Recently, while doing a file, I heard what sounded like "Tournikot", I felt the dictator was dictating tourniquet in a slightly different way, but to my surprise, heard the dictator mentioning tourniquet clearly at the end of the procedure. On carefully listening again, tourniquet was mentioned both at starting and ending, but in the middle portion of surgery (a hand surgery), it was "Tournikot", finally my friend google came to my rescue and threw up this.
The Tourni-Cot is an elastic ring that when rolled on a digit, squeezes the blood out and occludes the vessels.
So, dear fellow MTs, if you are doing a file and hear "Tourni-Cot," do not mistake it for tourniquet, although the technical function of both is same, i.e. constricting circulation...
At many MT forums and online communities, I have come across some people who rant about lack of alternative careers for a medical transcriptionist and how the skills developed in this profession do not serve as a stepping stone to some other avenues. Here I would like to jot down my feelings on the same.
Most of the medical transcription companies are making available the work from home option and also providing flexible working hours (mine does that). Working from home coupled with flexible working time can pave the way for adding some extra skill sets to one's resume (time scheduling is the key).
Indian hospitals are also taking in MTs, but the pay wont be anyway near the BPO sector, but on the positive side, there wont be any strenuous work pressure too. However, many of these hospitals describe the job profile as data entry operator, which I strongly resent. Working in such hospitals coupled with doing part time work for any MT company and also pursuing a distance education diploma in hospital administration would be a safe bet for the future.
The other opening is available in content writing, search engine optimization, , copy writing/editing, where good language skills and writing skills come handy. Although above average English language skill is a must for an MT, flair for writing is not something part of the skill set of an MT, but still it may be lying dormant, who knows, only when one tries, does he realize what he can accomplish.
Medical writing is another venue for those medical transcriptionist with a flair for writing.
I will surely add to this post when I come across more options for an MT.
Today while searching for online reference for hernia, I came across this wonderful site, and found it to be a treasure trove of all available info on hernia. Similarly, another term, "coarctation" led me to this site, which also was able to satisfy my query. Really, we MTs have a special place in our heart for Sir Tim Bermers-Lee for his marvelous creation called world wide web.
There is a geneticist dictator in my account, whose dictation is clear, but still it is one of the last files to leave the pool, may be because of the load of information it contains. From a line count productivity point of view, taking one such file would upset the rate of productivity, but still if one is on the lookout for new terms and diseases, this is the dictator to do.
Today while doing such a file, I came across the term Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS is a group of inherited connective tissue disorder caused by defect in the production of collagen. Simply put, the collagen helps to decrease elasticity in skin, muscle ligaments etc., but in this case, due to abnormal production of collagen, elasticity increases and causes a person with this condition to have hypermobility and hyperextension. EDS most typically affects the joints, skins, and blood vessels.
Depending upon individual mutation, condition can be mild to life threatening. There is no cure and treatment is supportive care.
I guess Stan Lee keeps a tab on all the happenings in the genetics field....or how else could he create x-men, spider-man and the whole lot of other super heroes with genetic mutation, (although the life threatening/disease part is not highlighted there).
Info as usual was gleaned from my friend wiki and a couple of other sites which came up on top while googling.
CDE stands for Chronic disequilibrium of the elderly and I could not find this abbreviation in my Stedman's Abbreviation Dictionary. The patient was an elderly who was on Antivert for this condition.
