Medical transcriptions are medical language specialists. The bulk of the transcription work in this country is performed by home based professionals. As statutory or contract employees or subcontractors, it is generally up to the home based professional to develop and maintain their own library of professional industry resources. While there are a lot of options available, there are certain medical transcription books that should be considered mandatory for any home based MT professional.

A Basic home library should include at a minimum:

1. A Standard English language Dictionary – Try Webster’s.
2. A Comprehensive Medical Dictionary – Try Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary or Stedman’s Medical Dictionary
3. A Good Drug Reference Book – Try Stedman’s Quick Look Drug Book and/or American Drug Index by Facts and Comparisons
4. A Good Medical Abbreviations Book – Try Medical Abbreviations: 30000 Conveniences at the Expense of Communication and Safety by Neil M. Davis
5. A Good General Medical Word Book: Try Sloane’s Medical Word Book
6. A Solid Grammar and Style Guide – Try the Book of Style (AHDI), or the Chicago Book of Style.

In addition to general purpose resources most MT’s will rely time to time on specialty resources. Every medical specialty has its own peculiar terminology and vocabulary. Radiologists will use an entirely different set of terms to describe their findings compared to a internal medicine specialists, for example. Stedmans offers an entire library of medical word books. These books average $40 a piece and are continually being revised and updated. You would be advised to hold off on purchasing specific specialty word books until you have a need for them. If you are beginning a new transcription specialty account or expect to be assigned to a specialty work group then a good medical word book is not only invaluable, but should be considered essential. It will add immeasurably to your productivity as a transcriptionist.

Titles from the Stedmans library of Medical Word Books include:

- Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Words
- Dermatology & Immunology Words
- Emergency Medicine Words
- Medical & Surgical Equipment Words
- Neurology & Neurosurgery Words, 4th Edition
- OB-GYN & Pediatric Words, 5th Edition
- Endocrinology Words
- GI & GU Words
- Oncology Words
- Ophthalmology Words
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Words
- Orthopedic and Rehab Words
- Plastic Surgery, ENT, & Dentistry Words, 5th Edition
- Internal Medicine Words
- Radiology Words
- Surgery Words
- Organisms and Infectious Diseases Words
- Alternative and Complementary Medicine Words
- Psychiatric Words

As a medical transcription practitioner, you will be continually adding books and resources to your personal library over the years. Be aware that many books are available on CD and increasingly are available online. The ability to search electronically can add significantly to your transcription production.

Baby Boomers Come of Age

Baby boomers are a huge demographic headed for retirement. The main element that separates this Baby Boomer generation from older generations is their attention to health issues and the length of time they have spent in the job market.

As generations grow older, there will be a greater need for specialized health care. Other areas that are likely to be impacted by the coming-of-age Baby Boomers include such industries as assisted living and social working.

Increasingly Effective Medicine

Innovations in the medical field along with the robust output of the pharmaceutical industry will help people to live longer; while maintaining the productivity of their lives. There are a growing number of adults who expect to work beyond the traditional normal retirement age. This trend will both demand and require a whole new generation of health care professionals and specialists that will be a major asset in helping to prolong the quality and vibrancy of life.

An Increased Need for Child Care Services

For people who work hard to maintain a certain standard of living, the need for high quality childcare services has resulted in a market place response with a variety of programs, such as pre-kindergarten educational programs that require highly trained educators. Traditionally a lower paying profession, childcare service is slowly becoming a more lucrative and stable career destination for many people. These educators are positioned to demand higher salaries than their predecessors.

Technology on the Move

There is never a shortage of ideas, and the fact that many American companies look to overseas for technology solutions should have no major impact on US technology professionals who have the skills and knowledge to effect upgrades and repairs. The world is competitive, and companies will continually need to provide their teams with competitive equipment and industry resources. IT, electrical, and cable Infrastructures will need to be updated on a continual basis.

IT professionals who have training and skills in networking and support should experience stable demand as companies come of age through the need to be and remain competitive on an on-going basis.

The Distribution of Work

The Distribution of work will continue to be a main impetus for the development of increasingly effective information networks. The term “hot desking” will become more familiar as consultants and business professionals continue to divide their time among diverse locations.

The need for education on demand will cause individuals to find the school programs that can allow them to get the industry-specific training needed to be successful in both their careers and lives. To stay ahead of the curve, business administration courses can teach you the skills needed to keep up with this competitive job market.

The last two decades have been host to a technology revolution unparalleled in human history. From Apple IIEs to smart phones, the tech industry has been developing new products and software at a breakneck speed. As a consumer, it is often difficult to keep up with new products and services. With revenue shares dictated by bleeding edge technology development, skilled engineers have quickly become a coveted asset in an ultra-competitive battle of the fittest. Given the pace of industry growth and the rising demand for tech positions, the hiring industry has been forced to evolve to better service the needs of the leading tech firms.

The technology industry covers a broad range of companies providing computer systems, chip production and other information and communication systems. This broad range of offerings requires personnel with specialized skill sets including both hardware and software engineering expertise. Hardware engineering expertise can further be segmented into computer manufacturing, processor manufacturing and mobile device development. The software development side of things also covers a broad range or languages and expertise from web development to mobile device programming skills. The multitude of available programming languages further segments the software side of technology expertise.

With such a diverse demand for skills, hiring for technology firms requires a unique understanding of each new position’s technical foundation. Hiring for technical positions mean the recruiter must differentiate between hardware engineering skills and the variety of programming language skills on the market. This demand for technical recruiting skills has gown alongside the booming tech industry. Given the inherent degree of difficulty with filling such unique roles, many tech firms turn to skilled tech recruiters to help better service their hiring needs. Specialized hiring firms have cropped up to provide the expertise and experience level required to recruit for jobs in the tech space. These firms have honed their expertise and experience over time. While an internal recruiter may not have a grasp on all the different skill sets required for a position, a dedicated technical recruiting firm is likely to have experience with similar roles and recruiters who understand the specific skill requirements for each job.

The competitive nature of hiring for technology firms has forced recruiters to edge out the competition with greater efficiencies. Recruiting efficiencies have been improved over time through greater experience with specialized job requirements, a better understanding of technical skill sets and enhanced organization. Many tech recruiting firms have turned to technology itself to help out compete other firms looking to source candidates for similar roles. Software developers have created unique applicant tracking systems designed solely to increase recruiting collaboration and decrease overall costs per a hire. These software products allow unparalleled insight into the hiring funnel and help ensure the most qualified candidates make it to the interview process.

As technology has outpaced other industries, hiring practices have been forced to evolve and keep pace with cutting-edge technology trends. Developing specialized knowledge about a variety of technical skills and moving to web-based applicant tracking technology has helped modernized technical hiring practices to better service the needs of today’s companies. While these specialized hiring practices can effectively serviced the needs of today’s tech companies, let’s hope they can continue their evolution to better service the needs of tomorrow.