Antigua and Barbuda

Partly Cloudy
82°F
High: 82°F
Low: 77°F
 

On Becoming a Medical Transcriptionist

Coleen JacksonColeen Jackson, an Antiguan wife and mother of three, found herself unemployed just over a year ago when the Allen Stanford saga began to unfold. With the state of the economy and the shortage of jobs, the future was looking dismal until the Antigua Barbuda Investment Authority announced that it had created 40 new job opportunities under the Medical Transcription project.

Like many others, she attended the informational session held at the Multipurpose Cultural & Exhibition Centre. After successful completion of an online screening test, she was enrolled for training in the day classes.

A medical transcriptionist converts recorded dictation to an electronic data format. This dictation is done by medical practitioners in hospitals all over the United States and Europe, and is the most common method of documenting and reporting the results of medical exams.

Here in Antigua, trainees received instruction in English grammar, medical terminology, and the various specialty areas of medicine, among other things.  The group was then tested and those who gained passes were enlisted to do a 13-week internship. Their final exam was taken in the form of a quality assessment. Those who gained a pass of 95 percent or more attained certification from the American Healthcare Documentation Integrity Association (AHDI), which is the governing body for medical transcriptionists worldwide.

She encourages anyone who is unemployed, has a computer, internet and typing skills, and a good command of English to take advantage of the opportunity. She says it also requires a lot of discipline and dedication, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a love for the medical profession.

“The experience has been great, I learned a lot and I look forward to taking my place as a professionally trained medical transcriptionist,”


Jackson said. "... and I also recommend medical transcription to anyone who is desirous of a career change and would love to be involved in the field of medicine.” "

The ABIA will be partnering with an American medical transcription service company to employ the graduates in production centers, and Jackson and her colleagues should be employed by April 2010.

 

Hits: 1555

11 Comments In This Article   

HEADER   

#11 SHANDY KARIB » 2010-03-25 05:22

Low Blow ive had friends like u who do nothing but talk about all their nice cars and big houses and now alot of them living in the states are shacking up with people and gone back to riding the bus. What's wrong with people taking care of what the have worked so hard for regardless of how cheap it is. Hope your conceited ass wont have to go back to a Camry. So stupid.
0
0
+
−

SHANDY KARIB

BLOWIN' TOO HARD

#10 JahMa » 2010-03-20 15:57

low end' you are blowing too hard. Your post only demonstrate how materialistic you and your visting relatives are and has no relevancy to the article.
0
0
+
−

JahMa

jodie

#9 tenman » 2010-03-20 11:36

Does thinking outside the box involve asking whether something is feasible? Do we simply accept something no questions asked once there is good intention? Do we analyze all other options or do we just jump for the first one? Perhaps you ignored my prior post but all I am asking, is this new industry driven by low cost or is it driven by quality? As far as your assertion that skills learned here can be applied in other areas, can you point out the areas (trainees received instruction in English grammar, medical terminology, and the various specialty areas of medicine, among other things)? Please note I am not set in my mind whether this is a good or bad idea.
0
0
+
−

tenman

mODERN TIMES

#8 low end » 2010-03-20 11:17

TOO LATE modern hospitals do not use transcription anymore. The information management systems are application based
0
0
+
−

low end

blow hard

#7 low end » 2010-03-20 11:14

This is not no big job in fact it is a $12 an hour in the US job. I remember leaving my MB E300 home and visited family members from Antigua visiting New York.. I rented a Toyota Camry. if you see how them get on over the cheap Toyota as if it is a TRUE AUTOMOBILE, ARE YOU NA USE TO NUTTIN
0
0
+
−

low end

narrow minded people

#6 jodie » 2010-03-20 07:42

as with many antiguans, we tend not to think outside the box. every heard of being well-rounded or marketable? once they are certified, they can get independent jobs and don't have to rely on the organization for jobs. the reason the organization is involved with job seeking is because that is part of the program. another thing, if this lady gets the opportunity to migrate, she can always get a job, this is an ever growing field.
0
0
+
−

jodie

#5 good for you » 2010-03-20 07:23

good for you. You showed initiative instead of sitting and holding your head in your hands and blaming everybody for your current circumstances. I wish you every success in your new endeavor.
0
0
+
−

good for you

Negatve

#4 SH » 2010-03-20 03:09

Why is everyone so negative about this? I think it is good thing, lets give it chance instead of shooting it down. These persons will be well trained and the skills they have learned will be of benefit to them in other areas of work if this project fails, so they are not loosing in any way.
0
0
+
−

SH

#3 MLM » 2010-03-20 01:56

Wait, what is wrong with you people? Are you telling me that these people went through this exercise for nothing? At least, they did something positive and it will benefit them.
0
0
+
−

MLM

i hope

#2 tenman » 2010-03-20 01:33

I truly hope that the Medical Transcriptionis t works for Antigua. However I have my doubts. We tried having call centers and learned that because its a price competitive industry we really cannot compete because of our higher wage and telecommunicati ons costs. We are competing against a country like India that has lower costs. I am trying to see how Medical Transcriptionis t does not have the same flaw that the call centers had? Is it more driven by quality and less by cost?
0
0
+
−

tenman

Well Well

#1 EG » 2010-03-20 00:03

I see the UPP failing again. How stupid of them to create new, exciting and high paying jobs for their citizens. Now they going make All Loosers Party (ALP) have another reason to picket and threaten to lock down the country. My my.
0
0
+
−

EG

Add comment

Follow us on Facebook

Spotlight on Mobile

Previous Next
Molwyn Takes up Cell Tower Issue
Antigua St. John's - Senior Member of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and Member ...  Read more

Search Directory


Directory Listings


Winway Building Supplies

  Winway Building Supplies Is your first stop in Antigua for all your Raw Building Materials. A locally Owned Business, and Registered agents for ...



SeaView Academy

Seaview Academy is the best kept secret in preschool, primary and secondary education. We also offer quality after school classes for your children. ...

Category: Education

App

Android LogoDownload Caribarena's Android App Click To Download

Find us on Twitter!