Medical transcription is incredibly popular as a work at home option. That’s no surprise, considering that medical transcriptionists can earn a good living from home, and the work is fairly consistent. But is it easy?
Yes and no.
I spent three years working at home as a medical transcriptionist. I can say in all honesty that it’s easy in many ways, hard in others.
Your first challenge is in getting an education that is good enough to get you a good job as a medical transcriptionist. Go to the right school, and employers will gladly hire you after graduation if they have any openings. Go to the wrong school, and it’s going to be tough.
Learning medical transcription at home is your best way of preparing to work at home. You’ll enjoy some of the same challenges and benefits. You’ll know before you graduate if working at home is for you.
The best part about learning and working at home for some people is quite simply that it’s done at home. You don’t have to go anywhere. That saves a ton on childcare expenses if you have kids. It saves on gas and wear and tear on your car.
It can also mean feeling isolated. Many people find this one of the hardest parts of working at home. You don’t have the social aspect that is present in most other kinds of work.
Another big plus is the flexibility. You can pretty much set your own hours. There’s less worry about exact punching of a clock, although most medical transcription work at home jobs do want you to maintain a schedule. But it’s mostly your schedule to set. You don’t want to work on the weekend, you don’t have to in many cases. Holidays are pretty easily taken off.
Then again, you have to be self motivated enough to stick to that schedule. Many people find it easy to become distracted by housework, a favorite television show, getting too many snacks, and so forth.
Medical transcription work itself can be challenging. That much is true whether you do it at home or in an office somewhere. Doctors talk fast, they don’t always speak clearly, and the range of accents you will encounter may amaze you.
Then there’s the terminology and the sudden appearance of medications and procedures you never heard of and have to look up. If you’re going to love working as a medical transcriptionist, the research might just be a plus, as you get to satisfy your curiosity and love of a challenge.
I wouldn’t describe working at home as a medical transcriptionist as easy, overall. But I do not mean that in a bad way. Easy means that too many other people can do it, and that your skills won’t be valued. Medical transcription is challenging in a very good way.