Medical Transcriptionists who wish to advance their careers beyond basic education can choose to pursue voluntary certification through a national certifying organization. Certification is not required for medical transcription employment, but many employers recognize the value of certification and prefer to hire medical transcriptionists who are certified.

The most well-known organization that certifies medical transcriptionists is the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). AHDI offers the credentials of Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT).

The CMT Designation

This certification is available to medical transcriptionists who have graduated from a formal training program and have at least 2 years of work experience in acute-care medical transcription. To gain the certification, applicants must pass an exam administered by AHDI. The exam fee is $195 for AHDI members, and $275 for non-members.

Medical transcriptionists certified with the CMT credential need to recertify every 3 years in order to keep their certification current. This is done through regular continuing education.

The RMT Designation

This designation is available to medical transcriptionists who have graduated from a formal training program, but have fewer than 2 years of experience. Applicants take an AHDI-administered, skill-based exam to gain the certification. The cost of the exam is $120 for AHDI members, $200 for non-members.

RMT-certified transcriptionists must recertify every 3 years to maintain certification. After the first certification period, they are eligible to apply for the CMT certification.

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