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| What does a medical transcriptionist
need to know? Medical understanding is critical for
the professional medical transcriptionist. The complex terms used
in medicine are unlike the language used in any other profession.
Medical transcription requires a practical knowledge of medical
language relating to anatomy, physiology, disease processes, pharmacology,
laboratory medicine, and the internal organization of medical
reports. A medical transcriptionist is truly a medical language
specialist who must be aware of standards and requirements that
apply to the health record, as well as the legal significance
of medical transcripts.
Reports of patient care take many forms, including histories
and physical examinations, progress reports, emergency room notes,
consultations, operative reports, discharge summaries, clinic
notes, referral letters, radiology reports, pathology reports,
and an array of documentation spanning more than 60 medical specialties
and frequently dictated by healthcare providers for whom English
is a second language. Thus, the medical transcriptionist, or medical
language specialist, must be well versed in the language of medicine.
*American Association for Medical Transcription
Toll Free: 800.366.6816
Local: 704.527.8244
Fax: 702.977.3858
Email: tellmemore@unitedtr.com |
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Medical Transcriptionists
Partners In Medical Communication
Medical transcription has existed since the beginning of medical care and research.
Ancient cave writings attest to the earliest forms of healthcare documentation.
While the medium changed from metal plates to clay tablets,
from hieroglyphs on temple walls, to papyrus, to parchment, to paper, and most recently to electronic files,
the reasons for maintaining records have always been the same: to record an individual's health care and the achievements of medical science.
Until the twentieth century, physicians served both as providers of medical care and scribes for the medical community.
After 1900, when standardization of medical data became critical to research, medical stenographers replaced physicians as scribes,
taking their dictation in shorthand.
The advent of dictation equipment made it unnecessary for physician and scribe to work face-to-face,
and the career of medical transcription was born. As physicians came to rely on the judgment and deductive reasoning of experienced
medical transcriptionists to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of medical dictation, medical transcription evolved into a medical language specialty.
In the twenty-first century, some medical transcriptionists are using speech recognition technology to help them
create even more documents in a shorter time. Medical transcription is one of the most sophisticated of the allied health professions,
creating an important partnership between healthcare providers and those who document patient care.
Medical Transcriptionists As Professionals
Since 1978, medical transcriptionists (MTs) have been represented by a professional organization,
the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT), which has developed a competency profile and a model curriculum for
transcription educators, as well as model job descriptions for transcriptionists and transcription-related positions.
AAMT emphasizes continuing education for its members, holding an annual conference for medical transcriptionists, educators,
supervisors/managers, and business owners.
Through the efforts of AAMT, medical transcriptionists have become recognized as healthcare professionals and experts in the medical language.
While medical transcription is among the most fascinating of the allied health professions,
the general public knows little about those who practice this skill. It was not until 1999 that the U.S. Department of Labor
assigned a separate job classification (Standard Occupational Classification #31-9094) so that statistics could be gathered
on medical transcriptionists. Prior to that, transcriptionists were classified as typists, word processors, medical secretaries,
and dictating machine operators.
Through the efforts of AAMT, visibility and recognition for the profession have increased, and the terms medical transcriptionist
and medical language specialist have gained widespread acceptance.
Medical transcriptionists work in settings that are usually far removed from the examining rooms, clinics,
and hospital floors where health care is provided. Patients rarely have the opportunity to hear about those who
transcribe their medical reports, and medical transcriptionists rarely meet the subjects of their work.
All healthcare providers rely to some extent on the skills of the medical transcriptionist to provide written documentation of health care.
The reports produced by medical transcriptionists are the repository of information concerning medical practice.
These reports function as legal documentation and fulfill requirements for insurance reimbursement.
They also serve as reference for scientific research.
*American Association for Medical Transcription
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