You're a Medical What!?!

You're a Medical What!?!

Sara Burns

Robert D. Reed Publishers

P.O. Box 1992, Bandon, OR 97411

www.rdrpublishers.com

9781934759004, $14.95, 2008

Sara Burns has spent 29 years as a medical transcriptionist and is writing to share her expertise. Much of her advice as a home-based independent contractor will be helpful to those in other professions as well. Her experiences taking her show on the road--spending a year living and working in Kauai--may well inspire home-based workers in many fields.

Burns wrote "You're a Medical What!?!: A Lighthearted Peek into the World of a Medical Transcriptionist" for three distinct audiences. She says that experienced medical transcriptionists will smile and share in her reminiscences.

She hopes to give newbies a clear picture of what they are up against. While sharing some very good advice, she admits that the field is in constant change and acknowledges that many areas of the profession have changed drastically since her earlier stints in hospitals and clinics.

She also aims to inform the curious about the duties and importance of MTs. While the cover promises spicy anecdotes, the text is general and often repetitive. "Discover which famous person was a flirtatious rascal in the recovery room," teases the back cover. This item is at the tail end of the book and no names are named.

The author does provide some solid guidance about those television ads that promise you a life of ease and great financial gains when you take their class to earn a degree in her field. She is adamant: it just doesn't happen that way.

Burns has an impressive work history and obviously loves her chosen field, but I would not recommend "You're a Medical What!?!" to the casual reader.