Curriculum

The Online Medical Transcription Certificate program consists of 21 modules, or course subjects, which prepare students to work as medical transcriptionists. Numerous exercises and skill assessments throughout each module ensure that students master each skill before moving on to the next concept. To support students along the way, knowledgeable support specialists are available to help from program start to finish. Students can expect to spend approximately 640 hours mastering this material.

Program Orientation
In this module, the student is introduced to the medical transcription industry in general and the Online Thomas Edison Medical Transcription Certificate Program in specific. A syllabus for each module in the program is presented along with information for navigating the site, and mastering the features and functions of the online program. Students are also introduced to how tests are conducted and feedback is given. The skills necessary to be a successful medical transcriptionist are highlighted and a host of available resources is presented as well as a detailed study guide designed to ensure a successful learning experience. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 1

Technology and the Medical Professional
The purpose of this module is to teach basic computer skills, including the use of hardware, software, peripherals, and wireless technology. Students are introduced to the Internet as a resource and become familiar with the various facilities for data storage and networking. Moreover, students learn about the many software and hardware products developed specifically for the healthcare environment. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 10

Keyboard Kinetics
The purpose of this module is to teach the student keyboard basics—which fingers are supposed to touch which keys—thereby enabling the student to gain efficiency and increase speed on the keyboard. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 10

Medical Word Building
The purpose of this module is to teach medical word building, including root words, combining forms, prefixes, and suffixes. As so much of a physician's language is technical in nature, the medical transcriptionist needs to be fluent in this mode of communication. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 15

Grammar and Punctuation
This module is designed as a refresher of basic English grammar and punctuation rules. Upon completion, the student will be able to recognize and identify proper usage and correctly punctuate sentences, critical because medical transcriptions are read by so many people. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 20

Anatomy and Disease
The purpose of this module is to introduce the student to basic human anatomical structures and the various diseases that affect them. The student is introduced to disease entities, diagnoses, and treatments, the kinds of subject matter likely to come up in any medical transcriptionist's practice. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 25

Pathophysiology
The purpose of this module is to familiarize the student with the major body systems—the digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, excretory, cardiovascular, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems—and the diseases associated with them. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 20

Mastering Medical Language
The purpose of this module is to educate the student in the specialized vocabulary used by healthcare providers, and to familiarize the student with a variety of nuances specific to medical language. Specifically, this module covers word differentiation, abbreviations, plurals and foreign terms, as well as slang and jargon in medical language. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 5

Pharmacology
The purpose of this module is to introduce the student to the science of pharmacology and to provide an overview of basic pharmacologics, including drug actions and effects, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and drug classifications and formulary. This module also gives the student exposure to commonly prescribed drugs as well as the opportunity to see and reference pharmaceutical terms in the context of medical reports. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 15

Building the Medical Record
The purpose of this module is to educate the student on how to build the medical record. Specifically, the module covers report types, report components, formatting rules and effective resources. Also, the physical exam and laboratory data report components are studied in detail in this module. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 10

Diagnostic Reports
The purpose of this module is to expose the student to diagnostic reports. The student takes an in-depth look at emergency medicine, physical medicine, radiology and pathology. Each unit contains terminology, headings, exercises and sample reports. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 20

Focus on Medical Specialties
The purpose of this module is to introduce the student to the various types of reports any medical transcriptionist is likely to deal with, and provides an opportunity to study these reports in-depth across every major medical specialty. This module exposes the student to specialty-specific information including terminology, abbreviations, types of reports, and document formatting through sample reports, varied exercises, targeted curriculum and word lists. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 30

Midterm
The purpose of this module is to provide an opportunity for self-assessment after completion of the prior modules and before moving on to the practical components of the training program. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: .5

Perfect the Text
The purpose of this module is to improve editing skills by reviewing related editing and proofreading problem areas, including commonly misspelled words, fragments and run-on sentences, punctuation, capitalization, incorrect words and dictation that needs to be “cleaned up.” Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 25

Introduction to Transcription
The purpose of this module is to provide the student with the fundamentals of transcription, including tips and exercises designed to facilitate a smoother transition into the transcription practicum portion of the program. In addition, this module includes a brief preparatory transcription practicum to help the student gradually step into the ‘real world' of medical transcription. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 20

Clinic Notes
The purpose of this module is to provide the student with practical experience in transcribing authentic clinic note dictation. This module includes a wide variety of clinic notes and progress notes across various specialties, including, but not limited to, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, otorhinolaryngology, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurology, OB/GYN, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedic, pediatrics, podiatry, primary care and psychology. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 130

Basic Acute Care
The purpose of this practicum module is to provide practical experience in transcribing authentic acute care dictation files. This module includes basic hospital reports, including those likely to emanate from such hospital departments as radiology, emergency room (ER) and multispecialty clinics, plus discharge summaries, operative reports, procedure notes, consultations, and medical histories and physicals, with account instructions to follow. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 3

Enhancing Productivity
The purpose of this module is to provide information and exercises for tracking and improving efficiency, along with tips for preparing to be productive on the job after graduation. This module also provides extensive descriptions of productivity tools, software commonly used in the medical transcription industry, and a four-month free trial of the word expander software used in the training program. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 120

Advanced Acute Care
The purpose of this practicum module is to expose the student to a wide sampling of account instructions and acute care files with a corresponding high level of difficulty. The module is broken down into an in-depth account instructions unit, verbatim instructions unit, radiology unit, complex account instructions unit, and an extremely advanced acute care unit. All dictation is authentic, and the full spectrum of speaker accents and dictation style is covered. The practicum files cover radiology reports, operative reports, consultations, medical histories and physicals, ER reports, discharge summaries, procedure notes and progress notes. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 150

Speech Recognition
The purpose of this module is to educate the student regarding the role of speech recognition technology (SRT) in the health information management industry. This module addresses common myths associated with the emergence of SRT, the history of SRT, and how SRT works. This is a conceptual module designed to give the student a working understanding of the speech recognition engine and how medical transcriptionists and medical editors fit into SRT. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: .5

Final Exam Preparation
The purpose of this module is to provide final exam information, including an overview of the final, tips for preparing for the final, scheduling the final, and accessing the final examination. Approximate Unit Completion Hours: 10