Introduction
In Western countries especially in the US, the entire healthcare industry is based  on insurance and detailed medical records form the basis for processing insurance claims. Medical practice is also bound by a very strict code of ethics and statutes. These statues have to be adhered to very strictly since any mistakes can lead to multi million dollar lawsuits. Therefore extensive documentation is carried out at every stage, this can consume up to 50% of the doctors time.  Since Doctors  are very highly paid and busy professionals with very little time to spare, they usually dictate their medically oriented reports into computers or other voice recording devices. These dictated reports are heard and converted into soft copy format by entering them on computer. The process of conversion of dictated medical reports into soft copy format by entering the dictated data into a computer using a word processing program is known as medical transcription. 

A Medical Transcriptionist, or "MT" is a person who assists physicians and speciality surgeons usually by transcribing, formatting, and proofreading their dictated medically-oriented reports. Most commonly, MTs transcribe physicians' dictation that outlines a patient's health. 

Nature Of Work
The voice recordings of the physicians and surgeons are sent to India in a compressed form over data communication lines. These voice recordings are decompressed at the Indian end. The medical transcriptionists in India listen to these voice recordings using special playback equipment that allows precise control over the playback of the voice, and key in the data using word processing software. This data is then proof read for errors and is sent back using data communication links to the US company or hospital.

Personal Attributes Required
The key to becoming a successful medical transcriptionist is to have a good knowledge of medical terms used and an ability to understand foreign accents besides good data entry skills. You should also know basic medical anatomy, in order to be able to follow what is being dictated. You should also constantly be reading and educating yourself in medical matters to keep up on new drugs - their trade names and generic names, their spelling and general application; medical terminology; medical procedures and protocols; etc. Knowing or learning Latin and Greek verbs and adjectives used in medicine, as well as combining forms, suffixes and prefixes will also help you  perform high quality medical transcription more easily. 

Fluency in English is a must and  you should also be adept at fixing poor grammar and syntax "on the fly," as the ability of those who dictate medical and health related correspondence, reports, etc., can vary greatly. You must also have patience as the work may get monotonous and repetitive. 

Most medical transcriptionists today are using word-processing software as their means of getting the physician's dictation onto paper. Using keyboard skills with a word-processor is more than typing and should not be confused with typing on a typewriter. Word-processing allows for automation of certain aspects of what is being typed or what is to be typed, and also allows for complex manipulation of text once it has been entered. Being adept at using a word-processor and macros (small programs used to repeat actions) will help you perform transcription quickly, accurately and therefore more efficiently.

Training
Several private training institutes have sprung up all over the country offering courses in Medical Transcription. The fees charged ranges between Rs.15,000 - 20,000 for a four month course. 

Remuneration
At entry level, medical transcriptionists can expect to earn between Rs.5,000 - Rs.7,000 per month. This figure can rise significantly with experience and increase in efficiency. Besides the basic salary, many companies offer perks and performance based incentives.

Future
Medical Transcription falls under the category of IT enabled services. According to A NASSCOM report, IT enabled services are expected to form over 40% of India's IT exports. In the United States, salaries for medical transcriptionists are  high, consequently hospitals and transcription companies are on the look out for companies who can do the same job at a lesser cost.

India has several inherent advantages, a large English speaking population and lower salaries to name a few. As a result several Indian companies are venturing into this field and there is a good demand for well trained, efficient transcriptionists