Skills and equipment
I have received tons of e-mails regarding skills and equipment necessary to be an MT and work from your home. So, here's a short run-down:
Skills: First, you must know how to type, fast and accurately. Fast can be anywhere from 60 wpm on up. I type around 95 wpm, but I didn't start out that fast. Some places require 65-70 wpm. Accuracy is more important than top speeds, though. You have to be accurate. 98.5% or above for an accuracy rate is the most common requirement.
You must have good English, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage skills. A good vocabulary is a plus. You must know medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology (medicines). You have to be able to look up new things that you don't know. You have to have good judgment regarding what a person is trying to say. Last but not least, you must have excellent listening skills.
All of the above skills can be acquired through most Vo-Tech schools (vocational/technical), or most business schools will offer MT and/or coding classes. Online schools and correspondence schools also offer courses.
One of the only skills that cannot be acquired in your training courses, whether online or offline, is self-discipline. YOU are the only person that can make yourself sit down and work, if you work at home. And, if you don't work, you don't get paid, it's that simple. Another one is patience. MT is NOT an easy field to break into. I got lucky with my first at-home job, but believe me -- I did my time in-house in hospitals, doctor's offices, and clinics -- all of the above -- before I ever got my first paying job doing MT at home. The supervisor of the hospital I resigned from put me in touch with my first at-home MT work through MRT&C in Richardson, TX. She had given me such a good recommendation to them, I did not even have to test. I worked for them for over 2 years and was very happy with them while I was there. That was 12 years ago, and I don't even know if they are in business anymore.
Equipment is easy too. At the very least, you have to have a typewriter and paper. A word processor is better. A personal computer with a word processing program on it is the best option. You also will probably need a printer. That covers what to type the reports on. Now, how to listen to the dictation? If you work for a clinic, hospital, etc., that uses tapes, you need a transcriber. They are fairly cheap. The most common sized tape is a micro-cassette (and lots of doctors still use those hand-held dictation sets!). Transcribers can be purchased for $100-125 and up, depending on what brand, etc.
The most common option today is a communications phone, which will dial into a digital dictation system. Dictaphone makes them. So does Lanier and DVI. I have a Dictaphone C-phone, and I paid $750 for it back in 1998. I don't know what they cost now, but I imagine they're in the same price range, up to $900 maybe now. They come with a phone, a headset, a foot pedal, a phone line to plug into a phone jack, and a cord that has to be plugged into the wall. They do come with a warranty, and Dictaphone definitely honors their warranty! You use your phone to dial into a hospital (or other company's) dictation system. You do the work as you listen, you sign off each job, etc., right from the phone itself. I have 2 transcribers sitting in my attic that have been there for years now, since I got my C-phone.
The best (and cheapest) way to start out if you have NO experience is to get a typewriter and a small transcriber and try to get on with a doctor's office or clinic. If you take MT classes online or offline, many places will also offer placement services. Some companies will hire and mentor new MT's. NO, I don't know which companies do and which ones don't. You will have to contact individual companies to find out if they offer training &/or mentoring programs.
All of the out-source services that I have had contact with require at LEAST 2 or more years acute care experience before they'll hire you, meaning in a hospital. I'm sorry, but those are their requirements, not mine. I know, how are you supposed to get the experience if no one will hire you? The answer: Keep trying! Get on at a local hospital for a while and do your 2 years to get the experience. Two years is NOT forever. There is no easier answer. People think this is an easy profession, but it's not. It's hard to learn, and It is very hard to break into with no experience! If you have some experience, just keep contacting places. Sooner or later, someone will hire you. Good luck!