Q: I read in some places that as an MT we are supposed to correct reports. Other places state that an MT should type exactly what is said. What is the correct thing to do?
A. Training should be based on verbatim transcripts, so students will learn to type exactly what the dictator says, which is first and foremost in this career. The task of a medical transcriptionist is to convert medical dictation to accurate and complete medical reports. Accuracy of medical content is the most important requirement and should be the top goal of every professional medical transcriptionist. Transcripts may differ in format and style, but there should be no difference in medical content. Newbies who attempt to change things may not recognize that what they are doing could also be changing the meaning. Therefore, until a person gains experience in the field it is most important to type verbatim. At Med Workshops, we train our students to become familiar with this concept from the very beginning.