Medical transcription is about transcribing medical reports from audio files. Physicians dictate reports into a recorder, this is then sent for transcription in a standard medical report format.

A transcriptionist is knowledgeable in medical terminology. Usually nurses, physical therapists and other health care professionals are in this field. Software is used to control the audio file for easy transcription. Similar to any sound player functions the software could pause, rewind, and fast forward. It can also perform other functions like playing speed; choose how fast or how slow to play. When a word is difficult to understand, rewind back to that word then play it slow.

The usual reaction to a situation like this is to increase the volume. It solves the problem sometimes. Another vital tool for a transcriptionist is an online medical dictionary. If a term is still unrecognizable after playing it slow or increasing the volume but you can hear specific letters, like the first letter for instance or the end letters, an online medical dictionary can help you.

Medical dictionaries can search the term you need using what is called a wild card function. Type the beginning letters if you recognize it then for the rest of the letters type an asterisk (*). The dictionary would give you a list of words beginning with the letter you chose.

It works the same if you know the ending letters. There is also a phonetic search function. Type a word the way it sounds and it will come out with a list of possible matches. Handbooks for drug information are also handy. Different types of drugs are commonplace in medical reports. Other references are medical procedures and specialties.

Transcriptionists follow standards in writing also called style guide. This is about the proper use of punctuations, capitalization, and proper way to write certain medical terminologies. Report formats are also found in the style guide.

Legal laws govern medical transcriptionists to protect the security and privacy of health information. These laws contain standards on how to secure health information. This includes, storing of removable hard drives, burning or destroying records after use. Computers should be solely used as a tool for transcription work, do not allow other family members to use it. Use of passwords and electronic logs are recommened to record people who used the computer.

Usually, pay is based on a 60-word line, around 40 cents. Audio files are sent to the worker and upon completion of the report, it is sent back to the physician for review and signing. Quality of work is determined by accuracy, 95-99%. For the skilled transcriptionists this online job pays well.

Schools for medical transcription are also thriving these days. From modular learning, where you take home modules and CDs, answer the exercises and send back to school. Traditional schools and online correspondence are other options. Completion of a course takes around 4-7 months.

Cynthia ~Social Cowgirl
www.SocialCowgirl.com