Medical Transcription:
A Good Living or a Scam?

If you would like to make money typing from home, you may have thought about becoming a medical transcriptionist.

No doubt you have seen many ads claiming that you can make big money typing medical transcription at home.

I have received emails and phone calls from people asking me questions like, "What is medical transcription? Can you really make money as a medical transcriptionist? How do I get started? How do I get clients? What training do I need? Can you combine secretarial services with medical transcription?”

Can you really make a good living doing medical transcription at home, or is it just another scam?

To give you some insight about medical transcription from home, I've interviewed my friend Michele Miller. Michele has been operating her medical transcription business from her home in Fort Pierce, Florida since 1994. In this interview, you'll learn the honest facts about home medical transcription.

Interview with Medical Transcriptionist,
Michele Miller

Leva: Can you explain for my readers what a Medical Transcriptionist does?

Michele: A medical transcriptionist types up the reports a doctor or other health care professional dictates about the patient's case history, diagnosis, and treatment plan. These notes are then kept in the patient's chart. A lot of transcriptionists work from home and pick up and deliver the work, or receive and deliver the work via the Internet.

Leva: Can people combine secretarial services with medical transcription?

Michele: Oh yes, you can definitely combine both services, and I recommend it, especially to people who are starting to get transcription accounts but haven't quite got enough work to make a full-time income. Also, I think a lot of people like to maintain both services permanently because it's nice to have a change from either one. It feels more interesting and varied when you combine the two.

Leva: What motivated you to become a medical transcriptionist?

Michele: I wanted to stay home with my daughter when she was younger. It is the perfect work to do at home and it is flexible so I can set my own hours. I was able to take my daughter to school and pick her up without needing babysitters.

Leva: How did you get started? How did you get your first clients? How do you market your business?

Michele: I took classes at my local community college and although I wasn't trying for a degree, just the 12 month technical certificate, I never finished all the classes because I started getting work. The work turned into lots of accounts and I never had time to finish school.

The first account was Hospice. I heard about it while I was taking Medical Terminology at college, and I got hired. I also approached a very small company I found in the phone book and asked to interview the lady who ran her home-based medical transcription business. She ended up hiring me too, and I subcontracted for her. I have always had success sending out letters to local doctors about my transcription service, but a lot of work comes to me by word of mouth.

Leva: Is there still work despite dictation software and outsourcing to other countries?

Michele: Yes, there is still a lot of work available. The dictation software has actually made it easier for the medical transcriptionist as being able to work with digital software saves us time on picking up or delivering the work.

Regarding outsourcing, I have personally found it to be the much bigger institutions that outsource, such as hospitals etc., so this has had very little effect on the small business owner.

Leva: What experience or skills does someone need to be a medical transcriptionist?

I think it is important to have good grammar and good English skills. You eventually develop an ear for the dictation aspect of the business just through practice.

Leva: What training do you need?

It is necessary to have some training, but it doesn't have to be a two year degree, or even a 12 month certificate. You can literally get the training you need in as little as a few months. There are many reputable online transcription courses available, and if you have the time to devote to the course, you can complete most of them in 3-4 months.

Leva: Do you work with many different clients or do you have a couple of large accounts?

Michele: At the moment I have two large accounts. In the past I had as many as ten clients at one time.

Leva: What kind of transcription do you work on?

Michele: I currently work on neurology and podiatry, and I have one subcontractor that helps me out with the neurology account as that is rather large.

Leva: How do clients provide the work to you? Do they dictate into a digital system through the phone, do they send you a digital recording, or do you pick up tapes?

Michele: My clients are still on tapes, but we are trying to get them to switch to digital.

Leva: Can you really make money as a medical transcriptionist? Have you been able to support yourself as a medical transcriptionist? Are you paid by the line or by the hour?

Yes, you can make good money as a medical transcriptionist. How much you’ll make depends on how many accounts you have, how big/small they are, and if you decide to subcontract some of the work.

