Help! Need to find part-time employmen- suggestions?
Posted By: Lisa W. on 2005-09-22
In Reply to:
I finished Meditec's MT course in March and have been looking all over the net and in my local area for a job and no luck! My local hospital and the local doctor's offices all sent their dictation out to one co. and when I interviewed there, they were actually getting ready to lay off most MT's because the hospital and dr.'s were going to a paper form and would no longer be using a service and they employ no in-house MT's. The next nearest city that would have jobs is over 50 miles away and I am unable to travel that far being a single mother with a child who is home schooled. (with gas prices the way they are right now, I'd be working just to get the gas to go to work!)
I am looking for part-time MT work that I can do from home. I have a good computer system, there is no broadband or DSL in my town at this time so that could make it harder to get a job. I am flexable on my hours and days that I can work. I have a bytescribe wav pedal, numerous reference books both from my course and from having taken college courses at Davenport University for Medical Transcription.
Any suggestions? any other ideas on where to apply?
Thanks!
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Newly graduated MT - is it possible to find part-time acute work?
I was wondering if anyone has had any success finding part-time, IC, acute work as a new MT? 
Doing MT Part Time
I work 8 hours per day, 4 days per week, at my job outside my home. I'm doing transcription on Fridays and what I can fit in on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm an IC. I love doing the work, but you really have to discipline yourself to sit there in that chair and do it. It's very easy to get up and wonder off or take off somewhere and say "oh I'll finish this later. Before you know it the weekend is gone and you have to hustle to get it done. Luckily the company I'm working for has a QA person that is the greatest and she knows my schedule and time limit and sends me work accordingly.
The company I worked for before would send me work all during the week, and I was busting it trying to do that and work during the day too. It was tough. Best of luck to you.
I have a FT job (not MT) and do MT part-time.
It's worked for me for over three years. I drop off the previous day's work and pick up my new work on my way home from my FT job. They want a 24-hr TAT, so that works out all right. Of course, it wouldn't work with a shorter TAT. It can work if the logistics are acceptable. The fact that I can do the MT work at home makes it easy to fit in with the rest of my life. If you're organized, it can be done.
Get another part-time to go with this one if
it is full-time. Don't wait for the work to come in. Do you have set hours or can you work when you want. I mean are you employee or self-employed independent contractor?
If you are an employee, you could get unemployment or partial but I doubt that you are an employee.
Do something soon. Don't sit and wait till there is no work.
There are typical times when there is not enough work but I don't think this is particularly one of them.
Part time MT?
Hello everyone,
I am interested in becoming a part-time MT and thought I would ask anyone willing to respond a few questions. Though it may make no difference whatsoever, I am about to graduate with a master's degree in education. I am interested in supplementing my current income. I have been researching MT for several months and would really appreciate any feedback. Here are a few questions:
How difficult is it to receive job offers without any formal training like Career Step in MT?
Does anyone know of a place that offers internship or other opportunities where I can obtain practical experience in lieu of formal MT training?
Is it realistic to make the amount of money publicized on many of the training websites without working 12 hours a day?
Thank you for your responses!
Well, I got a part-time job without any
trouble after graduation. However, I will say that working part-time makes it very difficult to get fast enough to earn very much money. Last year I worked 20-25 hours a week and made about $8000 at 7.5 cents/line.
part time work
I graduated from U.S. Career Institute in December and have started nursing school. I did this to work from home part time while in school. Does anyone know of any jobs out there for part time work. I have been a phlebotomist and CNA for 9 years and have a good medical background. Thanks for any help that you can give.
I think their ad said that anything under 40 hrs was considered part time. And several of us have
b
Where to Start MT part Time
Any ideas on where I start if i want to get into MT part time at home? Do I join one of these places that you pay for them to train you? Take training on my own? HELP.. Or am I totally nuts and really dont want to get into this? I have had Carpal tunnel in the past and work full time also...
Part TIme Work
I'm in the same boat as well, just got done with school and have certificate. Don't want to over commit myself and things not work out.
are you working part-time or full a wk?
.
