I went to a business college sm

Community College - you can apply for financial assistance or sm [2008-09-26]
pay by the semester. If you already have secretarial experience you may want to look into being a virtual assistant for someone. Also these sites have a lot of jobs for moms at home: WAHM.com and workplacelikehome.com. Best wishes

I went to a local Community College [2008-02-11]
And yes, I've been working for four years as an MT. It took me a while to find my first job, though. Good luck to you.

I went to a business college sm [2008-02-11]
that had just added transcribing to their cirriculum. I was 1 of 4 first students. They really had no idea what they were doing. I got my first job doing dialysis patient's cause a friend was giving up the job and knew I was looking. The doc was desperate and didn't even test me. There is no way I would have gotten the job if I had to test. the job I have now if for an ENT and once again didn't test, one of the docs is my step-uncle. When I look at just the questions on the word help board I know there is sooooo much I still don't know. I am looking into taking some classes online. Good Luck to you!

Financial Assistance??? [2008-09-15]
I am currently a full-time-college-student-but-otherwise-SAHM. Pretty soon we'll be needing more money, but I have neither time nor resources (day care around here is INSANELY expensive) to work outside the home. I've been doing the reasearch and have come to the conclusion that MT is a good job option for me. The problem is the training is sooo expensive! I mean,if we didn't need the money I wouldn't be looking for the training to begin with--so obviously I don't have $1600-4000 up front for the training. And most of the payment plans I see aren't looking much better--like $1000 up front, $350 every month after that. Right now that's just not feasable. Are there any MT schools that offer reasonable financial assistance? Or, I'd even be cool with a payment deferment plan or something! Anybody know of a school that's willing to help the financially strapped?

reasonable [2008-08-19]
Your expectations, in my opinion, are reasonable. If your friends are working 80+ hours and making $500.00, they must be typing with one big toe and certainly need to get out of the business. What they are telling you is ridiculous.

Truthful advice [2008-07-23]
I just recently got married and I am working in-house at our local hospital. I LOVE getting out of the house and going to work every day. I love what I do and want to stick with it. We will probably not be having children for at least a couple of years as my husband has a year left in college to get his business degree. I want to be able to stay home and raise my children, but I have seen what it has done to my mom. She sits at home all day in her PJs and type, type, types. I am just wonderng if any of you have any regrets about deciding to do transcription full time from home in order to be there for your children? This may sound a little selfish, but I donsometime to think about it, but it has been a topic that I have really been thinking about lately.What I would really like to do is stay at home with them until they are all in school and then try to get a job out of the house while they are at school. Have any of you made this transition? Any advice would be appreciated. I would just like a heads up before making any decisions. Thanks!

I am in shock. Are you living in 2008 or [2008-06-25]
1958. Is this real? Every able body in the household should contribute. You do work. You just do it at home. You need to take some time out for yourself and decide if the verbal abuse is worth the trouble. You must remember your children will see and hear how he treats you and this is abuse to them also. Don't you think you are worth so much more? You must think of your children and your mental well being. I refused to live this way years ago and my two daughters and I did just fine and with no child support. I raised two wonderful women, now 24 and 30, and both college graduates.

Thanks for the replies! more... [2008-02-11]
I was enrolled at my local CC and they dropped the MT program. Wasn't a great one anyway. I feel really good about CS through Everett Community College! At least I'll have real instructors instead of going straight through CS! I also get to use my pell grants! I also posted this question on the main forum. Wonder why no one is replying there. I know not many like CS, but I would think they wouldn't mind sharing where they trained and if they are working. Thanks a bunch for replying! Christy

