Medical Transcription Course

With the growing demand for medical facilities and professionals all over the world, Medical Science courses have gained popularity over the years. Out of many, the Medical Transcription course is the most sought-after profession for young individuals. Through this course, Individuals develop theoretical knowledge and practical skills to work with a medical transcriber. As a medical transcriptionist, you will be working in clinics, hospitals, community health agencies, private practice specialists, etc. In this blog, we will be exploring all the information about a Medical Transcription course, its job prospects, and the institutes you can pursue this course.

Category	Details
Course Level	Undergraduate
Duration	6- 12 Months
Mode of Education	Offline and Online
Basic Eligibility	Minimum required marks in class 12th
Average Salary	INR 2,80,000 to 7,50,000
Popular Profiles	Medical Transcriptionist, Health Information

Who are Medical Transcriptionists?

Medical transcription is the process of converting recorded dictations by a doctor or a healthcare professional regarding a patient’s medical record into a written format. Professionals performing medical transcriptions are known as medical transcriptionists. 

Responsibilities of a Medical Transcriptionist

• Listen to the recorded dictation of a healthcare worker or a doctor.
• Interpret and transcribe the dictation into documents like exam notes, operative reports, patient history, discharge summaries, referral letters, etc.
• Convert medical abbreviations and jargon into the appropriate long form.
• Identify and correct any inconsistencies, errors, or missing information with a report.
• Prepare a draft with speech recognition software and review it to make sure that the transcription is complete and inconsistent style.
• Ensure the accuracy of the reports through a follow-up with healthcare providers.
• Submit health records for approval by a physician.
• Follow essential legal documentation and patient confidentiality guidelines.
• Enter the medical reports into EHR (Electronic Health Records) systems.
• Perform audits for quality improvements.

Skills Required to be a Medical Transcriptionist

A medical transcriptionist has to be someone who is a self-motivated individual and likes working alone for a longer period of time. Moreover, the person must be a good listener because it’s sometimes strenuous to get used to the doctor’s voice and accent. However, prior training or Medical Transcription course helps individuals to develop attention and faster typing speed which goes on a long way in this field. The top skills that are required are mentioned below:

• Computer Skills
• Writing Skills
• Critical-Thinking Skillset
• Excellent Listener
• Time-management skills 

Top Institutes Abroad for Medical Transcription Course

Now that you are familiar with the basic details pertaining to this program, let us go through the universities/colleges that offer Medical Transcription courses.

Institute/College	Location	Medical Transcription Course	Duration
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology	Canada	Certificate/Diploma [Online/Distance Learning]	1 Year
Algonquin College	Canada	College Certificate in Medical Transcription [Online/Distance Learning]	3-4 Years
Douglas College	Canada	Online	10 Weeks
Durham College	Canada	Certificate Course	To be completed within 5 years
Oakland Community College	USA	Certificate	2 Years

Top Indian Institutes for Medical Transcription Course

Here are the leading Indian institutions you can opt for Medical Transcriptionist courses- 

• Alliance Comment Ltd 
• Academy of Medical Transcription 
• Apex Network Ltd 
• American Academy of Medical Transcription 
• Indian Institution of Medical Transcription 
• Atari Institute of Medical Transcription 
• Burr Brown (India) Ltd 
• KITCO 
• Indo-American Academy of Medical Transcription
• DIMT
• Zero Error Med- Transcription 
• Ancient Global

Medical Transcription Course: Syllabus

To understand what will be part of the curriculum of the course, refer to the below-mentioned list of modules ad topics:

Module 1

• Etymology
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• Medical words
• Words Dynamics
• Body Dynamics
• Medical Instruments & equipment
• Medical specialities & specialists
• Diagnostic medicine
• Medical Abbreviations
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Pharmacology

Module 2 

• Report types
• Outpatient Reports
• Inpatient Reports
• A pharmacological compendium is the study of drugs and their interactions with living organisms
• Drug Terminology
• Dosages & schedules
• Terms, symbols, spelling, packaging
• Classification (Brand, generic, and trade name)
• Surgical Instruments
• Suture and Dressings
• 4 hours of dictation for pronunciation specifics
• All types of surgery-related terms listing, dictation, and sample reports
• Surgery Compendium includes General, Breast, Digestive, Intra-abdominal, colon, bowel, anal, and many other surgery-related term listing and sample reports.

Medical Transcription Course: Eligibility Criteria

1. The candidate must have completed 10+2 or equivalent in any stream.
2. IELTS Academic/TOEFL iBT score is required.
3. Cambridge English/PTE scores may be required in some universities or colleges.
4. It is always recommended for a student willing to start a career in medical transcription to have a strong background in Biology, Anatomy, Basic Life Sciences, Physiology, Basic or Applied Maths, Basic Computer, Technical Reading, Writing, and Research skills.

Note: These are general eligibility requirements, any specific prerequisite or requirement can be checked directly on the university or college website. 

Career Prospects after Medical Transcription Course

The growing rates of chronic conditions and ageing populations around the world will continue to increase the demand for healthcare services. With a growing number of medical procedures and tests, medical transcription is essentially required. The top employment sectors that you can target after finishing your medical transcription course are as follows:

• Government Jobs 
• Hospitals
• Health care department
• Private Clinics
• Private Companies

Below is a list of job opportunities you can pursue after completing a Medical Transcription course:

• Court Reporters
• Interpreters and Translators
• Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
• Information Clerks
• Medical Assistants
• Receptionists
• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
• Medical Summarize
• Medical Transcriptionist 
• Sr. Representative Medical Transcriptionist

Note: The average salary that one may expect after pursuing medical transcription course is around INR 2 lakhs to INR 6.5 lakhs per annum.

Top Recruiters 

Once you have completed your education in this field, here are the companies you can seek jobs at-

• Focus Infosys
• Spheris
• Acusis India
• SPI Technology
• Mediscribe India Ltd
• C-Bay-MedQuest 
• All Zone Management Solutions Pvt Ltd
• SPI Technology
• ScribeTech (E-Health)
•  Medwrite India

Average Salary 

For those who want to set up a career as a medical transcriptionist, your average starting salary would differ as per the profile and organisation you choose. Stated below are the popular job profiles in this field and their starting salaries- 

Profiles	Salaries
Medical Transcriptionist	2,50,000- 3,50,000
Medical Summarizer	2,00,000- 6,00,000
Senior Medical Representative (Transcriptionist)	3,00,000- 8,00,000

FAQs

Key Takeaways

The healthcare industry leaders aspire to shape a sustainable smart health community with the use of technological advances. This has led to changes in the way medical transcriptions are done these days. Advanced EHR and speech recognition software applications allow medical transcription to be easier and to create various medical documents quickly.

• Before going for a Medical Transcription course, it’s important to have essential knowledge about medical terminologies.
• It’s a kind of profession which requires you to be persistent and efficient at work. Moreover, being accurate and focused is the key to success.
• As a beginner in this field, it is important for you to understand the style of the hospital or clinic and the language of the speciality you’re working with.
• Lastly, in order to have a clear understanding of the list of tasks and responsibilities, it is important to ask questions and gain knowledge about the fundamental aspects of medical services and healthcare technology.

Hence, pursuing a Medical Transcription course equips me with the required skill set to become a medical transcriptionist in the digital world. If you are confused about which university you should pursue this course from, Leverage Edu experts can assist you in choosing an ideal university as well as guiding you throughout the application process.