Transcription vs. Copy Typing - What are They and How Do They Differ?

Many people are confused as to why transcription (audio typing) apparently costs more than copy typing, as both are typing services. This article aims to explain the differences between the two services and what makes up the costs for a transcription service.

Firstly let?s take copy typing. This normally refers to the typing of written ?copy? ? this maybe a previously typed document (perhaps typed on a typewriter and needing to be input into a Word Processor) or a hand-written document. The cost will vary depending on the ease of readability but with basic copy typing there is no editing or interpretation required; the typist simply types what is written in front of them. The cost of the typing services will vary according to how difficult the writing is to decipher ? it will be relatively cheaper if the original document is very clear handwriting or type-written.

Transcription, on the other hand, has no copy for the typist to look at, only an audio recording, which may be an audio tape, video, DVD or audio digital recording. This brings with it a number of issues that copy typing does not have: is the speech clear; is the content comprehensible (e.g. highly technical content might be full of words the transcriptionist is not familiar with); is the recording quality good (e.g. is there any background hiss on the tape or background noise from the surroundings the tape was recorded in); do you need verbatim transcription (word for word with all ?ums and ers?, speech patterns and fillers such as ?you know?, ?know what I mean? or ?kind of? repeated often through the recording; do you want the transcript edited to improve the grammar and sentence structure?

Clearly transcription is much more involved than copy typing. Another thing to bear in mind is that an hour of recording is not equivalent to an hour of transcription time. Even an experienced transcriptionist will be able to average four times as long for a good, clear one-to-one interview ? so an hour of recording will take an average of four hours to transcribe. ( Industry standards obtained from the Industry Production Standards Guide (I998), published by OBC, Columbus, OH, USA) A group, or a poorly recorded transcript, will take commensurately longer. Thus when you receive a quote per hour of recording it may seem like a lot of money, but remember this is NOT your transcriptionist?s hourly rate but rather a quote for a minimum of four hours of her/his time.

Transcriptionists also have to make sense of what?s being said, punctuate the speech correctly and use the right homophones (words like there/their/they?re that sound the same but are spelt differently.)

Many transcriptionists specialise in a particular area so that they are familiar with the technicalities e.g. medical transcription, legal transcription. Others are more generalist and work on less technical transcripts such as research interviews and market research focus groups, video or telephone conferences, seminars and conferences. These may all, of course, contain technical data and if they do it?s helpful to provide your transcriptionist with a list of keywords or, at very least, some background information about your work. Otherwise Google is a wonderful tool if used properly to research the topic but that will add to the total time taken to produce your transcript, and therefore the cost.

Hopefully it is now clear that transcription requires more skill than ?straightforward? copy typing with no editing or formatting involved, and therefore commands a higher hourly rate.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce the cost of the transcription though, and these are detailed in some of my other articles. (See below).

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services (http://www.penguinofficeservices.co.uk), 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. More information about transcription is available through other ezine articles listed at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anne_Hickley.

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Moderating A Focus Group for Later Transcription

Things to consider before conducting the focus group

If you are conducting a focus group and need to produce a transcript of it later on for analysis then you need to consider the transcription aspect right from the start.

What could be more frustrating than moderating a really productive and information-rich session only to find that your recording is unusable or the transcript comes back from your transcriptionist looking like gobbledegook.

Transcription of even a one-to-one interview is a tricky business and a professional transcriptionist will take around four hours per hour to transcribe a clearly recorded one-to-one interview. A focus group takes even longer because of the variety of different voices and accents, the fact that people talk over each other and the need to work out who is speaking. However, there is quite a bit you can do to make the transcription easier, and an easier transcription will take less time and therefore should cost less if you?re having it professionally transcribed.

If you?re providing refreshments preferably have the food before or after the discussion. Not only is transcription of people eating somewhat unpleasant, it?s also considerably more difficult to understand people, as you?ll know if you?ve ever listened to someone talking with their mouth full.

Do make sure you have a good enough recording system with external microphones. Putting a Dictaphone in the middle of the table is just not going to do the job. These are designed to be held close to the mouth for one person to record dictation into. For a focus group you will need a system with external microphones, ideally one per participant. If that?s not practical then one good quality microphone at the very least and preferably two or three. Do also make sure the group is meeting in a quiet self-contained room with no distractions.

Sometimes you won?t need to know who?s speaking, so long as each time a new person speaks this is indicated on the transcript. This will usually be cheaper as the transcriptionist does not have to distinguish the different voices, so it?s worth considering in advance whether you need the information on who?s speaking at any particular time.

If it is important to know who is talking then you will ideally not have more than five people of the same sex or eight people altogether, unless their voices or accents are very distinctive.

Conducting the focus group

Firstly lay down the ground rules at the beginning of the focus group. Explain why the tape recorder is there and check no one objects. Have a back-up plan or policy ready if anyone does object, or make sure everyone is notified in advance.

You will obviously need to explain what you want from the participants, why the group is being conducted, what you are researching etc. but if you don?t want this transcribed switch the recorder on after you?ve done that, or tell the transcriptionist where on the tape to start. (This is easier with digital transcription as audio tape counters are not very precise.)

Explain that people talking over each other will be problematic for the recording so ask that they please refrain from doing so. Don?t be afraid to remind them of this as when people get passionate, excited or angry they will talk over each other!

Before going any further get everyone in the group to introduce themselves. Ask them to say specific things so that you get more than a name. For example, ?Hello, can you tell me your name, where you live, your job, who else lives with you and your favourite food?. This would be appropriate for market research. For a group of scientists you might say ?can you say your name, just for the purposes of the tape, where you work and a sentence or two about your current research?. The point is that the transcriptionist has a chance to ?learn? the different voices.

