I honestly do feel for any new MT entering this profession. SM
Posted By: old MT on 2007-07-19
In Reply to: Frustrated with newbie testing - Sharla Regan
Pay has gone down considerably in this industry. I believe this is a combination of large transcription companies who focus on large quantities because they have to in order to keep their client base and stay in business. A huge factor, in my opinion, is the ever increasing number of overseas transcriptionists who work at a much lower wage than we do (of course, their cost of living is lower), and the alliance they have with many of the Indian owned transcription services who operate out of this country (well, at least they have an 800 toll free number and use a U.S. adress, when in fact, they are operating out of India and not paying taxes like American businesses). I have 26 years experience in this profession and make probably 15% less money than I did over ten years ago. There are many highly experienced MTs who are having a hard time with a company fit during the past few years, because everyone seems to be sacrificing quality for quantity.
Keep searching and some company will let you get your foot in the door. One of the largest U.S. transcription companies (I won't mention the name, but most know who I am referring to) are likely losing veteran MTs by the dozens as we speak due to the recent negative changes. I believe this will make the job market even tougher for the new MT. There are many experienced in the profession who will be and probably are "shooting out" resumes as we speak.
My advice to you, as we were all new once, is to get your foot in the door of a local clinic or hospital, put your time in (at least 2-5 years) and learn as many specialties as possible. The hands on training and staff that you will have at your disposal in the medical records department will be invaluable and crucial to your future in this profession. Working from home as a new MT has many, many disadvantages, mainly the low pay and high rate of competition out there. With production pay, you will find yourself making less than minimum wage quite often. It is sad that many schools don't bother to inform you. Good luck and stay persistent. Something will come your way.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Honestly, if you just graduated, you
would be doing your self a great disservice by working so little. There is still a lot to learn once you start working, and it will be very difficult to get up to speed working just a few hours a day or 1 day a week.
Also, a lot of companies will not hire a new grad at less than full time, and what you are asking to do amounts to less than 10 hours of work per week even at newbie speed.
Honestly, I would suggest you try to
locally find a job in a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office. You would be getting your foot in the door and getting some on-the-job training all at the same time. That's how I got started, and I would highly recommend it. There's also a lot to learn in the beginning, and it's so much easier to have others around to ask.
Honestly, there are a number of MT programs that do
provide an education adequate enough to pass entry-level exams. If you went to one of these programs then you may need to take an honest look at your options.
There are a number of posts further down this page and in the archives regarding how to improve your chances during the application and testing process.
What's going on with this profession
I am very new to this profession. I have spent the past 15 years in medical billing and coding and is in process of transitioning to MT. I found stumbled on this site and must say the messages and replies I here are CRAZY! I read how a lot of you are fed up with the lack of work, which is understandable; I've read the different views in regard to "Newbies" vs. "Vets" I believe I have read almost every post for the month of October and November, and I am feeling very discouraged. It seems that MTs are not appreciated, overworked (or underworked depending on who you're working for) underpaid (is .06-.08 realistic for 5-10 yrs experience?) I feel like this profession brings on a lot of stress worrying about whether or not you're going to make enough money to pay bills or wondering whether there's going to be work tomorrow, the next week or next month I here about these MT companies who try to S----w MTs out of their pay/production. It seems that MTs are not valued which is the same for Billers. Doctors do not see the value in their billers when they are the people generated the money for the doctor.....I don't care is that doctor saw 100 patients--what does that mean if he can't get paid for it? Not to mention the fact that I am not attending one of the 3 best MT schools around, I just feel like trashing the entire idea. Oh yeah I also read you can't get a job if you didn't graduate from one of the big 3's. You can't work if you do not have experience, what the I am too old to stress over money, and I am a very hard worker I believe in starting at the bottom, but after 5 or 10 years in this business I am only earning less than .10 per line, I don't know. Can someone please enlighten me on this profession? Is it really worth the effort, cause a lot of you are very discouraging. Thanks.
MT profession
Run away as fast as you can before you make the mistake of coming into transcription. I make less now than i did 15 years ago when I started and have to work a lot harder to make a dollar. Run, hurry, runnnnnnnn!!!!
Are you looking for a profession or a hobby?
If you just want a hobby, then AHP will be fine. It won't matter that your training will be substandard because you won't be able to get or keep a real job.
As for the hours issue, clients can't wait for medical reports to be transcribed just whenever you feel like working a couple of hours here or there. There are requirements for turn-around time (TAT) and, oh yes, that pesky thing called PATIENT CARE. The work isn't made available just so you can earn a little pin money once in awhile ("set your own hours" HA!), it's there because actual human beings require medical care and ACCURATE, TIMELY medical records are required to facilitate their care. You can't just work when you feel like it. Your employer has to be able to ensure that the clients' work is done within a specific TAT, and that isn't going to happen if they let the mommies-in-jammies brigade just "work while the kiddies are sleeping" or "work a few minutes here and there" when they "feel like it". You will likely be required to commit to a specific time frame and actually work during that time. You may have a range of choices in the time you choose to work, but it won't be a case of just working whenever you feel like it (or deciding not to work during a period to which you've committed). This is a serious job, not some make-believe game.
