I've decided to add a blog to my site! Perhaps no one will read it, I don't know, but I often find myself thinking about various things relating to my business and the medical transcription industry and decided it was about time I put these thoughts down from time to time.  So here we go, my first entry.

Transcription typing isn't just about typing what you hear.  There's a big difference between hearing something and actually listening to it.  It's an acquired skill, too, and one well worth cultivating.

Many times I've QA'd work and known immediately that the MT didn't have her mind on the job and was just typing what she heard rather than actively listening to what was being said.  Examples of this include typing such things as "She has lost 45 kg in the last two months".  Now unless you are really, really sick, no one loses 45 kg in eight weeks! Of course what was dictated was "She has lost 4 to 5 kg...", but said quickly, and without listening properly, it could sound like 45.

Accents can also present a challenge in the hearing versus listening area.  I'll never forget many years ago seeing an MT type that a patient had "duck urine"! Of course, it was dark urine but the physician's accent made it sound like duck.  Hilarious as this error was, it also showed that the MT was clearly not taking notice of what was being said and just typing automaton-like, without thinking, and that's never good.  As long as a physician speaks clearly, an accent should not be a problem for an MT who is actively listening to what is being said, and not just hearing it.

Another example is when a dictating physician makes an error.  This does happen occasionally, believe it or not.  Many MTs take the line that whatever is dictated must be correct, and that it is 'not their place' to correct or question.  I disagree.  If an error is dictated and you know it is an error, then the right thing to do is to draw the physician's attention to it, either by correcting it and noting the correction, or by making a time stamp mark and querying what was dictated with a note along the lines of "is this correct?", to alert them to it.  Most dictating physicians are dictating multiple letters or clinics in one hit, often at night, and the odd error is bound to slip through.  A good MT knows this and corrects and notes accordingly.  Doctors aren't infallible and in my experience, they (and/or the practice staff) are very grateful for having an error pointed out so it can be fixed.

An MT who masters the skill of active listening as opposed to just hearing what is being said, makes herself all the more valuable in the industry.