Medical Transcriptionist is a professional who is an expert in transcribing medical records swiftly and with utmost accuracy. Medical Transcription is among the various growing fields in the healthcare industry. There was a time when Medical Transcriptionists were in great demand, mostly in western countries in general and America in particular. It is because the healthcare industry in the US is totally based on the insurance sector and as such, there is a need for keeping medical records in order to settle various insurance claims. This demand is no more localized as developed countries find it economical to get their work outsourced to the Indian subcontinent.
India provides an ideal location for conducting medical transcription as there is a large population of educated English-speaking people, available at comparatively low cost.
To do this work tirelessly with all the care requires a lot of hard work. Although no special training is required for doing this work, to get a hundred percent perfection one requires some grooming in the basic skills. To achieve this, one needs proper knowledge and training in their respective field which can only be achieved by doing professionally designed small-time courses. So to be in this profession one has to undergo one or more of the ahead given courses.
Medical Transcriptionist Eligibility
The minimum qualification required to become a Medical Transcriptionist is graduation preferably with medical subjects with English comprehension skills. A diploma/Certificate Course in Medical Transcription can be an added advantage to entering the field.
Medical Transcriptionist Required Skills
- Medical Transcriptionists should possess excellent spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills; good listening skills; basic computer skills, and good research skills.
- They should be known medical terminology; ability to type and must be detail-oriented.
- They also have the ability to work unsupervised and stay motivated; maintain work deadlines and sit and focus for long periods of time.
- Medical Transcriptionists must have adaptability skills as sometimes they have to type reports for more than one medical facility or account. This will mean different physician dictators, report styles and formats, and different software.
How to become a Medical Transcriptionist?
To become a Medical Transcriptionist one has to undergo one or more of the following Courses:
Step 1
After getting graduation degree aspiring candidates can join some Diploma/Certificate courses in Medical Transcription. Interested candidates can join some good coaching institutions like Askribe Medical Transcription Services, Hyderabad, etc., on a first come first basis to do a short-term five-six months Diploma course to improve one’s communications skill in this particular field.
Step 2
After completing this 5-6 months course in which one has to go through all the major aspects of the field of study, one can opt for some job in a doctor's office, insurance company, attorney's office, or a company marketing medical products or a medical book publishing company. There are lots of options available in the field abroad as well. One may also choose to work independently by looking at some work directly from western countries.
Fees and Other Expenditures: Although varying from institution to institution, the total course fee for a diploma/certificate course ranges from Rs.20,000 to Rs.50,000 depending upon the facilities available in the institute and its reputation regarding the placement assistance after the completion of the course.
Institutes offering Courses for Medical Transcriptionist
- NOMAD Life Sciences, Hyderabad
- Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences (SIHS), Pune
- Thornapple Institute of Clinical Studies, Mumbai
- KLE University, Belgaum
Medical Transcriptionist Job Description
Medical transcription as a career is quite interesting and challenging. It is the process in which a professional transcribes medical records with utmost accuracy and a swift manner. These records are dictated by doctors and other medical advisors or for those matters surgeons too, including history and physical reports, clinic notes, office notes, operative reports, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters, psychiatric evaluations, laboratory reports, x-ray reports, pathology reports, etc. Medical Transcriptionist has the responsibility to assist physicians and surgeons usually by transcribing, formatting, and proofreading they are dictated medically oriented report of a patient's health history in the best possible manner. Usually, the information dictated by doctors is recorded into tape/digital voice processing systems. This recording is listened to by the Transcriptionist and fed as text on a computer. India has a wide scope for capturing the huge clientele in the US and provides employment opportunities to the huge mass of English-speaking and computer-literate people. Medical transcription can hold a vital link in altering the Indian job scenario.
Medical Transcriptionist Career Prospects
A well-trained and experienced Medical transcriptionist may find a challenging career in Corporate and private sector hospitals, minor emergency centers, and some big companies in this field, Induj InfoTech Ltd. of the S.Kumar group based in Mumbai, Lloyds Medical Solutions Pvt. Ltd based in Bangalore, Info script Services Pvt. Ltd. in Bangalore, and Webcom Infotech Ltd. to name a few of them. These days with the growth in the private sector, there are so many private hospitals and nursing homes; the demand for Medical Transcriptionists is on the upswing. With adequate knowledge and experience, Medical Transcriptionists can advance to supervisory or management positions in these centers and hospitals. Teaching in Medical Transcription coaching institutes is also a very good option for them.
Medical Transcriptionist Salary
Medical transcriptionists can get Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 to start with and can reach as high as Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 with experience. Those who are starting their own venture can reach anywhere thinkable in the near future if they are able to give good and consistent services to their local and overseas clients.
