Healthcare documentation or medical transcription is about transcribing what a physician or healthcare provider dictates regarding a patient encounter. This process involves a lot of medical terminologies related to health ailments, diagnoses, treatment procedures, medical equipment used, tests conducted and drugs prescribed along with the general demographic information of a patient. In India, healthcare documentation took off as a greatly rewarding career during the 1990s when the business process outsourcing services industry was booming.
Many people took up the profession of medical transcription as it offered lucrative salaries along with the scope for working from home when it was nearly unheard of in other industries. If you are passionate about working in the healthcare industry and learning medical terminology, medical transcription is a great career choice for you. Possessing exceptional listening, English and typing skills is the prerequisite for healthcare documentation jobs and if you have these skills, you can take up medical transcription as your career without any hesitation.
The main criterion that is seen by healthcare documentation companies while selecting their employees is that the candidates should be able to meet the highest quality standards set by the industry. Since the transcribed documents serve as the basis for a healthcare provider’s decision-making regarding a patient’s treatment course and the slightest error can result in grave consequences, it is highly critical that the transcription reports are accurate to the highest levels and at the same time, are submitted within the turnaround time specified by the healthcare provider so that quality healthcare is provided to all the patients.
Although the work of a medical transcriptionist is serious enough, it provides ample opportunities for growth for which you have to own certain virtues such as:
- High quality: As discussed above, medical transcription is all about accuracy and error-free documentation. Only those people who are extremely passionate about their work and have an eye for detail can excel in this field.
- Team spirit: Although a healthcare documentation specialist can work from home, he/she needs to be a great team member as well. Every transcribed document needs to be cross-checked, proofread and edited appropriately so that accurate reports are submitted to the healthcare provider. This requires that all the healthcare documentation specialists and other team members work as a unit.
- Data confidentiality: Every medical transcriptionist must understand that he/she is working with confidential data of patients that including their demographic details and health status. Such confidential data must be handled with caution and the transcriptionist must ensure that the data is not misused or shared with unauthorized people at any cost.
- Continuous learning: Healthcare industry is a dynamic industry that sees new ailments, new equipment and new treatments over time. If you want to work in the healthcare documentation field, you must be ready to equip yourself with the latest updates with continuous learning. This is one of the reasons, a healthcare documentation specialist’s job is never monotonous keeping you engaged and motivated at all times.
Make a great career by choosing the right healthcare documentation company that helps your career growth with on-the-job training before joining the production team and then periodical training sessions for the latest updates in the industry. Another awesome aspect of medical transcription that you can consider to opt for this profession is the amazing work-life balance opportunity it provides to individuals.