About Transcription Work at Home
I have been in the transcription industry for 30 years. I’ve worked alone, I’ve worked with others, I’ve worked for others. I’ve given presentations at national and international meetings, written articles that were published in professional journals, and helped many people get started transcribing from home. These are some of the many questions I have frequently been asked over the years. Be sure and subscribe to the newsletter and you will receive exclusive information that will not be published here at the website.
What is a transcriptionist?
Transcription is the process of listening to what someone dictates in a recorder and typing it into a text editor or word processing application, such as Microsoft Word. A transcriptionist is the person who performs the transcription work.
Are there many at home transcription jobs?
That depends on your skills. The more skills you have, the more work you can do. General transcription usually requires no special skills beyond typing and good English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Legal transcription requires knowledge of the terms used in legal documents, and how to format legal documents. Medical transcription is highly skilled and has specific education and training requirements.
How do I become an at home transcriptionist?
First, decide what kind of home based transcription best fits your skill level. You may require additional education and training if you want more work options. Then, start networking with others who are already doing that type of home transcription work, and find out what specific skills are required, and where you can obtain work.
Most work-at-home transcription jobs are contract jobs. In other words, you are contracted by an individual or company to perform work at a specific rate of pay for a specified project. When the project work is completed, your services are no longer required. The usual exception is medical transcription, which is why it’s a popular choice. Although most medical transcriptionists work from home, they are often employees. If they work as contractors, there is no definitive end to the contract.
Does that mean I’m always looking for transcription work unless I’m a medical transcriptionist?
You may work as a subcontractor for a company or another person who has more work than they can handle, so they contract it out to others with similar skills. In such a case, you may not run out of work and have to always be looking for more. From a business standpoint, however, it’s a good idea not to put your eggs in one basket.
What is a medical transcriptionist?
A medical transcriptionist is someone who specializes in transcribing medical reports. This requires additional education from a medical transcription school, as well as special skills acquired from ongoing training.
Is there a difference between medical transcriptionists and medical transcribers?
Many people refer to medical transcriptionists as medical transcribers. However, a transcriber is a piece of equipment used to perform transcription; a transcriptionist is the person using the equipment.
Are medical transcription and medical transcribing the same thing?
Yes. They are two different terms for essentially the same thing.
What is a medical secretary?
A medical secretary is someone who performs secretarial duties, but also has the skills of a medical transcriptionist. Some healthcare facilities call their medical transcriptionists medical secretaries, but they are, for all intents and purposes, actually performing only medical transcription and they do not have any additional secretarial duties.
How do I get medical transcription work?
After graduating from a medical transcription course, network with other medical transcriptionists and search medical transcription jobs.
What equipment do I need to do transcription at home?
You may need an actual transcriber, but you should wait until you have work before purchasing it, unless you want to invest in equipment you may never use. A lot of dictation is done digitally and no analog transcription equipment is required. Should you decide to purchase something in advance, you will need something like this Sony microcassette transcriber or this Sanyo cassette transcriber. I have used analog transcribers by both these companies and they work fine. They both come with a foot pedal and headset. (Note: The foot pedal used for these analog transcribers will NOT work with your computer and digital transcribing!) I had a beef with Panasonic many, many years ago (like – 15) and haven’t recommended them since.
For digital transcription, at the very least you will need a footpedal that plugs into your computer. I recommend this one: Infinity USB foot pedal. This is one I’ve used for years, and almost everyone I know uses it. It plugs into the USB port on your computer. You will also need a program to play back the audio files; you can get Express Scribe for free from NCH Software. It’s not my favorite program for transcribing, but it is free – the one I like is not.
Do I need a license to do transcription from home?
You need to check with your city, county or state for requirements concerning licensing for a business. I recommend that you get a free consult from a SCORE adviser before you start your home transcription business. It should be noted that even if you subcontract from another business, you are considered a business yourself. Consulting with a SCORE advisor (which is free) or paying for legal advice up front may save you a lot of headaches – and money problems – at a later date.
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