Word Building - Career Step

[Pages:12]Volume 13 |

Issue 2 |

MARCH/APRIL 2010

Word Building

One of the first modules in the Career Step training program, Medical Word Building, introduces you to the wonderful world of medical language. To some, the first step into this realm feels more like falling off a cliff ! If you haven't had experience in the medical field prior to beginning your training with Career Step, the sheer number of words can be overwhelming.

Words! Words! Words!

This is a very liberating concept. This understanding means you don't have to memorize each individual medical word (and there are thousands and thousands) to understand the medicalese that doctors spout your way. As long as you understand the components, you can determine the meaning of any word simply by breaking it down and applying the meanings carried by the involved prefix, root, and suffix.

When you grow up speaking

For example, the first day you log in

a language, you don't really spend to the course, you probably won't know

time analyzing it--you just speak it what hepatosplenomegaly means. It looks

naturally, and it makes sense to you. and sounds like a really scary, important

Part of the new information in Med- word, it's definitely a mouthful to say, and

ical Word Building, then, is the idea forget about spelling it! After a few les-

that words can be broken down into sons in Medical Word Building, however,

components that

you learn that hepat/o-

are traced to ancient languages (in the case of medical words, it's usually Latin or Greek), and these components carry specific meanings. Being

"Words! Words! Words! I'm so sick of words! I get words all day through; First from him, now from you. Is that all you blighters can do?" --My Fair Lady

refers to the liver, spleen/o- refers to the spleen, and -megaly means enlargement. Put them all together and you find hepatosplenomegaly means enlargement of the

exposed to isolated

liver and spleen. Easy-

prefixes, roots, and suffixes can seem peasy. And, since you can easily spell the

confusing, but once you realize that components, simply putting them all to-

each component always has a certain gether is easy, too.

meaning, it opens up a world of un-

derstanding. Now you know when-

Another thing to remember is the

ever you encounter the specific com- components used in medical words are

ponent, it means the same thing and used in other words, too. If you have a

influences the meaning of the word hard time remembering the meaning of a

it's involved with.

root word because the medical word pro-

vided as an example in the lesson doesn't

mean anything to you, it could help to

associate the word component with a word you do understand. For instance, if arthroplasty doesn't help you remember that arthro- means joint, then associate it with arthritis instead. Most of us are familiar with arthritis as a disease of the joints.

Once you are comfortable with the component parts of the language, you are also free to make up

Continued on pg. 3

In This Issue

Stepping Up Challenge . . . . . . . . . . 2 Work Smarter Not Harder . . . . . . . . 3 Commonly Confused Words . . . . . . . 4 Word Woes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Ergonomic Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Notable Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Student Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Forum Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Stepping Up Recipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Graduate Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Survival Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dear Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Stepping Up Challenge Results . . . 10 RMT Prep Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Pie Building

Do you have a favorite word? I have a couple. One is pusillanimous. Why? Because it sounds like what it means. Look it up. I really love the way it kind of rolls of the tongue in a kind of slimy fashion. Another one is brouhaha--also a word that sounds like what it means. Isn't onomatopoeia great!? Oh, and words like carte blanche, jejune, or pi?ce de r?sistance, all showcasing how much of a mutt the English language is. Okay, yes, I'm a total bibliophile, and all round English geek to boot. I can't help it! Words fascinate me. Language construction, grammar, connotative definitions all speak

to the complexity of human communication, and as a geek, I revel in that complexity.

As you can see, this issue we are focusing on another key ingredient of the perfect MT pie: words. We are focusing in particular on word building, grammar, and medical terms. To continue with the pie analogy, words are the foundation of your pie--perhaps the flour, baking soda, and baking power. These ingredients are rarely tasted, but without them, the pie looses its structure and savor. That's what grammar and building your vocabulary do for

your MT skills. They give your skills a structure, a starting point from which all other things rise. Yes, it can be frustrating at times because you feel you must get it exactly right, but remember the immortal words of Mr. William Shakespeare himself, "though this be madness there is method in it." As any chef, you as a developing MT can tailor these tools to your needs, and there're many different right ways to use the tools.

Enough literary mumbo jumbo! Pass the pie!

Stepping Up Challenge

Word Picture Puzzle

Look at the word picture and determine the meaning of it!

