It is an allied health profession, which encompasses the process of converting voice-recorded reports as dictated by physicians and/or other healthcare professional into text format. It is different from Medical Transcription. A good Medical Analyst requires an aptitude for good written English, superior listening skills, comprehension skills and good typing skills.
A Medical Analyst has an edge over a medical transcriber. In medical transcription, a transcriber simply transcribes the voice files into word document. Where as, a Medical Analyst examines the files he/she has transcribed. He points out the mistake that a physician might have accidentally or unknowingly made. A Medical Analyst requires a higher degree of concentration and judgment capacity than a medical transcriber.
The Medical Analysts must be more vigilant and alert than a medical transcriptionist. An injury to the left leg can suddenly be dictated as the right leg and then once again as left leg by the physician. Only a skillful Medical Analyst can have the capacity to catch such errors. A medical transcriptionist will simply go on typing what ever he/she hears. But a Medical Analyst, on the other hand, will be always keen on the minute mistakes that the physician has made and he/she will have the logic to correct it.
There are many similar sounding words among medical terms. For eg. Die late and Dilate, Oral and Aural, Effusion and A fusion, etc. Only a talented Medical Analyst can identify what word to use and knows what word the physician meant to say when he was dictating. This ability of a Medical Analyst in unbeatable even if a 100% accurate Speech Recognition Software comes in the market. So a Medical Analyst must have an eye and ear for the minute details.
If you are a person with basic education, say +2, then it is more than enough to become a Medical Analyst. You should have an aptitude for written English. If you are good at picking up foreign accents, it is a head start for you. But if not, it can be attained through our training. Ultimately what counts is your ability and zest to learn new things and how fast you absorb it. If you have a fairly good command over English language, a keen listening ear attuned to the American accent, ability to comprehend and key in the matter correctly into the computer, and has a determination to excel, then you are the right person to be a medical analys. In a nutshell all you need is the following skills:
• Aptitude for good written English skills
• Good listening, writing and comprehension skills
• An eye for details
• Typing and basic knowledge in Computers would be an added advantage.
• Word processing skills
• Patience and concentration
• Sound judgment
The basic qualification required is just +2. The quality training you undergo with Spectrum will improve the skills required to become a Medical Analyst.
Unlike any other profession, a Medical Analyst enjoys many privileges. The distinguishable feature is that you are the master of your job. You yourself decide your earning. Another thing is you can opt the hours/shift you work. The work environment for this job is also selective. Home transcription is the remarkable feature of this job. You can be with your family and still fill your pockets. The experience in this job enables you to have excellent language skills, vast knowledge in human diseases and treatments, tremendous collection of words, and their absolute pronunciation.
Yes of course you can work from home after the completion of successful job training. For a few months after the training, you have to work from office to get acquitted with the work. But after that you can work from the comfort of your home.
Speech Recognition Software is not going to be a threat to the Medical Analysis industry in the near future. The SRS will never have the human intellectual capability required for an error free documentation. It can never identify the similar sounding words. Say for example, ‘Dilate’ and ‘Dye late’ won’t be distinguished by the SRS. For this human intellectual is inevitable. So itself, SRS is never going to be a threat to Medical Analysis industry.
The earnings of a Medical Analyst is decided based on the line count, i.e. the number of lines he/she has typed in and the accuracy of the converted or transcribed document. On an average, a beginner can type from 150-300 lines a day (depending on the typing skills and comprehension capability). And if he/she can maintain 98% accuracy in that, then he/she can earn up to Rs.9000 per month.
As you progress along the line, the typing speed and accuracy increases and you can earn more than Rs. 30,000 per month.
Demand for Medical Analyst keeps on increasing as far as there are doctors and patients. Reports point out that the Medical Analysis industry in our country is expected to reach an estimated $647 million in 2010 from the $195 million in 2005, making it the fourth largest foreign-exchange earner for India. It has been touted as one of the most attractive careers today. So the future of Medical Analysts is secured; financially as well as job satisfaction wise.
The career prospect of a Medical Analyst increases with his experience, accuracy, speed and judgment capability. From being an MA, you can get promoted to a Senior MA, where you edit and verify the lines typed in by the analysts. Here you have to check for the quality as well. The next level is Medical Analyst Manager, where you review the documents edited by the Senior Analysts. Medical Analysts Manager double-checks the quality of the documents before passing it to the client. With adequate experience and skills, you can further grow to become a Production Manager or Quality Control Manager.
Not only you must have training, it must be from a highly successful and experienced firm doing Medical Analysis work for a minimum of 5 years. Remember, you are not considering this training to get another certificate or another title after your name. The real question is whether the company that trains you has openings and do they have the proven track record of hiring after training. Remember the proverb “the proof (test) of the pudding is in the eating”. Talk to people who are employed in successful Medical Analysis companies and ask their opinion about training from different companies.
Even if you are a Science graduate, training is indispensable in this field. Apart from good listening and comprehension skills, a Medical Analyst should possess a good practical knowledge of medical language, anatomy, physiology, disease processes, pharmacology, laboratory medicine, and the internal organization of medical reports and the legal significance of medical documents. Another factor is we need to build our knowledge on American English. It is different from the English which we use i.e. the British English. All this can be mastered only through quality training.
Spectrum provides a six-month training from Cochin and Trivandrum, which includes both theory and practical sessions. Cochin training rooms and labs are fully air-conditioned and equipments are most modern.
American English Usage- Classes conducted by English faculty Medicine and Pharmacology- Classes given by Doctors or other medical professionals. Computer training {Keyboard Skills, Basic Skills in Computer & Word Processor} Medical Analysis- Classes conducted by experienced Medical Analysts.
To work from home, all you need is the following.
• A good PC (configuration and specifications will be stated by the company)
• Operating system should be Windows 98, 2000 or XP
• The system should have MS Word
• Stable internet connection
• Un-interrupted Power Supply (UPS)
• Headset to hear the dictation
• Software (it will be provided by the company)
No, it is not necessary. We have many successful employees who are with arts, law and engineering background. But having a Science background will definitely be an added advantage.
There are many factors, which make MA an attractive as well as interesting career.
• Work from home
• Very challenging
• Always learning new
• Earn handsomely
• You decide your own income
• Flexibility in work hours
• No specific qualification needed
First and foremost, Spectrum’s primary business is providing Medical Analysis service to its clients in the USA. Spectrum is conducting its training only because it cannot find people who can provide quality service. Therefore, Spectrum’s existence and your future success as a Medical Analyst depend heavily on the training you have undergone. Quality training is the key to both of our success. At Spectrum, we offer the best quality training available today. Our faculty is well experienced from this industry. Apart from a four months theory class, the candidate is given a rigorous coaching in the lab for two months so that the candidate can do their best when put into production.
A peep into the history will give answer to this. Training Statistics Chart