I agree with above poster/CAI grad also
Posted By: me2 on 2008-07-30
In Reply to: CAI grad - PAMT~MDM
I graduated from the course in 2004 and have been working since. I have nothing whatsoever to say negative about CAI. I researched beforehand and found it to be affordable, thorough, and yes, the director is great at communicating quickly and answering questions.
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I agree with the poster sm
It took me five years to be "good" and I worked for a multispecialty service. I took all the work no one else wanted, as I came in later because I had kids, so they took all the good work and left me the ESL's. I didn't like it, but I tried hard and then I moved on to be self-employed. Those years of blood, sweat and tears paid off. Later when I had enough work to hire people, it was amazing how many thought they could just walk in off the street with a few courses under their belt. It just is not going to happen without the hard work first, they don't teach you enough in school to fit on the head of a pin. You have to walk the walk first, believe me, grab what you can and learn from it, you will NOT handle it right out of school unless you tough it out with someone else for several years. You will sweat it out, just keep learning. Take what you can and learn from it. School alone won't do it.
I agree with this poster
Try coding
I agree with poster.
You are right. Ideally, only those with excellent grammatical skills will enter this profession. When I was hiring in-house transcriptionists, I gave them an untimed typing test. I knew I could train them in the terminology; it was the English/grammatical skills I was looking for. If it is not brought into the field, it will never be learned. Good posts, both of you, and great advice to all - including experienced transcriptionists.
Agree with poster below. And we have way too many MTs and not enough jobs, especially for at-home
,
I agree with other poster, M-Tec, Andrews, or Career Step (sm)
I have seen it happen many times when someone takes another course because it is cheaper and then cannot get a job. I had a couple relatives that took a local course because it was cheaper and they told them that they would be able to get a job and guess what? Neither can get a job.
I think most MT companies will not even let you take their test if you did not graduate from an accredited school or have experience. I know the big 3 are expensive, but you will save yourself from a big headache in the end. I did Career Step and it was expensive, but I think it was the least expensive of the 3.
Take our advice, do one of the 3. I think Career Step has a payment plan and probably the others do as well. I hope I have answered some of your questions.
Good Luck!
I agree with CS grad. NM
x
NEW GRAD WITH A JOB! YES, IT CAN & DOES HAPPEN! I'M NOT AN ANDREWS OR M-TEC GRAD!
I just wanted to share that I'm a new grad from EvCC/CS (Everett Community College utilizing CareerStep courseware), and I GOT A JOB! I'm IC status doing straight transcription and start working from home June 1st! I was offered .08 cpl, 24-hour TAT, and no ESL!
I'm posting my news here for a couple of reasons:
1. I want all the new grads out there job hunting to see that there are companies out there willing to hire you! I applied to only 4 companies, and I got this job on day 18 of my job hunt!
2. I'M NOT AN Andrews OR M-Tec GRAD! I believe those are probably great schools, but they are not the only schools that produce grads who get jobs! I graduated with high honors and earned real transferable college credits. If MT work does decline in the future and I need training in a different field, my credits will follow me.
I do believe getting that first MT job is about being in the right place at the right time! I also feel very lucky to have only applied to 4 places before landing this job, but my training played a huge part in that "luck." This company requires 100% on their employment tests, and without the great training I received, there is no way I would have made 100%.
In the end, great training, determination, hard work, and great networking skills will get you an MT job!
you did mean this for the other poster RIGHT?!
cause you aint saying nothing that pertains to my comment to the other poster.
When did the poster say THAT????
.
not the poster who said this but.....sm
Any company that does refer to them does get commission....and all kinds of other info at the link provided below
http://www.careerstep.com/site/type=af/page=faq-af
poster clearly said what client wants.....NM
Sorry the first poster felt she had to
It isn't MY problem that you want to vent on me, so take it elsewhere. I didn't pick and chose an account, obviously. I had asked to have a certain type of backup account, they said yes, then gave me something completely different. Tell me how that entitles them to "knock me down a notch". If they didn't have anything they could have just told me, but they didn't; they put me on something completely opposite of what I asked for. I didn't bust my butt going to school to just sit here and do nothing because there is no work. I worked to get my education to put it towards working. If I wanted to sit around and do nothing I would not have gone to college.
Thanks to mt45 for understanding what I meant. I only have certain hours that I can work, and when I am on time coming into work at those hours and I have nothing to do because there is nothing there I get ticked off. I do not plan on taking time away from my kids to complete work when it does finally roll in. As for the other account, I have begged and pleaded and had been told I would be put on a certain account and was not. I am upset because of this. I would have rather had a "no" than what happened. At least I would have been able to start looking for other work sooner! As for anyone else who might reply, please do not take my first post out of context as the OP did; I am not trying to put anyone down or be condescending, I am simply explaining my situation.
