Food for Thought

Children emulate what they observe their parents doing. Parents can set a good example for their children by making healthier food selections. One place to start is by speaking with a dietician at your local hospital. He or she can help to create a healthy diet plan for the individual needs of your family. There is also a wealth of information and tips at: http://mypyramid.gov/. Also worth noting is the "MyPyramid for Kids" section of the site. It includes a PDF explaining the key concepts behind it in addition to educational activities for children and tips for families about nutrition and exercise.

Obesity is a growing topic in the news as more research is uncovering health issues related to obesity. Education about nutrition and exercise might help to alleviate this health issue. If children observe their parents establishing healthy eating practices, they too will begin to eat better foods. This, in turn, would produce another generation of more health-conscious individuals as the cycle of healthy eating habits was taught to the next generation of children.

Smallpox Vaccine

Today is the anniversary of the invention of the smallpox vaccine. It was reported to be the first successful vaccine to be developed, and was invented by an English rural doctor by the name of Dr. Edward Jenner on May 14, 1796. Dr. Jenner was also the originator of the term "vaccine."

Thanks to the amazing discovery of the smallpox vaccine, the total number of deaths in England related to this disease had dropped by two thirds within just 18 months. During that 18 months, 12,000 people had been vaccinated against the illness. Within one year, smallpox was nearly completely wiped out with the help of the World Health Organization. Thanks to Dr. Jenner's contribution to the medical field, countless lives have been saved by these vaccinations.

National Hospital Week

May 7-13 is National Hospital Week. This week is set aside to recognize hospital employees everywhere for their dedication to health care and their compassion for the patients they treat.

Working in a hospital environment can be very challenging, but it is also very rewarding. There are many different aspects to patient care that must be upheld with the patient's satisfaction in mind. Every employee who comes in contact with a patient has a vital role in maintaining the high quality standards of health care that every person deserves and expects. Be it the switchboard operator who answers the patient's phone calls, the employee who registers the patient, the nurse giving direct care, the doctor examining the patient, the medical transcriptionist transcribing the reports, the billing clerk filing the patient's health insurance claims or collecting payment for the hospital bills, or any other employee in between; every employee is a part of the team that ensures patient satisfaction.

There is nothing that compares to the feeling of satisfaction you get in return as a hospital employee when you really go that extra mile to ensure that a patient feels like he/she is truly receiving the best medical care possible. There are occasions when patients will come back to the hospital just to say, "Thank you". Other times, patients call or send a card expressing their gratitude and satisfaction with these things. Those, to me, are the best parts about working in the health care field. I love knowing that the patients are truly receiving health care that they can rely on.

So, I hope each of you has a wonderful National Hospital Week! Thank you for helping to make the difference in health care!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, and that made me start thinking about all of the information I have read, such as posts and articles on the internet that are written by women who began a career in medical transcription so that they could stay home with their children.

Actually, I first heard about medical transcription from one such woman when I was a child. Her name was Melissa Grigg. She was a wonderful, creative, highly intelligent and devoted mother, mentor, and medical transcriptionist. Melissa Grigg was my aunt, but she was more like a second mother to me. The discussions we shared about medical transcription and the medical field helped to shape my interest in pursuing this career myself.

Medical transcription is not an easy career, and neither is motherhood. However, they are two of the most rewarding decisions a woman can make in life. Happy Mother's Day to all of the women out there making the difference as medical transcriptionists and mothers!

What Books Should a Medical Transcriptionist Own?

Hello! Welcome to my blog! Every medical transcriptionist needs to have a good collection of reference materials close by. Today, I was researching what books a medical transcriptionist needs to own. I learned that reliable reference materials can really make the difference when you are in "down time" and trying to beat a tight deadline. It is amazing how many different reference materials there actually are available for MTs to use! Although I found a variety of answers, there was still one basic recurring response: a grammar and style guide, an English dictionary, at least one complete medical dictionary, at least one drug index, and a diverse collection of specialty books are essential to own.

So, before you start your own medical reference collection, take the time to research what books are available to you. Also, take the time to research places to buy these books. A good place to start is by checking your local library for book sales. I was lucky enough to learn about one such book sale through the "Friends of the Library," which is an organization that holds an annual book sale open to the public. There is a great collection of used medical reference books to be picked up here for a fraction of the cost you would spend on brand new books, and the money raised is all donated to your public library.

Recognizing Heart Disease

Lately it seems that there are an increasing number of news stories related to heart disease. Medical transcriptionists should be aware of this disease in particular as it has increasing risks for individuals who lead sedintary lifestyles. Medical transcriptionists often spend several hours at a time working at their transcription stations.

Although February is actually American Heart Month, it is a sound idea to become educated about such prominent health concerns no matter what month it is. Cardiovascular disease is America's top cause of death. Sadly, many of these deaths could have been avoided if there was a greater awareness of the symptoms of this killer.

The main symptoms to watch for include:

• Chest pain/discomfort
• Upper body pain/discomfort (particularily the arms, back, neck, jaw, and/or stomach)
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Nausea/vomitting
• Lightheadedness