It?s hard to strike the perfect balance between getting all the information and letting a true discussion develop. If the purpose of the group is to develop a discussion e.g. a group of company directors discussing government policy or a group of scientists giving opinions on your company?s latest product, then you won?t want to be continuously interjecting to remind them not to talk over each other, but if your primary reason for using a focus group rather than one-to-one interviews is financial e.g. market research, then the primary goal is probably to get opinions from as many people as possible and an in-depth discussion is not really the aim. In this case you can be firmer with moderating the group. You could, for instance, ask them to say their name every time they speak e.g. ?Mike. I think it tastes like sawdust actually?. ?Hi, I?m Lisa. I think it?s a cross between a digestive biscuit and sandpaper.? ?Mike again. Yeah, sandpaper?s a good description.? The transcript would then be produced as follows:

Mike: I think it tastes like sawdust actually Lisa: I think it?s a cross between a digestive biscuit and sandpaper. Mike: Yeah, sandpaper?s a good description.

If it?s important to stick to a discussion plan the don?t be afraid to gently reign people in if they go off track e.g. ?That?s a very interesting point Mike, but what we?re really discussing here is the price. Of course taste is extremely important and we?ll certainly be discussing it later on. For now though, what do you think of the price??

After the group ? preparing for transcription

Make a list of all the names (with correct spellings) and genders, and other relevant info e.g. Dr Sandy Shaw, Blogs Hospital NHS Trust, Qualified 10 years ? Female. Give this list to the transcriber along with the names of the moderator and anyone else who is present and makes any comment e.g. someone who?s helped to organise the group or is participating in the research.

Make sure you tell your transcriptionist exactly what you want e.g. you almost certainly won?t need a ?verbatim? transcription including every ?um? or ?er? and every repeated word. If you do need this it will probably be more expensive. Don?t be confused into thinking that it won?t be an accurate transcript if it?s not verbatim. ?Intelligent verbatim? is exactly what?s said, but leaving out all the ?speech fillers?, hesitations etc. and this is probably more practical in these situations. Sometimes you might want the answers edited to tidy up the grammar, and sometimes for market research you might want each comment categorised into a table to make the results more quantitative. Each of these ways of transcribing will be differently priced and some transcriptionists will have more experience in market research categorisation, so think carefully about what you need and make sure you find the appropriate person to carry out the work for you.

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services (http://www.penguinofficeservices.co.uk), 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.

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Digital Versus Analog Recordings for Transcription

Firstly it is useful to understand the differences between digital and analog audio. This applies to any recordings, not just to recordings of voice for transcription. Analog machines, such as tape cassette recorders, record sounds as wave forms, the way that the sound occurs in nature. Digital machines record sound by taking samples of the signal and storing them as bits of data, in the same way as a computer stores information. Because of the way the sounds are recorded digital recordings have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Noise here refers to any background noise but when comparing analog to digital recordings it really refers to recorder-induced noise such as ?tape hiss?. So the quality of the digital recording is better. That alone is a good reason to consider using digital recording rather than analogue tapes!

There are other good reasons though. Not least of these is the fact that copies of analog recordings deteriorate in quality, so sending a copy of your master tape to a transcriptionist can result in a poor quality transcription, because the quality of the audio is poor. Digital recordings can be copied again and again with no deterioration in quality because all that?s being copied is a series of bits of data.

Of course when using digital recordings you do need to check that your transcriptionist can transcribe from the file type you are using, or convert it. Most transcriptionists will be able to transcribe from any standard analog cassette and many can transcribe from micro and mini cassettes and video. So long as they have the relevant tape transcription machine they can transcribe the tape. Not so, unfortunately, with digital.

Most digital audio file types are compressed and a codec (the algorithm used to reduce the number of bites contained in large files by eliminating redundant data) and the transcriptionist or transcription software will need access to the codec that has produced the compressed file. However, this is often not an issue as PCs and many types of transcription software come with a variety of codecs already installed. It is certainly important to check with your transcriptionist though that they can work with your file type. Please see my separate article on digital file types for transcription for more information on this.

Digital file types are also easily manipulated and this can be useful when recording for transcription. If there are parts of the file you do not want transcribed it is a fairly simple matter to remove those parts and only send the transcriptionist the parts that should be transcribed. Alternatively, because a digital recording indicates where you are in it second by second, you can send the transcriptionist instructions such as ?transcribe between 3 minutes 20 seconds and 60 minutes 10 seconds.? This does not work on analog media as, even if you and your transcriptionist both have tape players with minute counters, the level of accuracy is quite poor.

Another huge benefit from the point of view of the transcription itself is that in a transcription from a digital recording your transcriptionist can mark the precise time that an inaudible word occurs. If that time is 3 minutes and 22 seconds then you can go back to your copy of the recording and almost instantly find 3 minutes and 22 seconds, play the word, and hopefully fill in the blank. With an analog recording on tape the transcriptionist can mark an inaudible word but it's not possible to note the time with any degree of accuracy and you will either need to flick back and forth through the tape to find it or listen through the whole recording.

There are various ways to make a digital recording. Perhaps the commonest when recording for transcription is onto a card, in much the same way as a digital camera records pictures onto a card. The recorded files can then be transferred onto your computer and sent to your transcriptionist via email (if compressed), FTP, file sharing sites or, in some cases, a file-sending box located on the transcriptionist?s website.

Minidiscs have an excellent sound quality but many transcriptionists are unable to transcribe from them as the data needs to be transferred to PC first and then usually converted for use in transcription programmes.

DVDs and CDs also need to be converted before use in transcription software.

Recording can also be done directly onto a computer hard-drive using various types of software and an external microphone. However, when conducting interviews the presence of a laptop and large microphone might be rather intrusive.

