I started MTing in 1979 and right not would not recommend it to anyone.
Posted By: Make way less money now. on 2007-01-12
In Reply to: not sure what you mean - mollie
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The truth about MTing. sm
You are the only one who can decide this. What you need to know: You must have an excellent background in grammar and spelling. Otherwise, forget it.
You must be able to set goals for yourself and meet them. This is not a field for "part-time" people to break into. You can work part time, but you will need to really put the time, effort and concentration in until you know the business. It was the hardest training I ever did, and I have 3 college degrees.
It does take 3-5 years to get comfortable with this field. If you are looking for something that will start making you money in 6-12 months, forget it. You will just have started. The money is there for those that do the work, realistically $12-18 an hour for the average MT. Sometimes when I start a new account, I'm lucky to make $8-10 an hour for the first several months. Do not be fooled by the "make $25 in your spare time ads," they are scams. A few exceptional people make that money or more, but most of us make a decent living, $25K - 35K a year.
If you are looking at a training program, be sure you get into one of the really reputable programs that can place you after graduation. (I only know of 3 of them although there may be several others. The rest give you a certificate and you're on your own; you're lucky to get a job.)
Yes, many of the companies are going off shore. Fortunately, there are still companies that insist on American quality. I have 18 years experience, including 10 years in-hospital. I can send out 2 resumes and get a job, but that's a lot of experience. Also, I no longer make the $24 an hour I did in hospital. I adjusted.
If you have the qualifications and you are willing to put in at least 3 years of dedicated training, then it's still a decent field, and I think it will be for years to come. But if you want a quick, stable income fast, I would look elsewhere. Just my opinion.
You want good news or the reality of MTing? sm
Got out of MT after 12 years recently. I had multiple job offers when I graduated from MTEC and have worked at home since that time. I have made excellent money most of those years and used to enjoy it. Over the past 3 years there has been a definite turn for the worse as far as the number of ESLs docs out there, as it seems all the docs who speak well are using ASR or switching to electronic medical records altogether. Also, instead of my line rate going up each year, many of us are now in positions where there are never any raises and we are being asked to take a reduction in line rate, be available to work 7 days a week, scrambling around to get what work there is on multiple accounts, etc. What other job do you know of where the more experience you get the less money you are offered each year? You are also competing in a job market right now where there are fewer jobs than ever and plenty of people with lots of experience. Yes, if I had to do it all over again I would not choose this career. Just MHO... 
I recommend you (sm)
start with a secure FTP server for uploading and downloading your work. Shop around for the best deal and pay attention to how charges are calculated for the server space. With that in place, it won't matter where you live as your clients can upload to the server over the internet and you can download from wherever you're living!
What course do you recommend? sm
I have a friend wanting to take an MT course. She has looked at Andrews, but cannot afford that. Is there another course that is more reasonable in cost, but still a good reputable "school"? Thanks.
Have it but don't recommend it
The purpose of this book is if you can only make out one word of a phrase, you can look that word up in this book and it will have a list of phrases containing that word. It definitely does not take the place of all the separate Stedman's specialty books.
The terms & phrases book has helped me out a few times, but all in all I do not recommend it unless you can get it for super cheap (like $10) somewhere. I would continue to collect the individual specialty books.
Usually here we recommend (sm)
Andrews or M-Tec. I don't know anything about Meditec, but grads of the first two I mentioned get jobs when they get out.
I've taken on an AHP newbie before, and she wasn't even ready for radiology without lots of help. It didn't teach her 1/5 of what I expected her to know.
I wouldn't recommend going FT with MT currently.
If you can do both for a while do that and then it will give you a chance to see if you like MT without having to give up the other job. You can get an idea of what your income would be as an MT and see if you could leave on that income alone. By working the 2 jobs you could also save some money or pay off bills so that if you did go MT full-time you would be in better shape when the lean times came around.
What training would you all recommend
Hi,
I am looking into schooling. I thought I had decided on Career steps, but after reading the board, Andrews and m-tech seem better. Is career steps a bad decision and does anyone know if it is easy to get a job after you graduate. I am looking to work from home only. I have an associates of applies science degree and passed my CNA course (certified nurses assistant). I planned on being a RN but got pregnant and am not willing to ever take him to daycare. I need to work from home and have been looking into medical transcription for almost a year now....... Just wondering what course will get me a job the easiest and if Career Steps is a good idea?
