Newbies, ya gotta learn one thing here...sm
Posted By: Frustrated MTSO on 2006-01-14
In Reply to:
you must be accurate in all typed correspondence. I had a newbie that asked about doing an internship I offered. Here is her actual response:
Yes I am definetly interested.
Thanks you.
Now how am I supposed to hire somebody like that? 
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
It is one thing when newbies make mistakes, but
it is another when an older MT makes such careless mistakes. I do not think I would want to work for such a person who cannot even spell themselves.
this job is like most others; ya gotta..
climb the ladder, which takes years to get to the top rung (my analogy for compensation). Ditto to the poster who remarked about a change in attitude.
gotta add something
it might help if i said i was at 98.7%+ accuracy both times i was fired... then again, why do i feel the need to paint this person as such a (insert mean-spirited name-calling word here)? i guess i just needed to vent! thanks for listening
I've gotta ask...
How could you not know you were typing with the caps on? Were you looking at your fingers instead of the screen? Do you always do that?
gotta wonder why it's 1/2 price
x
Gotta know your stuff or you'll have to look up everything you hear. Must
s
Gotta go thru all the posts here and on the Company board to see if you
s
let's have a little fun, and learn something
I've always enjoyed word jumble. I think you all know that one ... the letters of a word are all jumbled and you have to figure out the word. Like this: ehrat = heart
I'll pick a word and then mix the letters up. In the subject line, I'll give the specialty (i.e. Cardiology) and you have to figure out the correct word. As soon as the correct word is posted, nobody else can respond. That round has ended.
I'll post one new word every day.
This game is ONLY open to people still in school or those with less than six months of work experience. So, all of you MTSOs with itchy fingers ... go transcribe an ESL who is dictating in the middle of traffic with the convertible roof down.
I'll take a show of hands ... would anyone else like to join in? 
If you could learn it all on the job, why do you need them?
I don't think that school is very serious about providing an education. It would be one of the ones that just is in it for the money. "Charity begins at home" is probably their motto.
You won't learn 1/8 of what you need to
know from that course. Don't waste your time and money. I saw work from a graduate of that program. She wasn't even prepared to do radiology, let alone acute care, poor thing.
You can learn a lot
by going to the websites of the 2 best schools out there. Both are on line. They are in the neighborhood of $4000, which is comparable to the cost of a community college degree, but these 2 schools will give you an education very specific to learning MT without all the stuff you wouldn't actually need. But of course you need to be sure that's what you really want to do. If you read everything these sites have to offer you should have a pretty good idea.
http://www.andrewsschool.com/
http://www.mtecinc.com/
Can't forget the AAMT Book of Style II! Gotta have it for style/formatting, etc. nm
s
**sigh** when will they learn?
nm
That is excellent! I am sure you will learn a lot from her
:-)
Test everywhere you can, you learn a lot that way - sm
also make cold calls. This is how I landed my first job. I had tested with a company and passed and was hired, but was waiting to actually start (took 2 months for that to actually happen). In the meantime I started calling local companies, I got hired over the phone by one willing to take a chance on me. I was on probation for 3 months, doing about $200 a month (she only had little bit of extra work), after I a month or so I knew I was "hired" for good and eventually got a little more work as the MTSO wanted to do less herself. I applied at another place (while working the 2 jobs) and picked up a 3rd. All were PT but different types of work, etc. so I packed in a lot of experience that way. Just keep plugging away, took me 2 months to land the 1st then 2 weeks later got #2, and 3 months later got #3. Just takes a little time, patience, and lots of persistence.
I don't think that is helpful. She needs to learn
to do it "right." Being a newbie is tough, but a strict QA is more beneficial at this point in her career. It does't do her any good to have "slack" QA and then she moves to another job later and they are tough and she has to struggle then.
I've been doing this for years and I still make mistakes. I've spelled calculus for gallbladder stones for years and no one corrected me until recently, so all these years I've been spelling it incorrectly. Learn to do it "right" the first time and it will serve you well in the future.
People Just Don't Learn
Why is CS still getting praise??? Affordable or not, you may be an experienced *unemployed* MT because many companies are discovering that CS just doesn't give the education needed regardless of the few praisers who got lucky.
M-TEC or Andrews has a "refresher" course for MTs who have done 1 specialty or haven't worked for a while.
want to learn MT course for free?
you can use this blog site if you want to learn medical transcription for free
http://learn-free-medical-transcription.blogspot.com/
thank you
learn the basic tricks. sm
learn how to set up templates with field codes (F11 to jump). Learn how to set up your expander. If you don't have a clue look into the ABCZ system. Use Google to search for information on this. If you are stuck using autocorrect instead of a better Expander learn how to enter words quickly w/o a mouse (alt t a to open it. then tab then enter). These will save you a LOT of time entering or editing your entries.
