Being An MT Editor

I had been an editor for just a short time; I’d say months, and it was quite an experience. I would start my day assigning voice files to my medical transcriptionist (MTs), the type of dictation, the length of the voice files, and their quantity. I would then tally them into my tally sheet, both on paper and in the MS Excel sheet. I then would sit and discuss the instructions with my MTs before they would begin transcribing.

During the day, from 9am until 1pm, I would sit with my MTs while they transcribed. Sitting with them means I would be listening with them while they are transcribing. How is this done? We have a “Y” or “jack” or “splitter” wherein 2 headsets can be plugged in so that 2 people could listen simultaneously. I would just listen with them and let them do their own stuff, i.e. their customized flagging of terms, their auto correction functions, etc. I would take down notes and later, after they’re done with their files, I would give my feedback. T At 2pm, the files would then be submitted for final editing. The process could be put this way: transcribing, editing, and proofreading. The first one is basically transcribing (encoding/typing) what had been dictated in the voice file. The second one is simply re‑listening to the voice file and correcting some misheards (terms typed differently from what were heard or terms typed wrongly). The last one is basically reading the transcribed document for correction and errors, i.e. grammar, punctuations, inconsistencies, redundancies, misspellings, etc.

At the end of the day, I would review the transcribed files with the MTs. I would also create a list for the voicefiles that came early in the morning or during the day for accountability purposes.