Been Reading awhile
Posted By: Sandy on 2007-01-22
In Reply to:
I just wanted to say, that I have been lurking here quite a bit. My husband and I are both wanting to get into medical transcription. We plan on starting with Career Step next month. I don't have any questions as of yet, but I just wanted to say hi, and thank you all for giving the good, bad, and the ugly of it all.
I don't expect to make $80,000 a year, I don't need to.. I would just be happy if we(my husband and I) can make $30,000 a year between us once we have finished school and gained experience.
Again thanks
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It was quite awhile ago...maybe about a year or so.
nm
Even a blind squirrel stumbles across a nut once in awhile.
You got lucky. It's downright RARE for anyone from Penn Foster to get a job.
If you enjoy reading . . . (sm)
If you enjoy reading, then MT may be a good choice for you.
If you enjoy reading dictionaries and encyclopedias, then MT may be a good choice for you, because you'll be doing both those things big-time.
If you enjoy reading about medicine and you like the "idea" of medicine, but you don't like actual patient contact, then MT may be a good choice for you (there is no patient contact).
If you like the idea of medicine, but you're afraid of hurting someone or making some horrible, life-threatening mistake, then MT may be for you, because there is little chance of that in MT.
If you are able to decide to do something and stick with it in spite of some parts of it being not quite what you enjoy, then MT may be for you. There are boring parts of MT, just like there are boring parts of any job.
If you prefer to function in self-directed mode rather than in closely supervised mode, and if you are actually successful functioning in self-directed mode, then MT may be for you.
If your concept of "accuracy" is what most people consider to be obsessive and nit-picky, then MT may be for you. If your concept of accuracy is "yeah, whatever," then MT is definitely not for you.
after reading some of your questions,
I wouldn't say you got the best MT education to be had. I also don't see where you have interest in doing for yourself (that Stedman's Work At Home issue). While you are looking at your insular little world, you haven't been around the past, well, even 10 years, to see the changes that have brought down this industry. Ten years is not even considered one generation. There will be need for GOOD MTs still for many years to come, but those positions will be held by the very best MTs to be had and who are still willing to work for the pay that goes down over time. Many other positions that are now MTs will transition into something different, something still with a living to be offered but different just the same.
Just this year, my employer restructured its pay scale so that in order to make the same cpl, I had to produce an additional 4000 lines per month. If I didn't, I suffered a pay cut of 1 cpl. Obviously this has not happened to you. I've been at it much longer than I suspect you've been an adult. I do not plan to leave the industry although my alternate education is already in place. I'm lucky because my skill set is very much in demand. I am a high, accurate producer with flexibility and if I'm making money, my employer makes much more.
But I didn't get there by patting myself on the back and asking questions that some research would help with and save myself the embarrasment of my peers for not having done the research.
As to what school to go to, read the writing on the wall and take one of the top 3. This industry has changed just in a few short years and if you don't know everything that everyone is doing, someone without education from the top 3 will have a more difficult time getting placement after schooling.
JMHO, which is free, and you're welcome to do with it what you will.
If all you get from reading the MQ posts
is about ASR, you're not paying attention.
Just Venting!! Thanks for reading
How come we spend our time and our money to go to school for this for something that is such a high demand for and we cant get a job doing it??
This is messed up.
MANY people? I saw one! What board are you reading?
nm
I love reading your posts Patti!
 nm
Working for them and doing fine. I think you are reading into wrong. nm
xx
You are good at "grammer". I suggest reading
your post again. I can't type but about 45 wpm if I'm typing from a piece of paper, but doing transcription I can type about 100 wpm. Some companies request you type so many wpm, but I don't know how they measure that or what difference you make. Many companies do require a minimum lph though. Of course accuracy is more important than speed, but if you are getting paid on production you want to be able to type fast as well as accurate.
Reading between the lines, the work is coming
from India and no experienced MT would be willing to work for peanuts to basically have to redo the report.
If you have spent any time reading this board you
would know M-Tec would be the better option.
I wasn't being nasty - quit reading between the lines
x - but do not think that you are just going to walk back into this like it's a walk in the park. It's not. Things have changed and it's not what it used to be and it is not where the money used to be.
If you spent any time at all reading this board you'll
see what a struggle it is for newbies to get jobs at home. If you go to one of the better schools your chances are better, but still no guarantee. I think anyone looking to get into this field now is crazy. Lots of work being offshored and lots of working going to ASR, which leaves fewer jobs for available. j
Spend some time reading through posts on this board
and you'll find your info about the preferred schools and the ones to avoid. I don't know of any MT company that is setup to work with MAC.
My deepest apologies because in reading my response and that icon, it came out much more sinister
of a remark, which was not intended as so sarcastic.
Here are some great links and I hope they help!
Grammar errors: http://esl.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsu.edu%3A8080%2F%7Ebrians%2Ferrors%2Ferrors.html
Miriam Webster Online: http://www.m-w.com
OneLook Dictionary: http://www.onelook.com
Grammar Slammers: http://englishplus.com/grammar/mistcont.htm
Guide to Grammar and Writing: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
I'll sign that one...I quit reading her posts about a month ago
because they are so negative and condescending. If she was nearly as smart as she thought she was, she would be kinder. I haven't read one of her posts in at least a month. If I see her name as the poster, I simply skip that particular message. She is a nasty individual, in my opinion anyway.
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