I've been pondering a career change too
Posted By: choices on 2009-08-24
In Reply to: To all my fellow MDI'ers: Things to ponder... - steph1
For about the last year now, I've been thinking about going back to school to become a teacher. I'm just not sure the pay would be worth the cost of the education. I love the idea of summers off and starting out at about 35K in my area. I think in terms of hours/pay, it is the only job that would give me my current freedom but at a little better salary.
I can't really answer your questions, as I'm still trying to figure out the answers to my own. The only advice I have to offer is, if you're going to go back for nursing -- go for the RN. You'll make much more money and you may as well do it all at once and get it over with.
I do think that MTing from home will eventually become a minimum wage job. I just don't know when that will be. I know I can't make it on my MDI income alone, but I have a husband and 3 kids and I may not be working as much as others.
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career change
ultrasound and radiology tech schools are pumping out a lot of students every year with not enough jobs to go around (have friends who are recent candidates who cannot find work). what is really in demand is occupational therapy tech and physical therapy tech and of course nursing. good luck with your decision.
I've been loyal to MDI for 13 years and planned to finish my career here. I
can't even begin to express my dismay, disappointment, and feeling completely blind-sided and slapped across the face by this after a decade plus of Dorothy always saying she had too much integrity to EVER offshore, and now she's going to be in charge of sales and marketing TO offshore. My mind is still reeling. So not sure what you mean by loyal. The MDI I've known and been loyal to for over a decade no longer exists. Now I've just been left sitting here stunned wondering how she could do such a 180, or if it was just a facade all along.
new career
I have been transcribing over 10 years and love it, but with the industry robbing us blind and using us I have been making less and less each year. I am in my mid 40s and hate to be thinking of going back to school, but I think I have to. I have always done office work but it is lower paying and I hate being stuck in a cubicle all day. I like the medical field but do not think I am cut out for nursing. Does anyone have any ideas that are decent paying in the medical field that do not takes years to earn a degree at? I looked at ultrasound tech, but I have to investigate this further, not sure if there are any schools in my area.
Trying to be optomistic.
Nothing will change unless we make it change..SM
As long as we accept the exploitation that this MT profession has reduced us to, it will keep going on. The top of this is the outsourcing.... well, get your legislators involved....better yet, the MEDIA. How many patients know their private medical information is being outsourced to halfway around the world? The squeeky wheel gets the grease. Do the patients know that their info won't be sold by some unscrupulous MT (halfway around the globe) to insurance companies, etc., making all this Medical records privacy a joke. It's not just our T-shirts being made in other countries; it's our most personal, private medical information, of which the public is not being made aware of. Not to speak of undercutting out profession to the bare bone. Granted, most US MTs are willing to work below market wage just to have a job, especially in economically-deprived areas, where outside jobs are scarce, and kids need to be fed and mortgages need to be paid. MTSOs know this. I'll bet they'll be the first to lobby against any action against outsourcing. (Wouldn't you be...if you got people to work for pennies while you're raking in the big $$$'s ? Still, notwithstanding the outsourcing problem, we're still going along with all the BS...working for pennies, whatever the client wants, he gets... ever notice how all of the MTSO flak seems to be re. unpaid work...mostly, demographic issues we're not even paid for... bec. It has to be done.. Part of the job... The client put the wrong info but we have to correct it...all unpaid work. Just give me a job with nothing but straight transcription, w/o the unpaid/demo. flak..I'll take it even at the present, absurd pennies-per-line state of the profession.
When I went to school for this MT career
What happened? I barely clear $30,000 a year in this field working for a national. I'm in debt up to my eyeballs. Someone please help me.
I was told to think of it as a career.
/
been in this career for almost 2 months
Basic rate of pay that I have been seeing is 7-8 cents per line for IC and thats basically what it is set in stone at. I would be told that in some cases before even sending a resume and giving them my experience.
That is crazy, considering you can be paid that much as an employee. I agree about the taxes also.
Why would you have to give up your career?
If you can't get your job back, apply for a remote job - most companies are more concerned with *if* you can do the job (which will be apparent if you test well). As to a two year lapse in work record? Who says you have to be that precise with your dates?
