Career Step: The Ivy League Choice D · career objectives. With tens of thou-sands of our graduates in healthcare careers, Career Step has proven that completion of our training programs

In This Issue

Did you know that “Ivy League” refers to an athletic

conference? The term originally ap-plied to this now well-known group of schools for sporting purposes. Of course, now the term connotes aca-demic excellence and a certain edu-cational philosophy inherent to this group of prestigious universities that are among the oldest and best universities in the U.S. What sets these schools apart from others is the quality of the education and the prestige connected with obtaining a degree from one of these institu-tions. A degree from an Ivy League school carries a weight of which other schools can only dream. Their prestige carries far enough for pro-spective students to apply despite the elevated expense and for the govern-ments to shell out tens of thousands of dollars worth of grants to keep these schools on the cutting edge.

Founded in 1992, Career Step is one of the oldest distance learning MT train-ing programs out there. From the be-ginning, Career Step has been dedicated to quality train-ing utilizing practical experience. Our partnerships with many lead-ing MTSOs (Medical Transcription Service Organizations) have allowed us to include hundreds of medical reports taken from the field to train our students. The hands-on experi-ence makes our graduates some of

Career Step: The Ivy League Choiceadvances, we now offer courses that provide training for medical editing, utilizing a software program that is one of the most well known in the industry. Additionally, as the indus-try moves toward credentialing, we offer preparatory courses for RMT (Registered Medical Transcription-ist) and CMT (Certified Medical Transcriptionist), both exams of-fered through AHDI. For more in-formation on these credentials, feel free to read through the article ti-

Case Studies in Success . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Notes From the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Med Gab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Personal Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Dear Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Student Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

From Thoughts to Threads . . . . . . . . . 7

Work Smarter Not Harder . . . . . . . . . 8

Ivy League Breakdown . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Graduate Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Finders Keepers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Speech Wreck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

the most sought after in the industry. Be-cause the course contains all types of re-ports, accents, and specialties, delivered in an online format, our students are better able to transition into the work force and adapt to their account specifications on the job. Obtaining a certificate of gradu-ation from the Career Step MT training program carries weight when compared with other programs, so much so that many companies will waive experience requirements for our graduates.

Other institutions provide subpar training that generally takes less time and may require less out-of-pocket ex-pense but does not prepare students for the rigors of the work field. Students may receive a brief introduction to medical terminology and anatomy and then their transcription consists of a brief selection of reports, maybe 50-100. The informa-tion and skills covered are not enough to help them successfully pass employment exams upon finishing the training pro-

gram, thus not allowing them to enter the work force. Career Step is dedicated to effectively train individuals to work straight out of the pro-gram.

The healthcare industry changes rap-idly, and with advancing technology the transcription industry has grown to in-clude new opportunities for those with transcription training. The advent of speech recognition technology has slight-ly altered MT job descriptions in some places to medical editors. In an effort to keep our students abreast of the latest

"A degree from an Ivy League school carries a weight of which other schools can only dream.”

Continued on pg. 6

Volume 14 | Issue 1 | January/February 2011

2 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 STEPPING UP

New Year, New ThemeSmell that? That’s the smell of

a new year. A clean slate. A chance for change and renewed effort be-hind old goals.

As an editorial team, we want to pick a theme for 2011 that re-flects a desire to hold oneself to higher standards and new ways to approach success from some familiar names. We truly feel that Career Step is a great institution for learning. By bringing training and education online in a compre-hensive and interactive format,

we hope to increase opportunities for success and advancement in the challenging world of healthcare. Specifically in the realm of medical transcription, Career Step is the “Ivy League” choice when compared to other programs. With that in mind, every issue this year will contain a feature article examining an Ivy League university’s approach to suc-cess and how that approach applies to success in the MT training pro-gram. We will also discuss account-ability and provide a hands-on ap-proach to build your personal study

habits. We’re excited to introduce a new section titled Notes from the Top. In this section a member of the executive management team has the opportunity to share their thoughts about Career Step’s place within the industry from an execu-tive vantage point. We’ll also have a fun new game and offer some re-search tips.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the new year!

Case Studies in SuccessThe Harvard Approach to Success

I learned something intriguing about Harvard University to-

day: “Harvard University… does not have a formal mission statement.” I took pause after reading that sentence. Surely an Ivy League university that has a solid gold reputation built on scholastic excellence and outstanding academic achievements has a mission statement; perhaps they just hadn’t verbalized it in Times New Roman 12-point font for all Web surfers to read. I wasn’t satisfied, so I dug a lit-tle deeper. Harvard University does not, in fact, have a mission statement; however, they have a values statement, which centers on upholding “certain basic values.” In short: respect, hon-esty, integrity, excellence, and account-ability.

