The most widely held misconception about Medical Transcription is that if you have good spelling, a computer with an internet connection, and are a relatively fast typist then you are a shoe-in for this occupation. Sadly, there is much more to be taken into consideration. A Medical Transcriptionist is responsible for typing documents that pertain to a real person’s life and provide information that will be relied on for accuracy in making important medical decisions. Here are a few details to help you be more informed.
The Physical Tools of the Trade
As with any occupation there are a handful of items that will be your lifeline. For the transcriptionist these are primarily 1) a good computer, 2) USB Foot Pedal or Transcribing Machine, 3) Software, usually Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or a proprietary word processing program, and 4) an excellent internet connection. Most transcription companies utilize digital audio files, usually WAV or MP3. To keep up with the digital age they have developed a USB Foot Pedal that connects to your computer. Combined with the right software this tool can keep you on the keystroke fast-track. A popular freebie to download is ExpressScribe by NCH Software. These are the physical tools you will use, but the most invaluable tool is your mind.
Time Constraints
Most transcription positions come standard with a certain turnaround time (TAT). The standard for most medical offices is either 12 or 24 hours from the time the dictation is made available. Urgent Care and Hospitals frequently have 4, 6 or 12-hour TAT. It is best for new transcriptionist to start out where they will have the grace of the 12 or 24 hour TAT as it will be slow going at first. It is a good idea to consider whether the ebb and flow of busyness in your household will accommodate the demands of more strict TATs.
Building Your Medical Vocabulary
Medicine has its own language that your spell checker will consistently rebel against. Knowing advanced Google Search techniques, as well as the most helpful resources on the internet will be invaluable to ensuring your accurate interpretation and spelling.
New procedures, surgical instruments, and materials are constantly being added to the knowledge base a transcriptionist must acquire. Knowing the difference between like-sounding words requires a good understanding of medical prefixes, suffixes and the meaning of the root word. The good news is that this knowledge base can be built as you go, so long as you have a good foundation to start with. The Language of Medicine by Davi-Ellen Chabner is an excellent workbook for securing that foundation.
The Importance of Accuracy and Attention to Detail
The need for accuracy and detail cannot be stressed enough. Autograft and allograft, for example, can sound very much alike on the tongue of a fast-talking orthopedist, but these two items are very different and it makes a vital difference to the upcoming procedure. As if terminology wasn’t enough, even keeping track of what side is being talked about – a seemingly straightforward issue – can be very important when a sleepy doctor starts out dictating “left” leg but later in the same report dictates “right.” These are issues that must be caught and flagged for quality control so the correct side can be confirmed from within the doctor’s office.
If at First Your Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
There is a dread among transcriptionist of blanks – blank lines, that is. Doctors loathe seeing them in a report and it can cost the Quality Control personnel quite a bit of time trying to run down what should be there. Some companies dock pay for a quantity of blank lines. It is very tempting to try to blast through a report and leave a blank for what you don’t readily recognize. Going the extra mile should become your mantra and persistence has its own rewards. Doctors frequently reuse the same phrases, procedures, materials, etc. and once you nail that slick rascal down you won’t be delayed by it again.
Working Within a Structure
In the medical world there is a special way to do just about everything. There are rules about when to use numerals (1, 2, 3), when to spell them out, how to address referral letters, how to properly construct the signature line to give the doctor credit, reference a Physician’s Assistant, and where to put your own initials. Different kinds of reports have different structures and paragraph headings. It used to be that that American Association of Medical Transcriptionists (AAMT) Manual of Style was the gold standard for format. The AAMT is now the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity and they have issued a new Book of Style for Medical Transcription. While many companies adhere to one of a handful of similar standards, many practices and doctors have their own particular way they want things done that don’t agree with any manual of style and so a key word for any transcriptionist becomes: flexibility.
A Discerning Ear
Audio files are rarely crisp and clear, and the transcriptionist usually deals with other factors that can make it challenging to clearly interpret the report. In addition to ambient noise doctors will dictate while chewing on their lunch or yawning, dictate with conversations going on in the background, and sometimes even dictate while driving. Yikes! Additionally, doctors may have accents can be difficult to understand.
This is not restricted to international doctors as accents from different areas of the United States can make comprehension difficult as well. Being able to understand how persons of different languages/accents tend to pronounce certain phonetic combinations can be an invaluable asset. If you have no trouble understanding ESL (English as Second Language) or mumbling doctors, your cup will runneth over with available work.
Still intrigued? Then now might be the right time for you to start checking out school offering a Certified Medical Transcription program.