Thoughts on MT profession???
I've been researching for several weeks and am seriously considering enrolling in Andrews school, but wanted to get some opinions of where you think the MT profession is headed. Do you think MT's will be phased out in the next few years? Where is this profession headed with VR/ASR now starting to take place? I know the starting pay is low and I am not entering this profession with the intent to support my family. I would just like some opinions from some experienced MT's and what you think will be the future of the MT profession.
She is right - choose another profession
I too have been an MT for almost 20 years. These MTs schools will train you to become an excellent MT and they will be glad to take your money too. Then you are a highly trained and skilled MT. If there are no jobs, what do you do with it? It's useless.
Because of EMR and all the outsourcing that has increased since January 1 - you have old MTs with 10, 15, 20 years of experience out job searching again because they have so many years in and they do not want to change professions before retirement. It is so competitive that MTs with 2, 3, 5 years experience will not be able to move in their jobs. A brand new MT is not going to stand a chance. Don't waste your time and money.
heard of at home profession ....
Hi Cindy,
Yes, I took their course and it worked for me. Takes lots of hard work from yourself to make it. I'm a successful medical transcriptionist!
Please be careful with use of the word profession vs. occupation..sm
though the two terms are sometimes used interchangably, they really don't mean the same thing. Occupation is what engages or "occupies" one's time, such as a job. Profession is considered a calling, vocation or form of employment that provides a needed service to society and possesses characteristics of expertise, autonomy, long academic preparation, commitment and responsibility. While MT's are dedicated workers supporting healthcare in a paraprofessional capacity, it's not really in the same camp as law, medicine, ministry, etc. MT's don't work on their own, unsupervised, such as a doctor does, nor do they have a long academic prep, even if they do go to business college...
Not the profession. MTs in house at hourly pay do great. The world of the
s
Agree...not a good reflection on our profession. A seasoned MT would not make this mistake. nm
x
Sorry if that's the way you feel.
I am a very polite person.
I feel the need..sm
to once again bring up some important information. To work as an MT you should have a medical spellcheck, books, wave player, foot pedal....the basics. If someone is hiring, they do not want to wait while you obtain these things, you should have the basics. If they require special equipment, they will state this and also if it is provided or if you need to provide it.
Testing...SPELLCHECK, LOOK UP TERMS...sooooo important. The number of made-up terms and misspelled English terms is running high these days. If you are testing for a position, you want to have looked up every single word in that report if that is what is needed for you to understand what the report is about. Never guess on a test. Leave a blank and a sounds like spelling to show you do not guess but were unable to document an answer. However, there should not be more than one or two in any test...odds are you were meant to demonstrate the ability to verify and find terms and comprehend the context of the report enough to be able to locate the correct terms.
It is hard getting started, do yourself a favor and be sure you have put your best foot forward. Spellcheck your resume. Take extra care on tests. Triple check everything that you submit as representing you as an MT.
know how you feel
Hi I went to that school to and there course does not prepare you for the tests that well. When you do take some tests you will see! I am thinking about going back to school to learn more...There course was to easy....and transcription is not. I hope you have some luck! try any company even if they require experience, look at the web site MTDaily it might help if you have not looked there yet.
I know how you feel
Don't give up. Read, listen and type - you'll get it. Like my husband's friend would say, you can't learn to fish by reading alone, you have to go out and fish. Just keep on.
Why do you feel that way?
Why do you feel that you should have chosen M-Tec over career step?
Well, thanks everyone. I feel much better
I need to have more patience. I won't be afraid to call when (if) the time comes. Thanks also to the poster who described more indepth what overhiring is. That's a good thing for me to keep in mind, regardless of where or when I apply for jobs.
Thanks again everyone! You are all great!
I know exactly how you feel!
Guess what we attend the same school and I'm just two lessons away from graduating, and i been trying to get my feet in the door but ain't nobody opening the door for me.But I have faith and my grades are good and I know all that grammer and punctuation stuff. I believe in the Lord and with him all things are possible. However, there is some negativity floating around here, but hey that is with any job and any where you go you gonna have to deal with it whether you at home or outside. I have been testing for about a month now. I have people turn me down and tell me to try again and some just don't respond, but I don't let that stop me because the shape that the world is in today in the end everybody gonna need a transcriptionist. So keep your head up and best of luck to you
I understand how you feel.
I have asked questions and have received responses that made me feel like I was annoying someone. It can be very discouraging when someone makes you feel imcompetent for asking questions. Good luck!
Feel so dumb - HELP!
If you're transcribing a report about someone with sinusitis, and the doctor says the ___ are red and swollen (and it doesn't sound like nostrils or nares or membranes) what could it be? And in the PLAN if he says ___ fluids, rest, and follow up within 7 to 10 days....what could he be saying. It almost sounds like "Push fluids." Can anyone help? Thanks!
