I hate it when husbands INSIST on things ...
Posted By: deb on 2009-03-22
In Reply to: Transcription--pay per class? - Erika
when they don't know what they're talking about!
Way too many people drop out of MT courses, the schools are smart enough to get all the money up front.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Why do people ALWAYS insist it's a typo when the misspell a word? ! NM
x
I hate to tell you this....
But most people call them "Trans Scam." They'll scam you out of money, and you never seem to get "good enough" to make money from them. Get out of there now!!!!!!! Do a search here and on other chat boards to see what people have said about them.
You best bet is to just keep applying and testing with other companies. Eventually you'll find something. Good luck!
hate to tell you but yes I most certainly am an MTSO
as attested to by my corporate annual report to the Secretary of State, my notice of acceptance of an S-corporation by the Internal Revenue Service, my certificates of shares of the corporation, my quarterly payments to the Department of Employment Security for my employees and my portofolio in a corporate 401K. The OP said "sensitive information" which would hardly constitute your name and address which people even write down on blank pieces of paper at the supermarket to try to win a Caribbean cruise at the supermarket. And if I were you, little Miss Cop of the Internet, I would keep my fancy little fingers off this board. According to your own logic, how easy would it be for a hacker to get ahold of YOUR IP address and start stalking YOU down? The OP probably even has a site on MySpace for cryin' out loud. So go ahead and dispense your advice, i.e. panic, via the MTSTARS board. I'm sure that since you found this site it makes you an expert in all matters. LOL.
I hate to admit it, but ...
I figure if he forgot that he dictated it, he won't notice if I don't type it! So I start right where he starts over again.
Hate to be a downer, but ...
you're only going to learn what is taught in that course, and you have no idea of the things you're NOT going to learn. Sure it seems like you are learning a lot since you are starting at the beginning.
You will need to spend all the time you can on the internet, reading and learning more about everything that you learn in the course. There is a very good reason that the AHP course does not get good reviews here - or anywhere.
I realize you have spent money and have to do the best you can with what you've got, but hopefully someone who is still trying to decide upon a school will take note and make things easier for themselves.
hate-schmate - I think you exaggerate.
nobody "hates" the big three. What we do hate is the ridiculous constant sales pitch going on here, on a board that is supposed to help new MT's but obviously has turned into a place to grab one more potential client. All that gets posted here is "go to the Big Three and you will get a job without even testing"-- then when someone else posts to the contrare, that poster is attacked, ridiculed and dismissed as having unverifiable information. Nobody hates.
We don't hate our jobs. There's no money in it
anymore now that the corporations have taken us over & are offshoring our jobs. This field used to pay really well, but those days are over & it can be difficult to make minimum wage, especially on VR. Many MTs are trying to re-train to find other careers so they can actually make a living.
Sorry for mistakes...I HATE no preview option here. :( nm
x
I hate to burst your bubble, but some people can do it.
Maybe you can't, but I did. I took my knowledge of medical terminology that I learned as a nurse, combined that with good typing skills, was tutored by some exceptional seasoned transcriptionists, and became a quality MT myself.
why take all your advice from people who hate their career
It is true that there are a lot of people on this website that have had enough of their career and want to discourage everyone from being an MT. You have to remember that all the negative stuff people say about being an MT come from people who have been doing it for so long they are burned out. You also should consider the opinions of people who still love their job.
While it is true that it isn't easy to get started as an MT, it can be a worthwhile career. These experienced people just want to make sure you understand it isn't easy but it also isn't impossible. Check it out for yourself, research the schools, and make your own decision. Now that you know what you have ahead, you can make a more educated choice. Good luck.
Honey, I hate to burst your bubble, but
poor sound quality and bad dictators are reality in the real world of transcription, always has been and always will be. If you cannot do these dictations, you will not be able to pass hiriing tests, much less be able to keep a job. If the schools give out diplomas without assuring these people are ready for this type of work, then I feel very sorry for these students who spend a lot of money to take their course.
umm...I hate to tell you this...but further Labor Board stats show wages in 2004
at $29,530. They were $23,500 in 1997. So we've gained $6000/yr in 10 years? Woohoo- you're right-- Medical Transcription must not be in trouble.
