Medical Transcription: The Ideal Career for Military Spouses

When I first began to consider medical transcription as a career option in August 2006, I was the mother of a 1-year-old baby and wife of a soldier deployed to Iraq. I had spent the past year living with my parents while my husband was gone, searching in vain for a decent-paying job in the small town where we lived. I had a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and 8 years’ experience in retail, but the career path that I thought would be perfect for me in college didn’t seem so perfect with a baby and a husband who was sure to be gone again at the whim of the Army. After all that searching and no luck finding “the right fit,” my husband re-enlisted in the Army and my daughter and I moved back to Ft. Campbell alone to wait for him to come home. At the end of August I came across Career Step, an online medical transcription course, and after very serious consideration and a chat with a cousin who is also a transcriptionist, I took the plunge, paid my fee for the course, and started my MT education through Career Step that very same night.

I worked on the course 4 to 6 hours a day nearly every day for 5-1/2 months. I took my final exam in mid February 2007, had results by mid March, and received a call from Sheryl Williams at Encompass and a couple other “large nationals” shortly afterward. I decided the best fit for me would be with Encompass and started as a new speech recognition transcriptionist on April 3, 2007.

I’ve been with Encompass now for just over 2 years and cannot think of a better, more flexible, or more portable career choice than this. As a military spouse, this profession has been such a blessing. With the Army’s dependably erratic hours and 12-month or more deployments, I wanted to be able to work and still balance family life and I also wanted to be able to keep the same job if we had to move—and we have, twice. Working for Encompass has proven to be an excellent choice for me as a mom and as a military spouse, not only because of the job itself but also because of the fine women who are available for help and the excellent support they provide on a daily basis. I’m very proud to be an Encompass MT!

Lynette N

Clarksville, TN

Encompass MT since April 2007

Note:  Lynette’s family continues to grow, with the arrival of a new baby in the fall of 2009.  Her Encompass family extends its warmest congratulations!