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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Also, you better hope you like working for them, because (sm)

Posted By: Deb on 2008-07-22
In Reply to: Medical Trans. Staffing School- here is one Summer - toni

that's all they're training you for. Most companies have never heard of this training program, and unless you have 2 years' of experience, they won't hire you. This place trains you to work for THEM only. You have no way of knowing how qualified you would be to work elsewhere.


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Uh oh, I hope you are not an MT because
I found an error in what you just typed!!!! Uh oh!!! You said, luckily you smelled something FISH and a lot of money, etc. LOLOLOLOLOL Fish. I bet she did. LOLOL
Yes, there is hope.

Even transcriptionists with a lot of experience have to leave blanks, which is an important part of this job because you should NEVER EVER guess.  There is such a thing as an "educated guess" and context clue guessing, which I have done, but I have a lot of experience and still there are times when I just cannot fathom what they are saying or have never heard of that term.  That is why this board is a very good tool.  I wish I had known about it earlier in my career.  I have learned so much from simply reading.  As a matter of fact, I learn something new everyday.  By the way, welcome to the world of medical transcription.  Enjoy the ride because it goes so fast!    


There is Hope
You typed 3,716 words over 150 minutes and still made $$? That comes out to about 25 wpm! There is hope for me after all!!! My current typing speed is about 25 wpm!
Hope you don't mind

I really hope someone chimes in with the answer to your question but I wanted to comment that I have heard nothing but positive reviews for MTEC and the reviews have been mixed, but leaning towards the positive for Career Step.   There are some CS students and alumni that will defend their school tooth and nail that it is not a second class stepchild to MTEC, and some that feel that MTEC (or Andrews) would have been a better choice. 


I had a friend who could not afford the down payment for Andrews, and either could not or did not want to try to get the Sallie Mae loan for MTEC, and I steered her towards the CS program at Everett CC because she had pell grant and student loan eligibility. 


You might want to ask some national companies whose grads they hire.  I asked a few (you could certainly ask more than I did, and I recommend that), and one listed a few schools I had not even heard about up to that point. 


It seems that the companies have some thing going on with CS because many of them have a link to request training info from CS.  Not a guarantee of employment by any stretch but worth asking what that is all about.  (hopefully not just about getting money from CS for advertising and referrals).


If it were me I would choose MTEC over CS.  But my decision is made - I chose Andrews over both of them and as soon as I can bring myself to send in the $1500  down payment(its just a scary amount of money to plop down), I am doing it!


Thank you for post. It gives me hope
since I'm getting frustrated at the moment.
hope i'm not being too nosey but........
how much more schooling do you have and what state are you in?
Now there's a newbie I have hope for!
Somebody who can already communicate effectively! Just the same, I hope you chose your school carefully, jwhitman.


wow, I hope I do not turn out like you
after 15 years of transcribing. You really sound resentful.


Hope this is not a bad sign

I just finished a dictation that the dr. cancelled 20 seconds into it because he "already did it on EMR".


Acct still has a large volume of work, but I wonder if they are easing into EMR.


Has anyone else started to run into this?


I work for a service so at least this one account is not my only source of income, but it does provide a lot of work.


Keeping fingers crossed.....


That is really low pay. I sure hope you are not an IC to boot!
nm
I hope this info. will help you. SM
I posted this several months ago on this board, and have copied here for you:

I truly do not believe there is an online or distance learning program, or even a four year college degree for that matter (yes, I have a 4 year degree in healthcare administration with emphasis in medical records) that will prepare a new MT for the "cut throat" world of MT. When I say cut throat, I don't necessarily mean cruel, but rather very competitive. You better know your stuff or you will not survive, or at least not make a good wage, unless you have the hands-on experience of working in a hospital in a wide variety of specialties with close supervision. Yes, one can succeed starting out at home if you have one specialty and learn that inside and out. The time and errors involved in the learning process starting at home in a variety of specialties for a national company (which for the most part is required to compete in this profession) will afford the new MT a minimum wage at most. Like I mentioned in my previous post, there are those few gifted new MTs who will pick up new specialties and satisfy the large online companies, but the general population will not. Just like a doctor, you have to spend several years in fellowship or internship to work your way up with fund of knowledge, etc. I say to any newbie, if you think you have what it takes, go for it. I'm just trying to be honest in saying that you need to be realistic in this profession, as sample dictations in school, as well as test dictations, are no comparison to the real world of MT where we continue to learn even after many years on the job. I hope this helps any new MT take the route that will be of most benefit to them in this profession.
Hope this helps

