We have one medical transcriptionist whose mistakes are becoming legendary. Anyone can make occasional spelling or grammar errors (she's got plenty of those, too), and what is dictated into the phone may not always be completely clear. But the following come from only two documents total over the last month - the only two she has done for my coworker and me. They all stem from a lack of vocabulary and general knowledge.
He is uncertain who his sir name comes from...
He is at panes to point out how dangerous the people he hangs with are...
He stresses that he worships satin...
She then studied at the University of Rock Chester...
When she entered primate school...
Other than the Alzheimer's Disease and the depression, she knows of no gastrotrophic illness in the family.
It is hard to choose which blooper is best/worst. Lack of vocabulary and of general knowledge, as you say.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that someone has graduated from high school with such a lack of knowledge.
But that's all right: they are teaching CRITICAL THINKING, are they not?
Alternate explanation: English as a second language.
But ignorance of geography- Rock Chester- is by no means confined to furriners. Years ago, when I hitched out to California and met some cousins, a cousin's friend told me he thought that my NE state was near Wisconsin.
Do medical transcriptionists get paid so poorly that only the ignorant end up in the field? Just like when the near minimum wage clerks at big box stores know little about the product they are selling.
Two of my favorites through the years are
ReplyDelete"adjustment disorder of dull life" an Axis 1 diagnosis, and in past history," his mother had congenial hips".
Gotta laugh so you don't cry. Regards-Bill
Isn't she just using some software to make the transcription and not reviewing it? Those errors look like software errors.
ReplyDeleteThis employee should be advised improvement is necessary, and then dismissed if her output is not corrected.
Bill, loved that dull life one.
ReplyDeleteIt's only one of our transcriptionists. She's not foreign, and the others have had it up to here with her. And it's live, not software - though it certainly looks like that, doesn't it?
And MaxedOutMama - I work for the state government, remember? What is this word "dismissed?"
Can't you at least kick her upstairs? There must be a Coordinator of This or Assistant Director of That or The Other Thing Compliance Officer position open somewhere.
ReplyDelete(I can't figure out "adjustment disorder of dull life". Can someone clue me in?)
(I am really only posting because of the VW I randomly got: "saintess". Hmmm.)
Adjustment disorder of adult life. (Adjustment disorders, also called situational depression, are symptoms regarded as more than expected for a life change. Everyone has some reaction to changes, especially negative ones.)
ReplyDeletewv: picky
My MIL is a medical transcriptionist, so I can attest that the money isn't great. But I'd agree with the need for strong editing & critical thinking in this job. (Imagine if she was working for a physician writing prescriptions or documenting an illness that would later require surgery or some other major procedure!) Mulling over how I can turn this into an effective "teachable moment" for my students. I get many of these types of errors on an annual basis (I keep them on file, knowing that at least I have a ready made book if the world turns on teachers). But that's at least slightly more understandable coming from teens. Slightly.
ReplyDeleteHere's another one, although this is "credited" to a voice-recognition system rather than to a human:
ReplyDelete"Patient had unprotected intercourse"
was transcribed as
"Patient had unprotested intercourse"