Medical Transcription Computer Equipment Needs

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Your computer will be your workhorse, so please, by all means, get the best system, with the fastest CPU, most memory and best 3D graphics that money can buy. Five thousand or so dollars should be sufficient, probably.

Are you breathing yet? Just kidding there! If this computer is going to be used primarily for your transcription business, there is no need to get anything fancy by any means! The basic model sold on special at your local consumer electronics store will work just fine for you for many years to come.

If what you want to do is to produce text documents, who cares if Killer Space Commandos 9 will work on your computer? In fact, it’s probably best if it won’t, so Johnny will stay the heck off of it. The last computer I bought I paid $500.00 dollars for, and it more than satisfies the transcription workload.

As far as laptops go, I recommend you not use a laptop for your transcription work, unless you at least get a separate keyboard and mouse. Laptop keyboards are not designed to let you type with any speed, at least not the speed you’ll need to make serious money in transcription.

I recommend a 17 to 19 inch LCD monitor if you can save a bit on the computer system. This is for a couple of reasons: First, it will save space on your desktop, and second, the larger screen will help prevent eyestrain over time. You will be spending many hours per week looking at the screen; no sense in making your eyes work harder than they need to. You can pick up a 17” LCD monitor for less than $150.00 these days. In fact, most systems come with flat screens anyway these days.

For your keyboard, you can either stick with the standard keyboard that comes with the computer, or you might want to try using one of the split “ergonomic” models made by Microsoft. Studies have shown that, once the user gets used to the split design, typing speed tends to increase, and fatigue lessens.

Many people have differing opinions on this; some swear by the newer keyboards, and others think they are a fad. The bottom line is, either model will work; you decide.

Mouse manufacturers are getting fancier and fancier with their offerings, but don’t waste your money on a separate mouse - the one that comes with your computer will serve you just fine.

If you want to get the real story about what it’s really like to be a professional medical transcriptionist, then you should pick up a copy of Inside Medical Transcription by Pam Lyon. You can get your copy here.