Virtues of an MT

To study medical transcription is to study a new language. That is why it is said that medical transcriptionists are also known as medical linguists. Yet learning the language of medicine is not what makes a full-pledged MT. So what makes an MT? For me, it is the core values which embodies each and every medical transcriptionists and these are:

Patience. There is an unending supply of patience required in every MT. From the first step of learning to be one, to the time allotted to finish the required voicefiles, to the undetermined hours spent to research just a single medical word, and not counting that of the editing and proofreading part, all of these require enormous amount of patience.

Humility. I think the virtue of humility will always be a part of every MT because one is constantly being trained and retrained by every new file they encounter. One never stops learning thus I guess each MT accepts the fact that “the road to a perfect file is still far beyond the horizon.”

Openness. Every voicefile done is expected to have a mistake or a blank or a grammatical error may have been overlooked, thus an MT may be criticized and corrected. All these are normal settings, a part of an MT’s day to day struggles. An MT is always open to change, open to criticism, and open to be corrected for the better.

Commitment. When an MT starts a new file, there begins the commitment. A commitment to finish it and to present is as perfect as it should be.

Learning to become an MT is one thing but becoming an MT is another.

Written by: Jeanette Lee-Nicolas MD

Study Tips for the Aspiring MT

The basic foundation of all learning is the development of a study habit. The habit of reading, understanding, researching, and listening is a result process of constancy. The medical transcription course similarly entails such a habit. Since an MT course is primarily the development of skills in listening, research, and typing; the knowledge of medicine makes the backbone for such a skill. Thus, here are some study tips for the aspiring MT:

1. Read and listen. I cannot overemphasize the importance of reading the topic of discussion prior to its lecture. In this way, you are able to prime your brain of what to expect and possibly get the answer to the questions you encountered while reading.
2. Application by usage. There is no better way to memorize anything than to frequently use it. In medical transcription, we are trained to be medical linguist. Therefore, any new knowledge of its language must be used in our day to day activities
3. Compile. The medical science is so vast. With the longest training of 9 months as an MT, one cannot expect to grasp the totality of that field. So whenever you encounter a new word (especially drug names), write it down in your notes. Take note of the pronunciation, spelling, and their usage. Compile all these and who knows, you might come up with a new thesaurus of your own?
4. Practice, practice and practice. Since medical transcription is a skill that we can develop, the only way one becomes good or even the best is to practice… practice typing, practice listening, and practice researching.

Written by: Jeanette Lee-Nicolas MD/Medical Transcriptionist