Breaking into the industry!

Posted By: Brandy on 2006-06-26
In Reply to: Frustrated!! - Amy

I seriously would keep looking considering the money is already spent giving the education. Breaking into the field as a new MT isn't easy.

1. A small MTSO who is looking for a new MT. I have seen a few ads on the Job Seeker board here for new MTs if you have the right equipment.

2. Going in-house for a few years to train and then transitioning to the work-at-home atmosphere.

Keep looking! Good luck to you!

Complete Discussion Below:

marks the location of current message within thread

Frustrated!! - Amy
- I have worked at home since day 1 of graduation from M-TEC - happytyper
- Jobs are going overseas anyway - - sm
- Be careful when people have to write you off the board - Caution
- Sent you an e-mail - POT
- On site work - dee
- Don't need to go to the "top 3 schools" - Deanie
- You can do it....keep trying!!! - IndyMT
- Don't give up... - Jeannal
  - Love, love, love your story! nm - take that, top three
    - Yes! Let's encourage lack of education and bumbling into jobs - CMT
      - Education comes in other ways than only top 3 schools - LL
        Being a paramedic is something to be proud of, but nothing to do with MT - Apples and Oranges
        The insinuation was that anyone without formal training was bumbling... - EMT-P
        Years ago none of us needed training and there were no schools - Wouldn't try that now though
        There's some MT's that can't even figure out - No schooling
        Why doesn't someone give some good reports on other schools - MT
        They are probably all busy working! LOL - nm
        Of course! That must be it. LOL - :)
      - So thank you for saying Spheris employees are bumbling. That was nice. - Jenna
        Who said anything about Spheris? The message was about accidentally getting into MT - MT
        Maybe you should read before you post. - Patti
        Jeanna did. And you said "let's encourage bumbling into jobs.." - MaggieDay
- It's impossible for us to know how much you have learned - MT
- I went to a community college and was hired - sm
- You do not have to be a graduate from one of the "top three schools" to get a job!! sm - Tired of hearing about top 3 schools
- Ten thousand dollars? On an MT education? - I seriously want to know about that.
  - cost - Amy
    - What type of education did you get? What did you study? - My BA degree didn't cost that!!
- Breaking into the industry! - Brandy
  - Don't give up!! - NC Newbie

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

Breaking into MT
I wanted to say, I never went to school for MT. But I did have extremely strong (very fast) typing skills and way above average spelling and grammar skills. I learned MT through a VA Clinic as a Transcriptionist in a typing pool there. I went on to run a six figure transcription service and have trained MANY transcriptionists, who have gone on to succeed WITHOUT schooling because they had the basics: typing speed and accuracy, spelling and grammar, quick learners, and above all GOOD WORK ETHIC.

My first account 15 years ago was cold calling in the phone book and I got a job on my first call for a podiatrist. Then I got another job for large internal medicine group from a cold call. I started out 15 years ago by the page and hour. I think some people can go to the best schools there are and still not be a good transcriptionist. In training people I could very quickly figure out if someone would be good at this or not. So hopefully any newby who hopes to make it in this field has the basics I mentioned - speed, accuracy, spelling, grammar, quick learner and good work ethic. Good luck.

Breaking into MT
I agree 100% about some people being cut out for this type work. I did transcription years ago for a small hospital with 12 docs on staff. My skills included good grammar, fast typing, two years of Latin, and a desire to be the best at whatever I did. At that time I was considered the best Transcriptionist around. I did the work for approximately seven years, but due to having a large family and overbearing husband, I gave it up. Now, without two years of recent experience, it is impossible to find a job doing medical transcription.

Breaking into MT
Some questions to ponder: Why do you want to be an MT? Simply to work at home? Or because you have excellent language skills, enjoy medicine, etc? For the (yeah right) money?

Best way to get into the business: Do your research on this field first--it can take a while to get any sort of decent salary. If you want to work at home right off the bat, complete the program at Andrews School or M-TEC. Otherwise, you will likely have an extremely difficult time getting that first job--just look at the posts on this board to see examples of how tough that can be! Visit the schools' websites and speak with the directors to see if this is the field for you. Good luck with your research.

Industry certainly isn't the same anymore - sm
I'm a +35-year MT and still going strong, had my own business, worked in-house for hospitals/docs, done it all, work for MTSO now, but just like other industries, a lot has changed and most not for the good. I have stayed with an MTSO for only a couple of reasons - My husband has been transferred many times over the years all over the country and this is one job that I can keep doing wherever my next address is . . .I can visit family and take my work with me when I travel. It is a very isolating profession to be at home, lack of social networking and getting to meet people in new areas.

I have numerous docs for medical conditions and not one of them uses a Transcriptionist anymore, all have their own laptops they carry around. So much is offshored, VR is taking over for many facilities, and many transcription services have been gobbled up over the years by larger ones, also much of it not for the good . .I am just hoping to hang on for 10 more years until I can retire, but I'm not even sure how much of a demand there will be for my years of knowledge and quality work - it's all about the bottom line for these MTSOs and medical facilities - I saw the writing on the wall about 20 years ago or so in Calif when managed care started. One doctor I worked 15 years for was very involved in fighting it with insurance companies as HMOs moved in, of course, to no avail. It all trickles down eventually. I know many people in the business and with whom I keep in touch, and we all feel the same way. It's just sad.

It used to be you could find a mentor to see you through the early years - I had one and that was worth more than my college degree in some ways. I still believe that work experience in-house for acute care/multispecialty is still necessary to gain a good grasp of what transcription is about, but I'm old school, and I'm sure some will disagree - I tried to train/employ new MT's for my business right as they were getting started, and 90% of them just didn't get it, no matter what their courses - an at-home transcription course or college graduate - I couldn't believe the lack of comprehension of the English language in most of them.

This has just been my own personal experience I'm passing along. Overall would I recommend this profession to someone looking to get started in it - NOT ANY MORE.

Disclaimed: Please excuse any typos/grammar errors to those who love to play transcription police - I'm doing this very fast, as I am in the middle of working and typing on a separate keyboard off to the side - always have numerous computers going for different things. I normally don't even post on here, but I happened to click on the wrong board and this caught my eye - I'm sure this subject has been brought up many times here.

I truly am empathetic to your situation and wish I could give you a more uplifting opinion. Good luck to you and anyone else in the same boat.

You represent all that is wrong in the MT industry
I'm sorry, but it's true. And MTs wonder why we get no respect these days.....

Try the FTC or your state's Department of Labor and Industry.
I think the FTC is www.ftc.org

AAMT is not the BE ALL of the MT industry. Frankly, I think they're a

joke. I also wouldn't recommend anyone to one particular "approved" school. The best schools are Andrews, MTec, Career Step, and SETT. Don't get hooked up with any school that you see on TV or read an ad in the paper that promises you can earn piles of money straight out of school.