You don't have to go to Career Step
I smell something a little fishy here. Are you advertising for Career Step? I repeat if you are already a transcriptionist, then you can apply for online jobs. It does not take a certificate from Career Step. I have been offered many jobs online, and I do not have a certificate from Career Step or any other training program. 
Career Step
Just to clarify about Career Step, the cost is nowhere near $5000. It is in fact, between $1500 and $2000 the last I knew. I do not work for them, but graduated a year ago and they did prepare me for acute care MT work. (After 9 months I am making about $20,000 a year, working 2 IC jobs for a total of about 40 hours a week).
Career Step
CS has been a dream for me. With their training, I had 7 offers for at-home MT employment within 2 weeks of graduation. It is a hard course, and the final exam has a 50% fail rate, but it really prepares you for the real world of MT. If it wasn't that hard I think I would be dead in the water. If you want to learn more, they have a forum for people who have questions about joining at http://careerstep.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/frm/f/6960008433
and their website is www.careerstep.com. Before joinging, I checked them out with the BBB and called them probably 20 times with questions. They were very helpful and have a shiny record with the BBB. Also, they are one of the few schools approved by the AAMT, as you can see from the AAMT website. They are also a lot cheaper than most places. Hope that helps!
Career Step
Career Step is legit (and I don't get any $$ for recommending them). The course is self-paced and allowed me to work from home right after graduation. The website has all the cost info. on it.
Career Step
If I knew then what I know now, I would not have attended Career Step. I would have attended MTEC or Andrews.
I like it! Most sites having to do with career changes - sm
seem to be geared to high-powered professional types, or computer geniuses. We're in such a NICHE, (or is that just a nice word for 'RUT'?), and our skills are specialized. Also, quite a few of us have been doing this for 20 or 30 years, and have specific problems with changing careers because we concentrated all our energies into MT. I, myself, lack the BA Degree so many places seem to want, even for lower-paying jobs. I only got as far as an AA Degree, and it's in Art. Totally useless. So, currently looking not too far down the road to my 60s, the thought of going back to school (which for me would mean all the way back to high school math, chemistry, etc.), just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Still, I have to eat..........
Career Steps
Everyone seems to want to hire Career Steps people. I went to Ashworth Career School online. I thought I was doing fine there, I liked the convenience of the course and the low monthly payments. But, they are not very recognized by MT companies.
Career Step
My sister took this course 3 years ago and was hired as a graduate. I was able to view this course and was very impressed with it and how it prepared the students. There is a lot of practice dictation starting from beginner to advanced, working your way up. Another good school is M-TEC. When I helped my sister research what companies were looking for in graduates, these were the 2 schools that always popped up as being recognized by companies that hire graduates.
I went to a local business school and worked on site at a hospital/clinic for 5 years before working from home.
Career decisions
I've done nursing and I am here to tell you all that it is not as easy as it looks. The money might be great, but it is so frustrating and exhausting, especially when you are right there on the front lines, so to speak, dealing with life and death right up close working in a somewhat dysfunctional medical system.
If you are young and energetic or just energetic at any age, it might be a viable solution to study nursing. For me, like some others, working from home, at home, is my top priority.
Through the years, I have noticed that many of the really happy MTs are those who do not have to depend on their MT jobs to pay their main bills, but may do medical transcription work part time to supplement their income. No, I am not discounting those who do it full-time and are very successful and really love it; I'm sure they do exist.
However, the suggestions made in this thread make total sense to me, kind of like having the best of both worlds. Now, the challenge is to find that perfect part-time MT job, as well as a really good career with a promising future, doing something else.
