In a previous post, I mentioned that one of the ways to get your foot in the door is to volunteer. I am going to post my personal experience as a medical transcriptionist to show you how it works.

I live in Orange County, California, and in the 1990s, this county went bankrupt. Does anyone remember that? It was in all the news. What a shocker that was!

When that happened, I reflected on that for awhile. That meant a lot of people were laid off. Hmmm.

At the time this occurred, I was working at UCI Medical Center, Irvine, Radiation Oncology, as the sole medical transcriptionist for that department.

After ruminating on the O.C. bankruptcy situation awhile, I called the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office to see if I could help out by doing some volunteer work. What I found out was amazing. This office was down to one full-time transcriptionist. I believe they had four prior to the bankruptcy. At the time when I spoke to the supervisor, there was a nine-month backlog of autopsy reports. NINE MONTHS! I hit it off real well with the supervisor and asked if I could come down and talk to her about helping out. Her response was great. She not only said I could come down but that I would be greeted with a great big hug when I got there!

I went down and met with Sandy, the supervisor, and talked to her. I was given a tour of the facility and met with the sole transcriptionist whose name was Portia. I was welcomed with open arms.

Since I was working a full-time job, I came in on Satudays and helped out. At first it was difficult; I had to learn a new entry system, doctor’s voices, pathology terminology, etc. However, with Portia’s help, I soon learned the ropes and gained great experience. In addition, I learned a plethora of wonderful pathology terms. I also witnessed a couple of autopsies and went on a ride-along with a Deputy Coroner. The experience was absolutely great. All upside, and no downside.

By volunteering, I gained name recognition and expanded my knowledge by learning pathology terminology. I also expanded my circle of influence–people who might know of other job openings for which I might qualify and in which I might be interested.

Also, I want to add that Portia, the remaining transcriptionist, was nearing retirement. By volunteering, I also positioned myself to be a logical candidate if a position became available.

At the beginning of the following calendar year, I was laid off from UCI Medical Center, Radiation Oncology. It was the only time in my career that I’ve been laid off, but it was devastating to me nonetheless. I was going to devote more time doing volunteer work at the Coroner’s Office; however, events in my life took a different turn.

One month after being laid off, my mother (who lived in San Diego) became ill, and I became her caregiver until she died. I then got a job as a medical transcriptionist at a company where I had previously interviewed when I was a newbie MT. After working there for about nine months, my husband died; and those same people at the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, were there to provide the support (professional and emotional) that I needed. How ironic, huh?

I did not return to my volunteer work at the Coroner’s Office; I needed to stay away from the reminder of death. However, I’m sure that if I had been able to do so I would have been offered a job.

I not only loved doing this volunteer work; I loved how I felt when doing it. It’s a great feeling to give of oneself without any expectation. And when starting out in medical transcription (or any field, for that matter), giving before getting is the way to go.