HOME
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The
2-Second Commute
Based
on the
highly-successful Virtual Assistant training programs Chris Durst and
Michael Haaren developed
for the US Armed Forces and the US Department of State, The 2-Second
Commute:
Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants
brings
you the
knowledge without
the classroom!
Training
program
participants have billed
over $30
MILLION since our training programs started in 2002. Now YOU can learn from Chris
& Mike,
too, and start your own successful VA business!
2-SECOND
COMMUTE
CHAPTERS
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1
Why
Become a Virtual
Assistant?
- personal & professional
reasons to
explore this
industry
Chapter 2
Exploring
Virtual
Assistance
- virtual assistance defined
- industry demographics
- services, fees, and trends
- why businesses work with VAs
- international outlook
Chapter 3
Reality
Checks &
Self-Assessments
- exploring important considerations -
motives,
lifestyle,
family, children, etc.
- entrepreneurial self-assessment
- VA readiness self-assessment
- Spouse With a Mouse™ -
from our
Department of State
and US
Armed Forces training programs, a special section to help your
"significant other" understand what it will be like to have a business
in the house.
Developing
a "Service
Menu" That You Can Live and Grow With
- inventory your values, interests,
and
skills to
determine
your most marketable skills
Chapter 5
Estimating
Costs and
Setting Fees
- projecting your costs, picking your
"salary", setting
your hour, and our special formula for calculating a reasonable
baseline fee
- comprehensive fee survey (see what
other
VAs are
charging)
- getting paid -contracts, credit
cards,
invoices,
retainers, etc.
Chapter 6
Setting
Up Your
Business and Your Office
- naming and registering your business
- forms of business ownership
- permits and licenses
- insurance
- home office setup
Chapter 7
Building
a Healthy
Foundation for Your Business
- defining your ideal client,
interviewing
clients,
partnering with clients
- the art of virtual communications
- SWOT analysis - discovering your
Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats
- the benefits of "niche marketing" -
identifying your
target
market
Chapter 8
Let
the Marketing
Begin!
- image is everything
- talking about what you "do"
- marketing and email
- your Web site - your "global
billboard"
- press releases
- harvesting the local "business crop"
- leveraging the media
- guest lecturing
- our 5 favorite marketing techniques
- the Strategic Marketing Plan - your
blueprint for
building
a successful business through effective marketing
Chapter 9
Pulling
It All
Together and
Keeping It There
- a collection of tips, tool,
techniques,
and pointers
for
making your business a success
Chapter 10
The
VA Toolbox:
Resources and Information
- VA trade groups, email lists,
certifications and
training
programs
- specialized resources for
homeschoolers,
"trailing
spouses", work at home parents, and people with disabilities
- resources and other information for
the
"frugal VA"
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Work from home as a
 The niche in a nutshell:
A medical
transcriptionist is responsible for typing dictated medical
records. These reports are dictated into a voice recording
device
by a doctor or other health care professional. The
transcriptionist uses a transcribing machine, which also includes a
head set and a foot pedal to listen to the dictation. The
reports
are then typed into a program like Word. If the reports are
sent
via the Internet as digital voice files, the transcriptionist uses a
software program to listen to the dictation. These reports
are
necessary for the benefit of the patient, and are also submitted to
insurance companies so the doctor can be reimbursed for services
rendered.
Top 3 Services Provided in this
Niche
- Typing of recorded dictation
via cassette tapes
- Typing of recorded dictation
via digital voice files
- Pick up and delivery of work
if self-employed and using tapes
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Top 5 Hiring Markets
- National companies that
secure accounts and subcontract them out
- Hospitals
- Doctors' offices
- Other health care facilities
- Owning your own medical
transcription business
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Pay Range for this Niche
The average self-employed MT that
secures his/her own accounts and works 40 hours per week can earn
30-50K a year, depending on what is being charged.
Transcriptionists are usually paid by the line, and the rates
vary. Myself and the people I network with charge an average
of
14 cents per line, some slightly higher and some slightly
lower. If you type 200 lines per hour, that is
$28.00 per
hour. With experience, most people can easily type
this
amount, and often more.
As an employee in a hospital setting or doctor's office, the average
hourly pay is $12.00 to $18.00.
Working for a national company the pay is usually much less than if you
work as a self-employed person with your own accounts, as you are now
the subcontractor and are paid a portion of the amount the company
charges the doctor or facility. Rates vary, and can
be as
low as 5 or 6 cents per line, or as much as 10 cents per
line.
National companies often provide health care benefits however, as this
is appealing to a lot of people.
