summing up - career step · stepping up’s garden path. looking forward to 2010, we hope you find...

In This Issue

One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride. Near the

end of the film, one of the heroes, Inigo Montoya, is trying to bring the other hero, Westley, up to speed on the current conflict. (Westley’s been unconscious for quite some time at this point.) Inigo says, “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

Well, here we are again at the end of another year! My job in this article is to explain everything that’s been going on this year. But, there is too much. Like Inigo, I’ll just sum up instead.

Focus on Skills AssessmentIn Student Support Services this

year, we’ve focused our attention on improving the skills assessment ex-perience for students and increas-ing final exam passing rates. We’ve devised a few differ-ent programs to help ensure that students are prepared for success upon reaching exam time.

First, we’ve developed optional practicum tests to accompany each transcription module. The tests are based on the corresponding module content, and are hand-graded by a member of the Student Services team

Summing Upthe rules and policies in connection with the final exam. Additionally, the consultation will cover best practices for successful exams, the grading system and results delivery, and the process for retaking the exam if necessary. Those who participate in the consultation will have the opportunity to ask all of their pre-final questions and receive answers and reassurance.

Volume 12 | Issue 6 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009

Dear Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Fron the Tech Help Desk . . . . . . . . . . 3

SU Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Stepping Up to the Challenge . . . . . . 4

Student Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Forum Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The World’s Best Employment Test . . . 7

Graduate In The Spotlight . . . . . . . . . 8

Work Smarter, Not Harder . . . . . . . . 9

Year In Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Commonly Confused Words . . . . . . 10

The Ergonomic Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

using the final exam grading scale and system. The Clinic Notes and Basic Acute Care tests each contain one report which is representative of an average report in those modules. The Advanced Acute Care practicum test contains eight report ex-cerpts which represent both the module content and mirror the report structure of the final exam. Although these ex-ams are entirely optional, they provide students the opportunity to receive per-sonal feedback throughout the practicum in order to strengthen weak areas and complete any necessary review before continuing to the next module. Also, these exams are administered using the same site and format as the final exam, so students will have the opportunity to be-come familiar with the exam format and sort out any technical issues before even scheduling the final exam. We are confi-dent that these tests will enable students to better understand the errors vs. stylis-

tic differences dilemma, and will also decrease test anxiety and fear of the unfamiliar. We’ll be placing information for accessing these exams within the practicum modules themselves. Please contact a mem-ber of Student Services if you have any ques-

tions about completing a practicum test.

Second, we’ve developed a pre-final consultation for students preparing to take the final exam. This consultation provides guidance for reviewing effectively, managing test anxiety, and understanding

“In Student Support Services this year, we’ve focused our attention on improving the skills assessment experience for students and increasing final exam passing rates.”

Continued on pg. 2

2 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 STEPPING UP

There’s too much. Let me sum up.Can you believe the year is

over? It seems like 2009 flew by! We’ve had such a jam-packed year full of new things: new building, new course offerings, and lots of new students. As an editorial

team, it’s been a pleasure journeying with you through the phases of the coursework while skipping along Stepping Up’s garden path. Looking forward to 2010, we hope you find the articles edifying as well appetizing.

The successes experienced this year will continue to motivate us into the new year. We hope you feel that energy too! Happy holidays!

Finally, we’ve instituted a policy requiring course completion in order for students to be eligible for the final exam. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more students taking the final exam without completing all of the training, and of course, their final exam scores suffer, then their confidence suffers, and then they spend weeks or months remediating skills they believed they had already mastered. Ultimately, we find this is a poor learning experience for students and an ineffective use of training time and resources. We are certain that this policy, in conjunction with the personalized feedback students may now receive during the practical training, will allow our students to enter the final exam process more prepared and more confident, which will ultimately result in an increased chance for success and a better final exam experience.

Employment Opportunities

This year, we’ve also worked to

make it easier for graduates to find employment upon graduation. We recently released a new graduate tool called Placement Direct. This tool allows graduates to track and organize their applications, search for potential employers that meet their needs, and learn more about employment options and processes. We will be broadening this tool in 2010 by adding more features and information. Our graduate services team continues to work diligently to open doors for Career Step graduates all over the world.

Skill Building and CredentialsCareer Step has made great strides

toward increasing the skills and credentials of all transcriptionists within the MT industry. This year, we released courses that will help students prepare for and pass either the RMT (Registered Medical Transcriptionist) or the CMT (Certified Medical Transcriptionist) exam offered by AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity). As you complete your training, enter the

workplace, and begin building up your experience, you may eventually determine that you need to become credentialed. Should you choose to take that step, Career Step can assist you. Regardless of whether or not you choose to become credentialed, we encourage constant education and advancement of your MT skill level. Find ways to learn something new each day, and you’ll stay on top of the industry.