The other poster was not rude - she was right s/m
It DOES make a difference what school she went to and if she cannot find a job, it can certainly be related to the school. Sad but true that a lot of people spend - waste - money on 'MT certificates' that are not worth the paper they are written on.
Nothing wrong with preschool. I think what the poster was saying is...
That there is a difference between preschool (two or three hours a day two or three days a week) is not daycare (six to twelve hours a day monday through Friday). There is nothing wrong with preschool. I am also someone who agrees that daycare is a necessity for some parents, it certainly does not have to be for the creative MT!
I also agree with the poster who wrote that people are kidding themselves by using "daycare" and "preschool" interchangeably because one sounds better. My daughter goes to preschool at our church two days a week for two hours. Daycare kids go in the morning and are picked up after six hours or so. There is a huge difference. One is primarily for "social skills" (preschool)and one is a place for the kids to go while Mom and Dad work (daycare).
As a former teacher who did work in daycare in college, I agree with "No Way, No How". I would not put my child in daycare unless I HAD to, and that would never, ever be if I were at home!
I expressed my sadness about the poster's overall
attitude, not just about her attitude about her kids. I have a right to my opinion, she to hers and you to yours. My 2 yo only goes 3 days a week for a limited number of hours...it isn't just _daycare_. I still work on the 2 days she is at home and I manage to produce 12,000 to 15,000 lines on those days, and yes, part of it is while she is in front of the TV but most of it is while she is asleep or playing at her different learning stations I have set up around the house. Why is TV the ONLY choice or why is putting a child in daycare a bad choice? If you don't know how to set up learning stations, LEARN! Dexterity skills are crucial at the ages of the children mentioned. Sorting and stringing buttons can keep a child happy for an hour at a time. I stand by my original post. I have a good balance of all worlds and it is working well for me but the focus of raising my child is not dependent upon developing a TV zombie and I don't believe that should be the attitude of any newbie starting out. That makes me sad for the newbie and the kids.
I posted it AFTER she told another poster to (sm)
kiss her, well, you know. That has been removed now though.
I had a post pulled once for mentioning my school because another poster had mentioned it (sm)
over and over again. When I emailed the other poster, she forwarded me an email from a moderator saying that the mention school we were discussing WOULD get our posts pulled because it was "not up to the standards" of this forum or something, no matter that we both managed to get jobs just fine working for them. I just thought that was stupid and it's no skin off my nose, but it did get posts pulled. That was at least eight months ago now, so if things have changed now, good, and they should have. But I still won't risk saying where I went to school. I don't rock boats.
new grad
I see I left out the word
'hire' in my post!
Jewels
I'm a soon to be VLC grad...
... I've had no problems with the VLC. The instructors are wonderful, especially Carol. The tech team has always been helpful if I needed them. My materials came as scheduled, maybe a few days late but I live in a very rural area so wasn't expecting them on the EXACT date.
I've found the course to be very good. I've already tested for several companies, though I am a few days shy of completing the course, and have been told I am testing very well.
One thing about the VLC is you make your own deadlines, ect. and you will get out of it what you put in. Don't just rule out VLC because one person had a shipment problem.
New grad pay
I started as a new grad doing acute care at 7.5 cents a line. This was a year and a half ago with a large national. However, I think a new grad should be careful not to set expectations too high if they want to get a job.
CS grad here...
I have posted on here before about my experience with CS, it was all good.
I had NO problems getting a job right after school, or getting new jobs since. I think it was money well spent. :)
CS grad
I am a CareerStep grad. Their course is at your own pace. There were no mandatory online classes at all. There were chats that you could participate in, but they had little bearing on the actual course material. There are no instructors; you compare all your course work to a computer program. If your answers do not match verbatim what is in that program you then have to decide whether your answer is correct and phrased differently or wrong. Student support is available by phone and email. Looking at my email logs, I sent in 26 questions/concerns. I got 18 replies. There is a student forum, but any question you post there is typically answered by fellow students. I got through the course in 9 months, but I did work a full-time job during the course. I chose not to pay extra for the job assistance package and found a position through networking on a forum outside of the course.
I did get a job within a short time of graduating, but I trained with 2 M-Tec grads and an Andrews grad. They were way ahead of me from a newbie point of view. I felt like I was constantly swimming upstream just to keep up with them. I ended up getting some of the workbooks they had in their courses and studying at night which helped a lot. In retrospect, I probably should have taken a harder look at the course content and given less weight to the cost issue when choosing a school.
