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Just like home MT courses, not all SM

Posted By: Chickadee on 2006-06-13
In Reply to: Get a solid education and doors will open - another MTSO

community college courses/programs are created equally. 


I respectfully disagree with you about community college graduates receiving a sub-par education.  Some maybe, but definitely not all.


I attended an EXCELLENT program at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon.  The program director is a CMT.  We had 2 semesters of medical terminology, 2 semesters of anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, a medical calculations class, a medical ethics class, 3 semesters of medical coding, 5 semesters of medical transcription (we transcribed the beginning and advanced SUM tapes two times each), business communication (intense grammar course), a 360-hour externship at a local hospital or MT service, along with all of the general education courses needed to receive an associate's degree.


So, while some CC programs may not put out qualified transcriptionists, others do an excellent job of preparing their students to succeed.  I tested with and was hired by Medquist the month before I graduated, and I started the Monday after graduation.  Granted I was a newbie and was slow and made some silly mistakes (as all newbies do), but I had a solid education, which made a huge difference.


So if you are trying to decide which program to attend, make sure you do your homework (whether you are choosing a home correspondence course or choosing to attend a community college program).  Find out what classes are taught, which transcription tapes they use, whether or not they help with job placement, who is running their program, etc.  Knowledge is power! :)  Good luck to all of you who are struggling with this important decision.


Warmly,


Chickadee




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Why do we have to take more courses
Why should we have to take more courses when we just graduated to get hired somewhere. That doesn't make any sense. Are there any companies hiring new graduates without this retarded request?
best on-line courses?

Hi all,


I'd like to take an on-line MT course; can anyone recommend one over any others? I plan on doing an internship for experience when I'm done for a while so I can get an actual paid position. How hard will it be to start working from home as I have a 20 month old that I want to stay at home with.


Thanks!


To compare courses ...
Why don't you check out Andrews and MTec's websites to get an idea of how much actual dictation you should have had to transcribe. Radiology is mostly anatomy, so if you had thorough training in anatomy and physiology along with concentration on acute care, you had proper training for radiology, IMO.
Cheap MT courses
 A course from M-Tech or Andrews may or may not get you a job right after completion, but that's not the only way to get into the field. I took the good advice of some very helpful MTs from this board and shopped around my area for a job. With my meager PCDI education that I studied over about a year and spent $795 for, I was able to get a position at my local hospital ($15/hour!!). I will be in-house for a while, and then I will have the option of working from home. You do what will work best for you, but I didn't have an extra three grand lying around to train for a job when I could pay out less money and then get paid to better my skills.
cheapie MT courses

Some, not all, seasoned MTs are not very helpful.  They can be very discouraging and try to convince new MTs that unless they get their training from some expensive school like M-Tec or the Andrews School that they won't find a job; I wanted to train with one of the aforementioned schools but just could not afford it.  Most of my MT training was on the job.  In later years, I took a Medical Terminology course.  Currently, I am enrolled in a formal training program, because I would like to become an RMT and eventually a CMT.  This is how I found a recent MT job:  1) posted my resume on MT daily; 2) posted my resume on Transcription Matters; 3) company contacted me and made me an offer without my even testing with them; all this occurred within little over a week's time.   I only have 4 solid years of MT experience (specializing in Urology, Rehabilitative Medicine, and Psychiatry).  Hallejulah!


NO courses can offer certification
Just to clarify, there are no courses which can offer "certification" in medical transcription, so there aren't any "certification courses."

If you want certification, you have to take the AAMT certification examination, which, if you pass, will grant the CMT certification.

Other than that, you can take a course which will give you a "certificate of completion." And that is only worth the price of a piece of paper. Having that piece of paper is not what will get you a job.

What gets you a job is the ability to transcribe well enough that an employer doesn't have to train you all over again.

And then you have to keep it, so the transcription skills you pick up in school had better be top-notch or you'll be wishing you had just gotten a job at MacDonald's.
Cheapie Correspondence Courses

Hi everyone,


I really need some advice. I've looked into all sorts of different MT training courses - all I want (and need in the amazing job market in which I live) is a basic course to learn Medical Terminology and basic MT skills.


With this in mind - would taking a course like Stratford Career Institute's course, or ICS Canada's course help me get an entry level MT job? From there, would I be able to train on the job and take additional courses to gain more skills?


I am fortunate to live in a market where there are too many of these jobs and not enough workers. I even heard from one person that with just Medical Terminology you can sometimes get an MT job.


But, I thought at least one of these courses would teach me the very basics. Opinions?


