I want to know if Penn Foster is a good school?
Posted By: Michele on 2009-03-11
In Reply to:
YEAH!!>>>>IM GETTING A FOOT PEDAL!!!!!  
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Penn Foster
I found an in home job right away and they pretty much educated me on everything I needed to know.
Penn Foster
check the chat from 03/01/09 a couple pages ago on this board. No it is not a good school.
Penn Foster Question
Thanks for your reply. I had been looking at Penn Foster, mainly because Andrews and M-Tec are so far above my budget. However, I had heard it was difficult to get an in home job from other programs other than the reputable top 3. Did you have any problems finding employment graduating from Penn Foster? Did they educate you on the word expansion programs, etc?
POLL: Home School vs. Charter School vs. Public School vs. Priv ate School...
Pros and cons of each too. I have two little ones that will be starting school soon and I would like opinions on all. Thanks in advance! :)
looking 4 a good school
Seriously interested in the MT field. Can you advise me of a good school? Please excuse me if this posted twice - I'm new to this.
No matter how good/bad the school it will
x
You can go to school, but will you find a job after all is said and done. Good Luck. nm
nm
Is MTATHOME.com a good training school?
Hi everyone. I was just wondering if MTATHOME.com is a reliable and good training school for me since I am looking to make a career change to Medical Transcription. Anyone who has been apart of there training program, your comments would be greatly appreciated. I'd just like to get some feedback on this company to see if I should go with them as my training school. Thank you.
-Hunter DuRant
MTatHome Good School - I was a student!
Hi, I am not sure who the person is that responded about them, everyone has an opinion. I am a student of MTatHome, or I was one and I can tell you that I really enjoyed the course. They are a Christian owned company and they treated me like a real person and not just a distant customer /student. I finished the course over a year ago and now I am working at home doing Medical Transcription for a Doctor in NC and I love it! I told several of my friends about the course and my sister also took it and is also now working at home. It can take a little while to get into a job, however that is with any where now days. It took me about 3 months to get a job after finishing and my sister about the same time maybe a little less time then me but not much. They did help me with finding a job. Like I said though this is just my experience and opinion - everyone has one and I am sure that like any company that they probably can not please everyone. I can say that the only thing that I might say negative about the company is that every once in awhile it might take a little while to get a response through email- however they do have a toll free number and any time I called it I got assistance right away. I also know that they only had a few times that they were slow on answering emails and I believe it was because of a server issue - but like I said that is the only thing I can really say neg. and if I recommend a course MTatHome is one of the ones I do still recommend. I say to the person asking the question to do your own research because everyone has their own opinions as I said above. Even the owner of MTatHome tells you on the website to do research on any course you are looking into including theirs because it is smart business to do so. I hope this helps! Good Luck! Susan Monroe PS. If you have any further questions about Medical Transcription I will be happy to answer your questions if I can, I know how hard it is when first starting out trying to find training and then work. Leave the spaces out when you email, I put them in to avoid the spammers software from picking it up - so just type it all together w/out the spaces. Once again, good luck. :-)
If you pick a good school, not always true..sm
The 2-year minimum experience is often waived if you graduated from the right school. I would not choose any school in this day other than the AAMT-approved schools. Many local community college courses are adequate, but you need to ask up front if they help w/ job placement. The big bonus from choosing an AAMT-approved school is name recognition - this is VERY important, because if a company recognizes the school you graduated from and knows it produces quality graduates, you will be hired based on the school's reputation, and that's why many companies will waive experience requirements for those schools.
MTSOs know which schools turn out graduates that are ready to hit the ground running and which ones don't, so they will often pass up a graduate from the lesser schools, especially if they also have grads from the AAMT-approved schools applying at the same time. Since majority of MT jobs are now paid on production, education is becoming much more vital than it was 10-15 yrs ago when many MTs were trained on the job and paid hourly.
Good for you! I'm back at school learning (sm)
a new career after 16+ years in this business!! I love MT but it's time for something with a steady paycheck and longevity. Good luck to you and to the rest of us in your shoes!! :)
U.S. Career Institute is not a good school for anything.
They are a total rip off. All they want is money, they don't teach what you need to know, and they don't care if you get a job afterwards or not.
Our school has good scores but my kids have never been stressed
Probably depends on the teachers and the corporate culture at your school.
