The easy answer is to go to a local hospital and get experience.
Posted By: my 2 cents on 2005-10-28
In Reply to: medical transcription ? - Monica
The other answer is to ask anyone and everyone out there to give you a test, prove yourself, put your best foot forward.
Be very careful tough, because in your post you even used a wrong word "there" for "their" and I just wanted to bring this to your attention not to give you a kick but to caution you that you really need to "know your stuff" to get into this business. What you put out there tells about you, so make sure it's your best.
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The easy answer, taking all the easy work and
x
Got my answer. It is just local to Bangor.
 Man, can't win for losin'!
Easy answer - no - they should help
earn the money to pay for it, and also pay for the insurance. I know things are different today than when my boys were in high school, but still. They both got part time jobs and paid for their own cars. I helped them with the insurance cause it was too much for them, but they paid what they could. I'm sure the parking lots are full of new cars. Makes it hard for the ones who want to teach their kids the value of a dollar. I sympathize.
I don't know if there's an easy answer...
but after my DH was separated from us, the computer and that game, he came to his senses and HE decided to take the game off his computer.
Don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem with him having fun playing a game from time to time or having a hobby that's healthy; but the game was totally comsuming his every waking hour. I tried to be understanding and thought that he would just get tired of it eventually, but NO! The more he played it, the more consumed he became and then he was simply impossible to live with. I would enter the room to tell him dinner was ready and he'd curse me out. What was I thinking? I DARE breathe when he's trying to play a game -- A GAME!!! NOPE, I cannot live that way.
I think the break from me and the family (as well as that game) woke him up because he was able to see what a jerk he had become and realized that the game HAD TO GO. Thank goodness!
There is no easy answer....
You just have to be flexible. I have jumped up and down and all around for years and years and still make money. It's not a hobby, but there's no easy way to say "I'll work such and such hours." When you're at home, there will be interruptions. I remember another post where a WAHM told her daughter it was time for her bath, and the daughter was playing typing like Mom and replied "As soon as I'm finished with this report." Obviously, the child had heard that somewhere before, and I believe you have to set limits. Balance? What's that? It's just called "life happens". Of course, this is all my own opinion.
I don't think that there's one easy answer to this ...
Different MT's have different strengths and weaknesses that depend on their natural ability, their background, training, work experience, the level of difficulty of that particular worktype and its dictators ... There's just so many different variables, even more that I haven't mentioned here. I would suggest that if you're asking this question to help you decide on what worktype(s) you want to focus that you gain as broad a base of experience as possible with as many different worktypes as you can and then see where you individual strength emerges.
Hope this helps!
No easy answer
I find that even 8 years into this career, each day is a challenge. I rarely go a day without learning something new.
I have made an excellent income from the beginning, and it has been comparatiely the same income this whole time, BUT... I make now in 4 hours a day what it took me 12-15 hours a day to make back then. You can make a great living at this right out of school IF you want to devote the work to it. If you only have 4 hours a day to devote to the job, you will starve.
I suggest you set your goal for a certain dollar amount per week, and you work until you reach it; if it takes 10 hours a day, then it does. There are pluses to that...the more you work, the quicker you become accustomed to the work, and the more efficient you become.
I won't lie - It is a huge amount of work in the beginning, frustrating, and a big challenge. Never look at your per hour wage until you are more experienced.
no easy answer to some of your questions
I was lucky enough to get my first account in response to a letter I sent - one of 100+ letters sent out. I've never been successful with advertising since then. The rest of my accounts I got through word of mouth - one office likes my work, the OM is asked who she uses as far as transcription by another OM, etc. So make sure you do your very best no matter how "small" the account is - you never know. As for what to charge, that depends on your area of the country, what will that market bear? That's a hard one - need to do some snooping as far as what the "average" is. Don't want to undercut but don't want to price yourself out of the marketplace either (personal experience - I've done both while learning). As far as questions re dictations, I try to dope it out myself - I purchase a reference book for that particular specialty if I don't already have one, ask on message boards, research the reputable web sites, stand on my head and howl at the moon - anything before I resort to asking either the doctor or the OM. As a last resort, I will leave a blank and flag it with a note that I couldn't understand what was said, or whatever the problem was. I used to pick up and deliver, but ALL of my work now is via digital dictation, so I don't pick up or deliver anything - everything transferred via secure ftp. Hope that helps some.
