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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Does anyone know how long it takes for tests to be graded at MediVoxx or OSI?

Posted By: FG on 2007-06-02
In Reply to:

I recently tested at both companies and am beginning to wonder how long this process takes. While I am waiting for their replies, if anyone could tell me of other corporations that hire new MTs I would appreciate it.  


 




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Then you don't have what it takes to make it

as an MT.  If you can't digest truthful information being given and have the courage to digest it, apply it to any areas of yourself that might need tweeking, then you will not last as an MT.  This industry can be pretty rough at times.  If you have thin skin, you won't make it.  I can only imagine how you will take QA feedback.


Good luck to you.


Takes time

My friend made $50,000 last year and has only been doing MT work for 4 years now.  It can be done.  You just have to find the right companies and work hard to get what you want.  She has never worked for any nationals.  She does do IC work for 3 companies right now.  I just graduated and am looking forward to getting my first job. 


Good luck! 


It takes time

I think most do, but I have heard some do not.  You just get to where you can proof as you go.  I know it seems like you are not very fast right now and that 1200 to 1600 lines a day is completely unreachable, but it is possible.  There is an MT with the company I work for who commits to 2300 lines a day.  I could not do that.  It just takes time to build up your speed and make as many shortcut keys as you can. 


You will get better, it takes time
We have all struggled in the beginning.  Pretty soon, you will find you look up less and less each day and many days you won't have to look up anything at all!  Hang in there and persevere.  You will be okay.
Don't worry sometimes it takes
awhile to get the hang of it. I haven't been doing this very long either and it took me looking things up alot of the time to get it right. Left alot of blanks at first. But sooner or later you'll get to know the drugs that are used frequently and then you'll turn into a pro! Don't let it get you down, take it moment by moment if necessary! God bless and email me if you want to chat some more!

You'll do fine!!
It takes a while to break into the field

and start making a decent living. There are huge differences in companies. You might get paid the same cpl but make much better money with one company over the other. If you keep your eyes open, sometimes you find a really good one. Also be sure you have a good Expander program and keep finding ways to speed up your own typing.


You have to retrain your ears for ESLs and it takes

some time.  If you tend to have the same ones regularly it really helps.  What I do is, if I have blanks I just mark a blank and continue the report.  When I finish the report I go back and relisten and I am usually able to get the blanks because I have figured out the accent.  If you get QA back make copies of the reports for future reference.  If you have a couple of reports by the same doctor and don't have to send them in immediately, sometimes you can pick up something in one report you didn't in another and you can go back and fill in.   Getting up for a short break does help, also taking a deep breath and closing your eyes while you replay the dictation helps.   I have dictators that I just cringe when I see them come up, but I just take a deep breath and just jump in.  If I have the right frame of mind I find that even the difficult ones tend to go better.  If I'm tired and frustrated I chose another dictator that isn't so bad and come back to the bad ones.  I download via internet so I know who I have and I can do them in any order - I'm not cherrypicking.  


I have had new ESL dictators and I swear they aren't speaking English and it can take me a couple of sentences to figure anything out and then I go back to the beginning and I can do it better then. 


I only work part time but it takes me...sm
all day to do the work. I have one at home and my other two are in elementary. I only do about 500 lines per day, but I it takes the whole day to do it because I stop and play, read, and BE with my little one. She just turned 5. I used to work in the evenings or at night when she was younger, but now I do it during the day. She has a desk beside mine and she does her "work". But then she wants to be held or read to or played with and that is when I stop and do those things with her. IF I needed to make more money or if I was needed to work more then I would find someone to watch her or work when she is sleeping. I would never expect a child to sit in front of a TV all day by herself (which is what it is if you are not paying attention to her) and be okay and well behaved.
SOAP Transcription takes on newbies who test well. nm
s
SOAP Transcription takes on experienced newbies for ER and rehab medicine. They use
s
How long did it take you?

How long did it take you to "develop an ear for it"?? i have a test to write in 2 weeks and with this one doc that is on the test, i really don't think that i will be ready!!!


 


Any suggestions???


how long...
I guess that depends on the individual.  I was going to school, working a full-time job, and working with DKM at night and on weekends.  I was pretty slow to start, but had decent typing (WPM).  Some of the docs are tougher than others (including their fields and associated terminology, etc.) and still are.  Sometimes, the audio slows me down.  But, I started in October 2004 and quit my other job in May 2005.  I have been working full-time at home since then.  Each of our docs is different and depending on which one I am working on, my production goes up or down.
How long have you been an MT?