I only work part time but it takes me...sm
all day to do the work. I have one at home and my other two are in elementary. I only do about 500 lines per day, but I it takes the whole day to do it because I stop and play, read, and BE with my little one. She just turned 5. I used to work in the evenings or at night when she was younger, but now I do it during the day. She has a desk beside mine and she does her "work". But then she wants to be held or read to or played with and that is when I stop and do those things with her. IF I needed to make more money or if I was needed to work more then I would find someone to watch her or work when she is sleeping. I would never expect a child to sit in front of a TV all day by herself (which is what it is if you are not paying attention to her) and be okay and well behaved.
I work for Focus part-time
I work for Focus and have posted many times recently on them. They are a great company but I do not feel that the extra shift differential always makes a difference because they have a lot of ESL dictators which can slow you down. They also have very large accounts and you really do not always have a chance to become familiar with the docs. You can get health benefits around $75/biweekly if you meet the line count and permanent employee, but there is no pay for time off.
On the other hand there are some positives. There is no set schedule if you are a contractor and they are very nice people. I ususally log in whenever and there is usually always work. There are times when they run low, but I have another company I do full-time which has better benefits. I would not do Focus alone, but they are a great 2nd company. They started me out when I was a new graduate, so I will always have good things to say about them and have not found much of the negatives posted about them to be true. The only thing is they hire a large volume of MTs, so you need to protect yourself from running low on work if you are going to work for them full-time. I have worked at least 4 different accounts when I was full-time to ensure this did not happen to me. Maybe you could work for both companies---one full and the other part-time.
Good Luck with your decision.
Sue
That is slightly less than most part time positions.
The average requirements run about 1200 lines for full time and 600 for part time (based on 65-character line). If this is a full-time position, it sounds like you may have found someone that will give you the opportunity to focus on quality instead of placing the emphasis on production right off the bat.
Medquist flex part-time; try them.
good luck
part time line count
I heard that part-time is 500 lines a day, or 2500 lines a week; and that full-time is about a thousand lines a day or 5000 lines a week. But I would welcome other responses. Any other comments? I would like to know this also, so it's a good question.
So part time may make it harder......
I guess I never looked at it that way......working part time as a newbie would not be attractive to many. This really stinks. I am really looing for something to do part time, but have to do so around my first priorities..,family and job #1. This outsourcing to foreign countries also stinks.
SIGH......thx a bunch to you all.
part time with a national will put you at the end of the line for work sm
and give you the crappiest accounts. Only way to work for a national is full time. Good luck!
Have worked for two years part time straight out of school. sm
I have never worked "full time" since graduating from the VLC two years ago. I have always worked about 3-5 hours per day, five days per week. No weekends unless boss really needed to get things caught up, which I think was only once or twice. I have three kids and love spending my time with them as much as possible. I volunteer at their school for just about everything under the sun, so part time is what works for me. You shouldnt have any trouble finding part time as a newbie. Good luck!
She's been trying for some time to find
someone to tell her she can take the $1.95 MT course, then get a job making big bucks working only when she wants. She's been told the truth, she just doesn't want to hear it. And I don't care what you think of me, Carol.
No, I was trying to find the article online because I don't have time
to scan it into my computer. I have to finish working at my "real" job because the trick or treaters are here already.
thanks for suggestions
Thanks so much,
I will look into them all. I appreciate your taking the time to let me know which ones will give me a good start, so I don't waste my time, effort and money on another one that isn't highly thought of.
My sincere thanks!
Some suggestions
Yes, it is frustrating trying to find that first job. My suggestion is to do an extensive search for transcription companies on the internet and test with every one that allows you to. Even if you don't pass the tests, it is good practice. It took me five months for me to land my first job and I was testing and searching practically every day. And for some it can take longer, but don't get discouraged. If you read through the threads on this forum you'll find that a lot of newbies went through the same thing, and eventually found a job. All it takes is that first job, no matter how low-paying, to get your foot in the door and get you the experience you need.
Also, I wouldn't make it a priority to try to find a mentor. It is my understanding that, even though they may be out there, it seems that they are harder to find because it takes a lot of time and dedication to work with a newbie and they are trying to get their job done too.
Lastly, please read through the threads below regarding paying for work. There are so-called MTSO's out there who will seek you out and offer you a job, and then ask for money upfront before you can start working for them. You should never have to pay for work. You can buy a foot pedal and software on your own, and if there is specific software that the company needs you to use, a reputable company will either have you purchase it yourself or take the cost out of your first paycheck(s). Please be leary if you are e-mailed directly from this board with a job offer.
DON'T GIVE UP because it can be done, even though it is frustrating at times. Best of luck to you!
