Hi everyone,

I just finished up my final and will be mailing it off tomorrow. I've got my resume, letter of introduction, and a letter of recommendation ready to send out to prospective employers as soon as I receive my certificate.

My challenge right now is figuring out what kind of equipment I need. I have a home office with a new computer system and all that, but know that I need a foot pedal at least. I went through the entire course using a portable CD player.

I did download Express Scribe but haven't messed with it a lot. I understand you can use a foot pedal with that. I have also looked at the WAVpedal Foot Pedal for PC Transcription on Medword.com's Online Store and that sounded good, but just don't want to buy something without knowing what I'll really need.

I'm hoping there are some folks on here who are actually working as MTs who can give me some advice.

Thanks!

Hi Teresa,

I would wait to buy equipment until I got a job. If you get a job as an employee your employer will furnish your equipment. If you get a job as an independent contractor you might have to furnish some of your own equipment but every place is different as far as what it is.

If you don't have the AHDI Book of Style 3rd Edition you will definitely need this. Hopefully your MT course provided it as part of your program. If it did not, you should purchase it and start familiarizing yourself with it so at least you can find things quickly. It will also help you with on-line tests you might take.

In with my At-Home Professions material, I have a certificate called a "Graduation Bonus Coupon", which states they will send me a copy of "The Book of Style for Medical Transcription" by AHDI when I have successfully completed the course. Check it out!

But you also have to have completely paid the course off

Thank you so much for the advice. That's what I was wondering...whether or not if you worked for a company if they provided the equipment. That's what I'd rather do if possible. I really don't want to have to deal with taxes if I don't have to.

I was hoping you would see my post...since you've been doing this awhile!

Thanks again!

Yes you do. I have a whole stack of those things but still owe them a whole stack of money too!

If it will help me with online tests, I just might go ahead and get it.

KKB, please tell me the dictation isn't as hard "real world" as it has been in this course!

Unfortunately it is, and might be worse once you get work. I've only heard the dictators from one program (the SUM program)so I don't know for sure. Just prepare for the worst-case scenario. Can you believe back in the day they had actors reading the reports all perfectly?? I'm pretty sure no one is doing that anymore, mercifully. There are a LOT of ESL dictators out there, no matter where you live or who you work for, so get all the practice in you can with that "specialty." Of course, it will depend on what type of work you do--if you are typing outpatient notes from your hometown medical practice and the doc grew up in your town it won't be as bad.

I noticed someone had been told by the "salespeople" of a transcription program (because that is what they are--most of them have never done MT) that all you had to do was "be able to type" and you could do this job. They do an injustice to the medical transcription profession.

There are some schools that require you to take a pretest to determine if you have the prerequisite skills to succeed in their course. If you don't do well on the test they make suggestions for how to get to the level where you can succeed. I personally admire those schools because it's not all about money to them--they really want you to succeed.

Just accept that any job has a learning curve, some steeper than others. Your production will suffer while you get used to the new dictators, but eventually you will become more and more proficient.

Good luck!