The Medical Transcription Program is a 38-credit-hour curriculum leading to a certificate upon program completion. The program prepares students to work as a medical typist or medical transcriptionist with a thorough knowledge of medical terminology, advanced typing, word processing skills, editing, English mechanics, and work experience. Proper form editing abilities and legal implications are emphasized.

Students must be familiar with either Microsoft Word© or WordPerfect© software and Windows applications. Courses in these word processing software packages are available for credit or noncredit throughout the Dallas County Community College District.

• Is El Centro College an accredited institution?
• What are the courses like?
• Where may I take support courses besides El Centro College?
• May I transfer credit from a college or university outside the United States?
• What if I have coursework more than 10 years old?
• Is there a time limit on Science coursework?
• Is there any provision for credit by examination or other alternatives to repeating a course?
• What if I plan to transfer to a four-year institution?
• Are any courses taken off-campus?
• How do I get to the clinical sites?
• Does El Centro College have on-campus housing?
• Do I need a physical examination prior to entering the program?
• What about drug testing and criminal background check?
• What are the physical demands of the profession?
• What activities are medical transcriptionists involved in?
• What other skills and attributes do medical transcriptionists have?
• Are there any Board examinations after graduation?
• Are there any professional societies for medical transcriptionists?
• Are there any courses I should take in high school to help me prepare?
• Whom do I contact for more information?

If the student works while in school or has significant family responsibilities, the student is encouraged to take the general education "support" courses (Biology, English, etc.) prior to entrance into the Medical Transcription Program. The program is rigorous, and many students find that taking the support courses first enables them to complete the program successfully while maintaining other responsibilities as well.

The Medical Transcription Program courses are offered at the El Centro College campus on a full-time basis during daytime hours. Some courses are also offered via the Internet in a distance learning format. These courses include ENGL 1301, MDCA 1313, MDCA 1201, and MDCA 1202.

The student is enrolled in MEDA 1382 (Cooperative Education) in the second semester of the Medical Transcription Program. This course is a "hands-on" work experience with the student negotiating the salary and work hours. The work experience is done in a medical records department of a hospital/clinical setting, a physician's office, or medical transcription agency. The student may arrange this cooperative work arrangement personally or the Medical Transcription Coordinator will help place the student at a work site.

If the student works while in school and/or has significant family responsibilities, the student is encouraged to take the general education "support" courses (Biology, English, etc.) prior to entrance into the program. The program is rigorous, and many students find that taking the support courses first enables them to complete the program successfully while maintaining other responsibilities as well.

The curriculum of the Medical Transcription program may be viewed online.
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Support courses completed at colleges and universities outside the DCCCD must be approved for transfer credit prior to the semester in which the course is required as stipulated in curriculum outline.
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Consideration of courses for transfer credit from colleges and universities outside the United States will be limited to science coursework completed less than five years prior to program admission.

Before foreign credentials will be considered for transfer credit, the student must arrange the evaluation of transcripts and related documentation by a professional evaluation agency. After the professional evaluation is complete, the student must then submit the original documentation and a certified English translation to the Health Occupations Admissions Office. The student is responsible for all costs of the evaluation and translation of foreign credentials.

Applicants with coursework more than ten years old who wish to have that transcripted work ignored under the "Academic Fresh Start" provision should petition the Registrar in writing for that consideration. If approved, the transcript need not be submitted, however, a copy of the Registrar's letter granting the "Academic Fresh Start" consideration should be submitted with the Medical Assisting application.

All science courses submitted for program credit must be completed no more than five years prior to program admission to the program. In certain circumstances a waiver of the time limit may be considered.

Students who wish to petition for the five-year waiver must present official transcripts, course descriptions as necessary, and a letter of petition documenting how they have updated or refreshed their knowledge in the particular science or math course in question (i.e., working in a healthcare field with specific duties indicated utilizing algebra in their current employment arena, etc.).

The letter should also cite specific experiences and indicate individuals for references as needed (i.e., employers, instructors, etc.). Students petitioning for a five-year waiver for college algebra must also provide current assessment test scores with the petition. Please refer to assessment test details on the Admission Requirements webpage.

CLEP, DANTES, and Credit by Examination may also be completed in lieu of repeating a course. CLEP, DANTES, and Credit by Examination are available to a student enrolled at a DCCCD campus, but may not be requested for courses in which the student is currently enrolled.

Credit for a CLEP, DANTES, or Credit by Examination will be considered only if a documented letter grade or numerical score is presented for evaluation. For more information regarding the acceptance of CLEP, DANTES, and Credit by Examination, please contact the Health Occupations Admissions Office.

Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.
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Students are responsible for providing their own transportation. It is necessary to consider transportation costs to the college, as well as hospitals throughout the city. Students are responsible for any parking fees.

No, El Centro College is located in the heart of downtown Dallas. Students are responsible for providing their own housing.
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A pre-entrance physical examination and immunization record form will be sent with acceptance letters. Results of the medical examination must be reported on the designated program medical examination form which is submitted at the registration seminar for that accepted class.