I work the *** account and very few of the doctors have bad accents.  In fact, I think only one is hard to understand and since his stuff is all edit work it isn't that bad.  I actually thought the majority of the work is easy to understand and can get line counts quickly.  If you haven't been an MT for long let me tell you... CHA is an easy account and most others I have worked are much more difficult to understand! 


 


Pay is a bit lower than I'd like, but I'm going to ask about that being changed.


I have always had work and always been paid on time.  They do IM the whole team about the Q being full and needing people to log in and work, if you are already working then just ignore the IMs, I'm sure they aren't intended for those of us working already. 


My understanding from emails lately is that they are having issues with MTs who aren't doing work properly or working their comitted hours/times.  The clients are getting a bit upset about these things. 


I may be leaving, but that is only because I need to find an employee position for the health insurance for my family since my husband is changing jobs in May and will no longer get ins through work. 


I've had no issues with either Rajesh or Laila and both have been helpful and kind to me.  I guess each person is going to have a different experience with each company...


But how long does it take U to do 45 min. job?
x
How Long Did It Take
Shawna , how long did it take you to complete the CS program?
how long
does it typically take to transcribe 500 lines?
How long does it take you to
type one hours' worth of a doctor's dictation?
How long would it take to transcribe
30 minutes of dictation?  I'm taking on a new IC job, and the supervisor asked how many minutes of dictation I would like.  I'm guessing I should start at 30, but I'm not sure about how long that would take.  I've had about 8 months' acute care experience.  I don't want to take on more than I can handle.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
60 days is too long even for me
/
I've done both and all I can say is to think long and
hard before you choose either one. Neither job is all it's cracked up to be once you get to the "real world" of work.
How long to stay with first MT job?

I have a question that I have not really been able to get some sound advice on and was hoping the posters of this board could give me their opions.  I would appreciate any views.


The question is how long would you stay with your first (low paying) MT job?  I am starting to make some fair money now, but am spending 12+ hours per day to do it, which actually comes out pretty low per hour.   While I do appreciate the opportunity to be working right after training, I also feel limited by not having two year's worth of experience yet to try to move on.  Most places seem to prefer MTs with at least the two years experience.  On the other hand, I am getting very good work experience where I am and do not run out of work.  I can't keep up this particular pace forever for what I am earning overall.  Would you wait out two years for the experience?


How long is it taking all new MTs
I have been at this job for almost three months and I have yet to rest the goal everyday in one week.  I can't wait until my little ones are in daycare/school again!
Are you at the current doc's office all day long? sm
I was thinking that if he wants you to transcribe from his office, could you get that done in a couple of hours, and then go home to work from there? I started my "home work" with one doc. She raved about me so much that all her doc friends called me to get me to work for them. Sit down with your doc and feel him out. He could be a real help to you! Good luck!
How long did it take you to finish MTEC?nm
nm
Some advice on becoming an MT. See long message.
First, you MUST have excellent grammer, spelling and listening skills. Without these, don't bother. You won't be a success.

Transcription is not something you can do in your spare time. It is a very demanding profession. If you work as an independent contractor (IC), you set the amount of time you want to work, but your paycheck is dependent upon how much work you do. If you are not a fast typist, your hourly pay will be low. I think the average MT does around 150 lines per hour. At 8 cents per line, that's $12 an hour. This is just AVERAGE pay.

If you are an IC, you will usually have no benefits. No insurance, no paid time off, all taxes come out of your check. If you work as an employee, you will have to keep a schedule, and usually a minimum line per hour to stay employed.

Becoming an MT requires a lot of training. You are going in the right direction with a nationally approved school. One of the three will give you a better chance at a job if you graduate with high marks. But even after school, it can take up to 3 years to become fully trained and making "good" money, which runs between the $12-$18 per hour range. It is a big time investment.

My advice is call Career Step. I believe Andrews and MTEC will counsel you extensively before they will accept you, to make sure you really understand what you are getting into. I hope Career Step does the same, but I haven't heard as much about them.

It is a tough field, and not going to get any easier, although I still think it is a great profession. You have to look at all the aspects before you decide if it's for you. Call the school. In fact, I would make a list of questions and call all three schools. They can probably help you better than any of us can.

