I hope you're being paid a decent wage and not being
Posted By: sm on 2009-05-13
In Reply to: To all new MTs - Jennifer
taken advantage of, which happens a lot.
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- To all new MTs - Jennifer
- I hope you're being paid a decent wage and not being - sm
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you're quite welcome! hope it helps.
x
Go to a decent school to begin with - sm
I graduated from MTEC more than 8 years ago and had recruiters beating my door down to test me when I graduated. I tested with several of them and had offers from every one of them to begin working immediately. I have been working at home ever since. I have also heard Andrews is good. You never see people from these schools on these boards begging for someone to give them a chance. The education alone opens doors. Best of luck to you! 
Making decent money here.
I was one of those stay-at-home moms that wanted to make my own hours and earn a good living and I am doing just that. I have been an MT for 2 years now. I work at home while caring for my 3-year-old son. Yes, it is not easy, stressful even, but I make more money at home (close to $20 an hour) than I would make at a B&M job and I don't have to pay $1000 a month for daycare anymore. I have a completely flexible schedule and I work early in the morning while my son sleeps and during his nap times. If I have to, I work again in the evening to finish up work.
This profession is difficult and takes a lot of work, but what career that pays a decent salary doesn't. It is possible to make more than $4-8 an hour. It does not take years and years. I was up to $12 an hour after 6 months, comparable to what I made in my previous position, where I had been employed for 3 years.
Just because you can't make it in this industry is no reason to discourage others from trying.
No minimum wage here.
I have been at this for 2 years. Yes, my first year was slow and lean, and god bless Mom who lent me $$ to keep the wolves from the door. I make substantially more than minimum wage now, however. There are a number of MT's on this board who will say the same thing.
The constant negativity on this board is overwhelming sometimes. If you're only making minimum wage, you need to reassess the company you work for or your work habits. Sorry, but that's my view. If I can AVERAGE $20 an hour after less than 2 years in this business, anyone can.
Is MT a decent job based on pay #s I see here? And how is outsourcing affecting pay?
I am brand new to the MT world. I'm considering taking training and an internship at a local company (my cost = $2,000) and then working as a contractor for them. From reading different questions and responses here, I'm concerned that the pay is pretty low and has not increased much in the past few years. My other concern is that more companies are outsourcing their work overseas because it's cheaper. How much of that is happening and how much is that hurting pay here?
I'd appreciate any information and opinions. I have to decide by Monday, January 8. Now I'm thinking that I should just find another career path and take classes at a community college. I worked in another career and made excellent money, but the stress and long hours were just too much. I was looking for something less stressful and the chance to work at home. THANKS!!!
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.
You didn't post here to get decent answers
You posted hoping that everyone would agree with you. When they didn't, you flipped out. That is exactly why the company you are working for is not going to cater to you...because they don't like your attitude! 
fair wage for newbie
I would start as low as 5 cpl just to gain some on the job experience.
Minimum wage in my state is 5.15 and
some days I don't even make that transcribing. I have two transcription accounts, heavy VR. If I only looked at this with respect for the money I made, I would be depressed. I also needed a career change (and made fair money before MT). But, I consider MT a trade off. These are some of the added benefits as I see them beyond the pay:
No to and from work commute (I save two hours daily). Not having to drive in inclement weather (that just scares me, I don't miss that). No work clothes or uniforms to buy or keep up (how do I calculate that?). No eating out for lunch or even packing a lunch for work (save money there). No office politics or drama to deal with (priceless). Being able to schedule MD appointments and other things that come up and work around those without begging my "boss'" permission (again, priceless). Not having a job where I am standing on my feet all day (I'm too old for that anymore). Saving a bit of money on taxes using my home office for work (always a help). Being home and able to keep up with the laundry, housework and have a homecooked meal on the table at a decent hour (pretty close to priceless to me). Being able to watch TV or DVDs in the evening with my husband again and have family time and even keep my grandchildren for the whole weekend if I want (priceless to me). These are some of the things that make MT a better trade off for me than what I had before when I made better pay, particularly on those days when I don't. There is value to all of that to me.
Just my opinion.
I started at minimum wage.