The form documents a medical history, physical examination, and current record of the following immunizations:

• Tuberculin skin test within the last 6 months (if positive, chest x-ray required within last 2 years)
• Tetanus/diphtheria current within 10 years
• Measles/mumps/rubella ("MMR") including 2 doses of measles vaccine required either separately or in combination (MMR)
• Hepatitis B series
• Varicella disclaimer

Students must have completed the first injection of the Hepatitis B series prior to registration for the Medical Transcription program and are responsible for submitting documentation verifying subsequent completion of the second and third injection to the Health Occupations Admissions Office. Health situations (i.e., pregnancy, allergies, and nursing mothers) that may prohibit the use of the hepatitis B vaccine must be documented by a physician, and a waiver signed by the student.

All clinical facilities require all students attending their facility have a current Drug and Background Screen. The prescreening requirements are the same as those required of employees. All screens must be conducted after admission to the clinical program, but within 30 days prior to the start of the agency rotation. Verification of the satisfactory results must be received by the participating hospital prior to the student's rotation start date, and will be honored by all hospitals for the duration of the student's enrollment in the clinical program if the participating student has not had a break in the enrollment at the college.

The student is solely responsible for payment of all fees at the time of the screens (approximately $80). All reports and findings from the Background and Drugs screens will be reported directly to El Centro College Health Occupations Administration. The results of the screening can prevent clinical placement.

The rationale for the screening is that of due diligence and competency assessment of all individuals whose assignments bring them in contact with patients or employees. Competency extends beyond technical skills to an individual's criminal and substance abuse history. This approach ensures uniform compliance with Joint Commission standards pertaining to human resource management.

The drug screen follows National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) guidelines and screens for ten substances as designated in the Substance Abuse Panel 10 ("SAP 10"). These substances are:

SAP 10 test results which fall outside of any of the acceptable ranges are considered positive test results and are automatically sent for a separate confirmatory test by a Gas Chromatography Mss Spectrometry (GCMS) method. If these results remain positive, the test results are sent to a Medical Review Officer ("MRO") which will entail an additional cost of $25 - $75 to the student. The MRO will then contact the student to determine if there is a valid prescription for the drug in question. If a valid prescription exists and is verified, the test result will be deemed to be negative and acceptable.

Note: A clinical agency reserves the right to remove a student from the facility for suspicion of substance use or abuse, including alcohol. The clinical agency will notify the El Centro College Health Occupations administration to facilitate immediate removal of the student and request that the student submit to a repeat drug screening procedure at the student's expense on the same day of removal from the clinical agency. Failure to comply will result in immediate expulsion from the clinical agency. Further, regardless of testing or test results, the agency reserves the right to expel any student form their facility. The agency will provide El Centro College Health Occupations administration with written documentation of the student's behavior(s) by tow or more agency representatives.

The criminal background check reviews a person's criminal history seven (7) years previous to the date of program application. The check will include all cities and counties of the person's residency during that time period. The following histories will disqualify an individual from consideration for a clinical rotation:

• Felony convictions
• Misdemeanor convictions or felony deferred adjudication involving crimes against persons (physical or sexual abuse)
• Misdemeanor convictions related to moral turpitude (prostitution, public lewdness/exposure, etc.)
• Felony deferred adjudication for the sale, possession, distribution, or transfer of narcotics or controlled substances
• Registered sex offenders

Exceptions:

• If a licensing/registry body approves the individual to take the licensing/credential exam, the individual may participate in the clinical rotation
• The college may request an exception form the first clinical agency for a student with a felony deferred adjudication and no alternate recourse through a licensing/registry Updated and Maintained byity. Following approval from the first clinical agency, the student may progress as stated above.

Note: Should a student accepted to a health occupations program be prohibited from attending a clinical rotation experience due to findings of a criminal background check and/or drug screening, the student may be dismissed form the health occupations program.

For more information regarding the criminal background check and drug testing requirements, please contact Ms. LaCheeta McPherson, Associate Dean of Allied Health by phone at 214.860.2271 or e-mail (mlm5544@dcccd.edu).
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The student must be able to sit at a word processor for eight-hour periods and must be able to hear a transcriber, using earphones.
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Activities can include the following:

• apply knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology
• apply English language rules
• summarize and edit materials for medical records, from such departments as laboratory and x-ray
• recognize, interpret, and evaluate inconsistencies, discrepancies and inaccuracies in medical dictation
• clarify dictation which is unclear or incomplete
• meet strict deadlines
• use various word processing and other equipment to format reports
• communicate with a wide variety of staff person

Transcriptionists are evaluated on their accuracy and productivity. The student must be able to complete the transcription in a limited time period. It requires good listening and language skills, computer skills, knowledge of medical terms, and time-management skills.

Skills needed include:

• ability to operate word processing, and transcription equipment
• knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology
• understanding of medicolegal implications and responsibility related to the transcription of patient records
• ability to type quickly and accurately
• excellent knowledge of English language rules and be especially good at spelling
• ability to translate orally given information into well organized accurate typed statements
• ability to proofread well
• excellent listening skills including the ability to hear and understand dialects and various accents
• ability to maintain a schedule and manage time
• work well with little supervision
• ability to work as a team member and to share information with coworkers

Some courses that you will find helpful are:

We have a list of contacts available at El Centro College.

You may also download an information packet. The file is in PDF format and requires Acrobat Reader software, downloadable free from www.adobe.com.

The College reserves the right to make changes in program enrollment capacity. Program guidelines are subject to change. Students are advised to obtain the latest program information from the Health Occupations Admissions Office (Room A140). Contact them for the latest information.