I've been there and know how you feel...sm
First of all, do you have a text expander? This really helps out a lot. Also, if you are able to, keep a sample of all of the different reports by all the docs that you have typed handy. I'm allowed to print off reports (crossing out the name and other personal information with a black marker of course) and keep them in a 3-ring binder for easy reference. It really helps to look back at a sample of an H&P or discharge summary, especially for docs that dicatate the same thing all the time. Your text Expander will also come in handy for things like that too - physical exams and op notes that are always dictated the same. I know it can be frustrating, but practice makes perfect. The more you type, the better you will become! Hang in there!
If this makes you feel any better......
On my first day, regardless of college course I had passed, it all sounded Greek to me. Learning in class and actually sitting there real time is a lot different. It helped to know that the medical records director, who was a RRT as well, hated transcription and ran as far from it as she could. Made me feel better to know that at least I was hanging in there doing it.
Now I feel badly...
I apologize for my previous little tirade. I think maybe I was out of line in my response to the person who thought we might be doing work out of India. We really are not. I do think that a lot of people on medical transcription boards are a little too negative, and I don't want to become one of them. For all you newbies, transcription really is a great job. I have been at it for 16 years now and absolutely love the freedom it allows me to raise my family and make a decent living. The only problem is that it is hard to get started, which is where the idea of the internships began. Obviously, we would be getting something out of it, but I feel like we are offering probably more than we would be getting. My suggestion for all the newbies is to work extremely hard at it for about a year and then the rewards will be great. Have a good day. Blessings to all, especially the person I trashed. Jen
I understand how you feel susan
I am also a RN in Montana and I starting school though MTec. I a very excited about this career change. Hospital nursing was why to stressful for me. It seemed like when I finally felt comfortable caring for the amount of patient I had they would increase the patient load and increase the paper work. I never felt finished everyday with I returned home from work I would think about things I forgot to do or didn't have time to do them. I was very frustrating from me. I just just recently took an office job at little non profit company. I love the job and the patients, I took a $7.00 per hour pay cut to work there, it was totaly worth it. Althought I would really like to work from home and leave the politics at the office. I plan on working part time to gain enough experience, to make enough money to be able to leave my current position.
I feel bad for the newbies, I remember how it was too
I started about 12 years ago, I was lucky because my school helped me find a job (all tapes, talk about bad quality) and the MT office was a little nook in the corner of an ER. The docs were always stressed out and I could not understand much but did the best I could. I remember fearing being fired just about everyday because it was so hard. I didn't get the hang of this job until over a year into it, and when I went home, it started all over again, because I didn't have a second ear. When I first went home for MQ a year and a half out of school, my then fiance was so happy to have me home he came up to give me a loving hug, and I actually shoved him I was so frustrated with work. I later apologized, but the stress level is crazy when you are new, you don't have a grasp on the medical terminology, no one to ask questions in person, on top of the crazy accents.
I'm working, why would I need to make myself feel better?
I'm sure if they wanted them to know, they would have told them. I think you know we don't give out names here!!
Facts are facts! Good job cheering them on though!
well, tell that the MT that just lost her job. I'm sure she'll feel better.
x
No, I did not feel as prepared as I could have been. See message.
I have been working as an MT for a little over 4 years. I am a CS graduate, and if I had it to do over, I'd choose Andrews School or M-TEC.
Almost all of the books you receive from CS are written by the lady who started the school. The other 2 schools use real reference books that contain a LOT more. That's one reason the other 2 cost more. Since graduating, I have purchased quite a few of the textbooks used by Andrews and M-TEC, and have improved my education significantly.
Also, the other 2 schools have real instructors who go over your work and point out errors, and help you along. At CS, your work is "automatically compared" against the same report done at some unknown time and place by some unknown MT, who may or may not have done it correctly. All you get is a comparison between the two, it only shows the differences, like holding two pieces of paper up to the light to see if everything matches. Whenever there are differences, it's up to YOU to figure out which one is correct. The only time a real person actually looks over your work is when you take your final exam (which over 50% of students fail the first time they take it, and that statement comes directly from CS itself, not from me).
Yes, I did get a work-at-home job after graduating from CS. But I feel my first year of work was a lot harder, I spent a lot more time looking things up, there were a lot of things I would have learned at Andrews or M-Tec that I didn't learn at CS.
Why do people feel they can scam their way into this field?
With inferior educations for cheap and now wanting to lie to get jobs? Whatever happened to working for what you earn and telling the truth? :-(
I also feel the money is slowly slipping away -
I started off being paid on a gross line and making 60K a year. Those accounts dried up. I now struggle to make 25K and I am a fast, accurate MT. I do enjoy the work, but enjoyment does not pay the bills.
You're quite welcome. Feel free to e-mail me in the future :o)
Oops--- meant to add...explain your concerns & go with the one you feel most comfortable with.
x
Unless you can work in-house somewhere, I feel the at-home MT who can make good money is a
s
|
