To complete an accurate medical transcript at home, usage of the proper equipment is necessary. While the ways of transcribing vary, the end result will always be the same.
Hardware
To begin transcribing, you must own a computer with up-to-date anti-virus software, and a printer. A fax machine and scanner would be beneficial to own, but are not necessary to be a transcriptionist.
Mini-Cassette Transcriber
Some doctors choose to go non-digital and dictate their records into a cassette recorder. In this case the transcriptionist must use a mini-cassette transcriber to listen to the tapes and transfer them onto a Microsoft Word document.
Digital Transcription
Many doctors dictate their records into a digital recorder. The file can then be downloaded onto a computer and sent to the transcriptionist via email. The file is listened to on the computer and transcribed into a Word document.
Software
To listen to digital recording, the medical transcriptionist must download a media player to hear the recordings accurately. The transcriptionist must also have a word-processing program such as Word or Word Perfect.
Reference Material
Included in all dictations will be the usage of medical terminology. To better understand the words you will be hearing, it is necessary to have a medical dictionary and a pharmaceutical guide to reference when needed.
Optional Equipment
Some optional equipment that may be purchased are the foot pedal and the headset. Having the foot pedal allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard without having to move them to pause and rewind the dictation. The headset allows you to hear the dictation more accurately without having any background noise.
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