I'm on the verge of choosing between

• Is it worth it to become an MT?? - Silence
  • it is worth it - agj
    • Worth being a medical transcriptionist - Nancy
  • Is it Worth It? - LK
  • Is being a MT worth it - Mary
    • See important, important message inside. - Becky Young
    • Wow! - Silence
      • possibly changing my mind - Daylight
        • Please SM - For what it's worth
          • RE: Please SM - Shelly Hendrix
            • Yeah, right, like we will see that same post in another 10 years or even 5. (nm) - LOL
            • Thanks - Daylight
              • Thanks! (? about Career Step) - Silence
                • NO courses can offer certification - Redpen
                  • I am aware that to become...(m) - Silence
                • I'm on the verge of choosing between - Anne
                  • As you'll hear 1000 times, there IS no school that SM - SH
                    • thanks SH. I agree that it all comes down - Anne
                      • That is what it comes down to (sm) - Peggy
                        • Good point! - Anne

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Before choosing a school, you should definately do your homework.  I can tell you what my experience was and maybe it will help you out a little.

I decided to go to the local Community College in my city.  I weighed my options heavily against the "Big 3" schools that are offered online and found that the program that my CC offered was very similar in nature but the cost was quite a bit less.  All of the classes I took were offered online except one.  I could have opted to have gone to campus and taken the classes, but I chose to do it from home.  I still had the use of all the on-campus facilities and was able to go to campus and speak to my instructors if I needed to get advice or if I had questions or problems.  That hands-on aspect was one of the things I really did like about it.  I did have to take one class on campus, but now I am certified in infant, child, and adult CPR, first aid, and the use of an AED as well as being a Notary Public.  That is a plus sometimes when looking for an in-house position.

I am not sure about the proper number of practice transcription hours you should get.  I can tell you that my program had 4 levels of transcription courses.  Pretranscription, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.  The program followed AAMT guidelines and utilized the SUM program as well.  The dictations were live dictations.  That is very important.  You do not want "actors" who are just reading copy.  You want real, live dictation to practice from so you can get a real feel for what you are going to be dealing with.  I also had experience with ESL docs.  I would say I transcribed close to 700 reports by the end of my program.

I also had billing and coding classes integrated into my MT program.  Now, if I choose, (which I probably will do in a few months), I can go back to school and take 3 more classes and be a certified billing and coding specialist as well.

I was hired right out of school to work from home for a national transcription company.  Choosing a good school is important.  Good luck to you!

If you want to work at home, I would suggest that you look into Andrews School or M-TEC.  If you do search on the forums, these are the most recommended and reputable with graduates having little, if any, trouble finding a job at home on graduation. 

I don't know what the successful employment rate of Allied graduates is.

Good Luck, and be sure to do a lot of research before deciding if this field is right for you.