FAQ | Contact Us | Advertise  | RSS Feed
Subscribe to this feed
ADVANCE for Health Information Professionals RSS Feed
Search
Login | Sign Up

Current Issue

Subscriptions are FREE to Qualified Health Information Professionals


Your Letters

Male MT Needs Advice


View Comments (3)Print ArticleEmail Article

I just received my Jan. 26 issue of ADVANCE. I am new to the HIM field. After sitting down and reading the table of contents to see which article I should pursue first, I realized that I had been offended. I am offended at the blatant sexism that takes place in the HIM field. Why would one refer to the general MT as a her (p. 19, The Dark Side of MT), when the general rule of English is to use the masculine for this case (i.e., his)?  In fact, why are these professionals called transcriptionists at all? Correct me if I am wrong, but the "ist" is a feminine ending applied for females. A more proper title should be transcriptioner, especially if one is referring to someone of the male gender. Maybe my bitterness lies in the few interviews I have had with potential employers, and upon seeing only women working in the MT areas of hospitals I realize that I am hopeless. This feeling is only reinforced when I am not extended an invitation to work (especially because I have offered to work for free as an intern). In other words, how can I break into this field, being of the male gender? Any advice would help. Thank you for your time.

Seth Morrill

 


 

As a Transcription Supervisor of 25+ years I have to agree with Mr. Rome. I hire based on skill or potential; not size, shape, color, or sex. I only wish there were more male transcriptionists available in our area so my one male transcriptionist wasn't 'the only male' in our staff of 14 transcriptionists. The one bonus for him, he doesn't have to share the men's room with anyone. What this world needs is more people working together; let's not try to find the negative in between the lines. In this specialized field, your expertise speaks for itself but realize, your personality ultimately speaks volumes also.

Susan  Carlson ,  Mgr of Him ,  Wca Hosp June 03, 2009
Jamestown , NY



While I understand the reaction from Mr. Rome, I also understand the letter writer's frustration. It is a fact - when a profession is dominated by one gender, the other one has to prove his or her worth beyond just skills. While I too have never been the subject of blatant discrimination, I have felt that I had to "prove" that I belong. Luckily, I have done that and am very happy to be in this profession.

Lance Smith Montefiore Medical CenterFebruary 27, 2009
Bronx, NY



Wow! You are offended by words in a magazine? I have been a transcriptionist (not transcriptioner) for 30 years, and I have never run into any type of discrimination from employers because I am a male. Whenever I advertised for transcriptionists, I would hire anyone who was qualified or who showed potential. With the shortage of qualified transcriptionists, if you are good at what you do, your gender should not make any difference. Your attitude will, however, make a difference.

Hal Rome,  Supervisor,  Ochsner Medical CenterFebruary 17, 2009
New Orleans, LA




     

Email: *

Email, first name, comment and security code are required fields; all other fields are optional. With the exception of email, any information you provide will be displayed with your comment.

First * Last
Name:
Title Field Facility
Work:
City State
Location:

Comments: *
To prevent comment spam, please type the code you see below into the code field before submitting your comment. If you cannot read the numbers in the below image, reload the page to generate a new one.

Captcha
Enter the security code below: *

Fields marked with an * are required.

 

Search Jobs

Zip

Go