I hope I answered each of your questions, and best of luck to you with what ever course you choose.
M-TEC grad
M-TEC can be completed in various amounts of time. It just depends on how much time you invest daily. I started on May 23, 2006 and graduated on December 10, 2007. I had a lot of things interrupt my studies, but I still graduated before needing an extension. However, extensions are available on a month-to-month basis if you need more time than 18 months to graduate. The course is great, the instructors are knowledgeable and very helpful. All in all M-Tec is the best! Good luck!
M-TEC grad
As an M-Tec grad, I can assure you that we have incredible marketability, and did you know that M-TEC currently has a 100% placement rate of their grads? (I'm sure Andrews' rate is just as good too though - helpful, huh! hehe)
I have never gotten an "Andrews is #1" vibe; the vibe I've always had is the "Andrews and M-TEC are THE top schools" vibe. You cannot go wrong with either school, but M-TEC gets my vote. :)
CAI grad
Hi Erica. I'm a CAI grad and I have 2 friends that are also CAI grads. I loved the course. The director is great about answering any and all questions. They have a great message board for students. They also were very helpful with job placement. Good luck to you!
CAI Grad
I graduated last June and had a job within a week and a half. It is a really good program, easy to follow home study. I needed no additional guidance. When I took the course it was done in 6 months, now I think they give you a year for the same program. More than enough time. I really enjoyed the class. The dictations at the end are tough, but they are trying to train you for the worst of the worst.
NEW GRAD
DO NOT let her apply with TOTH Transcription. They hire anybody, particularly new grads to just type the work, but you will never see a pay check. TOTH is a scam operation. You have to trust me on that.
Look on the forum for all the complaints against Toth Transcription.
New Grad
I did graduate with a certificate in medical transcription. Any help would be appreciated, although from all of the boards I have read it look like you have to be in the right place at the right time. I guess everyone eventually gets that first job.
New Grad Help
 Help! How did everyone get their start in the MT business? I just graduated from Penn Foster and I have a medical office background and have worked as a medical claims insurance analyst for 14 years. I have applied to every online MT business I can find, but with no luck. Does anyone have an ideas?
Thanks
Kim
Sorry, but I am a CS grad. I can
of the education one receives there, but also to their business partnerships with the companies that are paid for everyone student that signs up with CS. I can attest to the fact that Andrews and M-Tec provide a more comprehensive MT education than CS does because I train new MTs. Our company no longer hires CS grads because they require far more remedial training and mentoring than grads from the other 2 programs.
New grad needs advice
Hi, I am a new graduate and I had my first interview with a possible in office transcription job. I was offered $8.00 and hour and I was wondering if this was the going rate for new transcriptionist? They asked me what I needed as far as pay, I told them $10 hour... they said and I quote "you will get $8 hour" I live in Tennessee and thought that was low? Any advice?
PCDI grad
Hi, I graduated from PCDI and have been an MT for about a year now. I had to struggle a lot at first, more than people who would have graduated from the better schools, I am sure. I feel very good about where I am at now, though. I have two jobs, one part time and one full time, and have been working at home since December of last year.
However, if you feel you have not learned anything it may be best for you to look into more training. I would not turn around and tell someone looking to get into this field to go to PCDI. There is a big difference from what we learned and what reality is.
I am not trying to discourage you. If you have the will, I am sure you will do just fine. I would, though, really assess how you feel about it because if you wish to go this route, it will take a lot of work on your part. Good luck to you!
recent grad
Just wondering if there are any companies that hire new graduates. I am a recent grad. (Dec 06) and I am having a heck of a time finding people who hire newbies.
thanks
Sorry about the typos ... I'm a CS grad. nm
x
M-Tec grad. Do they actually help you with the job search?
Anyone who graduated from M-Tec--
Do they actually help with the job search or just provide the list of partners they work with on the website? When I first graduated from M-Tec., I went through the list of partners, applied to several, and had been called back and offered jobs at all. I stupidly took a job with a company that I can honestly say I hate so far (and have only worked for 2 weeks there) and can't see it getting much better in the near future.
I remember getting an e-mail from someone--Kathy, Susan, Karen...can't remember who it was now because my entire e-mail account was wiped out and I lost that e-mail--but whoever it was told me that if I was having trouble finding a job to let them know and they would help out. I went through the list again, reapplied to many of the companies, applied to several that I had not seen before, and have not heard from any of them now!
I don't know if a lot of companies are just not hiring right now or what is going on. Nothing has changed about me and before I was getting calls and e-mail daily offering me positions. Should have taken one of those instead of holding out for this crappy one.  Oh, and I think the issue is also that I only want to work about 15-20 hours a week and a lot of companies are FT only.