I got this by typing "set font" into the help area:









Set the default font


  1. If your document already contains text formatted with the properties you want to use, select that text.
  2. On the Format menu, click Font.
  3. Select the options you want to apply to the default (default: A predefined setting. You can accept the default option settings, or you can change them to suit your own preferences.) font. If you selected text in step 1, the properties you want will appear in the dialog box.
  4. Click Default.

Any new document you open will use the font settings you select.

(The default button is on the lower left hand side of the format font screen.)
hope it helps
I really appreciate your reply. I'm not concerned with benefits as I can go on my husband's group insurance. I saw a post that MDI-MD takes part timers. Ever hear of them?
Hope this helps
I was just in your shoes. I saw on the job board the other day there was a posting:

MTs wanted for Clinic work - all specialties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted By: Alana Boser on 2008-02-19

TransRx Medical Trans. Needed immediately, full and part time MTs for clinic work. Newbies welcome, on passing testing process. Line rate /65 char line - depending on experience and test results. Click on the Apply Now link to submit your resume.


Hope for Newbies

Hi All!


I am a newbie. I haven't even officially graduated yet. I attend a school that has been called a 'matchstick school'. I have figured out why there was so much negativity about my school. The students are only required to do 20 (GASP!) transcription assignments throughout the course. However, the CD we are given to work off of has over 100 dictations. I would not be defeated by this school! I not only did the required assignments, I worked my way thru the other 100 in my own time.


Well, this weekend I found a website that lists 137 transcription companies located in the USA. I wrote my resume, omitting the name of the school I attended. I also listed all the transcriptions and specialties I worked on. I listed the amount of time I spent working on these as experience. Then I wrote up a cover letter expressing my desire and drive to work for a great, solid company. I sat at my computer over the weekend and went down the list of the companies. I emailed EVERY company on there with my cover letter and resume. By Sunday night I had a request to test with a company. I tested with them Monday afternoon and by Monday evening I had a job offer. They have asked me to start tomorrow. I also have 4 other requests to test with different companies sitting in my inbox. This amazes me because I have not even officially graduated yet!


Please do not mistake this for bragging. I have worked very hard and have been extremely discouraged over the past several months. I have sent out over 100 resumes and have had my fair share returned stating I do not have enough experience. During my downtime I worked thru all the dictations my school offered. I also found a website that helps improve typing speed. So for all you newbies, do not give up. When you are not job searching, practice your transcribing, even if it is one you did a hundred times before.


I hope this gives some fellow newbies some hope.


A little hope for newbies!

Hey ya'll!


I just want to give a little hope to fellow newbies out there! I have finally found my first job!


I started searching at the beginning of the semester, and now, a week before graduation, I have finally gotten my first position!


It takes a lot of hard work, determination, begging, crying, giving up, starting again, crying some more, and networking, but it pays off in the end!


So please, don't give up! Test, network, practice, make phone calls, apply for positions, knock on doors, pretend your sick so you can get some one on one time with your doctor, and most importantly, pray! You will get there!


Good luck everyone! I hope this gives ya'll a little boost! I know how frustrating it was, but you'll forget all about that when you finally get a "yes" from someone!


I'll be praying for all of you!