When I started working as an MT, I was only making minimum wage(was an employee and they had to pay at least minimum wage if I didn't make my line count). I could have started working at the local hospital for $15 an hour, but I chose to stay home with my son and not have to put him in daycare, even if it meant I would make a little less. I am glad I did. Now after 11 months, I make $17 an hour and do not have to pay daycare, commute costs, or spend a lot on clothing (love to working in my sweats). I knew the minimum wage was temporary and that if I focused on my speed, I would get to where I needed to be financially. So while you may start out making minimum wage, you don't have to stay there.
I disagree. Allied has a pretty decent program.
Can you afford to work for minimum wage for SM
a year or more? AFTER your schooling. That is the reality. Even when you get proficient, you won't be making more than $15/hour for a few years after that also. Do you call that profitable? You will also be responsible for supplying your own internet connection every month and possibly your own equipment.
Difficulty finding work despite decent grades from Andrews
Angela,
I am a recent grad of Andrews--one of the top two schools recommended--and I graduated with a grade average of 97.9.
Contrary to popular opinion, Andrews' grads do not have several job offerings available to them as soon as they finish up school. The graduate is basically on her/his own as far as scrounging up a job. Having Andrews on my resume only allows me to test for a few MTSOs that would not have even given me an e-mail response. It is not an automatic door-opener at all.
I am having a difficult time finding employment because there are only so many entry-level positions available for new grads. There appears to be a glut of newbies. The economic decline is not helping either.
I have passed every single acute care transcription test where I was allowed to test, and I am on many "waiting" lists for future openings. I am really lucky that I am disabled and at least have some money coming in that pays the mortgage. I can wait for an opening, and I don't have to sign on with those MTSO that preys on newbies who can't find jobs.
If folks from the top schools are having difficulty finding employment, just imagine how much more difficult it is for someone that has only completed a low-quality matchbook-type MT education.
I wouldn't waste any money on the Penn folks.
Kathleen
That wage per hour is a crock, no matter what! Look at the 3 recommended
s
Career Step grads - what was your starting wage?
Career Step grads - what was your starting wage? What were you offered in cents per line? How many offers did you get? How long did it take you to find work?
Thanks : ) -MKJ
I never hear of those who attended decent schools unable to find work
You can pay now or later. I had job offers with every company I tested with when I graduated from M-TEC, which was more than 8 years ago. I have worked from home since day 1 doing both clinics and mostly acute care. I do not know of anyone who graduated with me who has ever had problems finding a job. Employers are catching on as to which schools offer enough training so that the grads actually have some experience under their belt or are worth bringing up to speed. I also did not have to start out at 6 cents a line. That is absolutely insane.
Wow..how does that work. Your making $5 an hour. Didn't minimum wage go up? If you pay or line co
does not go up, I'd probably move on. I understand right now your probably just getting the experience but you work a whole day and make $40??? I'd be tempted to change jobs soon. I know personally I could not survive on $5 an hour.
will not - not if you're competent. If you're incompetent they will fire you anyway
x
Need to finish...don't buy something like this until you're positive it's job you're goi
s
You're not a "new MT" if you have no training, you're not an MT at all. nm
x
Uh oh, I hope you are not an MT because
I found an error in what you just typed!!!! Uh oh!!! You said, luckily you smelled something FISH and a lot of money, etc. LOLOLOLOLOL Fish. I bet she did. LOLOL
Yes, there is hope.
Even transcriptionists with a lot of experience have to leave blanks, which is an important part of this job because you should NEVER EVER guess. There is such a thing as an "educated guess" and context clue guessing, which I have done, but I have a lot of experience and still there are times when I just cannot fathom what they are saying or have never heard of that term. That is why this board is a very good tool. I wish I had known about it earlier in my career. I have learned so much from simply reading. As a matter of fact, I learn something new everyday. By the way, welcome to the world of medical transcription. Enjoy the ride because it goes so fast! 
There is Hope
You typed 3,716 words over 150 minutes and still made $$? That comes out to about 25 wpm! There is hope for me after all!!! My current typing speed is about 25 wpm!