local hospital
I work for a local hospital that have all transcriptionists at home except for radiology. I have been working from home with them for about 8 years now. We are hourly employees and clock in and out on computer. We also have an incentive program (which used to be good, but they changed transcription platforms and it's not that good anymore), but it's better than having to drive into the hospital every day. I love it!
local hospital
I worked for local hospital for 11 years, then they decided to go to ASR and the Q took over their account! Seems like most hospitals are finding it more cost-effective to send it to large company with ASR!
I had a local hospital do the same s/m
even after explaining to them what E&O really meant. Their previous transcription company had E&O, but that was because they had to have it for their copying services as well and the transcription just fell under it. I found that Farmers carries it, but it was around $1,500 for a year. They did have payment plans though too.
Best of luck!
So did I!!! I left a local hospital
because I thought I could make more money working for the nationals. Ugh, I threw away a good thing. I tried to go back, but they said I'd have to start all over at the bottom working night shift again. Not gonna happen. Well, chin up, things will get better.
I work for a local hospital,
not a company. I know to stay away from Transcend.
local hospital work
i moved from a large city to a small town and i'm thinking about doing what you did. try to go to work for the local hospital. would have to probably work a set schedule, but the town is small so it's not like i'd be driving a long distance and i could go home for lunch. i don't have benefits right now and that's scary, so i'm leaning that way.
at my local hospital, they always call the
I think that is pretty standard. Calling by the first name only would be rather confusing. Especially if it is a busy hospital with a waiting room that is always full, like our local hospital.
I have a "questionable behavior" story for you! I went to the walk-in clinic held at our local hospital b/c I was having pain in my pinky finger. The waiting room was packed, as always. I go in, see the doc, and he tells me to go back to the waiting room until they call my name again. After a few mins in the waiting room, he calls my name & I get up thinking he was going to bring me into a room to privately give me my diagnosis. NOPE! The dope says it to me, loudly - not at all in a whispering tone, in the middle of the waiting room for everyone to hear!! He said "I think it is some kind of fungal infection" His actions were not only humiliating, but wrong! It was not an infection, rather a blood clot that developed on my nerve that needed to be removed surgically! Now, that, I think qualifies for a HIPAA violation!!  (Yes I did file a complaint with the Patient Care Rep)
I also work for a local hospital which is
growing in volume of work minute by minute. We have 52 remote transcriptions and still we need to send out work to two venders.
Local Hospital Accounts
I actually work for a Hospital Transcription Dept. My advice is to ask for the supervisor of transcription or Director as they usually have one or the other.
I actually had a person(who I know was from an outsourcing company from overseas) called and aske me if we were doing any outsourcing. We told her we were not interested, but I actually do send some out to an outsourcing company already. Just wasn't going to do that.
Alot of hospitals around where I live usually are small and have in house transcriptionists. The only reason we have our outsourcing is for people on vacation and when some emergency comes up and we fall short.
Carla
local hospital accounts
do any of you IC people have any tips on what is the best approach on how to find out info on who does transcription for local hospitals? Thanks!
I worked at a local hospital
It had its good points and bad points. The good being it paid better and had better benefits than most outsourcing companies. We had a 4 tier incentive program. The lowest pay being 0.087 and the highest being 0.10 cpl. You had a choice of working in-house or at home and we were all paid the same either way. Also, if there was little work or no work you had the choice of using PTO or working in medical records at an hourly rate which gave us a little break from MT and a feel for something else.