If they help other than providing a list, could someone tell me who I need to contact since I can't find the information anymore? Thanks!
New Grad Job Search
Ive been reading this forum for days and everyday I get more and more discouraged. Today I found a post about PCDI, which is the school I attend. I feel confident in the education I am receiving. They send me emails outlining any mistakes I may have made, and I truly am learning from my mistakes with their help. I've begun the job hunt and am not having much luck. Everytime I come across another company, I check them here and almost all of them seem to be 'bad compaies'. Are there ANY good companies to work for? I've read the archives and have seen all the bad things about all the companies. But being a newbie and in need of experience, would be such a terrible thing to gain that experience from a "bad" company? I don't want to set myself up for failure, but I deperately need some experience. I have noticed Trans am hires newbies. I have read all the negative comments about them. But being in need of experience, isnt experience from a not-so-good company be better than no experience? Help please!!!
Another Andrews grad
I graduated from Andrews a few months ago. I cannot speak with any authority on the experiences of other schools' graduates, but I can tell you that doors were opened for me just based on my Andrews graduation. I heard comments from recruiters that were very complimentary and tested at companies who, according to them, do not consider newbies unless they are Andrews grads.
I found it to be a very comprehensive learning experience, and I felt very prepared to begin working on my very first night as an MT. I also got the job I wanted, instead of the job I settled for.
I'm not an Allied grad, but if they can't/won't help you get a job
after they "supposedly" trained you to be an MT, you sure as heck do NOT want to give them another 900 bucks. There is no way that is going to help you find a job.
Allied/New Grad
I wouldn't pay them another 900 bucks. They should have given you a business communication class that would have helped you to write a great cover letter and resume. You can get some good advice on Career Builders and websites like it on how to write your cover letter and resume. Did you do an externship/internship? If you did not, you should definitely gain some experience that way first. Your school should be able to help you out with that and should have done that for you.
Also, don't wait until you graduate to look for work, the sooner you start the faster you will work. Just don't give up! I graduated in December and just now got hired by some one, and I graduated with high honors. It can take awhile, but my understanding is that now is the "season" that the MT business picks up, and you are more likely to find a job now than later. Good Luck! 
I am a successful CS grad
Maybe I am in the minority but I had a wonderful experience with Career Step and have a very profitable job now. I graduated in 2005 and went to work for Spheris in acute care right away. I tested for my CMT exactly at 2 years and passed! I owe all my knowledge to the course through Career Step. If I had it to do over again, I would.
Just my 2 cents ...
HELP! Where can new grad get hired?
I am a new graduate ... where can i get a job? All the posts want yrs experience! how do i get any ... if no one will hire me?
Thanks for any help
college grad + training
Does being a college grad plus a grad of MT training school improve one's chances of being hired with no experience?
New grad finding employment
I am currently applying for transcription jobs as I just finished school. Some companies ask questions as part of their application process. I have trouble with these types of questions: How many lines per day can you reliably type? What do you charge per 65-character line? Being a new grad I have no idea what to answer for these.
Penn Foster Grad
Hi :) I graduated from there this year. It is difficult to get a job in Med Transcription if you didn't graduate from the Med-tech, Career Step, or Andrews. Penn Foster has ads from MRTservices and MediVoxx on their website. You might want to try one of those. However, they didn't work out for me, and I tested with both.
I think MRT was having human resource problems because some new girl took over the position, made me resend all of my tests and then never got back to me. The first person I was in contact with said I had done well on them.
MediVoxx is a pain to apply for. I never got my interview, and I think that is partially why I "messed up" on my test. I didn't do that bad. For instance, she marked me off for putting "she's" instead of "she is." Then, she marked me off for putting "Marsha's" and then corrected it by putting "Marsha's" right next to it. I was wondering what was wrong what the correction was.
I think that the course was good except for the ACTUAL transcription part, which is obviously the most important. That part was very unorganized, and I didn't like most of the instructors, especially that one guy.
I think I found a good place to work. I'm doing more testing on Monday. Email me for details. I don't want to put it on here.
Also, you might want to try Focus Infomatics. I tested there last week, and they called me, but I'm more interested in this other place. Plus, the posts on here about Focus scared me.
Career Step grad
I took the Career Step course also and it worked well for me as I was working full-time and could arrange the course around that. I had a job offer 2 days after graduation from CS. My opinion is that CS is great for somebody who prefers independent study and not so much student-teacher interactions and student-student interactions. Also, there is a CS forum which is a great source of information and networking, and I still check that ofter.
