logo

The Global Domain Name (url) Families.com is currently available for acquisition. Please contact by phone at 805-627-1955 or Email for Details

An Introduction to Transcription

Hello, and welcome to my series on the transcription field! I decided to focus on transcription because many of the readers here at Families are stay-at-home mothers and fathers who are interested in finding work they can do at home, and transcription is one of the few legitimate work-at-home jobs out there that does not require you to be on the phones all day long. I hope this series helps people who have never heard of the field to understand what it is, what personality traits you ought to have to be a transcriptionist, and how to get started if it is something that interests you.

Just as a side note, because the English language has got some downfalls (one of them being that there is no gender-neutral way of referring to someone) I am going to make my life easier and not try the whole she/he, him/her gambit, just because I’m too lazy to! The majority of transcriptionists are female, so if there are any males out there wondering why I am referring to the transcriptionists as a “she,” it isn’t that males are incapable of transcribing, it is just that I am, again, just lazy. And I am going to refer to doctors and lawyers as “him” or “he” because again, I am lazy. Anyone seeing a pattern here? Hmm…

I plan on focusing on the three general types of transcription: Medical, Legal, and General. There are other various sub sets, but for the most part, those three cover the field pretty well. Although the three fields have a lot in common, they also have a lot separating them, and often experience in one field will not help you get a job in another field (although not always.)

Speaking of being lazy, it is very common in the transcription field to refer to medical transcriptionists as MTs, general transcriptionists as GTs, and legal transcriptionists as LTs. I wanted to explain that before people got terribly confused (what is this MT you keep talking about??)

Because there will be quite a few blogs posting regarding transcription, I thought that I would put together an index of the transcription blogs that will be posting this week (see below.) All links will be active by the end of the week, so if a link doesn’t work now, that’s because the blog hasn’t been posted yet. I will also be adding more blogs as I write them, so this blog will be changing and evolving over the next several weeks. Thanks for reading, and I hope this week will prove to be helpful to any wanna-be transcriptionists out there!

What is Transcription?

Are Medical Transcriptionists Going the Way of Dinosaurs?

Well, What about Legal and General Transcriptionists–Are They Outdated?

The Hazards of Being a Transcriptionist

Have You Got the Right Stuff?

The Common Denominator in Transcription

Medical Transcription Blogs

Do I Have to go to School to Become a Medical Transcriptionist?

Does a CNA, LPN, RN, or Other Medical Professional Also Have to go to MT School?

A Bit of History about Medical Transcription Schools

Medical Transcription Schools: M-Tec, Part One

Medical Transcription Schools: M-Tec, Part Two

Medical Transcription Schools: M-Tec, Part Three

Medical Transcription Schools: M-Tec, Part Four

Medical Transcription Schools: Andrews School, Part One

Medical Transcription Schools: Andrews School, Part Two

Medical Transcription Schools: Andrews School, Part Three

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part One

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Two

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Three

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Four

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Five

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Six

The Joys of MT Work

What Basic Equipment do I Need to Be a Medical Transcriptionist?

What Equipment is “Nice to Have” as a Medical Transcriptionist?

Medical Transcription: Expanders are Your Friend

Medical Transcription: Using AutoCorrect While Transcribing

Medical Transcription: Using Instant Text While Transcribing

Medical Transcription: Using Shorthand While Transcribing

Is my Typing Speed as a Medical Transcriptionist Important?

Can You Work at Home as a Medical Transcriptionist?

The Technical Aspect of Working at Home as a Medical Transcriptionist

The “Two Years Experience” Fallacy

Bigger is Better…Or Not

Flexibility as a Medical Transcriptionist

Line Count, Spaces, and Your Pay

Is There Steady Work in the Medical Transcription Field?

TransScam…Oops! I mean Transam

Transam the Scam, Part Two

Your Internet Connection as a Medical Transcriptionist – Does it Matter?

How Much Are You Going to Make as a Medical Transcriptionist?

Websites to Search When Looking for a Medical Transcription Job

Why Do MT Companies Want Full-Time Transcriptionists?

Why do You Want to Become a Medical Transcriptionist? Part One

Why do You Want to Become a Medical Transcriptionist? Part Two

Staying at Home with the Kids and Working as a Transcriptionist, Part One

Staying at Home with the Kids and Working as a Transcriptionist, Part Two

Staying at Home with the Kids and Working as a Transcriptionist, Part Three

Staying at Home with the Kids and Working as a Transcriptionist, Part Four

But Wait, There’s More! MT Blogs Continued

Encore: Q&A of a Working MT, Part One

Encore: Q&A of a Working MT, Part Two

Encore: A Day in the Life of an MT

Encore: Q&A of a Working QA, Part One

Encore: Q&A of a Working QA, Part Two

Encore: Q&A of a Working QA, Part Three

Encore: Q&A of a Working QA, Part Four

Encore: A Day in the Life of a QA, Part One

Encore: A Day in the Life of a QA, Part Two

Legal Transcription Blogs

General Transcription Blogs