Generally, if you work part-time you can make $25,000 a year. Full-time you can make anywhere from $50,000 upwards.

I have a friend who works full-time. She has three subcontractors and always makes over $100,000 a year. You can make as much or as little as you want.

I charge by the gross line, which means anything that has a word on it, whether it is 2 words or 10 words. The average rate is between 10 and 14 cents per line at the moment. I charge 13 cents per line, but I have friends who are charging 14 cents and above.

Leva: What do you like most about being a medical transcriptionist?

Michele: I like the flexibility it gives me. I can work in the morning or the evening. It's up to me.

Leva: what's the biggest challenge?

Michele: The biggest challenge is arranging for someone to cover if you want a vacation, but the doctors have always been good about working with me on that.

Leva: What software and equipment do you use?

Michele: I use Microsoft Word, a line count and invoice program, and a Pearlcorder transcriber. I like my laser printer too. I've always used a laser printer as it prints such good quality.

Leva: What are the biggest mistakes medical transcriptionists make?

Michele: Probably the biggest mistake they make is not charging enough for their services.

Leva: Do you have any recommendations for someone just starting?

Michele: Yes. I think patience is key. Believing in yourself is very important too. Once you've been doing medical transcription even just a few weeks, you'll see how your speed will probably at least triple.

Leva: Thank you very much for answering my questions Michele.

Leva's Comments

If you have typing skills, you should seriously consider a medical transcription at home career either as a separate business or combined with a secretarial service. Both businesses work well together.

Here’s why a secretarial and transcription business are ideal home businesses:

• You can work in the comfort of your own home .... stay at home with your children ... eliminate rush hour traffic .... commute from the breakfast table to your office in just seconds... be your own boss.
• You work for yourself. You don’t answer to anyone but yourself.
• You keep all the money instead of making money for your boss.
• You set your own hours.
• You choose who you want to work with.
• It’s fun, rewarding work.
• Your clients are easy to find to market to.
• You can make good money.
  
  

Medical Transcription Resources Medical transcription at home is legitimate work and a real at home business. Do you want to make $25.00 to $35.00 an hour? If you have typing skills, you should seriously consider a medical transcription at home career.  The Step-by-Step Guide to Medical Transcription at Home
	My friend Michele Miller has been working at home in her own successful medical transcription business since 1994. If you’re considering medical transcription, I highly recommend that you read Michele’s book, The Step-by-Step Guide to Medical Transcription at Home.
It provides insider information about starting your own medical transcription business. It offers great educational information, including chart formatting and sample reports. And the best part is that when ordering her book, you will have access to Michele's expertise via email and you can ask her all your questions about starting a medical transcription business! It’s the best guide I’ve read about providing medical transcription. I reviewed it personally so you can feel comfortable purchasing it. Michele has helped many people start their own medical transcription business. She can help you too. Get Michele's book right now while the email consultations are still available. Click here for more information.
	Line Counting and Invoice Program Simplify your billing with this line counting and invoice program. Count words, lines, pages, characters per line the easy way.
Here's what an experienced transcriptionist says: I love this program! Thank you for having this made. I really like how easy it is to use, and especially the way it makes the invoice. I don't have to enter any of the information myself anymore!!! It does it all for me! Pamela Harmon, Jensen Beach, Florida This is a great tool for medical transcriptionists, legal transcriptionists, secretaries, authors, or other language professionals. Click here for more information.
Medical Transcription Home Study Course It is very important to choose the right online medical transcription home study course. I asked Michele Miller, a professional medical transcriptionist and trusted friend what medical terminology and transcription course she recommends so you can make the right decision when choosing a home study course. Michele has personally interviewed the people at the Virtual Learning Center. She knows over 75 people who have gone through their online medical transcription courses and have been extremely happy. Their program is state of the art, up to date, and very impressive. They offer reliable support and care about their students. Click here to learn more!

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