"Compensation varies not only among regions of the country, but among types of employers as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical transcriptionists earned an average salary of $29,530 in 2004. The average hourly wage was $14.20."
"Medical transcriptionists averaged about $ 23,500 in 1997 woking in hospitals, and about $ 22,600 working in offices and clinics of medical doctors."
Some things to think about regarding
It's expensive and time-consuming for employers to train a new MT. You have to consider this from their perspective. They run a business, not a support group.
Being new to the industry, you won't know this, but the chance you want them to give you requires them to hire someone to, basically, do all your work over again and then tell you what's wrong with it, sometimes for six months. You're asking them to spend in the range of $20-30,000 in addition to what they paid YOU to do the work inadequately . . . so that you can have a chance.
If you've taken an employment test with them and have not scored in the 95% and above range, or, with some companies 98%, they're not going to take you because they believe that after completing a course, you should have been able to make that 95 or 98%. If you cannot, it tells them that you spent a year or two in school and still didn't get the message. They're not going to give you a chance because they think you already had one.
They also look at the school you attended. If that school has a reputation for turning out poor prospects, then the employer knows that hiring you will be a waste. He also knows that you could have determined in advance which schools he will hire from and whose graduates do well, and he thinks that you made your choice about jobs when you chose your school, and if you chose a school that he won't hire from . . . well, that was your decision. Not his. He owes you nothing.
Before you choose a school, do your research. Going with the lowest bidder gets you a low-bid education. You need to go with a school that can demonstrate results. Graduates of those schools do not have trouble getting a job.
If you have already completed a school and cannot get a job, you can go on to a better school, or you can look locally for a physician office employer and work your way up from there.
Most college programs train only at the "physician office" level. Most distance programs train at that level, as well, so you should have the skills for that kind of job. Once there, you can work your way up to a larger office, a larger clinic, perhaps a local hospital. Along the way, you can improve your skills by self study. It may take three to five years, but you can advance that way. It's often less expensive just to take a better course, even if you've already completed one.
If you are just out of school and nobody wants to hire you, they're telling you that your academic preparation is not what they consider to be adequate for the jobs they have.
there's several things to consider.
Are you working 12+ hours because it takes that long to get the required line count, or just to make enough money at your line rate? Under most circumstances, i would work your 1st job for at least 1 year, and maybe more. Many employers will overlook the time requirement, or not be as strict with it, if you have the knowledge and skills in place. Have you asked your present employer for a raise? Are you getting the mentoring that a newbie needs? Do you have worthwhile benefits? If you are getting 'very good' work experience and do not run out of work, it may be worth staying put awhile. E/m me if i can be of more help.
Things to look out for
There are errors in their course material. There are other courses that are more thorough with more accessible knowledgeable staff. Also be aware that there are people, a lot of them former students, out there who are "affiliates" that make a decent income by promoting CareerStep and getting people to sign up for the course.
Yes, but all those things you
mentioned can be written off as business expenses since they are required for your work. There are other write offs and percentages you can take as well by working from home, maybe not the whole heating bill of course.
Like working anywhere, there are always expenses incurred associated with any job.
there are all ways of looking at things
I'm going to respond to you, item by item –
>>>The seasoned MT's and recruiters are using this forum to vent on their frustration with the newer MT's.<<<
What I saw was one harshly worded message from MTSO. As a former business owner myself, I see where they are coming from. While I do not agree with the manner in which they expressed their views, I can look beyond their frustration and understand how they feel. Try to look beyond how MTSO expressed their views and focus more on what they were saying.
>>>This is just my opinion, but if you need to put others down to make yourself feel superior go to the site where the seasoned MT's are.<<<
Putting others down to make yourself feel superior is what kids do. And why are you using the term “seasoned MTs" when you speak of people with a lot of experience. You make us sound like a steak going on the grill.
