The Medical Transcription Profession

The professional healthcare team includes physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians, dieticians, and other healthcare support staff. A vital member of this team is the medical transcriptionist. While not as visible to the general public as those members of the team providing hands-on care, the medical transcriptionist plays an important role in documenting the quality of patient care.

Medical transcriptionists provide an important service to both physician and patient by transcribing dictated medical reports that document a patient's medical care and condition. These may include office chart notes, history and physical examinations, consultations, letters, memos, admission notes, emergency department notes, operative reports, discharge summaries, and many specialized laboratory tests and diagnostic studies. Medical transcriptionists transcribe reports from a variety of medical specialties, and each day's work presents a unique challenge and opportunity for learning.

Medical transcriptionists contribute to quality patient care through their commitment to excellence. Because each dictated report represents a part of a patient's life, the medical transcriptionist transcribes it with care, demonstrating an extensive knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, pharmacology, human diseases, surgical procedures, diagnostic studies, and laboratory tests in order to produce an accurate and complete permanent medical record.

A mastery of English grammar, structure, and style, a knowledge of transcription practices, skill in typing, spelling, and proofreading, and the highest professional standards contribute to the medical transcriptionist's ability to interpret, translate, and edit medical dictation for content and clarity.

Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of settings, including medical centers, general and specialty hospitals, clinics and group practices, radiology and pathology offices, government facilities, insurance companies, home offices, and other environments. Some medical transcriptionists combine their transcription skills with clinical skills to work as medical assistants. Others become supervisors, managers, and college teachers.

Get your copy of the How to Become a Medical Transcriptionist Guide at http://www.futuremt.com. LinkAcquire builds one way links for better search results.

Work At Home Doing Medical Transcriptions

Qualifications

In order to be able to do an efficient job as a medical transcriptionist, you need to receive conventional training so that you gain a better understanding of the medical procedures and terms. During the course of your job, you will have to deal with and comprehend different aspects of medical science like anatomy, diagnostics, treatments and the like.

Various institutes and schools offer numerous online degrees and educational training programs. Some of them even provide assistance in job placement. However, to do your job satisfactorily, you should acquire practical work experience and knowledge. Besides this, the task of transcribing will become easier if you have other skills in basic computing, good listening, typing speed and command over the language.

Requirements

Although the job offers a good salary, it requires quite a good deal of interpretation and translation of medical terminology. As a medical transcriptionist you need to listen patiently to the recorded observations and factual descriptions so that you can convert it into a written document. You may also need to check the medical report for grammatical errors.

Purpose Of Medical Transcriptions

People like doctors working in the profession of medical science usually record facts and observations of their patients for future reference. A medical transcriptionist evaluates these recordings and makes a transliteration of the patient?s history, discharge reports and a summary of other physical examinations. This medical evidence is then reassessed by the health care professional. These transcribed scripts are collected and kept as records of the patient?s medical history for future reference or for insurance purposes.

Benefits Of Doing Medical Transcription From Home

Pursuing a career as a medical transcriptionist facilitates a broad spectrum of advantages. The job not only guarantees good income, but also offers you the advantage of working from the comfort of your home at your convenience. You have the flexibility of doing the job according to your work schedule.

However, you will have to install some necessary tools and equipment, such as computers, printers and transcribers. Medical books for reference and a word expander utility will prove to very helpful for the job. Also be careful that you do not fall a prey to any of the scam companies, which is true for any work at home job opportunity.

Job Opportunities

Due to the ever-increasing number of healthcare facilities, the need for maintaining records, and consequently the demand for medical transcriptionists, is also growing. Your career as a medical transcriptionist will require you to work in coordination with professionals employed in hospitals, healthcare centers, laboratories, and other medical centers. You also have the option of choosing to work individually from home, on a contractual basis. A transcriptionist with adequate practical education and information can be promoted to other senior positions of teaching and consulting.

Although the job of transcribing and meeting deadlines can be very tedious at times, high pay and other perks associated with the profession make the career very appealing and rewarding.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Medical Transcription - Terminology and Training

The field of medical transcription is definitely a career with built in growth potential. As the demands of the health care industry grow, the need for competent medical transcriptionists will also. If you've got solid typing and listening skills, a knack for medical terminology and the patience and ability to decipher audio tapes and other electronic recordings into an accurate, written transcript the opportunities in this field are abundant.

On the other hand, medical transcription is much more that listening to the voice of a health care professional and typing what they dictated. Sure, that's the basic principal of what a medical transcriptionist does, but there are other reasons why health care facilities and professionals hire medical transcriptionists.

Understanding both the terminology and the underlying conditions behind the terms is essential for anyone interested in this line of work - in fact, it's vital. While you don't need to master every term or understand every condition or be able to list every bone in the body you need to be able to recognize and understand where the doctor is coming from so that you will be prepared to decipher what they are saying or trying to say.

Thoroughly understanding terminology is the primary core of all training for any medical transcriptionist. You may be thinking, but why do I need to understand all of those terms and conditions? After all, can't I just stop the recording and look up any words that I don't recognize?

The reason behind it is simply one of accuracy and productivity. If you are constantly have to stop the tape and look up words you won't be get much done and in the field of medical transcription time is money. With proper training and the subsequent experience being provided by a proper medical transcription training program, you will be in a position to meet the requirements of both production and accuracy.

Because the transcription field is so broad most medical transcriptionists will specialize in one particular area of the health care industry. As a result, specialized training is the norm with most companies that offer medical transcription training.

In addition to the wide scope of possible transcription niches, many transcriptionists specialize because health care professionals normally seek out medical transcriptionists who specialize in the same field. They understand those transcriptionists can most accurately transcribe their notes and dictated recordings.

By specializing in just a few areas, medical transcriptionists can learn and have a thorough understanding of those terms and conditions that apply specifically to a particular niche or disease or to a particular health care professionals practice. By specializing, the medical transcriptionist becomes more valuable to the market they've chosen to become an expert in. It's better to be a master of a few niches than a jack of all trades for the masses.

What's nice about the growing field of medical transcription is that doctors are not the only people who need medical transcription. The field is large and ever growing so find a niche you find the most interesting and then become the best you can be in that niche.

One point of the training is to learn to be fast and accurate in real-life situations. A busy emergency room isn't going to suddenly quiet down so that you can concentrate on transcribing a doctor's orders for a patient who is about to be released.

If you want to become an in demand medical transcriptionist and never have to worry about having a job you need to learn to work quickly and accurately - in the real world. An emergency room will not quiet down so that you can focus on transcribing a doctor's notes. As a result, many medical transcription schools will train students to handle stressful situations by putting them into hectic, busy and noisy conditions during training to get them used to transcribing in those conditions

Because the need for accuracy in transcription is vital, listening and learning to focus may be the most important skills any medical transcriptionist can possess because like I just pointed out, you won't always be in an ideal, quiet setting when asked to work.

In summary, other key aspects of medical transcription is learning how to make the most efficient use of software and technology and other resources that are available to assist you in doing your job. So if you are thinking of becoming a medical transcriptionist take a good look at the available options being taught by medical transcription schools, ask a few questions and then choose the best training option for you.

For more information on a career in Medical Transcription, check out the links below.

Visit transcription or medical transcription course or medical transcription at home for more information on a career in Medical Transcription.

Important Facets of the Medical Transcription Profession - Part 1

The Medical Reports

There are a variety of medical reports generated every day in physician offices, clinics, and hospitals. Medical transcriptionists should be familiar with those dictated in each work setting. Physicians in private practice frequently dictate office chart notes, letters, initial office evaluations, and history and physical examinations. Medical reports dictated in hospitals and medical centers are numerous in category; however, they invariably include dictations from the "basic four" reports: History and Physical Examination, Consultation Report, Operative Report, and Discharge Summary. Emergency Department Reports, hospital progress notes, and diagnostic studies are often dictated as well.

