Creating a Home Office for Transcription

We have mentioned in previous posts that one of the joys of offering online transcription services is being able to work remotely.  Because you don’t have to be in the office day after day to do the work assigned to you.  That means that you can do the work from home.  However, you must be set up to do so, if you are to be successful.

In order to establish an office equipped to handle audio transcription, there are a few things that you will need.

An Office Don’t worry.  You don’t have to add a room onto your home to have an office.  Very often people will simply create a desk space within an existing room – the living room, bedroom, or even in the kitchen.  There are a few things that your office should provide you, though.  First, you should be able to work at your computer without a glare on the screen.  That glare will make it harder to see what you type and wreak havoc on your eyes over time.  The office should also be quiet enough so that you can accomplish your assigned tasks each day.

A Desk While it might be slightly romantic to picture yourself curled up on the sofa or lounging in a recliner with a laptop, the truth is that you will want a dedicated work space.  You will find that it makes it much easier to keep your work organized and people tend to be more productive when removing themselves from temptations, such as the television or a comfy throw pillow.

A Chair Not just any chair will do.  Once you establish yourself in the world of medical transcription, you will work for many hours each day.  An uncomfortable chair will make you pay with aches and pains.  Select a chair that offers back and neck support.  Some transcriptionists find that it is nice to have two work surfaces – one for sitting, one for standing – so they can change position during the day.

A Computer You will want a reliable machine to work on.  While a lot can be done on a tablet today, most transcriptionists find that they require an actual desktop computer to do the work.  There are several software programs that can make the work easier as well.  The important thing is to ensure that you have a computer that won’t let you down when you are working on tight deadlines.  There is nothing worse than a computer malfunctioning before you’ve been able to save your work.