My Home-Based Medical Transcription Business.

1. Computer with a word processing program, usually Microsoft Word or Word Perfect.

2. Transcription machine or WAV pedal. Transcription machines vary between $150.00 and $300.00 and higher for more deluxe models. My WAV pedal was $85.00.

3. Medical Dictionary.

4. Pharmaceutical word book.

This is all I had when I got started. Of course I took a medical transcription course also. That is your first priority. The school will usually require you to get a medical dictionary and pharmaceutical word book.

Now that I have been transcribing for several years I have found two things that I use the most and I would not like to work without. They are Stedman's medical spellchecker and Stedman's Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols.

I didn't know until I started working how many abbreviations are used in medical terminology. My abbreviations book is very well-worn now.

If you decide to become a medical transcriptionist put those two items on your wish list as they will help you immensely.

I have added other reference books to my library since starting work and I will be talking about those in another article.

To start off in medical transcription you only really need a medical dictionary and a pharmaceutical word book. You can slowly build your library of reference books as I did.

The favorite ones in my library are:

Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
Saunders Pharmaceutical Word Book
Stedman's Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols (I use this all the time)
The Medical Word Book by Sheila Sloane (this has different specialties listed such as cardiovascular, orthopedics, etc.)
Stedman's OB-GYN Word Book
Stedman's Surgery Words
Stedman's GI & GU words
Handbook of Diseases
Stedman's Orthopaedic & Rehab Words
Laboratory Test Handbook

Put these all on your most wanted list as they are so valuable to a medical transcriptionist, especially if you are doing MT work at home as you have no one to give you a quick answer.

I do go to the Internet for names of drugs, procedures, etc., but you have to be careful as you might get some wrong information. You can trust your reference books as they are written by professionals in the field.

Having a career as an MT working at home can sometimes be very challenging. One of the great things is that you are doing a real job and are receiving a real pay check for it.

Some Do's:

Treat this as a real job. Meet your deadlines (which is normally 24-hour turnaround).

Stay in touch with the real world of medical transcription via the MT forums.

Keep your work area as isolated from the rest of the house as possible so as to not become distracted. This work requires a lot of concentration.

Do use a good ergonomic chair and keyboard as you will be sitting and typing for hours at a time.

Some Don'ts:

Don't accept a lot of phone calls while working. Keep the answering machine on.

Don't take long breaks for TV or internet surfing. Both of these can be a real downfall to producing timely work.

Don't ever leave patient information or transcription work where it is accessible to anyone who comes to your house. There is a strict code of confidentiality that must be maintained if you are working at home.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked by new medical transcriptionists is how to get their first job. This is one of the most difficult things that new MTs face.

It is a lot easier now than it used to be. Now there are more medical transcription companies that will hire inexperienced medical transcriptionists. Of course, the pay is a lot less than you expected to make as an MT, but this is what you have to expect until you are more experienced and your work does not need as much supervision for errors.

There are many ways of getting your first MT job. I have listed a few below:

1. Go to medical transcription forums. Network with the experienced MTs and the beginners. Ask what companies hire inexperienced MTs. MT Desk is a good forum to get this information from.

2. Check your newspaper for medical transcription jobs. This is how I got my first job. A lot of these positions will require experience though. I had to go for an interview and take a transcription test from actual doctor's dictations. I left a lot of blanks! But because of my knowledge of medical terms (from my MT course), I got the job anyway.

3. Send letters to your local hospitals and clinics. Sometimes it is easier to get a job as an inexperienced medical transcriptionist at a clinic as they can give you more one-on-one training.

4. You can also call your local hospitals and clinics and ask if they are in need of a medical transcriptionist.

5. Find a listing of medical transcription companies online. They will tell you if they only hire experienced MTs.

6. Talk to your own doctor and tell him you are now an MT and ask if he needs someone or if he knows anyone else that needs a transcriptionist. Give him your business card and you may just get a phone call. An MT that works with me was a patient at the clinic that I transcribe for and she told her doctor she had just graduated and did he need anyone. She was hired by the clinic.

