In 1984 at the age of 19, I had decided it was time to make a career choice; one that I would enjoy and one that would keep me secure professionally and financially. My oldest sister was the transcription manager for the Chicago-based office of a nationwide transcription company. She of course knew my background as an administrative assistant and that I had an excellent command of the English language; the fact that I could type 120 words per minute was extremely attractive to her as well!

          My sister offered me an entry level position as a clerk/receptionist at the company she worked for. The prospect of working my way into the field of medical transcription was too enticing for me to turn down and I promptly accepted the position. Of course 1984 was way back in the day of the good 'ole IBM Wheelwriters, so hundreds of reports had to be copied and collated and filed away. As I stood at the copy machine, I would read and ingest as much of the terminology as I could. After about a month, two of the editors went to our boss and said they felt that my talents were being wasted on clerical work and that with my skills I should be trained in transcription immediately. I was then offered a trainee position as a medical transcriptionist, which I again promptly accepted.

          The office I worked in was quite casual, and one of my fondest memories during my training time came on a day when I was plugging along and came across a word that I could not quite understand. I looked up from my typewriter and proceeded to ask out loud to the rest of the ladies in the office, "What is smegma?" I was greeted with a chorus of, "Ewwwwwwwws" and then laughter. From then on I looked up every single word and/or phrase myself! There were times that I would flee to the ladies room to sit and cry out of frustration because I could not understand a dictator or a phrase. Hearing that the word or phrase was something as simple as "the" or "the patient" and not some extremely difficult medical jargon taught me patience and how to have a "good ear" when it came to really listening to what was being dictated. Within six months I was able to leave the office and work out of my home as a full-fledged medical transcriptionist. By the end of my time with this particular company I was a top producer, but I felt it was time to move on.

          Over the years I worked for several companies and was offered different types of work doing different specialties. I never turned any request down, and was always the first to volunteer as I wanted to learn everything I could about every specialty and work type. At the last company I worked for before starting my time at DRC (which later became Acusis), I was asked if I would be interested in trying oncology work for a clinic out of a large university hospital here in Chicago; I immediately accepted. I knew the work would be challenging and rewarding.

          In 2004 I decided it was time to find a company that I could settle into and stay with for the duration of my career and came across an advertisement for an oncology transcriptionist for DRC Corporation. I applied and was offered and accepted the position and my excitement at working for this new company was immediate. When Acusis bought out DRC, I was nervous about what might happen to my job, but it was all for nought. Everything went on as usual and the transition had to be one of the smoothest I've ever seen. I left Acusis for a couple of months due to personal reasons, and when I was ready I reapplied and was welcomed back with open arms. I consider myself to be a very loyal employee and have found Acusis to be just as loyal. The training I had on the new platform was exceptional and I was able to start immediately and never had a question about it once I started. The techs are always there for me, always respond promptly, and are ready to help with whatever might be ailing my computer! The editors always send feedback, which is extremely important to me. They are always courteous and professional and their feedback is never condescending or insulting. My bosses at Acusis bend over backwards to make me happy and give me the work I prefer, they pay me exceptionally well, always on time, and the weekend incentives are wonderful.

          I am very happy that I chose medical transcription as my profession, and even happier that I have landed at Acusis. I am quite content and comfortable with my job, and I hope to stay with Acusis for the rest of my career, which I hope to be a long and mutually rewarding one.