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PATHOLOGY transcription question

Posted By: homebodyMT on 2005-11-15
In Reply to:

Hello all !  I'm going on an interview for a pathology transcription position.  I've only done medical records in the past, but the company wants to meet me and is confident I will adapt.  But my question is - what is PATHOLOGY like?  Does anyone have a link that I can read or review pathology ?   I hear it's very boring and repetitive - is this true ?


Does it command a greater salary than medical records transcription?  Im in NY, btw.


Any advice you experts have I would love to hear ! 


Thanks!  




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I have done pathology for years; was trained with a state coroner's office and then worked in 2 large hospital pathology offices.  Yes, it can be very repetitive and boring. 


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Overall, I love it.  It is fast-paced and time-sensitive.  If ever I can help you, write me and I will do all I can.


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Hi there,


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Cheryl


 


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Because typing pathology from
rare. I would love to do pathology again, but I will never go back to an office environment again.
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as an electron microscopist, then graduated to supervisor of 5 different clinical labs. A friend of mine who was an OR tech badly damaged her ankle and could no longer do that line of work, and an orthopedic surgeon asked her if she would be interested in doing his transcription. She asked me to help, and soon we had 11 accounts and our own little business. She did full-time, I was part-time. Well, at the hospital, with downsizing and buy-outs, my labs which previously employed almost 30 people, were soon down to 7, then 5. When they told me I had to lay off another person (even with the workload climbing), I laid off myself, and went to doing MT full-time. My terminology base was great, but going back and forth to those doctors' offices, picking up microcassettes, printing reports, etc. got to be a hassle so when I located to another area of the country, I sought out employment at home. Beend doing it ever since. As in your case, it allowed me to support myself and my 3 boys, and I still feel part of the healthcare industry, doing my own little part for the patients. I am glad it worked out so well for you. Good luck in the future!!
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Does anyone out there type for a Pathology Dept. or a medical examiner in the privacy of their own home?  I saw a message where one gal said she worked for a hospital Path. Dept. from her home which included benefits, etc.  I cannot find her message now, and am wondering if she is still out there and would answer my message.  I would love this as I really need the benefits.  Thanks  Del
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I interviewed for an in-house pathology MT - sm
position a few years ago. What they did was a transcription typing test, so I had actual dictation and of course they timed me. I did okay there I think without any errors I was aware of but speed wise I tend to type a lot slower when being tested as I just freak at typing tests. Then they interviewed me, and I feel so dumbb at interviews, 2 people at once, totally dumbb questions for the most part with nothing to do with transcription. I thought I did well but did not get called back. They gave me a full tour of the facilities, etc, the MT office, the lab, etc. Let me "interview" the MTs there too. It was quite interesting.
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At pathology lab, we were responsible for getting there first thing in the morning and transcribing all the micro before 10 a.m. so the pathologists could then look at slides and dictate the gross report. Doctors tried to get the gross reports back to us by 1 p.m. -- because they had to be typed by 3 p.m. so the doctors could sign the reports, and get them back to us so we could get them sorted and in the mail before we went home. In addition, we fielded phone calls, took messages for pathologists, searched for and mailed slides when other labs requested them, provided courier coverage to transport slides and things between our lab and hospital lab in the next building, and when we had a spare minute, we entered Pap smear results from precoded sheets used by the technicians reading the Pap smears (like between 10 a.m. and noon, if we had all the micro typed)!!! Every day was hurry up and meet this 2-hour deadline, then hurry to meet the next 2-hour deadline...

I learned a lot of terminology -- but I would have to be very hungry to do it again. It is hard to describe or comprehend a pathology secretary job unless you have actually been there, done that -- you will either love it or hate it... good luck.
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Dear Carrie Bella,


Could you possibly give me the name of the company that the New York ME's office uses for their transcription.  I am very much interested in either typing Pathology or ME's reports at home.  Thanks.  Del


This is very true. None of our local hospitals outsource their pathology, as far as I know. But...sm
I work for MQ's Seattle office and for a time was assigned to a pathology account there. I was always curious how/why they outsourced their pathology. Anyway, I quickly found it BORING (especially the gross dictations) and asked to be taken off the account because I made NO money (very short jobs + software slower than molasses = no money).

Hope this helps some.


you must own a pathology book. Go to stedman's and order online.

Does pathology dictation always have LOUD background noise?

I went for an interview and I was given some trial dictations regarding gross specimens and the background noise was HORRIBLE.  There was more background noise than dictator's voice.  I asked about that and was told "Oh, that's the way it has always been. The lab is just noisy."  I inquired further and they admitted the doctor uses a speaker phone type arrangement and the noise of the ventilating fans, electrical equipment, etc. is what creates the overpowering background noise.  But the lab director insisted that there was no other way, as they doctor needs both hands free when cutting up the specimen.  Is that true? 


 


I should point out that the benefits package with the pathology group... SM

is significantly better than what I've got right now.  They are offering a matching 401K, profit sharing, flexible spending account, healthcare benefits and dental for me and my kids for about 150 per month versus 400 per month where I work now.


Then there is the issue of job security.  I'm a realist and I know that in this business of medical transcription, my job could be gone tomorrow due to lost accounts, low work volume, or offshoring.  Not to mention, the powers that be at my company could decide that it would be more cost effective to pay their editors per line versus hourly (which has happened to me before) and only offer 4 cpl because after all "we don't actually type all that much." 


Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've lost jobs due to all those things I listed.  It's upsetting the thought of losing another job.  So that is one of my major considerations with this job offer.  I'm sure they could offer me a measure of job security because they are a locally owned practice by the physician and all of the the transcriptionists there have been with the practice for more than five years.  This position I'm being offered was created because they have increased their work load.


I just don't know.  Geez, I hate making big decisions!


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nm
Wow..youare gaining WAY more than you are losing. I hope you love pathology as much as I did.
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