Thanks,


Christina


I'm assuming you didn't take courses from one of the better
schools as they help with job placement.  Have you looked into companies offering menitoring programs.  I would love to mentor a newbie, but I get paid to produce lines. 
They are legit, just not good. To take their courses you have to have

8th grade education, which should tell you they aren't that great right there.  My teen son took one of their courses (not MT).  It was very poorly written, if you flunk a test you can take it again and they will pass you, even if you flunk it again.  There were lots of errors in it too. 


I would look into a different program to take or try to find a menitoring program.  It is difficult for people who have gone to some of the better schools to get jobs.  Penn Foster does not have a good reputation so it will be much more difficult for you to get a job.  I would try to find something local where you could work in-house for at least 2 years to get some experience.   


MT schools are in the BUSINESS of selling MT courses.
Of course they are going to paint a rosy picture of this career.

Allied is not a very good course, and the MT companies know it. That's why they say they require 2 years' experience. (But they will waive that for grads of the better schools.)
Career step and Meditec-sister courses-sm
I understand these are two in the same course ran by sisters. One charges much more than the other. What makes Career Step any better than Meditec if the Meditec course is basically what Career Step is using to begin with, and the Meditec lady wrote the course?
People selling MT courses certainly aren't going to warn you
"Don't take my MT course, it's ***edited by Moderator*** and you won't be able to get a job afterwards." It's up to the person interested in becoming an MT to do some research about the job before plunking down money for training. If they do, they will learn that in order to be able to get a decent job, they need the kind of training provided at Andrews School or M-TEC, and not to try to save money on "cheaper" schools.
It's sad that people don't find out more about these courses before they slap down money
x
The courses worth taking are M-Tec and Andrews. Their graduates

are usually able to get jobs without 2 years of experience that is normally required.  Is if worth it?  Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it.  If you just want to do this PT, in addition to a FT job, it might be okay for a short time, but it gets harder and harder to make a living as an MT.  A lot of companies use offshore MTs, they get the good work and the crap gets left for us, or it all goes and we get stuck editing it for pennies and you end up working for minimum wage.  You'll also burn out in a short time trying to do both. 


if there is just you and you don't care to have a life then it would be okay and if you have a knack for it you can make some decent money.  If you are a respiratory tech in a hospital talk to people in your department.  Maybe you can start out doing work-related transcription without having to go to school and you can get a small taste of what it is like to see if you really want to pursue it. 


mt/at home mom
I am 29 years old. This is literally the perfect career for me. Before, I always thought that work from home jobs were just a scam, until I found out about mt. I bring in an income and i am home for my kids. I went to a local technical school. The course was 4 months long and I got a job 2 weeks out of class. I love it! I used to be an admin assistant and hated it.
Getting that home job

I would go back to those doctors you  know and let them know that you are going into business for yourself.  If they don't need someone, ask them if they know any of their colleagues that does.  Give them some business cards and let them work for you.


Another thing is to get your card into the doctor's lounges at your local hospitals.  Also, make some cold calls to the business/office manger of some other doctor's offices


There are three words you need when you begin marketing.  They are "network, network, network."


 


Hope this helps.


 


Ray


At-Home
I took the course and it will definitely prepare you for the job that you have to do. My first job, almost fell through because I did not have "experience". I literally begged them to let me try at a probationary rate for three months because I knew that I could do the job. When I turned in the first job, they said this is not your first job; you have done this before. I told them only in my training. The probationary rate lasted one week!! This training will not get you a job. Getting your foot in the door is the hardest part because no one wants to help you gain experience. Once you get in, you will be prepared for the job. I finished the course about 6 years ago and although it took me a few months to find my first job, I had actually no trouble getting the second job with good results. I have about five friends who have taken this course. One chooses not to work now, but the other four are employed. Two of these individuals had jobs before they even finished the course.
I am looking for a " at home" MT job
I am expecting a baby in October and I am despritely looking for an at home MT job. I don't have any experience, but I will graduate June 15th in Medical Coding/Billing. I am a fast learner also. If you could e-mail me and let me know any info. I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks, Rachel Link
2nd income MT at home

Does anyone out there do home transcription in the evenings as a second income? I am looking to type about 15 hours a week at home with nonspecific hours. I was wondering if anyone else is doing this or if there is even an opportunity for that available.  Thanks! 


Kristy


2nd income MT home
I do. I work full-time and part-time from my home. I work 12-20 hours per week for my part-time job mostly in the evenings. Is is possible.
Professional at home MT course

I have a name of an excellent at-home MT course.  That is The VLC.  It is an excellent school with all of the latest technology to help you learn all of the things it takes to be an excellent MT.  I know, I graduated from there and got my first job within 2 weeks of graduating, and have been working full time since then.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.