Accountability. That’s a big word. Not because it has 14 letters, which gives no contest to 26-letter “esoph-agogastroduodenoscopy,” but because its definition implies rather weighty responsibility to someone or for some-thing.

I thought about what that might mean for faculty. Every educational

Blitz chats, the Study Planner, several forums, access to Student Support via email and telephone, resume review, and so on. (There are simply too many things to list them all!) Perhaps you’ve already been the recipient of these support services. If you haven’t been yet, why not take advantage of our of-ferings?

Accountability and success is a two-way street, though. As much as a school is responsible for quality education, students are responsible for quality learning. It is only with both of these components that success can be intimately entertained. Therefore, Harvard College, which does have a mission statement, “encourages stu-dents…to assume responsibility for the consequences of personal actions.” Generally when we think of “college” and “personal actions” and “conse-quences” all in the same sentence, we think of something along the lines of binge drinking the night before a big test--but how about time management, honest self-assessment, and diligent study? Are those not also personal ac-tions that carry consequences directly

institution holds some accountability for its students’ successes, being re-sponsible to their students for quality education. Harvard is no exception. To that end, their Office of Student Affairs “encourages and supports stu-dent success by providing a variety of support services, programs, and activities to enhance the student ex-perience.”

So what do we at Career Step of-fer that fulfills our responsibility to our students in such a manner? For students facing the challenges of the practicum, we’ve made available the Transcription Consultation that ad-dresses the frustrations of style ver-sus error. Throughout the practicum, there are three opportunities to have your reports graded the same way they would be on the final exam by means of the CN (Clinic Notes), BAC (Basic Acute Care), and AAC (Ad-vanced Acute Care) assessment tests. To help take away those final exam jit-ters, we offer the Pre-final Consulta-tion. But the support services and ac-tivities don’t end there! Other things you can take advantage of include the Thursday Moderated Chat and daily Continued on pg. 5

Notes From the TopMike Wilstead

Hello, my name is Mike Wilstead, and I have the

privilege of serving as Career Step’s President and Chief Executive Officer. I joined Career Step two years ago with 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I have worked with companies that provide products and services to hospitals to improve patient care and more efficiently manage their institutions. My tenure at Career Step, applying my experience in healthcare to the development and implementation of programs that prepare individuals for a thriving career in healthcare, has been gratifying.

The healthcare field is demanding, yet provides endless opportunities, and Career Step’s mission is to pro-vide innovative, accessible and quality education through ethical and exem-plary business practices. By delivering on this commitment, we provide you, the student, and our graduates with the opportunity to gain an invaluable

education followed by a thriving ca-reer. Career Step graduates typically score higher on national examinations for their preferred field and enjoy last-ing careers with institutions. The suc-cess of our students is directly linked to the quality of our online learn-ing environment and the dedication of our highly trained staff. We want you to know that we are committed to your success through our training programs that lead to a career. As we discuss enhancements to current training programs, or new vocational programs, our emphasis remains on quality education that prepares our students to pass final exams and be-come gainfully employed.

As we look forward to 2011, let me offer our assistance to you as you work to complete educational and ca-reer goals. It is through your success that we attain true accomplishment for what we do here at Career Step. We know our programs are not easy; they are not designed to be. They are,

however, structured to provide you with a quality educational experience that will prepare you to achieve your career objectives. With tens of thou-sands of our graduates in healthcare careers, Career Step has proven that completion of our training programs will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to be success-ful. Today these graduates are achiev-ing family and personal goals as a re-sult of the commitment they made to study hard and apply their knowledge in the workplace.

My best to each of you. As we begin a new year at Career Step, we wish you a bright 2011 where you can utilize the training you have received and skills you have developed to enjoy a fulfilling career and improve your quality of life.

Take care,

- Mike WilsteadCareer Step CEO

STEPPING UP JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 3

Med Gab

1. I Know A Cutest Rest __________________2. Full Rage Emotion ____________________3. Eggs Hearse Sized Hay Lee __________4. Sigh Goes Home Attic __________5. Eek Whole Eye Back Teary Aah __________6. Eye Falafel __________7. You Says Dye Erected __________8. Lack Docent Holler Rent __________9. Police Collar Dock Tour __________10. Rig Yeller Ate And Writhe Hymn __________

Sometimes when comparing what you heard to the comparison grader, you have to sit back and wonder, “How did they get from that to that?!” In the spirit of deciphering medicalese, the puzzles below contain a set of unrelated words that make up a familiar medical phrase. Hint: It helps to read the phrase out loud and sometimes quickly to understand the hidden phrase. Good luck!


