Transcription at Home

How to make upwards of $30,000 to $40,000 as a Medical or Legal Transciptionist
For the past 12 years I have had the pleasure of working with and becoming friends with some of the finest transcriptionists in the country. As a court reporter, you are only as good as your transcriptionist or scopist, and I feel very fortunate to have associated with some of the most professional and proficient in the business.

What exactly is a transcriptionist? First of all, he or she is your right arm in the court reporting business. A professional transcriptionist is a trained individual who types verbatim (exact wording) from a live or audio tape or digital file. A good quality transciption machine and quality headphone set are the lifeblood of your business. You will be typing from dictation or live tapes supplied to you by a court reporter or a doctor's office. You are paid either by the page (as in legal transcripts) or by the line (as in medical chart notes). It's not uncommon for a good, trained transcriptionist to earn anywhere from $100 to $200 a day working at home.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, in 2004 medical transcriptionist held about 105,000 jobs. Approximately 40% were employed in hospitals and 30% worked in medical offices. The remaining percentage worked in various outpatient centers and independently at home. Employment of medical transcriptionists is expected to grow faster than average and job opportunites will be very good through 2014. Again, in 2004, the median hourly earnings were $13.64, with a range from $9.67, entry level, to $19.11 for experienced transcriptionists. Although, 2007 figures are not out, an increase from those median earnings is expected.

This is an ideal business for men or women who have family or young children at home and can work at their own pace. Other benefits of at-home transcription include saving money on gas from commuting daily, saving money on business clothing, saving lunch expenses, keeping your home better organized, and no daycare or baby-sitting expense.

What does it take to become a transcriptionist? There are good quality programs that can teach you what you need to know to enter into this lucrative field. I personally received my certificate as a medical transcriptionist with distance learning from a company I found online. This training program was called Review of Systems and was intended to be an 18-month course. I completed the program in 9 months. A lot of the programs are self-paced and you can work on them when you have the time to set aside. You can study and learn at home without sacrificing your family life or giving up your current job.