Archive for the ‘Newbie FAQ’ Category

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Learning Medical Transcription

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

When first learning medical transcription a lot of our students are frustrated by their lack of ability to remember everything and end up feeling overwhelmed. The key is to just read through the materials and do NOT try to memorize. This is a totally different kind of study than you will have experienced in the traditional schools as adolescents.

The materials will eventually start to make sense, things will start clicking, and the pretty soon you will just “get it”. Our quizzes and tests are all open book, so really there is no reason to try to cram your brain!

Bottom line, slow down, read through your books, go back for reference whenever you want, and just know that it will all come together and make sense to you, in time.

Posted in Newbie FAQ, Study Tips | No Comments »

Transcription Formatting

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

How do I know when to use italics?

Most often when working as a medical transcriptionist, the only time you would italicize anything would be if it was a bacteria such as Chlamydia or Enteroccocus.

Only use italics for the singular form of the word, not for the plural form.

Posted in Formatting, Newbie FAQ | No Comments »

The Future of Medical Transcription

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Even if you haven’t been in the medical transcription field for long, undoubtedly you have heard about the dreaded voice/speech recognition software that is  going to put all the MTs out of business, according to rumors.

This very same subject has been making the rounds for years. True, it does exist, true it is being used, but not 100% effectively.

Healthcare provider dictation is an ever-growing industry. Unfortunately, qualified MTs are not growing at that same rate, though we are doing our best! The voice recognition technology (VRT) is picking up some of the slack but it has quite a few limitations. Experienced MTs are still very much needed to correct machine-generated errors with their knowledge of the medical language and the medical record itself.

For the qualified and experienced medical transcriptionist, there are no employment worries. 

Posted in Employment Questions, Internship Questions, Med Workshops Forum FAQ, Newbie FAQ | No Comments »

Learning Medical Transcription

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Is it follow-up, followup, or follow up? How can eight simple letters be so confusing? This simple word, or two, is responsible for many periods of ponderation. First and foremost, in the transcription field we no longer use follow-up. So, with that option eliminated let’s move on to the remaining two choices.  

Followup is a noun whereas follow up is an adjective. “The patient will schedule a followup” as opposed to “the patient will follow up”. One very easy way to remember which one to use is this simple rule: If you can put an “A” in front of the word then it would be followup; if not, then use follow up.  One less thing to wonder about!

Posted in Editing and Proofreading, Grammar and Style, Newbie FAQ, Terminology | No Comments »

Learning Medical Transcription at Home

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Quite often I have been asked about the “do-not-use dangerous abbreviation”  list. The worry by the JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) is that these abbreviations can be misread.  While that certainly is a possibility, speaking from a professional medical transcription and proofreader standpoint I can assure you that the majority of these abbreviations are indeed used and used often.

The most common suspect culprit abbreviation is q.d. for every day or daily. This particular one is typed thousands of times a day so please do not be swayed by this “dangerous” list. If the provider/dictator you are typing for deems it in appropriate, well, their preference is the final say, but otherwise, please continue to use q.d. on a q.d. basis!

Posted in Abbreviations, Grammar and Style, Newbie FAQ | No Comments »

Working at Home as a Medical Transcriptionist

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

One of the biggest concerns of new MTs is “what do I do if I can’t hear or understand the dictator?” There is also the question of what to do if the MT thinks the provider/dictator is wrong, such as dictating the right leg was injured and then later in the chart note stating it was the left leg.

When actually working as an MT you will have a “Daily Log”. This is where you will track the patient’s name and date of service. It is also where you will note things such as if you cannot understand a word, you heard the word but cannot find it to verify spelling (this happens a lot with medications), contradictory information, or anything else you question. Research and using your references is a huge part of being a skilled MT, but when you have exhausted all avenues then you would note it on the log. You will turn this log in with your files and your proofreader will take it from there.

It is always a good day when you can turn in a blank log!

Posted in Editing and Proofreading, Med Workshops Forum FAQ, Newbie FAQ | No Comments »

Medical Transcription Training and Numbers

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Numbers, numbers, numbers. For such a seemingly simple digit or digits they sure can wreak havoc on the MT-in-training’s cranium. Old rules, new rules, providers preferences, AAMT rules. The information can be contradictory and confusing. The “old” AAMT rules still in effect to a certain extent are to spell out numbers up to 9, unless it refers to age, date, vitals, measurements, etc. This will all be changing soon as the industry is trying to standardize numbers and everything will be numeral. But even when that takes effect, the provider/dictator still has final say on his or her preference. Once again remember, to have a successful career in Medical Transcription you must be flexible and adaptable!

Posted in Grammar and Style, Newbie FAQ, Terminology | No Comments »

While working as an MT, can I make corrections when I can’t understand or when the wrong location is dictated?

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Yes, you can make corrections when the provider may have dictated the wrong location in the anatomy, but only if you are absolutely positive.

There will be occasions when you cannot make out what the provider is saying. No, you do not contact the provider yourself. When you are typing as an MT you have what is called a log that you fill out and send in with your work for the day. If you cannot make out what the provider is saying you would note that on your log and leave a blank in your chart note such as this _________. You will generally have a proofreader and she will try to figure out the blank. If she cannot then she will forward the blank on to the office you are working for and they will try to figure it out. If finally they cannot then they would contact the provider.

 

Posted in Anatomy and Physiology, Newbie FAQ, Newbie Medical Transcriptionists, Transcription Tips | No Comments »

Can I use a free e-mail account while working as an MT?

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Some free internet email accounts only recognize plain text formatting.  This can lead to your emails being corrupted when they are received.  You won’t want to use these in the future if you have an alternative.  You can configure Outlook Express to work directly with your internet provider and you’ll really like it!  The free accounts are really only good for email between friends.  Business often requires Outlook or Outlook Express.  Your internet provider will walk you through the set up if you ask.

 

Posted in Newbie FAQ, Newbie Medical Transcriptionists | No Comments »

Do I always type verbatim?

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Q:         I read in some places that as an MT we are supposed to correct reports.  Other places state that an MT should type exactly what is said.  What is the correct thing to do?

 A.         Training should be based on verbatim transcripts, so students will learn to type exactly what the dictator says, which is first and foremost in this career.  The task of a medical transcriptionist is to convert medical dictation to accurate and complete medical reports.  Accuracy of medical content is the most important requirement and should be the top goal of every professional medical transcriptionist.  Transcripts may differ in format and style, but there should be no difference in medical content. Newbies who attempt to change things may not recognize that what they are doing could also be changing the meaning.  Therefore, until a person gains experience in the field it is most important to type verbatim. At Med Workshops, we train our students to become familiar with this concept from the very beginning.

Posted in Newbie FAQ, Typing Production | No Comments »

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