I am a foster parent of 3, have been for about
a year and a half now. I would highly recommend you try to place you children with family or a good friend before turning to the state. After seeing how the system works, IMO, it is not a very good one. I would hate to see you lose your kids because you asked them for help. Two of my FC are about to get terminated from their parents, their mother of which put them in care for "help" and is now going to lose her kids.
There are many, many programs out there to help you. I'm not sure how long you have been married or really what the situation is but given the fact that you are considering this for children tells me you are a decent person because you don't want them on the street. Call a family member or a friend and ask if you and the children can stay with them. You might have to consider placing (or leaving) your husband somewhere else until you can get back up on your feet.
Go to your local welfare office, they might be able to get you something short-term. Try, try hard to keep your family together.
God bless you and your family. I hope things turn out and the world seems like a better place. Just know that we are all hear praying for you!
children in foster care
In response to the Wednesday's Child, I've seen the film clips on the national adoption/foster websites. They do that in several major cities. I always want to grab each and every one and hug them and tell them how special they are. It makes me so sad for them.
Regarding adopting an older child if you already have children, I agree that there's something to be said for having an infant if you have no biological children of your own. In most cases, private adoption agencies do give childless couples priority. However, each family is in a unique situation, so exactly how old the adoptive child would be has to match their needs and yours. For example, some of the children aren't to be adopted by families with younger kids, etc. In my own case, I'm not necessarily looking to adopt an infant girl, but I would rather have a younger child. After talking to my 16 and 11-year-old sons, I'd prefer that she be younger than 11. This is because they feel they'd be able to bond better with a younger child and truly think of her as their sister. It's very important to me that this be a family decision and not just my own. It's scary to think of what some of those girls may have been through, and to bring an older girl into the house with my oldest son could actually be risky. You sometimes hear of children acting out after abuse, and I'd never want to put him in a position of false accusations. Of course, I'll have to worry about all this as we get further involved. After all, we've barely begun the process.
Thanks for the comments. Y'all are great!
DO NOT place them with state foster care if at all possible sm
they say they are here to help us but knowing insides to the system, that is wrong. there is no such thing as temporarily taking your kids til you are on your feet as there should be. if you feel you can't make it with the kids, place them with friends or family and leave state services out of the picture. that is the worst you could ever do for your kids. if you heard a few reports that i type, you would be shocked. if you love your kids, pull through it with them. food stamps can feed them. do you need clothes? I have 4 ages 13 to 5, i can send you some clothes. the families that go through tough times together are the ones that stick together and are much stronger in the end. i disagree with the poster to dump the husband. he is sick. mental illness is just that, an illness; unless there are other things you didn't mention.you should be able to get disability.state should pay TNAF for children. HUD can give a home; yes, may take a while but i bet if you expressed to some agencies around you about how you need internet to work, you would find someone willing to offer that help to get you on your feet. at least you are trying and they will see that. we have a PATH where i live and they will pay house pymts, rent, utilities, food, clothing, etc. can you put up flyers to clean houses or something that would be within walking distance for you? i would pay someone to help me out, lol. the kiddos might could even pull their share and help out. we have a place through the unemployment office in Texas that will pay you to go to school if you have lost your job. it paid my way to school for transcription; i got gas money, books, pens, childcare, everything i needed. yes, my credit is ruined from living off credit cards during that time but i am making 45k/yr now. best thing i ever did. it was designed to put people back in the work force again. go to McD's if needed long enough to get some wages to get you back into a house and utilities and you can build back up from there.
Have you tried the Drs. Foster and Smith veterinary website?
Great site!
I hope your doggie's feeling better soon.
jodie foster. Love all her movies
nm
I'm a current foster parent in Georgia and...sm
have e-mailed you to contact me so I can answer your questions.
Here's how foster-to-adopt works on the federal level...sm
All non-Caucasian over age 1 automatically get adoption assistance. All Caucasian kids over age 8 get adoption assistance. If you adopt a sibling group that is more than 2 kids you get adoption assistance. All special needs children qualify for adoption assistance. Adoption assistance usually means Medicaid until they're 18 and in a lot of cases the monthly per diem rate is paid to the adoptive family. For the special needs kids, sibling groups and non-white children that meet the adoption assistance criteria generally the fees for adoption are reimbursed up to $2000 - which is pretty much what all of the attorneys charge for these adoptions since Child Protective Services/DFCS does the majority of the paperwork.
We're currently in the process of adopting our 6-year-old foster child who has lived with me since she was almost 5. The adoption should be finalized in January after my husband meets the 6 months residency requirement (we got married in June and he moved here from another state at that time).