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Recommended Skillsets
- Excellent grammar skills
- Good Listening Skills
- Basic computer skills with a
word processing program
- Research Skills
- Ability to type –
your speed
will increase with experience
- Must be detail oriented
- Ability to work on your own
- Ability to maintain work
deadlines and be a self-motivator
Basic bookkeeping is necessary,
but not difficult at all. A good bookkeeper is great to have
when
it comes to taxes and advising you about saving money with tax
deductions for your business. However, it's not difficult to
keep
track of a medical transcription business.
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Niche
Overview
Medical
transcription
is an interesting and rewarding career. It offers a lot of flexibility.
The typing of medical reports is a necessary part of the health care
system. It ensures that the patient has an accurate report of
everything regarding their health care. It also is necessary for the
health care provider to have documented accounts of all treatments and
services provided for monetary reimbursement through the health
insurance companies.
As a home business it is especially suited to parents that want to be
home with their children, but many people start a home transcription
business because there is no limit to how much they can earn. The more
accounts you acquire, the more money you make. Over the years I have
hired many subcontractors, and this is how you grow your business.
Here are some
answers
to popular questions:
What qualifications do I need to become a medical transcriptionist?
You can take a home study course or some classes at your local
community college. It is not necessary to have a degree to be a medical
transcriptionist. I recommend the VLC's
training program as they have
state-of-the-art training and excellent student support. For more
transcription practice, in addition to training, or to see if this is
the career for you, medical transcription practice tapes can be
helpful. www.medical-transcription-practice-tapes.com
What is the turn-around time for the reports to be completed once I've
started working?
Usually 24 hour turn-around time is quite normal, however, many
transcriptionists offer 48 hour turn-around. If you run your own
business you can decide this with the doctor, but if you work for
someone else, they will let you know when they expect to have the work
returned.
How do I get hired as a newbie medical transcriptionist?
This depends on who you want to work for. If you want to work for a
National company, they usually want experience unless you can pass
their tests. There are some companies that will hire new
transcriptionists however. They don't all require 2-3 years
experience. Working for the national companies is not what I
recommend however, and that's just my personal opinion. I'd rather have
my own accounts and have more flexibility and earn twice as much.
If you want to work doing medical transcription for a doctor's office
or hospital, you may get hired a lot more easily than trying to get on
with the national companies. A lot of people do this and make the
transition to working at home, for these very same people.
What books do
I need to do medical transcription?
Over time you will collect a lot of "word books" for medical
transcription. I have lots of them. I thought it might be good to give
you a list of some of the ones you will need when you are just starting
out. Remember, EBay is a good place to pick up these kinds of medical
transcription specialty books, as well as www.stedmans.com
where I
usually get my books. You will definitely need a medical dictionary.
Get either a Stedman's or a Dorland's Medical Dictionary. You will need
a drug/pharmaceutical guide book, such as American
Drug Index 2007, published
by Facts
and Comparisons, www.drugfacts.com. It is an expensive book, and you
will probably be better served by getting the previous year's book on
EBay if you are just starting out. A must have is The
Medical Word Book by Sheila
Sloane.
That's printed by W.B. Saunders Co. If you can get it, you might also
want to pick up The
Surgical Word Book, by
Tessier, printed
by W.B. Saunders Co. as well. Apart from that, you will just need to
add "specialty books" to your collection as you go. For instance, if
you are typing for a neurologist, you would buy Stedman's Neurosurgery
Words . As you
type for
more and more specialties, you will get more and more books!
You
don't need many books to get started however.
What are the
Pros and Cons of a Medical Transcription Career?
If you work for yourself, I think self-discipline is a necessary part
of this career. Since the business is so flexible regarding the hours
that you work, you can easily put off work and then not feel like doing
it because you've left it so late in the day or the evening. So it's
important to be strict with yourself and set routine working hours.
If you have your own company, you will have to pay for your own health
insurance, which can be costly, so make sure to shop around. However,
you will make more money working for yourself, so I don't find this
issue to be too relevant in my own situation. Having your own
transcription business also provides you with business tax deductions,
and health insurance is now 100% tax deductible.
Recommended Reading
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Tools of the Trade
- Computer
- Printer
- Transcriber
- Word Processing Program
- Software Program for digital
files
- Medical Dictionary and
Specialty Word Books
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Organizations &
Associations
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Resource Links
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 About
Michele Miller
I
have always enjoyed having my own home transcription
business.
I initially started my company because I had a young child and I wanted
to be able to take her to school and pick her up from school, and
didn't want other people taking care of her after school. It
was
a blessing to my family that medical transcription provided this
opportunity. That was in 1993, and I'm still running my own
home
transcription business. It is very easy to run, as
I have
subcontractors, not employees, so the paperwork is
minimal.
If you don't want to hire subcontractors, you don't have to.
You
can earn a good income on your own. If you would like more
information about a work at home career in medical transcription,
please visit my website: www.medical-transcription-at-home.com
and sign up for my free newsletter or 5 Day Ecourse.
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