Author Topic: English in the World of Medical Transcription  (Read 6580 times)

purple flowers

  • Initiate
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • Email
English in the World of Medical Transcription
« on: February 23, 2010, 12:10:09 PM »
If the call center industry has Accent /English/Communication trainer, the medical transcription industry realized their need for one as well. As a BPO industry handling sensitive medical reports for clients based in the US, accurate transcription (grammar, spelling, punctuations aside for medical knowledge) is also deemed necessary to keep the jobs coming in.

My coming to as an English trainer to the medical transcription industry came a year ago when I was having that "what's next feeling" after being in the academe for more than 13 years. I answered an ad that seeks to have an English teacher with a call center experience (yes, I also tried my hands on that) on board to teach basic grammar to potential and existing workforce of the company.

Needless to say, I jumped at that opportunity and realized how language competency can spell your chances of nailing and staying in that job. The crowd that I met came from various educational background. From  highschool graduates to licensed medical health professionals and practitioners, and even non-medical professionals. Yes..., name them and we have them. That is how diverse is the medical transcription workforce.

When I came on board, only 10% of English training is provided to them and the other  90% percent is on medical and computer training. This was based on the premise that the English these workforce learned during their schooling days would suffice to meet the industry's needs. However, the varying language competency of  the adult learners,  their individual language issues and the complexities of our "dictators" gave rise to more and more medical reports not meeting the clients' standards.So it was no wonder that "transcription accuracy"became an issue. .

What makes it truly surprising is the fact that errors found in the report is not medical in nature but "simple, common sense English words" as the client puts it.

Unlike the call center industry were  cheat notes are available to follow and a sensible adlib could be quiped in like a pro,it's a different tune for the medical transcription industry. The accuracy of the medical reports highly depend on how the medical language specialist has understood the (ESL) spoken/dictated text, and translate it to the written/transcribed text.

A weak foundation in basic grammar coupled with non-familiarity with the dictators' accent and idiolects often result to medical reports categorized as defective.

So the more defected reports  churned out, the more monetory loss it is for the company which can be eventually translated to  losing potential source of income for the workforce.

These issues made the training team reassess their training flatform. They eventually agreed to allocate more time for English training which as they say "could have been avoided in the first place"  if this aspect has been taken cared off way back in school. (Ouch!)


Having had the baptism of fire, now that I am a part of business sector. I make an earnest appeal to educators, teaching institutions and those involve in teaching and training to make a collective effort of strenthening our learners' language skills.

I would'nt say that I have gained mastery over my English competency for the many years I have been teaching English. Like everyone else, I still have so many things to learn and flaws to correct but one thing that really hit me hard is the realization if maybe .... just maybe our educators can see things from the industry's point of view, then they could sit down and collaboratively come up with a plan that could empower and train our learners to be lingusitically competent to be industry-ready.


maxsims

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 436
  • Karma: +4/-0
    • View Profile
Re: English in the World of Medical Transcription
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2010, 12:58:34 PM »
Well said!   :)

vinzvonvan

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: English in the World of Medical Transcription
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2010, 10:32:11 PM »
Great observation!The English curriculum should be improved in accordance with the needs of the time. English in the classroom is really different when you're already working.I taught in the classroom too but not as an English teacher (because that's not my major) and my English skills really improved when I became an ESL instructor. It's not that I didn't like the academe but I searched for something new so I ended up with this type of work. English educators,specifically those who are afraid of technology and new ideas, should  exactly know what will be valuable to their students when they're done with studies.
However, I should also be of service to my fellow Filipinos that's why I'm planning to teach in the classroom again, now armed with skills I myself didn't learn in the classroom. ;)

Joe Carillo

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4774
  • Karma: +220/-2
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: English in the World of Medical Transcription
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2010, 11:33:05 PM »
Your plan to teach in the academic classroom again is a great idea. But if the official curriculum for teaching English isn't changed, how do you propose to teach your new learnings in the academic classroom? You just might end up at cross-purposes with the principal, dean, or academic director, all of whom obviously will insist that you toe the line as to the kind of English lessons that can be taught in the classroom. Something's got to give way in the existing English-teaching curriculum for your new teaching paradigm to be pursued effectively.