I did not decide one day to become a medical transcriptionist. Rather, a series of events combined with my own interests and strengths led me to where I am today. In school, English and science were my two favorite classes. Though I thought about becoming a nurse or even a doctor, I also was fascinated by languages and the idea of becoming a translator, so when it came to attend college, I decided to major in Spanish and even worked for a summer in South America. After graduation, I worked first for a government agency in my home town. When that program was phased out, I decided to look for a position that would use my degree in Spanish, and so I moved to California to work with a drug rehab program as their secretary. Here I was introduced to word processing and transcribing dictation, among my many other duties. From there I moved on to working in the international headquarters of a nondenominational missions organization as their one-woman "transcription pool." While there, I met people from all over the world and gained familiarity with many different types of accents as I transcribed reports and debriefings.

          A few years later, when my husband decided to take a couple of community college classes at night, I thought it would be fun to take a class or two at the same time. I noted a self-paced medical terminology and transcription course in the catalogue, and decided to take it. I really enjoyed the class, and decided I wanted to know more. Medical terminology became my new hobby, and I pursued it with the same passion as learning a new language. Finally I had found an area where my two academic strong points, language and science, could be used together.

          When my husband was laid off from his job, and I decided it would be wise to get a part-time job to help with expenses. Thinking this would be my chance to become a medical transcriptionist, I naively sent out some resumes. One of these resumes reached the owner of a transcription service located only a mile away from my home. Even though I was inexperienced, because I had general transcription experience and was familiar with language and accents, she agreed to take me on as a trainee. Although I soon discovered how very, very much I had yet to learn, I felt like I was finally "home" in a career that used both my interest in medicine and my language skills, and so my part time job became my full time career.

          When that job ended, I then spent the next few years working at home on my own accounts. While I had thought that this was my ultimate goal, I discovered that there were drawbacks being on my own. While I still enjoyed doing transcription for a variety of specialties and meeting the doctors, the pressure of recordkeeping and administrative details often eclipsed the joy of doing transcription, along with the long hours and being unable to take time off. I began wondering if this was really the career path I really wanted.

          Because of these frustrations, along with an upcoming move out of the area which required a different work situation, I applied to DRC (now Acusis). I was hired, and soon discovered that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Because I can now concentrate on transcribing rather than worrying about keeping track of billing or being interrupted by an office looking for a report, I have regained the joy and satisfaction of having a job I enjoy and that keeps me motivated and challenged. In addition, I can still enjoy working at home, now in a place I enjoy living, rather than being tied down by the need to be within driving distance of doctor's offices. I appreciate having supervisors and editors there to answer questions and to help me become a better transcriptionist by providing feedback, something I did not have while working alone. I feel that my job at Acusis is really the "best of both worlds," and I enjoy being part of the team, both now and in the days to come.