While you are looking for a job keep going over your course daily so that you will have everything fresh in your mind. If you have some practice doctor dictations from your school, keep practicing them. If you do not have any tapes you can Google "Medical Transcription Practice Tapes" and buy some. In this job the more you practice the better you will be.

Sometimes you will hear how easy it is to become an MT, to sit at home in your bathrobe and type and make a lot of money. Now, this is possible after awhile but you have to pay your dues first.

A lot of people think that if you can type fast and spell well you can become a medical transcriptionist without any other training. I was typing 100 wpm and was a very good speller but when it came to transcribing a doctor's dictation it was a whole new ballgame.

Don't think of this as a quick and easy way to make money at home. It isn't quick and to me it wasn't easy. It was challenging and exciting and stressful all at the same time. Could I have done it without a medical transcription course? No. Not unless I had someone one-on-one walking me through each dictation.

Can I sit at home now in my bathrobe and type and make money? Yes. I paid my dues. I took a medical transcription course and began working from home right away. I didn't make a lot of money at first but I was building up my experience. Experience is very important in getting top paying jobs as a medical transcriptionist. I ended up building my own business and had MTs typing for me. It is not an impossible dream but you have to work for it.

Would I recommend this for someone wanting to work from home? Only if they are willing to put in the time, effort, and expense it would take to become a well trained medical transcriptionist.

This has been a great career for me and I would recommend it if you are up for a challenge and willing to work hard to make this a career and not just a job.

It's up to you. Do you have what it takes to develop a satisfying career while working at home? Only you can answer that question. My answer was yes.

1. Detailed Planning

Plan everything from how you will set up your home office to how to market it. Work space, office equipment, reference books, etc. Your marketing strategy.

2. Start Up Costs

Plan these finances carefully to include medical transcription course, office equipment, reference books, and advertising.

3. Business Goals

Know where you are going before you start. Do you want to work for a medical transcription company? Do you want to be an independent contractor working for hospitals and clinics? Do you want to eventually expand your business to where you are employing other medical transcriptionists to work for you? Make short term and long term goals.

4. Research your options.

Visit the MT forums and talk to new and experienced MTs. Research the schools and the transcription companies to see which ones you would be interested in. Visit AAMT (American Association for Medical Transcription) for information about medical transcription.

Plan your home medical transcription business carefully and you will end up with a satisfying new career and will get started off on the right foot.

In order to become a qualified medical transcriptionist you do need to take a course in medical transcription.

Medical terminology is like a second language and you must know that language to succeed as an MT.

Some people who have worked in a medical environment may in some cases not need as much extensive training but they should at least take a medical terminology course.

There are many abbreviations and sound alikes in the medical field that a novice just would not know. Doctors and hospitals want someone already trained in at least the basics of medical terminology and most require completion of a full medical transcription course.

Invest the time and the money in becoming a professional medical transcriptionist and you will be in great demand.

If you are thinking of beginning a career as a medical transcriptionist visit Career Step and they will send you an information packet that will describe the training and courses you can receive through their medical transcription and medical billing school. Their courses can be done through correspondence or online for your convenienc.

Medical transcription training can be done online now or at home. Choosing the best medical transcription course is very important.

There are a number of things that will be covered in the training that will prepare you for an actual medical transcription job. Some of the most important aspects to the educational process include coursework in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. Other coursework that may be taught includes legal issues with medical documentation, English, and perhaps the most important, on the job training.

As you may have already guessed, medicine is constantly evolving as we become more intelligent and aware of ways to heal quicker and more efficiently. All medical transcription training does not involve taking and passing a certification examination in order to become a medical transcriptionist.

However, because of the constant evolving of medicine, it is beneficial that a transcriptionist earn their Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) every three years. The reason for this is to make sure that all transcriptionists are up to date with the terminology and medicine available.

The quality of your medical transcription is essential but speed is also important, especially as you are getting paid for the amount of transcription you are doing.

Some short cuts most transcriptionists make are to use macros and auto corrects.

With macros you can type in whole blocks of text and have it automatically print when you type in a certain keystroke determined by you when setting up the macro.