However the recording is made and stored, it should be possible, with the right equipment and software, to convert the file into something you can download onto your PC and send to your transcriptionist by one of the methods mentioned above. So digital recordings not only improve on quality but can save you time and money. Recordings can be ?instantly? transferred to the transcriptionist instead of posting audio cassettes, you save money on postage costs to and from your transcriptionist and a better quality transcription will cost less to transcribe as it will take less time.

All in all, in a comparison between digital and analogue recording for transcription, digital recordings come out well ahead.

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.

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Transcription - Get Digital Recording Equipment That's Right For Your Needs

There is a bewildering away of recording equipment available to record your interviews, focus groups, conferences etc. for later transcription, but this article aims to inform you on the different features available for recorders, what they're for and how the will (or won't) be of use to you, as someone who is recording for transcription. There is an enormous price range from less than ?50 to hundreds of pounds, and this article aims to explain indicate which features cost more and what to look out for. The different features are first listed and then explained, and this should allow you to choose a machine that's right for you and your transcriptionist. As any visit to a good website or shop selling these machines will show you, this is not a comprehensive list. It's a lost of the most important aspects from a transcription point of view.

The different features are:

• Recording quality
• Frequency response
• Amount of recording time
• Computer interface
• File type
• Editing of recorded voice e.g. rewinding and adding or deleting some words
• How is the recorder powered?
• Dimensions
• Microphone jack
• Links with a speech recognition software

Recording quality will normally be indicated as SHQ - stereo high quality, HQ - high quality, SP (short play) and LP (long play). SHQ is the best quality (and stereo of course) but will take up the most memory, so you will be able to record less at this setting. LP is the poorest quality but you can record more time. Mono is probably perfectly adequate for an interview, but if you're recording a number of different people e.g. at a meeting, conference or focus group, it might be useful to have stereo recording. To use stereo you will need a stereo microphone or more than one external microphone.

The different recording qualities relate to different frequency responses. The human ear picks up audio in the range of between approximately 20 Hz and 20 kHz. But what are the most used frequencies in speech? I'd love to know but a quick Google search gives an unbelievable range of answers! I think it's fairly safe to say it's somewhere around 250 Hz to 5 kHz, with the higher end being a high-pitched woman's voice and the lower end being a low-pitched man. So it's around those ranges that you need to be looking. There is a wide range of different frequencies available in different recording machines but frankly most will record a one-to-one or one-to-two interview to acceptable quality at SP, and possibly even at LP.

The amount of recording time will depend on which recording quality you choose, and again the range of times is enormous, so you really need to think about what your needs are. You might need a long recording time if you're going to be researching 'in the field' for significant lengths of time, with no access to your PC to download files, or if you are recording a conference, especially if you want to use a high quality recording for this, which will mean you have less time. If, however, you are recording notes or dictation, or one-to-one interviews, and can regularly download information onto your PC, there is no need to save vast amounts of data onto the machine. It is probably this factor that creates the biggest price differences, so think carefully and don't buy a machine that gives you hours more time than you need.

The computer interface is a really important consideration. If you are planning to send the recordings to a transcriptionist to be transcribed you will need to download them onto your PC first. They can then either be emailed (if small enough, see file type section), transferred by FTP, or in some cases, including my company Penguin Transcription, sent using a file-sending box on the transcriptionist's website. Even if you plan to transcribe the files yourself it is a tedious business if you have to do this directly from the 'note taker' as recorders that don't have a download interface are sometimes called. Ideally the recorder will link to your PC with a USB interface, usually requiring no extra software or drivers. Alternatively it might link through a port and come with a CD containing the relevant drivers.

The file type is another very important consideration and is perhaps the one that is most often overlooked. Examples are WAV (uncompressed, great quality but enormous), WMA (Windows Media format, compressed but reasonable quality for voice), DSS (Olympus proprietary transcription file, very compressed but specially designed for voice so good quality). These are just a few examples and you can see details of a wider range of file types in my separate article on this site 'Digital File Types for Audio Transcription'. If you plan to send your files to a transcriptionist for transcription you will ideally want files that are reasonably small and can be emailed, although there are various ways of sending much larger files over the net. WAV files will not only take a long time to send, they will take up a lot of space on your PC, and on your recorder. DSS or DVF files for instance, are much more convenient as they are small and compact, can be emailed without being blocked by the server, and are delivered quickly.

Editing of recorded voice will probably be more important if you are using the machine to take dictation rather than an interview. When dictating a letter you may want to go back and delete the last few words and replace them with something else. The recorders at the mid to upper end of the price-range usually have this feature but if it's important to you it's worth checking to make sure as they by no means all have it.

How is the recorder powered? Most recorders are battery powered but if you're gong to be using your recorder significantly it's worth checking that you can use rechargeable batteries, from an environmental and cost perspective! It's also a consideration if dimensions are important to you. In particular the batteries can add considerably to the weight. Most modern recording machines are fairly light and quite discreet though. If weight is a concern make sure that the weight listed includes the batteries.

Whether or not the recorder has a microphone jack is an important consideration, as is the quality of mike that it allows you to plug in. Really for anything but one-person dictation an external microphone is a necessity. Recording an interview with only the machine's internal microphone is likely to give disappointing results. A poor recording will lead, at worst, to a poor transcription, and at best to an expensive transcription, as it will take longer to complete! If you are recording a conference you will need more than one mike, or a stereo microphone, as already mentioned.

Some recorders link with speech recognition software. As yet this type of software is really only of use for one-voice recording e.g. dictation of notes. Even then you will need to spend some time and energy 'training' the software to recognise your voice, and then carefully check the transcript as it will doubtless be ridden with mistakes, especially on homophones (words that sound the same but are spelt differently.) However, if you are going to use one of these packages then a feature that links your recorder directly to it is a useful addition.

