Newbies I know started at 6 cpl
Posted By: aa on 2006-08-03
In Reply to: $ per line? - Joy
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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.
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.
I started MTing in 1979 and right not would not recommend it to anyone.
..
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?
I did a community college certificate and immediately started working as an IC
I always recommend the community college route because it is VERY inexpensive compared to the MT schools. You can always do an MT school after your community college work if you think you really need it.
I am NOT a certified medical Transcriptionist (CMT) because that can only be obtained through AAMT. I DO have a certificate of completion of the MT course through my community college though. I have found it to be more than adequate for me to work as an IC MT, and my teacher has been very willing to help me with problems and questions that I can't figure out myself through these wonderful MT boards!
Good luck!
I enjoy MT, but I see the writing on the wall. I have started another at-home business....(sm)
I love the tax benefits of working from home, so I have gone into another business. I am probably about six months away from having this business surpass my current income. Once that happens... I am out of MT. Sad, but true.
I don't want to be the last rat off of the sinking ship! (Not that I consider myself a rat, mind you. More like a cute, fuzzy mouse, perhaps...)
Ha ha!
I think you can expect to get 5 to 7 cents per 65-character line as a newbie. I started at 7 cpl as
nm
I started out in the file room of the urology office I used to work for.
They had a new peds uro coming in and wanted another typist. The only schooling I had was 2 semesters of medical terminology at our local community college. Granted that was in 1990, and I at least had a working knowledge of urology, but it can be done if you really want it bad enough.
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.
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