As an example, every time I type a dictation I have to put a doctor's sign off at the end. I make a macro for each doctor and I only have to use my predetermined keystrokes to have the doctor's information automatically print each time.

The Auto Correct that I use in Microsoft Office 2003 is what I use the most. I use this all the time in my transcription. I use it for the date every day as I have to put the date in several places on each of my transcriptions.

The Auto Correct is also most helpful for shortening the use of medical terms. Some that I use are listed below:

htn - hypertension
hsm - hepatosplenomegaly
dat - (example 01/21/07)
bid - b.i.d. (saves having to type the periods)
fsbg - fingerstick blood glucose
gerd - gastroesophageal reflux disease
hyl - hyperlipidemia
cad - coronary artery disease
labo - laboratory

You are just replacing words with shorter words. When I make a new Auto Correct I will place it on a list I keep on my desk until I am used to using it. After a few times you will not have to check your list as you will remember it automatically, especially if you use it every day.

So, everytime I type hsm it will automatically type out hepatosplenomegaly.

This is a great time saver. I have dozens and dozens of these for my transcription.

There are so many long medical terms that it will greatly increase your productivity if you use the Auto Correct. Plus you won't have to worry about misspelling all of those medical terms.

What is medical billing and coding? Medical billing is how physicians get reimbursement for their services. A system was developed to bill more efficiently using a coding system.

The coding system consists of code numbers that represent each disease, injury, or disorder. There are also code numbers for different procedures and services the physician provides.

Can I do medical billing and coding at home? Medical billing can be a home business but there are many things to consider. I have listed a few of these things below:

Beware of companies that are only out to sell their medical billing opportunities and software packages.

A medical billing training program is a must. Look for a course that will teach you code usage, billing and reimbursement (including electronic submissions), software usage and effective marketing of your medical billing business..

Learn how to price your services.

Learn what kind of equipment you will need.

Research doing medical billing and coding from home very thoroughly. Find out if there is a real market for at home medical billing and coding. A good idea would be to get on some of the medical billing forums and ask questions.

In the past was easier to work at home as a medical transcriptionist than a coder and biller, but in recent years more people are starting to do billing at home, although it still might require more in-house training and experience than medical transcription.

I had to decide between being a medical transcriptionist or a medical biller and coder when I wanted to work from home. I chose medical transcription and fully intended to take a course in medical billing and coding at a later date. But my medical transcription business grew so quickly that I never had time to go back and take the medical billing course, so I cannot give you first hand experience with it but I encourage you to research it and see if it is for you.

I have listed a few of the soundalikes that medical transcriptionists need to watch for.

abduction - draw away from
adduction - draw toward

ACE - acronym for angiotensin-converting enzyme
Ace - brand name for bandages, wraps, etc.
ace - a playing card

advice - recommendation
advise - give advice to

affect - a verb, influence (except in psych eval)
effect - a result or cause

atopic - allergic hypersensitivity
ectopic - "out of place"

CNS - central nervous system
C&S - culture and sensitivity

dysphagia - difficulty in swallowing
dysphasia - speech disorder

palpation - examination by touch
palpitation - rapid or fluttering heartbeat

prostate - gland
prostrate - flat, supine

shoddy - poorly done
shotty - describing feel of lymph nodes when palpated

welt - ridge or bump on skin caused by blow or possibly allergic reaction
whelp - young offspring of a mammal such as child, dog, wolf, etc.

This is just a sampling. There are many more that MT's need to learn. Most transcription courses give training on soundalikes.

When you take a medical transcription course and get a certificate for completion, this does not mean you are a certified medical transcriptionist.

You may become a CMT through AAMT (American Association for Medical Transcription).

You must have at least 2 years of actual medical transcription experience in acute care or the equivalent.

You will take the AAMT CMT exam which consists of transcription performance and medical transcription knowledge.

You will go to a CMT testing center to take the test and there will be a fee for testing.

Your certification will be valid for 3 years. After that you have to recertify by paying a recertification fee and earning a minimum of 30 continuing education credits in required categories.

Contact AAMT for more details on qualifications, cost, where to test, etc.

