Good schools to attend that you will not have problems with and
Posted By: Hattie Helper (SM) on 2006-03-26
In Reply to:
likely be able to get a job upon graduation.
Andrews School - www.andrewsschool.com
MTec - www.mtecinc.com
Career Step - www.careerstep.com
SETT - www.settinc.com
Don't fall for the fly by night schools. What are fly by night schools? Generally, those that advertise all over creation trying to drum up business. Those that rent out halls in hotels and have conferences promising that you'll make a ton of money the first year. Any school that promises you big bucks straight out of school. Those that run TV ads offering every "degree" under the sun including medical transcription. Those that make you buy their expensive players and footpedals before you can get started. Those that you find a zillion "testimonials" posted on every discussion forum available.
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Good schools??
How do you determine what is a good reputable school and which one is a waste of money & time?
Thank you!
The Good Schools
Andrews and M-Tec. Career Step is also considered to be a good school. Andrews and M-Tec are the gold standard, the Harvard and Yale, of MT training. Their graduates have no difficulty finding work because employers know those schools turn out job-ready MTs.
There are only two very good schools M-Tec and Andrews.
There are only two schools approved by AAMT. Do you want to work for a national at home? If the answer is yes, then you need to go to a school that is acknowledged by the big services as the best. If you want to work at your community hospital, then you need to go into the community hospital and ask them where they would recommend you get training. Most likely they will not have heard of Andrews or M-Tec, but they may hire from your local community college and then you would be okay with going there.
Accreditation with on-like programs is not the same as with college education. What you are asking for doesn't exist with an excellent program. Places get accredited for their state, but this doesn't mean that they necessarily know anything about MT or even teaching MT. They have the money, and ability to fill out the forms that the teachers have credentials and they use basic materials.
Figure out who you want to employ you and back track. Being able to investigate is a skill necessary for being an MT. Good luck with your decision.
Those aren't the only good schools
I was hired at a national straight out of CS. In fact I had 2 job offers within a couple weeks of finishing the program with zero medical experience prior to that. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good education.
Why doesn't someone give some good reports on other schools
One person on this board constantly rips the so-called Big 3. Instead of doing that, why doesn't she bring some good facts forward about her own school. That would be more productive.
While you're researching the schools, be sure to get a good resume sm
and keep it updated at the local hospitals, services, etc. If you are really interested and have some training, you're chance of hospital work is better than having none. That is the best training ground you can find. Years ago I started at a local hospital with a semester of medical terminology. Those breaks are rare now, but you might get lucky.
In all honesty, though, you will probably have to take a "legitimate" course. I wish we could get the word out nationwide. I also know people who paid their money and still had no marketable skill. Good luck.
Good MT Schools--CareerStep Medical Transcription Program
Hi--saw your message and I am a graduate of a really good MT school--CAREERSTEP.
Just type in www.careerstep.com and check it out!! It is really a good school and they have either textbook and tapes method or online course--2 types, I believe--Gold online and Platinum online. Goodluck!!!
There is plenty of work, I agree. Grads from good schools
Which of the Big 3 did you attend?
Which of the Big 3 did you attend? Since all the Big 3 claim that employers like to hire their grads.
First, what school did you attend for your
MT training? If you went to one of the schools well known to employers to turn out JOB-READY MTs, you will have no difficulty finding a job. Employers waive the experience requirement for graduates of the quality schools (Andrews, M-Tec, Career Step). If you went to a matchbook-cover school (i.e., received a poor-quality MT education), you will have difficulty. If you are having trouble passing the employment tests, then you might want to consider getting more training, preferably with one of the better schools.
Also, (and please take this as meant constructively to help you, because it is), if your post is any indication of your English-language skills, you might want to consider brushing up on your grammar and vocabulary before presenting yourself for employment. That "... don't know one want to hire" comment betrays a significant weakness that could keep you from becoming employed or staying employed. Please think about this.