The Healthcare Record

The healthcare record is chronological, documented evidence of a patient's initial database, initial evaluation, identified problems and needs, objectives of care, prescribed treatment, and end results. The record may be paper, stored digitally in electronic format in a computer, or a combination of the two. The healthcare record is the property of the hospital, medical facility, or office in which it was originated, and it cannot be removed from the premises without a subpoena or court order. It is maintained in a Health Information Department usually headed by an RRA (registered record administrator), an ART (accredited record technician), or an MBA (master of business administration).

Technology & MT Equipment/ Tools

A discussion of medical transcription equipment should begin with the most important but often overlooked asset...the human brain. The machines used in medical transcription today are simple devices, and without human knowledge and intervention, machines are basically useless. The transcriptionist is the brain of the machine. Dictation systems: As physicians depend on their stethoscopes, scalpels, and tongue depressors, medical transcriptionists also depend on the tools of their trade ... the computer, desktop controls, a foot pedal, and a headset.

Dictation systems have evolved through several different stages: wax cylinders, phonograph-type records, belts, tank systems, Mylar reel-to-reel tapes, and cassette tapes. All of these systems had drawbacks even though each represented an improvement over the current technology.

Today we still see some Mylar tape cassette dictation systems in use, but most have been replaced with digital technology. A digital system works much the same as a compact disc (CD). The CD reproduces sound using digital technology that is extremely complicated; however, the end result is a dictation that is without any background noise, hiss, or other extraneous sounds found on Mylar tape. In digital systems, voice files are stored in "digital" (computer) format rather than "analog" (tape) format, and the dictation is usually free from mechanical noise.

Keyboards have had a similar evolution cycle: from manual typewriter, to electric typewriter, to the Correcting Selectric? typewriter, to word processors, and currently to virtual keyboards and even speech recognition. The input of data, whether via traditional keyboard, Dvorak keyboard, steno machine keyboard, or speech recognition systems, proves once again that it's the human brain interacting with the machine, not the machine itself, that produces quality transcription.

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Getting The Most From Your Audio Recording For Transcription

Whether you are recording dictation, interviews, conferences, focus groups or meetings, it is important to know how to get the best quality recording, how to find a competent transcriptionist, and what sort of costs you are looking at.

The type of transcription depends on the type of recording equipment you have. You can record on to standard audiotape, micro or mini tapes, mini-disks and digital files, which the transcriptionist plays back on a computer. If you don?t already have recording equipment, bear in mind that while a mini tape Dictaphone, for instance, might be much cheaper then a fully functional digital conference recorder with several external microphones, the quality of the cheaper instrument makes it suitable only for basic dictation.

Some mini and micro tape recorders are powerful enough to be placed on a table between an interviewer and interviewee and pick up both voices, but we strongly recommend you carry out a test recording first to make sure. To record a focus group or conference you will need a good system of powerful microphones which will probably record into a video, digital audio or standard tape system. Digital systems are very variable and many are of good enough quality to record focus groups and conferences.

It is also worth bearing in mind that more and more transcribers no longer offer tape transcription, as digital is becoming so much more popular, and it is easier to work with and better quality.

On average it takes four hours to transcribe one hour of recording, but this varies considerably. It might be closer to three hours for one person speaking into a Dictaphone but could well be at least six to eight hours for a large focus-group.

This is because we speak much faster than even the fastest typist can type. Also, the transcriptionist doesn?t just type what he or she hears - it has to make sense. Although your transcriptionist should only type what?s being said (unless specifically requested to edit), it's not just a matter of the right words, but also the right punctuation and, of course, picking the correct homonym (e.g. there or their; two, to or too; pare, pear or pair; fair or fare; the list is almost endless).

You will also need to decide whether you want a ?verbatim? transcription with every um, er etc. transcribed and all interruptions etc. noted. This is necessary for some work, such as police transcription, but is completely pointless in, for example, conference transcription, as the important factors in the latter are readability as well as accuracy.

The time taken to transcribe a recording can vary according to a number of factors. These include:

*Clarity of speech - Strong or varied accents slow down the transcription.

*Clarity of recording - background hiss will make the speech more difficult to hear and therefore slow down the transcribing. Also, if a number of people are being recorded, the positioning and number of microphones can make an enormous difference to the quality of recording.

*Background noise - a recording in a pub or caf? is likely to have significant background noise and deciphering the speech from the background noise can be difficult.

*Number of people talking - everyone talks at a different rate and pitch, and with a different accent. Having to 'tune in' to a number of different people slows down the speed of transcription.

People also talk over each other and interrupt, and in order for the transcriptionist to transcribe two people talking over each other they will have to play back the section of recording several times to pick out the different voices.

*Speed of speech - as already mentioned, some people speak faster than others. Clearly a fast speaker will take longer to transcribe, as they will fit more words in to an hour than a slower speaker.

*Whether speaker speaks in coherent sentences - few people actually do speak in the same way as we write. There are usually multiple 'ums and ers' and people often speak in partial sentences. This can require the transcriber re-listening to a section several times to grasp the meaning and insert the relevant punctuation.

*Whether you are seeking an exact transcription or a transcription 'for meaning'. Our standard offering at Penguin Office Services is to transcribe word for word but to leave out 'ums and ers' and repeated meaningless phrases, such as 'you know', and 'know what I mean?' It is obviously quicker to leave out these parts, but we are happy to transcribe them if required. An example of when an exact transcription might be required is academic research interviews studying language use.

So if you want to make sure you get a good quality recording, what can you do? Firstly, use the best quality recording equipment you can afford. This really is a question of getting what you pay for. A low-cost recorder may seem economical but the quality will be comparatively poor and a poor recording will take longer to transcribe. Paying for more transcription time will probably work out more expensive than spending a few pounds extra on better recording equipment. Digital recording must be the way to go if you are starting from scratch. Minidisks make very good quality recordings but only a few transcriptionists can transcribe from them. At Penguin Office Services we can convert Sony Minidisk recording to computer-based audio and transcribe from that. If you are not going down the digital route then standard audio tapes make better quality recordings than mini tapes, though micro tapes are also good for interviews and one person dictations. If you are using tapes, by all means keep a back-up copy but do send your transcriptionist the originals, as back-ups may be reduced quality.

Secondly, record in a quiet environment such as a self-contained office. This will make an enormous difference to the quality of recording. If you need to record in an open-plan office or public space then try to ensure your microphone is placed close to the speakers you are recording, but as far as possible from other workers in the office and their phones, or other people in a public space. Recording in pubs, restaurants and cafes, trains etc. will greatly reduce the quality of recording. If the speaker has a very quiet voice the recorder will not pick it up. Although you don't want to remind people that the recording equipment is there, you may have to ask them to speak up or place the equipment closer to them.

Thirdly, bear in mind that most built-in microphones are of poor quality with limited control over volume levels. They are designed to pick up close speech such as someone speaking directly into a Dictaphone. Using a good quality microphone for interviews and other multiple speaker recordings will greatly improve quality and reduce transcription time.

It is essential to ensure that the speaker is close enough to the microphone. If there are several speakers, for example in a seminar or conference, ensure that there are sufficient microphones around the room to pick up ALL the participants clearly. If seated around a table use something like a Conference mixer, which links several microphones to one central unit that will pick up a discussion more clearly than one central microphone.

If you are chairing a focus group you should ensure that all participants know that they must speak clearly and one at a time or their words will not be clearly recorded. There will be times when participants get exited and interrupt each other. When this happens it may be sensible to interrupt and ask them to repeat, one at a time, so that all the words will be clearly recorded.

There are also a couple of things you really should avoid doing, and these usually apply to tapes, rather then digital. Some recorders can tape at slower speeds, extending the recording time and reducing the number of tapes used. However, there is a related loss in recording quality. We would recommend that you use only the fastest speed setting on your recording equipment. Also, some recorders have a voice-activation system so that you don't waste tape recording long pauses. However there are two serious problems when using this. The first is that a soft-voiced person might not activate the recorder at all, so that whole sentences might not be recorded. The second is that every time somebody does speak and activate the recorder there is a slight time delay before recording starts, so the first word or two will probably not be recorded.

Finally, where you have speakers at a podium or multiple speakers in a large room, it is advised that you seek professional help to ensure everything is clearly recorded. Most hotels and conference centers will have in-house experts, or a company specializing in audiovisual equipment should be able to help.