Some ideas [2008-01-23]
These might work for you. I went to college and had three children and a full-time job (transcription). My employer let me work at home too and on a flex schedule, just had to get the work done and I aimed for weekends, but you may want to work pm - that works too. I had to be at the hospital at set times too, 6:00 - 3:30 three days a week for clinical and then two days a week at school all day long from 7:00 to about 4:00. I had my mom (thank God for moms) pick up my kids from school (they were a little older than yours). I picked them up from her house after I got out of school, about 4:30. I went home and then fed everyone, then baths were early and some homework and everyone had to go to bed early. Like at 7:00. They could leave the lights on and play with a toy or talk for a half-hour and then they had a half-hour of reading time - quietly after that and they mostly always fell asleep that way. I then had a few hours to do my homework (nursing school has lots of it) and clean up the kitchen, maybe type for an hour or two. I went to bed early as possible and listened to recorded lectures until I fell asleep. I got up every morning at 4:00 a.m. for four years. Even on the weekends. I listened to recorded lectures at those times and cleaned the house, made lunches, and did the laundry. It is peaceful at 4:00 a.m. and things you study are best remembered if you study for some reason. On weekends, I made up enough dinners for the rest of the week and froze them, typed reports for work (cramming 40 hours worth in is not easy. I did it with a little bit done during the week on lighter days, but for three hours without fail on Saturdays I went to the library to work on school stuff alone - my mom again! It helps to listen to lectures (recorded) while you drive and while you get ready in the mornings. I had a study group too (three of us) and that helped a lot. We divided up all the material we had learned before exam days and exchanged our notes and study materials in that way. I was married, but my husband was gone on business five days a week, so he was no help. Just get a pattern going and stick with it no matter what (except illness). It is easier to clean in the morning when kids are asleep. Get rid of all the extra toys and knick-knacks - you won't have to dust them or put them away if they aren't there. Make sure you have a freezer and a dishwasher because they are your best friends. If you can't fix dinner, eat out or get takeout, but be sure it does not become your only source of food. Plan ahead and you won't have to do that often. Sometimes I cheated and took all the clothes to the laundromat because you can do it all at once (like in two hours) in case that has fallen behind. Sometimes I thought I would lose it, but I didn't. I survived and graduated, did not get fired from my job and my kids are all okay. Take vitamins. Learn to like coffee! I never drank it until then. Good luck. You can do it!

These freeze! [2008-01-23]
Enchiladas, Shepard Pie, Spaghetti sauce, Meatballs, and meaty mix which is just ground sirloin cooked, salt, pepper, and onions and put into little baggies and defrosted to make lots of stuff (chili, tacos, spaghetti sauce, etc). Soups freeze too (except cream soups) and chili is a frozen wonder. Just make a salad and heat up bread and there you are. Lasagne freezes well. Chicken and polenta stew freezes too. Stuffed peppers, homemade burritos, and now I am too hungry to go on. I am sorry you are so tired. Are you taking medications? There are a few antidepressants that give energy back and I hope you are on one. Maybe you could go to community college and meet people, get out of the house and take more than one class at a time so it goes faster. It is probably cheaper too! But no matter what, just do it. Sometimes it is so hard to keep going forward, but then imagine how good it will feel when you are finished! When I finished I was over the moon for three days, then reality hit and I was bored out of my mind for about a month or two. I was so used to structure. There is too the imposter feeling that comes on - it is so strange to think that you are done and you have a degree. That lasted about four months. Then, it is supposed to all level out for the most part. It is hard to do all these things you do, raise kids, school, work, so make sure you have a support network. People who know all the bad things about you, but love you anyway! They help to keep you on track. Just do everything you can do ditch the depression and go forward, just try to organize and plan ahead, making time for you too!

WOW - Kudos to you!! sm [2008-01-23]
I thought it was rough working a full time job, MT part time nights, kids and practices but to throw school in on top (although I look at the local college classes all the time and think I really should go back). YOU have given me inspiration and encouragement. Ideas you have posted will go into effect in my household immediately. You are so blessed - thank you!

Discouraged [2007-12-31]
I agree wholeheartedly. Corporate America is public enemy no. 1, not just for us, but for many workers and small business owners who are fed up with corporate greed. This is why John Edwards may well win the Iowa caucus and perhaps be the next President of the United States. I too would not advise anyone to consider medical transcription. I would rather go homeless than work in sweatshop mode for Medquist or any of the other transcription giants that pay in the neighborhood of 6.5 cents per line.

MT future......... [2007-12-26]
I have been an MT for 25 years, and have owned a small business wtih up to 10 employees (IC) with good accounts until Corporate America stepped in and that was that.....now do you think I We are a dying breed people. Bill Gates has said Voice Recognition is one of Microsofts top priorities, as is other companies, and computing capabilities are doubling and tripling ever year. How long do you think it will be before we are ALL editors...and who do you think we will be trying to Edit.....? Dr. mughhawalahlkiwei from BFE....good luck, I'm gonna be a Wal-Mart greeter to supplement my 700 a month SS when i can retire in 12 more years.....and btw, I always tell people TO NOT GET IN THIS PROFESSION.....