This list is only the most important features in my opinion for transcription of interviews, dictation, focus groups and conferences. It does not cover the recording of music which requires a much wider frequency range and a number of other specialist considerations, but I hope that it is helpful for those embarking on research that requires transcription.

Penguin Transcription, 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. If you are looking for transcripiton equipment we use and recommend Speak IT, http://www.speakit.info

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Media Transcription

We are pioneers and experts in supporting Television Media Production companies , Documentary producers, independent Content producers, Media consultants and numerous associated Media professionals in their Transcription needs. Our vast experience gained over customer projects is evident in our satisfied customer feedbacks.B-Roll is an extra footage that can be used to illustrate the main story-line. Example: If a person is talking about a new school, the B-roll will include video of the new school. Most of the Television documentary and reality shows require transcription of the extra footage with simple narration. This will give good reading experience to the story readers. We are specialists in B-Roll transcription and we consistently attempt to identify each person speaking and transcribe brief descriptions of what is happening. The descriptions are general and it gives the reader of the transcript an idea of what is happening. We handle variety of Standard Tapes, Micro cassettes, MiniDVs, and VHS. We are experts in converting all types of non digital source audio/video into digital. Converted digital files are then sent for transcription. Extra charges are applicable for non digital to digital conversion.Unless until specified, we follow the below standard notations and document rules:

? We transcribe verbatim. We type whatever heard including umms.. ahhs and pauses

? Doubtful words will be marked (?) in the beginning and end part of the doubtful sentence

? Times New Roman will be used as standard font

? One to one interviews transcribed as question and answer format without identifying names

? Indiscernible parts of audio are marked as (Indiscernible) in the transcript.

? Time coding/Stamping done only upon request.

? Nouns and Proper Nouns will be transcribed to the best of judgment, it is denoted by first letter in capital

? We follow standard US spelling and style.

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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 dedicated to helping moms find home based careers. Learn more about Home Based Medical Trancription by stopping by MomsInc.biz today!

Benefits of a Medical Transcription Business

You have decided to start a home based business. Now the problem is choosing which business to pursue. Usually, before a person decides to begin their business, a lot of research needs to be done. Your demographic area determines if the product you have to sell will be in demand by the public. Marketing a product that is already saturated in the area in which you live spells disaster for your business in its infancy. This article cuts through all of that research and presents you with a home based business product whose demand will continue to increase over the coming years.

Medical transcription is an at home business that offers tremendous benefits for those who choose to pursue it. One benefit of this business is setting your own hours of operation. The problem with traditional office jobs is that they are not structured to accommodate children’s school schedules, family illnesses, and emergencies. My children go to school late so going to work at an earlier hour means leaving them home to see themselves off to school in the morning. The flexible hours that this home based business provides allows you to tend to family issues as they arise. You don’t have to get permission to leave work because you are the boss!

Another benefit of a home based business like this is the low overhead. “Overhead” refers to the costs involved in operating your business that are subtracted from the bottom line to determine your business profits. Other new businesses that require a building or need to employ workers will have higher operating costs including employer provided health insurance.

At home, the cost to you will be limited to the equipment used to retrieve the dictation, a computer with word processing software (if you don’t already own one), a desk, a chair, and a phone. Most of what you need, you may already have. Also, these things can be written off on your taxes as a business expense, and that includes the square footage of the room that you choose to be your base of operations. Less overhead costs equal more profits for your business.

Medical transcriptionists are employed in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and transcription services. Most companies that hire medical transcriptionists require hospital experience. Length of service differs from company to company. The beauty of this field is that you can work in the hospital setting to gain the necessary experience and grow your business at the same time. Working part-time in a hospital or office will give you a feel for the industry in your particular area. Joining a professional medical transcription organization will help you network among others in the profession to increase your business.

Beginning any new business requires time and hard work. A medical transcription business offers low overhead, flexible work schedules, and a product that will stay in demand as long as there are doctors. These benefits make it appealing to those who are tired of the grind and want a more balanced family life.

For more information on starting a medical transcription online information and help getting started as an MT visit - http://www.askthemt.com/ – an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions

Why Medical Transcription is a Great Way to Work from Home

Are the confines of a "nine to five" job not for you? If you are looking for an occupation that offers a change of pace, think about starting your own home based business. A home based business provides a work schedule that is centered on the needs of your life and not the other way around, which is typical of a traditional job.

If a home based business is a venture you want to pursue, consider a business in the medical field. Besides computers, the medical field is one of the fastest growing areas of employment. As current medical professionals age out, the need to replace them is urgent.

Medical transcription is a growing career that can be managed as a home based business. The job of a medical transcriptionist is to accurately translate a doctor's audio dictation into text form for patient medical records. A medical transcriptionist needs to have good communication and language skills. The most important skill is a working knowledge of medical terms including drug abbreviations, surgical terms, laboratory test abbreviations, laboratory values, medical specialty terms, and anatomy. Good word processing skills are also needed to present a professional finished product to your clients.

A medical background is not a necessity for a home based business in medical transcription. Online and correspondence courses are offered to provide all the training you will need to pursue this career. This is an added bonus. You can train at home to start a business at home! These programs will not only teach you medical terminology, but also familiarize you with the latest equipment and software used in the transcription industry.

Working from home in the medical profession is a career that will always be in demand. As long as doctor's practice, they will dictate medical procedures to make their lives easier. Someone will also be needed to translate these dictations into text documents. So, you won't have to worry about your business becoming defunct in a couple of years unless you want it to. There is job security in the medical transcription industry. You can grow your business as much or as little as you want. The sky's the limit.

