Medical Transcription Editor Certificate Program

Course Descriptions

The curriculum was designed by medical transcriptionists for medical transcriptionists. In addition to developing medical transcription skills, you will also train as a specialized medical transcriptionist editor, preparing for a future in the industry. Below are the modules in which you will gain competency.

Program Orientation

• Identify the elements, expectations, and requirements of the program.
• Navigate the program using the pages, menus, and buttons provided.
• Use the program tools, including the study planner, gradebook, and completion report.
• Contact Career Step using various communication tools - phone, email, forums, chat rooms, and social media.
• Identify and use program-specific resources, including Benchmark KB.

Medical Transcription and Editing Industry

• Develop awareness of the Medical Transcription Editing industry and occupation.
• Identify industry basics, tools, and trends, including the use of speech recognition technology.
• State the occupational conditions and expectations of Medical Transcription Editors.

Technology and the Medical Profession

• Identify basic computer hardware and interpret system requirements.
• Navigate a Windows operating system environment and install and operate basic software utilities.
• Use a web browser to navigate between websites in multiple tabs or windows, send and receive email, access search engines to find information, and troubleshoot basic computer problems.
• Recognize basic technologies related to a medical office environment.

Keyboard Kinetics

• Demonstrate proper, effective finger placement and typing proficiency.
• Assess keyboarding performance in terms of gross words per minute and net words per minute.

Medical Word Building

• Use Benchmark KB and other resources to verify medical terms.
• Define and combine common medical prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

Grammar and Punctuation

• Identify and correctly use each of the parts of speech.
• Recognize proper sentence structure and formatting, including punctuation and capitalization.
• Properly spell words that are commonly misspelled.

Anatomy, Pathophysiology, and Disease Process - Block 1

• Identify and classify basic disease terms, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments.
• Identify and describe the basic structure, organization, and functions of human body systems.
• Identify, define, and accurately spell basic anatomical terms related to the basic structure and function of human body systems.

Anatomy, Pathophysiology, and Disease Process - Block 2

• Further identify and describe the basic structure, organization, and functions of human body systems.
• Further identify, define, and accurately spell basic anatomical terms related to the basic structure and function of human body systems.

Mastering Medical Language

• Define common medical slang, jargon, and foreign terms.
• Distinguish between common similar medical words and word parts.
• Recognize common medical abbreviations and their meanings.

Pharmacology

• Distinguish between different categories of drugs and their basic actions and effects.
• Identify common drugs and their basic functions from the following categories: cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, pain management, psychological, and respiratory.
• Use legitimate resources to find drug definitions, dosages, pronunciations, and other related information.
• Properly interpret medications, dosages, and instructions for medication administration.
• Correctly spell commonly prescribed medications.

Healthcare Documentation

• Identify basic types of medical records, including work types, components, formatting, and documentation standards.
• Understand Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance and other related regulations and the role of healthcare documentation workers in preserving patient confidentiality and managing risk.

Diagnostic Reports

• Identify the basic elements of a diagnostic report, including identification of an illness/condition and any present therapeutic components.
• Use common terms and references related to the specialties of emergency room, physical medicine, radiology, and pathology.

Focus on Medical Specialties

• Determine the correct use of specialty-specific information related to medical terminology, abbreviations, phrases, conditions, and treatments.

Midterm

• Prove knowledge and understanding of the previous 13 modules.

Introduction to Transcription

• Identify the necessary tools and skills for efficient transcribing, including foot pedal, headphones, listening skills, keyboarding, and word expander software.
• Identify methods and techniques of transcription, including the 3-pass technique, using context, effective research methods, and editing techniques.
• Transcribe sentences, short paragraphs, sections of medical reports, and full medical reports.

Transcription Clinic Notes

• Accurately transcribe clinic notes and progress notes from several medical specialties, including general practice, cardiology, gastrointestinal, OB/GYN, and orthopedics, using resources such as Steadman’s array, contextual clues, and internet searches.

Transcription Basic Acute Care

• Transcribe basic acute care notes from several medical specialties, including cardiology, gastrointestinal, OB/GYN, and orthopedics, according to specific account instructions.
• Identify typical formatting components of basic acute care hospital reports, including radiology, emergency room, discharge summaries, and operative reports.

Transcription Advanced Acute Care

• Accurately transcribe advanced acute care notes from multiple specialties in compliance with account instructions.

Editing Theory

• Identify the components and account-specific considerations of a speech recognition draft.
• Use scanning techniques to identify and correct errors while avoiding over editing.
• Recognize and correct common technology-created errors in a draft, including misrecognition, substitution, addition, deletion, homonym, enunciation, and nonsense errors.

Editing Technique

• Install and use the AnyModal Edit browser plugin.
• Correctly navigate, control, and format a medical report using keyboard shortcuts.

Editing Clinic Notes

• Accurately and efficiently edit computer-generated medical report drafts.

Editing Acute Care

• Accurately and efficiently edit computer-generated medical report drafts

Final Exam Preparation, Expectations, and Policies

• Identify eligibility requirements, effective preparation techniques, and how to access the final exam.
• Identify the format, restrictions, and policies of the final exam, including scoring, retakes, allowed resources, and time limits.