Being a CMT can sometimes mean higher pay and sometimes even sign on bonuses.

As a CMT you will be recognized as an expert in the field of medical transcription and it will be a personal honor that you have earned the title.

When I first started out as a medical transcriptionist I had never heard of a medical spellchecker. I did my typing in Microsoft Word and used it's spellchecker.

One day I read on a forum about a medical and pharmaceutical spellchecker. Since I was new at the business nearly every medical term was a new one to me, so I figured I would benefit from getting the medical spellchecker.

That was the best purchase I ever made. It wasn't real cheap, around $100.00, but it has proved it's value at many times that price.

A normal spellchecker is not going to know the medical terms and drugs unless you manually put them in and if you don't know them, how can you put them in?

My typing speed went up right away as I didn't have to stop constantly and go to my medical dictionary or drug book. When you type what the term sounds like the spellchecker will give you several options to choose from, like your normal spellchecker, but these will be medical terms and drugs.

I can truthfully say this tool has made me money as I can type my dictation faster and feel assured that I am using the correct terms.

I am so impressed with this product that I wouldn't even consider trying to transcribe now without it.

So put it on your wish list if you are a beginning transcriptionist and you will truly benefit from it.

(I use the Stedman's Plus Spellchecker)

One thing I had not thought about when I first started out as an MT was exactly how far I wanted to take my business. I was just concerned about getting my first job. I worked for a year getting a small amount of pay but building up my experience. The transcription company I was working for decided they were not going to transcribe any longer for the clinic I was typing for so I applied for the job of taking over the clinic's transcription as I already had experience working with their doctors.

I did get the business and I ended up having to hire five other typists to do their transcription plus another clinic I added on. I was transcribing full time also for both of the clinics.

I kept this business for two years and then decided I wanted to stop working for awhile, so I let one of my MT's take over the business.

I enjoyed not working for about two years and then decided I wanted to work again, but not as much, just part time. So I went back to work for the original clinic working just for myself with a very small workload as this is what I wanted.

So the point is you can have your business as large or as small as you want it. I could have expanded from the two clinics and added many more and hired more typists and kept growing the business.

The main thing if you want to build your business is to get as much experience as you can, as an experienced medical transcriptionist is always in great demand and you can then take advantage of any opportunities that arise.

Medical transcriptionists working in a hospital or clinic sometimes have other duties such as receiving patients, scheduling appointments, and answering phone calls. One of the advantages of working at a clinic or hospital is the benefits. You will be considered an employee and will receive insurance, retirement benefits, etc., that the other employees receive.

As a home-based medical transcriptionist you are usually, but not always, considered as an independent contractor. You will be responsible for your own taxes as they will not be withheld from your check. You will also have to get your own insurance and retirement account.

It is sometimes easier for a beginning medical transcriptionist to work in a clinic or hospital at first in order to have one-on-one training and there will be someone to ask questions of and someone to correct your work until you have the confidence to do it on your own.

I started as a home-based transcriptionist immediately but I did have a mentor (the person who hired me to work for her) and that smoothed the way for me to get my experience and confidence in my abilities.

If you are thinking of becoming a medical transcriptionist you will need to weigh these options carefully. Some people do not enjoy the isolation of working at home alone every day. I, myself, do enjoy working at home. I like the freedom it gives me to do other things in between dictations.

Either way you decide to go, medical transcription is a business that I highly recommend.

If you would like to ask me any questions about medical transcription you can visit my website and email me. I am always glad to help anyone wanting to become a medical transcriptionist.

A WAV pedal is an interface that will let you playback dictation and type it on your word processor.

In order to use a WAV pedal you need a computer with a serial port or USB port to connect the WAV pedal to.

Your doctor will use a digital voice recorder and after dictating will upload the file onto their computer and either email it to the transcriptionist or the transcriptionist could be able to log onto the doctor's computer system and download the WAV file onto her computer.

The transcriptionist can then listen to the WAV file and transcribe the doctor's dictation. She will control the WAV pedal just as she would a foot pedal for a transcription machine.