Personal AccountabilitySetting Goals

A common question we get in Student Support is, “How

do I get through the course?” It’s a very general question, often posed in frustration by students who are sincere in their desire to succeed but just don’t know where to begin. The short answer, of course, is to just log on and do it! That’s more easily said than done, of course, because it leaps over many of the steps necessary to go from wanting to complete the pro-gram to actually being a successful graduate. Let’s break down some of those steps.

First, set your goals. Please un-derstand there is a big difference be-tween dreams, wishes, itches, yearns, wants, etc., and real goals. A goal is written down; it’s realistic, it’s specif-ic, it’s measurable, and it has a plan at-tached outlining exactly how it will be accomplished. A goal is not a fleeting thought and it’s not passive. A goal clarifies your direction and motiva-tion, sparks action, and requires work. It involves:

1. A clearly stated outcome (what do you want to do?)2. A plan for accomplishing it (what work must be done?) 3. An expected competency level (how well?)4. A time frame for completion (by when?)

When writing your goal, make sure you don’t make the mistake of list-ing activities instead of goals. A goal states your accomplishment; an activ-ity is what you do to achieve the goal. You do specific activities because they move you closer to your goal. For ex-ample, reading for an hour each night is an activity that leads to the goal of completing Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Reading for an hour each night is not a goal in and of itself.

Let’s say you want to finish the program and you don’t want to get any extensions. Simply enrolling does not mean you’ll get through it and graduate, of course, and you’ve already found that trying to study in your free time is not an effective ap-proach because free time never really arises. Start by writing down your goal using the list above as a guideline. Maybe you’ll come up with something like this:

I will graduate from the Career Step training course (what you want to do), by completing all the requirements and pass-ing the final exam (the work you must do) with high honors (how well) by my expi-ration date (write in the actual date).

Your initial enrollment period is 12 months, so this is a medium-term goal (long-term goals reach 3-10 years out, generally). To be really ef-fective, you need to further refine your plan and set short-term goals. Take some time to become oriented to the program so you are familiar with the course layout and you have a sense of what is required. If available, use the Study Planner tool from the front page of your course to get a personal-ized report of your progress and your schedule for what you still need to do to complete it. Using the formula out-lined above, write goals and activities for each module, or for each measur-able chunk of time. Make sure you consult a calendar and assign dates. Make sure you write out very specific activities for completion of each mod-ule goal, as well. It might look some-thing like this:

Monthly Goal: I will complete the first 5 modules of the program (Pro-gram Orientation, Technology & the Medical Professional, Keyboard Ki-netics, Medical Word Building, and Grammar & Punctuation) by devoting 24 hours/week to the program, with scores at or above 85%, in 4 weeks (provide a date).Activity: Log on and work through the course from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Mon-Sat.

Week 1 Goal: I will complete Program Orientation and Technology & the Medi-cal Professional by devoting 24 hours/week to the program, with scores at or above 85%, in 1 week (provide a date). (Write this on your calendar.)Week 2 Goal: I will complete Key-board Kinetics (test out) and Medical Word Building by devoting 24 hours/week to the program, with scores at or above 85%, in 1 week (provide a date). (Write this on your calendar.)Week 3 Goal: I will complete the first half of Grammar & Punctuation by de-voting 24 hours/week to the program, with scores at or above 85%, in 1 week (provide a date). (Write this on your calendar.)Week 4 Goal: I will complete the second half of Grammar & Punctua-tion by devoting 24 hours/week to the program, with scores at or above 85%, in 1 week (provide a date). (Write this on your calendar.)

Activity: Log on and work through the course from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Mon-Sat.Activity: Contact Career Step to schedule and attend an Orientation Consultation.Activity: Join the forums and attend the scheduled chats.Activity: Check Gradebook and

Continued on pg. 8

Personal accountability: Standards you set and promises you make to yourself about your level of performance and mode of behavior. It involves accepting responsibility for your choices and how you choose to react to any situation; it affects all

areas of your life, it shapes your personality and, in many cases, influences your level of success in your chosen field


linked to one’s success?An excerpt from the Harvard Edu-

cation Letter used the following quote from Douglas B. Reeves: “We have done a splendid job of holding nine-year-olds accountable. Let me suggest as a moral principle that we dare not hold kids any more accountable than we expect to hold ourselves.” While this quote, in context, applies to a dif-ferent setting than what we’re discuss-ing now, I found the ideas it stirred up in my mind to be quite relevant.

