Medical Transcription Jobs in India

Medical Transcription, simply stated, is to transcribe a doctor’s dictation (from audio to text format) pertaining to the details of his interaction with a patient. In other words, Medical transcription is creating medical records - such as patient history, consultation notes, lab reports, and pathology reports - dictated by doctors and other medical professionals. Medical transcription job is considered a type of BPO job and belongs to the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) sector in India. India is one of the most preferred destinations for outsourcing of Medical Transcription by USA, Britain and even Australia amongst others.

Medical transcription jobs are available aplenty in almost all major cities in India including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram. There are Medical Transcription Companies galore in all these cities and it is easy to obtain a Medical Transcription Job.

With a few months of Medical Transcription Training, one can embark on a career as a Medical Transcriptionist (MT). The career path in Medical Transcription may differ from company to company – but it generally starts from OJT (on the job trainee) who is paid stipend, then Trainee MT, Junior MT, Senior MT, Proofreaders, Sub MT editors, MT Editors, MT Supervisor and MT Manager etc. The job of a MT calls for tremendous listening skills, typing speed, basic medical knowledge and a capability to follow foreign accent. A MT may have to constantly refer to medical books or electronic dictionaries like the Stedman's, Quick look, English Dictionaries, and all possible medical reference books.

The MT has to transcribe accurately and in full what the Doctor has said using his/her own intelligence as the Doctor will not be available for any clarifications. It is for this reason that MTs are often called as Medical Language Specialists. Make no mistakes – the role of a MT is a responsible one and any transcription that is flawed will be rejected by the client.

Furthermore, it should be borne in mind that medical transcription work is a multi-functional one involving simultaneous use of eyes for reading, ears for listening, fingers for typing, legs for foot pedal to control the voice player software of the computer. The MT has to be alert and attentive all the time as most transcription jobs have to be completed within set deadlines.

In short, a MT must possess certain essential attributes - Familiarity with medical jargon, Good speed typing skills, Excellent listening skills, Excellent command over English, Ability to comprehend different accents and diction, willingness to work long hours under pressure to meet deadlines.

There are plenty of MT schools that offer certificate courses in medical transcription. Fees for short term (3-6 months) courses ranges from Rs.15,000-30,000. In-house training programs are also offered by transcription firms that hire freshers. Most Medical Transcription training courses comprise of English grammar, Medical terminology, Human anatomy and American English. Qualifications required to pursue Medical transcription courses is not high. Graduates or even undergraduates can apply for such courses

As per prevailing market norms, a MT is paid Rs 2 per line of 65 characters. But many companies offer a Junior MT a starting salary of Rs. 5000=00 and this salary will progressively go up as high as Rs 25000 as the MT grows in his/her career to senior positions.

The salary offered to MTs is relatively low as too many Medical Transcription companies have sprung up and the competition amongst them is stiff – each vying with the other in under-quoting to obtain orders. Thus, more and more MTs are now opting to work from the comfort of their homes, especially housewives and retired people. Enterprising Indian MTs can earn several thousands a month if they succeed in getting a direct Work at Home transcription Job from US, UK or Australia.