THANKS!
charie
I don't think it is. I would not recommend this business
to anyone. With all the work going offshore or going to VR and the line rates dropping, or not increasing with inflation, plus all the horrible platforms, etc. it just isn't the business I woulud want to retrain for.
I would recommend Stedman's Orthopedic
Word Book. It sounds like it isn't the exam that is the problem, but the tests/procedures, which is where a good reference source would help.
I recommend Career Step
I am a CS graduate and found it to be reasonably priced and very in depth! It prepared me well!!!
Go to www.MTinTexas.com for more info or feel free to email me at lyndi@MTinTexas.com. :)
HTH
I would not recommend it. Being a speed typist
isn't as important as being accurate, but if you have been typing "for years" and only type 55 wpm an MT course is not going to improve that. MT work can be very stressful. It is difficult for a newbie to get a position and the pay isn't very good even for experienced MTs who can work full-time. My MIL had MS and stress would make her muscles become rigid to the point she had to take some much Valium she was a zombie.
I wouldn't recommend MT for you based on your
situation, but if you have no previous MT experience/training you would need to take a course, either by correspondance or at a local community college. Training can take 9 to 18 months, or less depending on how much time you have to put into it, but if you are working FT you're probably looking at a year. Then you need to either get hired by a company that will hire newbies and pay them next to nothing, or do an internship, which you may or may not get paid for and may have to pay to do.
Hi So, what school would you recommend? Thanks in advance.:-)
xxx
Call their office to see which one they would recommend for you :) nm
x
I would not recommend buying the CD versions used
because you are only allowed 2 downloads and then they don't work.
I would not recommend Penn Foster. In order
to take any of their courses you have to have completed 8th grade, and that is about where the courses are geared to. My teen son is taking an automotive course through them and he knows more than is in the books and he has found many errors in the books. They emphasize that the testing is open book and if you do poorly they allow you to test again. I don't feel like you learn much this way. While the school itself is an accredited school in most states, I feel like it would be a waste of time and money for MT.
I would not recommend applying to Focus. That is a bad company and
t
I personally would not recommend them mainly because of the poor way they treat their staff.
/
It has started already and I'm
A friend wanted me to try to get her a job where I start next week. I'll be doing MT for an hourly wage. I have an educational background and training in everything related to it except actual transcription, but I am being given a training period to get my ears up and running, and I hope that I can get fast enough. I am working through a medical transcription text at home (bought it a year ago used to get more information about MT) to brush up and get some more information before I start. I am also gathering some reference materials to shore up what I already have at home from my previous studies.
Anyway, she said something like "maybe you can get me a job there too". She thought that I could get her "up to speed" with MT skills and recommend she be hired. I told her the reason I was hired w/o transcription education was because of my medical studies background. I had to take a terminology test as part of the assessment. She said that she would definitely fail that. I told her then, first of all, she should take a med terms course, to which she said pretty vehemently that she did not have the money to do so. I kind of stuttered at that point and kind of repeated what I had already said about my background helping me land the job. I think she got annoyed with me . But this is a job where you cannot wing it at all, and you need to invest in your training. Why is it so hard to explain that to people without upsetting them?
Recently when she knew I was looking for a job, she let me know that the tax prep firm she works for offers their tax preparer cost at a deep discount in January, and that once I pass it, I could apply to do part time or prn tax prep for them at the office where she works. While that was kind of "insider" info that I did appreciate, I feel like maybe now I upset her by not agreeing to try to get her a job where I work.
What do you do when people want you to get them into MT like this? If she asks again I am considering finding a practice dictation to listen to. I just know I can't put a word in for her if she doesn't even want to take a med terms course.
I started with
15 to 180 range per 2 weeks last year and now am getting 650 to 700 per two weeks. It depends on the account that you get. If you are working for somebody right now with work coming in regularly, concentrate on it. When you get your speed and accuracy up and believe that you can tackle more reports, try looking for another account.
however, when I first started out, I DID....sm
I DID pay quarterly when I first started out....gave the IRS about $500 every 3 months....totaling $2000 for the year for the IC side of my business (I also work for a national who takes out taxes with each pay period...which is good, cuts down on what all I owe the IRS by April).
Started out at 9, now up to 12.
Just depends on where you work, how much they need you, etc. If you are happy with that then do not worry about it!!
I started at .065 cpl
... and I was thrilled to make that, as a High Honors grad.
I started at 8 cpl
Considering how slow newbies are and how much they have to learn, I think 8 is very reasonable.
