Hard to tell as each company does things differently.

I'm sure they'll ask the basics about your experience, what work type you prefer, hours/lines you can do each day, etc.   They may ask you questions to see how well you know your stuff.    They should also ask you if you have any questions and they should tell you what they are looking for, what their platform is, how they pay, etc.  

• phone interview - sportsmom91
  • Hard to tell as each company does things differently. - me

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has a screw loose. 

It's expensive and time-consuming for employers to train a new MT.  You have to consider this from their perspective.  They run a business, not a support group.

Being new to the industry, you won't know this, but the chance you want them to give you requires them to hire someone to, basically, do all your work over again and then tell you what's wrong with it, sometimes for six months.  You're asking them to spend in the range of $20-30,000 in addition to what they paid YOU to do the work inadequately . . . so that you can have a chance.

If you've taken an employment test with them and have not scored in the 95% and above range, or, with some companies 98%, they're not going to take you because they believe that after completing a course, you should have been able to make that 95 or 98%.  If you cannot, it tells them that you spent a year or two in school and still didn't get the message.  They're not going to give you a chance because they think you already had one.

They also look at the school you attended.  If that school has a reputation for turning out poor prospects, then the employer knows that hiring you will be a waste.  He also knows that you could have determined in advance which schools he will hire from and whose graduates do well, and he thinks that you made your choice about jobs when you chose your school, and if you chose a school that he won't hire from . . . well, that was your decision.  Not his.  He owes you nothing.

Before you choose a school, do your research.  Going with the lowest bidder gets you a low-bid education.  You need to go with a school that can demonstrate results.  Graduates of those schools do not have trouble getting a job.

If you have already completed a school and cannot get a job, you can go on to a better school, or you can look locally for a physician office employer and work your way up from there. 

Most college programs train only at the "physician office" level.  Most distance programs train at that level, as well, so you should have the skills for that kind of job.  Once there, you can work your way up to a larger office, a larger clinic, perhaps a local hospital.  Along the way, you can improve your skills by self study.  It may take three to five years, but you can advance that way.  It's often less expensive just to take a better course, even if you've already completed one.

If you are just out of school and nobody wants to hire you, they're telling you that your academic preparation is not what they consider to be adequate for the jobs they have. 

I'm going to respond to you, item by item –

>>>The seasoned MT's and recruiters are using this forum to vent on their frustration with the newer MT's.<<<
     What I saw was one harshly worded message from MTSO. As a former business owner myself, I see where they are coming from. While I do not agree with the manner in which they expressed their views, I can look beyond their frustration and understand how they feel. Try to look beyond how MTSO expressed their views and focus more on what they were saying.


>>>This is just my opinion, but if you need to put others down to make yourself feel superior go to the site where the seasoned MT's are.<<< 
     Putting others down to make yourself feel superior is what kids do. And why are you using the term “seasoned MTs" when you speak of people with a lot of experience. You make us sound like a steak going on the grill.


>>>This site is for newer MT's that need advice and a place to talk to other new MT's.  Seems inappropriate for the experienced MT's to jump on this site to talk about what makes them mad about the newer MT's.<<< 
     What MTO did is give you serious advice, and you need to seriously consider WHAT was said rather than HOW it was said. And if you want to speak of what’s inappropriate, I feel it is very inappropriate for someone trying to break into the industry to post messages on the Main Board asking for help with their test.


>>>Has it been that long that we cannot remember what it was like, or was it like this. 
     Every day of my life. And I was grandfathered for this job. I never went to school for it. If you had a good ear and good spelling skills, you received on-the-job training. I vividly remember my first day on the job ... I think I transcribe 250 lines in 8 hours. And the work was filled with blanks and errors. Now, I'm asked to do some dictators that more experienced MTs say they can’t do.


>>>I did not have to apply for a job with my computer.  I actually got to speak face to face with someone hiring.  Maybe if my lack of experience did not charm them, I could.  I think it is harder to apply on paper than it was for us in person. 
     I agree with this. I do very well with face-to-face interviews. With respect to applying for a job over the Internet, it’s become “dog eat dog” so to speak. With so much being outsourced to foreign countries, there are thousands of MTs in this country who are fighting for the same jobs with the same companies. You’re no longer a person; now, you’re a white piece of paper with black ink on it. And that’s all you have to sell yourself beyond the competition.