The voice quality is better with the WAV pedal than the tapes so this will lessen your typing time and errors.

One of the chief benefits of using the WAV pedal is that you will not have to pick up and deliver tapes every day to the clinic or hospital. Plus, you can work for clinics or hospitals all over the United States instead of just doing work close to home. If you live in a rural area this is especially important as you might not have as many options for work in your immediate vicinity.

If the doctor that you are transcribing for now is using the tapes you can suggest that they look into investing in setting up a WAV pedal program. One of the benefits to them is that when you have finished a dictation you can immediately upload it to the doctor and he will have it that same day without waiting for the 24-hour turnaround.

Whether you work from home or in an office or hospital, medical transcription jobs consist of a great deal of medical reports and administrative material. The basis of this field of work is listening to recordings made by physicians and transcribing them into medical reports and then sending them back to the physicians.

There are various documents that a medical transcriptionist will produce on the job. Some of these include discharge summaries, history and physical examination reports, autopsy reports, and referral letters. After transcribing the documents and sending them back to the physician, these documents then are filed and become a part of the patient's permanent record.

There is a great deal of training and education required to be able to comprehend and accurately transcribe dictated reports. A good medical transcription course that is versed in all aspects of the medical profession including hospitals and clinics is vital in order to transcribe these reports into a clear format. The medical transcriptionist must be able to understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures and treatment assessments.

As with many jobs in the business world, medical transcription jobs have primarily been in an office setting. However, with the rise of the internet and the increasing development, it is becoming more and more common to work out of your own home.

The internet has grown into one of the more popular methods for transmitting documents because of the convenience. Many medical transcriptionists are able to receive dictation over the internet and quickly return transcribed documents to clients for approval.

Whether you work at home or in a hospital or clinic, the benefits are rewarding. A day in the life of a medical transcriptionist is full of hard work accompanied by fine rewards.

One of the major lessons to be learned as an MT is to never second guess what a physician is saying. You should always flag a report if something is unclear and ask for clarification. If you have any doubts about it leave it blank.

Sometimes you will run into words you have never heard before. Flag the report if you cannot find the term in your reference books.

Physicians will sometimes get their 'right' and 'left' mixed up. One time they may say 'left leg' and later in the report refer to 'right leg'. As you have no way of knowing which it should be, flag the report and let him correct it.

Knowing the correct range for laboratory work is very important also. If you hear an outrageous range then you will know the doctor has made a mistake and you can flag him to correct it.

It is better to leave a blank than to put the wrong term but if you find yourself leaving too many blanks, then maybe you should consider whether you are well trained enough to do medical transcription. You might benefit from some additional MT courses.

Some doctors are hard for anyone to understand. They will sometimes be eating while dictating, driving while dictating (with traffic noise being recorded also) and I had one doctor who dictated at his child's little league games. So sometimes using a lot of blanks is justified and you might flag that doctor and tell him why there were so many blanks in his report.

Remember, if in doubt leave a blank, never guess about a medical term.

Little distractions and interruptions can slow down your productivity as a home based MT. The following are some of the things to watch out for as far as distractions:

Telephone - This distraction can be eliminated by always using an answering machine. You can put a message on that says at a certain time you will be returning calls.

People - Working at home makes you available to family members and you should set up some ground rules right away about being interrupted. If you start out correctly you will find most will abide by your working hours rules. Also friends and other family members will think that you are available if you are working at home. You must use some sort of guidelines for these visits as well. Make your office hours your work hours and stick to it.

Doorbells - Don't answer the doorbell! If it is important they can call you and leave a message.

Television - Don't leave the television on while working. This will slow you down and can cause costly errors.

Housework - Do this only at certain alloted times just as if you were working outside of the home. It is easy to get bogged down on big cleaning projects and then having to hurry to complete your transcription.

Treat your transcription business as a business and try to minimize interruptions and distractions. You will find you have more free time if you will just get your transcription done in a timely manner.

Some of the things you will need to know as a successful medical biller are:

How to process claims.

What forms to use.

How to handle payments.

Insurance cards and what they mean.

Patient demographics.

Understanding the HCFA 1500.