It has been a pleasure to work with you, our students and graduates. We are looking forward to 2010, for which we have many ideas, tools, and programs in the works. We appreciate and welcome your feedback, and we anticipate another wonderful year.

Onward and upward!

- Maren TooneCS Student Support Team

Dear Susan...Dear Susan,

What does “alert and oriented times three” mean?

Sincerely,Alert and Disoriented

Dear Alert and Disoriented,

This is a very common phrase, and you’ll hear it dictated quite often in the physical examination portion of a report. It means that the patient is alert and that he knows what is going around him. “Oriented times three” specifically means that he

knows who he is (person), where he is (place), and what day it is (time). You’ll also hear it dictated as: “The patient is awake, alert, and oriented to person, place, and time.”

- Susan Tuckett, CMTCS Student Support Team

Continued from pg. 1

STEPPING UP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 3

We have recently been work-ing to upgrade the foot

pedal driver for those who use brows-ers other than Internet Explorer. This has now been updated, as many of you already know. I wanted to walk through the steps for installing this driver from the Career Step course site to insure that everyone can com-plete this process properly.

We have found that sometimes, for mysterious reasons, the foot pedal doesn’t like to respond to Internet Ex-plorer. In most cases, we can just re-install the driver and it will work, but what you may not know is that Firefox is a better browser for foot pedal com-patibility. The foot pedal loves Firefox! Firefox is free, and can be downloaded at www.mozilla.com.

There are a few pages in the pro-gram where you can download the driver for the foot pedal. Though the driver is available earlier in the train-ing, it is best to download it on page 9 of the Introduction to Transcription module. This page will allow you to

see if the pedal is already installed cor-rectly. When you first reach this page, you will notice a big stop sign letting you know if your pedal software is not installed. The message will ask if you would like to install the driver. Here are the steps I recommend for the in-stallation:

1. Right-click on the link that reads, “Click to download for Windows.” (If you happen to be working on a Mac, the training site will provide you al-ternate instructions for installing the foot pedal on your computer.)

2. Choose “Save Target As” and save the “pedalplugin-win.zip” to your desktop. If you are downloading in Firefox, then it will read “Save Link As.”

3. After the download is complete, close the download window, and then exit all open internet browser win-dows. This means ALL of them.

4. Once everything is closed, you should be on your desktop and ready to install. Right-click on the pedal-plugin-win folder, and then choose the option “Extract All” or “Extract

Here.” Once you have done this, you will see a clone of the same folder you just extracted; however, it will not have a zipper on it.

5. Inside this folder you will find “installer.exe.” Double click on this, and follow the instructions to install it. Just keep everything checked and proceed.

6. Once you see a notification that the process is complete, you will need to restart your computer.

7. After a restart, get back into the course site and return to page 9 of the Introduction to Transcription module. You will see a green checkmark for your foot pedal status. At this point, check to see if the pedal is working.

You can always give us a call at 1-888-657-5761 during the process to insure that you are doing everything correctly. If things don’t work out, we will be happy to help you through it.

- Robert AndersonCS Tech Support Team

From the Tech Help DeskNew Foot Pedal Driver

Stepping Up ChallengeRespiratory System

Unscramble the words below:1. hsuopsaeg________________2. tcaaher________________3. useisns________________4. seilttpiog________________5. erath________________6. sgnul________________7. agamrphdi________________8. ypnxhar________________9. yxnarl________________10. mhdeoti________________

Stepping Up to the ChallengeThis was a momentous year

for one group of Career Step graduates who went on to earn credentials from the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). This gives me reason to un-derscore a phrase I first heard when I enrolled in CS’s Medical Transcrip-tion program: Career Step Students Rock The World. And it’s true, we do! Of course, I must add that Career Step rocks, too.

After graduating in January 2009, I encountered the challenge of find-ing my first MT job. I didn’t enjoy in-stant success, but the excellent train-ing I had received gave me confidence that it would only be a matter of time. But I asked myself, what could I do to make my resume stand out from the many that MT companies receive every day? After learning about the voluntary credentials AHDI offers MTs, and after some encouraging discussions on the CS forum, a group of CS grads and I decided to go for our first MT creden-tial beyond graduation: 16 for the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) exam, and one for the Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) exam.

Why? After all, plenty of Career Step MTs find good jobs without get-ting credentialed. Our reasons includ-ed: (1) to demonstrate our commit-ment to quality and excellence in this field; (2) to continue developing our professional skills, and (3) to invest in our career futures by ensuring we are eligible for the jobs offering higher fi-nancial returns.