If you have decided to use digital recording, there are quite a number of things to bear in mind when choosing your recorder. Please see my separate article, ?Digital File Types for Transcription? for more information on this.

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services, offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements.

Digital File Types for Audio Transcription

There are a variety of recording systems available, suitable for dictation to conference recording. If you already have a digital recording mechanism, there is a good chance that it will record a variety of different file types for different purposes. This article aims to discuss these different types and suggest the right one for you, depending on your circumstances. If you are still considering which digital recording device to purchase then you have the opportunity to consider the file types it will produce before you buy.

If you do not know what file types you are working with, you can tell by looking at the file extension. This is the set of three letters that follow the dot, as in, for example, 'interview.wav'

The different file types all have advantages and disadvantages for transcription services, the most obvious of which is a trade-off between quality and file size. Sound files can be very, very large if they are not compressed, but compression is 'lossy'; in other words a complete or 'lossless' audio file has been taken and compressed, which removes data that is considered redundant, resulting in reduced audio quality, which can cause problems for the transcriber.

It may initially seem obvious that you and your transcriptionist want the best quality but in fact, many lossy formats have a negligible quality loss but are much smaller files. If you are planning to email files for transcription to your transcriptionist, the advantage of a 2MB file, as opposed to one 40MB in size, should be obvious! No sound file of any length is small, but at least it is possible to email a 2MB file for transcription. Most service providers will not allow a 50MB file through, and even if they did it could take hours to download, blocking both your email and your transcriptionist's. More and more transcriptionists are using a system which bypasses email; you can either upload files directly to their website or send your files using a simple file transfer programme. However, even these options have limits to the file sizes as a rule.

It also worth noting that depending on the playback software being used for transcription, your transcriptionist may only be able to play back certain file types. Some cover practically all digital file types while others are more limited, so it is worth checking first.

The 'right' file type and attributes for you and your transcriptionist will also depend on what the purpose of your recording is. If it is a dictation, a lower sound quality will still provide a clear enough recording for a digital transcription.

If you are recording a focus group, for example, where several people are seated at different distances from the recorder and speaking at different levels and pitches, you will probably need a higher sound quality to accommodate this.

Your recording equipment may allow you to set different attributes for the same file type. This can make an enormous difference to the sound quality and size of the file, and consequently the transcription quality. In some cases, for example dictation (one person speaking into machine, in a quiet environment) you can probably afford to loose sound quality and the recording will still be clear for transcription. In other cases (focus groups, noisy environments) you may find you need to choose a slightly larger file size in order to maintain decent sound quality.

Attributes are often shown as Hz. 8,000kHz mono is suitable for dictation and the range goes up to 44,100kHz stereo, which is the top quality, used for music CDs.

Examples of different file formats and some details about their use in transcription follow:

WAVeform Audio (.wav)

WAVeform Audio (.wav) is a common file format and was one of the first audio file types developed for use with the PC. It is lossless, but generally very large. This means that you will probably need to send the files on a CD, rather then emailing them, although some transcriptionists, including myself, on my site www.penguin-transcription.co.uk, have a system whereby you can send large files via the internet without using email. You certainly need a broadband connection, or similar, to utilise these effectively though. Warning! Not all wav files are the same! Although they all end .wav, depending on the recorder, you and your transcriber may need a special 'codec' to play it back. An example is Sanyo; a popular and moderately priced recording system but one that records specifically Sanyo wav files. You should check that your transcriptionist has the ability to transcribe Sanyo wavs. If not, Sanyo may oblige by sending out the relevant codec on CD, if you ask them nicely!

The following types are all lossy, but generally the sound quality change is negligible and you will save significant time and money with reduced transfer times. This is not an exhaustive list of all audio file types; there are a huge number. It aims to cover most of the types recorded by available transcription software.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (.mp3)

This is a compressed WAV file often used in music. Many digital dictation recorders will also record mp3 or allow you to record WAV and then compress to mp3 to send on for transcription. The compressed files will be around a twelfth the size of WAV files.

Windows Media Audio (.wma)

Windows Media Audio (.wma) was developed for Windows Media Player which is bundled with all Windows-based PCs these days. It is even more compressed than an MP3, to about one thirty-sixth the size of a .wav, but apparently retaining the original sound quality. I have to say that in my experience of transcribing I am not sure whether this has always been the case.

Digital Speech Standard (.dss)

In my experience, most playback software used for transcription will play .dss files. If not, there is a free download available on the Olympus site. I believe .dss was developed by Olympus and almost all, but not all, Olympus recorders will record .dss files. Lanier and Grundig recorders also generally use .dss. The file size is reduced by twelve to twenty times, as compared to a WAV file, and is ideal for transcription as it is small and easy to email.

DVF

This is Sony?s answer to the .dss file. It is a very highly compressed file, but fine for voice, and its small size makes it very easy to send by email.

Encrypted dictation (.dct)

Often used for medical transcription, which requires very high confidentiality, these recordings are encrypted at the recording end and need to be decrypted on receipt by the transcriber. A wide variety of playback software will deal with these files.

TrueSpeech from DSP Group

TrueSpeech, from the DSP group, was designed for personal computers and personal communications devices. It has very high compression ratios ranging from 15:1 to 27:1. If you are able to record this format it is probably best restricted to use with dictation or one-to-one interview in a quiet environment. It is probably too lossy for focus groups etc.

There are a whole host of other file types available so don't worry if the type that your machine produces is not listed above. Contact your VA and s/he will probably be able to assist you, or at least point you in the right direction.

CD Audio file (.cda)

These files are standard recordings onto CD, and are generally the file type of music files bought no CD. As I understand it (not too well!) the CDA is actually just a sort of cover file that says this is a file on a CD, and the underlying file is probably a wave file or one of the other file types listed above. Most transcription recorders will not record to CDA but if you are having a professional recording made of a conference or series of lectures, for example, you may well find yourself with CDA files. Most transcription software will not work with CDA format. There are a number of ways to convert CDA files but these can be expensive and/or time consuming. Transcriptionists specialising in digital transcription will probably be able to transcribe these files but you may be charged a surcharge for the time taken in converting them to a useable format. There are a variety of converters available, but one that I have used successfully, and that provides a trial version, is Easy CD Ripper, a shareware with a fully functional trial version that can be downloaded from various places including http://www.tucows.com/preview/209478

You will probably have only a limited range of file types available for your transcription, depending on your recording equipment, but any equipment should provide you with a range of options depending on your needs. If you have the opportunity it is always a good idea to make a test recording with the settings that you think will be right. Then play it back, or send it to your transcriptionist to play back, in order to check that the sound quality is acceptable.

Finally, I would just like to say that this information is based on my understanding and experience of digital transcription. I cannot absolutely guarantee its accuracy but would be very interested to hear of any errors and happy to correct them. Similarly if you feel that there is an important area I have not covered, please let me know and I will do my best to incorporate it.

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services, offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements.

Medical Transcription - Great Home Business Or Hyped Opportunity

With globalization in full swing and job security a thing of the past, with ever increasing gas prices and the time spent commuting simply time lost, more and more people are looking for alternative ways to pay the bills and escape the rat race. One alternative that many are looking at is Medical Transcription.

Sounds like a viable option but is it possible make living from home with medical transcription? Sure, it's possible but there's more to it than the average sales letter espousing the opportunity with tell you.

This brief article will outline a few of the pros and cons of the opportunity and hopefully bring to light a few facts that will allow you to better assess if medical transcription from home is for you.

On the positive side, many people are earning a nice living performing medical transcription from the comfort of their own homes. Incomes of $50,000 to $75,000 are realistic and some medical transcriptionists make even more but on the other hand, there's more to it than you might think. In addition, because more and more transcription is being outsourced, once you establish yourself as a reliable and competent contractor, you should have more work than you can handle.

Here are few things to consider as you ponder a new career in medical transcription at home.

Medical Terminology

It's essential to have a thorough understanding of medical terminology and the proper spelling of these terms. The reason is simple, accuracy is essential in any transcription and because time is money in this profession and because you are paid by the amount of work you can produce, if you're struggling with every other word you won't get much done. Of course, you would clearly have medical spellchecking software on your computer but if you don't understand the terms as you listen to the dictated messages you won't be as productive as you need to be.

