|
Career
in Medical Transcription
Medical
transcription (MT)
is the process by which  medical
records - such as patient history, consultation notes,
lab reports, and pathology reports - dictated by doctors
and other medical professionals are transcribed from
audio to text format. The medical transcriptionist is
the person who transforms audio medical reports from
the original dictated form to the written form to be
produced either as a hard copy or to be stored in a
computer system.
Job
profile
The primary task of the medical transcriptionist is
to transcribe, format and proofread medical records.
Medical records for transcription are  primarily
sourced from the USA. They are outsourced for transcription
from a variety of healthcare settings including doctor's
offices, private/public hospitals, clinics, laboratories,
legal offices, veterinary and medical clinics, research
centres. Dictations are done not only by doctors but
also by surgeons, nurses pharmacists, therapists, nurses
and other paramedical staff. Medical transcriptionists
receive the doctor's dictation by tape, digital systems
or as a voice data file. Digitised data through the
Internet is the most common means of receiving medical
data from the USA.
The
local transcription company receives the data and
they uncompress it. At this point, the medical transcriptionist
takes over. Using a suitable word processing programme/application
the audio file is transcribed and edited. There are
two stages in MT. The first is the actual process of
transcription by a medical transcriptionist. This is
followed by proofreading and editing. The MT industry
employs a number of proofreaders, junior and senior
editors as well. Proofreaders and editors perform the
following functions:
- Visual
proofreading
- Electronic
spellcheck
- Grammar
check
- Checking
for medical inconsistencies and inaccuracies
The
medical record - now in text form - is  then
routed back to the concerned doctor or hospital.
Hierarchy
A
typical MT firm is structured as follows:
- Trained
medical transcriptionists
- Senior
medical transcriptionists
- Proofreaders
- Sub
editors
- Editors
- Supervisor
- Manager
Remuneration
At
the entry level trained medical transcriptionists  earn
around Rs 3500-5000 per month. With a minimum of six
months experience medical transcriptionists can expect
to earn Rs.10,000 per month.
Essential
Attributes
Medical
transcriptonists must possess the following essential
attributes:
- Familiarity
with medical jargon
- Good
typing skills
- Excellent
listening skills
- Excellent
command over English
- Ability
to adjust to different accents and diction
- Ability
to deduct medical inconsistencies in dictation
- Ability
to work long hours
- High
level of concentration over long periods of time
- Training
MT
schools offer certificate courses in transcription.
Fees for short term (3-6 months) courses range from
Rs.20,000-30,000. In-house training programmes are also
offered by transcription firms that hire freshers.
Medical
transcription training modules cover the following subjects:
- English
grammar
- Medical
terminology
- Human
anatomy
- American
English
- Growth
prospects
Medical
transcription was initially an in-house affair completed
within the four walls of the doctor's office or hospital
itself. The advent of high-speed satellite links and
the lower costs of outsourcing have brought the MT industry
to countries such as India and Mexico. Over the last
two years, India has become the hub of the global MT
industry. MT is currently classified as an IT enabled
industry and being actively promoted by NASSCOM's Vision
Group for IT Enables Services.
In
'98 alone, The Indian MT industry generated Rs.140 crore
worth of tax-free foreign exchange. NASSCOM predicts
that the turnover is likely to touch the Rs.10,000 crore
mark by 2008.An estimated 1,60,000 medical transcriptionist
are expected to be employed by the industry which currently
employs one-fifth that number.
Related
areas of work
Medical
transcriptionists can diversify into the following areas
of work: Legal transcription
|