Between January and April, we fielded inquiries from more than 40 CS grads (and near-grads) about join-ing our study group. Eventually, sev-

enteen brave souls committed to tak-ing the credentialing exam by June 30th. That was the deadline set for all team members in the 2009 Creden-tialing Cup, a promotional initiative that AHDI was offering at the time. Of course, it didn’t hurt that team members also saved some money in the fees!

Having made the decision to form a team for the Cup, we needed to get or-ganized. Team member scribedaily (fo-rum name) and I (Marnie645) stepped up to give leadership during those critical early days. We determined what books we would use for study-ing, how to facilitate communication among the team members, deadlines for joining the team, and a schedule for moving through the study materials in a timely fashion. During this process, I approached several staff members at Career Step and received gracious support. A new section on the forum

was developed for study group dialogue. We even tried to get some freebie study aids from the publishers of our primary textbook. But—alas—we didn’t qualify because

our group wasn’t an educational insti-tution. Shucks!

Study materials and schedule in hand, we moved ahead. The sched-ule was laid out over a 15-week pe-riod, starting March 8th. Week one was for team orientation, followed by four weeks of studying, one week off around Easter, and then nine more study weeks, after which we had 10 days to take the exam by the dead-line. Using The Language of Medicine, by Davi-Ellen Chabner, as our pri-mary textbook, the study outline was shaped by grouping the 22 chapters

into 13 weeks. We also used The RMT Review Guide, developed by AAMT (now AHDI) and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, the publisher of Sted-man’s. The Book of Style, 2nd Edition, rounded out our curriculum. These three resources more than adequately covered the material we were expected to know for the exam.

Did you take in that last sentence? Yes, those three books sufficed. But as a self-diagnosed bookaholic, was I sat-isfied to stop there? No! After all, when it comes to books and knowledge, more is better, right? Yes, indeed—until the recurring symptoms of a ruptured budget force me to adminis-ter the unpleasant therapy of self-re-straint. (Not to worry, my prognosis is good. I’ve learned that the therapy can be abated once the symptoms sub-side!) So, from personal experience, I can also recommend two more books from the resource list in the AHDI study guide: both by John H. Dirkx, M.D. They are Human Diseases and H & P: A Nonphysician’s Guide to the Medical History and Physical Examina-tion. Excellent resources, but—believe me—you can pass the exam without them.

Of course, our team (we called ourselves the Career Step Scribes) undertook this challenge prior to the launch of Career Step’s new CMT and RMT Exam Prep courses. One of the struggles we faced was knowing what we would be expected to know for the exam, which each would take at one of the Thomson Prometric Testing Centers. The exam format does not al-low candidates to use any resources—print, software or internet. We needed to know how to spell everything be-cause there is no spellchecker to fall back on. The exam format does not even let us show off our newly honed research skills.


“But I asked myself, what could I do to make my resume stand out from the many that MT companies receive every day?”

Continued on pg. 5


Student SpotlightMaggie Stoller

I was born in Oberlin, Kansas, and a few years later, we moved

to a farm outside Knoxville, Iowa. I was a complete tomboy and helped on the farm doing almost everything you can think of. I learned art from my father and piano from my mother. During high school, I worked at a dentist’s office as a dental assistant for extra credit. Jobs that followed included billing for a medical supply company in California, and a graphic artist/production manager for Senior Magazine and Get Up & Go magazine in Arizona. We currently live outside Florence, Arizona, and our second home is in Iowa. My husband has flipped houses since the 80s, and this has been our main income for the last few years. For a while, I sold my wildlife art in between jobs, but the phrase “starving artist” is no joke! I wanted more…

With the economy in the tank and the housing crisis affecting our income, I wanted an alternative. One day I was surfing on the internet, looking at the

latest at-home job opportunities, and I came upon medical transcription and thought, “I could do this!” When I started researching, I came across several companies online that seemed promising. After two months of serious research on countless schools, there were three possibilities, and only one rose to the top. You guessed it—Career Step! I told my husband, and he was all for it. So, I purchased the course, and here I am today!

From the first day I logged on to the forums and every day since, I have been excited to get up in the morning, catch up on the forums, then start my day studying. I enjoyed talking to other students so much that I even started the “Keep On Keepin’ On!” forum group! We have so many wonderful people in our group; I wouldn’t be as far along as I am without them, and I have made some lifetime friends.

