Applause! Excellent post!
Posted By: nm on 2006-09-26
In Reply to: so you've been MT'ing for 6 months and I've been at it for 25 years but I don't know - sm
nm
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Excellent WORKERS, not just excellent skills...sm
those who are conscientious, accurate, dependable will always be able to find a job somewhere, though probably not MT.
excellent :)
thanks so much, everyone. these are terrific answers. and lo: a hospital where i worked needs a per-diem transcriptionist, too! i'm even getting optimistic here--lol 
Besides this excellent advice (sm)
when you finally figure out that one word you've struggled over, pay attention to how it's being pronounced. Makes notes about the little quirks with their accent. Some don't say "V" and say "W" instead. Some say cerv-I-cal. I know one doc who drops endings, he'll say impress instead of impression, fracture instead of fractured, rotate instead of rotation. Some can't pronounce blended sounds like th, sh, etc.
That is excellent! I am sure you will learn a lot from her
:-)
Thank you!! This is an excellent site!...sm
I will probably use this for any term I'm having trouble with or just want more information about. This is excellent! Plus, it's so easy to use as far as looking something up! Thank you for sharing!
You can't go wrong with either one, both are excellent. NM
x
I agree with that either one is excellent.
If you narrowed it down to these two, I recommend spending a lot of time on the websites for both, corresponding with the directors, etc. It is really just a matter of which school has a style that suits you best. Either one is a great choice!
Excellent Suggestion
It's funny that I just read this. I just applied to a company for an editing position and offered to work for them for 2 weeks sans pay to get my foot in the door and so that they could evaluate my performance. I just finished up an externship of 8 weeks with a company based in Utah and loved it although that wasn't nearly enough time to get "experience". I would be very willing to work sans pay for a few weeks (I've already done 8 of them, lol) to be considered for a job. I also have most of the stuff already needed to get right to work. I have the foot pedal, reference books, spellchecker and computer. Any chance I could have to get the experience needed to get me started works for me. I live in a very very small town and all the places here (clinics and offices) all send their work to a company in Indianapolis (3hrs away from me) so of course there is no chance of me getting work with them that would be in house.
Excellent skills are very much in demand
Excellent skills and a teachable attitude are always marketable.
If you have excellent skills and do the work the way the employers want it done, you will have many more options to choose from. If you take a course that doesn't teach all that employers expect you to know, it doesn't matter how hard you work and how much you put into it, you won't get anything out of it. You can't get out of a course what isn't there, no matter how hard you work. I recommend getting the best education you can and working hard. That pays off in the longterm.
CareerStep is also an excellent school. Their
.
I agree - it's an excellent school
x
Andrews is an excellent choice, sm
but I have no experience with them to give you advice! You may try asking Linda Andrews to put you in touch with some current students (contact info on the Andrews School website) ***Edited by Moderator*** Good luck to your daughter!
Both Andrews and M-TEC are excellent. I have never head of one being better than the other.
You can't go wrong with either one.
So you got excellent "secretarial" but not transcription education
There's a big difference. If you want to do transcription, you don't want a secretarial or technical course. You want an expert instructor teaching you to transcribe the way employers want it done.
Unfortunately, many people have to go to local schools because they are "accredited" for financial assistance. That's great, but if they don't teach you want you need to know, I don't think it's worth the time and effort you put into it, regardless of how cheap it is.
Career Step training is excellent
I received my training from Career Step which is an online school. If you would like more details, I'm happy to share my experience. Feel free to email me.
Whether you want to work from home or inhouse - you'll be prepared. Make sure whatever school you choose offers job placement assistance. Also, CS is very well respected as they are 1 of the schools recognized by the American Association of Medical Transcriptionists.
GOOD LUCK! 
Looking for a newbie in South Fla. with excellent communication skills
For cardiology account.
please e/m me -- my post didn't post.
x
Where should I post it?
Is there a section on MT Stars that you post resumes or are you saying to just post it in a message? Thanks
I appreciate your post and I do
recognize what has been happening in the field. As you stated, many MTs are allowing it to happen which is sad. There is no way to go up from there and they don't have a clue to recognize that.
sorry..about my last post..
I thought I was answering on another string of posts.
In regards to my post
I never said MTec was dishonest. The gist of the post was that an MT training school could not give objective advice to a person considering purchasing their product. The OP was simply told to take this into consideration. Surely no one can disagree with that statement? 
they won't let me post to you...
e-mail me.