What school did you attend?
nm
What is the best school to attend?nm.
xx
What school did you attend
just curious
...top 3 programs from this board or attend an actual
b
Competition is the american way. Can you imagine only having 3 or 4 colleges available to attend?
Since you've already done the on-line route, why not attend a local MT
s
I'd not attend the Comm College if teachers are not helpful
Hi Allie,
I wouldn't attend that Community College from what you have said. The CC I went to had two wonderful teachers who were semi-retired MTs. I vaguely remember that the clerks I enrolled with knew very little. I grew to be very impressed with the teachers over time. A great teacher is such a blessing.
Med Workshops' staffing school did a good job for us almost 2 years ago. I've spoken with the owner Karen over the phone. She is bright and honest. We moved to another school because they offered us a better deal financially. We will probably use Med Workshops again in the future sometime. Remember that they are like a wholesale alternative. They probably don't have a sales staff for the "retail student".
But, a wholesale approach doesn't mean you don't get assistance. It means they make most of their money training students for individual employers. Companies like this don't advertise to the public. They contact the larger transcription companies and are looking at a different model. They are dealing in groups to be able to cut overhead, etc. etc. Companies like who I work for find this very appealing because a basic education is usually very similar everywhere because the same 2-3 teaching aids (books, CDs, online) are used by almost all schools.
We are looking at teacher/mentor support for the students and also the cost of education. We won't be able to find enough students at one time if we have to rely on a very expensive retail school- they aren't set up to satisfy our needs, but their program might be great. Retail at $3800 or wholesale at about $2000? For employers like mine the answer is simple.
I'm getting caught in a "25 words or less" dilemma in trying to explain this. I feel some here will jump all over me if I don't say just the right thing.
I've been saying that, I see this wholesale or staffing school approach as the new wave in education because it solves problems for the students and the employers. It's a win win.
I hope everyone keeps an open mind and just considers these ideas. I'm not saying this is the only solution for everyone. Don't hit me, I'm just a messenger.
I'm going to say at an outside source where you attend classes - college, business, or computer
s
Forget "approved" schools. AAMT set the criteria, then approved schools that didn't meet i
Stick with Andrews or M-Tec (both of which happen to be "approved") but forget about any others, they are not worth it.
Good. The lab book was a good choice.
Be sure you look through each book when you get it. Put tabs on sections you will want to refer to quickly. I know my lab book (not Stedman's) has all kinds of extra sections. I think my next purchase would be the cardiac book. Then neuro or OB-GYN after that, depending on which you are getting more of in your work.
MT schools
Thank you for the advice. I have been researching M-Tec and have decided that it seems to be the best choice. Wish me luck.
schools
Can anyone give me any info on Laird's School of Medical Transcription. 
MT Schools
Hi
I am looking to train in this field and have looked into the Career Step Program. There are soo many programs out there and I'm not sure which one to choose. Looking for opinons on which programs are some of the best. Its an awful lot of money and I certainly don't want to chose the wrong one.
MT schools
I am researching MT schools to see which one is best. I am having trouble figuring out who will give me the best training. I am a medicla biller (18 years) and would like to work from home. I thought about PCDI and VLC but I am not sure. I don't want to spend a lot of time and money on a school who is not recognized in the MT industry. Also most of these schools start the medical terminology and anatomy, that's great for someone who's new to the medical field, but what about those who know terminology like the back of our hand. Can anyone recommend an online or correspondence school?
Thanks!
MT schools
Thanks for the information, I will keep this in mind:)
thank you, thank you!!
Schools
Just wondering which schools are best. I checked out a few. Does anyone know anything about Meditec? Is it a good online course?
Schools.