What do coes mean.

The life cycle of an insurance claim.

How to work with medical billing software.

How to set up your business.

Marketing your business.

Starting a medical billing business is not for everyone. Working at home is not for everyone, but there are many benefits of having your own home business also.

You can start your marketing for your medical transcription business while still in school. This will save a lot of time after you graduate from your course.

Your school will probably give you a list of things to do to get your business going. Following the tips below will get you started early while your enthusiasm is at a high level.

1. Resume - You can have your resume already completed and ready to go before you finish school. The resume needs to be as professional as possible as this plays a major role in introducing you to future clients. If you do not think you can do a good job of writing your resume, you can hire a professional to do it.

2. Business Cards - You can have your business cards already printed up also before you finish school. Try to keep them professional and tastefully done. Bright colors are sometimes not appropriate because it lessens the impact of a serious professional. You can put your email address on your card but you might want to get a separate email address for your business. Be sure and use a good email name to reflect your business if possible. You could also have a medical logo put on your cards and on your letterhead.

3. Fliers - You can have your fliers designed and printed at low cost or you can make your own. I would not advise putting a price in the fliers as this could change over time. Be sure and attach a business card to the flier also. More people tend to keep a business card than a flier.

These three steps done ahead of time will save you a lot of time when you graduate so that you can work on your other marketing methods.

A lot of people ask me how much you can make as a medical transcriptionist.

I have gone from starting right from school making about $500.00 a month.

I later had my own transcription company and had others typing for me and made between $2,000 and $3,000 a month.

The more experience you have, the more you will make. The more typing you do, the more you will make.

It is up to the individual MT how much money will be made. It will always be low when first starting out but if you keep with it and build up your experience you will be eligible for the higher paying jobs.

A lot of places pay medical transcriptionists by the page, some by the word, some by the hour.

I get paid by the word, so much per 1000 words. Everytime I type a word I know I will be paid for it.

This is not just typing though, this is medical transcription typing. You need your MT course to be a qualified medical transcriptionist.

Marilyn Roberts
Medical Transcriptionist

In your search for a job as a medical transcriptionist there are a few things you need to do.

1. Call hospitals and clinics and transcription services.
2. Get your promotional materials prepared, such as business cards, fliers, introduction letter.
3. Send out letters to doctors, hospitals, clinics and any other healthcare providers in your area.
4. Follow up on these letters with a phone call.
5. Place and answer classified ads.
6. Do some 'cold calling' to doctor's offices, clinics and hospitals.
7. Advertise your services in any creative way you can think of such as: set up a website or blog, add an MT forum to your website or blog, put a sign on your car, etc.

I was lucky enough to get hired when I answered a classified ad; my first try right off the bat. Even if it does take you longer, don't give up. You've trained for this, you're ready for this, go get it!

Marilyn Roberts
Medical Transcriptionist

You have probably heard me say that the most important medical transcripton reference I use is the Medical Spellcheck. That is still true but I thought I would tell you my second most important reference.

I use Stedman's Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols to look up medical abbreviations.

There are so many abbreviations in the medical industry that this book is a must for me. You also have to contend with the 'd' and 'b' when listening to transcription.

With the abbreviations book I can look it up and using the context of what the doctor was dictating about, find the correct abbreviation.

I have started using the internet more and more for looking up drugs and medical terms (although you have to be very careful as there are a lot of wrong terms on the internet).

But one thing I can't look up are the abbreviations. Any time I have tried they are never medical abbreviations so I just use my abbreviations reference book.

A good medical abbreviations book is a must for any medical transcriptionist's library. It can save you a lot of time and a lot of blanks in your transcription.

Marilyn Roberts
Medical Transcriptionist

Medical transcription turnaround time is usually 24 hours. What that means is that you have to have the finished reports back to the hospital or clinic or doctor within that time frame. Although doctors
don't always request 24 hours, some are happy with 48 hours, it is best to offer it anyway. A 24 hour turnaround is what you should strive for.

