Medical transcription as the name suggests is the diligent process of converting a health care providers dictated notes in to accurate and readable data records. This includes a sophisticated yet simple method of listening to voice data and converting it in a hardcopy and readable form. The process of converting this voice data in readable format can be basically described as Medical transcription home business .

Most of the material transcribed include patients history, physical reports, patient assessment, workup, therapeutic procedures, clinical course, diagnosis, prognosis, clinic notes, office notes, pathology reports, operative reports, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters, psychiatric reviews, laboratory reports, x-ray reports and many others similar kinds of medical records, etc. It is not as easy as a task of just transcribing voice data but also involves a lot of editing of dictated material for grammar, medical terminology and clarity as necessary and as appropriate. Medical transcription home business is usually carried out for medical professionals operating out of small clinics to large hospitals. These transcribed records are used for purposes of archives, reference or serve as legal proof of medical advice. In concise, this process starts with the health care providers seeing patients in their hospitals and clinics and dictating and recording important information about the patients history, physical examination, diseases, procedures, laboratory tests and diagnoses in the form of voice data. These are then heard by the medical transcriptionists who accurately interpret it and transform in to much needed readable and documented format.

Well, as somebody has so rightly said Necessity is the mother of invention and its apt usage can be applied for this process too. Over the years, there has been always a constant need and requirement to have a properly documented data of each and every individuals health records over his lifetime. This necessarily requires an efficient work management system along with detailed and yet organized documented proof of each and every hospital visit during an individuals lifetime. Consequent to this, the Flexner report on medical education (1910) was the first formal statement made about the function and contents of the medical record, which encouraged physicians to keep a patient oriented medical record. In the 1960s, hospital information systems (HIS) emerged, which helped physicians keep accurate patient health data. Similarly, Problem oriented medical records (POMR), made in 1969 by Larry Weed focused on the organization of all diagnostic and therapeutic plans keeping in mind the medical problems. Thus, started the need for maintaining accurate and organized medical data and with that the need for medical transcriptionists paving the way for a new emerging business of medical transcription . There are no doubts with regard to the benefits this process has brought to the whole medical fraternity and general public as a whole.

Medical transcriptionists (MTs) are not just data entry operators or simple typists working in the healthcare industry. They need to have additional skills required for creating proficient and accurate medical records. Besides having these skills, they need to constantly improvise and hone their skill-set. Medical transcription home business are expected to be proficient in English language use and grammar, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, medical record keeping, and of course typing and computer skills. These skill-sets can be summarized below:

Keyboard Kinetics: Typing speed is important in the productivity of a transcriptionist. Techniques for building speed and efficiency on the keyboard is an invaluable tool for improving typing speed and thereby productivity. Usually, industry requirement is 60 to 80 wpm.

Language and grammar style: The ability to correctly structure and punctuate proper English sentences is vital in producing quality medical transcription reports. Hence, transcriptionists need to have a thorough idea on when and how to use commas, semicolons, hyphenation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and more.

Medical Terminology: Understanding the language of medicine is essentially the most important and vital aspect of this career. Hence, a constant improvisation on adding medical vocabulary is a must for a successful MT.

Human Anatomy, Physiology & Disease Processes: Last but not the least, a general understanding of the human body and how it works is essential to medical transcription . Though not a thorough but a basic idea of all major body systems like musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, reproductive system, digestive system, respiratory system, the brain and central nervous system, and the sense organs including their functions, organs, common diseases is required. These enable MTs to formulate an understanding of the terms they will hear based on logic.

Medical transcription has been a very rapidly growing industry and has been classified as an IT enabled service. In other words, it does not require highly specialized IT or software development skills. Because of limited skill-set, it provides unlimited opportunities to make dynamic and unique contribution to quality patient care and health service. Health care has always been a rapidly growing field and hence the demand for medical transcribers will be ever increasing. Coupled with the high level of job security and minimum skill-set, medical transcribers will usually receive a good premium for their services. Medical transcription is a portable skill that allows for professional and geographic mobility. Medical transcription home business have more control over their careers than most occupations. One can even choose where and when to work within reasonable limits. There are lots of options available. One may choose to work from home or as an employee of a medical transcription company or hospital. Other options include working in a doctor's office, insurance company, attorney's office, or a company marketing medical products or even in a medical book publishing company. Its a field where experience really counts and so age restrictions are usually not found. Medical transcription can be a satisfying lifelong career providing a constant challenge of an expanding and advancing technology.

With job security concerns being negligible, and the stable and constant high rewards, it is really one of the most stable and always growth-oriented industry being necessarily a part of general health care services. A current estimate is that there are a total of over 67 billion lines of transcription done annually in US. While most transcription related to patients seen in the United States continues to be done within its boundaries, much of it is done across state lines and an increasing amount is being done offshore (e.g., in India and Philippines).

As per U.S. Department of Labor there will be a constant need for good medical transcribers and medical language specialists. The medical industry is virtually recession-proof and hence, if one is good at his work, there is no dearth of generating employment for oneself. Salaries for medical transcriptionists range widely. Certain areas in US pay more and cost of living is higher. A salary estimate for the first year after training can range from $20,000-$27,000 and this may eventually lead to $40,000-$50000 depending on experience and skill sets gained.

With more experience, qualified medical transcriptionists who wish to expand their professional responsibilities may choose to become department heads, supervisors, managers, or owners of medical transcription services. Experienced medical language specialists may become teachers, working in schools and colleges and educating future medical transcriptionists and thereby look for better growth and monetary rewarding opportunities.