>>>This site is for newer MT's that need advice and a place to talk to other new MT's. Seems inappropriate for the experienced MT's to jump on this site to talk about what makes them mad about the newer MT's.<<<
What MTO did is give you serious advice, and you need to seriously consider WHAT was said rather than HOW it was said. And if you want to speak of what’s inappropriate, I feel it is very inappropriate for someone trying to break into the industry to post messages on the Main Board asking for help with their test.
>>>Has it been that long that we cannot remember what it was like, or was it like this.
Every day of my life. And I was grandfathered for this job. I never went to school for it. If you had a good ear and good spelling skills, you received on-the-job training. I vividly remember my first day on the job ... I think I transcribe 250 lines in 8 hours. And the work was filled with blanks and errors. Now, I'm asked to do some dictators that more experienced MTs say they can’t do.
>>>I did not have to apply for a job with my computer. I actually got to speak face to face with someone hiring. Maybe if my lack of experience did not charm them, I could. I think it is harder to apply on paper than it was for us in person.
I agree with this. I do very well with face-to-face interviews. With respect to applying for a job over the Internet, it’s become “dog eat dog” so to speak. With so much being outsourced to foreign countries, there are thousands of MTs in this country who are fighting for the same jobs with the same companies. You’re no longer a person; now, you’re a white piece of paper with black ink on it. And that’s all you have to sell yourself beyond the competition.
<<<Let's lighten up a little bit ladies and play nice.<<<
Kill joy! 
mastering these things?
Doesn't a lot of this come with time? It's seems like with transcription, like anything, you have to jump in there and do it. If your serious about it, will you not learn to master all these things over time? I mean anyone can do anything they really put there mind to.
It depends on a LOT of things.
Have you systematically inundated companies with your resume? And what's your resume like? Is it EXCELLENT? Does it show the employer all the specialties you've learned? Does it show other experience that might be helpful, such as working at home in a home business (many employers wonder how you will handle being at home) or general transcription, etc.? Are you keeping HIGHLY accurate records of all the places you've applied to and following up with thank you notes even with the places that won't hire you? Have you reapplied after not hearing from them in a couple of weeks? Have you networked on different chat groups with other MTs? Have you placed your resume on any of the sites that take MT resumes (including this one)? What exactly have you done? We need more information!
Cannot say enough good things about M-TEC!
You get what you pay for! :-)
Depends on a lot of things
Depends on how long you have been working as an IC, do you have a husband that works and has taxes withheld, what deductions you have as an IC, combined income, etc. My best adcive is that if this is your first year as an IC, to go to an account with your last year's taxes, your husband's (if you are married) last pay check stub, a report of what you have made year to date and what your expenses have been and get some advice. Do not wait until after the first of the year when they are so busy. But for the first year talk to an accountant, pay $50 to $100 for some advice. They are not as busy right now and it could be cheaper than if you wait until the first of the year. Or else, get a copy of Turbo tax and try to do your taxes even it if is based on last year's program and that will tell you what you need. If you are married and have trouble putting aside money, I suggest you have your husband up his withholding, it is easier that way. E-mail me with questions and I will try and answer for you. Patti
Cannot say enough good things about M-TEC!
I graduated from the premier program nearly 8 years ago now and have been employed at home since graduation. I had numerous offers to test because many companies will waive the 2-year experience requirement for MTEC grads. I had job offers every place I tested, so I had my pick. Like the other poster said, go to their site and research or call them up. Best of luck to you! 
A couple of things...
1. People who hire do read these boards so, for your own sake, watch spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
2. Have you tried contacting your school for help with your job search? That should be your first step.
Lots of luck.
These questions seem like things
your instructor could answer better than anyone here could. In general, when to edit for grammar, what format to use, and how to decode mumblers are all things that you will get better at with more and more practice, so don't get too discouraged. For those hard to understand dictations, try playing at different speeds (even faster) and going back to the difficult parts after you have transcribed the entire report. As you do more and more reports, you can look back through them to figure out what a dictator might be most likely to say at that point, which may give you a clue. Another trick is to put key phrases around the part you can't understand in Google and see if you come up with something. You can put an asterisk for the part you can't understand and put the key phrase in quotes and sometimes that will help, for example "* prostatic hypertrophy."
