I’m applying for a temporary data entry job at a hospital. This is the description of the duties: “Responsible for carrying out data entry of designated patient information from the paper medical record into the electronic medical record.”

They say that knowledge of medical terminology and surgical procedures is a requirement for the job (along with experience with computers, data entry, etc.) Anyways, I have no formal medical education or experience other than an AP anatomy/physiology class I took 6 years ago in high school. But, I have always been attracted in health/medicine and read medical articles/watch a lot of Discovery Health type shows. Also, I have a sister that is a nurse and a cousin that is a pharmacist, so I’m around people that are by medical terminology a lot. I certainly have more knowledge of this subject than the average person, but I’m not sure how to say I have this knowledge since I do not really have formal education/experience. How do I quantify this on a resume without saying something cheesy like “I read a lot of health articles, and have family members working in the health industry”?

As some background, I have a bachelors degree in international policy, and I am a newly licensed commercial pilot unable to get a flying job due to the current state of the economy, and I have clerical and data entry experience from working in an accounting office back in institution. This is why the temporary data entry job piqued my appeal.

Best answer:

Answer by Hoolagal
the reality is you have no medical terminology experience … a class six years ago in high school no less, surveillance the discovery channel or having family members in medical fields is not going to get you the job … if you do not have medical terminology and you want a job like this, take the course … it is less than a year and it will open up jobs in a hospital setting which usually pay well … i own a medical transcription company and from a hiring top of view, i would throw your resume away … there are so many qualified people that your resume with the requirements of the job do not match … i can not tell you how many people apply for a posting for experienced medical transcriptionist and people email me telling me they can type quick and have worked in a clinic … medical terminology is more than you see on tv shows and surgical procedures are even more complex … i would look for a job that is data entry only or take a small course to be able to work at a hospital … and don’t feel terrible, we are all over-educated and under-employed …. i have a university degree and two institution diplomas and i still make my living as a transcriptionist …

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