So, if you are the type of person who is ambitious, entrepreneurial, an effective listener and communicator, the home based medical transcription business is the perfect way to work from home. You can break out of the traditional job mold forever.

For more information on starting a medical transcription online information and help getting started as an MT visit - http://www.askthemt.com/ - an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions

Medical Transcription Tips-Staying Organized

When operating a business, it is important to be organized. The day to day operations will run smoother if your "i's" are dotted and your "t's" are crossed. Here are a few tips to keep you organized when running a medical transcription business.

1. What day is it? Keeping a daily schedule of events will help you to manage your time. Since you are running an at home business, you are the secretary also. A desk calendar will give you the ability to look at the whole month at a glance when scheduling work over the phone. Your quick scribbles can then be transferred to a monthly planner that can be taken with you wherever you go. This avoids the problem of missed deadlines and too many projects scheduled at one time.

2. Invest in a filing cabinet. No office should be without one. Invoices and contracts should be filed appropriately so they are easily called upon if needed. Keep folders for each client. Any correspondence should be filed in these folders, too. Utilizing a filing system avoids a big pile of papers on the corner of your desk. Filing should be done on a weekly basis.

3. Invest in bookkeeping software. Programs like Quicken or MS Money should be purchased for your business. Good recordkeeping is vital to a strong business. Keep track of money coming in from clients and money going out for expenses like equipment and office supplies. An accurate accounting of your finances will make filing the yearly tax forms a breeze.

4. Install a separate telephone line. The important thing about establishing a business in your home is to keep it separate from all other household business affairs. The last thing you want is your young child answering a call from a client. A separate telephone line allows all calls related to the business to be routed to a separate answering machine so missed calls can be identified and promptly returned.

5. Purchase business cards. The point of any business is to grow. You never know who you may meet at a party or other event. Business cards are a great networking tool. They advertise what you are all about and can increase the client base for your particular services.

Your medical transcription business will grow by leaps and bounds with a little business savvy. Treat your home office as if it were a separate entity. To keep up with the changes, organization is needed to keep things from getting out of control.

For more information on starting a medical transcription online information and help getting started as an MT visit - http://www.askthemt.com/ - an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions

Medical Transcription - A Profession Whose Time Has Come

Medical Transcription is the process of interpreting and transcribing the dictation made by healthcare professionals, such as doctors, regarding patient status, treatment procedures, prognoses, diagnoses etc.

The Medical Transcriptionist may also edit the text that is produced by voice recognition software, and requires extensive knowledge of medical pharmacological and anatomical terms.

Medical Transcriptionists in the past would listen to dictations and type it themselves, but with voice recognition software this has become mostly unnecessary. Today the medical transcriptionist usually just edits the output of the software which can range from a few corrections to major changes, because voice recognition software still has not been perfected.

The purpose of medical transcription and the medical transcriptionist remains the same as it was in earlier times, to keep a record of a patient's medical status and treatment. Ancient medical transcription has been noted as writing on ancient cave walls and in documents of lost civilizations.

Not until the late 20th century was Medical Transcription recognized as a profession. Prior to that those that did Medical Transcription were given menial labels such as typists, medical secretaries, dictating machine operators, or word processors.

For those who practice medical transcription, this was and is a highly unjustified job title since the profession requires a wide knowledge of highly technical medical terms. Thus, in 1999, MedicalTranscription was assigned its own job classification and those practicing it were officially called Medical Transcriptionists.

The profession of Medical Transcription has basically been underground, and most people have not heard about it. Nonetheless, Medical Transcription is essential in the ever growing health care industry.

Health care staff do not have the time to write every single bit of information they gather from patients. As a result, the demand for qualified Medical Transcriptionist professionals is rapidly growing, in addition to the fact of the increasing numbers of new medical procedures coming into the mainstream, doctors simply don't have the time to personally transcribe all their findings.

The profession of Medical Transcription is very versatile as well. After a few years of education, Medical Transcriptionists can acquire work from medical transcription firms who receive dictations made by doctors and turn these orders over to medical transcriptionists to be transcribed.

As part of that versatility, a Medical Transcriptionist may be able to work full or part-time from home. The American Association for Medical Transcription is the governing body in the United States that certifies Medical Transcriptionists.

Although you may not need certification to work as one, a certification from the AAMT will certainly increase you're "market value" and credibility.

Medical Transcription has grown out of its infancy of merely listening and transcribing the words dictated by a doctor. Medical Transcription has matured and now requires specific education and knowledge regarding medical language, Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes, physical anatomy, physiology, disease processes, medical science and procedures, medical instruments, pharmacology, laboratory instruments, laboratory test results, medical reference material techniques and many, many more.

Carol Benkman is free lance writer who does research and writing in a variety of fields ranging from outdoor sports, animals, animal rescue, to technical fields such as medicine, psychology, engineering and spirituality.

Medical Transcriptionist Schools

Due to the growth in healthcare services, there is a growing need for medical transcription. It is advisable for a student interested in pursuing this profession to get a certificate from one of the accredited universities.

A certificate in medical transcription, CMT, is awarded by The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). Since medicine is a continuously changing sphere, medical transcriptionists are expected to keep their skills updated, so this certificate needs to be renewed every three years. A person who wants to do a certificate course in medical transcription can either enroll in one of the schools or colleges offering this course or enroll online and learn from home.

There are several nationally recognized medical transcription online certification courses available. This includes a medical terminology course at no additional cost. All materials required for this course are included in this online certification program, which is only presented in affiliation with some of the main colleges and universities. Penn Foster's is one such online training program.

University of Phoenix Online, American Inter Continental University Online, Virginia College Online are some of the other renowned colleges and universities offering online medical transcription courses. Ashford University and Kennedy-Western University are accredited universities.

