careers
Posted By: pip on 2009-03-03
In Reply to: For those giving up MT - Meg
I don't think medical billing is the next logical step for MTs. To me personally the logical thing is something else in healthcare, but for other people the logical thing would be what they are interested in, health care or not, or what opportunities arise. I'd like to slowly start to work on something else as I don't see MT carrying me to retirement in 30 years. I'm thinking about radiology tech, ultrasound/MRI tech, health care administration, or nursing in its various levels since there never seems to be a shortage of need for those.
I haven't done billing before but have done coding and don't see it with a long-term future, either.
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Changing Careers
I absolutely LOVE medical transcription work. It is the best kind of work for me. I have always, up until five years ago, made plenty of money to support my family (I am a single 45 year old mom).
However, I have become very scared. So, I have 80% decided that I have to go back to school and start over. It makes me sick, but I can't watch my pay decrease every year like this.
I really, really, really want to continue MT work, but it just doesn't feel secure for me anymore.
AND - changing careers at my age is also scary, but I have a friend who did it at 50-something years old, so I guess I can, too.
Changing careers
I have been an MT my entire life. I had no formal training - just had a knack for it and always had a job doing transcription. I was sought out many times. However back about 1993 I started hearing rumors about voice recognition. I at that time decided to go to school and get a nursing degree as I wanted to stay in healthcare. I obtained my LPN- RN - then BSN in 1999. Took me awhile but I did it. Since that time I have done some coding, worked as a nurse and been promoted to transcription supervisor in 2000. I also teach transcription at our local college. Since I have such a broad range of experiences in all the things you are looking at I would suggest nursing - you are going to get the most valuable education in that field - with many opportunities. If you don't like it you would have the bulk of your education and could easily slip int to coding or transcription. Just my opinion.
changing careers
It seems a lot of people are feeling the same crunch. I have been an MT for 10 years I too used to have a excellent hourly plus incentive with great bennies in-house jobs which was outsourced to an Indian Company. I worked from home and make ok. Now it's hard to even find a decent line count with benefits at all. I am working as an IC at 9 cpl and no bennies. As a single Mother I simply cannot do this anymore. There companies who offer employee status and bennies but the line rates are so low or they want you to work 2nd or 3rd shift and with my family situation this is not possible.
I too am making a career change plans. It seems that nursing is all the rage with the high paying jobs and plenty of them. But as a former nursing student years ago before MT I know it's not for me. Too high pressure and the bullying in nursing school is unbelievable as is the 2 year committment to school full time.
I decided to try Assocaites degree Accounting/CIS. I hope to enter as a clerk or bookkeeper and work towards the Bachelors degree once working as a clerk. In the meantime I have been brushing up on Powerpoint, Excel, etc and applying for secretarial and admn assistant jobs.
I had considered medical billing but I am somewhat soured on the healthcare system and outsourcing. I figured Accounting is much broader and can work for more than one industry, but have seen accounting positions in healthcare systems too.
I wondered if people would share what fields they were considering.
For new MTs... the field IS dying between VR contsantly improving and outsourcing/offshoring our jobs are dwindling as are the pay and benefits. If you are a married-stay-at-home type of Mom with luxury of a second income and your husband's benefits MT might still be ok for a little extra money on the side. But for anyone trying to support either themselves or their family on MT -- forget it. Its a good part-time Mom job these days and that is about it.
Sad. There are many excellent and quality MTs who have a ton of knowledge. I wondered how they intended to transfer skills to another profression. The writing is on the wall. I hope to be out in 2-1/2 years tops.
changing careers
After almost 30 years of MT work under my belt, I'm ready to throw in the towel and hit the pavement. I'm already out there interviewing. Even if I make only what I make as an MT, if it's a job that I like, then it'll be worth it. Wish me luck!
When I click Careers and try to get to job back
Am I overlooking something? Having an operator error? Or do we not have a job bank anymore? Thank you!
Legal Scoping Careers?
Has anyone looked into or taken the training course from the lady, Judy Barrett who posts on the "other" board about the scoping career? I am curious if any one has gone through the course and if anyone has found this lucrative? Any information on an outcome would be appreciated. Thanking you in advance.
IMHO and experience, in most, if not all careers-SM
the better your memory and flexibility, the better your success. If your memory is so-so, then find tools that will increase your success, i.e., account post-its and sample reports, even reading something out loud. For me, if I handwrite what I am given in print regarding an account/doc, I am more likely to remember it. Making handwritten notes takes time, but helps things stick in my memory.
And why would you want to switch change careers?!..
I am an MT and not a newbie, about 15 years of experience and I don't make $44,000 a year (oh, how I wish)! Why would you want to break into this business? This career is just going down hill in so many ways. I hear medical coding is on the rise and some seem to be transitioning from MT to just that. I also understand medical coding and billing can be done from home as well. I would be checking into that if I were you. If you are expecting to make $44,000 a year as a new MT, you are SO dreaming! Sorry so harsh, but would hate to see you make a huge financial mistake, IMHO!
Sorry, meant to say change careers
nm
Interesting article about best careers in 2006. sm
http://biz.yahoo.com/special/job06_article1.html
Question for MTs pursuing nursing careers.
I am also considering going back to college and studying to become an RN. I took a 2-year course in "medical records technology" 18 years ago at a junior college and got a lot of the prerequisites out of the way including Anatomy and Physiology I and II. If I decided to go back to college, how long would it take me to complete an RN program? Isn't it typically 4 years starting from scratch? Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!
A-M-E-N! The main reason women in all careers - sm
earn less than men (and employers get away with paying them less) is that it's impossible to get groups of women to stick together on ANYTHING, let alone anything that might involve a little initial personal risk before things are ultimately straightened out and this archaic pay disparity between men & women in the US workforce is resolved. Can you imagine the kind of clout MTs in this country would have if they all stood firm together and demanded that they be paid fairly for a job that not just anyone with a PC and a set of headphones can do? A few years ago when HIPAA first came about, we should have taken that and run with it, when it comes to securing our profession on US soil. We didn't do it then, but I think if we were to dig our heels in, and start writing and talking to the right media, we could still use HIPAA to our advantage. Think about it.
What kind of alternate careers can MT's transition into?
Guys, I've finally made up my mind that the profession that we used to know is gone and is never coming back. The industry leaders have made it their business to turn MT's into the equivalent of sweatshop workers, and I don't find that dynamic at all appealing.
Can any of you give any suggestions as to what types of careers we might transition into and make a decent income? I'm polishing up my resume now, but I fear that I've stayed in this industry for far too long and have handicapped myself from being able to take advantage of any other career opportunities that might exist out there.
Any and all feedback would be appreciated.
I had a person sound really interested in changing careers and doing this...
until I mentioned that she had to take a really reputable course in this field and that it would cost a fair amount of money but that for this price they would mentor her into a position, and not to pay for a course that offered less than this if it were what she really wanted to do, and this changed her mind quickly. She didn't know it would cost her!
Time to switch careers. I did and life is much less stressful.
x
But it does open our options to move on to careers rather than joe-jobs
and bring people the respect they deserve.
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