Who writes psychiatrists letters

[User54047]

Just curious is it them or their secretary? As I noticed the letters contain medical terms so I’m assuming the doctor but others have said they tell their secretary what to write. I assumed the secretary dealt with the appointments.

Psychiatrists will either write, or will dictate and secretaries type from the tape.

Medical secretaries are very highly trained. The doctors dictate and the secretaries do the letters.

The doctor (as most consultants) will either write in draft & secretary will write up, but most I have met have dictated their letters & secretary written up from that.

Secretaries type the letters. Doctors dictate

Some NHS trusts have systems where the Dr can dictate the letter and it is printed out or the Secretary types from the dictation. Medical secretaries know medical terminology.

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Doctors either write a draft letter in the notes or dictate a letter, and the secretary types it up. Medical secretaries need to know medical terms.

I remember when I first started working as a temp med sec I had to spend ages googling drugs to work out what the doctor had quickly said on the tape I was typing from.

Appointment letters will be automatically generated or key details given to administrators, clinical letters will be dictated or drafted by whoever's name is on the letter.

As I nurse I spend lots of time writing them and then getting consultant to sign them

The doctors will likely dictate what to write in the letters, but the medical secretary will be trained in medical administration above a general admin person to understand terminology etc.

I work for a mental health inpatient care provider in the Head Office team, but used to work at one of our hospitals as a clinical administrator, not quite the expertise of a Med Sec but I was still given particular medical admin training.

Doctors dictate and secretaries (or typing pool) type them up. They are then given back to be checked and signed. It’s a highly skilled job and is specialty dependent, which management sometimes overlook and try and get say the ophthalmology typists to type up general surgery letters. It always ends up crap.

Most people in my team (including psychiatrists) dictate letters in a dictaphine which a medical secretary then types up and send out. The clinical content comes from the clinician, formatting is done by the secretary.

The one I covered for when his usual admin was off, used to dictate, we typed up and then he would check, and either sign, or make alterations and then we would redo and then he would sign