Career Step is everything that I was hoping it would be, and more. The lessons are challenging (sometimes

too challenging!), but I am learning more than I ever thought I could. Every day I put new words into my LRN (Li’l Red Notebook), do each and every lesson in my companion textbooks, take the online tests, hone my researching skills, and do the best that I can. The best advice I can give to everyone while doing this course is to never give up on yourself ! This course is not easy! Be persistent, and study! You’ll be surprised how many pages get done when you are dedicated to this course.

I am so pleased with my progress! I know that this course is going to make all of us the best MTs in the business. I am so excited about my new career and the financial reward after I graduate. I know I made the right choice in choosing Career Step! Come join us in the Keep On Keepin’ On! group. If we can’t motivate you, nobody can!

- Maggie Stoller

Several team members found the amount of information in The Lan-guage of Medicine daunting. We en-couraged each other regularly not to get overwhelmed. The reality is that no one book contains exactly what you need to know for the RMT exam, and nothing more. The Language of Medicine serves well for studying for the CMT exam, too. I was in touch with the credentialing office of AHDI about the exam expectations. They as-sured me that graduates of the Career Step MT program are well prepared and generally do very well on the cre-

dentialing exams. That was good to know! The money and time we’ve in-vested in our training by Career Step has been well spent.

In early May the first team mem-ber took her RMT exam and passed. That encouraged the rest of the team as, one by one, we took the exam and survived to tell of it. Thirteen at-tained the credential we were trying for. One person was not able to find a time slot open at her local testing center, and three did not achieve high enough scores on both parts of the exam, so they will need to try again.

It has been a challenging and re-warding experience for all of us. We came through with renewed confi-dence in ourselves, in our Career Step training, and in our ability to succeed in our chosen career. I am also con-fident that this will be an expanding group—the credentialed graduates of Career Step. Rock on!

- Marilyn Hoeppner, RMT



A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The ForumMy Forum Experience

On occasion, our Career Step students and graduates are generous enough to spontaneously share their feelings in an article for Stepping Up. The following is something submitted by Sharon Bradley, CS graduate, with her perspective and wisdom regarding the importance of participation in the student/graduate forums. We loved it and would like to share her thoughts with you as well.

My name is Sharon Bradley, I am a Career Step High

Honors graduate, and I am going to tell you my experience on the Career Step forum.

Although I already had a great support system at home, they were not able to really “get” what I was talking about when I complained about certain portions of the course. So, one day I logged into the school forum, and after feeling my way around it and reading for a while, I found a thread that really caught my eye. The thread name has changed so much that I can’t even remember the original name, but a forum member called Mt2be started it. She had formed this thread in order to pull together a support group of people hoping to graduate in the spring. With that being my target date, I jumped into the thread and introduced myself. This turned out to be my best move in the whole CS course.

At the time, I was ready to quit. I was in the Perfect the Text module, and I honestly doubted that I would ever be able to make it in the world of MT. I shared this with that thread and the same fears were echoed back to me. I was no longer alone in the CS world! As I moved on, these women suffered through endless tirades from me while in the midst of the almost 800 reports we have to do in the practicum; they probably giggled a bit at my fear of the “toe licking demon” report. We

also supported one another in non-CS things of life: lost jobs, sickness, death, weddings. We have shared a lot.

Bridget, one of the forum participants in our thread, was our first graduate, and soon thereafter, our first working MT. She quickly became known as Mother Hen to all of us, and seeing her succeed gave us all hope that graduating and working from home is possible! We have had a handful more graduate and there are now five working transcriptionists in our thread.

Soon, Linda, Stacy, Brenda, Evelyn, and Jackie will all be graduating and joining Tracey and me on the job search. Bridget, Brittnee, Marie, Paula, and Kara are all working now, putting their Career Step training to work in the “real world,” but we can all still be found on the forum helping the newcomers through the course in any way possible. We are all seeing a new generation of ‘chicks’ coming to us. Some are just starting the practicum

and some are still in the pre-practicum; we are all still hanging around though, because we have formed a bond.

For me, this isn’t just about my Career Step success, because it is

through this thread that I have found two women who live half a country away from me, who, in their own ways, are more like me than anyone I have ever met. I have a woman who calls herself my adopted mom, even calling me in tears when she heard my results.

There is one who works now and is super-busy, but she still finds time for us. This group of ladies—whom I have never met in real life—were waiting with

bated breath and frustration when my results were expected. There were almost 10 pages of posts by the time I got home to check my email and see the results. That was when I realized that we are no longer just classmates, we are now friends.

The point of this article is simple: The forum is there for you to use for school, but if you look around, you just might find your best friends are there. You might also find friends that you never knew until the day you wanted to quit Career Step and started looking for a helping hand. To all of the women on that thread, THANK YOU! I honestly do not think I would be a High Honors graduate without you, and it sure wouldn’t have been as fun.