<<<Let's lighten up a little bit ladies and play nice.<<<
     Kill joy!  

your instructor could answer better than anyone here could.  In general, when to edit for grammar, what format to use, and how to decode mumblers are all things that you will get better at with more and more practice, so don't get too discouraged.    For those hard to understand dictations, try playing at different speeds (even faster) and going back to the difficult parts after you have transcribed the entire report.  As you do more and more reports, you can look back through them to figure out what a dictator might be most likely to say at that point, which may give you a clue.  Another trick is to put key phrases around the part you can't understand in Google and see if you come up with something.  You can put an asterisk for the part you can't understand and put the key phrase in quotes and sometimes that will help, for example "* prostatic hypertrophy." 

Hi All,

I am taking a long break and moving to California. Yeap that's right I am just up and leaving. So I must travel Lite.

I am in search of a house to rent--so if any of you Californians know of a place I would appreciate it.

I am selling: This would be great for someone thinking of evidently having their own accounts.

C-phone and headset with instruction manual (paid $200)

USB universal foot pedal (paid $100)

Panasonic Cassette transcriber with foot pedal (regular cassette) (paid $250) Great for those doctors still using regular cassettes or great doing general transcription work.

Resource materials:

Medical Transcription Guide Do's and Don'ts 3rd edition (this is the most recent one) (paid $44)

Nurse's Pocket Drug Guide

PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook

Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary 27th edition

Sloane's Medical Word Book

The AAMT Book of Style

Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Illustrated in color) 28th edition with CD

The language of Medicine with CD inside

Medical Transcriptionist's Desk Reference (Carolyn Collins-Gates)

CD transcription sample reports

I would like to sell all as one price so best offer.

I am trying to decide between Andrews and M-Tec for my MT education. I realize this is beating a dead horse, but I would like to share some of the things I've noticed about the two and hope someone might have some insight for me.

Andrews: Has had an excellent reputation for a long time. You can take as long as you need to finish the program. Students have same instructors, i.e. everyone gets to experience REDPEN. 

M-TEC: Very good reputation also. New website is very professional. Long list of well-known CMTs and AAMT members on staff. You are assigned an individual instructor. You need to finish in 18 months.

I've been weighing these things in my mind trying to decide. I had a bad experience with MT training before. I was completely dependent on one person for feedback, etc. This was great while it worked, but all of a sudden this person stopped responding to my messages, phone calls, etc. I never want to get in that situation again. I am attracted to M-TEC because I know I could track down some of the people on staff there in other contexts if need be. I realize this is probably paranoia on my part because neither program is likely to disappear like mine did, but... The no time limit that Andrews has might be good if an illness or emergency arose. On the other hand, a deadline could be good because I tend to be perfectionistic and overwork things before handing them in. I'm a little nervous about being assigned one instructor at M-TEC because this puts me in somewhat of the same position I was in before of being dependent on one person. However, I would be able to contact Susan Francis or Kathy Kropko if there was a problem I suppose. Still, I kind of like what seems to be more of a traditional classroom experience with a lot of students under one instructor at Andrews.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

someone to even give me a chance. I've been really lucky so far.

Thanks for the advice though.

is going to take a program like this she will have a tougher time to find a job with a reputable company.   There are 3 good schools M-TEC, Andrews, and Career-Step and there are companies willing to hire newbies provided they have graduated in good standing from one of these schools.  Another option would be a local community college who might help with job placement.  I worked for a company that used to let the MT student some into the office and do a short rotation to get real hands-on experience.  

Some people are just determined they are going to do something and you can't do much about that, but I feel she is throwing away money if she goes this route.  I don't have any personal experience with any of the above schools, but they all come highly recommended. 

Why is it so hard for newbies to get employed? You go to school and pay all this money and don't know one want to hire a newby. If someone knows please let me know why.

I'm the kind of person who usually passes tests with flying colors, yet I just barely passed that test by the skin of my teeth.

They go by the BOS II book...so, if you have the book, make sure everything conforms to the rules in that book.  I don't own the book (yet) and just checked the style board to learn of differences between the two books.  Off the top of my head, q.4 h. (note the space between 4 and h), cancer classifications (some differences), using Arabic numbers for 1 through 9 instead of spelling them out, etc.

Don't give up!  If you are able, buy that book.  If not, use all the internet resources (reliable ones) that you can think of.

Good luck to you!

Regards,

Chickadee

I finally got my first job for 6 cents a line.  I found the job myself.  Keep looking around and do not give up.  I encountered a lot of road blocks.  Everyone basically cares out themselves.  Sad to say, but the majority of Americans do not care about teamwork, and helping others.  That is why India and other countries are ahead of us MTs and many other professions.  TEAMWORK

I attended TechSkills. The course was 32 weeks. I have a desire of being a transcriptionist. By me being a firm believer that I can make a career of being a transcriptionist, my positive attend has brought me a long way.