This blog is part of a series on transcription. If you haven’t read the other blogs in this series, make sure to check out the summary page for a listing of all transcription blogs. If you missed part three, please check that out here.
Again, here’s Laura, a working MT and QA gal:
Do you use an expander when working as an MT?
I do use an expander. During my first job as an employee, the company supplied the expander. When I became an SE, I had to purchase my own expander, and I purchased the one I had become used to at my first company. I truly believe the only way I can achieve the high line counts that I do is through use of this expander, which produces an average of 35-40% of my lines.
What are the biggest differences between MT and QA work? What made you decide you wanted to do the QA work?
MT work involves a lot of typing–that’s how you make your living. You can potentially spend a lot of time researching. You transcribe entire reports, which means if you have a bad dictator, you have to figure out what he or she is saying through the entire report. It’s a lot of work. On the flip side, if you really don’t know what they’re saying, you send it to QA. If you think a drug dosage is wrong, you send it to QA. If you have problems with a report, such as needing a copy to go to a physician who is not in your physician list, you send it to QA. If you have problems with demographics, such as if that day’s visit is not in the system or the date is wrong or you don’t know what the date is, you send it to QA.
As a QA person, you don’t spend a lot of time typing. You don’t have to listen to an entire report by a bad dictator—you only listen to the blanks that the MT couldn’t understand. Does that mean you’ll always understand those blanks? No way. A bad dictator is a bad dictator and no matter who listens to it, sometimes it just is not possible to know what they are saying. You research only what the MT could not find, if necessary. You fix the other problems that the MT couldn’t fix, such as courtesy copies, the missing visits, etc.
As far as why I wanted to do QA work, I think no matter what I do, I always want to move “up the ladder,” so to speak. A QA position is doing just that. It means you’ve done a good job as an MT and have come far enough in your experience to meet the requirements of a QA person. It feels good and provides job satisfaction.
That wraps up the question and answer with Laura–don’t miss this afternoon where we cover a Day in the Life of a QA!