subject: Passion for the Language of Medicine and Health Sciences [print this page] Passion for the Language of Medicine and Health Sciences
Medical publications are not easy to understand. In order to appreciate them, you must have basic knowledge on the complex concepts of health sciences. You must also be familiar with a lot of convoluted terms used in medicine and anatomy. For ordinary people, this is not fun to do. Nevertheless, there are some who do this for a living.
These people are called Medical Transcriptionists. They convert medical reports and patient records from handwritten and voice-recorded forms to digitally processed documents. Medical transcriptionists utilize a "transcriber", a special kind of equipment for encoding and publication.
Medical transcriptionists must have technical knowledge in order to use transcriber machines. Commonly, transcribers are large voice recording devices with foot controls for record playback and transcription. Good transcribing skills involve mastery in using this equipment. In addition, they must have above average skills in grammar and communication. Above all, they must have a passion in understanding the language of medicine and health sciences.
Professionals in the field are known as Certified Medical Transcriptionists (CMT). They must have an understanding of the concepts and terminologies in health sciences. Those who want to be a medical transcriptionist must obtain a diploma or certificate in medical transcription.
Presently, most countries hire medical transcriptionists with 18 months to two years of specialized training. This is to ensure that medical transcriptionists have mastery of medical terminologies. Familiarity of medical language is essential in transcribing electronic medical records.
CMT's acquire their title by passing a certification examination given by a government organization. Basically, transcriptionists must be able to pass the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) exam before acquiring a CMT license. The RMT is an entry-level credential for transcriptionists who maintain electronic medical records in hospitals and medical centers. In 2006, the American government has launched an apprenticeship program for medical transcriptionist candidates in preparation for their licensure examination.
Aspiring individuals acquire a degree in medical transcription through a 2-to-4-year program in colleges and universities. There are hospitals which also provide basic trainings for interns who keep electronic medical records in their digital archive. Moreover, there are institutions offering online courses in medical transcription. The core objectives of these institutions are to hone the skills of medical transcriptionist aspirants, as well as to develop their passion in understanding the language of medicine and health sciences.
