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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

How long is it taking all new MTs

Posted By: to rest their minimum lines per day? on 2007-11-24
In Reply to:

I have been at this job for almost three months and I have yet to rest the goal everyday in one week.  I can't wait until my little ones are in daycare/school again!


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taking the course
HERRO??? I thought that taking the MT course would be a great idea having a past career in nursing and health insurance, but now that I'm about 1/2 way thru, I feel SOOO incompetent due to my grammar and punctuation errors. I posted a portion of a transcript to see if my punctuation was correct and the moderator deleted it...Another thing that confuses me is that a sentence can begin with "comes into er today..."; but in other parts of the transcript, if the sentence isn't grammatically correct, it's wrong. WTH? Anyhow, can anyone direct me to the best way to relearn punctuation/grammar as my educators will not reply to my e-mails or return my calls! Great school...javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
Help with taking test
Hi there....I'm hoping somebody can help me.  I have to take a test using Windows Media Player (no foot pedal yet), and I can't figure out how to type in Word and still be able to use the keyboard keys.  Any tips would be much appreciated.
Taking Tests
I am considering MT as an at-home career also and I wanted to know what is the procedure to sending in resumes, taking the tests, etc.? Also, are you hired on an hourly basis or by the amount of lines you can produce in a certain time? Any help and advice you can send my way is very much appreciated.
It will depend on what course you are taking.
nm
I am taking Career Step course and ...

if you go to their forums, you can find that a lot have gotten jobs.  The Career Step course is self-motivated.  You do a lot on your own, but you have a support group to help when you need it.  I have never had a problem w/ getting a reply back when I have needed one.  It is taking me over a year to finish because I work full-time, and I am transcribing for a dentist that I started working for after I started the transcription portion of the course.  Again, you have to be self-motivated, but don't you have to do that with almost everything?


Advice for taking the test!!
Just nervous.
Yeah, and if you can't make it as an MT after taking the VLC course,
you can always take their basket making class.
spare me - taking a MT course is not going to guarantee a job
can we skip the sell job here? She has experience, might need some QA with different work but certainly NOT a training course.
It all depends on the training course you are taking
If it's not Andrews, M-TEC, or Career Step, you're going to have a much harder time finding an at-home job. Not that it can't be done, just will be harder.
Is it worth taking the RMT exam?

Does passing the RMT exam help you find a job if you have no experience?  I'm wondering if I should try to take this test.


Thanks for taking time to answer.
x
Taking a quiz - I'm stumped!!

We do not allow test/exam/quiz questions on this site.


Moderator


It's called taking advantage. SM
Two weeks at no pay?  Two year contract?  Please.  More like 2 years of indentured servitude.  Good luck with that.
How long did it take you?

How long did it take you to "develop an ear for it"?? i have a test to write in 2 weeks and with this one doc that is on the test, i really don't think that i will be ready!!!


 


Any suggestions???


how long...
I guess that depends on the individual.  I was going to school, working a full-time job, and working with DKM at night and on weekends.  I was pretty slow to start, but had decent typing (WPM).  Some of the docs are tougher than others (including their fields and associated terminology, etc.) and still are.  Sometimes, the audio slows me down.  But, I started in October 2004 and quit my other job in May 2005.  I have been working full-time at home since then.  Each of our docs is different and depending on which one I am working on, my production goes up or down.
How long have you been an MT?

I work the *** account and very few of the doctors have bad accents.  In fact, I think only one is hard to understand and since his stuff is all edit work it isn't that bad.  I actually thought the majority of the work is easy to understand and can get line counts quickly.  If you haven't been an MT for long let me tell you... CHA is an easy account and most others I have worked are much more difficult to understand! 


 


Pay is a bit lower than I'd like, but I'm going to ask about that being changed.


I have always had work and always been paid on time.  They do IM the whole team about the Q being full and needing people to log in and work, if you are already working then just ignore the IMs, I'm sure they aren't intended for those of us working already. 


My understanding from emails lately is that they are having issues with MTs who aren't doing work properly or working their comitted hours/times.  The clients are getting a bit upset about these things. 


