Home » Working Women » Careers - Medicine & Law » Medical Transcription Medical Transcription is one of the new professions that have begun to attract the youth of today. The doctors in the USA do not have the time to document their reports, which is very important. So, they simply dictate the report by either dialing into a server that stores the voices in a digital form or use a dictaphone from which it can be trans-shipped to the medical transcription call centre in our country through computer. This voice comes to a medical transcriptionist. He plays back the voice file and keys in the matter into the computer. The data entered is then read, proof read and edited by a medical professional or a person trained for this purpose, before being sent back to the concerned hospital in the USA.

The minimum educational qualification for this course is a graduate degree from any stream. However, a science degree is always preferred. Apart form the degree, you also need good English language skill, listening capacity and the ability to comprehend and key in the matter correctly into the computer. A keen ear attuned to the American accent and a high-grade typing skill are required. A typical comprehensive training course in medical transcription would take anywhere between five to six months and would include familiarisation with medical terminology. A lump sum is charged for the training after which the candidate is absorbed into the firm.

There are institutions that begin to pay the candidate stipend in the initial stages also. An average of 300-500 lines of copy is expected in a day. More lines mean more money. A medical transcriptionist with a year's experience can look for ward to the position of an editor. An editor's duty includes proof reading and editing the transcripts and preparing the final draft.