Here is a medical transcription tip that I stress time and time again: Do NOT burn bridges when leaving a medical transcription job or when you stop working as an outside medical transcription contractor.

Case in point: I used to work for a company as an employee several years ago. In fact, it is the first company that hired me as a full-time medical transcriptionist. After I left that company, I kept in touch and eventually did work as an outside contractor. A few years later, due to time constraints, I again stopped working for the company but it was on good terms.

Well, today I realized I had a message on my cell phone and once again I have been contacted by this company to do medical transcription work. The work will consist of reviewing medical records, something to which I have alluded on this blog and which I will address in a separate post. I charge at least $20/hour because the work is not easy; I have to go through stacks of medical records and glean the salient points and type them in a particular format. The work is tedious, tiring, but oh so very important in workers’ compensation cases.

I want all medical transcriptionists to know that not only do you not burn your bridges, but you always, ALWAYS act in the highest professional way possible no matter how you are being treated by an employer or client. Rise above any situation, no matter what, and be courteous, kind, and willing to do whatever it takes to remedy a situation.

I may also be working as a historian. I’ll let you know. That work involves taking patient histories, and is an art more than anything else. I’ll also post something about that in a separate blog, so I hope you’ll keep coming back and reading what I have to say!

God bless you all,

Mary R-K