My interest in the medical field started early in life, with a desire to become a nurse. However, being visually impaired prevented me from realizing this goal. When I later became a single mom, I began looking for ways to save money on daycare while working full time. I took an eight-month transcription course at the Lighthouse for the Blind in Houston, Texas, which led to my first night job at Methodist Hospital.
Over the next 25 years, I have worked at hospitals in the Houston area, the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Little Rock, as well as a small hospital in the community where I presently reside. I have also worked in physicians' offices specializing in neurology, cardiology, and hospice/psychiatry. I have worked at home as a contract transcriptionist for family practice clinics, physical therapy clinics, a urology clinic, a typing service which included emergency room work for John Petersmith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas and a local family practice clinic. This work has given me much experience in every aspect of transcription, including lab reports, x-ray, hematology/oncology, OBGYN, operative reports, and of course, history and physical and consultation reports, progress notes, SOAP notes, and discharge summaries. My goal for this class is to equip students with enough of a "comfort zone" in each system and specialty, that they will be able to compete in the ever-growing need for knowledgeable, trained medical transcriptionists.