Of course, you don't need to be familiar with all medical terminology because most transcriptionists specialize in specific areas such as ophthalmology.

Listening Skills

Most of the time, you will be transcribing from some type of audio tape and these tapes are not always the best quality and doctors are not thinking of you when they are dictating. They are not thinking of proper sentence structure and speaking in a clear manner and so you will be dealing with the problem of trying to figure out what is being said. They just talk away and it's up to you to figure out what they said.

Just another reason why it's so important to have a thorough understanding of medical terminology and their associated conditions so that you can properly interpret and extrapolate what the doctor is trying to say.

Vacation

As you get established you'll have plenty of work but as in any business you need to have coverage at all times. So what happens when you want to go on vacation? Of course, you'll need someone to take over your work and because many medial transcriptionists specialize in certain fields your backup may not be familiar with your specialty and thus the chances of errors will increase. On the flip side, you may also be asked to backup another medical transcriptionist when they go on vacation and have to deal with their field of expertise and a whole slew of new terms.

Medical transcription isn't for everyone but if you've got above average typing skills and you enjoy the freedom of doing your own thing and working when you want, it's a realistic way to earn a good to great living from the comfort of your home.

Tip - For more information on a career in Medical Transcription, check out the links below.

Visit medical transcription or medical transcription course or medical transcriptionist for more info on Medical Transcription.

Business Idea For Mom: Medical Transcription

What to do? What to do? There are so many options available for mothers who want to become work-at-home-moms (WAHMs). They key is to find something that you enjoy and that will suit your situation.

Some people like direct sales; whereas others prefer to not only work out of their home but also to work in their home. If you fall into the latter category, then perhaps you may want to consider a career as a medical transcriptionist.

While approximately four out of ten transcriptionists work at hospitals and doctor's offices, there is also plenty of work that can be performed in the comforts of your own home. You can telecommute from your home office as an employee, a subcontractor or even as an independent freelance medical transcriptionist.

Almost always you will find that employers prefer medical transcriptionists who have completed a postsecondary training program at a vocational school or community college. If you do not have this type of background or training, there are a number of options to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.

If you do an internet search on "medical transcription" you will see a large number of results. There are more than a few self study training programs available. Just make sure you exercise due diligence when selecting a training program.

Typically you can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $1,000 for a course. You may be able to find some for less and also for more. Included in your curriculum will be a series of text, workbooks, reference guides and audio tapes. Plan to spend a chunk of time in the books learning the terminology before you will ever begin to transcribe.

It is important to note that while it is relatively easy to study the text with small children around, it is not as effortless practice transcribing when you have young ones to care for. You must have an extremely quiet environment in which to hear and understand the person dictating. If you have children who should not be left unattended, then focusing with headphones on may not be the best idea.

At home medical transcription is a great career for mothers who have babies who sleep often or older school aged children. If you enjoy an office environment and type at a pretty good pace, this may be a wonderful medium to earn an income in your pajamas!

Charissa Bear is the owner of http://www.momsinc.biz, a work at home mom resource. Learn more about Medical Transcription as a business, at MomsInc.biz.

What it Takes to be a Good Transcriptionist

One of the first helpful skills that may come to mind is being a good typist. This is definitely a plus but it can also be learned if you're not currently very fast. A good typing software program and a little practice will get you up to speed in no time.

Along with good typing skills there are a few other key traits.

Helpful Skills to be a Transcriptionist:

* Ability to apply common sense. Often times you won't understand what the dictation is saying and you'll need to try to put the phrase into context to figure out what the speaker means.

* A keen eye for detail. This will help in proofreading and editing to ensure you turn in the highest quality work.

* Strong work ethics. You'll have to meet deadlines and be extremely reliable.

* Good organizational skills. If you have a lot of clients it's important to stay organized.

* Good communication skills. For marketing your business and dealing with clients.

* Professionalism and discreetness (often times you'll be transcribing very sensitive documents which require full confidentiality).

* Basic computer skills and the ability to get around a word processing program

* A good grasp of the English language, good spelling and grammar skills

Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own transcription business from home

Medical Transcription A Top Career Choice

Have you been thinking about a career in medical transcription? What's holding you back?

Medical transcription is a great career choice which allows you the flexibility to work from home while earning a good living and having full career control.

As a medical transcriptionist your work will be interesting and vary every day. You'll build relationships with doctors and other medical staff. You'll have a career that's rewarding and exciting.

There are also many different choices for work. You can choose to work from home for a national online company or for a local company.

You can choose to work at a local hospital or doctor's office.

Or you can choose to start your own home based medical transcription business. Your clients can be local or you can choose to have national clients or both.

The possibilities for medical transcription job choices are endless. Medical transcription is a business where you really do have full control of your earnings and growth.

And there is no shortage of medical transcription jobs in sight, so you can be sure this will be a long-term profitable career.

With so many great opportunities for medical transcriptionist it's no wonder the US Department of Labor predicts "employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014."

Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Medical Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own medical transcription business from home

Demand for General Transcriptionists

The need for general transcriptionists is good. This is due in part to the fact you're able to take on a variety of different clients. Some transcriptionists choose to niche into a specific field such as real estate, insurance or marketing and still have plenty of work to keep them busy.

Whether you chose to concentrate on one specific field or transcribe for various fields, there are always plenty of opportunities to find clients.

As with many other service-oriented businesses, many of your clients may come from recommendations from past clients. By providing a high quality service and meeting the needs of your clients, you'll greatly improve your chances for success in this type of business.

Here are just a few people may need your transcription services:

* College Students - Students will often record lectures on hand-held recorders. Many times they like to have these lectures and recordings transcribed.

* Social Work Agencies - Government agencies often times record their meetings and need these transcribed. Some agencies have "on the record" interviews with legal witnesses or parents who are being investigated by the courts and will often need these recordings transcribed so the transcripts can later be used during legal proceedings.

* Realtors - Realtors may record a variety of letters which then need to be transcribed.

* Insurance Companies - Insurance companies need an accurate record of all claims made. The loss adjustors will often record notes about the claims and you will need to go through a standard template and transcribe these notes for the client's records.

* Charities and similar organizations - Many charities make an audio recording of their meetings and then like to have these transcribed for their official records.

* Book Publishers - Although book publishers often have personal letters and meetings they like transcribed, they also often have work to be edited. Good transcriptionists are also good at editing as it goes hand in hand with the job. Book publishers need people with a keen eye for detail to help edit transcripts.

* Life coaches, business consultants, online marketers and speakers are just a few more busy professionals who also need transcription services. Many of these people like to maximize their content and will have their speaking events or client coaching sessions transcribed. With online marketers, there are tele-seminars, coaching events, and audio products which can all be transcribed too.

As you can see, there is a lot of general transcription work available; the key is to know how to find it and how to approach potential clients.

Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own transcription business from home

The Benefits of Starting a Medical Transcription Business

Low start up costs - Your biggest investment may be in your education and even that's reasonable for the return you can make on your investment. Other than that you won't require much money and your overhead and supplies will be minimal.

Set your own hours - Work evenings, mornings, or during the day. As long as you meet your turn-around-times, it's up to you when you work.

Low Advertisement Costs - A medical transcription business will grow through word-of-mouth marketing and is also easily marketed with simple flyers and business cards.

Great Earning Potential - A successful medical transcription service can earn anywhere from $20,000 per year (for a part time one person service) to over $200,000 per year for a full medical transcription service. How much you'll earn will be dependent on a number of factors, but there is potential for a decent income.

Flexibility - Expand and grow the business when you like, hire people to help you, work from home, work mainly online or locally - this business allows you a lot of flexibility and choice.

Exciting Career - You'll learn medical terms and get a better understanding of how the human body works. You'll regularly transcribe a variety of reports and learn about diseases, cures, and medical findings. An added benefit for many MTs is that when they go visit their family doctor they feel more able to communicate and understand what all those medical terms mean... this gives you a great sense of empowerment when it comes to your own health.

