Medical Transcriptionist

Your at-home learning program offers courses designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you’ll employ in your new career in Medical Transcription. Your first Instruction Set will be sent to you as soon as your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.

In order to complete this program, students will be required to have an IBM®-compatible PC with the following minimum system requirements: Pentium III, or better; Windows® XP; 128 MB RAM minimum, plus an additional 8MB to open each additional Office XP application; 400MB free hard disk space; SVGA (800x600), 256 color or higher monitor; CD-ROM drive; mouse; Internet access.

Here is an overview of what you’ll learn and the order in which you’ll receive your learning materials:

Instruction Set 1

• Learning Strategies
  • Identifying and implementing a successful study method; planning when, where, and how you’ll study; creating effective and efficient study tools; using study tools to improve chances for success.
• Introduction to Medical Transcription
  • What a medical transcriptionist does; skills and personal qualities required; work settings; the origin and history of medical transcription; role of the AAMT; the CMT designation.

Instruction Set 2

• Time and Stress Management
  • The art of relaxation; stress reduction techniques that
    should be avoided; coping strategies; common stressors
    and symptoms of stress; dealing with emotional and social stress; the basic philosophy of mental health; lifestyle and lifetime goals; increasing your energy; establishing effective daily routines.
• Interpersonal Communication
  • The components of communication; interpersonal relations
    in the medical office; effective oral communication; interacting with patients; scheduling; patient reception; patients with special needs; health factors that contribute to wellness.
• Learning Aid: Online Audio File: Voice and Diction
• Online Supplement: Improve Your Communication Skills

Instruction Set 3

• Law, Ethics, and Medicine
  • The difference between laws and ethics; patient rights; physician’s and medical office professional’s responsibilities; professional liability; malpractice and determining negligence; health care issues.
• Keyboarding and Word Processing
  • Keyboarding techniques; developing speed and accuracy; creating, editing, formatting, saving, and printing documents; formatting business correspondence, simple reports, and tables.
• Textbook: Keyboarding and Word Processing
• Software: Keyboarding Pro
  • Microsoft® Office

Instruction Set 4

• Practices in Medical Law and Ethics
  • Consent; access to medical charts; defamation and the difference between libel and slander; protection against malpractice claims; legislation on reporting abuse of children.
• Introduction to Medical Terminology
  • Root words, prefixes, and suffixes and their use in medical terms; determining a medical term’s meaning by analyzing its parts; basic structures of the human body; anatomical position and directional terms; the six major body cavities.
• Textbook: Medical Law and Ethics
• Learning Aids:
  • Online Audio Files: Introduction to Medical Terminology Transcription
  • Practice Tape 1
• Supplement: Transcription Practice Text 1
• Equipment: Foot pedal with USB cable and software

Note: Foot pedal and software are shipped separately only after a percentage of tuition has been paid.

Instruction Set 5

• Body Systems Terminology 1
  • The organs of the digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems; the function and structure of these three systems; common pathology, symptoms of disease, and treatments for each system; tests and procedures for these three systems.
• Body Systems Terminology 2
  • The major structures of the musculoskeletal, nervous, and special sense systems; terms related to diseases, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of these three systems; using combining forms to build and analyze terms related to each of these systems.
• Learning Aids:
  • Online Audio Files: Body Systems Terminology 1
  • Body Systems Terminology 2
  • Transcription Practice Tape 2
• Online Supplement: Transcription Practice Text 2
• Reference: Medical Dictionary

Instruction Set 6

• Body Systems Terminology 3
  • The parts of the endocrine and circulatory systems; the function and structures of these two body systems; the pathology, symptoms of disease, and treatments for each system; common tests and procedures for each system; abbreviations relating to these systems.
• Body Systems Terminology 4
  • The organs and appendages of the integumentary and respiratory systems; the function of each organ and appendage; possible diseases and disorders of each of these body systems; laboratory and radiology tests of each body system; clinical and surgical procedures of each body system.
• Advanced Medical Terminology and Pharmacology
  • How cancer develops; benign and malignant tumors; types, grades, and stages of cancer; four major methods of cancer treatment; the types and uses of x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, and nuclear medicine tests; drug names and references; agencies of drug regulation; drug action and effect; surgical positions and supplies.
• Learning Aids:
  • Online Audio Files: Body Systems Terminology 3
  • Body Systems Terminology 4
  • Advanced Medical Terminology and Pharmacology
  • Transcription Practice Tape 3
• Supplements:
  • Terminology Activities
  • Transcription Practice Text 3

Instruction Set 7

• Written Communication 1
  • The parts of speech; determining sentence patterns; types
    of sentences; common errors in sentences; the purpose of punctuation; the usage of various punctuation marks; the basic rules for capitalizing words.
• Written Communication 2
  • The principles of unity, coherence, and emphasis; editing
    and proofreading; processing information requests and correspondence; writing original letters; formatting business letters; formatting formal and informal reports.
• Written Communication 3
  • Expanding reading recognition, writing, and speaking vocabularies; figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar words with context clues, prefixes, and suffixes; using a thesaurus; using synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms; denotation and connotation; forming plurals and possessives of nouns.
• Learning Aid: Online Audio File: Transcription Practice Tape 4
• Online Supplement: Transcription Practice Text 4

Instruction Set 8

• Medical Filing
  • A practical approach to filing; “hands-on” exercises in checking and applying your knowledge.
• Creating and Maintaining Medical Records
  • The purpose of medical records; creating accurate and complete medical records; different formats; maintenance;
    the difference between medical records and business records; equipment and procedures of medical transcription; full-block, modified-block, indented, and run-on report formats; preparing physicians’ manuscripts for submission to
    medical journals.
• Textbook: Medical Filing
• Learning Aid: Online Audio File: Transcription Practice Tape 5
• Online Supplement: Transcription Practice Text 5

Instruction Set 9

• Technologies in the Office
  • The impact of telecommunications technologies in the
    office; network systems; transmitting information using telephone systems; present and emerging telephone communications technologies and services; the use of computers in today’s offices.
• Learning Lab 1
  • “Hands-on” practical exercise in medical transcription.
    You will transcribe the following medical reports: History
    and Physical, Request for Consultation, Operative Report, Radiology Report, Pathology Report, and Discharge Summary.
• Learning Lab 2
  • “Hands-on” practical exercise in medical transcription with emphasis on spelling, word usage, punctuation, sentence structure, format, and appearance.
• Textbook: Hillcrest Medical Center Workbook
• Learning Aid: Online Audio File: Hillcrest Cases and Quality-Care Reports
• Online Supplements:
  • HIV/AIDS Awareness
  • Hillcrest Workbook Answer Key

• Graduation Set
• AAMT Style Guide
• Mentor Program Workbook
• Nursing Drug Handbook

Online Library and Librarian
Students in ICS Canada have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with ICS Canada.

Note: The graduation shipment will be sent when all program requirements and obligations have been met.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.