Archive for October, 2009

What do Medical Transcription students say about internship?

Friday, October 30th, 2009

What is internship really like?  Here’s what a newly graduated student/intern had to say:

“It feels good to be wrapping everything up and moving on to actual transcription!!
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I just finished my internship last Friday so I will actually get paid for all the work I did this week. Yea!  I am enjoying learning tons of new information but I would definitely never say that this process is easy. Xxxxxxxx Company most definitely expects you to figure out a lot of things for yourself. Unfortunately the only way to do so is trial and error, but I suppose they expect the new people to make mistakes. I was transferred to a new crew this week, which will be my permanent crew. The proofer, Pat, has been great!! She is very helpful and answers all my questions in good detail. I can tell that I will learn a lot from her. I am up to doing about 60-70 minutes of dictation a day which takes me 4-5 hours and keeps me very busy since I still have a full time job as well. I still struggle with some doctors that don’t speak clearly or who use a lot of unfamiliar terminology. When I get assigned those doctors I only do about 30 minutes of dictation. I’m starting to feel more comfortable with my work and am looking forward to improving my speed and being able to transcribe many doctors. I will keep you up to date on my progress!”

Posted in Internship Questions, Typing Production | No Comments »

How to understand corrections on your Medical Transcription typing test

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Q:  What do some of the corrections mean on my typing test? 

A:  In a short summary, when the punctuations are hi-lighted such as commas, that means they added unnecessary punctuation. If it says something like this:  7×4(-)mm  that means what is inside the parentheses is something that should have been there but was not.

I know a lot of this seems very nitpicky and minor but just little changes and omissions can alter the whole meaning of a sentence.

Posted in Editing and Proofreading, Testing and Scores | No Comments »

In Medical Transcription, how should “Band-Aid” be written?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Band-Aid or band aid?   Band-Aid is a trademark name and needs to be capitalized.

Posted in Editing and Proofreading, Transcription Tips | No Comments »

Medical Transcription job assessment; what is the employer looking for? Here is information about aptitude, grades, attitude, flexibility, etc.”

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Let’s talk employment assessment.  While we are school, we are also a placement company.  Our employers are looking for grads with attitudes that match their aptitude- if they can find them, which is not always easy.   To that end, you should know that a synopsis of your emails and contacts are recorded in your overall assessment.  The employer wishes to know as much about the student as possible.  They are hoping to find a graduate who is good with detail, gets good grades and has a positive, flexible attitude. 

 Sometimes when a student is feeling frustrated, it’s easy to send out an email expressing that, but remember that a synopsis of your emails may be reviewed by your future employer. 

In the end, MTs work for Doctors and other dictators.  The Clinic and the person dictating together create what is known as “house rules”.  Even though there is a preferred way of transcribing, the doctor may ask for something which is not correct and the MT still has to type it as dictated.  THIS IS THE REASON that employers look for attention to detail AND flexibility. Those MTs who have developed both of these skills do the best in this field and command the highest pay—and isn’t that what we are all looking for in the long run? 

MANY students find inconsistencies in the study and practice of MT and are frustrated by them.  Please be aware that this is all part of  learning to be flexible and adapting to changing situations while at work in Medical Transcription.

 

 

 

Posted in Employment Questions, Formatting, Grammar and Style, Newbie Medical Transcriptionists | No Comments »

Is my GMail or Hotmail email account worthless as I train to be a Medical Transcriptionist?

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Q:  Can I use “Free” email accounts when I am working as an MT or as a student?

A:  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 Internship Questions, Newbie Medical Transcriptionists, Tech and Computer | No Comments »

Medical Transcription punctuation won’t make or break your career- here is why

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Q:  I’ve seen several different rules and guidelines regarding punctuation while going through the course.  Which one is correct?  Why are different sources saying to punctuate things differently?

A:  Punctuation won’t make or break your career as an MT.  The reason is that it can be very subjective.  It’s good to know the basics and then be flexible when you go to work with your future employer – they will determine “house rules” which override all other sources of information. 
Stressing over punctuation and grammar too much is counter productive because there is no universal answer in many cases.  There can be 2 correct answers or even more!  It is a much better idea to move along more quickly and keep the Big Picture in mind; you don’t have to be perfect.  The Big Picture goal is to be employed so you can use your flexible skills.  You can use these quizzes to learn several ways of doing things.  The AAMT Book is excellent and is our style bible, but it is trumped by House Rules.  Many of our examples are taken from our employers.  One of our objectives is to introduce you to the variety in Medical Transcription so you can adapt more easily once you are employed.

Posted in Editing and Proofreading, Study Tips, Tips on Typing, Transcription Tips | No Comments »