Thanks for this post.
I have another six months before I reach that "two years experience" everyone seems to want. I did bite the bullet and settle for a less than top paying job to be working and getting that experience straight from training. My outlook was the same as yours. I am glad to know I'm in good company. I thought your post was very nice.
Very useful post. I wish
this post would automatically pop up every time somebody came here asking about schools, and whether the extra $1000 or whatever is worth it.
i only got about 2/3 of the way through your post.....
and thought there are much better ways for you to do this. Here are some suggestions that might save you a little money.
1. Try finding another internet provider. I pay $30 per month for my high speed.
2. Do not spend money on books anymore. Use reliable web sites. This is the beauty of Internet. In the old-days when we worked on-site and there was no Internet, we had to rely on books, but nowadays you can have the AAMT Styleguide on your computer, and there are so many reliable web sites for surgical instruments, medications, etc.
3. Can you possibly e-mail your invoices. This will get it to your provider quicker, and hopefully a paycheck back to you quicker, i.e. no paper or ink. My printer has been out of ink for 2 weeks. I do everything on line now, and never print anything anymore.
3. The cabinet was a one time purchase, but will be a tax write off.
4. Talk to your husband about the importance of your job and income. I hate to work when my husband is home. Some times I need to, and he and the kids all know that mom is working and cannot be disturbed (for the most part).
5. I hear you on the CPA thing. Mine charges me so much money to do my taxes. I am seriously considering disolving my corporation and going back to using my social security number. I really have not seen any perks there.
Anyway, hope some of these help.
I said in my post that she can't get
a TRANSCRIPTION job with just a coding education.
Thank you for this post
The office that I work for is going to EMR soon. I was so afraid I was going to lose my job. I'm still not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing, but I have EMR training starting next week.
Any certain post, or are you seeing many? nm
XXX
there must be at least 10 different MTs who post with the
username 'anon.' This 1 is a new 1, still in the 'basic program?'
post your resume
when you are ready. Some companies do hire newbies even if they do not post.
post resume
there should be a link at the home page of this site.
check post below
regarding posting your resume on this site.
reply to this post
I understand what you are saying and can see the reasoning. One of the problems is that the employer does not know how well you can do the job because they won't even let you test with them being a newbie. They aren't willing to see if you can make the grade. Many of us who are new have done very well in out course. Meditec may not be one of the top ones, but Davenport University specializes in business courses and I felt that they did not do an adequate job in teaching MT, that is why I went with an on-line course. Not all of us are able to AFFORD the top three school's to go to. There is no way I could have afforded it with what my daughter and I have been living on for the last two years while I was trying to better our life by going back to school. Better, ha! all I have so far is loans that I am paying for because like I said in my first posting, locally, there are no transcription jobs and the closest city is around 50 miles away and financially it is not possible to travel there daily for part-time work. Maybe, if someone would give us newbies a chance, they may just be surprised!
Reply to your post.
DMK -
I am interested in working with you. I have a wave player and am willing to obtain Word Perfect. Please contact me.
Thank you,
wrc
Thank you for post. It gives me hope
since I'm getting frustrated at the moment.
Was there really a need to post it in two different places?
And really, she could be a little more appreciative considering the fact that we, the MTs, are picking up her expenses for office space, utilities, computers, office furniture, supplies, software, etc. I totally get the point about following instructions and spellchecking, but there's no need to SCREAM about it with her rude attitude.
Post edited. (NM)
x
Agree with your post
My situation is the same. I made very good money for 25 years and seeing my pay going down, down, down.
So for me it's back to school and time to move on. I would not encourage anybody to get into this field. I have a friend who is a nursing assistant and makes $15 an hour. Hey, that's a lot better than MT and not much work or very low pay! Besides, it is not worth the years of study at this point in time.
what happened to my post? nm
x
just two comments re above post...sm
"If any company offers you a position but want you to buy equipment/software up front be very cautious." If the company is offering you a position as an independent contractor, the IRS expects you to provide your own equipment. You should also be prepared to buy your own reference books and possibly even software to access the account's system or transfer files. Sometimes services will provide that but by law they are not supposed if you are working as an IC. I had a friend who owned a service that the IRS came after. She had mostly IC's and the IRS said they weren't IC's because they didn't fit all the IRS requirements, one of which was they should work for other employers than the service. So if she had been providing equipment for them also, she would have been sunk. You can do an internet search regarding IRS rules for independent contractors, if you feel you need to be educated on the issue.