Thanks for the advice. I will check into both of those schools. I presently work in the Administration Office of a hospital, and on occasion when a doctor quits the hospital I have had to type Discharge Summaries, etc. for him/her when they finally return to catch up on what they did not complete. I have yet to figure out why they quit without having all their charts complete--however, they realize there's more time allowed for DS than H&P's, Op Notes, etc. So, besides taking extra terminology courses and practicing with Absolute Experience tapes, I have done a little "real life" transcription.
schools
"career step" is highly recommended, and the gal with whom i've been e-mailing is very helpful. i was an MT in my past life, am now and RN (could you guess from the ID?), and seriously thinking of doing both. i suspect that if i go the course route, it will be via career step. good luck!
Schools
The best schools are M-Tec or Andrews. The next best is Career Step. You will need to go to one of those to brush up on your English skills and learn everything else you'll need in this industry. For instance, your first two sentences should have been just one sentence, and the little things are very important in this field if you want to compete. If that is too picky and boring for you, you won't enjoy going to school or working as an MT.
Re schools - please SM
The top 3 are Andrews, MTec, and Career Step. Companies are more willing to hire new graduates of these schools and some have partnerships with CareerStep, in fact.
You can search the archives here for posts regarding schools and get more information.
In addition, ask the school what placement assistance they offer and who hires their graduates. Don't take their word for it, either - call the companies they say will hire you and ask them if they hire grads from that program.
MT schools
I recently heard only graduates from Andrews and MTEC were getting the newbie jobs out there. Well let me tell you what I did, I graduated from HTC Education now called Brighton College and I was educated with a SUM based program. I also took Medical Coding at the same time. I called the director of MTEC to inquire about the program they offer and discovered it was not any better, still the same based SUM program that I took. The tuition cost were about 250 dollars higher but given inflation over the last year that is relatively a mute point. So I paid the same as their students do. I invested 10,000.00 in my tuition and references and computer, just to be as highly educated as an MTEC graduate and so I asked the MTEC director what their job placement was. I was told that their job placement was at 98%. Well Newbie MTs let me tell you this is purely political on the part of the AAMT and those two schools and by the way when I was looking into schools for MT I went to the AAMT and found Brighton College/formerly HTC Education and it was at the AAMT website at that time my school was also recommended by the AAMT so why am I not able to get hired as Newbie. As far as I am concerned and the research that I have done on this subject it is all a lot bull! Just hang in their work for the peanuts, get internships, do anything you can to get the experience it will happen.
Schools
As a recruiter, I can tell you firsthand that Andrews School trains the very best transcriptionists. I will look at their graduates before I look at any others.
schools
Ok, I have looked at the different schools, and am good at working on my own. I am 9 credits away from being a Registered Health Information Tech. So I have Medical Terminology, Anatomoy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, already among my knowledge base. I just don't have the $3000 to put into a transcription course that I know is going to just reiterate most of what I already know. I want to know if Career Step would be adequate enough for me to be Hirable as a transcriptionist?
Thanks for any input that you might be able to give me!
re: Schools
Thank You!
Schools??
I'm an MT-wannabe and I have a few questions:
What are the "Top 3" schools?
Are tech schools really that much better than online schools?
Does anyone know anything about Penn Foster online? They're nationally and regionally accredited. Does this make them a "better" online school?
I appreciate any and all feedback on this. TIA!
MT Schools
I just want to let everyone and anyone that is looking for a good MT school not to go the TechSkills. When I started with the school there were several things that I was not told up front which could have affected me later. I wanted to pass this information on because I wish someone had informed me. Please pass this information to anyone looking for a MT school. Have a good day!!!
Schools
I posted above about schools but I thought I would address you directly. I went to two different schools. My first was Professional Career Development back in 2000 I finished. Had a hard time finding work like others and decided to take a refresher course at TechSkills. I have completed that course and received my certificate but it was more that I expected and more than what I was told. So if you as me do not pick TechSkills. Hope this helps!!
Look at other schools...
I am attending At-home right now. Almost done in fact but there are way better schools out there. I attended college first to earn a degree for medical office which would have included med. transcription. Unfortunatly, I had to move and dropped out.