Also was a nurse, still am. You NEED an MT program to learn about this job, not
s
Did you not have anything left to learn when you finished
school and actually started working in the real world? It is a learning process, day in and day out, just as nursing is. You can go to the best school in the world, have the most highly trained instructors, finish with flying colors, take the RMT, CMT or whatever, and still not be a good transcriptionist. Same thing goes with nursing. You can go to school and then pass state boards and still be a lousy nurse. A lot of what we all do is in the practical application day to day. I don't recall ever saying she shouldn't go to school. I just said it was possible to go from nursing to MT without formal training. 
/
I'd like to learn/do Veterinary Transcription
I tested for a local vet recently. No call back yet, but he was an @$$ (I can see why he went into Veterinary medicine rather than human). Expected the MT to transcribe while being the front desk in a hard-floored, echoing foyer area with dogs and cats and people and birds around, and be the receptionist too.
But, I think it would be very interesting and a good resume skill to add.
Anyone know of a company that will hire an MT to do VT? Or is there a VT module I could do to add to my training?
No matter what you learn in school, each
company has their own way of doing things. Some go by BOSS, some the account dictates how to do things and you do whatever they want, even if it is against what BOSS or JCAHO say. Even a different account within the same company will do things differently than the previous one. You have to adapt. With the rare exception QA is very helpful and don't nitpick.
NOW versus KNOW - Learn the difference as you will need to KNOW it at some point.
Trust me, you don't scare us. As experienced professionals, we know what happens to MTs with delusions of grandeur; they are in for a very rude awakening, to say the very least.
you overcome it by doing it..you'll never learn if you quit.
bn
ShortHand is very good and not complicated to learn. nm
s
Allied doesn't care if you learn anything OR if you get a job. They just want their $$. nm
x
Definitely sounds like a scam. You can't learn much in an 8-week course. NM
x
Don't worry - you'll learn all that basic stuff
in school. They used to teach it in secretarial classes, of course, but if you know you want to be an MT, go to one of the top schools (M-Tec and Andrews), and you will be ready when it's time to test.
Career Step only give you a year, so at M-TEC you have 18 months and will learn a LOT more.
Your post made it sound like you would rather take more time to do the course, but there's a reason M-Tec requires it done in 18 months.
You can't really learn if you drag it out longer than 18 months. You have to keep doing it, working at it, familiarizing yourself with it, in order to learn it. That is why they push you to not drag your feet, either do it or don't do it!
Good luck to you.
you got it down pat.....the only other thing I would ask is...
I might ask how may doctors are in the pool you will be typing for. The less the better. That way you can get some normals down. If you type for a few hundred, the chances of seeing the same doc twice in one day is rare. You can ask "what constitutes a line". That will answer your question with regard to characters per line, spaces, etc. Don't forget to ask what work types you will be typing, and will you have a primary and secondary account; that way in case your primary runs out of work you would like a secondary as a backup. Good luck.
I don't think its a bad thing
I think it is hard to gain respect anywhere when you are **new**, unfortunately. There are some people that take the word newbie to the extreme and make it seem like it is a bad thing and like you will never amount to anything, but for the most part I think that most MTs don't mean anything ignorant when they say the term.
Everyone has to start somewhere--and those transcriptionists who are constantly putting down the newbie need to remember however many years ago when they were first starting out. I'm sure they still make mistakes now (whether they are willing to admit to it or not is a different story).
I have been a Transcriptionist for only 2 years and I still consider myself a newbie. I am constantly learning new things every day. I don't think I will EVER put myself so high up that I will forget how rough my start was.
first thing I would do
(I'm saying this gently)
is make sure I know the difference between advice and advise...
Thing is..
It was not an error, it was her personal opinion on what he/she does on the report. Not in any way an error, nothing about it in the BOS. Just something that she prefers. And as you know, most QA go about things differently. I just wish she would have left it be, because even though it didn't count off, it is still marked now because she decided to correct it to fit her style. I am not mad at QA because they do their job, but I don't expect them to try to make everyone do it exactly as they do when it is not an error.
For one thing...
This is a job, plain and simple. Why should you be able to pick and choose your accounts? You receive work to complete and companies expect that work to get done. I'm speculating they did just the opposite to knock you down a notch because they are, after all, paying you.
Secondly, the whole "kids come first" thing is very condescending. We know that. Do you think the mothers here or in the world, even, WANT to work 40+ hours a week instead of spending time with their kids? These days, both parents need to work in a lot of cases and tons of the mothers don't get to work from home and don't just work a few hours a week.
The best thing to do is
contact your school for a list of who hires their graduates. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find entry-level positions with companies if your program is not well-known nationally or does not a have an reputation for graduates that can hit the ground running.
If you are unable to obtain job placement assistance from your program, the alternative is find companies who allow testing without an invitation. There are some out there that will let you test as part of the initial application process.
I am wondering the same thing! nm
It's a style thing (nm)
x
One thing I have learned...
It seems that most people in this business are perfectionists, to say the least. Even when someone is rude, there is something to learn by the answers that they give. I take it with a grain of salt, because there are people like that in every business.
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.