Upon successful completion of the approved medical terminology and transcription course, the student is expected to be able to understand the importance of the classified nature of medical reports. They are supposed to know the content and purpose of the reports. They have to transcribe medical reports with correct report formatting and grammatical correctness. They have to properly spell words that are complicated medical terminologies. They are also supposed to have very good computer skills and should be aware of the software.

These schools sharpen administrative skills, provide the clinical knowledge needed, and enhance communication skills. They are stepping stones to the world of medical transcription.

Medical Transcriptionist provides detailed information on Medical Transcriptionist, Medical Transcriptionist Jobs, Medical Transcriptionist Training, Medical Transcriptionist Salary and more. Medical Transcriptionist is affiliated with Electronic Medical Record

Medical Transcriptionist From Home

Medical transcription is a career offering earning potential from working at home. A person needs to listen to audio notes of the doctor on a patient. Then he has to transcribe it into a written document. This is then sent back to the doctor for approval.

A medical transcriptionist needs to have knowledge about medical terms, physiology, anatomy as well as the abbreviations used. The person should also be fluent in English and have good grammar and punctuation skills, as well as an aptitude to work on a personal computer and with the software for word processing. It is also important for a transcriptionist to have good hearing and listening skills. Employers generally give applicants a pre-employment test and favor individuals with experience.

An aspirant can earn a medical career diploma from home in one year by studying for as little as one hour a day. The student can also earn as well as learn by working part time with a clinic or doctor, during the duration of the course. There are various colleges, recognized by The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT), offering courses that certify a medical transcriptionist. These colleges boast dedicated and expert instructors and support staff to help complete the work.

To educate students, different regional accents and background noises are used in the educational recordings. The students are tested on their speed of picking up words, keyboard skills, command of the English language, knowledge of the human anatomy and medical terminology. Medical terminology and abbreviations are also taught. On successful completion of the course, the student is awarded the Medical Transcription Certificate.

A medical transcriptionist is an important part of any health care team. A good transcriptionist with knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and medical record keeping is a valuable asset to any hospital, clinic or physician.

Medical Transcriptionist provides detailed information on Medical Transcriptionist, Medical Transcriptionist Jobs, Medical Transcriptionist Training, Medical Transcriptionist Salary and more. Medical Transcriptionist is affiliated with Electronic Medical Record.

Medical Transcriptionist Online

Medical transcription is a career that involves creating lucid and readable medical documents from the audio tapes on which the doctors have made notes. These documents are then used for keeping medical records and insurance reimbursement.

It is important for the transcriptionist to be able to understand medical terminology, physiology, human anatomy, pharmacology and diagnosis. They must also be able to understand and translate abbreviations and medical jargon into their expanded forms. They should be able to apply the particular principles that are involved with medical records. They should also ensure the legal and ethical necessities required for keeping patient information confidential.

Most health care services pass on audio transcript to medical transcriptionists using digital or analog dictating equipment. The Internet is a very convenient and popular medium for transmitting notes. Transcriptionists obtain dictations over the net and are able to promptly send the transcribed documents to clients.

Medical transcriptionists work by initially listening to recordings on a headset and using a foot pedal to pause the recording when required. They type the text onto a personal computer or word processor, editing for grammar. The documents they mainly write include history of patient, consultation reports, physical examination reports, diagnostic imaging and even operative reports. They are also expected to produce discharge summaries, autopsy reports, progress notes and referral letters. The documents are then sent back to the client and once approved are filed among the permanent documents of the patient.

Another method uses speech recognition technology, which translates sound into text and creates drafts of the reports. This is most often done electronically. These reports need to be formatted, edited and checked for any medical mistakes. Medical fields using standardized terminology, such as pathology or radiology, benefit the most from speech recognition technology. Speech recognition technology is expected to become more popular once it becomes more sophisticated and advanced.

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Medical Transcriptionist Job Openings

Medical Transcription is a career that is emerging as a big job provider for many. It is not a traditional job or a desk-bound 9 to 5 job. There are avenues by which transcriptionists can work from the confines of their homes, do part time jobs or freelance. It has lot of flexibility as far as working hours are concerned.

A medical transcriptionist is part of a health care team. Their knowledge of, physiology, anatomy, medical terminology and medical record make them important to any physician. These skills are in demand and also can allow someone to earn a lot of money. Transcriptionists are generally employed in hospitals, by physicians, in transcription service offices and other such places. Experienced medical transcriptionists progress to supervisory and managerial positions. They are also in a position to freelance from home and do editing, consulting or teaching in the various accredited schools. Some further educate themselves and train to become medical coders, medical records and health information technicians and administrators.

Job opportunities, in the coming years, are expected to rise for medical transcriptionists. Their employment is predicted to grow faster than the average for all occupations. It is expected that jobs for medical transcriptionists will increase to a high of 23% by 2012. The demand for transcription services will increase because of a growing aging population. Older age groups usually receive more medical diagnostic tests, treatments, and medicine trials that require recording. Thus, more transcriptionists will be needed to revise patient records, amend records from speech recognition systems, and recognize discrepancies in medical reports.

Medical transcriptionists earned $13.64 for an hour in 2004. The highest 10 percent earned $19.11. Average hourly earnings were $13.83. In the offices of physicians and in business support services, they were paid an average of $13.40, hourly.

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Medical Transcription Business

Medical transcription refers to the transcribing of medical records that have been dictated by health care professionals. This could be analysis, progress reports, chart notes, physicals, histories, and even letters. However, given the lack of time, most healthcare professionals simply dictate notes. Converting them into typed documents has opened up opportunities for several transcription businesses. People who perform the task of a medical transcription are known as a medical transcriptionist or a medical transcriber. There is an increasing risk of litigation faced by health care professionals. Hence, keeping a record of every piece of information has become essential. For this very reason, many people are now looking forward to starting a medical transcription business.