I may be leaving, but that is only because I need to find an employee position for the health insurance for my family since my husband is changing jobs in May and will no longer get ins through work. 


I've had no issues with either Rajesh or Laila and both have been helpful and kind to me.  I guess each person is going to have a different experience with each company...


But how long does it take U to do 45 min. job?
x
How Long Did It Take
Shawna , how long did it take you to complete the CS program?
how long
does it typically take to transcribe 500 lines?
How long does it take you to
type one hours' worth of a doctor's dictation?
Are you taking tests and failing or not even getting responses? nm
s
When taking the online test with companies...

...that offer it, is it acceptable to use reference materials.  I didn't see anywhere on the page that I couldn't.  Just askin'.



I've replaced them in a desktop, taking apart a

laptop isn't quite as easy and I'd recommend you have a professional do it.


There is no difference in working on a laptop versus a desktop.  If there is a problem it may either be an equipment issue, such as the sound card, or a setting issue.  Maybe you need to update drivers or something similar.   I've worked on a laptop exclusively for 6 years. 


 


How long would it take to transcribe
30 minutes of dictation?  I'm taking on a new IC job, and the supervisor asked how many minutes of dictation I would like.  I'm guessing I should start at 30, but I'm not sure about how long that would take.  I've had about 8 months' acute care experience.  I don't want to take on more than I can handle.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
60 days is too long even for me
/
I've done both and all I can say is to think long and
hard before you choose either one. Neither job is all it's cracked up to be once you get to the "real world" of work.
How long to stay with first MT job?

I have a question that I have not really been able to get some sound advice on and was hoping the posters of this board could give me their opions.  I would appreciate any views.


The question is how long would you stay with your first (low paying) MT job?  I am starting to make some fair money now, but am spending 12+ hours per day to do it, which actually comes out pretty low per hour.   While I do appreciate the opportunity to be working right after training, I also feel limited by not having two year's worth of experience yet to try to move on.  Most places seem to prefer MTs with at least the two years experience.  On the other hand, I am getting very good work experience where I am and do not run out of work.  I can't keep up this particular pace forever for what I am earning overall.  Would you wait out two years for the experience?


The courses worth taking are M-Tec and Andrews. Their graduates

are usually able to get jobs without 2 years of experience that is normally required.  Is if worth it?  Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it.  If you just want to do this PT, in addition to a FT job, it might be okay for a short time, but it gets harder and harder to make a living as an MT.  A lot of companies use offshore MTs, they get the good work and the crap gets left for us, or it all goes and we get stuck editing it for pennies and you end up working for minimum wage.  You'll also burn out in a short time trying to do both. 


if there is just you and you don't care to have a life then it would be okay and if you have a knack for it you can make some decent money.  If you are a respiratory tech in a hospital talk to people in your department.  Maybe you can start out doing work-related transcription without having to go to school and you can get a small taste of what it is like to see if you really want to pursue it. 


Hi, 'me': You suggest taking a mentoring program
for newbies.
Could you name some companies or schools which offer mentoring programs?
TIA
Are you at the current doc's office all day long? sm
I was thinking that if he wants you to transcribe from his office, could you get that done in a couple of hours, and then go home to work from there? I started my "home work" with one doc. She raved about me so much that all her doc friends called me to get me to work for them. Sit down with your doc and feel him out. He could be a real help to you! Good luck!
How long did it take you to finish MTEC?nm
nm
Some advice on becoming an MT. See long message.
First, you MUST have excellent grammer, spelling and listening skills. Without these, don't bother. You won't be a success.

Transcription is not something you can do in your spare time. It is a very demanding profession. If you work as an independent contractor (IC), you set the amount of time you want to work, but your paycheck is dependent upon how much work you do. If you are not a fast typist, your hourly pay will be low. I think the average MT does around 150 lines per hour. At 8 cents per line, that's $12 an hour. This is just AVERAGE pay.

If you are an IC, you will usually have no benefits. No insurance, no paid time off, all taxes come out of your check. If you work as an employee, you will have to keep a schedule, and usually a minimum line per hour to stay employed.

