RSA/OCR typing & audio typing

traciey2kbabe · 14 September 2018 at 8:07PM

I’m wanting to progress a career as a medical secretary and need to obtain (what was) OCR (RSA) level 2 and/or 3, audio typing and medical terminology.

To give some background on myself, I’ve got NHS experience but it is over 10 years ago with no typing qualifications. I am between beginner / intermediate in Microsoft word. I’ll need to scrub up on some beginners stuff and intermediate, no where near for advanced level.

I’ve recently been advised that OCR have ceased their typing courses/qualifications and haven’t supplied an equivalent course so this now makes me stuck. The NHS currently asks for OCR (RSA) typing or equivalent. But what is the equivalent?

I believe it’s word processing? (Someone please advise). If so what entry level would I need to start at? I really don’t want to if I have to start at level 1.

Audio typing I will need to start at level 1 but I don’t believe you need a specific level for audio just proof you can do it.

I’m going to learn online the touch typing (should be easy enough to self teach)

I’ve purchased a “medical terminology for dummies” book so I can learn the medical terminology - again the NHS doesn’t need qualifications for this but just need to know you’ve got some medical knowledge.

I’d be grateful if anyone has done this recently, or teaches it etc and can advise me on what equivalent course I’d need to do.

TIA!

Les79 · 14 September 2018 at 8:34PM

Very biased source, so take it as a pinch of salt, but a very very quick google search yielded:

https://www.keynet-training.co.uk/ocrrsa-level-2-training-courses/

"Although OCR have withdrawn all of their Text Processing suite of qualifications, and are not replacing them with anything else, we believe that the standard required for these qualifications was a good benchmark for desirable skills in today’s workplace. Therefore we are still providing the training for students to attain the standard required for the OCR qualifications."

jobbingmusician · 14 September 2018 at 10:24PM

Touch typing is a very useful skill which is likely to be useful for a few years yet. However, I fear for the future of audio typing. I can talk into my phone at some speed and it will transcribe my speech without me having to pay anyone (I do have to do revision for punctuation, but this is a free phone app. I understand that Dragon is the leading dictation software and that this works efficiently.)

Search the web for Mavis Beacon and you can teach yourself typing free with her help!

Smodlet · 15 September 2018 at 9:34AM

Audio typing requires pretty amazing speeds for obvious reasons; you need to be able to type at least as fast as someone else can talk. If you have not yet learned to touch type, I only hope you acquire these skills a great deal more quickly than I did. I will never be fast enough for audio.

I guess the younger you are, perhaps the more quickly the muscle memory comes, I don't know. Good luck to you, anyway.

traciey2kbabe · 15 September 2018 at 4:13PM

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I have been in contact with Keynet Training already, they have given me around 8 options, but i have no idea which one i'd need to start on (which i did ask) so just wanting to ask peoples personal opinions on what they did.

I've not learned to touch type, I'm a very quick typer without having to look at the keyboard but would be even quicker learning the touch typing.

jobbingmusician · 15 September 2018 at 7:10PM

Well then, off you go to Mavis Beacon! Seriously - google it and have a free course, rather than paying for a touch typing course.

74jax · 17 September 2018 at 7:35AM

traciey2kbabe wrote: »

I've not learned to touch type, I'm a very quick typer without having to look at the keyboard but would be even quicker learning the touch typing.

But that is a touch typist?

[Deleted User] · 17 September 2018 at 9:02AM

Given what you say, assess what you need to do. Try something like http://www.typeonline.co.uk/typingspeed.php to test your speed and accuracy.

Mavis Beacon is what I used to learn touch typing.

Personally, I found touch typing increased both my accuracy and speed. But it will be difficult to learn first of all as you have learned to type with your fingers on different sets of keys.

You could ring a number of job agencies to ask what qualifications they look for for applicants in medical admin work. You could type up online medical texts to get yourself used to the terminology and way of writing (there are some peculiarities as in Legal documentation). There is a City and Guilds Level 2 medical terminology course. City and Guilds qualifications are quite useful.
Its also useful to learn what symbols people use to say what needs to be done. I'd get work back with squiggles all over it lol.

As long as your speeds are above 50 words per minute you will be able to cope with audio. Recording machines have a pause button lolol.

General_Grant · 18 September 2018 at 2:42PM

Smodlet wrote: »

Audio typing requires pretty amazing speeds for obvious reasons; you need to be able to type at least as fast as someone else can talk. If you have not yet learned to touch type, I only hope you acquire these skills a great deal more quickly than I did. I will never be fast enough for audio.

I guess the younger you are, perhaps the more quickly the muscle memory comes, I don't know. Good luck to you, anyway.

I don't know if this has been mentioned later in this thread but audio typing does not require someone to type at the speed of someone talking - the speech is recorded and the typist has control to stop, rewind, pause as well as play the recording.

To record speech at the speed at which it is delivered requires either a shorthand writer or a user of a palantype (or similar) machine. That is not what is meant by audio typing.

slenderkitten · 25 June 2020 at 10:44AM

I know this is an old thread but you should try Pitman training they do medical secretary courses as well. They really are the last bastien for traditional administrative and secretarial training out there.
I trained under the old RSA (replaced with OCR [the R part is the RSA]) in 1994 for word and text processing. It is a stupid decision that OCR has taken they have joined it to their business administration course. I don't think they market it that well they should be approaching companies and schools. I've worked in government circles some agencies letter layouts are atrocious.

RSA/OCR typing & audio typing

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