It is hard enough now for newbies to get a job, but if she
Posted By: my 2 cents on 2006-05-20
In Reply to: Penn Foster - MTQA
is going to take a program like this she will have a tougher time to find a job with a reputable company. There are 3 good schools M-TEC, Andrews, and Career-Step and there are companies willing to hire newbies provided they have graduated in good standing from one of these schools. Another option would be a local community college who might help with job placement. I worked for a company that used to let the MT student some into the office and do a short rotation to get real hands-on experience.
Some people are just determined they are going to do something and you can't do much about that, but I feel she is throwing away money if she goes this route. I don't have any personal experience with any of the above schools, but they all come highly recommended.
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Hard to fiind MT job for newbies
Why is it so hard for newbies to get employed? You go to school and pay all this money and don't know one want to hire a newby. If someone knows please let me know why.
Hard to find MT jobs for newbies
I attended TechSkills. The course was 32 weeks. I have a desire of being a transcriptionist. By me being a firm believer that I can make a career of being a transcriptionist, my positive attend has brought me a long way.
Hard to find MT jobs for newbies
Lisa, unfortunately I expect that you are going to have a hard time getting a job with your current English-language skills. Even from these brief messages that you have posted, it is patently obvious that English is not your first language. In any type of transcribing or editing position fluency in English is one of the first requirements; if you don't have that, you are not likely to succeed.
Hard to find MT jobs for newbies
Ian, Please consider a career in MT. I have been truly rewarded as my career has changed from working outside the home as a surgical technologist to a full time mom. The field is growing by leaps and bounds especially with all of the outsourcing that is going on. this would allow you to work at home if you wish and work at your own pace. You would not regret it. Now as for the school, VLC is an excellent choice, but remember that you get out of it what you put in it. I am a graduate and have been working steady for the past 2 years and am now preparing to take the AAMT certification.
Good luck on your choice.
You are trying to do it the hard way.
Contact one of the best schools, work at your own pace with all the tools and help you'll need to learn this craft efficiently. Your way is trying to build a house using toothpicks and cotton balls just because you have part of the framing up. ;oD
Really hard to say - sm
Graduated from MTEC 11 years ago and working at home as an MT ever since. Very burned out right now and actually considering coding, but MTEC does not do coding training. From what I understand anyway, most coders work in house. You need to research both career fields extensively and decide what might suit you best. 
Hard Decision
I am trying to decide between Andrews and M-Tec for my MT education. I realize this is beating a dead horse, but I would like to share some of the things I've noticed about the two and hope someone might have some insight for me.
Andrews: Has had an excellent reputation for a long time. You can take as long as you need to finish the program. Students have same instructors, i.e. everyone gets to experience REDPEN.
M-TEC: Very good reputation also. New website is very professional. Long list of well-known CMTs and AAMT members on staff. You are assigned an individual instructor. You need to finish in 18 months.
I've been weighing these things in my mind trying to decide. I had a bad experience with MT training before. I was completely dependent on one person for feedback, etc. This was great while it worked, but all of a sudden this person stopped responding to my messages, phone calls, etc. I never want to get in that situation again. I am attracted to M-TEC because I know I could track down some of the people on staff there in other contexts if need be. I realize this is probably paranoia on my part because neither program is likely to disappear like mine did, but... The no time limit that Andrews has might be good if an illness or emergency arose. On the other hand, a deadline could be good because I tend to be perfectionistic and overwork things before handing them in. I'm a little nervous about being assigned one instructor at M-TEC because this puts me in somewhat of the same position I was in before of being dependent on one person. However, I would be able to contact Susan Francis or Kathy Kropko if there was a problem I suppose. Still, I kind of like what seems to be more of a traditional classroom experience with a lot of students under one instructor at Andrews.
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
Hard decision
First of all, let me say that you will get a good solid education with either school. That said, here are some further points to consider:
Redpen is no longer teaching trancription; she teaches coding now.
Andrews has been around longer, their teachers are more experienced, both in teaching methods and transcription. For instance, a recently hired teacher for M-Tec has only been a Transcriptionist for less than 5 years.
