Nothing to fear but fear itself

Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony for TRSi. I will be part of the largest group that the school has graduated since opening its virtual doors in March 2007. As I look back at where I was a little more than a year ago and where I am now, I am truly amazed. This learning opportunity has opened the door to a great and wonderful profession that will challenge me every day.

About a week ago I almost let fear get the best of me. I started having those 'what if' moments that I had read about my fellow classmates having. What if I'm not good enough? What if I'm not fast enough? Did I do the right thing by quitting my office job? I went through a couple of days thinking that this was just the phase that the instructors said all MTs go through. I was just having these feelings after I had completed the course, and it scared the living daylights out of me!! (Mom always said I was a late bloomer!) A few more days went by, and the feelings of doubt and fear weren't going away. In fact they were getting worse! I told Tamara, the supervisor of the transition program, how I felt. She told me that what I was feeling was normal and that these thoughts tell me that I'm now thinking as an MT. They tell me that I know how important my role is in the healthcare process and that I really care about putting out the best quality reports that I can. She also told me not to let these thoughts cripple me but to always strive to do my best. And she said that all MTs go through this and that it would be worrisome if I didn't feel this way. Whew!! I sure felt better after hearing that! I know firsthand that it sure feels like I'm all alone out here doing my job and that I feel disconnected sometimes. But you know, I'm never alone. My supervisor is a mouse click away. So are the other recent graduates that are in the transition program with me. I've even started to network with some of the other TRS employees. They have welcomed me with open arms, and I know I can go to anyone with a question and they will not make me feel like an idiot for asking it. I truly feel that I have not just found a job, but I have found a new home!

I Know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

I have officially been working as an RMT for 2 weeks. Has it really been 2 weeks?!?! Boy is it different being on this side of things now! TRSi prepared me so well to step into my new profession as an MT. The instructors are there to make sure you are well prepared to be functional in the 'real world.' Believe in them, and they will show you what you can achieve!

It's really been a change from student to employee, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride. That's the 1st rule: Enjoy what you are doing! If you don't enjoy it you'll soon become frustrated, as you will with anything in life. One of the really neat things about being an RMT is that I'm never bored. I'm constantly learning something new. This week I came across 3 things that I had never heard of before. Neither had my supervisor- and she's been in the profession for many years! Medicine is always changing- new meds, new techniques, new equipment. I don't have to wait for the next day for the chance to encounter something new- it may happen in the next report that I type!

I'm learning a new platform that I have not used before. And there's always the account specifics for each account that you work on. TRSi gave me such a solid foundation that I can now build on that. I've learned the fundamentals and everything branches out from there. Each account has certain ways that they want things typed and their own personal style. I know that with such a solid education that I can easily adapt to any environment that I work in!!

So dig into your studies! Do the best that you can do! I'll be here to cheer you on and look forward to working with you as a coworker and a colleague!

Is credentialing important? You better believe it!

Monday, August 18 was the day, the day that I was scheduled to take my RMT exam. Now you may wonder, is it really necessary to become an RMT? You just spent a year learning the ins and outs of medical transcription. Anatomy and physiology terms, disease processes, English grammar, drug names, instrument names, names of procedures- and you've been quizzed on them and tested on them and you've now seen these words in the reports you have been typing. Is 1 more test really that important? Can't you just sit back and revel in the feeling of accomplishment of graduating from the program? You could, but you would be missing out on so much.



Once you graduate from an MT program, you are now a professional. Wow!! You have mastered what you set out to do a year ago. You are now a vital part of the medical team. When you become credentialed, you are showing your colleagues that you take your profession seriously and that you are committed to being the best RMT that you can be. Your colleagues are not only other medical transcriptionists but also doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, lab technicians, and I could go on. All of those other professionals must either be licensed or credentialed. Would you see a doctor who was not a part of the American Medical Association? It is time that medical transcriptionists stand up and say that we are professionals, too!!



Now the other reason that it is important to become credentialed is that employers are willing to pay you more if you are credentialed. Some employers will pay you more per line if you are credentialed, some will help pay for the cost of the test itself. Employers want to show their clients that they too take credentialing seriously. If 2 applicants apply for the same position and they both graduated from an accredited school but only 1 of them is an RMT, which one do you think is going to be offered the position? The RMT has taken that extra step to show potential employers that they take their job seriously.



Take pride in what you have done and all that you have accomplished. This is no small feat that you mastered. But please do yourself and our profession a favor. Show that you care about your career enough to sit for your RMT. You'll be glad that you did. I know I am!!



Tami LaGrelius, RMT

Saying goodbye to the old and hello to the new

I'm sitting here on the eve of my last day of work at my current job wondering how I can put all that I am feeling into words. Tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to a job that I have worked hard at for the last 6 years. For the most part I have enjoyed it. A little more than a year ago I stumbled onto the AAMT website looking for "something." I wasn't sure what that something was, but I knew I was becoming increasingly unhappy in my current job. On the AAMT website was a list of approved schools for medical transcription. I checked out several of them, including TRSi. I took the placement test and Lynn, my admissions coordinator, called me the next day. She was so warm and genuine on the phone, and I found myself wanting to know more about TRSi. I attended the potential student webinar and signed myself up for the next class.





In just under a year, I am now ready to embark on a wonderful and rewarding career in medical transcription. TRSi has given me all of the schooling I need to be confident, productive medical transcriptionist. I start my new job as a medical transcriptionist on Tuesday. How exciting is that to know that you can turn your life around in a year?





I'm glad you took a moment out of your day today to visit the TRSi blog. I hope you take a little time to check out our website. My name is Tami, and I'll be telling you about my education experience at TRSi and my new job as a medical transcriptionist. I hope that you will check in with us often!

An Exciting New Profession!

Welcome! If you have come to our blog, you probably got here from our website for TRS Institute, a medical transcription training program.

Medical transcription is an exciting profession and I am so glad to have an opportunity here to share my thoughts with you on this. If you are a person who loves words, is interested in new technologies, and is looking for a portable career that will allow you to work from home, you have come to the right place!

Medical transcriptionists create healthcare documentation from the dictated words of healthcare providers. We play a very important role in the healthcare delivery process, by creating the documents that tell the patient's story.

My entry in the medical transcription profession began almost 30 years ago! At that time, there were no formal training programs, you learned on the job and I was blessed to have a hospital supervisor who was willing to take someone who had some basic medical terminology and teach me. At the time, I had no idea where it would lead! I've been able to take that basic training and work in hospitals, clinics, teach what I know in college courses, work as a quality assurance specialist, lead teams as a supervisor, and even run my own business from my home. In the past six years, my life has been truly blessed to be a part of TRS, first in the production section of our company as the transcription manager, moving to a Vice President role, and then moving to be solely focused on the educational section of our company. Should you choose to enter this profession, the possibilities are literally endless!

I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with those who read here. Stay tuned as well to hear from our staff and students as they share their thoughts on this blog! We look forward to your comments!

Kathy Rockel, CMT, FAAMT
Vice President
TRS Institute

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