When the economy started downward, Suzanne Ellis knew it was time for a career change. A decorative artist and mural painter, she wanted something that was:

a) more stable,

b) offered benefits,

c) didn't require her to climb on ladders or scaffolding.

Ellis had never been to college, and it had been a long time since she had worked in a business environment, but for a short time, she took a job in an office. Around that same time she read an article on well-paying jobs that didn't require a degree. The term "medical transcriptionist" caught her eye.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Medical transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals and transcribe them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative material. Generally, they listen to recordings on a headset, using a foot pedal to pause the recording when necessary, and key the text into a computer, editing as necessary for grammar and clarity."

Proficient, full-time medical transcriptionists have the potential to earn upwards of $35,000 per year, plus benefits. However, since proficiency and skill play a large role in earning ability, quality training is essential.

"I did a lot of research into online programs," Ellis said.

She found two schools—M-TEC (mtecinc.com) and Andrews School (andrewsschool.com)— that came highly recommended by:

• AHDI — the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, who sets and upholds standards for education and practice in health care documentation

• AHIMA — the American Health Information Management Association, the leading association of health information management professionals.

Ellis chose M-TEC, largely because of its commitment to career assistance.

"They have lifetime placement assistance," she said. "Plus, M-TEC prepares its students so well that employers are willing to hire them right out of school, bypassing the typical 'two years or more of experience' required by most employers."

Today, Ellis works for a California company typing dictation for cardiologists in Alabama. "And, I do it all from my home in Illinois," she said.

Ellis admits that medical transcription can be pretty detailed, hard stuff. "But it's also fascinating!" she said.

During her 18 months of training, she was introduced to subjects such as medical terminology, physiology and human diseases in addition to technology, software, and best methods for conducting online research.

"By graduation (September 2010), I had typed over 800 reports and had listened to hours and hours of dictation," Ellis said.

It wasn't always easy.

"When you work full-time, it can be hard to dedicate 25-plus hours each week to studying, but it's worth it," Ellis said. "You have to keep your eye on the prize."

It helps to have support. "My M-TEC teacher was my biggest cheerleader and has become a personal friend," Ellis said.

Every M-TEC student is assigned one instructor to work with throughout the entire course, Ellis said. "But the school also offered webinars, which provided interaction between students and an opportunity to learn from other instructors."

Still, Ellis admitted that distance learning can be lonely. "Self-motivation," she said, "is very important."

For Ellis, additional the motivation came from knowing that in any economy, health care and transcription jobs are going to be needed.

"Even as the industry moves into the use of computer voice recognition technology," Ellis said, "transcriptionists will be needed to edit the documents for clarity and accuracy."

On a more personal note, Ellis likes knowing that her work is helping to provide high quality patient care.