RP firm develops on-the-job simulation for MT applicants Erwin Oliva INQUIRER.net February 10, 2008 MANILA, Philippines--A homegrown, online on-the-job simulation (OJS) program lets Filipino "near-hires" increase their chances of landing a job in a medical transcription firm. Near-hires are job applicants who fail to secure a job due to the lack of a few skills required by specialized industries like medical transcription. Developed by Filipino medical transcription (MT) firm Total Transcription Solutions, Inc. (TTSI), the OJS program was initially designed to address the company's training requirements. Later, TTSI has decided to offer the OJS to schools and industry partners like Netopia, a chain of Internet café owned by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., to help address the industry's manpower shortage. Medical transcription firms serve foreign clients who pay them to transcribe audio files, usually dictated recordings from medical and health professionals. The transcriptions are then edited for accuracy and sent back to clients through secure Internet connections. "The development of this on-the-job simulation was prompted by the need to train graduates of medical transcription centers. Not many companies allow on-the-job training for graduates [of MT schools] because of rules [on privacy of information]," said Myla Rose Reyes, TTSI managing director, in an interview. TTSI mainly serves the American market, but is exploring other countries and regions due to the recent depreciation of the US dollar. MT production facilities and MT service organizations are currently not willing to accept on-the-job trainees due to "high overhead costs and quality assurance," the TTSI said. The OJS program, perhaps the country's first, simulates the "actual workflow" in MT firms, Reyes said. The OJS program will measure an applicants' or a trainees' performance, while also giving them an idea on what areas they need to improve. "Students will know eventually their errors and learn from it. So it's an actual simulated experience," said Reyes. Reyes who is also president of the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines said the industry is still faced with the challenge of finding and developing qualified applicants. The executive said her company is now partnering with other companies and schools to help newly hired employees and graduates of MT schools improve their skills and chances of finding a job in the MT industry. Meanwhile, the OJS program was recently nominated as a finalist in this year's e-Services Awards, a recognition given to Philippine companies by the Department of Trade and Industry' Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM). The awards ceremony is scheduled on February 12 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.