I emailed you; hope it helps.
.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you can find one
x
you're quite welcome! hope it helps.
x
Great job! I hope you find a job

I hope you lose everything you own because some DEPENDABLE Indian - sm
took your job!!
She is incoming new MT and I hope that she can get some help here. Previous posts

that I had to remove were made by experienced MTs and were very ugly in nature.  Nichole came here and asked for help and when she was ridiculed only then did she retaliate.  I posted a Sticky above about helping incoming new MTs and not treating them like they are trash.  I would ask all experienced MTs to please follow that advice or don't post at all.


Thank you,


Administrator


I sincerely hope that you do not own/manage an MTSO.
If you treated employees with as little respect as you do others on this board, I don't think you would have many employees for long.  You have been condescending and rude.  My only point in this whole thread has been that you can go from nursing to MT with some hands-on training.  I have never said that formal training wasn't helpful, it's just not always necessary. Have a wonderful day! 
More important than typing speed I hope
you chose a good school.  Doesn't matter how fast you type if you can't get a job because she chose a more "affordable" school that didn't give you the education you need to get a job. 
Let's hope it's YOUR medical records she gets to transcribe.
You should be bashed. Lying isn't going to do her any good. If they test her and she fails, or even if they hire her, if she has a crappy (AHP) education she's not going to keep the job anyway.

She's not going to "fool" anyone into thinking she has 3 years experience, especially when she's fresh out of a crappy MT school and doesn't know what she needs to know to work as an MT. Even if they didn't check her references in the beginning, they probably will once she starts working and it's obvious she doesn't know what she's doing.
I hope you're being paid a decent wage and not being
taken advantage of, which happens a lot.
working
I finished my course and now I am trying to work from home, but everyone wants experience. What can I do?
Working for them and....
it seems to be going well.  I am a newbie and they are giving me a chance, which is more than others would do.  All I can say is give it a try.
But if you are working as an IC, YOU
should purchase the software, pedal, etc. needed to do the job. Otherwise you are trying to be an employee. But at any rate, no I would not pay an 11.95 admin fee to get a job. Why don't you get a job somewhere else for free if you want a job?
If you are already working, why do you (sm)
need to change jobs? You said you have references from the doctors you are working for. So by working for do you mean transcribing for, or other work?

I'm confused.
? working as IC
I have a lot of questions.  When you work as an IC do you need to set up as a business and file your taxes in a business name or -- just add the income thru a 1099.  We file a joint return.
if not working, i would still take it.
knowledge has no price. if she is not working right now, than gaining the experience is well worth it.
If she is earning a living transcribing, than no don't quit your job to earn $0 and learn.
I, on the other hand, think the offer is generous. It takes me just as long to proof a report than it does to transcribe it myself. Why would I want to pay someone to transcribe it, if I am going to have to proof it. It just does not make sense.
Yes, I am working now but
not for A Scripts
Keep working
I plan to keep working FT at the university where I currently work. I have talked to a few people who did Career Step for their training and were pleased I am trying to weigh the $1600 price tag with what realistic options that I would have upon completion.
Working at home
Just because you work at home does not automatically mean you get to pick your own hours. MT companies all have different needs, and coverage is needed, in many cases, 24 hours a day. Many companies will allow you to pick your own hours, but they will expect you stick to that schedule. Other companies will let you work anytime in a 12-hour window. It all just depends on the needs of the company.
working for peanuts

I am new to this board, but I will be glad to work for peanuts if I can just get my foot in the door!! Please feel free to contact me about any lesser paying jobs that are available. I'm articulate, but I still know I have to pay my dues.


 


Student and working
Well I can say this, I am a MT student at Career Step now.  I am also taking their coding program.  I have been subcontracting for a few months now for a couple of different places and I was just hired by another place yesterday so it can be done.  
working at home
I was just wondering what insurance company you worked for at home and what the name of the place was in New England. I would settle for something like this until I could get into a hospital.