If an individual has a strong understanding of medical terminology and procedures, he can use the expertise and can establish a successful business in medical transcription. Medical transcriptionists generally make good amount of money by transforming physicians' dictated medical records into written copies. People consider this a lucrative business. The start-up costs are fairly low; hence, financing is required in very few cases. The infrastructure that a medical transcription business would essentially require includes computers, word processing software, an audio cassette player, and an Internet connection.

Skills and training that are needed to succeed as medical transcribers include a degree that can be offered by many vocational schools, community colleges, or online courses. The transcriptionists must also have very good listening skills to be able to decipher dictated notes. They should be able to type fast and accurately. An aptitude for medical science and language can also help.

Hospitals, physicians, medical and diagnostic laboratories, outpatient care centers, offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, audiologists and counselors are typical clients requiring medical transcription services. Transcription businesses can approach these organizations in order to acquire their transcription work. They may present in the form of monthly assignments or projects. They can get paid according to these assignments or on monthly basis.

Due to the continually evolving medical industry and new terminologies, it is essential for businesses to keep themselves informed of the latest jargon used in the industry. It is essential to refresh the knowledge base every three years and get certificates to justify the same.

Medical Transcription provides detailed information on Medical Transcription, Medical Transcription Service, Medical Transcription Courses, Medical Transcription at Home and more. Medical Transcription is affiliated with Online Medical Transcription Courses.

Medical Transcription Resumes

In the constantly changing job market, a well-written, effective resume is an excellent tool for finding a desirable job. This applies to all fields, including that of medical transcription. A medical transcriber's resume needs to be written in such a manner that it instantly captivates the reader's attention. A well-written resume arouses interest in meeting candidates and learning more about them. Each resume has its own way of communicating and creating an impression. However, it is advisable for candidates to take into consideration certain things while writing a medical transcription resume.

The resume is required to clearly state the career objectives of candidates, which must match the job for which they are applying. It is essential to be precise on the skills and capabilities candidates have acquired in the field of medical transcription. It is advisable to mention personal interests only if they present talents or experience that support the career interest.

People writing medical transcription resumes need not focus on size constraints, as a resume can be of one or more pages depending on the experience of the person. On the other hand, it is also important to bear in mind that the number of pages does not necessarily increase with experience. Employers may be sometimes reluctant in picking and reading long resumes relating to medical transcription. Thus, a good medical transcription resumes should be brief, simple to read and interesting.

The skills and training that are needed to succeed as a medical transcriber are proven by a degree, which can be offered by many vocational schools, community colleges, and online courses. Many institutes also offer a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) designation from the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). Individuals who plan to write their resume need to mention their education qualifications. They can also state other qualifications and diplomas if any. It is important for a medical transcriber to possess an expert level of understanding of medical terms, spellings, and diagnostic procedures.

Medical transcribers can choose from a number of different types of resumes. This includes chronological resume, functional resume and combination resume.

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My Review of Systems as a Medical Transcriptionist

I am writing this article to pass on some of the wonderful experiences I have had through the profession of medical transcription. This wonderful part of my life started like this. I have been a medical transcriptionist for 20 years, but I did not know about this profession until after I had tried nursing, waitressing and insurance sales. After wandering through these other occupations unfulfilled, I was primed and ready for a career I felt I was suited for. But what could I possibly be suited for? I was equipped with a degree in nursing, but what do you do with a nursing degree when you don?t like nursing? Starvation was a very real consequence when I sold insurance, so I knew I was not a sales person. I could always wait tables, but how much longer would my feet hold out? During this time when I was soul searching and trying to figure out what to do, I took a job as a medical secretary which involved scheduling surgery, making appointments, filing and a very small amount of transcribing office notes. In the job interview, I told the office manager I had a good bit of medical terminology knowledge and some, ?experience,? in a hospital. I deliberately did not tell her I had an RN degree and wanted this job as a secretary instead as this would probably have led to her looking at me wide eyed and then saying,?I?m sorry, you?re over qualified.? This job perked along just adequately, but it was here I realized I found transcription to be fun. I looked forward to it and was disappointed every day when the tape ran out after only an hour. I was one step closer to finding the profession of my dreams.

My first full-time transcription job (heaven!) was in a hospital in the city where I live. For the first time, I knew the career area in my life had gelled. All my education and experiences (good and bad, recent and distant) had come together and culminated in my becoming a medical transcriptionist. Any other kind of transcription simply is not the same as the medical field. Legal transcription, for example, I found to be extraordinarily boring. It is both the medical field and the transcription field put together that produces this unique profession.

When I have trained new transcriptionists who were really new with no experience in the field, I could decide within 15 minutes if they were going to stay at the job or leave flabbergasted and astounded that we actually do this. They never get comfortable sitting at the keyboard and actually look as if they are about to get up at any time. The keyboard is an awkward contraption that?s impossible to operate with only 10 fingers. Word Perfect is Word Insanity to them. Their headphones are an awkward instrument of sensory deprivation. After they have entered the correct directory, pulled up the proper form and named it, they always look at you wanting to know how much money they have made so far. When they look up a word, they aimlessly wander around the book, hoping the correct term will jump up and say hello. I give these poor souls one day at the most, but there was one pitiful girl who lasted less than one day, unfortunately because of something I said.