- Sharon Bradley

“I honestly doubted that I would ever be able to make it in the world of MT.”

“The forum is there for you... if you look around, you just might find your best friends are there.”


The World’s Best Employment TestWith fall here and winter

following closely behind, I had thought that my garden would take a rest by now. How wrong I was! I suddenly found myself surrounded by big bowls of tomatoes freshly picked from the garden. When I planted my garden, I was hoping for a nice tomato or two each day. What I didn’t expect was 116 of them all at once! It seemed that there was to be one last hoorah! before this chapter would come to a close—taking what I had worked so hard to grow and creating a final product with it.

Having never made pasta sauce before, I was delighted to have several recipes given to me by friends who had been there, done that. Now I’d like to pass along a little recipe that I’ve had some experience with myself and that I’m sure you will enjoy: The World’s Best Employment Test.

Please note that this recipe requires you to have already transcribed the reports for the employment test and now be looking to put the finishing touches on them.

Preparation:1. In a Microsoft Word docu-

ment, empty one box of transcribed test reports ready for needed altera-tions and finishing touches.

2. Read through your tran-scribed reports while listening to the audio test reports and add 1 c. good listening ear. Listen for any dictated instructions (“new paragraph,” “peri-od,” “colon,” “comma”), being sure not to confuse them for report content. Sift the transcribed words to identify any terms that do not fit the context and any terms that are unfamiliar to you. Research these terms, making good use of all resources available. Employers will be able to tell when you have not put forth the effort to re-search terms because your errors will appear unnecessary and correctable.

3. Add 1 tsp. flags* to any terms you are unable to verify or simply cannot understand. Keep in mind that flags are like salt: too few or too many will surely leave a bad taste in the mouth. Make sure you are not guessing without flagging, as this will result in a test with too many errors. At the same time, make sure that you

do not flag excessively, as this will give a clear indication that your skill level is not adequate. Optional: If you find that you are flagging too much, take some extra time to practice more transcription and increase your skill level before attempting any other employment tests.

*Many testing platforms will not recognize extra spaces, so do not use just the space bar to indicate a blank flag; be sure to adequately indicate where you have left a blank flag by using (___), ____, ***, etc. in the absence of specific testing instructions.

4. If you find that the dictator has made errors, perhaps dictating a dosage that does not match the medication being given, add more flags to taste. Some employers will expect applicants to be able to pick out dictation errors while others will not. Your eye for detail will make you stand out from many other MTs. If the dictation error is less than obvious, leave a brief note indicating why you feel the dictation needs to be verified.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. abbreviations over the reports, being sure not to put any diagnostic abbreviations in the diagnosis sections and operative titles. Never use an abbreviation when the term or phrase has been dictated in full. Doing so shows a lack of awareness of industry standards.

6. Carefully stir in 3 tbsp. proper capitalization. While it is true that clients have varying capitalization rules, you should show your knowledge of the widely accepted rules so the employer does not have to guess at whether or not you know those rules. An employer may consider the MT to be lazy if he or she opts to capitalize all medications instead of verifying generics versus brand names. Be sure not to overlook proper capitalization of diseases, surgical instruments, procedures, and so on. Some employment tests

Continued on pg. 11

The World’s Best Employment Test

Prep Time: Length of Career Step’s MT courseCook time: Time will vary.Servings: One big helping of a job offer.Skill Level: Moderate. Final Exam score in the 90s preferred

Ingredients:- 1 box transcribed test reports- 1 c. good listening ear- 1 tsp. flags- More flags to taste- 1/2 tsp. abbreviations- 3 tbsp. proper capitalization- Dash of grammar and punctuation corrections- 1 package (12 oz.) medical lingo

Note: Check the Best Before date on all of your ingredients. Using out-of-date spellings over newer, preferred spellings could give the impression that your skills are behind the times.


Graduate In The SpotlightChristine Stewart

My name is Christine Stew-art. I’m 39 years old, have

been married 15 years, and have two children ages 5 and 10. I grew up in New Jersey, and we eventually moved to southwest Florida. We wanted to get away from the “rat race,” had grown tired of the 1-1/2 hour com-mute to work every day, and longed for days that weren’t always gray.

My previous occupation was as a buyer: at one time a clothing buyer, then for a college store, and most recently, an electronic components buyer. I really loved my job, but then I became a victim of the economy the week of Thanksgiving 2008. Unfortunately, I was the breadwinner, so this was a really hard hit on my family. I felt I should explore other careers because the way the economy was—especially in southwest Florida—the chances of me landing another buying job were slim. I explored careers as an RN, ultrasound technician, and x-ray technician, but we didn’t have the amount of money the training required or the luxury of time. So, after much research, I decided to pursue medical transcription. I knew the income would not be close to what I was making previously, but I felt that a lower paying job was better than no job, which was

a very real possibility the way the economy was headed. I also liked the idea that my pay was up to me—the more I work, the more I make. I was determined to make the most of this new career. I had nowhere to go but up!