As parents, we expect several things from our nine-year-olds when it comes to education. We expect them to listen in class, fully participate in activities, complete their homework, study for exams, ask for help, take no shortcuts, learn to research, make and reach goals, stick to the school’s schedule, and complete their grade level in a timely manner.

Now ask, do you expect that of

yourself? Or do you make excuses you would never allow your nine-year-old to make? I’m not talking about the time you caught little Tommy trying to entice the family dog into eating his homework (quite frankly, I doubt you’d entertain the equivalent idea of trying to entice the family dog into eating your foot pedal); I’m talking about when little Susie sat at the table all evening doing her half-hour read-ing assignment because she just had to tell little Tommy all the details of what she ate for lunch that day and then she had to share the juicy details with the poor family dog that I keep dragging into this. In other words, I’m talking about falling prey to dis-tractions: email, Facebook, games, T.V., phone calls… playing with the family dog. Does any of this sound familiar?

Let’s go back to Harvard College’s mission statement, that students should “assume responsibility for the consequences of personal actions.” It

took me a long time after initially read-ing that phrase to see another side of it. Call me a glass-is-half-empty kind of gal, but I couldn’t seem to break away from a negative outlook on that statement. I kept thinking about how negative actions produce negative re-sults. But then the light bulb went on that by the same token, positive actions produce positive results and we can own those consequences too!

Setting and reaching goals, using time wisely, making concentrated ef-fort to focus and progress at a con-sistent pace are all personal actions that will result in your success—successfully graduating, successfully securing employment, and success-fully maintaining that employment. By your choices and actions you can hold yourself accountable and own your success!

- Heather GarrettCS Skills Assessment Team

Continued from pg. 2 - Success

Dear Susan...Dear Susan—

I’ve been interested in medical transcription for a long time, but there are so many courses that teach it. I can’t decide which one is best. Your Career Step course looks good, but I need to be sure before I spend the money. Why should I enroll in this course?

Signed,Undecided

Dear Undecided—

Your question is very good. Of course you must be wise with your investment of time and money!

Our goal is simple: We want any graduate of the MT program to be able to accurately and efficiently perform medical transcription when they are

finished. We believe a solid basis of medical terminology and background medical knowledge, in addition to transcribing lots of real doctor-dictated medical reports is the most effective way to learn.

The Career Step program was developed by medical transcriptionists and professionals involved in the medical transcription industry. With more than 800 reports to transcribe, the Career Step training you receive is the most practical and comprehensive available anywhere.

Many students come to us after taking a course at another school because they’ve found they are not

sufficiently prepared to get a job and the medical transcription

companies turning them down recommend the Career Step course to them. Also, many MT companies will not hire you without 2-3 years of previous MT experience, but this requirement is waived for

Career Step graduates, because these companies have confidence in the scope and quality of the CS course.

I hope this helps alleviate some of your concerns!

Sincerely,

- Susan Tuckett, CMTCS Student Support Team

Student SpotlightSuzanne Kuzminski


Continued from pg. 1 - Ivy League...

tled Credentials, Credentials, Credentials from our last issue.

The healthcare industry is vast, and the need for trained profession-als continues to grow. As we have in the past, Career Step will continue to offer quality training in a self-paced,

user-friendly online format. In 2010, we released new courses in Medi-cal Transcription Editor, Pharmacy Technician, and Medical Adminis-trative Assistant. Our partnerships internationally and with the military allow us to help touch lives all over the world. With Career Step, students have the opportunity to successfully prepare for rewarding careers. Career

Step truly is the “Ivy League” choice among medical transcription schools.

- Chelsea PyleCS Skills Assessment Team

Hi! My name is Suzanne, and I currently live in PA with

my husband and two big dogs. In the past, I have also lived in NJ, OH, and OR. When not working on my course work, you can find me either reading or working on a craft or sewing proj-ect.

My stepmother has been an MT for 40+ years. When I was a child, she worked from home but would have to go into the office every few days to drop off her completed work and pick up new work. This was way before computers and Internet. The reports were recorded on reel-to-reel tape machines, and she used a typewriter to do her work, complete with car-bon paper and Wite-Out. Can you imagine? Every time I hear a doctor say go back and add something, I think of my step-mother and her Wite-Out!

