It depends on what school you graduated from.
Posted By: me on 2008-04-01
In Reply to: jobs for newbies - Carol
If you graduated from one of the top 3 schools many MTs have a job by the time they get finish the program. I take it that isn't your case. You would probably be better off trying to find an in-house job locally until you get some experience. You can post your resume on the job boards and might get some offers that way. Be careful though and ask questions as there may be some less than desirable companies trying to take advantage of newbies.
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When I graduated high school in 1967, sm
I got a set of matching luggage and a manual typewriter!
I was fortunate to have parents able to afford all tuition, books, and on-campus living expenses. Many graduates don't have what I was blessed to have and need a little help from family and friends.
Thanks..school wont give another copy since I am graduated now...also went to a whole new comp, sm
not just an upgrade. Could not pull the free program off the old one. thanks anyway. Just looking to get by on something inexpensive until I get some $$$ coming in.
It all depends on how your school works. sm
In our school district room moms are just for parties. The head room mom, which sounds like what you are, is in charge of coordinating parties and what you want to do. We usually do a craft, snack, and a game if time allows. I have a list of other moms names provided by the teacher and call on them to help out with the party and expense. Be careful..parties can get very expensive so keep it simple and dont be afraid to ask other moms to donate for treat bags and craft supplies. I usually meet with my room mom helpers over lunch or after dinner some night and have everyone bring their ideas. We usually only take about an hour and get ideas for what we want to do. It is also a great time to split up who will bring what or pay for what. You certainly dont want to pay for every party by yourself. Plus having other moms help during the party will relieve the pressure from you. Being a room mom can be a lot of fun. I always enjoy coming to the school and being with the kids. Ask your childs teacher what your school protocol is for room moms and parties, et certera.
It depends. In the inner city, I'd say private school.
Although it's a noble effort to shield them from potentially bad situations, that's how we all learned how to conduct ourselves in a social situation, to choose friends wisely, and to sharpen our "people" skills.
Keeping them at home does nothing but smother them and is a control freak issue IMO. You're not doing them any favors.
My kids both attended our local public school and are now college educated professionals who have many friends, some of whom they've known since elementary school. If you can make it in public school you can make it anywhere. It's a microcosm of society and the natural way to learn skills that will serve you throughout your lifetime.
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! :)
Graduated from....
Mandarin High School, Jacksonville, FL
not everyone is like this - my kid graduated
Not everyone buys into/bought into the changes you describe. My kid bought the car with $$ saved/earned when 17. Outside of that, worked full time/still does and goes to school and expects nothing but to move forward in the life and strives to do so.
And we are not a poor family either - just didn't and don't buy into commercialism of every occasion in this country.
Graduated from M-TEC
It cost me about $2600 when I graduated in 2001. Right out of school I made excellent, unheard of money by being paid on a gross line. I was able to top out at around 60K after 4 years, increasing steadily each year. I worked about 60 hours a week, as I knew when these accounts went away I would make *regular* money. They did after 4 years. I now make around 28K a year and work 30 hours a week. You may want to stay where you are!!
I graduated from AHP
Just about 12 years ago I graduated from At-Home Professions and am still doing transcription. I've worked for Medquist for 8 years and worked for a hospital before that. So now you've met a graduate of AHP who is able to do the job. I've learned far more with on-the-job training than I ever did through the program, but just wanted to let you know there are a few of us oddball AHP graduates who are actually productive...
18 here. Graduated and then married
two weeks later, still with the same man 16 years later.
I graduated in 1989 (sm)
Good to see someone from back home, though! :)
I graduated CS and do have regrets
The reasons are the same as you have read elsewhere. There are no instructors, but rather an impersonal "grader" that you aren't quite sure you can trust since what might be right one time is wrong the next. There are errors in the material that can make you end up looking like a fool. I had nitroglycerine in my spell check on word for a year before I realized I had added it from a cut and paste report taken out of FOMS and was incorrect. Of course, that is only one example of many. I could go on and on, but I won't. All in all, it is inferior, and I wish I had gone to M-Tec or Andrews so that I could have started out excellently instead of clawing my way there of my own volition.
Both. Graduated from a junior college with sm
medical secretarial degree, but learned 99.9% on the job. Schooling proved to be an invaluable foundation for the years to come.
33 years of MT.
RE: I hear you on that one - same for me. Baby just graduated :-(
\
I graduated from M-Tec, and MQ hired me without experience. nm
nm
I went to career step & graduated 3 yrs ago. I think it prepared me well.
Hey FC girl--I graduated in 1994 at FCHS
/
I graduated from a local community college. sm
Had my first job before graduation but it was in-house with hourly pay and great benefits. Those are very hard to find anymore. I worked in-house for my first 2 years and then went on maternity leave picking up side work through a company for more income. Realized I was tripling my money going from hourly to production by that time, turned in my notice, and never looked back. Been at home ever since. If at all possible, in the beginning I would recommend to anyone to work inhouse even if it is for a transcription company. The value of having other "ears" is definitely not something to take for granted. I also learned as much as I could while getting that hourly pay as time is money when on production. I have to say I probably would not be near as proficient of an MT today had it not been all those hours learning and having another ear around to help out when stuck.
You bring up a point too though that I haven't really thought about before....With all the transcription being outsourced out of the office, it is only going to get much more difficult for anyone to get those breaks and get the required "experience" as a beginner.
33, Medical Secretary Degree, graduated in 1999
nm
Like that's so easy? Divorced bud of mine at 51 graduated college w/her BS last year ...
s
I did that with 2 kids with time mgmt and a high school girl who babysat 3 days a week after school
nm
I know of a company who is restarting up their mentoring program for newly-graduated MTs. A GREAT
company to work for - I think they are independent contractor status, though not sure about their mentoring program status. At any rate, they are willing to take new grads and help them transition into actually working! The women who owns the company is truly wonderful. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with her, though I don't at the moment. The company is Accu-Stat in Wisconsin! Keep that name somewhere on a sticky or something! Really great people, and she did mention that she really wants to restart this program she used to have for newbies! Blessings to you and good luck! Have fun! Cause it sure can be fun, while having to work, which, of course, is not fun in and of itself, huh?? Oh, to be independently wealthy. Congrats on your new baby, by the way!! And that's SO great that your Mom is there for you! You have a good example to follow!
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
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.
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!
Who was the MT going to med school?
Can you tell me how busy you are with that? I just wondered if you actually have time for anything else. I have friend who is 1 semester shy of her bachelor's degree and is considering putting med school off because she has a daughter, and is worried about how much time she would actually get to spend with her.
School for MT
I have not heard of these schools, but I would suggested Career Step if you are looking for a good course for MT.
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