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Never heard of needing a speed test in school, and you certainly won't need

Posted By: one to test for a job. NM on 2007-08-07
In Reply to: do all schools require a speed test - carolyn

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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
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.)
In school if U cheated on test, did you consider that
x
I've never heard of that school, and I've
been doing this for nearly 20 years. Maybe they have in Canada, but in case you work for a company in the US, you might want to consider M-Tec and Andrews. They are on-line and their students get jobs when they graduate because they are in demand. Again, not sure how much it will complicate getting work since you live in Canada, but I think you should at least compare the programs closely.
NEEDING ADVICE

I have been offered a editing position and have been offered to either be paid by line without spaces or by the hour?  Not sure which one but I am thinking it would be to my benefit to get paid by the line?  Any ideas?  I am a new MT but was offered editing job with some typing. 


Ok, I am needing to vent...
I am in the middle of testing for Princeton Transcription and all was well until I actually went to the 2nd dictation. This guy is soooooo bad that I still can't figure out what he is saying at any speed and with all volumes turned all the way up. I understand that they are using the MTTest site to screen people, but they have a pretty lengthy section for the objective and pretty darn hard. Several tricky questions. The only reason I was even trying this company is because someone had said that they hire newbies. If they hire newbies this test is totally set up for none of us to ever pass it.

Wondering if I should just type a note saying the dictation was not audible for transcription or just leave lots of blanks. I know the more blanks I leave the less of a chance I have of finding out how I have truly done on these things.

I do know that in the real world of dictation this happens ALL THE TIME, but seriously to have him slurred to crap and so soft I can hear the background noise louder than him is ridiculous. Maybe the MTSOs/National Companies need to start training some of these docs just a little. I believe it could be done if they are truly this bad.

Ok. Thanks for letting me vent. Princeton Transcription- if you read this, shame on you!!!!

Jenn
Needing Advice

I'm thinking about taking an online MT course so I can work from home for extra money. ( i am a respiratory therapist in a hospital)  Will the income I receive doing this be worth the time and money?


Also what online schools does anyone recommend? Should it be accredited by the ADHI organization? Do you need to be certified to get a decent job working from home?


New MT needing some advice!
I graduated from Allied 6 weeks ago.  I am very excited to get started in this profession but having an incredibly difficult time getting a job!  I have applied to many companies with often no response.  I almost made the mistake of working with a company that may have been running a scam, but after doing more research on the company decided it was not in my best interest.  So, back to the applications/assessment tests.  What I am really wondering is how to find a company who will give a dedicated, hardworking professional a chance?  I have a pretty solid background in the health care field, I had my own chiropractic practice for 5 years and chose to give it up to have my children.  I now want to work from home, full-time, around my families schedule.  Any suggestions?  I would even be happy with an internship to get me more experience... ANYTHING!!!
Advice for new MTs needing help with terminology

Please ... AFTER you have done a thorough search on Google, etc., and you come to the Word or Drug board -- make sure you include the sentence the term/drug is in as well as the type of work you are doing.  Of course, without the patient's name.  LOL


 


New Grad Needing to Vent

Shame on ALL  of the MT schools. They tell us that we can study at home to work from home. HA!!  Like most of you on here, I worked my buns off trying to complete my schooling. I sacrificed so much. It was hard on my kids not having mom around as much. It was financially draining, as my husband was laid off from his electrician job. That was the whole reason we decided to take this risk in the first place. I thought I had done my research on medical transcription before I signed up for the program, but unfortunately, I didn't find mtstars until I was up to my elbows in school. Since I was an unavailable wife and mother, this became difficult on the marriage too. We just kept trying to look ahead knowing that when I had a job to help pay the bills it would all be worth it. I graduated from At-Home Professions in April with a 95% and I still do not have a job. I also now know that getting a job as a new grad is almost impossible.


I had to face my disappointed husband last night when I told him that it's not going to happen, and if I am going to be happy again, I have to let it go. I have done all I know how to do. I have had professionals look at my resume and cover letter and they tell me it's awesome. I have spent countless hours and days applying for job after job. I have even tried to find local jobs to work on-site (which was never ever part of the plan), but Michigan is not the place to look for jobs right now. I have only found one local on-site job but they were looking for more experience than most at-home jobs I have seen. I didn't even bother to apply.


Today, I found a posting on here from a new grad who said she is a new grad and got a job after only 4 applications and 18 days of looking. My husband happened to walk in at about the time I saw the posting. I had to try not to cry. I'm happy for that new grad on one hand, but on the other hand, I can't believe that after only 4 applications in 18 days (in 18 days I had sent out WAY more than 4 applications), she got a job. My husband read it and didn't say a word.


I am feeling like I let my family down. Even worse, I feel like my bummer of an attitude is letting down God.


I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.


New graduate desperately needing work!!!