I started at 8 cpl
about 7 months ago. It isn't all about typing, really. I type about 98 wpm now, but with research, entering identifiers, finding doctors or city names, etc...the typing isn't as important, even though it still matters. Plus, after typing all of the reports Career Step has, you'll be typing faster in the end. When I started school I was typing about 74 wpm roughly, just to give you an idea.
Plus, there's always Typer Shark . I bought it while in school to get some typing practice. It's helpful and fun.
When I first started I had no MT
experience and no MT schooling. This was in the day before we had expanders. I did just under 700 lines a day and that was a hard 8 hour day. It was gross lines, so maybe 600 lines based on 65 characters. I don't know how long it took me to get to 1000 lines/day, but it was probably 6 months. You just need to build up your Expander a little bit and work smarter. Don't get on-line, build up your reference materials so that you don't have to get on-line much, you can look it up in the book and not be tempted to check e-mail, etc. Set an egg timer and work until it goes off, don't think about the laundry that needs doing or what you are going to fix for supper. Every hour take a 15 minute break and do the laundry, or lay out something for supper, etc.
How to get started
I have my BA in something totally different but I want to start looking into medical transcription so I can have the opportunity to work at home when I have kids. I just don't know where to get started. The places around where I live require 2 years of experience and a number of classes. Are there any places that you can just take a few classes and start working? Any information will help!
getting started
Hello- I am actually a dentist- and have been for 18 years. I am currently staying home with my child and thought MT might be a good avenue to travel for awhile. What sort of training do you recommend for someone who has a medical/dental degree. I have all the medical terminology and pharmacology etc I think one might need. I do not know anything about the digital transcription or have any equipment. What do you guys recommend?
Getting Started
Hi Andrea:
I've been doing transcription for 25 years and I love it. I've been working at home for about 6 years and for Medquist for 3 years. One thing I would tell you right off the bat is a lot of graduates have problems getting that first job because everyone wants experience. I would talk to the schools about what they offer in terms of finding employment once you graduate. I know Medquist used to have a school called Career Step and would hire you directly upon completion, but I haven't checked into it lately. I think the website is careerstep.com.
Other than than, it is never too early to start building a medical library. I would start with Dorland's Medical Dictionary or Dorland's Medical Speller. They aren't cheap, but you will get your money's worth over the years. I love my noise-cancelling headphones that I found on Medword.
I hope this helps you get started. Good luck!
I started with going to
Monster.com and placing a resume there. MTDaily is another place you can put in resumes. Keep passing resumes out. Look for a company and check out its reputation here and other MT service blogs or boards. I came here first and discovered that some companies don't pay until they see their names lit up here. I went looking for transcription companies advertising for doctors to type for, and then found the back door to their recruiting department.
Getting started
Just finished school-looking to start slow as IC- not fast, but accurate and dependable- any suggestions?
I started by doing transcription
for veterinarians! You might try a local specialty veterinary hospital to see if they need any transcription help. You do need to know a little bit about dog and cat breeds, but the body parts are pretty much the same (except for the tail)!
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.
Newbies I know started at 6 cpl
/
I started my education
at a community college and finished at PCDI, and the materials were identical, so I can't say either way is better, but the best help I got was once I started working, and the training on the job. I think PCDI teaches the basics, and if I were you, I'd shoot for an in-house position to start with to have some help. All of PCDI's tapes were incomparable to what you really get. If I had a doctor speaking like that, I'd be making millions :) Good luck!
Jill, have you started yet? nm
just an fyi...but i got a paycheck before dsp...maybe they just started doing that
nm
I relistened to everything when I first started sm
The question is, when you go back over it, do you find that you got everything? When you do, then you should feel confident enough to just move on. I still read through my stuff to check for errors, but I don't relisten and I have not had QA tell me I missed anything.
I started out doing radiology.
You may want to try the radiology portion since it is less intense and it's a good base, in my opinion. Others may not feel the same way, but I think you are better off starting with radiology as opposed to multispecialty. Best wishes...
I got my own accounts & started an MTSO.
nm
I started at 6.5 cpl for acute care.