For example, the first word picture is: Space Invaders

2 MARCH/APRIL 2010 STEPPING UP

Continued from pg. 1

your own words for fun, and will understand the doctors when they make up words in medical reports (these are called neologisms, or newly created words from the Greek neo, meaning new, and logos, meaning word). Neologisms are frequently encountered in the medical transcription workplace. Unless account specifics direct otherwise, these are to be transcribed as dictated, provided the intended meaning is understood, because we assume the doctor dictates what he means. Some neologisms are simply nouns that are converted to verbs by adding a suffix; some are terms combined in

an unusual way; many are just invented terms doctors use to convey information with as few words as possible. Some examples include spasming, mucusy, satting (referring to O2 saturation), cathed, hyperreflexivity, genitoperineal, lumbalgia, and crepitance.

Whew. Now you understand why no dictionary has a separate entry for every individual medical word--it really would be impossible, and there's no need! If a dictionary includes the most common words and the components for building more, you can always figure it out.

Here's to our wonderful medical language!

For additional fun and games: h t t p : / / w w w. w o r l d w i d e w o r d s. org/articles/howmany.htm word_longest.html (best viewed with IE) . co.uk/petridis/wordsgr.htm

- Jill McNitt CS Student Support Team

Work Smarter Not Harder

Acronym Phenomenon

We've all been in an intense conversation with someone when all of a sudden that uncomfortable pause occurs when they receive a text message, and they tell you to HOAS*. So, you sit there, patiently waiting for them to DTRT and get back to talking to you. We've all seen it: The :-) that occurs--they glance at you and say BRB and you roll your eyes because you know it's going to be a lot L8R. They LOL as they think about how the other person is going to react to their text. After about 5 minutes of their messaging tone "Yahoo!" you've had it and you GGOH. You leave the room and go about your business. After 20 minutes, they come to find you and ask if you still WAN2TLK. You roll your eyes once more when they tell you BRB again as the message tone goes off. WC?!

As texting became more popular, I initially rebelled against those who would use acronyms to respond back to me. I felt it was impersonal and rude! I specifically texted people epistles when they did that. However, the more and more I started texting, the more I realized that the acronyms

were just a faster, more productive way to say what I needed to.

In the medical transcription world, acronyms can become your best friend. A good text expander can mean the difference between an averageproducing medical transcriptionist and an exceptionally high-producing MT. It's time to embrace the technology! Text expanders can create and store keyboard shortcuts that, when used, will expand to an entire word, phrase, sentence, paragraph or document. They can be used in many applications: word processors (such as Microsoft Word), email clients, and almost any other program that uses text. The best part about them, I think, is that you can customize the acronyms so they work FOR you.

There are a lot of text expander programs on the market. Almost all of them have trial versions that you can download for free. I would always recommend you take a piece of software for a test drive before you purchase the full license for it. Some will be more effective for you than others. Take your time to select the one that you feel most comfortable with. Some

have different features that may appeal to one person but not another. Google the phrase text expander software, and you will come up with a lot of choices. A few of my favorites are Fast Fox, Shorthand for Windows, and Instant Text. I would also suggest you take a look at . It is a forum-like atmosphere where MTs and other typing professionals can collaborate to share information that will help with productivity.

Whether it's a quick text to your spouse to tell them you are OMWH, or you are typing a massive OP report on TN, let's face it, acronyms are faster! Embrace them, and you'll soon JFJ.

- Alesa Little CS Graduate Support Team

* CHAT LINGO ACRONYM KEY HOAS: hold on a second DTRT: do the right thing BRB: be right back LOL: laugh out loud GGOH: gotta get outta here WC: who cares? OMWH: on my way home TN: trigeminal neuralgia JFJ: jump for joy

STEPPING UP MARCH/APRIL 2010 3

Commonly Confused Words

Additional resources that will help you avoid commonly confused words include the Word Differentiation unit in your coursework, your standard English dictionary, and the following website: . html#errors.

HEMOSTASIS vs. HOMEOSTASIS

HEMOSTASIS (noun): the stopping or interrupting of blood flow. - Hemostasis was achieved using electrocautery.

HOMEOSTASIS (noun): the ability to regulate internal conditions for healthy functioning in fluctuating environments by adjusting physiological processes, such as sweating to reduce high body temperature.

