Ditto what Misha said and more - see inside
Posted By: mollyMT on 2006-08-29
In Reply to: Is MT A Good Career? - Charity
I transcribed and did QA for more than 4 years before returning to just transcribing. I can tell you hands down that the best MTs were the ones that already had a very solid backround in English and a huge love of learning before they spent big money to attend a GOOD school. IMHO, MT is not easy to learn unless you put forth a lot of effort, and if you struggle with English then you may not learn as many medical concepts as you need to, which in turn will make you struggle on the job. I saw this time and time again as my company shuffled people in and out who could not cut it. I may also add that some of these people who did not make it were from the Big 3. It is not for everyone. I agree that the big money is not really there these days.
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I like Misha
and welcome her contributions.
Maybe you need to slink back to the junior-high-school mean-girls clique where you belong, MadMT.
Misha
Is acute care the same as multi-specialty care?
I see some companies advertising for acute care and multi-specialty care MTs.
Vote for Misha!
 All you MT's that read this board and who are sick of Misha and her know it all comments....Please reply to this posting! Vote Misha off this website. So far 1 vote Misha!!!!!
I agree with Misha
You have some good qualifications under your belt, but you absolutely need to develop your ear before you work at home, unless you attend a good school first. Definitely try in-house to begin with to get your skills up and try to do some ESL docs because there are plenty of those if you work from home. Best of luck to you! 
But don't send your resume. It has personal information on it. Right Misha?
LOL, gotcha!
ditto
I would not send a resume to a company or to a recruiter who were so unprofessional.
Ditto
I am also a recent grad in the same boat, exactly...I too had to turn down 2 offers, because of strange circumstances surrounding them...sometimes you just have to go with your gut! I have applied to so many companies I am losing track of them all. How does a new grad get hired? I haven't a clue, except there are a few that do hire us newbies, they have told me just not a the moment. Sten-Tel and Osi,( which has a paid mentoring program). But I was unable to get in to that at this time, probably try again in 6 months if nothing else comes along. This is extremely frustrating I know..but you aren't alone as you know. I'm about ready to start a support group for newbies!!!
Ditto!!
I have done QA on grads from the Top 3 schools and grads from *other schools.* There is NO comparison whatsoever. Everyone wants a shortcut and easy money. People expect employers to take them on because of some hard luck story and spoon feed them what they should have learned in school. There is no easy or cheap road to MT, but there are a FEW exceptions to every rule. A FEW. You pretty much have to pay your dues.
Ditto
Your post couldn't have been more accurate.
Ditto that....
You will learn so much more if you take your time and not allow the pressure of the "line count" get you all bent out of shape. The line count will come, but if the quality is not there, the line count will never matter. I hope this makes sense! It is getting late for me, and I've been typing all day today, and feeling a bit, well, like I NEED A VACATION!!!! LOL Take care, and keep on  because you'll love it once you get over the initial obstacles that we all have had at one time or another.
Ditto.
Eventually, you and I, along with all the other new MTs with less than two years in will reach that two year mark. It is my hope (and dare I say expectation) that more opportunities will open then. I can't live off the scratch I am making now.
Ditto!!
Ditto!!
Ditto on the above
x
ditto
. .
Ditto, the Quick Look on CD for me
nm
Ditto on using "daily." The q.d. should be (sm)
considered extinct, as should q.o.d.; instead use every other day.
ditto trouble finding a job
Hi everyone, my name is Angela and I received my certificate for MT about 2 years ago and still have not had any luck. If anyone has suggestions on good companys that hire entry level candidates I would greatly appreciate it. I am open to any suggestions.
Thanks,
Angela Rowland
see inside
I quit my stressful job to do MT full throttle. My hubby and I planned it for months. In MHO, MT is not something you should squeeze in at the end of your day. There is FAR too much to learn not to be able to give it your full attention. I looked at it like a job to learn. When I was not working on the course itself I was looking at message boards, seeing if I could figure out the answers on the word help boards, reading the AAMT magazine, you name it. I breathed, slept, and ate MT. Now, not everyone is as anal as this, but for me this worked. I had numerous job offers before I even graduated based on my test results, so I feel I got out of it what I put into it! Good luck to you.
see inside
SM means "see message"
NM means "no message"
LP is a new one. I don't know what that means or I even saw that before. Hope this helps!!
See inside
Just about anywhere you ask, you will hear that Andrews School, M-TEC, and Career Step are the best, and the only ones worth the money. Many companies will waive the 2-years' experience requirement if you graduate from one of these three schools.
Good luck to you.
See inside
I know you don't want to hear it, but you are wasting your money if you choose one of the cheaper schools. You will not be able to get a job afterwards. Most of the big companies will waive the 2-years' experience requirement if you go to Andrews, M-TEC, or Career Step, but not for the other schools. You get what you pay for. Those 3 schools will also help you get a job after you graduate.
see inside
Northeast Transcription email gail@ntitech.com - they were looking for new grads. Focus Infomatics hires new grads, I think. Good luck and keep trying.
See Inside.....
