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The Top Supplies You Need to Begin a Career in Medical Transcription

PJ_Deneen by PJ_Deneen

Medical Transcription From Home

Are you a new medical transcriptionist wondering what it takes to work from home? Besides a good MT education program, there are some basic tools you need to get started.

Here is a list of the top supplies I use every day in my career as a medical transcriptionist. You don't need much but you do need the right stuff.

Below are explanations of why you need these tools as well as links to where you can buy them.

Education First

The Best Tool You Can Buy

This article is the result of several emails to me from people interested in this information. I decided to put my answer into an article. I don't know the education background of the people who emailed me. But to be honest, if you're currently enrolled in or are a graduate of an MT education program and you haven't already been informed of the supplies you will need to start your career, then my first instinct is to tell you to choose another school. I don't mean that in a flippant way. This is just basic info that a school should share with their students.

I earned a certificate through a good school, but I had bad experiences with other schools before I chose the right one. If you want to learn more about a medical transcription education, visit my article My Medical Transcription Education Experience and my review of the Everett Community College MT program.

As far as supplies go, proper training is the first one you really need. If for whatever reason you weren't given this info from your school, then I hope what I share here will help you successfully start your career.

MT Reference Basics

Book of Style for Medical Transcriptionists

This style guide is put out by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (ADHI) formerly the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). This is the organization that provides MT certification.
The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd Edition

The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd Edition

by: Lea M. Sims

Amazon Price: $63.79 (as of 06/02/2012)Buy Now

The BOS has been the standard for many years in the field. Included are formatting tips for the situations that come up in medical reports every day including cancer staging, cardiology terminology, and MT-specific ways of handling things like measurements and drugs. Many MT companies adhere to the BOS on their accounts.

An Excellent Medical Dictionary

Most schools will have you purchase a good medical dictionary when you first begin their program. For obvious reasons, this is one of the top references to have on hand to clarify spelling and sometimes decipher what a dictator is saying.
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Best Online Medical Dictionaries

If medical transcription is your job, then I recommend having a print edition of a medical dictionary. But online versions can still be convenient for bookmarking. Some of the best medical dictionaries also have online options available either free or by subscription.
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Important!

Help With Terms and Drug Spelling

Medical and drug word books will most likely be two references you use daily. Good drug books list the spelling, common dosages and sound-alike drugs.

Medical word books can include general medical and surgical terminology but there are many that cover certain specialties. For instance, if you transcribe a lot of cardiology reports, a word book that contains common terms from that specialty will be very helpful to have on hand.

Best Medical Word Books

The Stedman's word book series is one of the most popular and trusted in the MT field.
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Top Drug References

Drug references are usually updated yearly due to how quickly this information changes.
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Medical Abbreviation References

Abbreviations are constantly used in medical reports. You will learn about them in school but you will also want to have a good reference book on hand. I use the Neil Davis book below. I've also added a few other MT favorites. If you'd like to learn more, then visit my Medical Abbreviations lens.
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Top Transcription Tools

Transcription Foot Pedals

Time Savers That Add to Your Bottom Line

Foot pedals are a must have for transcriptionists, especially those who work on a production basis. Learn more about the best type to have for your business in my lens devoted to them.
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Infinity USB Series

Infinity USB Foot Pedal for PC Transcription IN-USB-2

Infinity USB Foot Pedal for PC Transcription IN-USB-2

Amazon Price: $46.95 (as of 06/02/2012)Buy Now

I use an Infinity brand foot pedal. It came with my transcription course and has lasted more than 5 years.

Headphones

A good set of headphones is imperative to doing your job. A set that's specifically made for noise reduction and keeping out background noise is immensely helpful in understanding dictators who sometimes speak in heavy accents, have garbled speech, or speak quietly. The audio quality on some files can also be poor due to physicians dictating in their car or a technical difficulty. The average headphones from an MP3 player just won't do.
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Your Computer and Internet Connection

Since you're reading this, I assume you have a working computer and internet connection. Companies that hire at-home transcriptionists send the voice files over the internet to be transcribed. Many of them require that you have a high-speed cable connection instead of DSL and certainly not dial-up.

You may also need to have specific virus protection software installed on your computer as well as a good sound card. Some companies offer the option of using a computer provided by them, but you will still need to have whatever internet connection they require.

I haven't listed computers and peripherals as part of the supplies you need. This is a given and I will leave it up to you to choose the best products for your work.

Learn More About Medical Transcription as a Career

Medical Transcription FAQs

Here is a collection of all of my medical transcription lenses covering things like education and where to search for jobs.
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Picture credit

Opening picture credit: lusi, sxc.hu.

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PJ_Deneen

Hello, I'm P.J. Deneen, a medical transcriptionist and freelance writer.
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