The bad, if you were at home they would pull you in at any time just because. Also, at home we had a lot of problems with their computer locking up, getting kicked off the VPN, slow moving from one screen to the next etc. The tech support always blamed it on our ISP. Also, they always made sure you never moved up to the next pay tier. Only their favorite ones could do that. They made excuses of why you cannot move up even though the numbers were there. The one they used on me was that I took off a day during the last 6 weeks. They told another girl she walked around in the halls and talked too much to bump to the next level. However, if you did not get your line count they were all over moving you down. 
Look at your local hospital's websites
jobs open. The reason you don't see them advertised is a lot of hospitals outsource all their dictation. But some still have in-house (or at home) MTs.
When I worked at a local hospital
this happened. I just transcribed it like any other report. I would not even mention it to the family member. When you work for a small local hospital it is bound to happen.
Wanna tell that to the local hospital MTs whose....sm
...staff was just decreased because EHR came to town? They were told only a few would be staying now because even in the hospital most reports could be handled by EHR. I think you need to reserve your opinion till we really find out what O has in mind for this field.
I worked at home for the local hospital here.
It was fine. They paid hourly and provided equipment. We had plenty of work and had to stick to a set schedule. They do use a service or two for overflow, but it is strictly overflow. The hospital still has employees working at home. They don't ALL outsource. (And ironically, some hospitals are taking back their transcription and hiring in-house and at-home MTs!)
That's not our experience with our local SPCA... We also lost..
our lab 2 yrs ago from epilepsy and felt it was "time." Our SPCA is a brand new building, the animals are kept in a gorgeous facility, walked every hours, and very well cared for. We got a 2yo Lab mix (looks just like Lab, just a little smaller) for 120 dollars. She came with all her shots and had just been spayed 3 days prior. For 120 bucks I couldn't have even spayed her, much less get all her shots updated. She also came with a month free vet health insurance, a free vet check up, and a month of free behavior assistance with their trainer. I think it was a deal. And she's turned out to be a lovely dog. Fits right in here.
Wow! VERY well written and said! My husband works for a local hospital and
there is one patient who is an illegal that has been in the hospital there for 2 weeks and has racked up a bill that is now over $200,000. One of the other nurses on staff there called the police department and explained the situation and they are in the process of deporting the patient back to Mexico and admitted to a Mexican hospital. We can't cover the cost of every single person in the world. The US is just so big and sorry, but my family, all American citizens comes first. Does that make me a cold hearted person? I don't think so.
I worked for a local hospital that used the same formula for our incentive pay.
x
I tested at a local hospital on the East Coast...
The pay was $14.82 per hour to start. They were paying medical unit secretaries $14.60. Also the job was per diem, needless to say I didn't take it.
Just got an offer from a local hospital and wanted to run it passed you all before I say yes...
Employee status w/benefits
$13.50/hr with 0.05 cpl incentive fo anything above 1200 lpd and $2.00 shift differential (for 2nd shift which I will be working)
1000 lpd minimum productivity requirement
Work in the office first month for training and then home with hospital provided computer.
Dictaphone EXText Word Client transcription platform
Is this a decent offer? I've worked at the same place in the office forever and haven't actually been out there looking in several years. I tried working for a national part time at one time because I wanted to be working from home, but couldn't see how someone could make a living on 0.08 cpl without working yourself into an early grave, so I gave up the part time job and kept the full time in office job. Now I have a new boss who doesn't know her butt from a hole in the ground and I started looking around and came across this current job and before I jump ship, I want to make sure I'm getting a good deal.
The $13.50 seemed kind of low to me given my years of experience (13 years), but because I was at my other job for so long I maxed out pay wise.
How do I find out if a local hospital's transcription is done in-house or not?
Can someone please give me some advice? I am trying to find out if one of our local hospitals has in-house transcription or what company they use for their transcription. I called the MR Dept. and the lady acted like she did not want to tell me anything. She said some was done in-house but most of it was done electronically and would not elaborate as to what company they used. How can I go about finding out who does their transcription for them. I never see any actual job opening in the MR Dept. or for transcription for them, so I am assuming they outsource most to a transcription company.
Try calling your hospital or local medical providers.