If you pick up and deliver tapes, be sure and include this in your 24 hour turnaround. It is best to have a certain schedule and stick to it. When I was picking up and delivering tapes I went to the clinic at 8:0 a.m. and picked up my new tapes and delivered my old ones. This gave me all day and some of the next morning, if I had a lot of work, to meet my 24 hour turnaround deadline.

Try to always be reliable and return finished work at agreed upon times except in the case of an emergency.

A new MT would probably find it more beneficial to work in a clinic or hospital before attempting to work from home. You can get some good individual training and one-on-one help.

When you are working from home you are on your own. It can be a little scary at first and rather daunting to know that you are responsible for accurate medical transcription if you have just graduated from your MT course.

I started at home right away but I had a mentor who checked my work daily. I don't know how I would have done it if I had started working at home right out of school if I didn't have someone to help me.

It is something you need to think carefully about when you are ready to get your first medical transcription job.

Depending on where you want to go with this profession and what kind of position you would like to hold, the medical transcription training is not nearly as extensive as a Ph. D. Although it is necessary to learn a lot of the medical terminology and be familiar wiht anatomy and physiology, many times the appropriate medical transcription training can be completed in a short period of time.

At some places, employers look to hire people who have completed postsecondary medical transcription training. This is offered at many vocational schools, community colleges, and distance-learning programs. The best way to get hired or be considered above the competition is to get as much on the job training as possible.

There are a number of things that will be covered in the training that will prepare you for an actual medical transcription job. Some of the most important aspects to the educational process include coursework in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. Other coursework that may be taught includes legal issues with medical documentation, English, and perhaps the most important, on the job training.

After all of the medical transcription training, it is fortunate that the job outlook for the future is good. In fact, the profession and employment is actually projected to grow in the coming years up to 2014. There will be a high demand for medical transcription jobs because of a constant aging population as our society continues to live longer.

It is never easy starting a new business and one of the top priorities will be how to market your business to attract clients and start building your reputation.

In the medical transcription field your clients will be healthcare providers such as hospitals and clinics. When soliciting their business you will need to present yourself as a professional who is knowledgeable in your field.

To get started you need to put together a portfolio of your credentials such as references, training, and school courses you have completed, and what your services will consist of. Medical transcription can be done many ways such as by cassette, micro cassette, transcription machine, WAV pedal, etc. Will you pick up and deliver? Will they pay for pick up and delivery? Is their equipment compatible with yours? This all needs to be clarified in the services you are offering.

After completing your portfolio you then need to start making a list of prospective healthcare providers and medical facilities in your surrounding area. This will include not only hospitals and clinics but medical specialties also such as psychiatry, chiropractic, and urgent care centers. Any establishment that sees patients and keeps patient records will likely have need of a medical transcriptionist.

For distance jobs, most people will allow you to send in your portfolio information online and even do online testing for a position as a transcriber.

Then you can begin mailing your material to the people on your list or you can do some cold calling and present your information to the office manager. Usually the office manager does the hiring for transcription work. You may even get to talk to the doctor but that is unlikely without an appointment. It would be a good idea also to make an appointment with the office manager as this will make you appear more professional.

Placing newspaper ads is another good way to advertise your business. Although it is more expensive, it will give you a good chance of being noticed by a hospital or clinic.

While these methods are all good marketing strategies, you can also use word of mouth through family and friends, your own physician, join a small business organizatiion, visit MT forums online, etc. The main thing is to get your name and services out there any way possible. The more exposure you can get in the beginning the better.

It will take some time and effort to get your MT business started but it will all be worth it when you get that first client and begin on the road to success with your career as a medical transcriptionist.

When you are setting up your medical transcription business you have to consider the safety of your records and reports and tapes. You need to make sure children or pets can't reach them. A file cabinet would be the best place because it is fire resistant in most cases.

Make sure your medical files can't be accessed by anyone else using your computer.

If you are storing your transcriptions on the computer, be sure and back them up regularly.

Transferring your transcriptions to CDs regularly will also help preserve them.

Shred all paperwork or documents that have patient information on them such as name, address, telephone number, social security number, etc.

These short tips will help keep your records secure and you can sleep well at night knowing they are protected.