I needed to finish my training and start earning some money before my unemployment ran out. I was determined to complete the course in four months with Honors or High Honors. I lived, breathed, and slept Career Step! I started at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 5 p.m. Then, some evenings, I would hop on and do some more, and the same on the weekends. I did not have any free time, because any “free” time I had, I would go online. It all paid off. I did manage to complete the course in four months and graduated with Honors. I was so proud of myself ! I started sending out resumes the day I got my results. No time to waste!

I was very fortunate. I got my first offer five days after I started testing and sending out resumes. I didn’t accept it right away though, as it was an IC position, and I really needed a full-time employee status position with benefits for my family. It was all very discouraging. Why not hire me? I’m determined. I’m a

hard worker. I’m an extremely easy person to work with. I set goals and meet them, right? It was very hard not to take it personally. Well, not every job is the right fit for everyone. I did wind up taking that first and only offer I got. I knew it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but on the bright side, the IC flexibility would be great, and the job would give me the experience I needed.

I have now been working full-time for about two months, and I love the company I work for. I’m not making a whole lot of money right now, but I definitely see my hourly rate going up with each and every paycheck. I set a line count goal every day, which I increase each week, and I concentrate on making it. As you may have figured out, I am a pretty goal-oriented person. I thrive on it. And I’m not done with my goals yet. I’ve got lots of work to do! In the meantime, I am really enjoying this career. I love the new words I learn every day and the procedures I type about. After all this time on unemployment, it feels good to use my brain again. We may have to change our lifestyle quite a bit, but I have no regrets and truly enjoy my new career.

- Christine Stewart

Moderated Chat SchedulePlease join us for Career Step’s Thursday moderated live chat room sessions. The topics vary weekly and include course-related topics, industry topics, and employment issues. This is a very user-friendly system—you just click on the chat room and join the fun!

1st Thursday of month, 10-11 am Mountain, Industry Topic/Guest 2nd Thursday of month, 12-1 pm Mountain, Student Support team 3rd Thursday of month, 12-1 pm Mountain, Skills Assessment team 4th Thursday of month, 12-1 pm Mountain, Graduate Services team 5th Thursday of month, TBA, wildcard topic when applicable


Work Smarter, Not HarderProcrastinating Responsibly: Tame the elephant, leave the ants.

When I was in high school, my little sister put off a

major paper that was worth 50% of her grade until the very last night before it was due. Stressed and cry-ing, she said she had felt like she needed to complete everything else that was due first before writing the paper. I shook my head and simply stated, “You have to learn how to procrastinate responsibly!” This phrase became popular in our home. Because book learning and school concepts did not come as quickly to me as they did to my other siblings, I had to develop a system that would help me to complete the things that really needed to be done, while not becoming overwhelmed by all the tasks that had to be done. I called this system “Responsible Procras-tination.” Now, I know what you’re thinking. Procrastination = naughty word. But procrastination is not always a bad thing. Let me demon-strate how.

Answering emails in the morning is like stomping ants: More always appear.

Answering emails first thing in the morning—while tempting—may actually impair your day’s produc-tivity, causing you to procrastinate the more important things you need to complete. We always say, oh, I’ll just answer these three emails and then move on to the tasks at hand. WRONG! Three emails turn into 25, and by the time you look at the clock again, half your day is gone. There is a really great book I re-cently purchased at the local Barnes and Noble called Never Check E-Mail In the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life

Work by Julie Morgenstern. When I moved into the position of Employ-ment Counselor here at Career Step, not only did my workload double, it felt like I had less time with which to complete everything. That is when I began designating a specific time each day to only answer my emails, rather than working on them spo-radically throughout the day. I found that all of a sudden I had plenty of time with which to complete every-thing I need to do. When working as a medical transcriptionist, your job is not to answer emails. Work on your top priorities first—getting your lines in—and go from there. The to-do list is your friend. Em-brace it.

To-do lists are my constant com-panions. As my officemate knows, I have a little red planner that sits on my desk. Each day my to-do list is entered in order of true priority: the first being to support graduates in finding jobs! As a future (or current) MT, your main task is transcription. That should always be your first priority. To be sure you have enough time for everything, a to-do list will be that crucial tool.

Take breaks. You can’t manage ev-erything without the mind power to do so.