There is NOTHING wrong with sm [2007-12-21]
Having daily quiet time in the crib with some toys, whether a child sleeps or not. There is nothing wrong with setting a daily bedtime that is written in stone no matter whether or what time naps took place. It is setting limits, something you are going to be doing until your children are raised. Limits are seldom popular with kids, but they still need them. Whether you are working at home or not, you, as their mom, are entitled to a quiet time of your own each and every day. If you doncharge may come with listening to an adult tell you about what strangers are complaining about today, but it is still a break from your kids and something that feeds you as a person. I can only tell you that mine are grown now. I had rules like 8:30 bedtime until they were 12, and they got to 10:30 by the time they were in high school. It was 10:30 LIGHTS OUT and quiet. They could read or have headphones and music, that was fine, but it was about being quiet so I could sleep as I worked the end of the third shift. After a lifetime of firm rules (although very few rules) and consistent reinforcement of said rules, I got what I asked by the time they were 12 or 13 with little or no grief ever. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. My daughter is studying premed on a 3/4 scholarship, my younger son is in college for a degree in software engineering and my oldest is married. They all excel with keeping a job and are popular with their supervisors because they have a work ethic and oh my, they follow the rules and don't push the limits! Okay, so I am a proud mom.

Classes [2007-10-15]
I guess it depends on where you are. I took a course at home through Williston College in North Dakota. I went to my local job services (unemployment office) and got the info there.Check the AAMT website for accredited courses! You donaccepted. There are a lot of fakes out there. For example, anyone that says you can take a 6-month course is full of it! Do your research, and Good Luck!

What should I be charging? [2007-09-21]
I have my own transcription business (which only consists of me)and I My current job pays me $5.00/page. I would like to charge cpl because that is usually how it is done. I sent out a few resumes and said I was charging $.12 per line. I am going to be sending out a lot more and would like some advice if I I live in a community where the average house costs about $300,000. Does anybody have any advice? Should I keep it at $.12 per line or go a little lower? I have been working for 3-1/2 years and I have not attended any formal training. I If I pick up another job, I Right now, since I have to stay home with my kids, this is what I opted to do. I was fortunate enough to have my chiropractor hire me with no experience. She has been very happy with my work and I Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

Depending on what state you live in [2007-09-10]
you can check to see if your state offers subsidized child care. For instance, I live in the IL and there is a subsidy that you can apply for. I would start with your local county web site and look under family or child welfare. If you can find anything there call the county courthouse to be directed to the proper agency. Go to www.ywca.org to see if they can hook you up with a list of child care providers. They offer that here in the Chicago area. It is a list of child care resources where the providers have beenscreened for having alicensewhich includes a background check, etc. The list will also tell you which ones accept the IL state subsidy for child care. Iweb site but there iswww.singlemom.com which may offer some other insight. If your interested in attending a college, community or otherwise, that may offer a connection for you with other student moms where you take turns watching each others kids while one person goes to work or class or studies, gets out for a while, etc. There are grants and loans to be had a college that will help short term. When you find work and file taxes, don This was a big help to me because I put it aside to be used for the next year You can also file the cost of your child care on taxes. Lastly,the law is on your side for supportmoney. Check with your local bar association to see if they can recommend a pro bono lawyer or legal clinic that might help suck somemoney out of the good for nothing...well you get the picture. Good luck, been there done that...

Get ready [2007-09-09]
My daughter just turned 16 and got her actual license. It has been just her and myself since she was born and it has been very hard. She took driver's education, which was a joke here, I think she got a total of about 3 hours driving time and had to do all the work on the computer. Ended up taking her to the DL examiner to pass her test because I made her spend the rest of the summer driving me everywhere I went. The hardest part was when she went back to school (junior this year) and is driving herself - turning her loose, without me in the front seat beside her has to be the hardest thing I have had to do so far, but she has proven to be very good at it and is managing fine. Next it will be college and I really do not know what I will do, working at home do not have many friends and she has pretty much been my life. Anyway, I put her in God's hand when I sent her out the door the first day by herself and he is doing an awesom job of watching over her.

re: driver's permit [2007-09-09]
God always does a good job of watching over them wayyy better than we EVER could! My older son has had his license for about a year and a half and is in his senior year. Getting ready for college next fall. I'm slowly moving into this empty nest thing. Email me mtt if you ever want to chat! You've got a friend here! Jan

Mine too! [2007-09-07]
My youngest is 16 and just got his learner Yup, I do feel old! He wants to drive every time we go anywhere and even though I I have a few more gray hairs since he got his permit.

