Medical Transcription has come a long way - L&L

In 1972 we were clerk-typists paid by the hour.

We used IBM typewriters, paper, carbon paper, and white out.

We could ask the doctors any questions to help clarify their dictations.

We could use the medical reference library to research topics we needed to learn about.

We could request patient's chart from medical records to check out any reports we needed.

If there was no work, we could go the observation area in the OR and watch procedures or view tapes of procedures to familiarize ourselves with what we were working on.

There was no AAMT/AHDI and we were expected to have impecable grammer skills.

There was no HIPAA; we have AIDS to thank for that governmental monstrosity.

Now we are completely isolated from whom we work for; we are forced to rush through reports to make money; no one has on-the-job time to really learn anything; and we have those old biddies at AHDI shoved down our throats at every turn.  Yes, computers are nice to work with, and the the Internet can be a valuable resource, although it can also be a dangerous one.  How, however, to add insult to injury, we can be fired and/or seiously fined for our mistakes as well as experience yearly pay cuts.

The reason they call them the good old days...they were good and they are gone.