Also "If a company offers you a position at a radiculously low rate also proceed with caution and come here and ask about them." When I started as an MT 25 years ago, I drove 80 miles round trip to go work in house for a service. I sat on a metal folding chair in a stinky, smoke-filled room with 20 other transcriptionists, banging away on a Selectric set up on a banquet table, for $5/hour. The point is, if you really want the job, do what you have to do. Remember there are probably 100 newbies applying for every job posted on this board. A service might be willing to give you experience if you trade off on pay. After all, it's basically the same thing as "buying" experience...if you work for 3 cpl instead of 6. Some people on this board will disagree with me but all I can say is I see postings here ALL the time of people in your same position. What I did was work for cheap to break into the field.
Might want to post on Word Help
NM
Maybe you should read before you post.
"I don't remember anyone mentioning Spheris. Maybe they did. I don't have time to go look."
I think "Goji" is a set-up post (sm)
I.E., the post was put there to take the pressure off Proficient Transcription.
I could be wrong, but....
Setup Post
Goji is not a setup post. I did indeed get my refund as stated. I posted as an FYI to let others know I got my money. The owner actually contacted me to see if I got my refund. I hope you get your money soon.
You said it all in that post, your REAL job is being a mom
so it's coming off like you don't consider MT'ing a real job, and rather just a way to make some cash in between burping, feeding, changing, entertaining the children, and it most certainly is not. Perhaps that is why the not so nice posts. I have said it from day #1, you absolutely can't be a full time mom and work a job where you are expected to produce quality work unless the kids are in daycare or school part of the day or you have another adult at home with you to help out with the children while you are working. Contrary to what the "ads" say, it just doesn't work very well. I was an MT trainer/mentor for at-home newbies for many years so I know first hand.
great post... nm
x
Last post on this subject!
I think! :) I apologize to those of you I offended. That was not my intent. I was looking for advice and support. Straight forward and honest, I can take...being rude or spiteful I can not. I will continue searching for the "golden ticket" I am looking for and if I never find it, fine. But, maybe I will, and when I do I'll be able to tell a "newbie", "Hey! Don't stop trying! It can be done." If that sounds like a "teenager arguing with mommy and daddy" well, fine. So be it. I'm still not going to stop looking. Good luck to those of you in the same boat, and to those of you in the "bigger boat" ahead of us. :) Thanks for the real advice. I am a little less jaded about the whole thing. LISA
In agreement with your post sm
Even as a seasoned MT, there is still a lot to learn. I think that is what is so invigorating about the field. There is always a new challenge and changes are happening on a minute-to-minute basis (no pun intended). You will definitely find something you like, I think. There are ones who post they love OPS or ER. I'm a clinic-lover myself, but there are others who really love the Basic-4 or psych. Good luck to you, and glad you had a great trainer. They are out there if you look.
Great Post!
Couldn't have said it better mahself!
I would have to agree with your post sm
I also recommend on-site transcription at first. I have been in the business for 18+ years with four years of training at a vo-tech high school. The on-site experience helped immensely to prepare me for at-home (independent) transcription. I am not a CMT, but have a lot of experience with different accents, report types, account specifics, etc. You must find your nitch, and this can take years. I have heard some who love acute care. I have found clinic to be more rewarding personally. Different strokes for different folks. I welcome the OP to the world of transcription as you are our future. Take into consideration the responses you receive here as a lot of us have been there and done that. Good luck to you! It does take a lot of work and there are frustrations, but at the end of the day, I always feel that I have played a part in helping people just like any other hands-on patient caregiver/healthcare provider because I have done my best to provide a quality report and take very much pride in what I do. Just one more thing, by working on-site, you will get compliments on your work ethic, which is very much a personal moral booster as well as makes it all worthwhile. When you start out online at home, these types of compliments are not always readily available to you. As the other poster stated in her great post, online at home is mostly production and you must have thick skin to combat QA that can sometimes make you feel incompetent. Keep in mind that IM and e-mail are not warm and fuzzy as they are words on a page. On-site you have real people and a real sense of worth, and once that is gained, you carry that in your heart, which carries over into your career online at home. This is all just my opinion so please take it for what it is worth from a longtimer. I wish you all the best!
I think some Canadians post
over on the MT Chat board. There are a lot of smart people over there, but I'd read much and post little there at first until you get used to that crowd. Very opinionated, shall we say.
|