- His FBG results indicate a glucose homeostasis disorder.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, m-

Although sources cannot agree on how many words there are in the English language, one thing is for certain: there are a lot of words-- anywhere from several hundred thousand to close to a million, all comprised of the measly 26 letters in our English alphabet! The sheer number of words available for use can sometimes make word building and transcription seem like a daunting task, but the challenge doesn't end there! Let's take a look at some of the word challenges medical transcriptionists face and how these challenges can be overcome.

Word Woes

state to use AHDI BOS guidelines for spellings. In other words, use the preferred spelling. This can be determined by using a reliable medical dictionary. The spelling that has the definition with it is the preferred spelling, while the term that redirects the user to another spelling is the less-preferred spelling. For example, if you look up fontanel in Dorland's Medical Dictionary, you will see that it re-directs users to fontanelle (the preferred spelling). This particular term brings up another issue, which will be discussed next.

There can be more than one spelling for a single term.

It's inevitable that somewhere during your MT training, you will be made aware of the fact that some terms have more than one correct spelling. There may be a British and an English spelling, or an old and a new spelling, or simply a more and a less common spelling. Whatever the case, you must be able to decide which spelling to use. How should you make this decision? First, check your account specifics. Account specifics trump everything. If your client has a preference, their preference is more important than anyone else's preference. Sometimes your account guidelines might simply

Sometimes the preferred English spelling is not the preferred medical spelling.

If you type fontanelle into an MSWord document, you will find it gets underlined in red and the suggested spelling fontanel is given. Correspondingly, provides 21 general entries for fontanel but only 18 general entries for fontanelle. In contrast, the same compiled dictionary site provides 6 medical matches for fontanel yet provides 9 medical matches for fontanelle. The rule of thumb is this: In medical reports, use the spelling that is preferred by medical dictionaries.

4 MARCH/APRIL 2010 STEPPING UP

Words aren't always spelled how they sound.

With hundreds of thousands of words available for our use, no medical transcriptionist is going to be able to spell every single one of them. An MT who has very good base knowledge of prefixes, root words, and suffixes may be able to spell a word based on its meaning. Often, though, an MT will need to begin the search for a word based on phonetics, or how the word sounds. You may remember rhymes from elementary school such as "i before e, except after c" and "when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." From an early age, we became acutely aware of how complicated the English language can be and that how a word sounds isn't necessarily how it is spelled.

Spelling a word phonetically, however, can sometimes get us heading in the right direction. For example, if you put fanenstial incision into , you will find that you are re-directed to the correct spelling Pfannenstiel incision. Another way to search for a word is to take advantage of fuzzy searches. This may not work at all for the far-fetched spellings, but

Continued on pg. 5

Continued from pg. 4 it works quite nicely when you can clearly understand part of a term being dictated. Of course, your search doesn't end there. Once you find a possible spelling, you must verify that it is spelled correctly AND is the correct term for the report context, by looking it up in a medical dictionary or other reliable resource. On occasion, you might transcribe a legitimate term only to find out that it doesn't fit the report context. What might be the problem? Read on to find out.

Words can sound alike but have different meanings.

One of the most well-known medical examples of this is ileum and ilium. These two words refer to two different parts of the human body, and it is the responsibility of the transcriptionist to ensure that they are transcribing the correct word. Since both words are pronounced the same, the MT must know the definitions in

order to differentiate between the two words. Being familiar with medical terminology is essential, and when the transcriptionist doesn't understand a term, they need to look it up in a reliable resource to make sure the term is correct. It is a good idea to keep a sound-alike list on hand, whether it is one you've created yourself or have borrowed from another source. Not all sound-alike terms have to sound exactly alike to be worthy of a place on your list. A mumbling dictator has a real talent for pronouncing sellar and cellular the same way, which brings us to the last word woe discussed in this article.

Dictators like to make up words. Try as you might, there will come

a time during a report when you stop and say, "That is SO NOT a word!" Go ahead, and see if you can find verborrhea or suprabuttock in a reliable resource. In easily rectified sentences, many accounts will allow you to either

use the correct word (D: The patient had reoccurring episodes. T: The patient had recurring episodes.) or slightly edit the sentence to allow for the correct word form (D: The patient's lips were pallorous. T: The patient had pallid lips.). On the other hand, some made-up words are so common and easily understood that your client may want them to be transcribed as dictated, while words as eccentric as verborrhea and suprabuttock definitely warrant a flag.

