You've decided that a medical transcription career is for you, but how do you get started? Because accuracy is so important to quality medical transcription (learn more in the Medical Transcription Job Description article), employers are only interested in hiring professionals with training and/or experience. Entry-level medical transcriptionists face a classic "catch 22"—they're told that they need several years of experience to be hired, but no one will hire them so they can get the required experience. However, you can overcome this if you choose the right training program.

It's not too hard to find training programs that promise to help you quickly start making money from home as a medical transcriptionist. The trick is finding a program that can actually deliver on that promise. Use this handy checklist to make sure you're choosing training that will help you get a job:

• Industry Reputation – The medical transcription community is a relatively small one, and employers know who the best training providers are. If employers have never heard of your training program, you won't get the chance to prove your skills. However, if you train through a trusted school, like Career Step, many employers will waive their experience requirements because they know you have the skills needed to get the job done. Have questions about which schools are preferred by employers? Call a few of them and ask who they recommend!
• AHDI Approval – AHDI, or the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, is the industry association for medical transcriptionists. They periodically review medical transcription training programs and maintain a list of those that meet their education recommendations.
• Medical Terminology and Anatomy – It's impossible to do a good job as a medical transcriptionist without a solid understanding of medical terminology and anatomy. Make sure your training program thoroughly teaches this foundational knowledge.
• Hours of Authentic Dictation – There's no better way to develop and improve your skills than to practice, practice, practice. The best medical transcription programs provide you plenty of opportunity with authentic audio dictations just like those you'll actually encounter when you're working. (Check out this article to learn more about what to look for.)

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If you choose a training program with all of these things, you should be well prepared to begin your medical transcription career. You many also want help finding a job after graduation (check out Getting Hired After Graduation for more information) and instruction on how to improve your typing skills. (Get a baseline of where your typing skills are right now with our free online typing test.)