The boom in the health care industry has created many new jobs, including a demand for medical transcriptionists. Think the person who transcribes the records isn't that important? Consider this scenario. A person goes to his family doctor for a nagging cough. The doctor finds something suspicious and the person is referred on to a series of specialists before finding himself in the hospital facing surgery. The family physician at the beginning of this process knows that the patient is allergic to penicillin, but that fact may very well never come to light until the patient has been given a lethal dose of the drug - but for the work of the medical records that have accompanied this patient throughout his travels to the various doctors.

Each doctor along the way gathered new information and that was all conveyed to the next doctor by way of the medical notes - which were all transcribed by a trained professional. The time these doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other health care providers spend at their jobs is typically spent helping their patients. The days when a country doctor could make rounds and remember the ailments and particulars of all his cases are long gone.

Several decades ago, someone came up with the idea of recording thoughts, treatments and all other relevant information from a patient's visit with his physician, then having that verbal information typed up - neatly, so that everyone could later read and understand. That brought about the need for these professionals that today carry a huge load for the health care industry.