COMPRO®, a competency profile for medical transcription education programs, is the foundation of The Model Curriculum for Medical Transcription, 2nd ed., developed by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity with the assistance of medical transcription practitioners, supervisors, and educators. These documents constitute guidelines by which educators may develop and evaluate medical transcription programs.

COMPRO® is a comprehensive document consisting of a recommended program goal statement, program prerequisites, and competencies in five categories: English language usage, medical knowledge, technology, healthcare documentation, and professional practice. AHDI recommends that educators incorporate all aspects of COMPRO® into their programs by following the guidelines of The Model Curriculum for Medical Transcription, 3nd ed., in order to prepare students for entry-level employment in medical transcription.

An educational program in medical transcription will prepare the student for entry-level employment as a medical transcriptionist by providing the basic knowledge, understanding, and skills required to transcribe healthcare dictation and prepare patient care documents with accuracy, clarity, consistency, and timeliness, applying the principles of professional and ethical conduct.

• English comprehension, spelling, and usage competency (spoken and written) equivalent to that of a high school graduate.
• Minimum keyboarding speed of 45 corrected words per minute (cwpm).
• Normal level of audiometric acuity.

English Language

• E1 The student will demonstrate correct English usage, applying the rules of proper grammar, punctuation, and style, and using correct spelling and logical sentence structure.
• E2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the value of continuing education in English language usage.
• E3 The student will appropriately use related references and other resources for research and practice.

Medical Knowledge

• M1 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of medical language and its structure, including prefixes, suffixes, combining forms, root words, plurals, abbreviations, acronyms, eponyms, homonyms, antonyms, synonyms, and commonly used foreign words and phrases.
• M2 - The student will recognize, pronounce, spell, define, and understand medical terminology related to anatomy, physiology, general medicine, general surgery, medical specialties, surgical specialties, diagnostic and interventional procedures, pathology and laboratory medicine, health and wellness, imaging techniques, medications, and alternative or complementary medicine.
• M3 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of human anatomy (gross and microscopic) and physiology.
• M4 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of surgical procedures and other diagnostic and interventional treatment modalities, including anesthesia types and techniques, surgical techniques, equipment, instruments, and accessories, as well as typical findings and related diagnoses.
• M5 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of procedures, techniques, and findings in diagnostic and interventional imaging.
• M6 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of common tests used in pathology and laboratory medicine, including diagnostic indications, techniques, expression of values, and significance of findings.
• M7 - The student will recognize, pronounce, spell, define, and understand pharmacological terminology.
• M8 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of drug classes, indications, contraindications, actions, interactions, side effects, forms, dosages, and routes of administration.
• M9 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the etiology and pathology of diseases.
• M10 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of clinical medicine, including diagnosis and treatment of common diseases and conditions.
• M11 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of research techniques and be able to identify current trends, advancements, and developments in medicine.
• M12 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of the value of continuing education in medicine as it relates to medical transcription.
• M13 - The student will appropriately use related references and other resources for research and practice.

Technology

• T1 - The student will demonstrate a general knowledge of word processing, computers, dictation and transcription equipment, and related technologies.
• T2 - The student will demonstrate the ability to operate designated dictation and transcription equipment and use designated word processing programs and related technologies.
• T3 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of security issues related to dictation and transcription systems.
• T4 - The student will demonstrate correct ergonomic habits.
• T5 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of trends and developments in technologies related to healthcare documentation.
• T6 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of the value of continuing education in technology as it relates to medical transcription.
• T7 - The student will appropriately use electronic references and other resources for research and practice.

Healthcare Documentation

• H1 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the purpose and content of the healthcare record (paper and electronic).
• H2 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the content and format of healthcare documents (paper and electronic).
• H3 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of standards and regulations related to healthcare documentation as set by such bodies as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Health Level Seven (HL7), ASTM, and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA).
• H4 - The student will identify and demonstrate an understanding of the medicolegal aspects of the healthcare record (e.g., confidentiality, privacy) and the medical transcriptionist's role in risk management.
• H5 - The student will demonstrate an understanding and application of ethics in the medical transcription profession.
• H6 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of the value of continuing education in healthcare documentation and medicolegal issues as they relate to medical transcription.
• H7 - The student will appropriately use related references and other resources for research and practice.

Professional Practice

• P1 - The student will accurately transcribe original healthcare dictation through the application of the competencies specified in the five content areas (English Language, Medical Knowledge, Technology, Healthcare Documentation, and Professional Practice).
• P2 - The student will demonstrate the ability to proofread and correct transcribed healthcare documents.
• P3 - The student will recognize, evaluate, and interpret inconsistencies, discrepancies, and inaccuracies in healthcare dictation and appropriately edit, revise, and clarify them while transcribing, without altering the meaning of the dictation or changing the author's style.
• P4 - The student will meet progressively demanding medical transcription accuracy and productivity standards.
• P5 - The student will demonstrate an awareness of the functions, operations, and dynamics of medical transcription work environments.
• P6 - The student will demonstrate professionalism in the workplace.
• P7 - The student will demonstrate an awareness of the opportunities in medical transcription and related careers and the importance of professional development.
• P8 - The student will demonstrate an awareness of the value of continuing education and professional certification.
• P9 - The student will complete a clinical externship of at least 240 hours during the last semester/quarter/term of the program. A medical transcription work setting is required, with student duties limited to medical transcription emphasizing a variety of healthcare documents. The student will be evaluated jointly by the instructor and employer or supervisor on transcription accuracy and productivity and on professional and ethical conduct.
• P10 - The student will appropriately use related references and other resources for research and practice.

Hard copies are available from AHDI at 50¢ each; minimum order 10. Code: COMPRO