Becoming an MT requires a lot of training. You are going in the right direction with a nationally approved school. One of the three will give you a better chance at a job if you graduate with high marks. But even after school, it can take up to 3 years to become fully trained and making "good" money, which runs between the $12-$18 per hour range. It is a big time investment.

My advice is call Career Step. I believe Andrews and MTEC will counsel you extensively before they will accept you, to make sure you really understand what you are getting into. I hope Career Step does the same, but I haven't heard as much about them.

It is a tough field, and not going to get any easier, although I still think it is a great profession. You have to look at all the aspects before you decide if it's for you. Call the school. In fact, I would make a list of questions and call all three schools. They can probably help you better than any of us can.

Best of luck on whatever you decide to do.
Taking classes for medical terminology and "some transcription"
Most nationals will only consider you if you are an actual graduate of one of the AAMT-approved courses. If not, she may look for local clinics who are willing to train.
Distance learners--how long did it take to graduate?
I am enrolled in a program right now that is supposed to take 9 months, but I am now on my 14th month (I think I am close to graduation now). I was just curious as to how long it has taken others to graduate who took MT distance learning courses. Thank you.
Lots of stress and long hours doing MT especially - sm
when you are first starting out. If you have to live on this, then in the beginning it is not a good choice. But if you are married and have a spouse income to live on and yours is just supplemental then that will work. When I first started 5 years ago I made $5K the first year, granted that was PT but I worked FT hours basically. I still work PT but practically FT, 30+ hours a week. I made about $16k this in 2006. Now I am not a fast typist (100-160 lph depending on dictator), and I find it hard to sit here and type for a solid 6 hours so I get easily distracted and goof off instead of working or else I am sure I could do $20K+ easy as I have more good than bad dictators. But some companies have mostly ESL and it is very hard to make money that way especially starting out. So many factors factor into to your income, your ability and typing speed, the ease of dictators, and if you can be dedicated and not get distracted. Obviously the more you can dedicate yourself and work consistently the more money you can make, just depends on your personal goals. Good Luck.
Or not so much stress or long hours, decent pay
I totally understand what you're saying, but being an MT varies so much based on what you bring to the job, where you work, and what kind of account you have that it's pretty tough to predict how any particular person will do. I'm very happy with my job. I find it to be the least stressful job I've ever had, love the predictable hours, and made 34K this last year working strictly a 40-hour week. This is after 1-1/2 years as an MT. I found the first 6 to 9 months terribly stressful because of the high learning curve, but once I settled into my account the stress level dropped considerably. I'm still working the same hospital account I started on, but also work other accounts as necessary. I work for a company that many people on this board say they can't make any money working for; it must have a lot to do with the stability I've had on my account that I am able to make reasonably decent money.
I also agree that there will be jobs for a long time. sm
Been doing this for 18+ years. You won't get rich, but you can make a decent living, at least as much as you would make on most secretarial or retail jobs, once you get the training. I make around $24,000 a year, but I don't push like I used to. I could make more teaching, have the qualifications, but nothing in the world would make me face that. It's a nightmare.

There will be decent jobs in transcription or editing for years, but not the gravy some of us are used to. Just a decent wage, probably average $12-18 an hour from now on, hope it doesn't drop lower. I don't think things are going to be too rosy in many other fields either, so I'll stay where I am until I'm ready to retire. JMO.
As long as you're posting links, how about this one from Berkley
especially where it shows US MT hourly wage at $13.17 and Indian MT hourly wage at $1.50-$2.00. With $11 an hour savings you can hire a lot of QA'ers and still make a killing!
Does anyone know how long it takes for tests to be graded at MediVoxx or OSI?

I recently tested at both companies and am beginning to wonder how long this process takes. While I am waiting for their replies, if anyone could tell me of other corporations that hire new MTs I would appreciate it.  


 


How long have you been away? Might need a refresher course from a local college or business school.
s
Trust me, I've been doing this a long time and I still make stupid little mistakes.
Nothing is worse than being started on a new account, being under QA, and have them point out all of your mistakes. You start feeling incompetent so believe me when I say your mistakes and errors do not go away completely, no matter how long you've been at this. I am beginning to believe no one is perfect all of the time and should feel better about it than I have when I screw up. Just believe in yourself..and everyone else will too.