I have spent most of my career working as an accountant. A few years ago, I began to grow tired of what I was doing. Also, because of my hus-band’s job, we move every few years. With every move I have to quit my job and start over in a new state. We cur-rently live in the country where the average commute is about an hour. Working from home started to sound better and better. Several times MT

work came to mind, but I never men-tioned it to anyone and never pursued it. In May 2009, I was at a family gath-ering and was introduced to my step-mother’s office manager. I mentioned my thoughts about MT work, and she recommended Career Step. I went online and looked up Career Step. It sounded like a great program, and since it came recommended by some-one in the industry, I enrolled a few months later.

I have enjoyed every

minute of my Career Step experience. (Okay, maybe not the AAC reports I’m working on right now!) I have always loved school and the learning experi-ence. I was like a kid in a candy store the day my CS books arrived!

Since I’ve always enjoyed school, I found the pre-practicum portion of the course familiar from a learn-ing perspective. However, once I got to the practicum part of the course, it was a whole new ballgame! Wow! Who knew that listening to someone talk and typing what you heard could be so hard at times?! I really enjoy the research part of the work. However, it can be difficult to research when you can’t understand what the doctor is saying!

The practicum part of the course has definitely been challenging at times, complete with wanting to throw my laptop out the window a few times along the way! I keep telling myself that this is a learning process and that’s what I’m doing – learning. If it was easy, we wouldn’t have to go to school and everyone would be do-ing it!

I have made sure to frequent the

CS student forums throughout the course. Knowing that I am not alone in this and that everyone has rough days has helped me immensely. I find lots of encouragement there on a daily basis and a “we can do this” attitude.

I was hoping to finish the course in a year, but life got in the way a few times. I made sure not to let the time off deter me from my goal. I am on track to finish in 15 months. On a side note, the family gathering where I met my stepmother’s office manager was my father’s funeral. I like to think that I came away with something positive that day.

- Suzanne Kuzminski


From Thoughts to ThreadsKeep away from nasty viruses this winter!

The cold and flu season has arrived, so it’s not surprising that the buzz on the forum seems to be about viruses – computer viruses that is! More than the cold and flu season, I surmise the reason for this escalated concern is that many people purchase

computers during the holiday season’s electronics sales, complete with a free 1-year trial of an antivirus program. Likely many students and graduates are getting regular pop-up notifications that their antivirus program is about to expire. So should you dig into your pocket and fork over the money for a paid subscription or are the freebies just as good? Read on for some great

suggestions and opinions.

To pay or not to pay...

I’ve been a faithful AVG user for nearly 4 years now, and haven’t got-ten a single virus since I started us-ing it (granted it is only part of my overall security/scanning routine) . Before AVG, I used both Norton and McAfee for a few years, yet my ma-chine was **always** infected with something… Even between infec-tions it ran like molasses (resource hogs they are!)

I have been using Kaspersky for the past year or so. I find it to be highly reliable. My company’s IT department had us run another program several months ago, so at their suggestion, I ran it. One of my managers said it found several problems on her machine that her other anti-virus didn’t catch. I ran it and my computer was completely clean. So that assured me that Kaspersky is probably doing a very good job! Yes, I have to pay for it, but so far, it has definitely been worth the money.

I used to think that all viruses

came as file downloads or email attachments . Then, I heard that someone caught a virus at one of the MT sites . I didn’t know you could get a virus by just clicking on a website . That was a pretty scary thought for me so I decided to switch to Avira Premium . I’ve been very happy with it . Now, my subscription is up and I was getting ready to renew when I read that Microsoft has a free virus program call Microsoft Security Essentials . Does anyone use it?

It sounds like it might be a good choice and it’s free .

I use Microsoft Security Essentials and think it’s great. The IT guy at the office I used to work at highly recommended it.

The program is fairly good . I’ve read comparisons of different security software and it ranked well . If I remember right it wasn’t outstanding in any one category, but it did a decent job overall . If I see a system running Windows Vista that doesn’t already have something on it, I recommend it .

I use it. The IT department at one of the largest national tran-scription companies recommend-ed it and said it was the best out there right now. He also recom-mended using Malwarebytes, also free, along with it.

If you’re still looking for free alternatives, you might look into AVAST . I have been using it and am very satisfied. A repair tech from HP told me it’s as good as any, and better than most you pay for .

I run Avast and love it. So much better than the Norton I was paying for. I have heard AVG is good too. It works and doesn’t get in the way of anything.

I’m using Avast right now and used AVG before that . They both work great with no problems .

I use Avira Antivir free version.

It blocked the MTDesk virus about a year or so ago. Before that I used ESET NOD32, which is a very highly rated AV program that doesn’t slow down your system like McAfee or Norton. It’s reasonably priced also. The only reason I switched is to save money. Although Avira has worked very well for me, I’m going to go back to Eset for my work computer. Saving $40 a year isn’t worth losing my computer.