Three-quarters of the way through the day, I stupidly asked her if she had remembered to save before leaving the document. She replied she had left the computer turned on. Long story short, she never even came back to get her glasses. There was one new recruit who actually exclaimed, ?Why do you do this?? to which I responded, ?I enjoy it and the money?s good.? This has always gotten me a look from them that meant they thought I was insane. A physician told me once, ? I don?t see why you don?t go stark raving mad, sitting here all day and typing.? I replied, ?who says we don?t?? I?ve always felt you had to be a little quirky to honestly want to do this job. After all, you sit and type and sit and type and sit and type, and then you sit and type some more. It?s not unusual to continue to hear doctor?s voices dictating in your head after you?ve gone home from work, although I?ve learned to be careful how I say that, especially to someone who?s not a transcriptionist. Another occasion where someone looked at me like they thought I was insane (who says I?m not?).

Having been in this profession for so long, I have also become able to spot the, ?real,? transcriptionists, so they are called by the veterans. You judge for yourself. The, ?real,? transcriptionists actually enjoy sitting and typing, plugged into headphones for hours on end. Production is their passion, and they pound away tediously, completely content, pausing only to look up words or do the ever necessary proofreading.

Then, (eyes rolling) there are the people who like to call themselves transcriptionists and end up irritating the life out of the rest of us who really are. They come to work chattering, they work chattering and they leave chattering. When your concentration is broken , it takes a few minutes to get back to that point. These guys rattle on and on about every doctor, every patient, every irrelevant detail they can think of to talk out loud about. This usually results in the serious transcriptionists staring steadily at the chatterbox and typing all the while (which is a real transcriptionist?s talent akin to patting your head and scratching your stomach) until the offender notices they are being stared down by a clerical lynch mob and finally hush. Then, they give the rest of us that, ?you?re insane,? look with a hint of, ?I?m offended, I thought I was entertaining you guys.?

A so-called transcriptionist who asks the same question three times in one week is usually dubbed an, ?Alzheimer?s patient.? These people have a defective short-term memory and cannot remember what they were told or what they looked up for longer than a couple days. A good transcriptionist has a memory that never fails. The Alzheimer?s patients are also the people who ask about a word out loud instead of looking it up. They get in as much trouble as the chatterboxes.

There are also the comedians who have to announce to everyone in the room something humorous (or is it humerus?) they heard in dictation. This produces a polite, very small smile from the rest of us while never missing a keystroke (or the lynch mob might gather), silently hoping the, ?typist,? would either hush or go home. To be labeled a typist is the strongest putdown that can be bestowed. You see, a typist is someone who mechanically manipulates the keys on a keyboard, and nothing more. Your average monkey could accomplish this. They usually hunt and peck which produces a large silent grin (never missing a keystroke) from the rest of us that they never know about. A transcriptionist (harrumph!) is a professional with an extensive knowledge of medical terminology, editing, spelling, punctuation, English, word processing, pharmacology, lab and pathology, and sometimes foreign accent interpretation who melds all these abilities together seamlessly at 100 words per minute. We also have the necessary ability to communicate with each other with our eyes and expressions. As mentioned before, the professional transcriptionist is capable of transcribing and socializing silently at the same time.

Another valuable source of experience is the mental hospital. Let me explain! The patients there are usually required to have a general physical exam before they start having psychotherapy with their psychiatrists. In my mental hospital experience (as an employee, not a patient, mind you), I found the social histories fascinating. They read like good books and are very interesting.

I?ve always thought it would be risky for me or any transcriptionist to undergo general anesthesia because I just might spout someone?s private information. Incidentally, knowing a celebrity?s medical diagnoses is unnerving, not exciting, especially if it?s something like a sexually transmitted disease or a mental problem. Public figures and movie stars see doctors also; they are not immune needing medical treatment. Needless to say, that?s all the details I?ll put in this particular paragraph, citing confidentiality! You can?t be a transcriptionist and play Rona Barrett or a reporter for the National Enquirer.

When I worked in medical records in a mental hospital, I found that mental illness can strike anyone at any time. In this job, the psychiatrists (shrinks) visit their patients every day and dictate daily progress notes. Now, you have a serial TV show-type situation where every day there are new developments. When we heard that old familiar whir and click of the machine activating, we waited anxiously like housewives waiting for their favorite soap opera to come on. The machine would stop and the lucky one of us to grab the dictation first would tell us the news (only within the transcription room, mind you!) Some patients sank deeper and deeper into insanity, and others made a wonderful recovery. Just a bit of trivia; shrinks have the most entertaining sense of humor of all doctors I have ever known.

Back to maintaining confidentiality, this includes not repeating to anyone the statements or innuendoes made on the dictation whether knowingly or accidentally by the dictator. A word of advice: don?t dictate in bed. If someone remembers something they need to dictate after climbing into bed, then they should get up before dictating and be doubly sure the recording has ended lest they document whatever else takes place in their bed and who it takes place with! Sorry, no more details with this one, except to mention that dictating right after you eat can provide the transcriptionist with some entertainment, accidental or not. Everyone should remember, most recorders pick up all sound that occurs in the room, and some dictators foolishly think they are, ?alone,? in the room even when the recorder is running. We don?t type in ?eructation,? or ?flatus;? we just laugh and report it to everyone in the room. For the aspiring transcriptionist, look up eructation and flatus, and get a good laugh. Due to events described in this paragraph, there are doctors I can?t look in the eye any more and they don?t know why.

So many good experiences, so little space. I?ll sign off now with no chief complaints, only a review of systems within wonderful limits and a bright prognosis. See you in a follow-up visit!

You can contact Carol Roberts through by email at: meditrans@aol.com

Carol has been a medical transcriptionist for over 20 years and has been certified by the American Association for Medical Transcription. She owns and operates Carol Roberts Transcription in Pembroke Georgia and is a staff consultant for Meditrans Help, the medical transcription help site, http://www.meditranshelp.com