Explore a Career in Medical Transcription

In this course, you will learn how to transcribe the most common medical reports used in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This knowledge will help prepare you to work almost anywhere in the medical field—doctors' offices, clinics, public health facilities, and hospitals. With this foundation, you will be set to advance your education so you can work as a subcontractor for a company that outsources transcription, or you can eventually even take on your own clients—all from the comfort of your own home.

You will go through each of the nine main report types—their formatting requirements, the components of each one, and how they are used in the clinical setting. Every lesson will include a grammar review, pointing out important elements that will make your reports perfect. You will also gain important clinical knowledge of major disease processes that are essential to enhance your skill as a medical documentation specialist.

Along the way, you will download a free transcriber to listen to dictation and produce reports. These hands-on exercises will give you the practice you will need to determine if this field is for you. You will also go through your current options and in the future by developing the skills of a medical transcriptionist. By the end of this course, you will know the basic report types, have clinical knowledge of major diseases, be able to correct grammar from dictated reports on the fly, and know the next steps you will need to take!

What you will learn

• Discover the opportunities and career options associated with medical transcription
• Acquire the grammar, formatting, and editing skills you need to be successful in the field
• Examine the common types of medical reports and practice with a variety of possible challenges

How you will benefit

• Gain the skills and confidence you need for successful entry into a growing set of career options
• Learn the secrets to being an active listener and develop a number of skills useful in almost any field of work
• Acquire helpful clinical and medical terminology that will serve as the foundation for a number of lucrative careers in the healthcare industry

Outline

Introduction to Medical Transcription

This first lesson looks at the history of medical transcription as a career. You will find out how the field has evolved into its modern form, and you will explore the various skills and aptitudes that you will need to succeed as a professional medical transcriptionist. You will examine the type of work MTs produce, where you might work, and what might be in store for those working in this career field.

Tools of the Trade

This lesson focuses on the tools of the trade. You will review a few of the reference books and examine the types of websites that MTs use for research. Then, you will learn about the hardware and software that MTs use on the job. By the end of this lesson, you will be sitting at your computer, listening to a real medical dictation audio file and looking at the Express Scribe software on your screen. As you listen to the medical report, you will practice starting, pausing, and rewinding the audio as you tap away on the keyboard.

Understanding Medical Records

There are nine report types that medical professionals use most often in both hospitals and clinics. Medical letters aren't much different from traditional letters, but since you might not have typed a traditional letter in a while, you might need a refresher. You will finish the lesson with some specific tips about pathology reports and how to handle numbers and measurements. Then you will practice transcribing a medical letter and a pathology report.

Listening Carefully

This lesson goes over how to listen effectively, discussing the difference between hearing and active listening. It will also discuss the many issues that keep voice recognition systems from replacing humans (for now), including homonyms, synonyms, and antonyms. You will learn how to use phonetics, vowel sounds, and context to figure out a word or phrase in a muddled recording. Next, you will learn about radiology reports and finish up by practicing transcribing one.

Grammar, Sentence Structure, and Punctuation

This lesson covers some subjects that might make you cringe a little: grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. But this will be a painless, maybe even enjoyable, journey through some of the basic principles of writing that will help you become a better MT. Then, in your Practice Corner, you will learn about SOAP notes and then turn your attention to infectious diseases and medications. You will also have the chance to transcribe a SOAP note and a radiology report in the assignment that accompanies the lesson.

Style

This lesson explores writing and talks about style from the MT's perspective. When you're transcribing, you must follow editorial directions in spelling, capitalization, and typographical display. And it's those directions that are the style MTs need to be concerned about. You may be surprised at how many different ways you can treat a single word. Should it be capitalized or lowercased? Should you abbreviate it, or should you spell it out? Should your numbers be in digit form or word form? Finally, in your Practice Corner, you will focus on the H&P report and practice transcribing one.

Medical Terminology and Spelling

No matter what you transcribe, one thing is a given: Medical terminology will be a huge part of it. One thing to remember is that dictators aren't perfect. They might say one word when they actually mean another. Or they might say a word that has a sound-alike word, like cystitome and cystotome. If you have a good understanding of medical terminology, you can pinpoint the correct word to make sure your transcription is accurate. Then, in your Practice Corner, you will review the basic nature of heart disease and its treatment.

Report Formatting and Word Processing

A critical component of the MT's work is the way you put your reports together. This lesson focuses on breaking your reports into sections with headings, subheadings, special line spacing, page breaks, and other formatting niceties. You will also take a closer look at ways to make your work easier with word processing shortcuts, AutoText, macros, and templates. Mastering them will make you a faster and more efficient MT! This lesson's Practice Corner focuses on surgical reports. Surgical terminology is important to know, and it's also fascinating to take an inside look at what goes on in the operating room.

Checking Your Work

Another essential step in transcription is editing and proofreading your work. This lesson starts off with editing do's and don'ts, as well as what to look for when you're proofreading. In your Practice Corner, you will be covering a disease process that has, in some way, touched virtually everyone: cancer. Once you have an overview of cancer, you will work on the consultation report. Physicians often ask specialists to further evaluate their patients, especially cancer patients. So, this is a common report that you're likely to transcribe regularly. The assignment for this lesson includes a consult report to transcribe, and you will also get to practice proofreading.

Classification Systems, and Discharge and Death Summaries

This will be a completely clinical lesson. You will learn about classification systems and their transcription foibles. And now that you have the bones of grammar and style down, you will learn about real bones. Finally, in your Practice Corner, you will learn about discharge and death summaries. They are very similar reports, but this lesson explains the subtle differences.

Infections, Blood, and Cells

This lesson will be similar to the last in that it covers lots of clinical issues. It won't all be clinical, however. In your Practice Corner, you will see how everything you've learned can come together in an autopsy report. This is probably the longest, most comprehensive report you will ever come across. And, of course, you will have the chance to transcribe an autopsy report in the assignment!

The Nuts and Bolts of Working as an MT

By now you have the tools and the knowledge you need to dip your toe into the waters of medical transcription, but there are still some big questions to answer. This lesson will help you learn how to manage your workload, discover all of the different ways you can work as a medical transcriptionist, and give you tips on finding a job in the field. You will also learn about further training options and what it takes to begin your career in medical transcription.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for this course. However, it is recommended that you have prior knowledge of medical terminology and touch-typing before enrolling in this course.