Home based medical transcription is a viable way to earn a good income at home. Some time is needed to study courses and learn the basics, but it is a worthy goal to consider. Here are some pointers from a 15-year veteran MT who worked in house and also at home for a number of years.

Consider working at home your long-term goal. It will not happen overnight. Do not believe the Internet hype. But you knew that already, right?

Plan on spending at least 1-2 years studying the core courses. Take medical transcription courses, either online or at a local school. This author studied at a local junior college while working full time as a word processor, so it can be done even when working.

Your odds of succeeding are significantly better if you network with medical transcriptionists. This can be done by joining an online or offline group affiliated with the American Medical Association of Medical Transcriptionists (AAMT). This group will act as your safety net and support group. When times get rough and you need motivation or understanding this group will pull you through those hard times. Also, you will need to tap into a brain trust from time to time when you cannot understand parts of dictation or need advice as to how to handle an account. Having access to a group of like-minded medical professionals is invaluable to your success when establishing a home based medical transcription business.

No man is an island, so find a medical transcription mentor. Within the professional AAMT group, find one individual with whom you click and establish rapport. Be upfront and tell this person that you are looking for a mentor and ask would they be willing to help you learn and grow. Be respectful of this person's answer, be it yes or no. If the answer is yes, do not abuse the relationship by wasting anyone's time. Also, remember to make more deposits than withdrawals when it comes to the relationship. Send cards of appreciation, and take your mentor out to lunch. Good will goes a long way to really learning what medical transcription is all about.

When you land that first medical transcription account, the hard work and real training begins. Soak up everything you can like the proverbial sponge when you land your first medical transcription job. Be an enthusiastic team player, even if you are working at home, and go the extra mile every day.

Seek out new MT accounts only after you feel completely comfortable with the last one you picked up. There is a learning curve for each account: new voice(s), formats, and procedures to learn. Once you have mastered the account and have gained confidence from that first job, then you can seek out other accounts to handle. Do not overload yourself. Remember: Slow and steady wins the race.

Follow your heart, your passion. Make short-term and long-term plans and stick to them, no matter what. Provide good quality medical transcription services. The word will get around and you will soon have more work than you can handle. Before you know it, you will have your own successful home based medical transcription business.