate it.