I don't know when you started a nursing career but
I was more than happy to trade in mine for MT training. I worked as a R.N. for a health system that formed that wonderful alliance, as most have. I found myself working in all 3 hospitals, in 4 different areas. Years ago I worked in ICU and knew my patients and gave them ICU nursing care. The last time I worked in ICU, it was for 1 day, then it was off to a hospital across town to work a med-surg floor for 2 days and then back to ICU again, where I was told my patient had died. I blamed that on no one knowing her case and so much rotation that the patients have been forgotten. I worked swing shifts and weekends and witnessed more and more of my coworkers leaving for nursing homes just to have a half decent schedule, then becoming depressed when the elderly patients they got attached to passed away. I decided to go for what I now call hands on nursing care without really being there and I started working as a MT 4 years ago. I love it!!! Nurses may be paid more but for what in exchange? As for pay and benefits in the MT profession, I never expected benefits for being self employed so I provide my own. I also make more money doing this because I am in charge of my schedule and my work volume. I also no longer have nightmares about the patients I feel I had to abandon to satisfy a bunch of bureaucrats who run hospitals these days. So before you announce how much better nurses have it, become one and try out your skills in any hospital of your choice. Lots of luck!
I am hoping to start a new career with a new
company this year. Working on the resume now! I am so tired and burned out with my present employer and so unhappy doing QA. I want to transcribe again, or QA with a more professional company. Not too much to ask for, right? But change is hard. I hope I don't wimp out.
Worst experience of my career.
//
Career board dried up?
Have companies stopped posting on the Careers board? I assume work hasn't dried up in the two months I haven't been on here?
It's time to fine a new career.
nn
They do get a fee for all who actually enroll in career step.
My god, and you stayed in this career while failing
the only one to blame as I can't imagine why you would think that summation of your career any step of the way was a success. Per your description, sounds like nothing worked for you after a year or 2 at best. I've been in the biz the same length of time and experienced the complete opposite of your story. I would never have endured what you have endured, as I would have had the common sense to realize that the job was not cut out for me or vice versa. You have thrown your entire life away on this industry, and yet came back again, and are on here bitter and spewing hatred at complete strangers to you. Honestly, you need to re-evaluate - read your own life story and take some accountability, realizing that you should never ever have stayed in this industry. You have nothing to show for it, have lost everything per your own claims, so please reconsider and have the back half of your life mean something - anything, whatever is important to you. Obviously this industry is not suited to you. Please don't lump us all in with your experience. I can't imagine many MTs have suffered as you have - why would we? We would find a new line of work ASAP and move on with our lives, not sacrifice them as you have. I can't even feel sorry for you as a reader - none of your story makes sense as to why you have persevered - its just a sad meaningless synopsis.
Of course its my career - has been my entire life
That's what makes no sense about this rant above me. She recounts 30 years of her life as an MT and how horrible its been, all the failings, and how it has ruined her life since nearly day #1. Per her own words, she blames everything, from her blood pressure to her endometriosis, blames her divorce, missing out on her son, blames everything on MTing, yet she has done it for 30 years and now is back at it again. She claims over and over to have failed at literally every aspect in her life she felt worth mentioning, blaming it all on MTing, yet here she is an MT. What part of that makes sense to you? We're to feel sorry for her?? I've been in this business 30 years and have been a success. I've had a zillion trials and hardships and battles, but my career is a success, or I would have gotten the heck out of it when it became a disaster. If that doesn't make sense to you, which obviously it doesn't, then there is no reason or sanity with which you can be approached. Substitute MTing for any career - if you are failing at it, and you've lost everything in life due to that career, why are you still doing it? That's a big question, because the blame is not on the career, its on the person. Nobody else to blame but yourself. Period.
I think it's a good career policy to always have a
(nm)
Switching career paths
I switched paths a few years ago, but backwards from you. I am an LPN, but went back to school for medical transcription. I have an autistic son who is 15 now. I left the workforce when he was diagnosed at 2 years old. About 4 years ago, he was getting more independent and I wanted to go back to work. My dilema was the child care issue and that is why I chose to study for something that would allow me to work from home.
I also had been going through personal issues with my marriage and know where you are coming from and how difficult this decision is. I still work from home doing transcription because balancing the costs of working outside of home (travelling, food, wardrobe, child care, etc.) against the benefits being at home, it has worked out for me better to stay at home. It was really important to me to be the one to provide care to my son and to be flexible enough for the day-to-day things that usually come up. My advice would be to really decide what is most needed and important for you right now, and go from there... and weigh the cost of both.