Precyse Solutions and Spheris take MTs with dial-up. Precyse Solutions is smaller with about 300 MTs and Spheris has about 1000.
see inside
Any purchases:
computers
equipment
desk/chair
books
supplies
Gas for any deliveries or pickups to customers.
A percentage of your rent or mortgage and utilities IF you have a separate room dedicated to work.
Telephone and Internet expenses if applicable.
Maybe that will help you get started. It is best to ask an accountant. :)
Heck, I don't see why not...see inside
It'll at least give you good experience in testing. However, actually getting the job is a long shot unless you ace the test or have a good MT education to your credit.
Well, there's this link inside, too...
http://archives.mtstars.com/main2005/32964.html
no message inside....
f
I see typos.... see inside
You need to check for spelling errors yourself. See below.
Before you hit the send button, Char, you might want to stop and give some consideration to your audience. Many of the people who read this board are people who hire MTs. If your post is sloppy and full of ignorance, you will be dismissed as a sloppy, ignorant MT, and any potential employer will not give you another thought. If your post is intelligent, well written, and error-free, you just might be contacted by someone willing to give you a chance. I have contacted three newbies who posted intelligent comments in complete, accureately-spelled (accurately)sentences on this board. I hired one of them. I would have been happy to hire the other two, but two other MTSOs had (2 had) had the same idea after seeing their posts and beat me to it. Think about that the next time you want to post something incoherent and badly spelled because "it's just a message board". A sloppy, incoherent post might (be?) hilarious to you, but to someone assessing your suitability for employment, it's just really depressing.
I start Jan 8.....more inside
I start with the tech call on the 8th, training on the 9th, and begin work on the 10th. Any insight no how to start off great? Any recommended reference books? Are you employed with them?
Jill
see link inside
http://www.mtbot.com/links/index.php?PHPSESSID=87548e85937eae92e899386c81c6c8e1&PID=4
Maybe this will help.
Link inside
See instructions inside.
At your desktop, right click and choose Properties, Advanced, under item at the drop-down arrow select window, click on the drop-down arrow by color 1, and either choose one of those colors or select "other" and you can create whatever color you want. It will have no affect on your document, just your screen.
I used to use light purple, now I use light blue. I change colors just to alleviate boredom. :)
See message inside.
I am a CS graduate, and if I had it to do over, I'd choose Andrews School or M-TEC.
Almost all of the books you receive from CS are written by the lady who started the school. The other 2 schools use real reference books that contain a LOT more. That's one reason the other 2 schools cost more.
Also, the other 2 schools have real instructors who go over your work and point out errors, and help you along. At CS, your work is "automatically compared" against the same report done at some unknown time and place by some unknown MT, who may or may not have done it correctly. All you get is a comparison between the two, it only shows the differences, like holding two pieces of paper up to the light to see if everything matches. Whenever there are differences, it's up to YOU to figure out which one is correct. The only time a real person actually looks over your work is when you take your final exam (which over 50% of students fail the first time they take it, and that statement comes directly from CS itself, not from me).
Yes, I did get a work-at-home job after graduating from CS. But I feel my first year of work was a lot harder, I spent a lot more time looking things up, there were a lot of things I would have learned at Andrews or M-Tec that I didn't learn at CS.
See message inside.
If she's already made her decision, I suppose this doesn't matter much.
But the fact is, if she takes the course from Andrews or M-TEC, she will indeed be able to pass most TRANSCRIPTION (not typing) tests right out of school. Many companies will waive the 2-year experience requirement for grads of those two schools because of the excellent training. Also, she should not need an internship if she takes the course from Andrews or M-TEC.
Response for Teresa - please see inside.
I'm not sure what "Medical Office Occupations" is, but if it's a school for medical transcription, they should give you some idea of how to find a job. If they can't help you find a job - then I hate to tell you this, but you're going to have a hard time.
Frankly, it is VERY difficult for someone with no experience to find a job unless they graduated from Andrews, MTEC, or Career Step. Some have found they can only get local in-house jobs at the beginning (and are lucky to find those).
When you say "no one will listen to you" - who exactly do you mean? Have you applied at any of the companies mentioned here? Taken any transcription tests?
You never know who is going to be on boards like this - recruiters, small MTSO owners, etc., and I would recommend making sure your posts are professional and reflect good English skills.
Read these posts and go through the archives for more information, as well.
Link to article inside
http://www.adminsupportservices.com/parentsmagarticle.htm
Not that I disagree with you totally, but (see inside)
there just aren't many hospitals in many areas any more where people can work. Many of them hire services.
Graduates of Andrews School and M-Tec seem to have no problem getting hired or keeping their jobs at home right out of school. "Grads" of the "matchbook" schools are the ones who need all the extra in-house assistance.
I use the ABCZ method. See inside.
http://home.earthlink.net/~agjon/abczrule.htm
This thread is locked. Please see inside.
I have had to delete part of this thread due to vulgarity, which is unwarranted.
Please understand that responses from all perspectives may be posted but civility and respect still can be demonstrated.