M-TEC only requires you to have an 86% score on your final exam to graduate; Andrews hold you until you get a score in the high 90s. Of course, you could compensate for this by just not allowing YOURSELF to graduate until you can achieve a high score.
HTH.
It's hard to find...
someone to even give me a chance. I've been really lucky so far.
Thanks for the advice though.
I had a hard time
I had a hard time getting through this course too, I found that I was marked off for things that were not wrong on the previous chapters. So I would argue every grade I got and although most of the time they fixed what they counted wrong they still never gave me a higher grade. I finally got finished with the course and the only job I got was one that has a severe history of not paying their employees. I trusted the school to provide me the jobs for life like I paid for and being new at this I didn't know any better, so I took that job and never got my money and when I contacted the school they said that they had looked up and researched that employer and was very sorry for all my troubles. I have not gotten another job yet and it has been since September. They do not provide doctors to work for like they say, they provide assessment tests and I have tested with hundreds and still had to take a part time job that has nothing to do with transcription work. I strongly urge you to research any job you get from them. I think the grade all depends on the mood of the grader that day, I did great the first half, above the expected grade and then about chapter 10 they were confusing on the grading and it took sometimes 2-3 weeks before they posted a grade and by then I was ready to submit my next test and was again waiting, Very rarely did anyone return my calls and so I e-mailed everyone that I had an e-mail address for with my questions, I figured somebody would answer. haha. It worked. Well good luck to you, but one thing I did find when I was working is that you learn so much more on the job than the school ever teaches you, Good luck to you.
maybe your reports are too hard
I am new too, but I know the answer as well. And I just type office notes right now at my first job going on 4 months. Hmmm.
Its hard to even ask a simple question here...
Roxie, I have to respond to you. I feel as though you are being attacked here and it is just wrong. I look at this board and I have been transcribing about two years. I feel that many transcriptionists here are just rude. I know what you were asking and I can say that I worked with an internship program for three months and that got my foot in the door to work for another national company. The pay was terrible but that was okay. I just wanted to work and learn about the real world of transcription outside of the schooling environment. I am sorry you felt attacked. I hardly ever post because I see how new MT professionals get treated here. It is just a disgrace to our profession. Seasoned Transcriptionist must not remember what it was like to just start out. Give her a break. Please.
Hi Emtee! Yes, it is a very hard test (IMO)sm
I'm the kind of person who usually passes tests with flying colors, yet I just barely passed that test by the skin of my teeth.
They go by the BOS II book...so, if you have the book, make sure everything conforms to the rules in that book. I don't own the book (yet) and just checked the style board to learn of differences between the two books. Off the top of my head, q.4 h. (note the space between 4 and h), cancer classifications (some differences), using Arabic numbers for 1 through 9 instead of spelling them out, etc.
Don't give up! If you are able, buy that book. If not, use all the internet resources (reliable ones) that you can think of.
Good luck to you!
Regards,
Chickadee
HARD GETTING FIRST JOB, NO WONDER INDIA IS AHEAD OF US!!!!!
I finally got my first job for 6 cents a line. I found the job myself. Keep looking around and do not give up. I encountered a lot of road blocks. Everyone basically cares out themselves. Sad to say, but the majority of Americans do not care about teamwork, and helping others. That is why India and other countries are ahead of us MTs and many other professions. TEAMWORK 
Hard work and determination will
to find you a job or help you every minute. No one is promised anything in life. In my day of beginning MT'ing, there were no computers, and there were no boards. So before jumping to conclusions and screaming about India, you need to look at yourself and what tools you have used to become an MT. No one is handed anything in life no matter what profession you are in, but I personally like hearing your input and wish you the best of luck! 
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
I recently finished an online course in medical transcripts. Now, I am finishing an internship. I am finding it very difficult to find an at home job. Most companies require at least one year of full time experience. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really be appreciative.
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
Yes. I should be done the first week in April. Will this count on my resume for experience? Maybe I am just impatient. I have tried some online tests, but I do find them very difficult, although I am doing quite well with the internship. Thanks for your advice.
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
Thanks for telling me that. I think I will stick with the internship and take as many tests as possible. I am getting better at them. I do believe persistence will pay off eventually.