I tuck a little bit away each pay ( whatever I can manage) and claim my utilities and anything I can as expenses on my taxes each year.
Good luck with any decision you make.
new career for some of you younger folks
I have been helping my son investigate career options and discovered that dental hygienists make 62K a year after completing a mere two-year program.
I guess one must ask oneself if they are squeamish about cleaning out other people's mouths, but I think I could get over it pronto (if I was younger) knowing how this profession has gone down the spit sink.
New career for some of you younger folks
A good field to get into is physical therapy, OT or speech therapy or physical therapy assistant. They make good money in my area. I note ads for them all of the time especially in sports medicine.
Career Step is $1320 or $1560
x
For career changes, here is a fun site, some stuff is free sm
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html
If they use MTTEST by Career Step - Don't bother...
...just like Career Step's program, MTtest is GREATLY flawed. And the potential employers don't bother to review this or your testing. If an employer lazily uses MTTest (and is recruiting people to buy Career Step's scam terrible training program), I don't bother. Even if you get it right, the module is flawed and will likely say you got it wrong. Don't waste your time being insulted by same.
Companies that actually send you dictation to transcribe are the best to test with. They test your true knowledge/ability, not through a flawed and inadequate multiple choice module that's sole purpose is to recruit people to Career Step.
Just my 2 cents... :O)
Ditto - it would depend on the career being offered
But I'm looking at other option now, because something with dependable, steady money is something I dream of now.
I worked for this company and it was the worst experience of my career.
I would advise you to search the archives on this board. You will be able to make your own decision based on that info.
Have you tried ads on Monster Jobs and Career Builder w/your experience? nm
s
I started 18 years ago and gave up a very good career
at a major medical association where I was just starting to move. I was 26, married three years and having my first child. I wanted desperately to stay home with him, but back then, my husband was not making quite enough to keep us afloat.
I just fell into MT when I saw an ad in the paper posted by a local MTSO. I thought, I've worked with doctors before and I know how to type. Well, I failed their test, but they were running an in-house class that cost $100 for six months, and the promise of a job as long as I could pass the test at the end. We had $123 in our savings account, and against my husband's wishes, I invested $100 of it in that course. It was well worth it!
Socially, it was hard at first to be isolated at home with children and work, but it's great now that they are all teenagers. I've always known where my kids were and been there for them when they needed me. I worked part-time for many, many years, and that gave me the chance to relax, not be stressed, go on hikes in the afternoons, or have a paddle in my kayak occasionally while the kids were in school.
I have a bachelors degree from Temple University and majored in marketing. My husband is a CPA, and we'll be married 22 years this January. He is now a partner in a small firm. He gets very good medical benefits and insurance, but no vision or dental plan. I'm sure that if I had worked for 20 years and attended to a career rather than a job, I'd be making six figures these days. I certainly don't make that doing medical transcription! But, I worked hard at raising my kids, and I have three great ones! I've saved bushels of money because I've not had to buy an office wardbrobe, pay train fare to the office, or send my children to daycare.
I have been very, very fortunate in that we no longer need my income to survive, but now I have the time to work full-time, the kids need me less, and I can still be reasonably flexible and unstressed. And, I'm still here when my teenagers need me, even though that's not as often as before. Yes, the industry has changed, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!
MQ a good place to begin an MT career? I disagree.
I was relatively new to the MT world when I began working at MQ. I recall it as an experience that almost caused me to totally QUIT the MT profession. For one thing, the majority of dictators were horrendous. Add to that the fact that communication with supervisors, QA, etc., was almost nil. Then, I learned about the MT questions person, but I quickly became embarrassed and was afraid that he/she would get tired of me. Working at MQ was definitely a learning experience, but it is my opinion that it harmed me more than helping me. For one thing, I do not enjoy the experience of hypertension and migraine headaches, and I am sure that I would not enjoy the experience of a CVA. Obviously, I do not work for MQ any longer.