Prestigious Career - You'll make great contacts and often become friends with many physicians. This usually comes with many extra perks such as great holiday bonuses. You'll learn a valuable career skill for life and a lucrative profession you can feel proud of.

Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Medical Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own medical transcription business from home

To Be or Not to Be a Medical Transcriptionist

Is medical transcription the right career choice for you? It certainly isn't for everyone. Without excellent grammar and spelling skills, it would be impossible to do. It also demands a listening skill that is almost supernatural. If you think doctors' signatures are bad, you should hear their dictations! I've actually heard doctors dictate things like, "Umpphacarumpaluma viral meningitis," and "Breath sounds are clafuandparmsolufbiraferty." Of course, not all doctors are nightmare dictators. Some are very clear and precise in their dictations. Sometimes the problem does not rest with the dictator at all, but with their dictation equipment.

Here is a list of problems you might encounter as a Medical Transcriptionist:

* Bad sound quality on dictations. Some doctors sound as if they are dictating from underwater.

* High noise levels in the background. Some doctors sound as if they are dictating from a frat party.

* Other strange background noises: Clicks, whirs, crashes, ringing phones, crying babies, arguments, sirens, alarms, yawns, and noises too bizarre to describe.

But for those select few who can get past those roadblocks, medical transcription is a rewarding and lucrative career. (And fortunately, with experience, those problems become easier to handle.)

Medical transcription is one of the fastest growing work-at-home careers on the Internet. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "Demand for medical transcriptionists is expected to increase due to rapid growth in health care industries spurred by a growing and aging population." Medical transcriptionist positions are predicted to grow 30.3% between 2000 and 2010.

This is a booming work-at-home industry with amazing benefits, sign on bonuses, and income potential. I recently saw a medical transcription position in my local paper which was paying $35 an hour for experienced transcriptionists! Would you like to make that kind of money? The average income is $40K per year.

The good thing about starting a career in medical transcription is that it can be done in a short period of time with a minimal investment in training. The online school where I trained has packages starting at $1320 and can be completed in 4 months to a year. The program is self paced, so how fast a student completes the training is based upon how hard they work at it and how much time they have to devote. Usually it requires about 2 hours per day. It took me 10 months to complete my training. Here's where I trained. http://www.homecareerinfo.com/0277

There are only a handful of training programs that receive formal approval from AAMT (The American Association of Medical Transcription).

The school I attended is one of those and is listed in the top 3, along with M-Tec and Andrews. It was an easy choice for me because my school was by far the least expensive, and most of the MT companies I know were hiring their graduates! And I know over 100 medical transcription companies who hire home-based medical transcriptionists!

If you've ever thought about a career in medical transcription, here are some of the subjects you'll be studying:

* Medical Word-Building

* Human Anatomy, Physiology & Disease Processes

* Abbreviations, Word Differentiation, Plurals

* Medical Specialties

* And much more.

It's an exciting career. I hope this article will help you decide if it's the right career choice for you.

Doralynn Kennedy

Doralynn Kennedy is the owner of the U.S. Work-at-Home Directory, http://www.doralynn.net. She is also a working medical transcriptionist

Are You Ready to Be an At Home Medical Transcriptionist?

Medical transcription is a great work at home job but it has its challenges. This job requires more training than many of the other common work at home jobs. You can't just apply and get a job.

The reason for this makes quite a bit of sense. You're working on people's medical records. You must know what you're doing and you have to be exceptionally accurate.

So training is the first step, right?

Nope. The better medical transcription training programs available online won't even look at you as a student unless you have certain skills already. You have to be able to type fast enough. 40 wpm is a good minimum, and you will want to speed up from there. You have to have an excellent vocabulary and grammar. You have to be able to pick up new terminology quickly.

Once you have those, then you can start looking at training. Depending on your needs you can consider an online program or check out your local community college for courses. You will want a high quality program as that is what helps you to land that first job. Take the wrong kind of training and no one will want to hire you until you have experience.

I personally recommend online training. For one it is the most similar to how you will be working at home. Training at a school is, well, training at a school. You aren't learning as much about self discipline.

Online training also has the advantage that the best schools are well known to the major medical transcription companies. This improves your chances of getting a job as the companies know the quality of students these schools turn out.

Keep working on that typing speed, as many companies will want more than that basic 40 wpm that let you get into medical transcription school. Besides, the faster you work the more you can earn as most jobs are paid by the line.

If you work for a medical transcription company you may not need to buy any of your own equipment, assuming you have a computer already. Many companies will provide you with the minimum software, foot pedal and headphones you will require. If not, they will tell you what is compatible with their systems.

Before you get hired you will want to have a good place to do your work. You will want relative quiet. Maybe you want to work at home to have more time with your family, but when you are working you do need to be able to work in peace. Trust me.

The trouble can be that many doctors dictate very poorly, as though they don't realize anyone has to understand what they say. Nurses who have gone into transcription have been known to be shocked at the difference. So don't assume your children can play at your feet as you work. Find a quiet place in the house or work when the kids are asleep or at school.

If you are serious about a career in medical transcription your time getting prepared will not be wasted. You can earn good money as a medical transcriptionist and have highly flexible hours. But it's not for everyone.

Stephanie Foster worked for three years as a medical transcriptionist and now runs http://www.homewiththekids.com/. Visit her site to learn more about medical transcription training schools

Excellent Earning Opportunity ! How To Start A Medical Transcription Home Business That Guarantees

Medical transcriptionists swiftly and accurately interpret through doctor's dictation, the medical records of patients into medically and grammatically precise reports.

The interactions between the patient and his physician require transcription. Some of these include:

Surgical procedures

Medical consultations

Diagnoses

Prognoses Prescriptions

Radiological or other laboratory results

Dissemination of the patients' medical history

Autopsy reports

Medical transcription involves picking up dictation via tape, voice file and digital system using foot pedal for start-stop control, ear phones and a word processing program.

You can either choose to conduct medical transcription as an independent worker or an employee with benefits

Requirements

Because the dictations involve many medical terminologies, you need to recognize, be familiar with and understand medical procedure, terminology and anatomy.

Likewise, English grammar and outstanding typing accuracy and speed are required, as well as keen listening ability and the patience to sit for hours through heavy concentration.

Training

A certified medical transcription' title will be beneficial in demonstrating your expertise when looking for clients.

You need to invest in your training, except if you had 'on-the-job' experience or healthcare background.

Medical transcription programs costs vary, averaging 3,000 dollars.

You can start only to promote yourself being a certified medical transcriptionist if you successfully have completed the examination on certification governed by the AAMT or 'American Association for Medical Transcription'.

Once you have obtained the certification, fulfilling recertification requirements are necessary periodically to uphold this credential, by way of continuing education programs.

Medical transcription courses can be taken through these formats:

Community college course

Correspondence distance education

Vocational school

Internet learning courses

Setting up the home office

You will also be investing in your home equipment and put up a workspace.

Necessary equipments are a Dictaphone with foot pedal or any other equivalent telephone devices to accept dictation, headset, PC with word processing capability, medical dictionary and manual resources for pharmacology and anatomy, medical spellchecker as well as extensive abbreviation tool like Smartype or Instant Text.

Charging

Many medical transcriptionists are charging per page while others charge per hour. If you can type fast, it will be beneficial to both you and your clients if you charge per hour. Whereas if your typing speed is on the average, you can charge per page.

Medical transcription work

Whereas majority of medical transcriptionists work at home alone, your healthcare industry provides networking opportunities and continuing education as well that might be worth checking.

Thankfully, there is the Internet, where medical transcriptionists are able to offer their services from anywhere, download files, transcribe and submit to clients through it.

Gaetane has thoroughly researched the internet to locate the best High Income Business Opportunities that will enable you to start making money from your own home. http://4instant-online-business.com http://4instant-online-business.com/pips.html

Medical Transcription Jobs At Home: What You Need To Know

Work-at-home jobs are becoming a viable source of income for moms, retired professionals, and others who need to supplement their income. The savings incurred by companies who can outsource work of all types has become immeasurable. One of the most sought after positions is in the medical field. Medical transcription jobs at home are not only lucrative, but can afford anyone with the proper skills and background to take full advantage of this unique opportunity.