Did you know you are actually 13% more accurate on average if you take micro breaks? According to a study conducted by Cornell Univer-sity (http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Sept99/computer.breaks.ssl.html), “People can measurably improve their computer productivity and substantially reduce their risk of repetitive stress injuries if they would simply work smarter…”

Taking breaks allows your mind to refocus and gives you a renewed sense of accomplishment. Take a quick three-minute break every hour and you will find your productivity will increase!

Although I am much older and wiser (debatable) than I was back in high school, the principle of pro-crastinating responsibly still rings true. Try tackling the elephant first, and you will find the elephant just might take care of the ants for you.

- Alesa LittleCS Graduate Support Team

Career Step 2009 Year in Review


Commonly Confused WordsAdditional resources that will help you avoid commonly confused words include the Word Differentiation unit in your coursework, your standard English dictionary, and the following website: www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html.

PAIR vs. PARE vs. PEAR

PAIR (noun): A set of two things used together.- I bought a new pair of gloves.

PARE (verb): To trim or cut back.- This term paper is a little long; I’ll have to pare it down.

PEAR (noun): A fruit.- I have a pair of pear trees that need to be pared.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, www.m-w.com

The air is getting colder, the kids are into the swing of

school, and the holidays are almost here. Another year is coming to a close, which usually prompts us to review the past and make new goals for the future. This year has been a big one for Career Step. We’ve seen a lot of changes, all designed to help us better serve you, our students, and help you reach your goals. In honor of the year, we present the Career Step 2009 Year in Review:

New Programs!The biggest events of 2009 were

the launches of four new Career Step training programs. April saw the launch of a Medical Terminol-ogy course for our college partners; May, the launch of our CMT (Cer-tified Medical Transcriptionist) Exam Prep course; late July, the launch of RMT (Registered Medi-cal Transcriptionist) Exam Prep; and August, the launch of Inpatient and Outpatient Medical Coding and Billing. Like the Career Step Medi-cal Transcription program, all of these programs were designed with a dedication to preparing students for the workplace through hands-on experience.

New Website!In October, careerstep.com got a

facelift! We redesigned our website to make it easier for prospective students, current students, gradu-ates, and partners to quickly find the information they’re looking for. We also added audio and visual pieces about the company and the courses. If you haven’t seen the new look, check it out at www.careerstep.com!

Industry Forums!

In August, Career Step launched two new industry forums. These forums are powered by Career Step and welcome students and profes-sionals from across the industries. Join the conversation—visit www.medicaltranscriptionforums.com or www.medicalcodingforums.com to-day!

New Financial Aid!In May, Career Step introduced

new financial aid options. We un-derstand that it was a hard year for everyone, so we rolled prices back to 2008 levels, increased our tuition assistance options, and became ap-proved for other funding sources, such as the Department of De-

fense MyCAA program. Through the MyCAA program, over 1,000 military spouses have been able to start training with Career Step with no out-of-pocket expenses! If you know a military family, invite them to visit www.careerstep.com/mycaa for more details.

We Moved!Career Step grew out of the of-

fices we had occupied in Springville, Utah for over nine years. In May, we moved to a larger campus in Provo, Utah. The new facilities provide us more room to make sure we have all of the support and resources to help our students through the entire edu-cation process.

These are just a few of the changes we’ve had here at Career Step in 2009; we have more excit-ing things planned for 2010, and we appreciate your trust and support as we continue to build Career Step to better meet your needs.

- Amy KendallCS Marketing Team



The Ergonomic TopicYour Chair

Ergonomics often deals with small adjustments that seem

inconsequential until you work without them. Sometimes a fraction of an inch can make the difference between a comfortable, long-term working experience and a career stopped in its tracks because of debilitating pain. In a job requiring long hours and repetitive movements, it’s important to pay attention to all aspects of your working environment and to customize your equipment to fit you. Last issue we talked about directional light and how that can affect eyestrain and headaches; this issue, let’s talk about your chair.

Just because your chair is advertised as ergonomic doesn’t mean it fits you. You have to adjust any chair you’re using to work with your individual height and leg length. Any chair that is adjusted to fit you will be more comfortable than an expensive “ergonomic” chair that is not adjusted for you. Keep these guidelines in mind as you evaluate your chair.

