Transcription Equipment

Need Mac Compatible Transcription Equipment?

Transcription equipment is an investment that you may need to make if you are planning to do medical transcription jobs from home. Equipment can be found online relatively cheaply and if you are starting out there are free software programs and resources to help reduce your start-up costs.

If you are telecommuting and not going into business for yourself, then some companies will provide transcription devices for you. Below is a list of typical transcription equipment needed to transcribe efficiently and additional resources that can assist you in becoming a more productive transcriptionist.

Headphones / Listening Device / Earphones
Headphones are essential for medical transcriptionists. Along with a foot pedal and software, a headset will help you to become more efficient and assist in blocking out background noise to help you focus.

You can also look into noise canceling headphones which many seasoned medical transcriptionists prefer. In addition to the features of your headset, you also want to consider its weight; remember you will be using your headset for hours at a time so you want something that will not be too heavy or uncomfortable.

Mini-cassette Transcriber / Cassette Transcription
It is likely that through your training program you used a mini tapes to transcribe. Many doctors still use mini tape recorders to dictate, so having a mini cassette transcriber can allow you to accept those clients who prefer tapes. In this case, you will plug your transcription foot pedal and headset into your mini-cassette transcriber.

Transcription Foot Pedal / Footswitch / Foot Control
A foot pedal, sometimes referred to as a transcription footswitch or foot control, is an essential transcription device for a medical transcriptionist. Not all foot pedals are created equal. A foot pedal may be connected using a USB port or a serial port. Most newer computer models will have a USB port, sometimes more than one, while older computer models may only have a serial port option for plugging in a foot pedal.

Aside from how the foot pedal is connected to your computer, you also need to take into consideration what software programs are compatible with your foot pedal choice. In addition, check the specs on the foot pedal before purchasing to ensure that it is compatible with the operating system you have on your computer, especially if you are running a Mac. A popular brand of transcription foot pedal is the Infinity foot pedal because it is compatible with a wide range of different software and other transcription equipment.

Computer or Laptop with internet connection
At the very least, as a medical transcriptionist, you should have a computer with a high-speed internet connection. Your internet connection should be either cable or DSL, few employers or clients will be satisfied if you only have dial-up or satellite.

Transcription Software
There is a variety of different medical transcription software available that is compatible with transcription equipment. There is free medical transcription software available for transcriptionists just starting out and there is other transcription software for sale that may come with more features than their free counterparts. Transcription software is necessary to integrate your headset, foot pedal, and dictation files. In determining what type of software you need, consider what types of other transcription equipment are compatible and make sure that everything you choose to buy can work together.

Medical Transcription References
Reference books can be a huge time saver for a medical transcriptionist. While reference books may not necessarily be considered transcription equipment, most transcriptionists do have a small library of medical reference books to assist in looking up unfamiliar terms, especially when transcribing reports for less common medical specialties.

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Mac Compatible Transcription Equipment
Here is a list of transcription equipment that is compatible with Mac computers without the need for installing a Windows Operating System.

Free Online Resources
Aside from having a library of reference books to assist you in looking up uncommon medical terms or deciphering abbreviations, there are, sometimes free, online resources that you can use via the internet. Online resources can be more time efficient than looking up information in a reference book, but it is best to have both resources available if you can.