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I would not recommend it. Being a speed typist

Posted By: me on 2007-01-03
In Reply to: any MTs who have Multiple Sclerosis? - Marla Jones

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. 


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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 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 started MTing in 1979 and right not would not recommend it to anyone.

..


I would not recommend applying to Focus. That is a bad company and
t
re new mt speed
Hi Tomatoe! Remember, most important of all, hang in there. Secondly, if your company is complaining of too many blanks, with you being so new, you may want to find a different company with better mentoring. I've been at this for over 30 yr and there are a lot of variables to MT speed. But quality is way more important anyway; always make that your 1st priority. The best help towards building speed otherwise i can offer is building 'normals'. Try not to have to look up any same thing more than once. Use shortcuts for meds, ie, Tranxene might be trnx. Use shortcuts for phrases, ie, in satisfactory condition might be ins. Later, with some doctors who use the same phrases or same paragraphs or even whole reports, you can build these in your Expander and change any variables. Good luck. You'll do fine!
I personally would not recommend them mainly because of the poor way they treat their staff.
/
typing speed
So, what is the required typing speed for someone who is looking hired?  Or should I say the minimum.
Your speed is probably fine according to your
email.  You would be best to go and apply at some companies with your schooling that you have on hand.  You will build speed as you do more work.  Quality over quantity, but quantity equals money in this profession since it is production based.
typing speed

I am starting school the end of this month and only type about 25 wpm just concerned and wondering if anyone else started out typing this slow and how it went for them and if school really help to pick-up their speed...or should 
i just forget it and move on to something else.


picking up the speed
If you are using an Expander (which I hope you are) I agree with the other posts. Even after 15 years, I still find it helpful to me to put in every possible drug with an abbreviation so I don't have to look up if it is capitalized or generic. Also I do things like: asp8 which spells out aspirin 81 mg, asp3 = aspirin 325 mg, etc. If you know that the drug only is in a certain mg, put the number after it and let it expand the whole thing.
Nobody really cares about speed/wpm, only that you
know your terminology, grammar, punctuation, meds/dosages, etc. If you know your stuff, you'll be fine. :)
Dial-up vs. High Speed
Do all companies require High Speed Internet?  I can only get dial-up where I live.  Can't find a company that will hire without High Speed though.  Any thoughts?
Co. that does not require DSL or high speed???
The little town I live in in Michigan offeres both DSL and high speed internet but not outside the town where I live which is 3.5 miles from town. No verizon internet either offered. Almost all the jobs I have applied for end up requiring DSL or high speed connections and I am having trouble finding any companies to apply for that don't require those. Anyone know of companies I can apply to that don't? I am looking for part-time MT work and am flexible in hours and days that I can work. Thanks for any help that can be offered.
Speed comes with practice. A job for newbie

with no experience will pay tops 6 cpl, more likely 5 cpl.  If you get a job in a local doctor's office/clinic you can expect $8 to $10/hour tops. 


There is so much more to MT than typing.  You need to know anatomy, terminology, how to research, be able to do different accents, etc.; though if you don't type fast you'll never make a living as an MT. 


I took typing in 9th grade and I was horrible.  If you had told me I'd make a living typing I would have laughed at you.   I now type about 125 wpm. 


 


What appeals so far? What's not boring? What gives you the most speed?
s
How do you increase typing speed?
I am a fairly new MT who can type approx 150-170 lines per hour. I work p/t approx 500-1200 lines per day but it seems like I work f/t hours because of my typing speed. I have kids at home so when I get an hour long report I tend to try to hurry and that means I make more errors and slows down my typing speed.

My problem is I am constantly working so I can't find the time to work on my typing. I have only been working for about 3 months and am at 150-170 lph. How long should I give myself to get up to 200-300 lph like many can type?


picking up speed - could use some tips!
Anyone have any tips on how to "pick up the pace" so to speak on
reports? I know I'm still not quite up to par or at least where I want
to be. I even consider myself a decent typist.

I will accept any and all advice. Thank you!

It's not really your speed that matters, it's your accuracy. sm
I have been an MT for over five years and have worked at many different MT jobs. Nobody every asked me, and definitely nobody ever tested to see how fast I typed.

Was there a time limit on the test? Was it a timed typing test, or a transcription test?
Typing speed is no guarantee of success
as an MT. If you haven't had any MT training, you will fail rather spectacularly. Get some training. Get GOOD training, not some matchbook-cover school. Andrews, M-Tec, Career Step--those schools will provide the training that will get you a job. Don't try to cut corners with a cheap school. If you get the right training, and if you have the talent for the job, you will not lack for work.
looking into a typing CD to increase speed before school...
I'm planning on learning online with either M-Tec or CS, but need to wait until January to do so. Meanwhile, I thought it would be wise to do two things: 1. learn my Mac computer inside and out (I only know enough to get around plus alittle extra. This includes Word) 2. increase my typing speed
I recently bought Mavis Beacon typing 16 deluxe (I think that's what it's called) to help w/ typing speed... should arrive soon. Did anyone else do something similar to "ramp up" for MT school? Was there a need? Did it help you? Anything else I could be doing between now and January to get ready to go back to school?! (I'm 44 w/ four teens at home. Been a full time mom, and am alittle "rusty" when it comes to studying! But I'm up to the challenge, and family is very supportive.)
Your grammer seems good, and with your typing speed.....
you should have no problem. Wish you were in California.
Typershark. It is fun and helps with speed/accuracy.
x
Companies that do not require high-speed
FutureNet does not require high-speed access. FutureNet Technologies Corporation
do all schools require a speed test
also,I know it is necessary to type very fast, but is their an actual speed typing test and so many WPM that you have to pass?  What I lack some in speed, I make up for by making very few mistakes and when I listen to doctors talk (I have done transcriptions for a lady-in training) I can type twice as fast as when I have to look off of a paper and do a timed test.  One school told me it didn't matter how fast you typed--if you could spell and was good at grammer, that mattered.  The grammer and proofing and spelling is all very easy to me.  Thanks
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. 
most software applications require high speed. sm
problem with dial up is like using a little pipe to get water into your home. The pipe is too little to allow a big flow. Your program will crawl on dial up. Do a search for wireless internet and your nearest town. I cannot get cable or DSL here but found out there is a tower half mile from my house that is wireless. I didn't know it and they sure didn't tell me. So check around that way. Until you get high speed, most likely you will be unable to work unless you find a place that transfers .wav files from an FTP site.
Never heard of needing a speed test in school, and you certainly won't need
s