Cher/Moderator
R U LAZY? do your own work..link inside..sm
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
More Career Step Info Inside
I just purchased a platinum course from an individual who was selling on www.mtdaily.com. Just go to the website and click on General classifieds and the other classified heading. Also, there is someone selling, I believe, the gold course for $750.00 on ebay. there is only 13 hours to go on that one. Hope this helps.
Are interns paid for the work they do? (see inside)
I see there is a fee for this program. If one has to pay a fee, and do work without pay, it doesn't sound like such a great deal for the newbie.
You don't need a dictionary if you have internet access (see inside)
just use www.onelook.com it has all you could ask for in a dictionary, has a search function, and is much easier than lifting a heavy book!
Guess I didn't link it! Pasted inside...sm
http://www.unitedtran.com/default.htm nm.
Please see inside for info on grads/Spheris/CareerStep
http://www.careerstep.com/clientspromos/spheris/
Career Step is pleased to announce an innovative partnership with Spheris, a leading national employer of medical transcriptionists. Beginning in 2005, a select group of Career Step students will be offered the opportunity to participate in the exclusive Spheris Training Track. The Spheris Training Track has been designed around Career Step’s proprietary medical transcription training program. Portions of the training program have been tailored to meet the specific training and hiring requirements of Spheris.
Program Objectives
The primary objective of the Spheris Training Track is to minimize the training period for new employees by incorporating on-the-job training directly into the Career Step course. It is expected that graduates of the Spheris Training Track will move quickly and seamlessly into a production-based medical transcription position with Spheris. This innovative training is designed to systematically expose students to a wide variety of practice sound files that more closely approximate the actual Spheris working environment. Additionally, students who enter this program will receive intensive training and practice on Spheris' proprietary web-based medical transcription platform.
Advantages of The Program
Although Career Step graduates are eligible to apply for Spheris entry-level positions, the special training that students receive through the Spheris Training Track will enable them to apply for more advanced positions within the Spheris organization.
How it Works
Spheris Training Track classes will be formed frequently, based upon the current recruiting needs of Spheris. At the formation of each class, a select number of Career Step students will be offered entrance into the Spheris training track. Selection and participation are based on student performance and Spheris' current recruiting needs. While the demand for well-trained medical transcriptionists is high, the selection process for entrance into the program is rigorous and competitive.
More About Career Step
Career Step is one of the nation's leading providers of online medical transcription training. Career Step enjoys a tremendous market advantage in the industry by virtue of its reputation as an innovative, competency-based training company. Career Step believes that the success of any training program is defined by the success of the graduates from that program. With thousands of Career Step graduates enjoying successful careers as medical transcriptionists, Career Step is the leader in quality medical transcription education. Career Step has been in business since 1992 and is based in Springville, Utah.
In recent years Career Step has rolled out additional high quality products, such as an online medical transcription testing service, and a medical coding certificate program. Career Step is now viewed as a purveyor of leading edge technology solutions to companies throughout the industry.
Each year, for the past four years, Career Step has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the state of Utah by the Mountain West Venture Group. Career Step was additionally the 335th fastest growing privately-held business in the country, according to Inc. Magazine.
Career Step also currently maintains relationships with dozens of prominent community colleges nationwide that offer the Career Step training program to their students under an exclusive licensing agreement.
More About Spheris
Spheris is the world's second-largest outsourced medical transcription company and currently works with practitioners in 450 health systems, hospitals and group practices. Spheris provides medical transcription services to clinics and practices as well as some of the largest, most prestigious medical centers throughout North America.
Today, Spheris employs more than 5,000 professional Medical Transcriptionists which support the company’s clients through secure networks, using a Web-based system with integrated voice, text and data.
Spheris is headquartered in Franklin, TN, with major operations in St. Petersburg, FL and Sterling, VA.
Have you tried Open Office? It's free and very similar - see inside
http://www.openoffice.org/
Apparently, the AHDI can't make up their mind! See inside
From the FAQ on their website (as mentioned by someone else here):
"Two years of transcription experience in the acute care (or equivalent) setting is required to take the CMT certification examination."
FYI - ALL commas and periods go INSIDE quotation marks!
See important, important message inside.
I put my real name and e-mail up here. The rest of you, do not let this person steal your dreams.
I stumbled onto this profession 30 years ago when transcription was part of my office duties. I went from there to a huge hospital and worked there for 15 years, all the while taking extra work from home (mostly because I just love the work, but also for extra money).
During the past 30 years, I have supported my family of four without a lot of help from my husband. That includes buying my daughter a very expensive horse and all the accoutrements (sp?) - including riding lessons, horse shows, show clothes, etc., etc. My son has a very expensive hobby that I also funded. I ran an entire household on my earnings.
I'm saying this to illustrate to you that it can be done, but you sure can't send off sloppy records. You have to learn the correct way. You have to be smart. You have to listen and be willing to be humiliated once every now and then!
MT may or may not be for you, but do not let one unsuccessful person define your future. There are plenty of us out here who make a wonderful living at this.
A C-phone is a special phone (see inside)
that you can plug a headset into and a footpedal into, and then dial into a system and get the dictation over the telephone line, instead of over the internet.
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