Med Workshops' Medical Transcription Training Blog

In today’s fast-paced world it is not unusual to skip steps or skim articles to save time. In a lot of cases this is not a problem; when learning medical transcription it is.

Sometimes our students are in a hurry to move ahead or to finish the course ahead of schedule and while this is not always a bad idea, it can be during certain phases, especially if directions are not carefully read and followed precisely. Not only is being able to comprehend and follow instructions important during the schooling, it is very important when working as a medical transcriptionist as well.

So please, read everything carefully and FOLLOW all directions.

Hello Cindy,
 
I’ve got a concern.  I’m having some trouble with medical terminology.  I’m trying to discover what I really need to memorize and what I just need to know but not completely retain; does this make sense?  I’m struggling to balance studying with all I have going on in my life and I’ve really fallen behind. It takes me 2 entire 10hr days to get through 1 chapter and then when I move on to the next chapter I feel like I’ve forgotten everything from the previous one. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Melissa

Wow Melissa, it sounds like you’ve got the typical “just-starting blues”.  Don’t worry, everyone feels this way but some don’t say anything.  You are studying a new language and it’s hard I know.
 
1   You don’t need to memorize very much in the beginning- there is way too much- it’s impossible
2   Don’t try to be perfect!!  That will bog you down.
3   Read, highlight or write some notes on paper, but don’t stress.  Writing helps some people.
4   Just accept that you will absorb what you are studying in time.  The words and body parts (mainly the words) are being learned even though you don’t feel it yet.
5   Learning a new language comes by immersion.  You can’t force it;  it just comes to you.
6   Each new word gives you the basis for understanding something new, but you’ll find you don’t actually memorize it like you would the capital cities of the US states.
7   In a couple of months and usually by section 5, you’ll have a light bulb begin to go on in your head and things will begin to be clearer.  You’ll be amazed.
8   When I took this course, I thought it would be the first class I ever failed.  I averaged over 90% by the time I was done!!
9   The words and how the body works is actually a very interesting thing to learn.  AND you can apply all of these things to being a medical aide, nurse or medical biller.
 
I hope this helps.  I write this to about 1 in 3 students.  Please enjoy this great subject by doing your reading and answer the questions as best you can.  You can always go back and review later.

Cindy

Hello Cindy,

Thank you so much that really help.  I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to graduate in time.  Oh I’m so relieved…….. Great I won’t stress so much about re-
reading the chapters over and over to memorize stuff, I haven’t gotten very far because of that. Now I think things will go faster.
 
Thanks again, I was starting to think I made a mistake in taking on another thing in my life. I don’t have a lot of spare time being a working mom.
 
Melissa

Hello Melissa,

I’m really happy for you.  Many students just quietly get disillusioned and down on themselves.  They quit without knowing whether they would have been good or not. 

For me personally, I get intimidated by learning a new language.  It is not a comfortable thing for me.  I really struggled with this training for about 2 to 3 months.  I often felt that I was barely able to get a breath of air before a whole new slew of words and anatomical studies came my way.  It also felt disjointed when I knew it was supposed to connect somehow- it was very hard for me mentally.  Then, all of a sudden I found order in it.  I could put together words from roots and prefixes and suffixes and it felt so good.  I also finally started to see how our whole body works as a whole.  I ended up feeling very empowered by the experience.

I’m very glad to share my experiences in this field with you.  I found that most people felt as I did.

Cindy

Q:  I was wondering if you could let me know how many hours I should be studying my medical books in this course?  Thanks, Alicia

 A:  Our course term is 8-10 months with 15 sections.   You’ll be working through the lessons one section at a time.  Start in the upper left corner of the assignment sheet and note the first book.  In the box below it will tell you which chapters to read.  This will cover an introduction and the topic of dermatology.  Read through the chapters as listed and complete any questions in the workbook.  Do the transcription on your CD that is covered at the end of that section. Let your student rep know when you are done with the first section and we will have a short quiz for you.    After that you’ll go back to the first book and start section two.  Continue until you’ve covered all sections in all books.

Expect the first few sections to take longer than later chapters because you will be building your understanding of terminology and anatomy in the beginning.  You will use this understanding to more quickly grasp material in later sections. 

 I tell students that the most important think is consistency.  Pick a time to study each day, even if it is just for half an hour, and stick to that time.  Don’t worry about trying to memorize everything—even doctors don’t know it all!  Try to pick up the basics, and it WILL get easier as you go through each section because each section builds on the one before.  Make sure to do all the exercises in the books, especially “Language of Medicine”.  I know it seems like a lot of writing, but it will help you a lot in the long run.

Q:  I was wondering if you could let me know how many hours I should be studying my medical books in this course?  Thanks, Alicia

 A:  Our course term is 8-10 months with 15 sections.   You’ll be working through the lessons one section at a time.  Start in the upper left corner of the assignment sheet and note the first book.  In the box below it will tell you which chapters to read.  This will cover an introduction and the topic of dermatology.  Read through the chapters as listed and complete any questions in the workbook.   Do the transcription on your CD that is covered at the end of that section. Let your student rep know when you are done with the first section and we will have a short quiz for you.    After that you’ll go back to the first book and start section two.  Continue until you’ve covered all sections in all books

Expect the first few sections to take longer than later chapters because you will be building your understanding of terminology and anatomy in the beginning.  You will use this understanding to more quickly grasp material in later sections. 

I tell students that the most important think is consistency.  Pick a time to study each day, even if it is just for half an hour, and stick to that time.  Don’t worry about trying to memorize everything—even doctors don’t know it all!  Try to pick up the basics, and it WILL get easier as you go through each section because each section builds on the one before.  Make sure to do all the exercises in the books, especially “Language of Medicine”.  I know it seems like a lot of writing, but it will help you a lot in the long run.