It can really help to say it out loud in the doc's accent! Really! Some things just pop out at yo
s
Unless you are facinated with all things medical
.
Thank you so much for you honesty. The things you said are very true. I only wish I had read some
Hard to tell as each company does things differently.
I'm sure they'll ask the basics about your experience, what work type you prefer, hours/lines you can do each day, etc. They may ask you questions to see how well you know your stuff. They should also ask you if you have any questions and they should tell you what they are looking for, what their platform is, how they pay, etc.
typo, fascinated by all things medical. nm
.
Moving to California and selling a few things
Hi All,
I am taking a long break and moving to California. Yeap that's right I am just up and leaving. So I must travel Lite.
I am in search of a house to rent--so if any of you Californians know of a place I would appreciate it.
I am selling: This would be great for someone thinking of evidently having their own accounts.
C-phone and headset with instruction manual (paid $200)
USB universal foot pedal (paid $100)
Panasonic Cassette transcriber with foot pedal (regular cassette) (paid $250) Great for those doctors still using regular cassettes or great doing general transcription work.
Resource materials:
Medical Transcription Guide Do's and Don'ts 3rd edition (this is the most recent one) (paid $44)
Nurse's Pocket Drug Guide
PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook
Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary 27th edition
Sloane's Medical Word Book
The AAMT Book of Style
Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Illustrated in color) 28th edition with CD
The language of Medicine with CD inside
Medical Transcriptionist's Desk Reference (Carolyn Collins-Gates)
CD transcription sample reports
I would like to sell all as one price so best offer.
Plus there is the "monitor" board to report things, look at left - nm
s
I think jealousy makes the unsuccessful schools say bad things about the others
If I had a really bad school that nobody liked and it had a really bad reputation, what would I do? I would claim that education doesn't matter. I would tell people that you don't need all those books and materials because you learn it all on the job anyway. I would tell people that all schools are horrible. In other words, I would try to bring everyone else down to my level. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't why we see so much negativity about schools when the graduates tell a different story. Graduates of schools that do a good job say it was worth it. Graduates of stinky schools say they wish they had done it differently. Then someone yells that all schools are bad. I think they protesteth too much.
Sorry, I read the wrong post. I had way too many things on my mind.
but that said, I think the local hospitals would be your best bet. You can get invaluable experience there. Especially with acute care.
Good luck with your job search. WIll keep you and your family in my prayers.
Only 1 post recently from someone who heard good things and wished they
s
...You'll get questions & answers right away, make contacts. See things done as
s
Thank you Corp Anon! Everytime I say those things, somebody starts with the "oh, you're so neg
whining. But as an MTSO, I couldn't agree more. The resume is your first contact with the MTSO. It had better be good because you only get one shot to go on to the next round.
Just type what you hear. Lots of things are repeated in differnent notes.
s
Who said I HATE this field? I LOVE this field but
also see the changes coming down the pike. Also feel it is not fair to withhold or misrepresent that part of the equation to someone who is considering entering MT or just starting out. Knowledge is power. It would take years for a new MT to have the kind of insight into this field that a 20+ year experience lends. Believe me, I would be only too happy to keep running my MTSO, making $75,000+ year while working 20 hours a week, paying my MT's well, but it's not going to happen. Try reading "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman if you want a perspective of what's going to happen to not only MT work but a lot of great white collar jobs. India and the rest of the world are breathing down our necks and in the next decade will be serious competitors for American jobs. There will be no "american" jobs - we will be competing against the rest of the world for jobs.
Friedman states: "The convergence of 'flatteners' has created a whole new platform. It is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform enables individuals, groups, companies and universities anywhere in the world to collaborate...this platform operates without regard to geography, distance, time, and, in the near future, even language. Going forward, this platform is going to be at the center of everything...wealth and power will flow to those who get these basic things right...the infrastructure to connect with the platform and the education to get more of their people working on the platform.
Please wake up and look beyond our box.
9 cents per 65 character line and 9 cents every 65 char are two different things.
do they take your character count and divide by 65, or do you have a line length of 65 and you are paid for however many lines are on a page.
|