I do have a job right now working at home and have two main accounts. My point is that I had a college education before I started At home. I would have prefered to finish in school but due to a complicated pregnancy and lack of income due to having to leave my job I could barely afford At home.
There are many many other that are better. Many will help place you. At home gives you a book on how to start out but that is about it.
Schools
I recently graduated from Career Step and I started working within a couple of weeks. They are now AAMT approved. They do offer a payment plan, that's what I did, it wasn't too bad compared to the other schools. Good luck.
schools
Thanks, I have been looking at Career Steps, but yet again the payment plan is more than I can do at this time. I also contacted M-Tec, and the same thing with them.
Thanks
Donna
MT schools
Hello,
I have been looking at two different MT schools, and was hoping to get some opinions. The two I am looking at are Career Step and TNI. If anyone has gone to these or has any feedback please let me know. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks
Schools
I went to Everett CC online, that uses Career Step materials, but you also have teachers, deadlines, and lots of interaction with other students. I found it to be an awesome program and have been offered three jobs this week just graduated in August. My testing and good references must speak for themselves. My job right now pays well and I get a very good cpl. So I would have to disagree about the Career Step program.
Top schools??
I am intrested in MT -- So what are the top schools to go to?? I want to try to get off in the right direction.
Thanks,
Cassandra
Only schools I would consider (sm)
Career Step, M-Tec, Andrews. They are the only three that are endorsed by the AAMT (if that really means much) and have proven to be the schools that prepare students to be gainfully employed after finishing the course.
What schools were they?
That you hired from before that did not work out, as I am currently researching on-line courses for MT and need to know which schools are reputable. Thanks
Can you email me your answer thanks.
to: louisem@cinci.rr.com
Schools
Would that apply to someone who did this type work for approximately 6-7 years way back all through the 60's? I was trained by 12 physicians in a small hospital and did the "whole nine yards" -- meaning Radiology Reports, Op Notes, Labor and Delivery Records, H&P's, Discharge Summaries, Consults, etc. for 12 physicians (being the only transcriptionist). I've tried to stay current with this field by going back to school to take only the terminology part (in a Community College -- GPA 4.0). And I try to keep abreast of what is going on by checking this site along with others regarding transcription on an almost daily basis. What do I need to do to get back into this career? I did take the PCDI course before learning it was not one of the accepted ones.
MT Schools
This is for any one who is looking to become a medical transcriptionist. Everette Community College in Everette Washington has an excellent online MT program it is an accreditted school, and offers financial aide. As we all know, MT schools can be very expensive and all the $ sure helps. You can live any where in the US and take this couse. Get a FASFA grant and there ya go.
There are two of these schools...
One is Allied Health Schools and the other is just plain Allied Medical Schools. I have read all of the info on Allied Medical Schools and also on MTec and Career Step and they are all the same. They all teach the same thing and are accredited by the AAMT. So I figure how different can they be. Is there anyone out there who has went to Allied Medical School? If so can you tell me if things went OK for you in the job market or not. I am just curious is all. I am not down grading what you wrote to me. I just think that not all of them can be bad. If they were then there wouldn't be so many people out there working doing MT. I know that not all of them grad. from just those couple of schools that everyone here has mentioned as the best and the only one that you can go to in order to get hired by someone. Please don't take offense to this.
Schools
Does anyone know any good schools in South Carolina? I've been looking into tech schools and wondered if they're any good. What about Gatlin Education services, Ed2go, Jer Courses? And what courses/schools are good if I want to work locally after graduation?
MT Schools
You might start at http://www.aamt.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm. They have a list of schools approved by the AAMT for MT education.
Top Schools
Does anyone know if any of the top 3 schools have a shortened program for someone with 1 year experience? I have 1 year of experience in family practice and went through a medical transcription program, but not at one of the top 3 schools. I already have invested a lot of money, but I know see how hard it is to get another job unless you have attended one of the 3 top schools.
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