Finally, there is one simple approach that can be applied to all of these situations. It will help you to research better, hear better, and discern better. I'm sure you've heard it before, but it's worth repeating: Practice, practice, practice!

- Heather Garrett CS Skills Assessment Team

Ergonomic Topic

Give Yourself a Break!

When you're working on flow to your arms and legs, and musproduction, it's important cles that become tight from long-held

to spend serious time in the chair, flexion, or stretched from long-held

applying yourself to the job with extension. It's important to incorpo-

enthusiasm, in order to bring home rate exercise and stretches into your

the paycheck. Without the discipline workday to counteract these things.

to do this, you won't be as successful

as you could be. Of course, too much

Lucky you! You don't have to be

of a good thing can be as bad as not discreet and try to exercise in your

enough. In this column, let me remind chair while not tipping over. You

you not to overdo it. Give yourself a work at home, so you're not concerned

break!

about your professional power suit

riding up while exercising, or assum-

For many years, the

ing an embarrassing po-

law has mandated regular breaks in the workplace. When you're working at home, you should allow yourself the same

"Any activity you do will help counteract the stagnating inertia of a desk job."

sition while stretching. Most office exercises are chair-based, but because you're not limited to that, I'd encourage you

consideration--for your

to establish a good exer-

health's sake. Sitting for a long time cise program for yourself. Of course,

can cause problems because of lack of walking is great; at the very least, go

whole body movement, reduced blood for a walk, take the dog for out for a

while (the dog will love it, too), or hit the treadmill. Any activity you do will help counteract the stagnating inertia of a desk job.

Here are some great stretches from the site:

h t t p : / / w w w. m a y o c l i n i c . c o m / health/shoulder-stretches/MM00710

Don't forget to check out the video on treadmill desks, too!

h t t p : / / w w w. m a y o c l i n i c . c o m / health/treadmill-desk/MM00706

- Jill McNitt CS Student Support Team

STEPPING UP MARCH/APRIL 2010 5

Notable Notes

New Student Support Team Member

Adrianne Sommer, Student Support Advisor

Adrianne Sommer began working for Career Step in September of 2008 as an enrollment advisor. She recently assumed a new role in the student support department as a student support advisor. She will be working one-onone with students who have funding through the MyCAA program. Adrianne is a Utah native. She enjoys all kinds of music, reading, and spending time with her three children. She is very excited about her new role and is looking forward to working with all Career Step students. We're excited to have her on the student support team. Welcome Adrianne!

Student Spotlight

Crystal May

Hello fellow Career Steppers! My name is Crystal May (you may know me on the forum as bmay33), and I live in Augusta, Georgia, with my husband Beau and our two sons, ages 6 and 4, who keep us on our toes and remind us daily of the wonder that is being a child. My family is the driving force behind my decision to better myself, and also their lives, through further education with Career Step. As someone who is changing careers, I have learned that in the economic climate of today, obtaining training in a consistently reliable field of work is an invaluable resource.

Medical transcription was first mentioned to me by my father, who happened to have a friend in the field for over 15 years. At first, I was hesitant to switch into a completely new career path, but after a few conversations with her, the advantages of training for medical transcription with Career Step became apparent. As a mom, I value the time I have with my children, particularly while they are young, as they will only be little for a short while. The ability to not only train on my own time and at my

own pace, but also be employed in a field that will allow me to work from home, set my own hours (within certain parameters), and still be active in their lives, is a priceless commodity, in my eyes. I, like every other parent in the world, struggle to find balance between work and family, and I believe Career Step has and will continue to help me find that balance.

There are plenty of days when I ask myself, "Is this going to be worth it in the end?" or when I get frustrated, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?!" At times like that, I remind myself that I'm doing this not only for me, but also for my family. It will be worth every second spent learning and training when I can decide for myself, on the spot, to take a day off from work and take them to a Little League game for the first time or take them on a well-deserved vacation. I know its not going to be all rainbows and sunshine (as any current student or graduate already knows) and there are definitely days when I'm overwhelmed and I feel like giving up, but the benefits will far outweigh the sacrifices I'm making now.