Here is an example of one particular medical transcription position and its prerequisites:

* Apply knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and English language rules to the transcription and proofreading of medical dictation from originators with various accents, dialects, and dictation styles.

* Recognize, interpret, and evaluate inconsistencies and inaccuracies in medical dictation; appropriately edit, revise, and clarify them without altering the meaning of the dictation or changing the dictators style.

* Operate Lanier transcription equipment and MS Word as directed to complete assignments.

* Meet quality and productivity standards and deadlines established by employer.

Qualifications would include:

* High School Diploma or equivalent. American Association of Medical Transcription (AAMT) Certification preferred.

* Two years specialty or hospital transcription experience and/or graduate of medical transcription program.

* Medical terminology including anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

* Highly productive and accurate keyboarding skills.

* Excellent written and oral communication skills.

* Able to perform sedentary work with continuous use of earphones, keyboard, and foot control.

The cost for the Lanier transcription equipment, including headset and foot pedal, is approximately $75.00 and can be purchased online. Considering the compensation for a job in medical transcription is anywhere from $15.00 to $90.00 an hour, the expenses incurred are minimal. Note: most companies who require this service also mandate you use their specialized equipment since it can only be operated using their software. However, if you are new to this field you can receive MT training and certification via interactive medical transcription training for a fee; but, since the cost is quite high, those actively pursuing this specialized field should have prior experience. Also, there are some companies who not only offer training, but equipment as well.

It is also recommended that once you decide to pursue a career in medical transcription, you check out all of the sites to determine what is required. Since many medical establishments have specific requirements, you can easily check the many online job sites and message boards to view comments by other MT workers. In addition, there are many work-at-home sites directly geared toward moms, and for which they highlight medical transcription jobs on their site while, at the same time, researching the company itself to determine if it is legitimate and trustworthy.

The advantages to working at home are many; however, it is important to ensure that if you do seek a medical transcription job at home, it is one in which you have the experience; knowledge, and ability to work in an environment which is conducive to this type of work. Also be aware when searching for work-at-home positions, you find out as much information as possible about the company and its payment system. All too often, you may come across a medical transcription job which may sound too good to be true; it which case, it probably is.

Would you like to do medical transcription at home? If so, Ethan recommends exploring the free information at http://www.At-Ease-Home-Businesses.com right away

Long-time Medical Transcriptionists Tell All

If you are evaluating medical transcription training options in order to start a career as a medical transcriptionist, you very well could benefit from hearing how my wife and I launched our business years ago. We struggled through some tough times together, and we are happy to share what we learned here with you. Hopefully you will be able to benefit from this information and not repeat the mistakes we made. I can say from personal experience that being able to work from home as a medical transcriptionist is one of the most liberating opportunities that you will find - anywhere.

Medical Transcription has become very personal to me. To help you understand, let me tell you a bit about my history with the industry. My spouse actually went through medical transcription training years ago by tutoring on the job with her mother, who was a long time medical transcriptionist and who owned a medical transcription company. Back then, there really weren't many other options to receive Medical Transcription Training. You could say that she went through the school of hard knocks. Actually, you could say we both did. It was a difficult and stressful time. And since medical transcriptionists are typically paid on production, it was a very lean time for us financially. Her line counts were extremely low during the first 6 or 8 months of apprenticeship... and so were her paychecks.

Over time, however, she improved her production and eventually I felt emboldened by her progress to the point that I went out and started selling our own accounts. I approached clinics, hospitals, physician offices -- pretty much anyone who would listen to my pitch and I would sell them on the idea of using our Medical Transcription services. We teamed up with my wife's parents and began to expand our presence in the marketplace. It was slow going at first, but eventually we built our little Medical Transcription company up to a level where we had dozens of medical transcriptionists working for us. It was an extremely exciting time!

This new career allowed my wife to work at home as a medical transcriptionist and be there for our young children. We were all happier with the flexibility that her Medical Transcription Training afforded us. I think our kids were the happiest of all. And the pay just kept getting better and better. For one thing her typing speed increased dramatically over time -- which meant more money in her pocket. More importantly, though, she got to the point where she didn' t have to stop and look up difficult medical terms so often. She actually got to where she had transcribed enough medical reports that she could generally anticipate what the doctor was going to say next. I was totally impressed as I watched her work! And I became even more impressed when I asked her to let me have a try at the keyboard. I put on the headset and pushed the play button on the footpedal all excited to type my first report... Guess what? She went upstairs for a snack and came back down to find me curled up on the floor in the fetal position out of sheer frustration. I could no more transcribe an operative report than I could fly to the moon! Her school of hard knocks medical transcription Training had definitely paid off -- in spades!

As technology advances came into the picture she was able to create macros on her computer that automatically inserted whole strings of common technical words and phrases with one or two keystrokes. You cannot believe the difference this made in her productivity. It was amazing! As her productivity went up, so did our income! We could finally do some of the things we had been putting off for so long for lack of money. Life was good!

Chris Dunn has created a website to help stay-at-home moms (and others) pick a good medical transcription school.

Chris Dunn has created a website to help stay-at-home moms (and dads) to explore medical transcription as the perfect work-at-home career and quality medical transcription training options

Work At Home In Medical Transcription

Among the many opportunities available today to work at home is the field of medical transcription. However, many people are unfamiliar with what medical transcription entails.

Medical transcription is a highly specialized job whether it?s done at home or not. As such, anyone who wishing to earn a medical transcription job will need certain kinds of skills and training. It is a legitimate career, not a get-rich-quick scheme. The ads that advertise a medical transcription job, working from home, and claiming the job requires virtually no skills, no experience, with instant cash returns are not truthful ads. Most likely they're scams aiming to separate honest people from their money.

The Job

Medical transcription is a real job with real responsibilities requiring the use of real skills. It is not unskilled labor like stuffing envelopes or assembling items. The work at home job of someone in medical transcription is that of a medical language specialist. This means that part of the responsibility as a medical transcription employee is to interpret and transcribe dictation by medical professionals.

As a medical transcription employee, the most common task will likely be handling dictation. These dictations can cover pretty much everything that takes place between the health care provider and the patient. All the information needed is usually recorded either into an audio tape or onto digital voice processing systems. The job therefore is to transfer this information into written form using a word processor.

Medical transcription can certainly pay well. However, it doesn?t come without work. As stated earlier in this article, working at home in medical transcription is no simple matter. It is not something that can be learned in four or six weeks. There are, fortunately for those interested, several training programs out there that specialize in medical transcription.

The Skills

When deciding to take a home medical transcription job, there is a general set of skills that will be needed. First, there is keyboarding skill. Since medical transcription deals mostly with typing, data entry skills will be necessary. Grammar and spelling skills are also important; since medical transcription focuses more upon getting the dictation transferred into an accessible written form. Mistakes in either spelling or grammar challenge accessibility. High retention will also be important as the primary job in medical transcription is recording information.

In most cases, companies like to hire people with previous in-house experience for their medical transcription jobs working from home. This means that before they will hire someone to work at home they want to be assured that person has worked in medical transcription in a hospital or clinic. In fact, many of these companies require at least a year or two of experience working for the medical community from their applicants.

In order to assure getting a home medical transcription job, first obtaining the necessary experience is therefore advisable. If there are concerns about not getting the job because of a lack of experience a possible solution would be to do volunteer work. Many organizations are frequently looking for volunteers in medical transcription, allowing someone starting out to gain valuable experience towards landing a good job.

Linda Davis contributes articles to several popular online magazines, on home management and family and home themes.

This History of Transcription and Law Firm Productivity

Whether documents reside as paper in a client?s redwell or as electronic files in a computer, the process of their creation has changed little over time - someone types them. In fact, along with dictation, typing has been a business process mainstay of not just the legal industry, but corporate America, for decades.