I guess I'm just not willing to work THAT hard
But you are right, if you are IC you have no health care benefits, 401k, etc, so you'd get paid more. Also working for 3 different companies helps. Good luck to you.
I think most of the new grads are having a hard time.
I still haven't found a job myself, and I graduated this May. I would go through your local phone book and start calling all of the transcription companies if you haven't already. Call the hospitals, too. Start applying everywhere. MTdaily has a list of companies and most of the companies have a carreer or job opportunity link on how to apply. I know how frustrating it can be. I am actually considering switching to legal transcription.
Dont' be so hard on youself
I never heard of the top three MT schools until I was well into Meditec. When I graduated I did not even make minimum wage with my first job (but I got a job right away). My first two week paycheck was less than $75 and I put in full time work. I spent a lot of time looking things up and double checking myself. Also, my research techniques and proofreading skills were stumbling blocks for me back then. Improving those two things sped me up tremendously.
I'm doing okay now. So, if I can do it, so can you! You will get much better over time. The more experience you get, the better you will be. You might consider ShortHand or some other expander. That is a help. However, my best friend is the Stedman Plus Medical Dictionary. I love that.
Good luck to you. Hang in there. We all struggle in the beginning.
God Bless.
I went to the school of hard knocks...
... working strictly for doctors' offices for 36 years, when my last boss of nearly 28 years decided to close down his practice. I was hired at one of the nationals, starting on clinical work with the promise to up-train me to acute care (and the promise has been kept). The same day I was hired, a brand-new graduate of Andrews was hired, to work the same accounts, with the same promise. As far as I know, my co-worker (the Andrews graduate) had no trouble finding a job.
For what it's worth.
hard work pays off
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I just finished the Allied program a week ago. I think the job market is bad for all areas. I got into this not only to be able to stay home with the kids, but because I love what I do. I think we have to work hard no matter what it is. It is not looking good anywhere right now. Best of luck. :)
It's hard to tell because you are leaving out one important item
it says "can work from home after training period."
Is this a place that is local to you? Why don't you try googling the email address and see what comes up.
There are some hospitals that are willing to train people for this job, but I have found that happens in very very tiny hospitals where they may have something like 40 beds or less.
Per your own words, you're having a hard time.
Obviously you weren't trained correctly if you can't understand what the doctor is saying. Regardless, a lousy 36 reports and a piece of paper doesn't mean much. You're going to have to handle the truth one day.
Okay, but most people have a hard time living
in a different state from their family, let alone another country.
You're probably right - I was laughing too hard to see straight.
.
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.
Not a hard and fast rule anymore. Strictly up to QA and
s
Penn Foster & PCDI can't help with job placement because it's too hard to find jobs for their
Not being mean, just honest. There's a reason they won't help with placement. They take your money for their course and don't care if you can get a job afterwards or not. And most people can't, because they are not trained well enough by those courses.
It is hard to transcribe radiology notes as compared to usual notes?
Can a new MT without radiology transcription experience be able to do it?
Newbies
Hi Sarah,
It can be very discouraging and frustrating. Not to burst your bubble, but it may be very difficult to start off working at home if A) you did not go to one of the "big" schools and B)you have no experience. A lot of the schools will have partnerships with MT companies so they can plug you right in to work; I know Andrews school, MTEC, Career Step, VLC...those schools can offer assistance with employment. Unfortunately, it's a little tougher through community college! I know it's not what you want to hear, but working at a small office or even in a hospital setting would be key to starting to work at home. You will have to put in some time outside of home to get some practice before a company might allow you to test and work for them at home. Not saying it's not possible to work at home right out of school...just difficult.
newbies
I absolutely agree with CMT. I also graduated from a local school and was blessed to be hired by a local company (2 weeks after graduation) who hires newbies on occasion. Although, many companies did allow me to test for them. I would suggest going the office route for now and try to work something out with your employer maybe after a few months' time. Send your resume to everybody. There are new jobs everyday. It is time consuming and frustrating but you will get something. Stay positive.
Newbies, etc.