I am a recent Andrews Grad.
I finished the course in 9 months. It is at-your-own pace to a degree. You do have a time period to turn in each assignment--but it is completely doable. I graduated, started sending out resumes the next day and landed a job the day after that. I am very pleased with my choice. Just my 2 cents.
Penn Foster grad
I took the Penn Foster course and was hired by the first company I tested for...they knew what school I attended because I put it on my resume. I agree that some schools may be subpar, but that doesn't mean the students/graduates are subpar. If you work hard, you will reap the benefits- no matter what school you attend.
First, I'm not one of the "little grads" I'm not their grad at all.
Just because for many years anyone who wanted could learn to be an MT from their next door neighbor, that doesn't mean that's the way it is today. I think too many MTs are just afraid of competition from well-trained MTs, who with a good education and a couple of years' experience will be better MTs than they ever will. I have seen MTs claim to have 20+ years' experience, and they make ridiculous errors and don't even care - "That's they way I've always done it!" I'm talking about the way things are today, not back when anyone who could type could be an MT, and could teach anyone else to be an MT.
test period for New MT grad
As a recent grad who hasn't been able to find anyone willing to give me a shot, I would be willing to work a trial period. It would still be more experience than what I have now and probably a good learning event.
New Grad Needing to Vent
Shame on ALL of the MT schools. They tell us that we can study at home to work from home. HA!! Like most of you on here, I worked my buns off trying to complete my schooling. I sacrificed so much. It was hard on my kids not having mom around as much. It was financially draining, as my husband was laid off from his electrician job. That was the whole reason we decided to take this risk in the first place. I thought I had done my research on medical transcription before I signed up for the program, but unfortunately, I didn't find mtstars until I was up to my elbows in school. Since I was an unavailable wife and mother, this became difficult on the marriage too. We just kept trying to look ahead knowing that when I had a job to help pay the bills it would all be worth it. I graduated from At-Home Professions in April with a 95% and I still do not have a job. I also now know that getting a job as a new grad is almost impossible.
I had to face my disappointed husband last night when I told him that it's not going to happen, and if I am going to be happy again, I have to let it go. I have done all I know how to do. I have had professionals look at my resume and cover letter and they tell me it's awesome. I have spent countless hours and days applying for job after job. I have even tried to find local jobs to work on-site (which was never ever part of the plan), but Michigan is not the place to look for jobs right now. I have only found one local on-site job but they were looking for more experience than most at-home jobs I have seen. I didn't even bother to apply.
Today, I found a posting on here from a new grad who said she is a new grad and got a job after only 4 applications and 18 days of looking. My husband happened to walk in at about the time I saw the posting. I had to try not to cry. I'm happy for that new grad on one hand, but on the other hand, I can't believe that after only 4 applications in 18 days (in 18 days I had sent out WAY more than 4 applications), she got a job. My husband read it and didn't say a word.
I am feeling like I let my family down. Even worse, I feel like my bummer of an attitude is letting down God.
I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.
Corrie, I'm the new grad that posted...
I'm the grad from Everett Community College (which utilizes CareerStep courseware) who posted about getting my IC position after 18 days of job hunting and only 4 applications. I'm sorry you found my news hard to believe, but it is a fact.
I posted my good news to encourage all new grads, no matter where they might have graduated from. Those who claim M-Tec and Andrews are the only schools that produce employable grads are WRONG!!! That is another reason I felt a strong need to post my news here on mtstars. When I was working through my MT classes, I found coming to mtstars was a real bummer. All I ever read here was negative posts, and checking out this forum became a waste of my time. I hardly ever see new grads posting that they got a job here. Why is that? Do they just forget to post when that happens? I can't figure that one out. I had to post when I got my first position! I THOUGHT it might encourage other new grads, and I certainly didn't mean to bring them down because they haven't found work yet.
I believe the road to getting that first MT job can indeed be long and bumpy. Actually, that is what I was planning on, and it is the case with most new grads. I think I have solid employable skills, AND I applied at the right place at the right time.
I know it has to feel redundant submitting all the applications and tests to only find out later that places are not hiring, don't hire new grads, or when you hear nothing back at all. My best advice is to keep playing the game. If your skills are solid and true, it's all about the timing! Every day that you test or apply, there is a chance at getting that first job!
Again, my post of how long it took me to get my job is true and only meant to encourage ALL new grads! M-Tec and Andrews are probably great schools, I don't doubt that for 1 minute, BUT they are not the only great schools!
Keep moving forward! I once heard it said "If you are still chasing your dreams, you are not running fast enough! Run faster!"
Corrie - Feel free to reply by email if you think I can help you in any way!
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