Up until the 1970?s, the dictation to transcription process generally meant a secretary sitting in the same room with her ?boss?, physically writing down every word uttered into a notebook using shorthand. After this time consuming task, she would then travel to her desk and typewriter and transcribe her notes as a first draft. The attorney would make revisions by hand and the document would be retyped from scratch on a new sheet of paper until final ? when it was typed one last time from scratch onto letterhead, usually with several carbon copies. I?m sure anyone who was raised in the PC era can?t even imagine typing the same base document over and over ? but that was how it was done!

In the late 1970?s, the introduction of two pieces of office automation dramatically improved on the document generation process: the cassette recorder and the electric word processor.

Instead of tying up a secretary for hours, a cassette recorder allowed attorneys to dictate to a tape which was then handed to their secretary for transcription throughout her day or, for larger documents, to the firm?s word processing department. With the introduction of recorded dictation, law firm productivity soared! Secretary?s could answer phones and handle administrative tasks as they transcribed and attorneys enjoyed the new freedom of being able to ?work? independent of their secretary and even office -- so long they had their portable recorder, batteries and fresh tapes they could produce and get the ?work? done.

The next improvement to the process, or electric word processors, removed the double entry work of documents created on typewriters and law firms adopted this ?new fangled? technology with arms wide open. Leading the way was Corel?s WordPerfect? which was created specifically for law firms and DOS, long before Windows and the far inferior (IMHO) Microsoft? Word were even a thought. To this day, WordPerfect?s Fkey functions remain etched in my memory and it?s Reveal Codes feature make it an ?intuitive? application for most beginners.

The next improvement to the document generation process will undoubtedly be recognized as the jump from analog to digital dictation and the options that then become available.

Hard to imagine, but this one relatively minor change in how dictators produce the work, can provide heaps of benefits for everyone ? from the ability for dictators to work from any internet connection or telephone; to the ability of HR personnel to track and monitor the actual work in progress at a firm; to the flexibility to send files ?in house? or to lower costs, to a transcription provider or Virtual Assistant.

While it is true that in today?s world many attorneys draft their work while sitting behind their keyboards, if an attorney is fairly computer literate and can type at a decent rate using all fingers (ok, 8 is ok too!), then through cutting and pasting of previously created documents and other software enhancements, this method of document creation can be an efficient use of time. However, since all attorney time is usually billable, the argument could be made that less than proficient attorneys should not draft documents through keyboarding, otherwise clients end up paying for administrative tasks at attorney?s rates. Also, one needs to pay careful attention to meta data (the hidden information in documents) when cutting and pasting.

Just as music and video have moved away from ?tapes?, so too will dictation. The dictation/transcription process remains the best method to get the work done and upgrading to digital is actually inevitable. Word on the street (aka LegalTech NY) is that analog transcription machines will shortly become scarce then the little tapes will start going up in price. If you see that, you know the time draws near to investigate digital equipment. Also, if your current equipment breaks, really consider upgrading to digital. Everyone in your firm will be happy you?ve made the switch ? including you.

My recommendation are products by Olympus ordered through Bret Williams of www.novuscript.com. Bret is an Authorized Olympus Dealer who is happy to provide preferential pricing and free shipping on orders over $200 just for mentioning ?LegalTypist?. ;)

While I try to follow the motto my dear ol' mom instilled in me as I was growing up: ?If you don?t have something nice to say ? don?t say anything at all,? I do feel constrained to caution would be upgraders away from Sony? products. I have had nothing but trouble with their proprietary file types and dictators report their buttons and functions are almost impossible to understand. In comparison, the same associate handed an Olympus DS3000 was able to create and process digital dictation files with very minor effort. For the hard core partners who really resist change, I recommend the Olympus DS4000 as it is the only digital recorder on the market with a slide switch -- so it feels just like a tape unit but without the tape!

Andrea Cannavina, CEO of LegalTypist, Inc., http://www.legaltypist.com, provides custom digital dictation and initial drafts transcription solutions to attorneys, law firms and those who work with the legal industry. Andrea is an EthicsChecked Master Virtual Assistant with over 15 years legal administrative experience. LegalTypist opened its virtual doors in April 2001 and since has assisted dozens of firms and businesses with the implementation and configuration of customized digital workflow.

For a free copy of Andrea?s 20 minute podcast ? Digital Dictation 101, send an e-mail podcast@legaltypist.com.

Home Business Idea: General Transcription

There are few home based businesses that you can get started with that will require less training and equipment than General Transcription. If you can type well with minimal errors, you can be on your way to earning an income from home.

You?ve probably heard of transcribing before. Medical transcription gets a lot of attention in the work at home community. It?s a career that requires an expensive education and substantial experience in order to develop a full time income. By contrast, General transcription has no training requirements. This makes it very attractive to moms who want to make some extra money from home while caring for their children.

One of the most convenient aspects of a transcriber?s business is that you can build a work schedule that suits your personal preferences and your families needs. Transcribing can be done anytime and as long as you?re not on a hot deadline, it can easily wait for you if you?re interrupted.

There is a large demand for transcribers in our high speed internet world. Internet marketers, podcasters and many others are producing internet audio at amazing rates and they want every hour of it transcribed. Transcribed audio is useful for developing information products, creating fresh original website content and many other uses.

Providing transcribing services is often a specialized service that a Virtual Assistant provides. Even though general transcription is a specialization, a transcriber can target an even tighter niche. Perhaps you will want to specialize in transcribing teleseminar audio. There is certainly a high demand for it.

Finding work at a transcriber means making connections with those who are hungry for your services. Making the business profitable requires that you educate yourself in the going rates and ways of billing for your time. Take the time to learn all that you can now and you will be better prepared when you open doors to clients.

Learn more about starting a general transcription business and marketing that business by going to: www.mommysplace.net

Work From Home Transcription Services

?Working from home? is a very common phrase In developed countries like United Sates of America. It is now slowly getting towards the developing nations like India, China, and Romania also. Thanks to the increasing penetration of the internet in these developing countries and the globalization effect. So, millions of people all across the world are looking for opportunities where they can make good amount of money by just sitting at home. If you are a person among them then transcription service providing is just like a dream opportunity for you.

Transcription is nothing but the art of converting recorded audio or video signals into a text format. It is just the ability of hearing the audio version quite perfectly and converting into written form in a consistent manner. There are different types in the form of transcription service providing. Some are just translation professions and needs no specialized background. However, some other transcription services like medial transcription, legal transcription need a good and solid background in those respective fields. If not, it is quite hard to make a good profession out of those sectors.

Medical transcription industry is growing enormously in the last few years. It is employing good number of people all across the world every year. Most of the local clinics and hospitals are providing jobs to people in this domain right from their homes. Working from home is just a tremendous advantage in this domain. However, if you want to get employed in this domain you need to have reliable internet connection, good computer and good head set at home. You should also be good at oral and written communication along with the basic medical knowledge. If you posses all of these qualities, you can make good amount of money in this profession, just working from home itself.

Legal transcription is another transcription service that needs a specialized law background. Legal transcription is nothing but the preparation of legal documents from any type of written information or even dictated information. Apart from these generic services, some of the popular legal transcription service providers will provide services like drafting and filling legal documents, calendaring and tracking other important works. If you are interested in this legal transcription service providing, then it is always a better idea to join an established company as a full time employ first, before you think of working from home to provide legal transcription services. However, if you are enough confident of your legal knowledge then you can go ahead with your work also.

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For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at http://www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

What is Transcription?

If you are thinking of a telecommunicating career then probably the first one that comes on your mind is transcription service. So many people think the profession of a transcription as a very complex and hard one and most of them don?t understand the word transcription in a better way as well. However, both the meaning of transcription and the profession of transcription are quite simple. Transcription is nothing but the art of converting recorded audio or video signals into a text format. It is just the ability of hearing the audio version quite perfectly and converting into written form in a consistent manner. Looks simple, right!!

However, the most important qualities that any body who is looking to take transcription as a profession should posses are:

? Great listening ability
? Good typing skills (55 WPM or better)
? Reliable computer
? Good head phones
? Perfect internet connection and
? Sometimes a good phone

If you have all these with you and if you are excited of making your bread with the profession of transcription then you should just start providing these services. However, it is always better to undergo a bit of training from good training institutes before you take up transcription service providing as your profession.