Why not use the free version of Avira? That is what I use along with Comodo for my firewall (also free). I haven’t used Microsoft Security Essentials . I have used AVG and Avast . I prefer Avira as it doesn’t bog my computer down like Avast or to a lesser extent AVG .

I don’t want to pay for anti-virus, period. I know the old saying, you get what you pay for, but the one that I did pay for slowed my system to a grinding halt and it didn’t catch anything. I have AVG and have no problems. But since nothing is 100%, I also use three other cleaning programs on a daily basis. I feel you just can’t depend on one program to do the job. JMHO.

-Heather GarrettCS Student Support Team


Completion Report to make sure all submitted scores are satisfactory. Ac-tivity: Reassess goal to make sure it’s achievable and reasonable.

Setting reasonable goals and breaking them down into steps is an

Continued from pg. 4 - Accountabilityeffective exercise in personal account-ability and will help you feel more in control of this task and your time. Once you have done this ground-work you will never have to wonder if you’re on track—you’ll know exactly where you stand—and that’s a really

good feeling!

Next issue: How do you use your time?

- Jill McNittCS Student Support Team

Work Smarter not HarderBack to the Basics: Testing 101!

Generally speaking, I like to consider myself a pretty

good cook, although I have to admit that from time to time, despite all the effort I put in, some things just don’t turn out the way I picture. How could this be? Rachel Ray makes it look so easy! I’m sure that it had noth-ing to do with the baby crying, the phone ringing, the dog barking, my always-talkative neighbor returning my casserole dish, or the two trips to the school to pick up kids in between my preparation. I can’t imagine that I could have missed a single step!

As a student support team, we of-ten discuss what things our students struggle with the most and how we can help them feel more prepared for the final exam. More often than not, we come back to the basics. Let’s take a step back for a moment.

Many of you based your decision to become an MT on your personal situation. Perhaps you have small chil-

dren that you want to be home with or you might be caring for a loved one. In any case, you still have your day-to-day life on top of your training.

An important part of your success

as a student will depend on the support of your family, friends, and neighbors, and their understanding that you are now training to work from home.

The Career Step support team has developed a recipe for success. If you take note of the key ingredients and follow the instructions, your final result could be even better than you imagined. Take advantage of all that the student support team has to offer you, including consultations and chats. Make sure you contact us with ques-tions, read Stepping Up, and become an active member of the forum. All of these things will help you be more prepared to take your final exam.

I suggest making a simple check list a few days before you plan to test

that includes preparing a few meals ahead of time, making arrangements to get kids to practice and lessons if necessary, informing friends and fam-ily of your time commitment while testing, having all resources prepared for instant use and preparing your mind and body to focus. In my case, this would mean having plenty of Diet Pepsi and chocolate on hand! In your case, this might mean doing yoga or something else that you enjoy be-fore you start your test.

Last but definitely not least, it is always a good idea to review the Final Exam Preparation module before tak-ing your final exam to make sure you have a good understanding of what you can and cannot use while testing. And, as always, use common sense.

Happy Testing!

-Adrianne SommerCS Student Support Team

Ivy League BreakdownHere’s a breakdown of the Ivy League schools we will be featuring this year. There are eight universities included in the Ivy

League, but we will only be featuring six in 2011.

1. Harvard University

Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their official mascot is John Harvard; however, the color crimson is their most visible symbol. Their motto is simply Veritas—truth. Founded in 1636, Harvard is claimed

to be the oldest college or university in the U.S.

2. Columbia University

Columbia is located in the Big Ap-ple, New York, New York. Their mas-cot is the lion, and their motto is In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen—In Thy

light shall we see the light. More No-bel Prize laureates have been affiliated with Columbia than with any other institution in the world.

Continued on pg. 9


Graduate In The SpotlightCarrie Verrocchio

Hi! My name is Carrie Verrocchio, and I graduated

from the MT training program in August of 2010. I retook the exam and received honors status in September. I am training with 2 companies presently: True Blue Transcription (sister company to RI Transcription Solutions) and InScribe. The training I received through Career Step has been invaluable, and I feel confident in my ability to be an excellent transcriptionist.

I wanted to share with you the rea-son that I wanted to be a medical tran-scriptionist in the first place. I have always been interested in medical ter-minology and the healthcare field in gener-al. I have also always enjoyed typing and of-fice work. For quite a while I thought about training to be a medical transcriptionist, sort of the best of both worlds for me.

