Some of the main benefits to working at home are: a feeling of independence and personal achievement; no one telling you what to do; if you are a parent, you will probably enjoy more interaction and opportunities for communication with your children; you can work when you feel like it - as long as you get the work done on time, so your day can be variable according to personal needs, errands, commitments, etc., which is flex-time in the real sense; no rush-hour traffic; there are often fewer distractions and noise than in some MT departments, so your output may increase or improve in accuracy; each new account means a big increase in monthly income, even though expenses also rise.

Some of the main disadvantages to working at home are: not having health benefits, or not having them paid by an employer; if you get sick you usually still have to work, since if you are not working, you are not earning any money; isolation from other working people; it's sometimes difficult to leave the work undone; people think you have a lot of free time because you work from home; income can be variable; your social life may become reduced or nonexistent; you usually have to pay for all your own business equipment.

If you are an intelligent person you may be able to learn on your own all the medical knowledge required to become an MT. However, in order to be sure that you are educating yourself in an appropriate manner, it is probably best to at least take a short course in medical transcription.

In most countries, medical transcriptionists are not required to be certified to prove proficiency. If you are running a business of course, most cities and/or regional governments require that you have a business license. Completion of one of the Personal Edge medical transcription courses will help prepare you for taking exams for accreditation from an association such as AAMT.

Many community colleges offer full-time day or part-time evening programs in medical transcription. There are many correspondence courses available in medical transcription, but these are often costly and your "teacher" is often just checking work you could check yourself. Train-at-home programs, where you follow a prescribed course of learning on your own, and at your own speed, in your own home, and at a time convenient for you, are often the best.

• What is a Medical Transcriptionist?
• Why become an at-home medical transcriptionist?
• Can I really earn a respectable income?
• What kind of equipment would I need?
• What skills do I need to become an MT?
• What are the benefits to working at home?
• What are the disadvantages to working at home?
• Do I need to be formally trained to be an MT?
• Do I need some kind of accreditation to work as an MT?
• Where would I find a course on medical transcription?
• How much do medical transcription courses cost?
• Will I ever need to upgrade my knowledge?
• How do I decide if I should start my own business?
• Will I be successful in my own business?
• How can I get more questions answered?

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