As a believer in Grassy Knolls, Area 51, Vince Foster's murder, etc.
I've often wondered lately if the gradual slow down (leading to a halt) in work is part of a grand conspiracy to limit the amount of money paid in UI. It is, after all, based on our income. And the longer they string people along, slowly shrinking the amount of work available, the less money we will be eligible for, when we eventually hit that unemployment line. I believe the amount a company has to pay into the unemployment fund is based on the amount it has to pay out, although I don't know how far back those records go. But since it seems like many seem to be watching their work/income shrink over an extended period of time, it seems like it will be letting the company off the hook for the amount made even a year ago.
Of course, I may be looking at it all wrong. But there was a 2nd shooter and we know about those alien autopsies!
I did that with 2 kids with time mgmt and a high school girl who babysat 3 days a week after school
nm
The cost of running a private school or any school is expensive....
Why do you think public schools are so run down and can't find good teachers? Because the government and people to not put forth the effort or $$$$ to improve the educational system.
The School of Hard Knocks is the best MT school
n
Kinship care versus foster care/adoption
Having been placed in a position where I now have custody of my 3 YO granddaughter and going through the legal system, I sought an online network of relative caregivers for children. I would encourage you, especially since you are in Georgia, that if you take any children into foster care with the idea of adopting them, there is federal law that requires the state to take certain actions in a specific time frame. When a child is removed from it's bio parent(s), the state is required to investigate any possible relatives who can take the child before foster care is considered, but even before that, reunification with the parents is the priority. Once a child enters the system and is in the system for 15 out of any 22 months, the state is required to find permanent placement for the child.
The problem with this is that there are case workers who may favor a foster family and do not seek out relative care. I have a good friend in Georgia who had to fight all the way to the state level to get custody of her grandson after the child was placed from the hospital into a foster care home with the promise that the foster parents would be allowed to adopt. She has now adopted her grandson, but it was a long, hard battle to get the state to admit their own interests were placed above those of the child and/or family.
If you get a child placed through the state, please make certain there is not a relative who wants that child before you get your hopes up. The courts are now favoring return of children to relatives even after a child has spent years with a foster family who hoped to adopt them.
States get bonus federal funds by complying with the time lines and being able to close the case, so some states place children in foster care because it is easier than trying to locate relatives.
Didn't mean to go off on a tangent, but I can't imagine my sweet bella going to someone outside her family.
We met in high school. My high school sweetheart
introduced us in a discussion over Ford versus Chevy versus Dodge. I used to race my Dodge Coronet with oldstyle 318 V-8 engine against the guys on the back roads and old highways. High school boyfriend had a Chevy truck. DH had a Ford Fairlane and later an AMC Javelin that just made me swoon. We didn't actually start dating until three years later, and my old high school boyfriend was a bit surprised at that since he introduced us.
That is a good offer. Pay is not that good at UIMC. Good luck! nm
x
I'm old school, but still know its 3/6
nm
never went to MT school!
I have been doing this for 10 years now. I have a great job, great QA reviews and make great money. So what???
ol school
LL Cool J and caramel
been to school should have known, especially since they
basically had the words correct. They were such common terms I don't know how anyone could have gotten through school and not had them at least 100 times.
Also doing one search on Google with the misspelled words would have probably turned up the answer.
going to school
Don't get discouraged - you will be able to use your MT skills in other areas to help with the cost of schooling. I'll be doing that too even if I have to work at a doctor's office part time as a receptionist! Just knowing I am making my way out of this field is something to aspire to!!!
Went to school and got my CPC
I have a national coding certificate. I cut back on my MT work and got a job auditing physician records and scoring their documentation, then gave them feedback to maximize their reimbursement for the services they provided. When I moved to a new area, the field for the type of coding I was doing had less of a demand, so I increased my MT work. Now that I'm back in my "home town" I need to network and re-enter the field. The money is just as good, if not better in some cases, with much better benefits, plus it is something you leave at the office at the end of the day.
d~
School
Northeast Guilford Senior High, North Carolina
School
North Clay Community H.S., Louisville, Illinois! SHHHH, don't tell anyone.
By the way, I'm also from old school....sm
But I try to keep them all as simple as possible, one office with 2 surgeons has their own letterhead, so no problem there and they want things very simple. All work for all also, besides getting printed by me, is put on a diskette for them to download on their systems for them to make whatever changes they choose. All others with no letterhead, I supply all paper for (Xerox) and free delivery and pickup to all. It is free for them, I pay someone to pickup/deliver. That's how simple I want it, and I also want to bill out and get paid only once a month.