In the summer of 2007, my broth-er, Bill, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. They didn’t offer him

much hope, but he was a fighter. Dur-ing his surgeries, hospital stays, chemo treatments and radiation treatments, I took over some of the insurance and paperwork aspects of his fight. I was able to read through the medical re-cords, and I realized how important it was for the transcription to be per-fect. This was my BROTHER after all! After a long fight, my brother was feeling better, and in the summer of 2009 they even took his chemo port out, declaring that he wouldn’t need it anymore. Through all of this, my desire to study medical transcription grew.

In the early fall of 2009, my brother started to get sick again, and we all prayed that it was “just the flu,” but we all feared the worst. Bill’s cancer WAS

back, and it was back with a vengeance. Bill fought hard; he went though more surgeries, more chemo, and more ra-diation. I started to deal with the pa-perwork again, and I decided it was time to study medical transcription. I signed up with Career Step. Bill

encouraged me even as he fought his own battle. He told me that he would be cheering me on, even if it was from Heaven.

I had hoped to be finished with the program by the middle of June, but on May 16, 2010, my brother lost his bat-tle with colon cancer. He was only 48. I took time away from the program to spend time with my family.

As mentioned before, I finished the program in August 2010. I am determined to provide excellent tran-scription records for other patients and families who are depending on the perfect written medical record to be in their medical files. For those of you struggling out there, don’t give up! The time and the effort are well worth it!

- Carrie Verrocchio

3. Princeton University

Princeton is located, very fittingly, in Princeton, New Jersey. Their mas-cot is the tiger, and their motto is Dei Sub Numine Viget—Under the Protec-tion of God She Flourishes. R.S. Du-gan named an asteroid after Princeton in 1903.

4. Yale University

Yale is located in New Haven, Con-necticut. Their mascot is the bulldog,

and their motto is Lux et veritas—Light and truth. Yale alumni include 5 U.S. Presidents and 19 U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

5. Dartmouth College

Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire. Although they do not have an official mascot, like Harvard, they are identified by a color, The Big Green. Their motto is Vox clamantis in deserto—The voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Dartmouth is the smallest school in the Ivy League.

6. Brown University

Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island. Their mascot is the bear, and their motto is In Deo Sper-amus—In God We Trust. Surpris-ing fact: Brown was named the most fashionable school in the Ivy League by the fashion trade journal Women’s Wear Daily.

Continued from pg. 8 - Ivy League


inders KeepersFSometimes something we hear in a report is difficult to research and verify. A wild goose chase through our

resources is not much fun if it’s not also successful, but sometimes we find exactly what we’re looking for. These moments are powerful learning moments. We’re calling this column FINDERS KEEPERS because when you research and find what you’re looking for you’re likely to keep it in your permanent knowledge banks!

The research question:

The doctor dictated two blood pressures—one on the right arm and one on the left. Is this right? Why would he do this?.

How could you find the answer?

Well, you could ask your friends and family. Perhaps they have person-al experience with this. Aunt Mazie says:

• When I went to a nephrologist for the first time, they took blood pressures in both arms and both ankles. They also read my left arm sitting, lying down, and standing. It was the only doctor to ever take it that way.

And your next door neighbor says:

• When I was in the hospital pregnant and had preeclampsia, they would always note which side my BP was taken on, and they would only compare numbers if they were on the same side--so I think there can be at least some variation from side to side, although I don’t know all the reason-ing behind that.

Okay, that’s good information. Now you know that you heard the re-port correctly and that doctors take blood pressures from both sides, and there may be a good reason to do so. As an MT you need to know more, though. Next, you talk to a fellow MT. Your coworker says:

• Yes, I’ve transcribed that before, too. If done correctly, initial blood pressure readings should be done on both arms; af-ter that, it is as needed. Certain diagnoses can be ruled in if there is a substantial difference between the arms.

Now your interest is piqued so you go to your computer and search for more information. You type “blood pressure” into a Google search and get a lot of general information on what it is, normal readings, and what it means if blood pressure is high. You read about how to take a reading and some information about different types of blood pressure cuffs. It’s all good stuff, but not specific enough. Finally you type “bp readings in both arms” into your Google search bar. Several good sites pop up, including www.mayoclinic.com which says:

“Generally, a small difference in blood pressure readings between arms isn’t a health concern. However, a dif-ference of more than 20 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic pres-sure (top number) or more than 10 mm Hg for diastolic pressure (bottom number) may be a sign of an underly-ing problem — such as narrowing of the main arteries to that arm. If you have a significant difference in blood pressure readings between arms, talk to your doctor.