Has anyone taken an At-Home Professions course?
I'm feeling very confused and overwhelmed with what I should do.  I enrolled in an At-Home Profession course last week, but I'm still waiting for my first shipment.  In the meantime, I received an e-mail from M-Tec saying I did pretty good with the enrollment test and they feel I'd be a good candidate to take their course.  I heard good things about M-Tec.  It's a little more expensive than AHP, so I would have to get a student loan.  I guess that's where I worry...MONEY.  I was wondering if there's anyone who has taken the AHP course and what their opinion is on it.  Also, I would love anyone's input on my situation.  Thanks for your help!!
My experience with an at-home course
Hello, I took MTatHome course. You have to learn everything on your own.. which I did. It has helped me alot. I have been testing with MANY companies.. and they tell me that I score around 92 when they prefer 98%. I really dont think 92 for a newbie who had to TRAIN herself and has absolutely ZERO experience is too bad! I will keep training myself by reading sample reports, etc. Oh, I got offered a job at Spheris which I accepted. I hope I can pull it off! Thanks all!
Working at home
Just because you work at home does not automatically mean you get to pick your own hours. MT companies all have different needs, and coverage is needed, in many cases, 24 hours a day. Many companies will allow you to pick your own hours, but they will expect you stick to that schedule. Other companies will let you work anytime in a 12-hour window. It all just depends on the needs of the company.
MT business from home.
Thanks so much for your help. It's people like you that I hope will answer my emails. I'm going to keep making phone calls to schools locally and online. Thanks again Dee
working at home
I was just wondering what insurance company you worked for at home and what the name of the place was in New England. I would settle for something like this until I could get into a hospital.

Thank you!
You might be able to work at home.
You might be able to work at home if you are successful in passing their course.

Look carefully at schools before you sign up. Andrews and M-Tec both have high graduation rates and their students get jobs easily. They are worth the money.

They are both approved by AHIMA and AAMT, provide personalized instruction with experienced CMT instructors, and have a proven track record. They provide more and that is why they cost more.

Don't try to save money by going with the cheapest school you can find. You'll end up spending twice as much in the long run. You'll spend for books and materials, for references, and in lost time on the job, and you may end up being unemployed for months looking for a job.

I went to CS and work at home, but...
I went to Career Step and had 2 job offers from national companies within a week of graduating. Both of these jobs were to work at home. While I had no trouble finding work, if I had to do it all over again I would have gone to Andrews or M-TEC. Getting feedback from an instructor as compared to just checking your own work would have been invaluable!
at home professions course
i have taken 2 courses through them and was very happy with them. since then i have received 4 diplomas in 4 of there programs and am now seeking work as a vet technician and soon to be a private investigator for animal cruelty investigations thanks to AHP
At-Home Professions...
What happened is people finally learned that AHP doesn't teach you more than 1/3 of what you need to know in order to get a job as an MT. Once a company finds out that you got your "education" at AHP, they will not even bother to let you take their employment test. Once so many people learned of this, AHP changed their name so they could keep cheating people by taking their money but NOT teaching them enough of the proper things to get a job as an MT.

Andrews or M-TECH are the two best schools. EVERYONE who graduates from those 2 schools GETS hired afterwards.
At Home Professions
How far into the course are you?
At-Home Professions
I'm taking this course, though I've slowed my studying severely (I really need to get a hot-shot or something to jump start me again). I'm about halfway through also. I have SUM tapes to supplement, and Sierra Transcription also to supplement.

Hopefully, I'll get a foot in the door somewhere sometime. I'm also a scopist - or trying to get the business off the ground, while working part-time.
I work from home for pvt mds plus....sm

4 days a week I work for private mds from home, and at least 16-20 hours a week for a nat'l also from home.



At-Home Professions

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I didn't see anything.


I just went to one of their seminars last night.  I was just wondering if anyone else has gone through them and what they thought about the company?


Thanks a lot!!


CS is better than At Home Professions, BUT
I am also a grad of CS, and if I had it to do over again, I would choose Andrews or M-Tec, no matter how long it took me to come up with the money.

It's better to have REAL reference materials, and the only real ones you get from CS are dictionary and drug book. All the rest are written by founder who apparently no longer has anything to do with the school except sit back and collect the money!
at home professions
At Home professions was the course.  I know nothing about Career Step other than it's cost.  I posted in answer to the original question but my post got moved down the list as others posted.
At Home Professions
Don't waste your time. I went to see what I was missing out on as I started out in the file room of the urology office I worked at. Way too expensive for what little bit you got. Since I learned on the job, I can't advise you as to where you should go. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
new mt...need at home work
I am a new MT.....and only a few credits shy of my Associate Degree in Medical Office Specialist field.  I am looking for a transcription job that I can do at home.  I have 3 small children and would like to be at home with them.  If anyone has any info on starting transcription at home, please feel free to post.  Thanks so much!!!
at home transcription
I am just starting medical transcription training and wondering now if I can find a job in my home after the training is over. I am a stay at home mom and had intended on getting a transcription job from home. Now I am wondering if I will be able to find these kind of jobs once the training is over. Is everything in a hospital or office for a newbie to the field?
at home transcription
I work from home part-time and that is the reason why I became a medical transcriptionist. There are alot of companies that hire homebased workers.
HELP! Need at-home job due to disability!
I am currently enrolled in an online medical transcription course at M-Tec and have 6 more months to go until graduation. The reason I chose MT is because I can't work a regular job due to physical limitations. I have had 10 laparoscopies for endometriosis and my body has been destroyed from the adhesions and chronic pain.