I've been uninsured and in pain for about two years now requiring surgery. I've tried finding a job with insurance. I've tried working extra to save up the money to pay for the surgery. I just found out that the local hospital has a program in place for people who can't afford surgery or medical bills. Their income limit isn't really low either. If I had known this, I would have had the surgery two years ago instead of living with a ticking time bomb inside me and daily pain.
Try working inhouse at a local clinic or hospital.
That's what many MTs end up having to do to get their foot in the door & gain experience. IMO, that's the best way to start anyway since you have experienced people nearby to ask for help because those first few months can be very difficult. Good luck!
P.S. Agree with the other posters below that you need to specify you have your certificate in MT, not referring to yourself as a Certified MT which is a completely different thing and can only be obtained after a few years of experience & testing with AHDI. However, that brings up another topic... many MTs choose not to become certified now that AHDI has sold us out & encourages offshoring of our work. I've been doing this nearly 20 years and only once have ever been asked if I had my CMT, so it's pretty much irrelevant anyway. As long as you have experience & test well, that's what they care about.
EASY. If you have the experience in acute care,
No offense is intended to any radiology MT.
Mammograms are going to PenRad in the local hospital's Radiology dept.
dd
Local hospital and state sponsored class. (see message)
This was way back in 1980-81 (age 19) in a pretty small town. Our local hospital in cooperation with state funding had 3 different programs: Medical Secretary (note--not transcriptionist) which was an 8-month program, as well as Respiratory Therapist and LPN, which were both 2 years if I recall correctly.
The cost was about $300 (my parents paid) and included ALL materials (books, paper and pencils) for classes 8 hours per day, M-F, from Sept thru May. The classes consisted of anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, typing and transcribing, English, accounting, and general office practices, all, in 1 room with about 10-12 students in the entire program.
The last month was spent doing 1 week of practicum for 4 weeks. We could pick just about any situation we wanted and as long as there was approval by those "offices," it was all right. I did 1 week in that hospital's pathology dept (transcribing, charting, answering phones--almost got to see an autopsy but was a burn victim, so couldn't); 1 week in another town's hospital MR dept (spending a day or so in each subsection--MT, coding, filing, etc); 1 week our local area's cancer treatment center (again, in each MR subsection), and the final week at our area's tumor registry. I felt sorry for the 2 girls in the latter; they had ARTs (don't even know if that still exists as a 2-year associate's degree for "accredited records technician"), and all they did was file cards all day long.
After that, we graduated with a "Certified Medical Secretary" certificate and pin. I've been an MT ever since, working inhouse (both hospitals and service office for 10 years) and now at home for the past 17 years.
Keep applying at jobs is my opinion. Find out where your local hospital transcription is done
dd
I'm a hospital employee, working local at home, so I get a raise every year.
x
Any chance of taking a tiny ad out on local hospital websites, if not too expensive? Perhaps Drs wo
xxx
If you want to work at a local hospital or doctor's office, go to community college. Otherwise
if you want to work from home, for a national company, you need to take the course from either Andrews School or M-TEC. It does you no good to save money by taking the Penn Foster course, because most companies will NOT hire grads from that school, it is a poor course and does NOT prepare you sufficiently for MT work.
Did you start with hospital experience?
instead of investing in equipment, or start with a small system or a used system if you want your own call in equipment. Bytescribe seems to have the best deals on dictation call-in systems. But if you are just starting out, you may decide to go with a TASP instead so that you don't have to invest in equipment.
The hospital experience is crucial. That way you have a sound base. You have the knowledge and the experience. And you have contacts and references from a hospital, which is going to get your foot in the door. That's why I say that is my #1 recommendation. Start with getting experience working IN a hospital and be the best MT they have. Work hard and prove yourself to them. Go the extra mile and impress them. Don't be a whiner. That's the best advice I can give you. When you send out flyers and you can give local hospital MT supervisors/HIM managers as references, it opens doors for you.
Absolutely, hospital experience...
I think it must be rare to be able to take advantage of these days. I would not trade those years for anything.