“Your doctor may measure your blood pressure in both arms to see if you have high blood pressure (hy-pertension). If your blood pressure is higher in one arm, your doctor will probably use the blood pressure read-ing from that arm to monitor your blood pressure.

“A large difference in blood pres-sure measurement between your arms could signal a health problem, such as: Blocked arteries in your arms (periph-eral artery disease), kidney disease, diabetes, and heart defects”

Other good sites go into more de-tail. From www.americanheart.org:

“Left-arm and right-arm (inter-arm) blood pressure differences are common. Blood pressure may be slightly higher in your dominant arm. For example, if you’re left-handed, your left arm may have a slightly higher reading than your right arm. Several studies have been done to de-termine what is a ‘normal’ variation between right and left arm. In gener-al, any difference of 10 mm Hg or less is considered normal and not a cause for concern.

“Many factors affect blood pres-sure. To detect a difference in blood pressure between your arms, your doctor may take alternate-arm blood pressure readings or even measure your blood pressure in both arms at the same time with two blood pressure gauges and two observers. The fact that there are differences in right and left arm readings emphasizes the im-portance of measuring blood pressure in both arms initially to prevent the misdiagnosis of high blood pressure. If one arm has higher blood pressure than the other, that arm should be used to determine if you have hyper-tension.”

Well, you definitely know more about it now. The next time a doctor dictates this you can smile and confi-dently transcribe the report, feeling good about your growing abilities as a crackerjack MT!

Other good sites to check out: www.medscape.comhttp://www.docguide.com

Finders keepers!


Speech WIt has become quite apparent that speech recognition technology does not always do the best job accurately

recognizing what doctors dictate. For this issue, let’s have a bit of fun and see what would happen if we processed dictation the same way speech rec platforms do. Say what??!!

Note: The conversation below has been built from actual speech rec blunders, with the errors appearing in bold.

I was in the waiting room the other day and couldn’t help but listen in on a conversation two women were having. I don’t have the best hearing, but I think I heard:

“You know, Val, my little girl, Tess, is all grown up . She got a job in clothing production and rather enjoys it . There is beer interaction and she is part of it, I gather . Friday night is still girls’ night out, but it’s no longer with me!”“I know how that goes . Just wait until she starts dating!”“Oh, she already has! She had been dating this one guy, Ryan, but they broke up . She was on the phone with him when the conversation appended broccoli . I don’t know what happened . He’s such a nice guy . He has foreplay ability, and he is the recipient of multiple warts . He sure was better than that man at the hardware store she was crushing on .”“You mean the one with 4044 children?”“Yes, that’s the one .”“Well, what about Bob? He seems like a pleasant young man .”“I chatted with him for a few minutes yesterday . Turns out he’s married younger children . He said he has a brother who is a constant pain, but I think he mentioned he has been gouged. She’ll find someone soon enough. So how’s your mom doing?”“She’s okay . She just started some medical treatment . She is screaming that she is doing well with her current psychiatric medications, and she takes it for men . She swims 5 to 6 times per week and does bloat a lot . The other day we were justice gushing that she appears to be a kidney stone . Carotid! Look at the time! This doctor is just taking too long . I’ll have to just reschedule . Say hello to Tess . Bye-bye .”“Bye-bye .”

Perhaps what I really heard was:

“You know, Val, my little girl, Tess, is all grown up . She got a job in clothing production and rather enjoys it . There is peer interaction and she is part of it, I gather . Friday night is still girls’ night out, but it’s no longer with me!”“I know how that goes . Just wait until she starts dating!”“Oh, she already has! She had been dating this one guy, Ryan, but they broke up . She was on the phone with him when the conversation ended abruptly . I don’t know what happened . He’s such a nice guy . He has full employability, and he is the recipient of multiple awards . He sure was better than that man at the hardware store she was crushing on .”“You mean the one with, ah, 4 children?”“Yes, that’s the one .”“Well, what about Bob? He seems like a pleasant young man .”“I chatted with him for a few minutes yesterday . Turns out he’s married, young children . He said he has a brother who is a custom painter, but I think he mentioned he is engaged. She’ll find someone soon enough. So how’s your mom doing?”“She’s okay . She just started some medical treatment . She is claiming that she is doing well with her current psychiatric medications, and she takes Metformin . She swims 5 to 6 times per week and does Pilates . The other day we were just discussing that she appears to be getting thinner . Oh crud! Look at the time! This doctor is just taking too long . I’ll have to just reschedule . Say hello to Tess . Bye-bye .”“Bye-bye .”

reck

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