Student medical transcriptionists and beginner MTs often want to know what type of equipment they need to buy in order to start transcribing. They are specifically concerned about having the correct equipment available before they start to take on their own accounts. The worry is that they won’t have all the equipment they need and therefore will not get the account.
I remember that being the basis of my biggest fear when I tried to get my first account. I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what equipment to even recommend if the doctor was using an extremely outdated tape system and asked me what she should be using. It’s funny to me now: First, with most doctors’ offices you may never deal directly with the doctor. Ordinarily it will be the office manager who you will be dealing with. Second, it is simple to find quality digital equipment online. It takes very little time to learn how to use it. Third, most offices already have a system established, and they’ll explain how it works, not the other way around. If they don’t know how, you can be the hero by studying the manual online and then demonstrating how to use their own equipment. It’s truly not that difficult.
I strongly suggest that you wait until you have your first job or client before you run out and purchase any equipment, other than what you need for your training. Some doctors in smaller offices surprisingly still use micro cassettes while others use small handheld digital recorders and will transfer all files to you online.
Even knowing the above, you still probably want to know what basic medical transcription equipment entails, so let’s look at that next.
First, you obviously will need a computer! What kind of computer depends on many things. I am often asked by people who are interested in becoming MTs if they can use their Apple Mac computers. Usually the answer is no, but there are a few exceptions. If you decide to work for a large national transcription company, an Apple computer will not work with their software. However, if you decide to only have your own accounts and take on work from local doctors you might be able to use your Mac computer. You can use the word processing software that your doctor’s office prefers on your Mac (almost always Microsoft Word), so that’s no problem at all. But what do you need to know the foot pedal and the playback software that is needed to hear the digital recording? Great news there:
For the last few years all Mac computers have been made with Intel processors. This means that your Mac can work on a Windows operating system as well as with your regular OS X software. You’ll need special software that allows you to toggle between the two operating systems, but once it’s installed it’s quite easy to do this. This means that you can purchase any foot pedal or digital dictation software that would work on a regular PC and have it work just fine on your Mac, as well!
Also, as Macs are becoming more popular, there are also foot pedals and digital dictation software designed to work on either Macs or PCs.
In addition to the above, there are other forms of medical transcription equipment that you might need to know about. A quality headset is the one of the most important pieces of equipment you will buy. It should be comfortable, have great volume control, and be simple and fast to replace. A quick search online will turn up dozens of choices with many reviews.
Novice MTs will often hear the term “C-phone” and ask what that piece of equipment does. It’s simply a digital receiver/phone that accesses digital dictation over a phone line. These are becoming less common as digital dictation is so easy to transfer over the Internet, but you still will see job openings from here and there state that you need to have this equipment. Don’t buy it until you get the job, though, as you may not need it anywhere else! This holds true for just about all medical transcription equipment. A lot of transcription companies and hospitals will provide you with a computer, foot pedal, and even headset if you work for them. Don’t make a huge investment in equipment until you know what will be required in your first position. You have plenty of time to acquire all that you will eventually need.
Susan B. Eliot is an excellent resource in this field and is the authority when it comes to medical transcriptionist work. She owns and manages her own transcription service and knows first hand all the details about home medical transcription.
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