I am finding that a lot of medical transcriptionists are getting away with using fairly slow computers. This is good news, because it tells me that any computer you get will have a long "shelf life" (it'll remain useful and viable longer for MT work).
Unfortunately, the MT biz seems to work mostly on Windows-based computers. So, to my Linux and Mac OS sisters and brothers out there, I am so sorry. I am a big Mac OS X fan myself, and I wish I could use my lovely G4 PowerMac for my MT work. But alas, it is not to be, at least not for the time being.
This is just my ballpark guess, but I'm thinking that if you have a PC that has a 400 MHz processor, 64 to 128 megs of RAM, a 10 GB hard drive, Windows 98, and a USB port, you probably will be all right for a while. (If you're not sure if your PC has a USB port, visit this page and look at their little illustration.) If you want to use broadband (high speed Internet) on your computer, you will have to have an Ethernet port. (It looks like a fat, oversized phone jack.) If you don't have Ethernet yet, it probably can be easily added to your PC.
One of the most important reasons for medical transcriptionists to have a USB port is so they can connect a WAV pedal to it. A "WAV pedal" is a special foot pedal that many MTs use to help them listen to digital dictation files. This device usually connects to the PC via the USB port. A lot of MT schools also require that their students use a WAV pedal. If you don't have a USB port, you can sometimes get a WAV pedal that connects to your "game port," but USB is more up-to-date.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about with this "MHz" and "RAM" business, I will try to tell you a little bit more about them later on. If you don't know how fast your processor is or how much RAM you have, go to the "Start" button on Windows, choose "Control Panel" and then choose "System." You should see something that looks similar to this. The top part says what "system" you are using (in my case, the "system" I am using is Windows XP). The bottom part tells you your processor type, processor speed, and how much RAM you have. To find out how much hard drive you have, go to "My Computer," right-click on the "C" drive, and choose "Properties" from the menu (it's at the bottom). There you will be given your total hard drive capacity, and also you will see a pie chart showing how much of your hard drive is filled up. Pretty nifty, huh?
If you are an MT student (or are contemplating being a student soon) and you have an old creaky computer, don't worry too much yet. You don't have to buy a new PC right away. However, brace yourself for the reality that you very likely will need to get a faster PC by the time you are ready to start hunting for an at-home medical transcription job. However, (there always seems to be a "however") some employers will provide their at-home employees with computers, or will allow their employees to "lease" a computer. If you are very reluctant to buy a new PC anytime soon, you can always wait and see if you can get a job where the PC is supplied for you.
http://www.delicateflower.org/MT/computer-MT.html