The OP didn't say anything about any thing other than TV
As I stated before, I work when my little one watches certain programs; however, there are bigger issues here just as you brought up. What I got from the original poster was exactly what those fly-by-night get-rich-quick while you stay at home with your kids try to sell newbies and don't prepare a new MT for the REALITY of working from home, especially with small children. Had the original poster said "in addition to having puzzle time, block building time, playing in the sand time, what good programs will help?" I would have felt differently but that is NOT how the original post was worded.
I'm lucky because I have learning centers set up. I don't rely on extensive TV to get my work done. Plus I'm not a newbie with unrealistic expectations and a huge learning curve to face while there are 2 little ones vying for my attention. It is certainly possible to have kids stay home and work, but to rely heavily on TV IMHO is wrong thinking for the future of our children. I take advantage of mother's day out as I am single with a child who was dropped on my door by a mom who didn't want to play mommy anymore. I have a child with no social skills, who doesn't know what home cooked food is, who never before had a regular schedule, didn't know another child her own age...I could go on and on.
My point is that having a variety of activities, interactions, settings is much better for a child than relying on hours of TV (the OP mentioned morning shows plus wanted more suggestions for other times, which indicates wanting to have the TV babysitting them). If you don't see it that way, read the OP again.
My child can go outside and play on my patio and I can watch and talk to her from my desk. How could a newbie who needs no distraction do something like that. TV. My child can ride around the house, collecting pretend mail while singing and I'll join in while waiting for the doctor to flip through the chart. How will a newbie handle that? TV.
I think you and I are arriving at the same endpoint, but interpreting the OP with different POVs. You never addressed the OP's obvious lack of insight about ENTERING the MT at home world with stay-at-home children. I did.
One thing to remember..
A lot of companies won't hire newbies who took just any course..it has to be an approved course (AAMT-approved or at the very least a course that is approved by that particular company.) If you take an unapproved course and try to go to work for one of the big companies, you might find that they won't accept you without more experience first.
One thing to remember
Maybe 7 years ago they would hire (or even test) someone in your situation, but these days there are so many who have taken the MT courses that they choose to test those first. Hands-on learning positions are around but usually only locally. Just want people reading this to know that. As you can see a few posts down I believe, there is someone who went to school and cannot even test because she did not go to a well-known school and/or she does not have enough experience even to test. So to say that it is possible is technically right, but people out there need to know that these situations are rare.
When less is more that is a good thing - sm
unless it is a tiny font or very extreme margins. From your indications below I'd say you have a good deal.
I did the same sort of thing through a different CC
It definitely enriches the Career Step material. I don't think the CS material by itself would be entirely adequate to begin working productively out of the gate in MT, but that is my opinion. With added instruction through community colleges that use the curriculum, then it's kicked up a notch.
Good luck!
I agree. I did the same thing.
So did a number of other grads I know. I am now making 10 cpl plus production bonus. I was fortunate to find a small company that still does straight transcription (although they are bridging into SR soon). I received excellent mentoring and have a great QA department that gives wonderful feedback. The nationals are not the only game out there.
one thing someone once suggested to me
is to slow down the dictation so much that you barely have to take your foot off the pedal. I don't have the patience to go that slow, but maybe it's something to try. The problem is that you miss a word because you're typing something else (have had that happen), and maybe slowing down so much will help avoid that. A good thing about proofreading is sometimes it doesn't make sense and then you realize you missed a word. I realize this isn't always the case. I guess aside from that, you'll just have to be patient and it will come in time. (I know, not the words you wanted to hear.)
LOL! I was just going to post the same thing!
You said exactly what I wanted to say!
I don't know why people keep going for the cheap courses. Especially considering they're not actually cheaper in the long run, not when you consider the lower pay you'll have to take if you only get a crappy job and the lost pay for possibly months when you can't get one at all.
Some people seem to believe they'll be the exception to the rule, i.e., everybody else who can't get a job after taking a course must just be stupid.
Or, they're stuck in some kind of cosmic-scale perpetual self-defeating mode. They don't see themselves as being worth the tuition at a better school. Or something. I never can figure out what.
You can "believe" all you want but there is such a thing as truth. sm
Medical transcription is not relative and you won't get a job because you "believe" you will. It takes a lot of hard work. As the other posters have said, you need basic English skills and they're not coming through on your posts.
You Poor Thing - This people must be
First of all, I did not go to MTEC, Andrews or Career Step, but it does seem like they companies to train with.. it seems most people get good jobs in a timely manner when training with them. You pay more, but it seems to be worth it.
As far as days/hours... I have been working for the past 9 months WORKING MY OWN HOURS. The days are set, but as long as I get my lines in during that day, they are very happy. I was a newbie, they started me at a great rate, and I got a 1 cent raise after 3 months (I am very lucky). There ARE MANY companies out there that know that MOST of us ARE moms at home in our PJs. I actually get more accomplished dressed as such.. sitting in my office wearing my pumps is really not necessary... maybe that's why these other people are so damn cranky!!! Anyway, a lot of accounts are 24-hr TAT and as long as you get your lines in, most people don't care when you did it.. as long as the client is happy. Don't these idiots bring you down .. good luck!
Remember, that stapler was the only thing that
made it through the fire! You kind of need that kind of durability on this board!
|