Make sure your chair allows your feet to sit flat on the floor, with your thighs at about 90 degrees. I’m one of the world’s shorter people, so chairs are always too high. They cut off my circulation at the back of my thigh and sometimes I feel like a little kid, swinging my feet around. Most of the time I just deal with it, but here at work, I can lower my chair until my feet sit flat, with my thighs parallel to the floor—and it’s amazing the difference it makes! I’m actually comfortable without having to squirm around all the time to maintain adequate blood flow and venous return to my feet and ankles. This keeps me focused for longer periods of time, and my feet don’t swell up. Taller people may not notice these same problems, but the guidelines still apply. If you’re tall and your chair is too low you’ll have a tendency to crunch up in the middle, squishing your innards, and that’s no good either. Make sure you sit comfortably, with your feet on the floor and notice the angle of your legs. If something needs to be adjusted, then adjust it.

Don’t perch. Some people seem comfortable with their behinds barely on the edge of the seat, sitting swaybacked and leaning on their arms, but they’re not really. If the truth came out, they’d probably confess they sit this way because their chair is too high for them. One of the benefits of an ergonomically correct chair is it allows you to adopt a more healthy posture. Good posture allows your body to function more efficiently, without pain. Perhaps you thought I was joking when I mentioned that crunching your internal organs is bad, but I wasn’t. A well-supported body will perform better and feel better in ways that go far beyond the demands of your desk time. A properly adjusted chair allows you to sit comfortably with your fanny in the chair, with your lower back supported and in contact with the chair back.

Don’t slouch. Okay, I confess. I’m really being hypocritical here, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to slouch.

will administer point deductions for incorrect capitalization.

7. Taste the reports. If the flavor seems to be a bit off, it may be that you need a dash of punctuation and grammar correction. Even though applicants are expected to transcribe reports verbatim, there is usually an allowance for minor edits. Correcting these dictation errors will show off your strong English skills. Be careful not to correct sentences that do not need it just for the sake of making them “sound better,” as this may give the impression that you do not fully understand the purpose of the test. The employer will want to know that you correctly heard everything that was dictated, and not transcribing

verbatim will make it difficult for the employer to discern your listening abilities. Some employers will apply point deductions for transcription that unnecessarily deviates from the dictation.

8. Slowly blend in 1 package medical lingo. Not being able to identify common medical lingo will lead the employer to conclude that you have had little exposure to very basic MT knowledge: Roman numeral VII (7) should not be confused with XII (12), and Arabic and Roman numerals should never be combined (X11). Suture sizes come in zeros, not Os (4-0 not 4-O). Units of measure are always abbreviated as singular collective nouns (10 cc, not 10 cc’s) and require singular verbs (10 cc was administered).

9. Make sure that the consistency is smooth throughout. If you use the spelling orthopedic in one sentence, do not switch to orthopaedic in the next. Pour mixture into the boxes provided for your transcribed reports on the testing site. Make sure the entire contents of each report make it into the corresponding boxes. Bake to perfection, being careful not to burn your finished product by using an unprofessional password to log in to the testing site, or by using all caps or all lowercase letters for your name and address on your application.

10. Serve to the employer.

- Heather GarrettCS Skills Assessment Team

Continued on pg. 12

You should sit straight, with your lower back supported, maintaining the natural lordotic curve. When you slouch, you lose this curve; it flattens out and you end up putting a lot of pressure on your sacrum. Sacrum sitting can make your bum feel numb and this leads to squirming, preoccupation with your behind, and the feeling that you should leave your desk to go get something to eat, which leads to weight gain…so you know it’s not optimal. And again, I seem to take this lightly, but some of you probably know exactly what I’m saying: slouching leads to numb-bum weight gain (NBWG). Maybe. At any rate you should try to sit up straight so you’ll be more focused and productive.

The Ergonomic Topic... continued

Stepping Up is published bimonthly by Career Step for its students, graduates, and client partners .

This newsletter is produced for electronic viewing and print . The electronic version is available to all current students and graduates at no cost . Print subscriptions are $25 for a one year and $40 for a two year subscription .

Career Step Quality Medical Transcription Training

4692 North 300 West, Suite 150Provo, UT 84604

Phone: 800-246-7837 or888-657-5752

Fax: 801-491-6645Email: SteppingUp@careerstep .com

Website: www .careerstep .com

Maren Toone, Editor-in-ChiefChelsea Pyle, Associate EditorJill McNitt, Associate EditorAlesa Little, Assistant Editor

Another aspect of your chair is the armrests. A lot of office chairs have adjustable armrests, so you should take advantage of this feature. Armrests should allow your elbow to bend at about 90 degrees, so your lower arms are parallel to the floor. This allows your forearms and hands to naturally sit on the desk in front of you.

Now that we’ve arrived at the desk, our Ergonomic Topic leads naturally into a discussion on desk height, but we’ll save that for the next issue. Happy sitting!

- Jill McNitt

CS Student Support Team



summing up - career step · stepping up’s garden path. looking forward to 2010, we hope you find...

Documents