If you do decide to enter this field,

• New career - OB1KnoBE
  • I see you only transcribe 100 reports with that school ... - deb
  • If you do decide to enter this field, - Choose school wisely.
  • Please read - see inside
    • I agree with this poster - ditto

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

also see the changes coming down the pike. Also feel it is not fair to withhold or misrepresent that part of the equation to someone who is considering entering MT or just starting out. Knowledge is power. It would take years for a new MT to have the kind of insight into this field that a 20+ year experience lends. Believe me, I would be only too happy to keep running my MTSO, making $75,000+ year while working 20 hours a week, paying my MT's well, but it's not going to happen. Try reading "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman if you want a perspective of what's going to happen to not only MT work but a lot of great white collar jobs. India and the rest of the world are breathing down our necks and in the next decade will be serious competitors for American jobs. There will be no "american" jobs - we will be competing against the rest of the world for jobs.

Friedman states: "The convergence of 'flatteners' has created a whole new platform. It is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform enables individuals, groups, companies and universities anywhere in the world to collaborate...this platform operates without regard to geography, distance, time, and, in the near future, even language. Going forward, this platform is going to be at the center of everything...wealth and power will flow to those who get these basic things right...the infrastructure to connect with the platform and the education to get more of their people working on the platform.

Please wake up and look beyond our box.

I am an M-Tec grad from quite a ways back.  I understand recently that there is someone (or some people) trying to make trouble regarding M-TEC, and I am not sure if this is part of that or not, but I will tell you what I think.  I cannot speak regarding Andrews as I did not take their course, but I have heard nothing but good about them. I think ultimately you have to go with your gut feeling, which is how I decided on M-TEC after comparing all of the programs I was interested in.

First thing, call Susan or Kathy and ask about your financial question. I would say above all that they are some of the most open and honest people I have ever dealt with. I am sure they would be happy to explain/answer any questions you have regarding anything including finances, and that there is nothing deceptive or sinister going on.

Secondly, they have a wide range of instructors who have varying backgrounds. Although you are assigned an instructor to guide you throughout the course, I don't think there is any rule that you cannot speak to any other instructor if you want a second opinion or want additional input. Also Susan and Kathy are very available. There was a comment about one of the instructors graduating less than 5 years ago. While that is true, she has many other credentials that allowed her to progress up the MT ladder quickly.  Soon after being hired by a large national company, she was promoted to editor.  Her bio is likely listed on their site along with all of the others, so you can see all of their qualifications up front.  I am sure she is an extremely capable instructor.  Susan and Kathy take their course very seriously and would not hire someone who was not highly qualified to teach their course.  The various instructors also teach the online classes, so you will not just have input from 1 person during the course.

I encourage you to go to the M-TEC website and thoroughly read the information on grades etc.  While an 86 is considered high enough to pass, they fully encourage and inform that high 90s is what the hiring companies will be looking for and what they encourage you to strive for.  What I also noted when reading recently is that if you don't pass after the testing process is exhausted, they refund your money according to their refund policy and you are no longer in the course.  They don't just keep your money and say "too bad." like another course out there pretty much does. 

I graduated more than 4 years ago. I still am allowed on their website, they still notify me via email of job openings. They still welcome me to classes, etc. I think this goes above and beyond.  They are there to fully support you after you graduate... seemingly to infinity and beyond.  I am still benefiting from the money I invested in that course.

There are many, many companies begging for M-TEC grads on a regular basis.  If you take the course seriously and have the prerequisite skills necessary to be a good MT, I do not think you could go wrong taking their course. I have never lacked work, have had great opportunities to advance. I became an Editor for a national after 1 year of MT, and then after 3 years moved on to a bigger national where I was also promoted to editor. I had no previous medical experience or MT experience so I owe everything to M-TEC.  I think they have only added to and expanded their course since I took it, so I don't think you can go wrong.

I hate to see rumors and innuendos started which would attempt to discredit this wonderful course.  While they don't need me to defend them, I feel like they have done so much for me. They also have a whole list of grads listed who you can contact if you want to ask any questions about the course, finding jobs etc. I encourage you to take advantage of that.  There are no referral fees paid for recommendations either, so I think you will get honest answers.

Please contact them and get any questions answered rather than speculating. They would be happy to hear from you. 

Hey Porr - Welcome!  First of all, you have come one of the most negative MT sites on the internet.  If you are easily discouraged or depressed, I would advise you NOT to come to this site.  I have been an MT for over 30 years and every time I come to this board, I leave so dejected, I wonder if I have wasted my life doing MT.  I have finally realized that this board drags me down, so I don't come here very often.  The people who do come on here legitimately, come to relieve their frustrations, get advice, vent about work situations, etc.... we are not all this stressed out all the time   But there are a lot of really good people on here, too, and you can get a lot of valuable knowledge, you just have to learn who the "trolls" are and ignore them (easier said than done at times!)  The MT world is undergoing a lot of changes these days.  A lot of work is being sent offshore and now they have the voice recognition platform that they are working on.  The nationals make you feel very unappreciated, but I have worked for doctors, hospitals, clinics and had my own service for a while, and there are a lot of people out there who will appreciate your skills, just not the large nationals.  Stay away from them until you are more seasoned, then, if you feel like tackling one of them, I say go for it.  They have their negatives, but you will gain valuable knowledge and you will be able to get a job just about anywhere with one of the nationals on your resume. 

This is a great field, just keep your nose to the grindstone and stay away from negative websites ().  Do not let the comments you read here sway you one way or the other.  I find this to be a personally rewarding field to work in.  I hope that you do, too!  Hang in there and don't give up! 

Does this line of work have a future?  Is it a good field to go into?  I welcome your opinions.

Hello Everyone! first of all, I want to say thank you for all of the great information I have found so far from these boards.  I am very seriously considering being an MT.  I currently work full-time as a Transcriptionist in a Psychologist's office and I really enjoy it.  However, I believe I would enjoy the medical field more.  I have a few questions that I would really appreciate you guys answering...

Can you make a decent living as an MT working for an online company? (i.e. Spheris, Focus or accuscribe?) Currently, I would need to make at least 25k a year to suppliment my husbands income for our family, and I do not mind working full-time. 

I believe I am going to being training with CareerStep... will companies like that consider hiring me if I test and score high enough, even without prior MT experience?

Thank you so much for your help!

but I wouldn't go into transcription today.

I learned transcription the old fashioned way - my boss said "come here and let me show you how to transcribe." It turns out I had a knack for it and did very well. For several years I had no problem finding a job. I was often hired on the spot in many places. All hospitals had transcription departments in house, paid well and offered great benefits.

Gradually though more and more work was outsourced. Then one by one, hospitals closed their transcription departments. Now hospital jobs are extremely rare, yet most companies want you to have hospital experience. The jobs that exist now are mostly with agencies that pay you by the line rather than by the hour. No matter how fast you type you can't overcome the little things that interfere with your line count - foreign accents, mumblers, people talking and laughing in the background drowning out the dictation, line noise, phone lines going down, computer problems, servers going down, being switched to new accounts constantly so you can't adjust, etc.  When those things happen you don't get paid.

It's very sad because I loved being a transcriptionist. Nowadays it's a completey different job than it was one a I started and one I would not recommend. You don't get compensated enough for what is expected of you.

I would recommend finding something that will pay you by the hour and guarantee you have a job. Best wishes to you and your new baby.

and start making a decent living. There are huge differences in companies. You might get paid the same cpl but make much better money with one company over the other. If you keep your eyes open, sometimes you find a really good one. Also be sure you have a good Expander program and keep finding ways to speed up your own typing.