My question is- Is there a way that I can find work as an MT before graduation? I am desperately in need of money and would like to be able to find an entry level position using my MT skills that I have learned so far.

I know this is a lot to ask, but I really need some help. My COBRA medical insurance runs out next month. I am desperate to find some sort of in home work, preferably as an MT, but could also do other computer related online work as well.

I looked into Trans Am and Thank goodness I didn't fall for the $400+ software and books for "training" scam. I've already put well over $5000 down for my MT training + books and supplies- I can't afford to invest much more.

Any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks for your help!

LMF




working from home
I agree with the last post.  It's so hard to get hired with a company.  I was in the same situation you are....just finished school, had a baby, wanted to stay at home and do transcription.  So, during one of my office visits, I got the nerve up and asked my OB doc if I could do their transcription and they said yes!!!!  Their office manager was doing it and she hated it.  It was great!!!  I then got another account on recommendation from that office manager.  I think this is more doable for you than working with a baby, meeting quotas, not being able to pass tests, etc.  And, you may like "having" to get out of the house to pick up tapes!  I know I did!  It was a reason to get out every other day or so.  Also, you may have some flexibiltiy with having your husband or friend pick up and drop off your work.  I did that also.  One time, the office manager dropped it off to me because she lived nearby!!!!! Good luck!!
at-home positions

Its starting to sound like the lucrativeness of this "work at home" profession was too good to be true.  Just by what I see and hear, it seems nobody wants to hire a "newbie" and all require 2+ years of experience.  Where do they expect you to GET that experience if nobody wants to hire you?  As for working at home, that's the ONLY reason I chose this profession.  I wanted the flexibility in my schedule to be there for my daughter.  Now I'm getting discouraged right out of the gate.  As I mentioned, I have a 97% GPA and have an eye for detail.  I have an uncanny ability to spot grammatical errors.  My husband said my true calling is an editor, which I thought perhaps I'd have the ability to do as well in this field.  I'm still open to any and all suggestions.  I plan to send out letters of introduction to local area doctors and offer my services.  If anyone has any leads or other advice to offer, I'm all ears!


Thanks.


Jenn


working from home

That is encouraging because if someone has been a Transcriptionist for twenty years and still has to leave blanks then there is hope for us newbies!


re: at home professions
oh, boy.....NOW I find out...after getting through the course and not having much luck getting a job....am so in the dark...and have wasted the money....hubby not happy....I am not happy...at-home does not assist you with finding employment....they just take your money and run....HELP!!!!
I do billing at home, but ...
the only reason I am able to do billing and coding from home is that I worked for years, in-house, for both of the doctors I work for. At some point, I just said, "I need and want to be home, either we can work something out from home where I log in or you'll have to replace me."  Luckily, they were will to give it a chance and it works pretty good. The only other coding jobs around here are in-hospital and I may try that some day but not now.  If your goal is to stay-at-home and there are no opportunities do billing at home, I would steer towards transcription.
at-home professions
Has anyone else graduated from at-home professions? I thought the school was really good and the instructors were great! But now that I am trying to start a business from home I am having a hard time!! Anyone out there with some good advice???
at-home professions
I just recently graduated from at-home professions and they are a great school! There instructors are there for you every step of the way. They are an accredited and highly regarded school. Now that I am graduated now and am looking to work from home...that is actually the difficult part....
work at home
Do not buy anything. Anyone that wants money for you to work is a SCAM! What are you trained in, MT??
at-home professions
Lynn, I just graduated from at-home professions, but I didn't get great responses for work! How did you find a job so soon? Are you working in the field or from home? I want to work from home. My GPA was pretty good but nobody wants to give you a chance or they want to pay you .03 a line. That seems really low, the school made it sound like I would be making at least .12 a line....any advice???
working from home
Have you tried testing with Medi-Voxx? They gave me a shot right out of school. I'm 53 and my kids are grown but I only wanted to work from home. I'm still with them after a little over a year and they are a great company that took a chance on me as a newbie.