There's another one where you DO get paid... says
see link
I wish I could get paid this way again
When I first started out all I had to do was type the document, open up the information and get my line count, so much easier, even a return was a line. I had been able to keep it that way up until now where it is a 65 character line, with spaces at least though. I think I would definitely make more money with just plain old straight lines.
You must have already paid, huh?
AHP is a huge rip-off and the complaints outweigh the praises.
You paid for this?
David, I hope you're not saying that you PAID for a course wherein the teachers or moderators do not reply to your questions by email.
It might be time to go further up the food chain at that school.
Not getting paid well at first?
If you choose the right school, you won't have to be in the position of "probably not gettin paid well at first." You won't have to "work your way up," either.
Doesn't it make more sense to choose a reputable school with a history of placing students directly into decent jobs at regular pay rates?
Going with a crummy school because it's cheaper . . . or being blinded because it's more expensive . . . makes no sense. If you can't work at all, or you have to take a job at low pay just to get your foot in the door, you've wasted your time in the program and you are continuing to waste it.
I don't know what to think about people who encourage others to do the same.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why students continue to ask about and enroll in these horrible "schools." Isn't the massive amount of negative information about them enough to steer you away?
Hope you don't mind
I really hope someone chimes in with the answer to your question but I wanted to comment that I have heard nothing but positive reviews for MTEC and the reviews have been mixed, but leaning towards the positive for Career Step. There are some CS students and alumni that will defend their school tooth and nail that it is not a second class stepchild to MTEC, and some that feel that MTEC (or Andrews) would have been a better choice.
I had a friend who could not afford the down payment for Andrews, and either could not or did not want to try to get the Sallie Mae loan for MTEC, and I steered her towards the CS program at Everett CC because she had pell grant and student loan eligibility.
You might want to ask some national companies whose grads they hire. I asked a few (you could certainly ask more than I did, and I recommend that), and one listed a few schools I had not even heard about up to that point.
It seems that the companies have some thing going on with CS because many of them have a link to request training info from CS. Not a guarantee of employment by any stretch but worth asking what that is all about. (hopefully not just about getting money from CS for advertising and referrals).
If it were me I would choose MTEC over CS. But my decision is made - I chose Andrews over both of them and as soon as I can bring myself to send in the $1500 down payment(its just a scary amount of money to plop down), I am doing it!
Thank you for post. It gives me hope
since I'm getting frustrated at the moment.
hope i'm not being too nosey but........
how much more schooling do you have and what state are you in?
Now there's a newbie I have hope for!
Somebody who can already communicate effectively! Just the same, I hope you chose your school carefully, jwhitman.
wow, I hope I do not turn out like you
after 15 years of transcribing. You really sound resentful.
Hope this is not a bad sign
I just finished a dictation that the dr. cancelled 20 seconds into it because he "already did it on EMR".
Acct still has a large volume of work, but I wonder if they are easing into EMR.
Has anyone else started to run into this?
I work for a service so at least this one account is not my only source of income, but it does provide a lot of work.
Keeping fingers crossed.....
That is really low pay. I sure hope you are not an IC to boot!
nm
I hope this info. will help you. SM
I posted this several months ago on this board, and have copied here for you:
I truly do not believe there is an online or distance learning program, or even a four year college degree for that matter (yes, I have a 4 year degree in healthcare administration with emphasis in medical records) that will prepare a new MT for the "cut throat" world of MT. When I say cut throat, I don't necessarily mean cruel, but rather very competitive. You better know your stuff or you will not survive, or at least not make a good wage, unless you have the hands-on experience of working in a hospital in a wide variety of specialties with close supervision. Yes, one can succeed starting out at home if you have one specialty and learn that inside and out. The time and errors involved in the learning process starting at home in a variety of specialties for a national company (which for the most part is required to compete in this profession) will afford the new MT a minimum wage at most. Like I mentioned in my previous post, there are those few gifted new MTs who will pick up new specialties and satisfy the large online companies, but the general population will not. Just like a doctor, you have to spend several years in fellowship or internship to work your way up with fund of knowledge, etc. I say to any newbie, if you think you have what it takes, go for it. I'm just trying to be honest in saying that you need to be realistic in this profession, as sample dictations in school, as well as test dictations, are no comparison to the real world of MT where we continue to learn even after many years on the job. I hope this helps any new MT take the route that will be of most benefit to them in this profession.