I had 3 offers (2 of them before I even received my final exam scores): One for 6 cpl no spaces, one for 5.5 cpl for straight transcription and 2.5 cpl for VR editing, and 6.5 cpl for acute care. I took the 6.5 cpl since it was the highest cpl, but found that the account was awful. It was mostly ESLs (probably more than 90%). I could work a whole 8-hour shift without a single EFL (English as a first language) and most of the docs were new residents that had no idea how to dictate a report. It was awful. I had times where I could get 200-220 lph so I knew I could do the lines with decent doctors, but most days all I had were ESL residents and my average was more like 120 lph, so I didn't even make minimum wage. I worked there for 6 months just to get the acute care experience and then began hunting for a better job. I now work for a clinic that pays me 13.5 cpl and also for an MTSO that pays 7 cpl, but it took me several months of testing and turning down offers as I was not going to work for less than 7 cpl and did not want to work weekends.
This is similar to how I started out 19 years ago.
I was given the opportunity to transcribe for the radiology department and soon was asked to cross-train to other areas of the hospital to transcribe. Boy, did I learn a lot.
I remember one lady (I was only 18 when I started working at the hospital) after 3 years of vo-tech high school training. I used to get mad because she would make me look things up in the medical dictionary. She forced me to use my noggin. Once I got the hang of it, I thanked her again and again for being so hard on me. There was another lady who worked p.r.n., but she had her own clients. I learned a lot from her. I think of her often when I "can't go/have to work" even though I work from home. NOW, I know what she was talking about, but I have learned to manipulate my schedule to not miss out on anything. 
When I started working from home we only had one
I just made sure that my programs were closed out before my husband or kids got on. The only problem with letting others on is that they will surf the net and download things that bog the computer down. I would suggest if possible for you to have your own PC. Usually bare bones is okay as long as it's fairly new. Actually, Vista does not work with some companies, so you may want to look into a refurbished tower running XP and maybe Office 2003. I've also seen others post that they work from a laptop on the go, which I haven't done yet, but it seems to work well when MTs need to travel. Good luck in your endeavors, and welcome to the MT world. It is a satisfying job.
I started at minimum wage.
When I started working as an MT, I was only making minimum wage(was an employee and they had to pay at least minimum wage if I didn't make my line count). I could have started working at the local hospital for $15 an hour, but I chose to stay home with my son and not have to put him in daycare, even if it meant I would make a little less. I am glad I did. Now after 11 months, I make $17 an hour and do not have to pay daycare, commute costs, or spend a lot on clothing (love to working in my sweats). I knew the minimum wage was temporary and that if I focused on my speed, I would get to where I needed to be financially. So while you may start out making minimum wage, you don't have to stay there.
started school at 25 wpm, finished at 75 wpm
It takes a lot of practice but it is definately doable. I have been transcribing for 12 years and am well over 120 wpm. I haven't done a typing test in awhile to give you an exact number, but it is definately possible. I agree with the poster who said make sure you are in a credible school, it makes all the difference in the world!
Our nine year old son started asking about the birds and the bees (sm)
this year. We have answered exactly what was asked every time. Once he started asking questions, he didn't stop.
We have covered birth control, child support, the fact that if he gets a girl pregnant he will have no choice in the matter if she chooses to abort (which horrified him) and many other things. He also knows that he will always be able to come to his father and I for birth control. The way he is being raised (Christian home), we hope he will not have sex before he is ready, which we hope will be when he is an adult. (Ideally, on his wedding night. But we don't push that.) But if he makes the decision to have sex when he is a teen, we have let him know that we will help him protect himself.
We have also told him that if he believes a girl when she says, "I'm on the pill", we'll kill him.
And I feel very bad for you about your daughter. If I had a child who had a child and behaved that way, I don't know what I'd do. (Other than pay to get Norplant in her arm, that's for sure.)
Good luck at getting custody. It sounds like you'd be a much better choice for the GC.
Whee! Have you started testing yet? Congrats! nm
s
I started at 7cpl 2 years ago and had other offers for
7 cpl also from other companies. One company, Spheris, only offered me 5.5 cpl and I turned them down. Again, I graduated 2 years ago when I was seeing more people offered at least 7 cpl. Now, everyone from CS seems happy to work for 5 cpl. Go figure.
I started working from home within 2 days of graduation.
I have been with my same company for coming up on 6 years now. I had some tough days in the beginning, but I dug in, learned as much as I could, and made it through the hardest part. In-house may be better for some starting out, but it worked for me being at home as long as I was willing to work hard. Good luck to you. :-)
I just started yesterday with World Direct Transcription...
I also was a little nervous accepting this position, mainly because after posting a question on this forum regarding anyone's knowledge of this company, I received NO responses! I am very happy with everything so far, the account I am on is great and my supervisor is very helpful! Good luck Sonnett with your test! Have you heard anything yet?
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