Thank you!
Just Started working PT
I just graduated from Career Step and got a PT job within 2 weeks. Mind you it was the only company that was interested in doing the PT thing, plus I have dail-up, so I was really limited on my options. But, so you know, PT jobs are out there. Good luck.
They are probably all busy working! LOL
x
Wow! I could be working for the same company!
I felt the exact same as you do!! After six months I am finally on paid status, but the pay is not much. Good luck! Let me know if you find anything better!
working in a hospital
I work for a hospital and have for 20 years. I am an at-home MT.. I am a full-time employee just like anyone who has to physical go there everday. The pay is much better and benefits too.. There are some still out there.
working from home
I agree with the last post.  It's so hard to get hired with a company.  I was in the same situation you are....just finished school, had a baby, wanted to stay at home and do transcription.  So, during one of my office visits, I got the nerve up and asked my OB doc if I could do their transcription and they said yes!!!!  Their office manager was doing it and she hated it.  It was great!!!  I then got another account on recommendation from that office manager.  I think this is more doable for you than working with a baby, meeting quotas, not being able to pass tests, etc.  And, you may like "having" to get out of the house to pick up tapes!  I know I did!  It was a reason to get out every other day or so.  Also, you may have some flexibiltiy with having your husband or friend pick up and drop off your work.  I did that also.  One time, the office manager dropped it off to me because she lived nearby!!!!! Good luck!!
working from home

That is encouraging because if someone has been a Transcriptionist for twenty years and still has to leave blanks then there is hope for us newbies!


working from home
Have you tried testing with Medi-Voxx? They gave me a shot right out of school. I'm 53 and my kids are grown but I only wanted to work from home. I'm still with them after a little over a year and they are a great company that took a chance on me as a newbie.
I have been working now for 4 weeks (sm)
I am supposed to be typing 1200 lines a day, but I am now at 800 lines a day and can't seem to reach 1200. It is an acute care account with many dictators. I hope this week to get to 1000. I feel like I will never get to 1200!
Working from home
In case I wasn't more clear earlier, I am interested in hearing from people that have experience in working from home. I'd love to get advice on where to send my resume that doesn't necessarily require prior experience to be able to work from home immediately.
working in a hospital

If you have the opportunity to work alongside another MT in a hospital, TAKE that opportunity.  It will be much easier to learn with someone available to help you right when you need it instead of waiting on e-mails with corrections or using IM. 


traveling and working
One last question today.  Are many people able to travel on the job.  For example, my parents are 4 hours away, and I like to visit for extended time.  How many people use laptops and transcribe where they are?  I just would like to know the freedom you have on being able to leave town and still continue working.
working from laptop
You can either tether from your cell phone or get a wireless card that goes into your computer.  This is secure.  If you use the hotel wireless it might not be.  The teathering is about 60 dollars a month and it is monthly.  The lap top card is the same price but it requires a 2 year contract, at least that was the last time I checked.  Tethering actually works the best for me.  You can actually use it riding in a car at 80 miles per hour if you are in range of cell coverage whereas the laptop card drops the signal. 
Working for a "national"
I've only worked for a local hospital, but from all the negative comments I've seen about MTSOs, you'd be better off applying for one of those work-at-home jobs stuffing envelopes. The biggest complaint seems to be overhiring, with people waiting around for work to trickle in. It makes for excellent turnaround time, no doubt, but what MTSOs are doing should be against the law. National MTSOs should be outlawed altogether in my view, at least in the hospital setting. Any hospital that can't afford to do its own healthcare documentation isn't fit to serve the public. Another complaint with national MTSOs is way too many accounts, e.g., you rarely get the same doctor more than once and each account has its own profile/format that you have to familiarize yourself with on your own time. Add to that "clocking in" (for which you don't get paid) and unrealistic production requirements (taking everything above into consideration), and what you have is basically a minimum wage job. Good luck if you want to start your own business, but you will be competing with those nationals that can produce desired turnaround times (again, for the reasons stated above) and are offering lower and lower rates to compete with other nationals. I have nothing against local MTSOs, who do a good job for private practices and clinics, but national MTSOs are the root of all evil in this business. Greed does not begin or end on Wall Street.