Hope this helps
I got this by typing "set font" into the help area:
(The default button is on the lower left hand side of the format font screen.)
hope it helps
I really appreciate your reply. I'm not concerned with benefits as I can go on my husband's group insurance. I saw a post that MDI-MD takes part timers. Ever hear of them?
Hope this helps
I was just in your shoes. I saw on the job board the other day there was a posting:
MTs wanted for Clinic work - all specialties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted By: Alana Boser on 2008-02-19
TransRx Medical Trans. Needed immediately, full and part time MTs for clinic work. Newbies welcome, on passing testing process. Line rate /65 char line - depending on experience and test results. Click on the Apply Now link to submit your resume.
Hope for Newbies
Hi All!
I am a newbie. I haven't even officially graduated yet. I attend a school that has been called a 'matchstick school'. I have figured out why there was so much negativity about my school. The students are only required to do 20 (GASP!) transcription assignments throughout the course. However, the CD we are given to work off of has over 100 dictations. I would not be defeated by this school! I not only did the required assignments, I worked my way thru the other 100 in my own time.
Well, this weekend I found a website that lists 137 transcription companies located in the USA. I wrote my resume, omitting the name of the school I attended. I also listed all the transcriptions and specialties I worked on. I listed the amount of time I spent working on these as experience. Then I wrote up a cover letter expressing my desire and drive to work for a great, solid company. I sat at my computer over the weekend and went down the list of the companies. I emailed EVERY company on there with my cover letter and resume. By Sunday night I had a request to test with a company. I tested with them Monday afternoon and by Monday evening I had a job offer. They have asked me to start tomorrow. I also have 4 other requests to test with different companies sitting in my inbox. This amazes me because I have not even officially graduated yet!
Please do not mistake this for bragging. I have worked very hard and have been extremely discouraged over the past several months. I have sent out over 100 resumes and have had my fair share returned stating I do not have enough experience. During my downtime I worked thru all the dictations my school offered. I also found a website that helps improve typing speed. So for all you newbies, do not give up. When you are not job searching, practice your transcribing, even if it is one you did a hundred times before.
I hope this gives some fellow newbies some hope.
A little hope for newbies!
Hey ya'll!
I just want to give a little hope to fellow newbies out there! I have finally found my first job!
I started searching at the beginning of the semester, and now, a week before graduation, I have finally gotten my first position!
It takes a lot of hard work, determination, begging, crying, giving up, starting again, crying some more, and networking, but it pays off in the end!
So please, don't give up! Test, network, practice, make phone calls, apply for positions, knock on doors, pretend your sick so you can get some one on one time with your doctor, and most importantly, pray! You will get there!
Good luck everyone! I hope this gives ya'll a little boost! I know how frustrating it was, but you'll forget all about that when you finally get a "yes" from someone!
I'll be praying for all of you!
Also, you better hope you like working for them, because (sm)
that's all they're training you for. Most companies have never heard of this training program, and unless you have 2 years' of experience, they won't hire you. This place trains you to work for THEM only. You have no way of knowing how qualified you would be to work elsewhere.
I think getting paid by the minute might be better because
lots of times you get the docs who will carry on a conversation in the middle of the dictation, or who will lay the phone down to thumb through the chart, though I have no personal experience with being paid this way.
Man you got ripped if you paid that much to get an
AA degree. Shouldn't have cost you more than $2,000.00 and even though is a stretch.
I am not a paid affiliate
and have never benefited from the school except a good education and a great job that I got right after graduation. Yes, CS prepared me well!!!
get paid hourly
best bet is get a job locally that pays hourly. you make more money that way. in 1976, i made $9/hr. now i make $17/hr. when i edit, i make $23/hr (boston)
What a crock. Are you being paid to
push those two schools? Go ask experienced MTs on the main board which schools they went to.
I emailed you; hope it helps.
.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you can find one
x
Great job! I hope you find a job
If I get paid 7 cents per 65-Character.....
by electonic character count, do you think that would be with spaces or without?
Anyone? Not sure!
Thanks!!
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