Make career in medical transcription

Hyderabad:  Medical transcription is an allied profession that requires the person to transcribe voice-recorded reports by physicians or other medical experts. It requires rigorous training and one should undergo mandatory training from institutions for a period of four to nine months before taking a job. Though one does not need specialization in any subject to qualify for transcription, certain talents and skill-sets are recommended but prefer people from Life Sciences streams. 

Even having a pharmacy degree is a plus but it is not mandatory and person needs to be on his toes while on the job.  However, some healthcare service companies recruit people and then train them to become efficient transcribers. While some believe that the job can be taken up part time and from home, there is a long way to go before a professional can get there.

The job requires intense concentration and undivided attention apart from knowledge of medical terminology and the willingness to constantly improve



one’s medical vocabulary. “Many people, especially students, believe that this is just another BPO job. They think one just has to convert audio files to word documents. 

Transcription is by no means a low-stress job like many are inclined to believe. “The toughest part is when you have to understand a thick foreign accent while racing against time.  Apart from being comfortable with working for different companies and various guidelines, one also has to be comfortable working with speech recognition software and has to constantly update himself and be technically sound. It is important to be able to handle various types of audio files and documents. 

Lastly, an efficient medical transcriber has a long career path. “One begins as a transcriber but can grow to become an editor or a team manager. But it is difficult to move to another profession after practicing medical transcription. Candidates typically begin as proofers and later go on to become editors.