Best of luck on whatever you decide to do.
TAKE THE TESTS!
Most places will let you take there tests, then they can determine if they feel like you have the experience to work for them. The worst they can do is turn you down. As for entry level johs, search the boards. There are usually a few on there all the time. You might start out with a low pay rate, but it will give you the experience that you can use for the better paying jobs in time.
Thanks!
tests
No I do not need help on the tests. I was stuck on a word in a transcription assignment. I had researched it but came up empty. I just needed to know where else to look or anything.

I do not need help with tests.
Distance learners--how long did it take to graduate?
I am enrolled in a program right now that is supposed to take 9 months, but I am now on my 14th month (I think I am close to graduation now). I was just curious as to how long it has taken others to graduate who took MT distance learning courses. Thank you.
Lots of stress and long hours doing MT especially - sm
when you are first starting out. If you have to live on this, then in the beginning it is not a good choice. But if you are married and have a spouse income to live on and yours is just supplemental then that will work. When I first started 5 years ago I made $5K the first year, granted that was PT but I worked FT hours basically. I still work PT but practically FT, 30+ hours a week. I made about $16k this in 2006. Now I am not a fast typist (100-160 lph depending on dictator), and I find it hard to sit here and type for a solid 6 hours so I get easily distracted and goof off instead of working or else I am sure I could do $20K+ easy as I have more good than bad dictators. But some companies have mostly ESL and it is very hard to make money that way especially starting out. So many factors factor into to your income, your ability and typing speed, the ease of dictators, and if you can be dedicated and not get distracted. Obviously the more you can dedicate yourself and work consistently the more money you can make, just depends on your personal goals. Good Luck.
Or not so much stress or long hours, decent pay
I totally understand what you're saying, but being an MT varies so much based on what you bring to the job, where you work, and what kind of account you have that it's pretty tough to predict how any particular person will do. I'm very happy with my job. I find it to be the least stressful job I've ever had, love the predictable hours, and made 34K this last year working strictly a 40-hour week. This is after 1-1/2 years as an MT. I found the first 6 to 9 months terribly stressful because of the high learning curve, but once I settled into my account the stress level dropped considerably. I'm still working the same hospital account I started on, but also work other accounts as necessary. I work for a company that many people on this board say they can't make any money working for; it must have a lot to do with the stability I've had on my account that I am able to make reasonably decent money.
I also agree that there will be jobs for a long time. sm
Been doing this for 18+ years. You won't get rich, but you can make a decent living, at least as much as you would make on most secretarial or retail jobs, once you get the training. I make around $24,000 a year, but I don't push like I used to. I could make more teaching, have the qualifications, but nothing in the world would make me face that. It's a nightmare.

There will be decent jobs in transcription or editing for years, but not the gravy some of us are used to. Just a decent wage, probably average $12-18 an hour from now on, hope it doesn't drop lower. I don't think things are going to be too rosy in many other fields either, so I'll stay where I am until I'm ready to retire. JMO.
As long as you're posting links, how about this one from Berkley
especially where it shows US MT hourly wage at $13.17 and Indian MT hourly wage at $1.50-$2.00. With $11 an hour savings you can hire a lot of QA'ers and still make a killing!
typing tests
Don't understand the reason either.....I just take the test...
Taking Tests
I am considering MT as an at-home career also and I wanted to know what is the procedure to sending in resumes, taking the tests, etc.? Also, are you hired on an hourly basis or by the amount of lines you can produce in a certain time? Any help and advice you can send my way is very much appreciated.
Employment tests
Most services want to see 98%, or at the least 97%, on an employment test. Anything less than that is "failing" in their eyes.

Think about it from their perspective. If their clients expect 98% accuracy, you need to be able to produce 98% accuracy. If you can't do that while being tested, which they assume is your best effort, you're not likely to do it on the job later.

Not saying this is a great thing or not, just that it's what they may think.
online tests
I also took the Medquist exam after they sent me an email requesting that I take it.  I felt very confident that I did well but was told I did not pass.  They said to take it again in three months, which is now.... and now I have no confidence at all to do it.
Passing tests but . . .
Is anyone else having this problem?  I am passing tests and being told that though I passed, I don't have the experience required for the position I applied for.  They then tell me that they will keep my application on file until some thing opens up that I do qualify for. How often do we see a position listed that doesn't require experience?  I know I did well, so I don't think that they are lying to me, but it is frustrating.  The only skill I lack is speed, but that will only come with experience.  I guess I'm just writing this to vent.  Why won't anyone give me a chance?!  Ok, now I'm off to take another test. 
If you can't pass the tests. . .
If you can't pass the tests, that is an indication that your knowledge and/or ability isn't what it needs to be to do the job.

