Eligibility
It does not require specialised IT skills but it requires primary skills like good listening and language skills and knowledge of medical terms. Fluency in English, especially understanding of American way of speech and accent is a must to be in this field.
However, an ideal qualification for a medical transcriptionist is Graduation with English comprehension skill and undergoing a training course in MT is an added advantage. Further, the candidate should be able to quickly develop new skills and adjust with the different accents and diction. Throughout the career as a medical transcriptionist one would need to keep up with changes in medical terminologies, medical procedures etc. and have the ability to detect medical inconsistencies in dictation and fix poor grammar and syntax. One must also have patience, as the work may get monotonous and repetitive. Regular comprehensive quality training is necessary to be successful in this field.
Job Prospects & Career Options
In India, lot of companies in the metros and major cities have ventured into the field. Since the job requires experience, these companies are expected to recruit a lot of people as trainees and then develop their skills so that they become experts in this field. Induj Infotech Ltd. of the S. Kumar group based in Mumbai, Infoscript Services Pvt. Ltd. in Bangalore, Webcom Infotech Ltd. in Mumbai, Pioneer Transcription Systems in Delhi etc are some of the companies in MT.
There are lots of options available in the field abroad. One may choose to work from home for yourself. Another option would be to work outside your home in a hospital or for a medical transcription service. Other options include working in a doctor's office, insurance company, attorney's office, or a company marketing medical products or a medical book publishing company.
Remuneration
It is a lucrative career with lot of benefits. At entry level medical transcriptionist is paid around Rs. 5000/- per month, which can exceed to Rs. 20000/- per month with two years, depending on their capabilities. There are also additional perks and performance incentives. Usually there are editors who help the transcriptionists in their work. If the MTs can become independent and do editors work also they have better prospects to earn more. With experience one can move on to becoming a supervisor, editor, trainer or manager of a medical transcription unit.
