It isnt all that difficult to start a work from home medical transcription business at home. Compared to many other home-based businesses, the start-up costs are relatively low. Education through home study courses or at the local college is necessary although no degree is required to start a business. It could take a mere nine months, if not less to get started on the business.

Equipment you will require includes a computer, printer, transcriber and some reference books, all of which can even be purchased second hand. Certain skills are required in addition to the education. The skills include good grammar skills, keen listening skills, basic knowledge of computers, research skills, ability to type, detail-oriented approach, ability to work independently and ability to meet deadlines.

Some of the computer programs that will come in handy are a medical spellchecker and a word expander facility that can reduce the actual amount of typing to be done. Microsoft Word will be good enough. Basic book keeping is also necessary and it can be much simpler than it seems. It may be a good idea to get a good bookkeeper who can handle the taxes and give advice on cost savings through tax deductions in your work from home medical transcription. Payment in medical transcription is usually done on the basis of the work that is transcribed. It is quite common for clients to pay for each line transcribed.

There is no single authority of any sort for work from home medical transcription. As with many other fields ways of getting started can be diverse and each working medical transcriptionist will have their own ideas on what the best preparations are to succeed in this field.

It wasnt too long ago that work from home medical transcription secretaries. Back then they relied entirely on OJT, a typewriter and a medical dictionary. Now however, state-of-the-art hardware, software programs, specialty reference books, CDs and online resources are easily available. A national association AAMT grants certification to medical transcriptionists. Training can be done using a number of options including on the job, under guidance and tutoring by experienced professionals, local college, vocational school and distance learning program. The Internet is a mine of information on medical transcription, while periodic newsletters and specialty books for independent medical transcriptions can also prove very handy.

Medical transcription is basically a process for producing reports from dictation by medical professionals on details of patient visits, clinical, radiographic and operative procedures, etc. Each interaction with the patient is documented. The documentation is compiled into the patients medical record by means of dictation and transcription. Apart from typing the report in the format specified, the accuracy of the dictation also needs to be verified for both medical and grammatical accuracy to ensure that the final report is clear, concise and accurate.

In the verification process, the work from home medical transcription needs to have a strong foundation in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, laboratory tests and values, medical equipment and procedures. Good research and command over the English language are additional skills that are desirable, in addition to computer skills, typing skills and adequate comfort level with business m,anagement. One particular quality that defines good medical transcription professionals is the attention to detail.

A background in the medical profession would give you an extra edge to get started on. Your English language should be of a superior level, particularly relating to grammatical skills. The rest of the knowledge that is required can simply be added over this but without a good foundation in English language, success may be limited.

As the job requires you to verify and frequently correct the report, you need to have the confidence of ensuring grammatical correctness. Every comma, framing compound sentences, matching the verb and pronoun with number and person, semicolons, conjunctions, modifiers, prepositions and so on.

Without a high comfort level in English as a language, you constantly need to refer to the dictionary. If youve always been baffled by hyphens and apostrophes, medical transcription may not be for you.

Medical transcription is more or less a solitary job even if it doesnt necessarily imply that medical transcriptions are solitary by nature. Most of the time, its between you and the transcribers voice in your ear and a computer. Personal interaction characteristic of professions in customer services and medical assistance is conspicuous by its absence in this field. It can be difficult to take a personal interest in the welfare of the patient mainly because you will never see or speak to them personally. All you need to care about is to make the report as flawless as possible.

For a trained and experienced medical transcriptionist, several options are available as working environments. Hospitals, clinics, individual and group medical, chiropractic, radiology, physical therapy practices, national transcription services, local transcription services and owner-operator medical transcriptionists may all be options.

Where income is concerned, geographical area can make the difference. It also depends on whether you prefer employment or entrepreneurship and full-time or part-time. $8.00 per hour in doctors offices to $75 per hour on your own is an approximate range you can expect to earn.

Contrary to how it may appear, it may not be feasible to consider it as an option for a transition from another career altogether. The work involved can be very difficult and experience is so vital that freshers will not find it easy to find jobs or clients.

Although theres no substitute for actual experience in medical transcription having worked in a corporation dealing in medical transcription services, with proper training, apprenticeship and actual experience, it isnt impossible to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills with a commercial medical transcription course. You will naturally need to make sure that you learn all about the business thoroughly, your English language skills are above average, you have at least five years of working experience in any profession that involved responsibilities and actual skills, have a well stocked library for reference work and a sound commitment.

All said and done, medical transcription as a career is ideal for a home-based entrepreneur. There no commuting involved as its a matter of going from your bedroom to the computer room in your house. Investment is minimal as there is no need to do up your office for the sake of impressing clients. There is no need for a strategic location in a high visibility location, upmarket part of the city or an industrial complex. All you need is commitment, determination and willingness to work to make a success of your home medical transcription business.