Hello everyone.


I will be graduating with my technical certificate on December 17. I have been looking high and low for somewhere that will give me a chance since I have no experience. Does anyone have any clue where I can start. I would really prefer to work from home but if not I will survive. I have 2 children and it would make my life alot easier. Please help!!!!


What equipment would be best for my to have one my own in order to help me get work?


Desperate


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!
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.
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. 
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.
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
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.
The only one I have heard of

is the one that Jay Vance is running.  I cannot remember what it is called but maybe if you check over on the AAMT forums you can find a link to the information on it.


HTH


Never heard of them.
They may be fine, but that's a new one to me.
Never heard of it.....(sm)
Where did you hear about this program? Do they have a website?
have you heard anything?
Hey Angela,

I also took the tests and was told they were reviewing my assessments and would get back to me by the end of the next day. I still haven't heard anything. Have you?
That's what I heard the
whole time I was in school. I took online courses through my local community college. By the middle of my courses, I was so discouraged and thought I was going to have such a hard time finding a job and thought I was just wasting my time, but I am so glad that I stuck it out. I had a job before I even graduated and have never been turned down for a job since. Within the first 3 months of finishing, I was working for 3 different companies at the same time. Everybody says it is easier to get jobs going to those 2 schools, and maybe it is. My point, however, is it can be done without going to them. I think it has a lot to do with how you do on their tests as well.
Yes...I have heard of
Trans am....but it was referred to as Trans Scam...Stay away from that. Have you tested for any companies yet? This is probably a difficult time of year for newbies because of the end of the year and the holidays effecting the amount of dictation and the ability for companies to adequately train during this period. I wish you luck...It is hard, but we all started out as new grads...I really hope you find a fit soon. I can't imagine trying to begin this career at this time with the ASR and all the other issues with outsourcing, etc. Keep your chin up... BUT NEVER PAY ANYONE to work...NO WAY!
ever heard of..
Has anyone ever heard of T & I Transcription? If so, are they a good company?
I wish I could say I'd never heard of it!
I don't know what program this is, but potential students have been asking working MTs for this information for a long time. Doesn't this program know that most MTs work on a PRODUCTION basis?
I have not heard anything good about it.
If you are looking for a quality MT education, the gold standard training comes from Andrews and M-Tec. Some graduates of Career Step have had good luck in finding and keeping employment also. The top schools turn out job-ready MTs. Employers are eager to hire them. The cheaper schools do not turn out graduates that employers are eager to hire.
I've never heard of them, but you should really
ask on the company board. 
Where are all of the MT jobs I heard about?
I completed my MT training in September, and have not been able to find a job.  EVERYONE tells me the same thing - they need someone with experience!  As part of my training, I typed so many reports for all different specialties - isn't that experience?  Any ideas where graduate students can go to get a hospital, clinic, doctor, nursing home or MT service to give me a chance?  I am willing to take any typing or dictation test.  I got into this field because I thought there was a demand for the work.  Could have fooled me...
I even heard you mumble! lol! NM


I have never heard of an MT having to do such a thing.
That is definately not your responsibility or your job description. I would be bringing the issue up with someone to get it taken care of.
heard they are a scam....say they
have work and don't give any.....not nice from what I have heard
Has anyone heard of any of these schools?

Hi. I have been researching different MT schools trying to find the one that will best prepare me to work as an MT from home. I don't want to waste my time and money and not have the skills I need to excel in this field. I have read several posts that have recommended M-Tec and Andrews, both of which I had not heard of until finding this forum. I was wondering if anyone has heard of or attended any of the following schools I have been looking at: The VLC (the virtual learning center), Penn-Foster, Career Step.


The VLC seems to have a good program, however, since I've never taken any MT courses, I can only base my opinion on what I've read on their website. Any advice would really be appreciated.


I have heard of it - from all the people who took that course and can't get a job. NM
x
I have heard of them, but have never worked for them.
I would check the archives and see what posters have said about them.

Good luck!
From what I have been told and also have heard
you should type what you hear, since you cannot possibly know what templates they are using. I have also found that the tests that I am able to download onto my system and then work on them I can hear better. The MTTest site tends to really be distorted in sound quality. Also info given to me by a great and wise MT was to not plug in your headphones to the speakers. Make sure you are plugging them directly into your computer tower. I was missing a lot of the little words from not doing this.

I am still job searching as well. Just remember the job market is in poor shape all the way around. My aunt just recently had to fill out a 10 page application for substitute secretarial/lunch lady position in her school district. They said it would take at least 2 weeks before they would be able to tell her if they will allow her to work for the district or not.

Better times will come.

Has anyone heard of Ascripts

Thanks appreciate the info.


Barb


Has anyone heard of A+ Scripts

any infor would be helpful to me.  The intern program is what I have to take.


Thanks,


Barb