Did you miss Part One? Check it out here!
The field has gone in a circle, from all work being kept in the United States, to lots of work being sent overseas, to where we are today, with part of the work being sent overseas and part of it staying here. If you read through a list of MT want ads today, you’ll see quite a few advertisements for medical transcriptionists where the ads will read, “US transcriptionists only!” and other such stipulations. And on MT companies’ websites, you’ll often see, “We only hire transcriptionists who live in the United States – we do not outsource any of our work!” etc.
Truthfully, the deck is stacked against people from other countries. Medical terminology is so complex and difficult that Americans struggle really hard when trying to learn it. So if you imagine you’re trying to learn another language, and then you have to learn thousands and thousands of medical terms in that new language, then you’ll see what Indian, Pakistani, and all other offshore transcriptionists are up against. This didn’t end up being the easy walk in the park that many envisioned it would be. In my life, I have tried to learn Japanese, Spanish, Hebrew, and German, and I’ll say right now that learning another language, especially when you’re not immersed in the culture and language while learning it, is incredibly difficult. I cannot even fathom trying to learn words like “gastrocnemius” in Hebrew. But that’s what offshore workers are faced with.
Does this mean that all work is now being kept in the United States and other English speaking countries (like Canada and England)? Hardly. But the situation isn’t nearly as dire as it seemed when work was first being sent offshore. There are doctors and hospitals who are very cost conscientious and will always go for the lowest bid, no matter the quality being produced. Then there are doctors and hospitals who put it into their contracts that the MT companies must agree to have all work done by Americans, because they don’t want anything outsourced. I think there is room for both in our global economy, because both offer something the other choice can’t offer.
Disagree? Want to take me to task for daring to say that there is room for Indian workers in the MT field? Leave a comment below – I would love to hear your thoughts!
This blog is part of a series on transcription. If you haven’t read the other blogs in this series, make sure to check out the summary page for a listing of all transcription blogs.