Everyone seems to like the idea, and it has been working for quite some time (10 years) and my theory is, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. *LOL*
As for the national, my weekend work, each client has a CP (client profile) and some of the CPs are more difficult than the others and once in a GREAT while, I might forget SOMETHING but then I contact someone beyond who usually fixes whatever I messed up. 
I went to school for
two years to earn a certificate in medical transcription (at a junior college) but so far no one has ever asked me if I was certified or if I went to school. I guess they didn't care as long as I could do the work.
School
I would not recommend if you actually want to get a job!
I am considering RN school...
I am almost 29 and have a daughter and am pregnant with another one. I've been going to school to get my RHIT but am bored with it and may go to RN school instead. I don't know... I feel too old to do it!
You should ask the school what they want.
/
school
Aug 14 for us here in Douglas County too. We're neighbors!
Woo-hoo - 1st day of school!!! sm
Both kids survived it quite nicely. That's 1 down, 179 to go!!!
school
All I can tell you is that I was thinking of going into nursing a few years ago, and a friend of mine who used to be a nurse discouraged me (strongly). It's not what it used to be - lots of paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, lots of long hours and tough shifts. She got her Master's and is now in nursing administration.
Old school
In the old days of 1" on top, bottom, 1" sides it was 54 lines, it was six lines per inch and using the common font of Courier 10 font which is now a 12 font. But now fonts are all so different as well as margins but I used to get 62 ines per page when doing continuous chart notes. One way to check in your font is to number 1, 2 3, 4 down a page and see how far you can go or check the line count is word but usually runs 54 to 66 again depending on margins, fonts, etc.
What MT school did you go to? nm
x
It might if you went to a school that
that is not well known or has a less than stellar reputation. However, if you went a school with a good reputation in the industry, you don't really need it. Companies know who prepares their graduates for entry-level positions or above, who produces graduates that need more assistance, and what programs do not even provide remedial knowledge.
Having your RMT credential might show an employer that you have the basic knowledge required to do the job, but you would need to weigh cost versus the benefit.
School is a must!
I respectfully disagree with the above poster. Not having gone to a quality school puts you at a serious disadvantage in today's MT market. Nobody wants to hire a newbie to work at home, UNLESS they attended Andrews, M-TEC, or possibly Career Step. That's because those schools really prepare you to work at home. I got a job right out of school (wasn't even job hunting yet - the company contacted my school, M-TEC, and hired me right before graduation). I have been very successful as an MT and started making very good money after my first year on the job. I wouldn't even think about trying MT without the right education. Even if you do get hired by someone, you will be so far behind it will take years to catch up, and you probably WILL only make 5 or 6 cpl. I was paid a reasonable cpl rate from day 1. My education was worth every penny I paid.
Re:school
"And yes, I have trained and QA'd Andrews and MTEC graduates and they have sucked eggs just as much as the next newbie MT."
I highly doubt the above response, but okay.
Also, MT profession is not losing their pay to new MT's as much as it is because of offshoring to other countries!
MT school
I graduated from CAI and got an offer to test with MQ the week I graduated. I also have a friend who took the CAI course and got a job soon after she finished. It covered all the word parts, abbreviations, and had lots and lots of real doctor dictations to practice. There is nothing like on-the-job experience and I will be the first to admit I learn something new almost everyday, but I felt I was ready to work by the time I was done with the course.
Great post BTW. I get tired of hearing about the "top 3" as if there is no other way to become an MT.
No School
I learned on the job 20 years ago. Approached a local transcription company, "bargained" a shift with them if they would train me. Worked there 3 years and then on to the home office. I now work for a wonderful company in QA/Auditing and I also learn something new every day. I continue to learn through articles, webinars, seminars, etc. There is no end to the knowledge one can have in this profession.
Yes, been to CR school
But it is very, very difficult. Maybe 1 or 2 in 100 makes it through to certification. Am not saying you wouldn't be that one, but be prepared. I had to quit after 6 years because I also worked full time and just couldn't cut the 50 mile round trip commute to school anymore. Figure I had about two more years to go. That's the thing -- you never really know when you will finish because you might fly through one speed level then get stuck for 2 years at the next. If I had it to do over again, I would have stopped working and just concentrated on school. You have to be really accurate and fast to close caption too. I really loved doing CR though! So if you really want to do it, just look into it in depth!
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