My sister and I are the same way [2007-09-01]
We are only about 2 years apart, but when my oldest son started college in 2005 her oldest daughter started K-garten. This year, my DD is a senior and her youngest started K-garten.

starting over [2007-08-31]
I have two girls, 21 and 19. I now have a son 17 months old!!! yes, that He was a surprise - and what a joy he has been to us!!! I was 41 when I had him. I cried for a couple of days when I found out I was pregnant, and my two daughters were speechless!!! My oldest daughter is married, and my youngest daughter is in college - talk about starting over!!! when we are out, everyone thinks he is my daughter

I know what you mean [2007-08-30]
Not family, but my friend has a 20 year old and a 23 year old and I have a 13 year old and a 4 year old. She got married right out of college and I didnraising my daughters and her children are out of the house on their own.

I haven't been on [2007-08-21]
maternity leave since being an MT, but I would think 6 weeks, since that is the norm in a place of business.

I have 2 boys also. [2007-08-14]
My boys are 20 and almost 17. It actually gets much better. The only advice that I can offer is take away something that is important to them when they do not act appropriately and be consistent. Don't give in. Do it more than once and they'll know you mean business.

Your best bet is to get a job in a hospital or clinic, sm [2007-08-04]
where there will be someone to mentor you for a few years, the more, the better. That's how most of us oldtimers started out. We built our foundation BEFORE going out on our own. We had our tools (MT reference books) before we tackled this job on our own. At this point in your career, you haven't a clue as to how much you don't know. I always use this analogy when talking to newbies who think they can go out on their own. If a person takes 2 years of high school French and goes to France, that person is not going to be able to follow any conversations, read street signs, let alone speak French correctly or even read a simple menu! And that's with 2 years of formal education! (I know this as a fact because I lived in France for 3 years and then took high school French for 2 years. I couldn't make my way through France now without someone FLUENT in French helping me. MT is learning a language exactly like learning French or another language. You have slang and different accents to learn and deal with. However, for MT, and unlike French or Spanish, etc., there are terrible, terrible consequences to pay, for the patient, the physician, and hospital if the MT makes a serious mistake that goes unnoticed until it's too late. (And that can easily happen with newbies transcribing rad reports, MRIs, etc.--very, very scary!!) Even doctors out of medical school have to go through internship and residency programs for years while being supervised, and we, as MTs, are supposed to know what they're all talking about and how to spell it, too! This is a serious business. You must pay your dues. Another word of advice: Take time to read good literature to build up a good vocabulary. Like I said, MTs have to keep up with men and women with advanced degrees, using annabananafrom the get-go! I wish you the best of luck. I can tell you have what it takes to be a top-notch MT. Live--and LEARN!!!

I don't know if I can help, but I sure feel your pain, SM [2007-05-27]
Except for the ages of your kids and DH's occupation, I could have almost written your post. I have a 17 YO who is never home, a 9 YO who is a pretty good kid, and an 11-month-old daughter. Hubby is self-employed and gone a lot (has to for work reasons). Like you, my life is work/kids. Nothing else. Like you, I see people my age with their kids grown or almost grown, finally having ME time, and I have NONE. We are trying really hard to keep DD out of daycare, but it Since she started crawling/almost walking, it She hates the playpen and is not usually a good napper, though will sometimes take a nap in the morning. Right now I am getting up at 3 a.m. to start working, but she doesn Also dealing with 17 YO School got done on the 24th. I love my DD dearly (she wasn't planned but was a BIG surprise), but this is the hardest thing I have EVER done. Sorry for all the venting!!!! It will get better as your kids get older. It Could you try some kind of a reward system -- such as if you let mommy get work done, we can (reward). That used to work when my boys were younger. I agree with the other poster - even an hour walking around Wal-Mart can help, or now that it Is joining a fitness center (where they have free child care) an option? Iam hoping to do that sometime. Do you have a neighborhood teen looking to earn some summer $$? How about someone coming to your house to entertain the kids for a few hours if you are trying to finish up in the evenings? I know it's really, really hard having no time to yourself (HUGS).

Career Step from what I hear is another great online school as well... [2007-05-07]
I also agree with the other poster about babies sleeping so much the first few months that you could definitely get some studying done then, too, but remember to take care of yourself as well and try to fit in some rest. As you know, having a baby can really take a toll on the ole' body! I also found working around a baby's schedule was much easier than working around a preschooler which I am currently doing at the moment, thank God for preschool and naps! LOL! On another note, I went to a community college to become medical Transcriptionist (have been doing this for about 15 years now), this was before they had such great online schools, but I have heard Career Step is right up there with the others you mentioned. Just research to find a good fit. Good luck!