Answer to finding job x15 years experience and not so funny post!
How childish! Just another embarrassing post by an American MT !!!
I had a similar experience, had a cow when I got the bill from the hospital - sm
I did not know I needed PERMISSION to go the ER (any ER).....I had taken a bad fall while skiing (back in 1995) and had my friends drop me off at the ER when we got home as my leg was killing me and I had hit my head too. Got a bill for $1500 or so saying it had been denied. I promptly called up the insurance company found out my "error", explaining that I did not know I needed to get "authorized" before a trip to the ER, etc. I had to go through a little red tape but was able to get them to resubmit it and have insurance pay for it. --So it may take a couple phone calls and maybe a letter, but it is worth the effort!
The best place to get experience is in a hospital. I think it is near impossible
to work from home without the valuable experience of working onsite with others around to listen and train.
The schools all hype everyone up on working at home, but it is not that easy!
in-house hospital is the best learning experience. sm
and is accepted with anyone. at least a year or more. there nothing like having someone right there at hand first time out.
good luck, you'll do fine.
I have 13 years experience and just started a hospital job working from home making $16 an hour
and with a really good incentive plan. I live in the Kansas City area. $10 seems like a low starting point even with only two years experience which is the usual benchmark for hospital MT jobs.
It's been my experience that the low end of the pay scale for hospital employed MTs was around $12 an hour. Also, it's been my experience that the pay offered is usually based on years of experience and how well you perform on the transcription test.
I would say if their pay is that low, they should at least be making it up with incentive and it doesn't sound like they are.
JMO
Depends on what kind of hospital? Large urban hospital or small community hospital? SM
Also, is it a large teaching hospital? If so you have to consider there will be A LOT of different residents dictating, usually a lot of ESLs at teaching hospitals, and the residents rotate out and new ones rotate in every summer. So you can't expect to get the same dictators and build up your macros because the dictators change all the time.
I would say 9 cpl would be a pretty good offer for a small to medium community hospital where you will be doing the same dictators on a daily basis. But for bigger, urban or teaching hospitals I would want at least 12 to 15 cpl.
Buy local. The local stores pay taxes to support your city and state. (SM)
Using online and catalogues does nothing to promote the local economy. We complain about outsourcing and about the big companies gobbling up all the work so the jobs at local hospitals are gone, yet we do the same thing when we buy on ebay, catalog, and these web sites that may be located any place in the world as their primary business location.
I went local. Great local tech support, they know what I do and were able to set it up just for me
:)
Experience on top, current experience first. Education second. Leave out ALL fluff.
Recruiters don't need your life story. They need to know if you can do the job. If you want, put your current employer, then state "I have 20 years in the profession doing....." Keep it simple; keep it clean. If you want to go into more detail, do it during the interview. A HUGE red flag is to see that you've worked for 10 different companies, for months at a time. I know that someone who has worked for the same company for 2 years or more is going to have some degree of loyalty and will work through issues rather than cut and run.
Well, Word is easy to buy and easy to install. Word 97 works great. Cheap. SM
I still would not work anywhere I could not use a spell checker with grammar checker and a Steadman's Medical Spell Checker.
IF they want people to TRANSCRIBE MEDICAL REPORTS, then I guess they better get the programs they need.
It's like probably 110% easier to buy and install Word 97 than to try to program their own programming. And, yes, I do mean Microsoft Word 97. Why? Because you can install it unlimited times, in case you need to install the operating system again. And it has a few features that Microsoft, in its un-wisdom, took away in Word 2000 and 20003 and 2007. So, yes, I'd go with Word 97 for its cheapness and it works better than the later versions. Just my opinion, with 20 years experience being an MT. So what if they "don't have it" on their computer? It's easy to get.
Easy easy money they are!
I don't mind seeing those puppies filter in at all. Same for H&Ps. They are always different though, so can't really pop in the same pre-formatted autotext, but it's usually WHAMMO 2-3 pages at a time. Give them a shot...you may just be pleasantly surprised!
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