So far with this course, I've learned that the most important things I can do are stay motivated, stay focused, and plan ahead. Organization is one of the skills I have been using most, whether it is creating word lists for future use, sorting and saving resources, or networking on the CS forums with my fellow students for support and motivation. All of these will benefit me, and others, once we finish the training and enter the field of medical transcription.

So if you find yourself struggling, don't give up! Hang in there! Just remember that it will be worth it in the end. Everything in your life has led you to this moment in time and has shaped the person that you are today. The training you are going through now is no different. You are currently building the foundation for a successful career path, and I wish you the best of luck

- Crystal May

6 MARCH/APRIL 2010 STEPPING UP

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way

To The Forum

What's That Word?!?!?

The student forum is a wonderful source of information and support. So many subjects regarding words come up: Should I memorize the Medical Word Building module? What's up with making a wordlist? How do I research this term? What in the world is this doctor saying? Is that a real word? Look what the VR spit out (heehee)! I'm working and I'm stuck...! I've taken posts from several threads over the whole forum to show the discussion and answers to these questions, and more.

About memorizing and research:

It says not to memorize every-

thing in anatomy and disease, but I

wondered if I did memorize a lot,

how much easier my transition into

practicum work would be? It also

said not to memorize everything

in medical word building and I did

anyway. That has made some of the

rest of my work so much easier. Is

this the same way?

Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with memorization. When they say it is not necessary, it just comes down to a time factor. For folks with time constraints, they need not devote a ton of time to memorization--it is not essential to success. If, however, you have the time, there is certainly no harm in putting in that extra effort.

The thing is that people who don't particularly try to "memorize" end up effectively having stuff memorized by the end of the course simply because of repeated exposure through the course. In other words, once you've typed the word "hematemesis" 50 times in various reports in the transcription section, you've got it memorized.

I just completed A & D, and I do

feel really good about how well I

was able to remember things without

looking them up in the book, so it

must be soaking in!

To those looking to memorize everything, if you can hear the word you can look it up, so simply being familiar with basic words is good. The challenge is to develop a "hearing ear" to be able to transcribe those words. It is a process that takes practice and needs a lot of your time. Einstein said, "Never memorize what you can look up." He's right! After you type the words a zillion times, it finally sticks!

I agree with you. Even if you can hear PART of a word, you can look it up. Being familiar with the terminology will point you in the right direction. You may or may not find it but recognizing that you've seen or heard it before will be a big confidence booster.

Funny things we hear:

I HEARD: The patient occasionally uses alcohol and buys fergies....(what the heck is a fergie?) LOLOL ACTUAL: The patient occasionally uses alcohol and denies drug use...

Fergie is the lady in the Black Eyed Peas!

OK, I just did another one. At first I typed:

"...she was able to walk three blocks uphill to my office with some fatigue, but no angina, shortness of breath, or hot occasion."

But upon re-listening I realized

the doctor really said claudication.

I searched 10 minutes for a "baloney brace" Before realizing the doc was saying BELOW KNEE brace .....

About word lists:

I've seen lots of posts concerning word lists. It's still early in the course for me, so maybe I will see how invaluable it is later on down the road. But even though I have started one, I have never gone back and used it. I always use other sources in my research. I'm just trying to figure out if it is completely

necessary.

I use mine occasionally, but what is more invaluable to me is typing the new or problematic words and phrases into the word list so that they become ingrained in my mind. The more times I type something, the easier it is to remember it the next time I hear it. I'm also putting basic information about prescriptions into my list (for example, metformin would be noted as "for diabetics") so that I can do a quick reference. That's primarily how I use my list these days.

I use mine on practically

every single clinic note I type.

For example, it is much faster

for me to look at my word list

to see if medication is capitalized

than to look it up in a book or

online.

Continued on pg. 8

STEPPING UP MARCH/APRIL 2010 7

Continued from pg. 7

I spent a lot of time creating my word list in the objective part of the course, but now that I am in the transcription portion, I find myself only referring to my word list on occasion, but I find myself using the internet or my books instead. I am glad I made it, for the learning aspect, but I wouldn't be upset if I ended up losing it.

My word list has gotten me out of a few jams! Even on the final when I thought I heard *something* and couldn't quite figure out what was being said.

Made up words found in the workplace:

Chiropractery Verborrhea ................
................

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