How do I get started?

Everyone asks this question. EVERYONE.

First, make sure you have basic skills for a transcriptionist. Since most jobs are paid on production and/or have tight turnaround requirements, the necessary skills will be essential for productivity.

Second, make sure you have a good educational foundation. Without the appropriate education in your chosen transcription specialty, it will be difficult to land the essential first job. What comes first – the chicken or the egg? The job or the experience? There you have it – the conundrum of the modern working world! If you get a good education, getting a job isn’t as hard as it will be if you don’t.

Should you pay to work?

Don’t confuse being asked to purchase equipment with being asked to pay to work. Each employer may have different equipment requirements, although once you’ve obtained the essentials, you’ll find you already have what you need for most jobs. However, they should not require that you purchase it FROM THEM. It should be available from other sources. If they sell it at a discount – great, no problem. But do your homework and make sure you can’t get it somewhere else for approximately the same price.

Otherwise, you shouldn’t be required to pay to work. If you are in an apprenticeship or internship (where you are paid less than someone with experience), make sure it’s a legitimate one and that there are specific goals of performance or time that will result in the end of the internship or apprenticeship and lead to full employment.

When in doubt – ask. That’s what we’re here for.

Follow the TxConx twitters (see column to the right)! This is a continuously updated feed of “twitters” of tips for working at home, productivity and managing transcription life.

Medical Transcription: Overview

Medical transcription can provide a steady volume of work and as a result can be an excellent work-at-home opportunity.

But let’s get real. Really real.

Getting started in medical transcribing

Medical transcription is a great work-at-home job and has been for years. If you are looking for a work at home job as a medical transcriptionist, be aware that it can be very difficult to get your first job. The most important decision you will make after deciding whether or not you want to become a medical transcriptionist is what transcription school to select. For more information about entry-level requirements and what to look for when selecting from among the available medical transcription schools, go to TranscriptionSchools.com (or click on the link).

If you have already graduated from a medical transcription course, you may be having difficulty finding someone who will hire you. This is one reason why the right school is so important. Some schools work with employers to ensure that their graduates will be hired. Others have internship or apprenticeship programs, and/or placement counselors. If your school doesn’t have any of these, getting your first job will be difficult. If employers have had negative experiences with graduates from the school you chose to attend, you will have difficulty getting a job. Therefore, it really is important to select a school that you know has a good reputation in the transcription community.

What to expect when doing transcription from home

Expect to take at least a year before you can be at full production. Developing an “ear” for dictation takes time. Until you are up to full production speed, your earnings will be less than you may expect.

Expect to work nights and/or weekends. If you take a job as an employee, you will be hired for specific work hours. The larger transcription services do not hire independent contractors. Because the medical business is one that is 24/7, medical transcription is also a 24/7 business. You will likely be required to work at least one weekend day per month.

Expect to work closely with a quality assurance editor. Read the comments and feedback given by the QA editor and learn from your mistakes. It’s difficult to take criticism, but try not to take it personally – view it as a learning process.

What not to expect

Don’t expect to go out on your own and get accounts immediately. The path to becoming a good medical transcriptionist takes time and training beyond just graduating from a medical transcription school.

Don’t expect to make top dollar. It’s expensive to start someone with no experience. Your rate will be less than that of experienced medical transcriptionists, and your production will also be less than average as you get used to the dictators and how the company works.

Don’t expect to be able to work and watch your children at the same time! I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to over the years who thought that a work-at-home transcriptionist could eliminate the need for childcare. Transcription requires intensive listening through a headset. If you’re working, you won’t be able to hear your children. Since most transcription jobs are paid on a production basis, taking the headset off, dealing with children, then putting it back on and getting back into your transcription groove will seriously affect productivity and the ability to earn.

What does medical transcription pay?

According to the latest (informal) survey, the average medical transcriptionist makes $27,000 a year. However, the available information is from an informal survey and doesn’t take into account, part time v. full time, independent contractor v. employee, etc.

The average experienced medical transcriptionist can transcribe 150 lines per hour (65 character lines). Experienced transcriptionists who know how to use productivity tools to the maximum can double that rate.

What you make depends on several factors:

• How fast you type
• How well you hear and comprehend the dictation
• How well you use productivity enhancement tools
• How much your company pays per line

For information on how transcription lines are calculated, go to Visible Black Characters.

Transcription Categories

When someone talks about doing transcription work at home, they are most often referring to medical transcription (MT). This is because MT provides the most steady volume of work. However, there is also general transcription and legal insurance.

Transcription Pay

Most transcription jobs also pay based on performance, or production. Visit Verifiable Billing for a detailed explanation of medical transcription billing units. Most MT jobs pay by one of the units described.

Basic Skills

All transcription jobs have one thing in common: the ability to listen to dictation and interpret it. Not all dictators speak clearly, not all dictators dictate with good grammar and not all dictators are organized. You will encounter dictators in all types of transcription for whom English is their second language (ESL) and they may be difficult to understand.

Medical Transcription is highly specialized and requires not only developed American English skills, but education in medical terminology and transcription. This is not a career that is easy or fast to enter, regardless of claims you may have seen. There are only a handful of education centers that provide a truly top-notch preparation for job seekers.

General transcription may be easier to enter but requires advanced American English skills and knowledge of a variety of styles and formats. General transcription may include insurance, investigation, law enforcement, television transcripts, interviews, focus groups, telephone conversations, podcasts and conferences.

Legal transcription requires knowledge of legal terminology, styles and formats, as well as excellent American English.