People go for transcription services in two ways: as full time job and as a freelancing job. But mostly transcription comes as a regular work rather than as a freelancing job. However, it is also a better idea to take up transcription as your full time day time job and a freelancing job at home or in weekends. This helps you in not only getting a variety of jobs at work place but will also provide good amount of income.

Transcription services are of many kinds. There are generic transcription services where you don?t need any specialized background. Mainly transcriptions of presentations and class room discussions come under this category. However, there are quite a few types of services which need a specialized background. The two main types of those transcription services are medial transcription service and legal transcription service.

If you have a good legal background and if you are excited of these types of transcription services then you should go about this profession. It is always a better idea to join an established company before you start your own, may be at home. These services are normally not outsourced to low cost countries. Hence, this can be an exciting opportunity for young legal people in developed countries.

Medical transcription also requires a solid medical background. Currently, developing countries like India, China are getting great opportunities in this sector.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at http://www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Transcription Tools

Medical transcription is not something, which has been in business off late. The history of medical transcriber dates back since the time when the doctors first took the Hippocratic Oath. If you happen to refer the history you will find that ancient cave writings provides information of all the medical treatments performed thousands of years back by our ancestors. Initially transcriptions were for different reasons however today medical transcribers have moved a step forward and are now considered as a full time profession all over the world.

In simple words, medical transcriber, transcribes or notes down all the dictated matter via phone or electronically recorded messages by doctors or health care professionals. The matter dictated by the doctors and other professionals are piled by medical transcriber in text format for future reference of the reader.

Medical transcription was officially recognized as a profession in the year 1999 when it was finally given the profession code by United States Department of Labor. Initially transcriber was generally referred as a typist or a medical secretary or data entry jobs.

Medical transcriber plays a vital role of converting spoken words into written text efficiently and effectively. Initially transcriber found it a bit difficult considering the low quality of recorded sound. However, today with more and more technology changes coming up, the task of transcribing audio/digital form into text form is becoming less time consuming and easy. One of the useful software that has been emerging off late is Voice recognition software. The use of Voice recognition software is certainly benefiting the transcriptors to speed up their job and make it more accurate.

With more and more technological software?s coming up will it be that technology power will overtake the role of humans in the profession? Well, it sounds like an interesting topic to debate on however the use of software?s does not mean the software?s will replace transcriber in the coming years. Just as a doctor is required to cure human being from different diseases irrespective of the technological advances so also a transcriber is required to perform the task of noting down the recorded data.

Software?s are just tools that assist human beings to perform different task more quickly and conveniently. But just like every other tool they cannot function without the assistance of a skilled human being. At the end of the day it is we humans who design such software?s to assist us in our profession and not the software that designs us.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at http://www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Transcription Jobs

Medical transcription and data entry are two popular jobs that come to mind when you consider the word telecommunication. Transcription jobs are more or less very similar to data entry type of jobs. Both require good typing skills on part of the employee, accurate typing, basic knowledge of computer and reliable Internet connection speed. Irrespective of many similarities between transcription jobs and data entry jobs still one can say that the former requires more training and good understanding of English language.

Transcription Jobs v/s Data Entry Jobs

Transcription is basically a process whereby the transcriber receives dictation by tape, digital system or voice file by doctors and other others related to the industry. The basic job description of a transcriber is to listen to the recording of the information and accordingly type it in document form for future reference. Transcription jobs require high quality training on part of the transcriber so as to ensure a steady and positive job. Medical and legal transcribers are more professional and specialized as compared to local data entry operators. Medical and legal transcriber requires appropriate and adequate training on part of the transcriber. A little bit of carelessness on part of the transcriber can lead to future flaws for the company.

The basic pay rate for a transcriber is anywhere around $0.06 to $0.12 on per line basis. The development of the Internet has seen a tremendous rise in demand for medical transcriber all over. Many employers are now seeking the services of a transcriber to get their work done more efficiently and accurately.

Home-based medical transcription is also on a rise considering the rapid growth of Internet all over the world and people find dealing online more secure than what it used to be in the past. As a result of this boost many people are now opting for freelance transcription services over the Internet.

Data entry jobs on the other hand are not as specialized and popular as compared to transcription jobs. The basic criterion of a data entry job is to be familiar with your standard keyboard skills and also with the ten numerical keys. The pay for a data entry job is far less as compared to transcription jobs. Data entry type of jobs, pay anywhere around $8 per hour to start with.

If you are seeking for a professional and a high rewarding career then Transcription jobs would be a better option as compared to data entry jobs.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Transcription Services

If you are looking for a reliable service to convert recordings of an audiotape in a friendlier and useful format then transcription services can probably be the best option. Transcription services are a great way to note down dictated recordings made by physicians and other professional in a friendlier format for future reference. Transcription services enable to produce a typed version of the text in a format that is clear to understand, east to read, consistent and accurate.

A professional transcriptional can help you create transcripts of taped meetings, training courses, seminars, dictated letters, reports and manuscripts.

Importance of Transcriptions Services

? Transcription covers a number of services on part of the employer or the company. It enables whatever editing is required in order to make the report and letter flow. Similarly it also ensures tweaking sentence syntax, adjust paragraphs, removes redundancies and accordingly corrects any grammatical or punctuations errors.
? Transcription services are very important in almost all hospitals. For instance a medical transcriber plays a very vital role to note down the recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals. They make sure to transcribe each and every detail of the recordings into reports, correspondence and other administrative materials. Medical transcribers are specially trained for this type of work as a result they correctly transcribe patient assessments and treatments thereby reducing the chances of patients receiving harmful or ineffective treatments.
? Apart from medical matters transcriber are also employed by lawyers to note down the testimonies rendered by people exactly as it is spoken. Similarly, police detectives also require the services of a transcriber to note down the statements by suspects and witnesses.
? As a transcriber you will find that there are many individuals and fields that may require your services. Some of these include doctors, universities, lawyers, marketers, corporations, conference organizers, lecturers, researchers and so on.

Qualities of a specialized transcriber

Many people are becoming transcriber just because there is lots of money in this profession. Nowadays one can find many people calling themselves as transcriber even though they have not undertaken the necessary training program. As a result it can be a bit difficult to select the best one of the lot. Here are some points that can help you select an appropriate Transcriber

? He must be well versed with the English language.
? Similarly he must have good sound knowledge of grammar and punctuations.
? He needs to have high quality typing speed.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson

Legal Transcription - A Booming Sector

Legal transcription has become one of the most demanding services all over the world, especially in the developing countries. Normally, legal transcription services will be provided by using the customer?s voice recordings or audio tapes in the digital format. There are many companies that are offering these legal transcription services all across the world.

To talk in an abstract way, legal transcription is nothing but the preparation of legal documents from any type of written information or even dictated information. Apart from these generic services, some of the popular legal transcription service providers will provide services to draft and fill legal documents, calendar and track down other important works.

If you are a young attorney and if you are looking for some help in the preparation of trails, organizing your client?s information, documenting all the related facts to your cases and some other related pieces of work; then you can definitely go for one of these legal transcription service providers. They are just the companies which you are looking for.

Normally, all the trails in the court will be recorded by these legal transcription service providers. Then they digitalize the voice and audio signals. The quality of these digitalized signals is just awesome, thanks to the latest technology advancements. So, if you want to define legal transcription service in a very informal manner, you can say it as a translation service that is done from voice and audio signals from court room to the form of a text in word documents.

Some of these legal transcription service providers have mastered even the art of documentation that is related to research in law. Most of the law students, in today?s competitive world, are moving towards these service providers in getting help for their research law document preparations.

In general cases, legal assistants are the people who will be used to do duties like greeting clients, doing the billing, assisting in research, transcription duties and other related services. These people are used for very monotonous and tedious types of jobs in transcription services companies.

Mostly, these legal transcription services are now done at home itself. This sector is definitely booming all across the world and especially in developed countries like United States of America. If you have a proper legal background, if you are a person who doesn?t get bored with monotonous jobs and if you are a person who is looking for a career which pays you very high by just doing the job from home; then legal transcription service is just a right career path for you.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

Nathian Jackson