As it has already happened twice, I won't be surprised if I again receive a telephone call in which I am invited to reapply and work there again. The first time that they called, I told them to take my name off their list, or put my name on their DO NOT CALL list. But, they might call again. For this reason, I have placed my old trumpet next to the phone. A good blow of the trumpet in the caller's ear will be the only response they get from me. I understand that pushing the O button on a touch-tone phone will create a similar effect.
Yes...Career Step has a referral program where you receive something like sm
50.00 for every person who signs up for Career Step through you. I BET they are affiliated. How unprofessional can one co. be?
Try posting your resume on Career Builders. You'll
space, accounting, all kinda stuff. Even if you specify what type of work and where you want it, especially with the locality option, you get all kinds of goofy stuff, but some are pertinent. I got so many I had to unsubcribe.
Spheris - is it true they will hire Career Step grads without
making them take employment test? It is so stated on New MT board.
Anyone heard of Career Step program?..cost?..legit?
I checked out the Spheris website and I don't have enough experience to apply...but they directed me to Career Step kind of as a prerequisite to get your foot in the door for employment....there's gotta be a some kind of cost, but I didn't stick around to find out....link, after link, after link..yada yada...anyone have any comments on this setup?
Spheris will hire you. They have lots of Career Step people.
As long as you do not need health insurance, they are fine for a new grad.
What good does it do? They've lied, they've betrayed us.
They've taken all they are going to take from me. I am not going to waste any more time being angry. I hate the way things ended, but I refuse to accept the blame for any part of it because I know that was a lie too, even though they did try to blame the MTs. I know part of the problem was quality issues, but QA wasn't to blame for that either, although they have been.
It is time to pick up and move on. I think mgmt will reap what they sow. For those who worked on the main account Webmedx is still hiring, though the best time slots have already been taken.
What the heck? I've never heard that in the 8 yrs I've worked here. sm
Go back to your STM or over his or her head.
Monster Jobs and Career Builder usually have a few path jobs. nm
s
Since you've brought it up, I've stopped SM
giving the negative info because every time I have in the past I am called a disgruntled ex-employee or told that my experience has no relation to what the company is like today.
I won't repeat the information I've given in the past, anyone can find it on searches. I've decided to just let the people have their experience with the company and that experience will validate everything I've ever said about those people.
The same people own and run that company--they may have new names doing the management, but it still runs the same way.
You've got it ~ you've hit the nail on the head....
I can Google until dawn and still not find John Smith in NY - you know the neurologist... Cut me a break! I've now learned to ask my online company for a list of referring physicians (since none of the accounts are in my state) and also ask for websites for the hospitals, but I still don't take more than 5 min of my own time to find referring physicians. I send it right through with a verify cc:...
As far as making an educated guess, I would only do that if it was my own account and I know the dictator well. For the online company, it is their responsibility to make that educated guess as it is their client, not mine. I leave that up to the company to make assumptions; this way it is on their back, not mine when it comes to the legality of the report. Ultimately, the physician is responsible when signing that report or there should be clause on those reports that state dictated but not read. If that clause is not there, then it is the physician's responsibility to know the content, not the MT. An MT can only transcribe what they hear and really should not be making educated guesses on anyone since we live in a world of sue-happy patients and their malpractice insurance is so high. If there is a question, it needs to go the dictator to resolve.
JMO - been doing this for over 20 years. 
I've been a QA 15 years and I've never heard
of any company only paying for the actual Keystrokes of the blank. You would literally make less than minimum wage that way. Waaay less.
30 years - this WAS my career. The last few years you guys have ruined it.
You work 9-5? Big deal. I work more than you do. I bet I work harder too. Treat US with respect, lady!
Don't talk to us like that and don't expect us to kiss your feet. Kiss ours for a change!
MQ BIG CHANGE?
I just love these posters..gonna be a big change..well, what? Dont post something like that and not explain. It only causes anxiety and speculation in an already scarey field, with outsourcing, etc. Big change, well, come on now..what is gonna be the big change and where did you get your information from?
Well, then maybe that should change.
Maybe they, too, should be paid based on what they produce, with a little bonus if the person stays a year.
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