Suggestions
Can you suggest a company in which hires new grads and provides full QA at no cost?
Suggestions
Are you a student or have you graduated from Career Step? If you are, I believe you should have access to a list of companies that work closely with Career Step. I would then apply with one of these companies first. There is a list of companies that hire newbies on here somewhere that somebody compiled a while back.
Whenever you do apply, make absolutely sure that you have a professional e-mail address and that your cover letter and resume have no typos, no errors at all.
Some companies do not respond right away, and some might never respond. You can always send out a followup e-mail, though.
A lot does depend on how testing goes, and you will see that each company does everything differently. Never guess on any test. It is always better to leave a blank, and do follow instructions. Some companies only respond if you pass a test. Some do phone interviews before you test, etc. The more you test, the better you will get.
Getting that first job can be a hurdle, but if you truly want to work as an MT, you will find a job.
Suggestions
Read the archived posts here for suggestions. You're not the first person who has asked this question, so there is a lot of advice on it.
Good suggestions--thanks
These are all good suggestions and I will keep in them in mind. It helps to know that this is something that lots of newbie MTs have encountered---but learned to deal with because you're still doing it! I'm so glad I found this board.
Need suggestions on how to improve quality.
Is there something that I could buy that could help improve my quality? I have been taking tests here and there and everyone keeps saying that their QAs don't have the extra time that is needed to spend with my work. I know I don't have the 98% accuracy that is needed. Whenever I do a test I look whatever I don't know up and then relisten to the file. I do all my transcribing when everyone is asleep so I don't have the distractions. Thank in advance for the help.
Kathy, any keyboard suggestions?
Kathy, do you have any suggestions as far as finger/hand positioning/keyboard kinetics for editing. Obviously, it is quite different from transcribing a dictation that has not gone through a voice recognition system. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
You didn't tell us much to allow us to make specific suggestions.
Where do you live? Are you in or near a city with lots of medical jobs? You might want to take a secretary/transcriptionist job in an office to get a start. Working in a larger office could mean there would be more experienced MTs to help you complete your education and get you some experience.
Suggestions or comments greatly appreciated.....
 I have recently completed a Medical Transcription Certificate Course at a local community college (made A's in every single class including Anatomy and Physiology prior to) and even have a letter of recommendation from the Head of Centralized Transcription, which was my instructor, also. Anyway, I was really hoping to secure an at home/online job and, even with over 1 year of legal transcription/dictation and the 5 months of transcription classes, I'm wondering if I just wasted all that time, effort, energy, money, and memory for nothing. Does anybody have any suggestions? I'm tired of looking at ads, only to find out afterwards, that most at home work offers are scams and most employers on here require many years of experience and won't even give a "newbie" the time of day.
I'm getting really discouraged. I understand the importance of experience, but there are some people who actually can catch on pretty quick without a ton of experience.
This is what I have talked about time and time
and time again and somehow the MTs get completely out of joint by just my saying it. I could not believe this "newbie" said she could not leave her home, she had to work from home. I did not get to start working from my home until 1993, hello!! This has not always been a stay at home job and then we did NOT ASK to go home, we were sent home because the hospital needed our space. We never demanded a job at home. Apparently you sound like really don’t want a job at all. If I were employing someone, I would certain run very fast away from you. The first little nosebleed from a child, you would stay off from work for 2 or 3 weeks. This again, folks, is why our profession looks really bad. These posts and yet people are highly inflamed when I call it to their attention. Same story, again and again on these posts. I cant work, junior is bothering me, gotta do the housework. Wake up, everyone! Do not ever expect to gain any respect for the job you do when you have someone like this tearing it down as just a reason to stay at home, oh yeh and I guess I might throw in a little work on the side. Enough said!!!!
Northern part of US.
w
Any part-timers Out There?
Hello Everyone.
Did any of you have problems finding part-time work? Did you find it difficult to be employed part-time as a "newbie"?
Unfortunately a large part of MT
involves excellent grammar and spelling skills. You are seriously lacking in those. Go ahead and waste your money trying to become an MT, if you don't want to listen.
MT is a lot of work, not just something you can do at home.
You have to use your head for the first part! :) The
s
again, it depends on where you are - what part of the northern
part of the US?? Smoe people consider Boston to be the northern part of the US, and others may consider Maine, or both to be northern US. Some parts of NY pay differently, same can be said for PA or CT.
