As you work on gathering your basic supplies, do some research online on MT courses. This will be the most important decision you make as a transcriptionist.  Getting a proper education will pay off in several ways. First, you will benefit from the support your school will give you in finding your first job, and secondly, the better educated you are, the better you will be at your job.

 

 

Look for a school with a vast website that is mainly or greatly dedicated to Medical Transcription training.  This training should take roughly 6 months to 2 years, depending on the school and your rate of study.  The reputable courses do have a higher tuition, typically a few thousand dollars and are worth every penny.  However, if you can't afford this, you might look into your local vocational college to see if they have a medical transcription course. 

As you begin your studies, you will likely do all your practice dictation and research on the computer. Right now, Word or Word Perfect are good choices for word processing. You can play your dictation with the free ExpressScribe player. This is controlled with a foot pedal so your hands are free to type. Spend time using it in order to get used to the controls.

 

Later, depending on where you find work, an alternative dictation player may be provided for you or required, as weill as different types of software.

 

 

Getting Paid

Transcriptionists are typically paid for every line of text (65 characters).  The faster you work, the more money you make.  Cutting corners on your training will only cause you to spend more time learning your craft while you are trying to work.   Many employers are willing to give new transcriptionists a grace period where they hone their skills, but you must bring a strong basis of knowledge or it will be a waste of everyone's time.

As a working transcriptionist, it will be your responsibility to purchase and maintain your own equipment and software necessary to do the job. However, be wary of any company that wants to hire you, but requires you to purchase their special software up front, especially if they do not guarantee you will get work.  Any company that has software that is specific to only their company will provide it for free and should not ask you to pay for it.

On average, when you start out working for a transcription company, you can expect anywhere from 6 cents per line (cpl) to 9 cents per line, and an experienced full time transcriptionist can do an average of 1000 to 1500 lines per day, sometimes even more!  It takes time and practice to get up to this level.  So, BE PATIENT, STICK WITH IT! You will do just fine!

It is a lot harder to get an account with a doctor or hospital when you are new, so it is a good idea to start out with a company who can help you improve your skills.  Study your corrections and you will be typing error-free reports in no time.

The first couple months will be hard, and you might wonder what you were thinking by getting involved in this career! Give yourself a month; after that, it gets much, much easier. 

Deciding to dive into a career in transcription can be an intimidating choice.  There is so much information on the internet, some of which is reliable, and some of which is not.  We would like to help you make an informed decision about whether or not this is a good career for you.

The AAMT Book of Style is the Law of the Land for Transcriptionists. Clients will always have exceptions to the rules in this book, but this is the place to find all the quirky rules about transcription style, and the first reference you should purchase.  Other references can come later; this one is a must-have.  The electronic version is preferred by many MTs because it is easy to search.

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