Whoever coined the phrase “change is the only constant” was no less than a great visionary. For what is life if not a continuum of evolution? Everything – from the very cosmos we live in to our genetic makeup –keeps changing with time.
Whether we do it with open arms or are forced into it, embracing change is the only way to move forward in life. So, the question I want to ask is this – “are you prepared for the changes taking place in the medical transcription industry?”
There was a time, not very long ago, when medical transcriptionists used disk players with foot pedals and manual typewriters to transcribe doctor dictations. Cut to circa 2000s and almost all of their work is now completed using nothing more than a personal computer and a high-speed Internet connection.
No more picking up and dropping off assignments, no more straining ears over bad phone lines, no more struggling with stubborn facsimile machines to send back reports – no sir, that’s not how MTs work anymore.
Changes in the MT Industry
Modern medical transcriptionists make generous use of technology for their day-to-day work. Doctors send their dictations in digital format to medical transcriptionists, who receive these files over the Internet, transcribe them into logical text and send them back via email or upload them directly on to their employer’s secure server.
But the biggest change to occur in the medical transcription industry and one that has had the largest impact on the nature of an MT’s work is the development of speech recognition technology (SRT),which transcribes spoken words into written text and creates draft reports.
However, technology is a double-edged sword and the fact of the matter is that computers are no match to human brain.
When SRT first started being used, there was fear that it would eliminate the need for medical transcriptionists. Slowly, but surely, doctors came to realize that the software was unable to produce accurate reports, which meant they had to go back and edit them. And hence was created the demand for a new breed of medical transcriptionists – medical transcription editor.
MT Editing Skills - Are They Necessary?
Medical transcription editors review the draft reports created by speech recognition software for accuracy, grammar, punctuation, and relevancy. Part of their job is to spot errors and fix them as well as format these drafts into standardized styles.
To complete these tasks, it is necessary for them to add medical transcription editing skills to their current repertoire.
Another reason for acquiring advanced medical transcription skills is to edge out competition. Even though outsourcing of transcription work to countries like India, Philippines, etc. has not led to any significant decline in the demand for local talent, it has undoubtedly increased competition for MT jobs in the country.
Local medical transcriptionists are also required to review the reports transcribed by overseas medical transcriptionists.
People sitting in another country may not be able to catch all the nuances of local dialect and medical vernacular used here and this may have a bearing on the quality of their output. That’s where local MTs step in and edit the reports generated by people in offshore offices to meet the U.S. quality standards.
So, it cannot be any more clear that adding medical transcription editor training to your resume can make you stand out from the crowd and greatly increase your chances of landing not just work, but quality work that can give you immense job satisfaction when you log out for the day!
Nancy is a 35-year old stay at home mom of two. She worked as a medical assistant for five years before taking a break to be with her children. Her experience as a medical assistant gave her valuable insights in to the medical transcription industry, which she likes to share with others through her writing. Medical transcription training often finds mention in her writings.