Medical Transcription Training Curriculum

The goals and values of Ashworth College; time management; creating a realistic weekly and monthly study schedule; the nature and purpose of assessments; how to study effectively to prepare for and take an online examination; developing the skill sets necessary for success in the twenty-first century.

Introduction to the basic operations of allied healthcareers and the legal and ethical issues students may encounter while working in the many different venues available for these fields.

Fundamentals and origins of medical terms; analyzing, defining, and creating medical terms; identifying major body structures and directional terms.

Anatomy, physiology, and basic terminology related to the integumentary, musculoskeletal, digestive, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, endocrine, and nervous systems.

Anatomy, physiology, and basic terminology related to the urinary and reproductive systems; gynecology, obstetrics, and neonatology terms and conditions; anatomy of the eyes and ears.

Attributes of a professional transcriptionist; health record privacy; protected health information and disclosure; HIPAA regulations; creation and components of health records; commonly dictated healthcare reports.

Security measures for health information; recommended encryption standards; speech recognition technology; electronic health records; abbreviation expansion software; auditory discrimination; electronic references and Internet resources; proofreading and editing strategies; productivity strategies.

Common terms used in healthcare documentation; frequently misspelled or misused words; Arabic and Roman numerals; units of measure; abbreviations and acronyms; capitalization and punctuation rules; subject-verb agreement; symbols; correcting inverted and fragmented sentences.

Common psychiatric diseases; diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in psychiatry; psychiatric pharmacology; advanced wound therapy; surgical and laboratory dermatology procedures; pharmacology for dermatology.

Pediatrics; otorhinolaryngology; endocrinology; hematology; oncology; geriatrics; common diseases, blood disorders, and cancers.

Structure and function of the respiratory system, eyes, and cardiovascular system; common pulmonary, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular terms; common diseases of the respiratory system, the eyes, and the cardiovascular system; diagnostic and surgical procedures; pulmonary, ophthalmic, and cardiovascular drugs and their uses; related laboratory tests and procedures.

Structure and function of the urinary tract and male reproductive system; genitourinary terms, diseases, diagnostic and laboratory tests, surgical procedures, and drugs; structure and function of the female reproductive system; common ObGyn terms; patient care during pregnancy and delivery; common diseases of the female reproductive system; ObGyn diagnostic and surgical procedures, laboratory tests, and drugs.

Structure and function of the gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems; common gastrointestinal and orthopedic terms, diseases, and drugs; common fractures of the extremities; gastrointestinal and orthopedic diagnostic and surgical procedures and laboratory tests and procedures.

Structure and function of the nervous system; common neurology terms and drugs; diseases of the nervous system; neurology diagnostic and surgical procedures and laboratory tests and procedures; imaging and pathology terms; imaging procedures, techniques and views; contrast agents and radionuclides; gross and microscopic examination; biopsy and autopsy reports.

Work environments and options for medical transcriptionists; questions and considerations for jobs in healthcare documentation; cover letters and resumés; employment search strategies; improving performance on employment tests; employment and networking resources; healthy ergonomic practices.