That's part of what you're being tested for
Your tests are not just about getting the right words in the right places. You're also being tested on how to use your reference materials, not on how other people do it. Tests are to find out what you know, not what other people know. The goal is an education for you, not to test people who are already employed.
was that part of your school's curriculum?
AA!!
I just went to the RS website and the part # I gave you
is selling there for $6.97, but I paid about $17.00 for mine. There is a part #26-728 that is described as a USB to game port adapter for about $17.00, so maybe the new model # is an upgrade from the previous one. It doesn't show a picture of the part, but does show it is being in stock. I also went to e-bay and didn't spend much time looking but they also have an adapter that is not a Radio Shack one, but should do the same thing based on the description. You can check local stock on-line at Radio Shack without having to go to the store. Maybe it is so new they don't have it in stores yet, since they don't even have a picture on the website. Good luck to you.
That may be wishful thinking on your part
I think you've been proven wrong about the community colleges being good. Most of them are closing their MT courses because their graduates can't get jobs. Some of the others are still offering MT but they offer it with all sorts of other classes that have nothing to do with transcription. They aren't doing a good job of teaching people to transcribe though. They do a good job with terminology though, I will admit.
the difficult part is trying to understand what the
doctor is saying because the accents are ridiculous and sometimes it sounds like they are slurring words.
I can only comment on the CS part of your post
Though I did Career Step just through their online program, not through a college.
There are a lot of people who badmouth CS on these boards but my experience with them was fantastic.
I had 2 job offers within a month of completing the course - took the one with a national company and worked there for over 3 years. Even as a brand new MT, I was off full QA within 2 weeks. I had ZERO medical training before doing the CS program, so I didn't have a jump start. I just think they give you very solid training.
I did so well at that company that I was asked to become QA - which is not very common for someone who has only been an MT for 3 years.
I truly believe that there are people who take to this work like a duck to water - and others who think it will just be nice to work at home and are really not cut out for this type of work. The latter are the ones who complain that CS is a crummy school and can't find a job after completing it.
Just my opinion, of course. ;)
That is a book that is part with the CareerStep Course.
You would only need it if you are a text student. Otherwise, it is a unit in the online course.
disagree with scam part about equipment above...sm
keep in mind that if you are applying to a company who is hiring independent contractors, that the IRS definition of employee vs. contractors hinges on three main areas, one of which is how much control the "employer" has over the worker. If the employer is providing equipment to get the job done, the IRS tends to look upon this as more of an employer-employee relationship. So if you are applying for a job that is independent contractor status, remember you are self employed and have to provide your own equipment.
Employee vs. Independent Contractor Status is a hot area of IRS Audits.The IRS, state taxing agencies, as well as the Departments of Labor (which are responsible for Unemployment tax collections) have been stepping-up their audit activities. The purpose of the audit is to misclassify a subcontractor as an employee. The taxing agency can then collect the taxes which "should have been withheld" as well as large fines, penalties and interest. So if you want to be an IC, expect to provide your own equipment.
That's cheaper than AAMT. Is a 3-part test, too?
x
Part of the "no jobs" message you are
hearing may come from people who have graduated from subpar schools. If you decide to pursue MT, make sure you choose a program from this list:
http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm
I graduated from M-Tec and had no trouble getting a job. I get emails from M-TEC off and on about employers who are interested in hiring M-TEC grads, so I think the jobs are still out there for those who are well educated.
Do not short yourself on the most important part of your career
You will be sorry if you try take the easy way out. Trust me, been there. After wasting 1 year and lots of money at one program, I went to the college and received excellent training. I graduated with straight A's on both programs.
Trouble understanding test is part of work
We intentionally put a hard to understand file in our transcription portion of the test to see how a potential employee will do with hard to understand dictation. All your dictation files are not going to be easy to understand when you get into a position.
Radio Shack has a game port adapter, part
#26-164. I paid about $17.00 for mine. You can go on-line to Radio Shack and get to see if a local store has it in stock. It has 4 settings and you may have to play with it to see what setting works for you, but setting 2 is what I use. I don't use Boomerang though.
She's been trying to find...
I agree, there were some at the online course I took who have been 'taking' the course for 2 or 3 years. I suspect that to many the lure of $$ takes over with little concern for the amount of work and the responsibility of the job.
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