If you're getting a chance to test, they ARE giving you a chance. THE TEST is the chance.

You can improve your chances by learning more. Get some materials that Allied didn't use and study with them. Get the BOS and learn it by heart and be able to apply it. Get some HPI training materials and transcribe them. Then try testing again.

The one thing that won't help is begging for "a chance." Employers can't afford to spend money on that chance--they have a job that needs doing at 98% accuracy. If you can't show them you can do that, they're not going to give you a job.
Typing tests
I've never seen a typing test, timed or untimed, as part of any medical transcription application process. Transcription tests, yes, but not TYPING tests.

If I had ever been asked to take one, I'm afraid I would have gotten up and walked out. I would have assumed that the employer didn't understand the nature of the work they were calling "medical transcription." If they didn't understand that, they wouldn't be likely to understand much else about it, either, and that would be unfortunate for everyone.

If you're applying to legitimate MT employers, I don't think they will ask you to take a typing test. I do not believe our students have reported having to take a typing test, either.

You might want to check what MT services actually require.

That being said, you should . . . of course . . . improve your keyboard speed. That isn't achieved by going faster, but by keying slowly enough that you don't make any typos, but just keep going on and on. Eventually, you'll speed up. Try keying medical reports and books. There are lots of them on the internet.

In order for you to work comfortably as an MT, you'll need to be able to keyboard a whole shift, or about 7 hours with a 10 minute break every hour and a half-hour to an hour break in the middle.

You can do this if you start now and work at it gradually and without causing yourself stress. :)
Typing Tests
I have applied to several online companies and I haven't found any that don't require a typing test. Do you know of any? Also, as a newbie with no working experience, it's extremely to get my foot in the door anywhere. Thanks.
How long have you been away? Might need a refresher course from a local college or business school.
s
The timed tests are a test of how well you know

your stuff.   Some of comes from education, most comes from experience.   If you are unable complete the test without it timing out then you know you still have lots to learn.  No 2 tests are the same so you can't take it enough times to get all the answers, but it gives you an idea on what kinds of things they are looking for and shows you your areas of weakness, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.   I have nearly 20 years of experience and I have some across questions on testing that I had to look up.   Not all tests are timed, but I did take one test that was timed and it timed out on me too; more probably because I was rereading everything and didn't realize it was a timed test, but I was still offered a position.  You just might get started on clinic notes rather than acute care and your pay rate will most definitely be lower than if you had scored better. 


I flunk many tests at first, but I learned from each one - sm
that is what you must do. I used to joke that I learned more from the tests than I did from my course. Not quite the case but I did learn a lot from the tests too, they were certainly eye-opening some of them. All you can do is keep trying, what is the saying you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, well finding a MT job is sort of the same thing, in both finding a job and finding one you like. Try again at Transolutions when they say you can try again (usually 6 months) and in the meantime apply anywhere and everywhere that you can. Good Luck.

Are you not passing the hiring tests or isn't
s
You can leave blanks and some tests even have

instructions on how to notate a blank.   I have 20 years of experience and I have only had one test in my career that I have had to leave a blank,  but there are usually different levels of reports.  One report may be very clearly dictated, clinic type work where there really isn't a lot of medical terminology.  Another may be an acute care report, possibly an Op, and then one may be a report there the sound quality is bad, an ESL dictator, or a fast talking US dictator.


The company is trying to get an idea of your skill level.  If you do very well on the first report but not so well on the second and horrible on the third, then they will probably offer you a clinic account and start you off at the bottom of the pay scale.  


Leaving a blank wouldn't count against you as much as guessing at something and getting it wrong.   I don't think leaving a blank will stop you from being offered a position, but excessive blanks would probably would. 


trouble with online tests?
Anyone else applied to Medquist or FocusInfomatics and have trouble passing the test??  I cannot figure out why I did not pass the transcription test and they can't tell me...just hoping I'm not alone...thanks
Sorry, meant pre-employment MT tests.
nm
MediVoxx
A company called MediVoxx in Louisville KY gives newbies a chance! They did me and I've been with them for two years now.
Medivoxx
I am a new grad looking for employment. If anyone has any information on Medivoxx, I would appreciate any replies.
Medivoxx
I was wondering if anyone has worked for this company. If so, how did you like it?
MediVoxx
I currently work for MediVoxx. Pay is 5 cpl. You receive VR files which help with most docs and some not. Their staff is great. I've been with them for two years now...right out of school they hired me.