If there are any newbies or wanna be's out there who would really like help getting going and are willing to put in the time and effort, I can help. The pay will be minimal to start, but with LOTS of hard work, you can raise that fast. There are two must-haves before I will take you on. If you answer yes to both questions, you will be on your way to learning. Please e-mail me to see if we can work together. I am in Illinois.
MT Newbies
I just wanted to say something on a positive note.
There has been a lot of talk about being a MT newbie, following directions and resumes, etc... I am a newbie myself. I am still in school; however, I sent out some resumes and I received several job offers. I am employed now and I can tell you that one of the reasons that my MTSO was interested in me was because I followed their directions. My resume was short, but I tested well and I got the job. My advice to all newbies is to take your time while submitting your resumes and follow their requests. You could get a call too.
So, to all the newbies (including myself), keep your heads up and keep on plugging away. There are companies out there that are good.
Keep Smiling!
MT newbies
newbies
contact transcriptionmatchmaker.com and maybe they can place a newbie - I've sent a lot of students to that website and they have been placed.
Newbies
I worked at a hospital and had no help. I was the only trancriptionist for 12 doctors. I applied for the job having no idea what it consisted of, was given two weeks--and a the end of the two weeks, the hospital administrator would tell me if he thought I could do this type work -- and also, I would tell him if I felt I could or could not do the job. I fell in love with the challenge and worked there (between three maternity leaves) approximately 7-8 years. I kept the medical dictionary close by. I must have done all right since all of the doctors seemed to like my work. But, there was no one to help with the terminology, etc.
NEWBIES
Does anyone know of any companies who hire newbies? Thanks!!
newbies
I have been at this for a over a year now and still consider myself a newbie. best bet is to find a local account and get some experience and hopefully, you may find someone that is impressed with you and want to help you. as far as just getting an account on line, it would be pretty hard, first of all to find a job, but most of all, it would be hard on you when you are home alone. take the time to learn, school teaches you some stuff, but you really learn through experience.
newbies
Hi,
I replied to you via email, subject "pay for newbies".
Cindi
I wish the newbies would come here and ask or
otherwise investigate schools to get the real scoop before wasting their money and then coming here complaining they can't get a job.
newbies
Unfortunately this is usually the rule of thumb, no experience, no job. Especially in this field, it is usually not open to training newbies straight out of school from home. I would highly recommend you finding a hospital/clinic to get at least 6 months training in ahead of applying for any job to be worked at home. Been there, and sure was happy to go home to work, lots less stressful than working with a bunch of nagging women, although I have to say, I do have plenty of nagging women with All Type Inc., the company I currently work for. They love to send IM's and E-mails to harrass the employees, and I have learned to just laugh to myself about it!
who hires newbies?
I am a recent graduate from our community college and I have been looking for at-home work for a few months now. I am determined to make this work for me, but finances are running low and I am a bit discouraged. What companies hire new graduates?
Newbies are getting hired.
I didn't have to pay big bucks for my education and did just fine. I also got hired with a national right out of school and have never had trouble getting offers and the best pay.
If you haven't been to one of the other schools, you should keep your opinions to yourself! What's right for you may not be for someone else and vice versa. I get so tired of hearing crap like yours.
I could create what you call a top-notch school in no time. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to do it either.
Newbies getting workq
I too had a job before my MT course was completed.
I scored well on the preliminary testing with a couple of job prospects. I had to work hard on the account specifics part of the transcription but the effort has been well worth it.
I started working part time, with the lowest pay I had seen since my yournger days and felt I asked way too many questions. A year has gone by and now my hard work is rewarding me. It can be done.
where do the newbies go to find a mt job
I just granduated from my school as a Medical Transciptionist and would love to find a work at home job and everywhere I look they want you to have all this experience. Where does one get that experience? Please help!!!! 
well, Snort-old MT-I do not think that the other newbies
had any type of entitlement attitude or that she new everything from her schooling. Wow! Your attitude is really negative.
Nicely put!... seems some newbies...
haven't learned yet that there's a complete underground network when it comes to this field. Someone's always watching to see where promising candidates are, and people who indicate they are "teachable." 
Newbies I know started at 6 cpl
/
no. your pay is comparable for newbies.
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