Can you press a foot pedal and type as fast as someone is talking? If you can, it'll take you two seconds. Just say you know how and jump in if there's a test.

How does it work? I click on the program, press the pedal and away I go. You pick up your foot to stop it. Move to the right a bit and press the little pedal on the side to rewind, move to left a bit and fast forward. Programs these days make it so that you can speed up or slow down the talking to your speed too. I learned it instantly. You can too. If you have access to the internet while doing it, you can look things up too. I have to tell you the one caveat, terminology doesn't transfer. For instance, if you can transcribe asthma medical terminology, it won't transfer to cardiology medical terminology. But even that is ok, since anyone interviewing would know this.

Can you say, piece of cake?!

Accurately ~ that's the key part of the job description. Figuring out how to do dictation as Rob describes it seems easy enough. The trick is speed and accuracy.

Doesn't matter how fast you go if the result is not accurate it's worthless.

I can type about 60 words per minute, with 95% accuracy. How fast do people talk? I guess I need to go look that up. lol

I've been tested a blue million times. It can be any where from 60-94 wpm. It's really easy for me to type as fast as someone talks, even on my "slow" days. And I bet you have fast days that you weren't tested. Bet we're similar, that is. You could just play around and have someone read while you type if you found someone willing to help.

Thanks for the info. I REALLY appreciate it.

WandaRedBlondeHead, where are you? Isn't this what you do professionally?

I only know about medical transcription.

Most of the dictation we deal with is done through voice recorders, the voice files are then uploaded to a server for access by the transcriptionist. There are good dictators and bad dictators, a lot of ESL dictators, dictators that go a 90 miles a minute and slur words together, dictators that speak clearly, include punctuation and spell things for you.

If you want to know more specifically about medical transcription, there are online courses available (good and bad). Career Steps has online testing available and we have hired people who have gone through their training program. I was actually just talking about this with a neighbor who is considering getting into it. Hope this helps some.

Dafy

Here is a link that might be useful: Career Steps test

YooHoo!!
Here I am.

All of these gave you some great advice.

Is it in a specific field or just general dictation, i.e. letters, notes, etc.?

If it is in a specific field, i.e. medical (then subfields-cardiovascular, internal medicine, surgical, etc.), the terminology is going to be more of a challenge than the actual transcription.

Over the years of my professional career of surgical/medical transcription (over 30), technology has come a looonnnggg way.

The smaller companies probably still use hand-held dictation systems that you transcribe from a desk-top transcription unit.

The larger companies probably use the system Dafy described.

The last couple of years I worked, I was able to plug headphones and foot control into my laptop or desktop computer and transcribe directly from the hospital server and then upload the permanent record into the patient's hospital record.

I have even transcribed via wireless internet riding down the interstate on 'vacation' at 75 miles an hour. LOL!!

Even though you won't be able to back up the voice, for some practice, type what people are saying on the television.
This will give you a variety of terminology, voices, speeds, etc.

If you have more specifics, feel free to email me and I'll help you as much as I can.

Good luck!!

Thanks for the infor, everyone. I've mostly just been applying for general clerical work, but once you get up around the higher levels of secretarial work, I guess they still require this sort of thing.

Tisha, my experience at dictation was in shorthand face to face many years ago, but I do know that there are many other fields besides medicine that require transcription...for instance architectural or engineering reports from the field . I'm thinking it must be something like this rather than medicine as accepting 80% accuracy would be scary...well, also re load-bearing computations, etc. but at least there's usually time to correct the figures. LOL

Go ahead and call/apply. Your accuracy is more important than speed which will undoubtedly improve as you become familiar with the terminology, etc. Good luck. josh

josh,

LOL!
You are so right with the 80% accuracy with medical.

The last company I worked for (over 20 years) had a VERY strict accuracy policy.
On a quarterly basis, the proofers would randomly pull three different pieces of transcription.
They would go over it with a 'fine toothed comb.'
If you missed a medical term it was a -1 point, Webster word -1/2 point, and punctuation -1/4 point, as well as other things such as format, etc.

They required a 99% accuracy.
If a transcriber didn't reach this, they were put on probation for the next quarter and their work was checked more frequently.
Pay and what account a transcriptionist (which also reflected pay) worked on depended on their accuracy rate.
Most at-home transcription services pay production rate...the more you transcribe and the harder the account, the higher your pay rate.

Wanda, thanks for the additional info...I'm glad to hear 99% accuracy was the requirement in the medical field.

Trish, it might be just taking phone orders for a web site...for those folks like me who do research on the web then call my order in. I still don't feel comfy giving out my creditcard info on web. Anyway, I wish you luck finding your new job. josh

It's mostly just clerical/secretarial jobs I'm looking for, so I'm assuming this skill will be used to take down e-mails or letters that my supervisor would be sending someone. I think.

Again, thanks for all the info, everyone.