Is it worth taking the RMT exam?
Posted By: new MT on 2007-11-17
In Reply to:
Does passing the RMT exam help you find a job if you have no experience? I'm wondering if I should try to take this test.
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The courses worth taking are M-Tec and Andrews. Their graduates
are usually able to get jobs without 2 years of experience that is normally required. Is if worth it? Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it. If you just want to do this PT, in addition to a FT job, it might be okay for a short time, but it gets harder and harder to make a living as an MT. A lot of companies use offshore MTs, they get the good work and the crap gets left for us, or it all goes and we get stuck editing it for pennies and you end up working for minimum wage. You'll also burn out in a short time trying to do both.
if there is just you and you don't care to have a life then it would be okay and if you have a knack for it you can make some decent money. If you are a respiratory tech in a hospital talk to people in your department. Maybe you can start out doing work-related transcription without having to go to school and you can get a small taste of what it is like to see if you really want to pursue it.
Physical Exam
Does anyone know of any good sites (or books that are not too pricey) that describe the steps of a PE? I have found bits and pieces here and there, but nothing that puts it all together. I type for orthos and sometimes they lose me on the provocative testing words. I am mainly looking for PE samples/explanations for things like: knee, shoulder, hip, wrist, ankle. I have a reference sheet that states their normals, but sometimes they do a test that isn't on the sheet and of course that is when they mumble and I just can't hear it properly. I think it would be helfpful for me to be able to picture the steps of the exam as they are dictating them.
Thanks for any ideas!
She is wrong--- you cannot even take the CMT exam -sm
until you have 2 years experience first of all, and yes it is through AAMT - they use an independent company that has offices all over the U.S. to give the test. No community college can offer it either, and it costs a lot more than $150 to take; AAMT member can take it for less, and non-members pay a bit more (~$300 or so), not sure of the exact prices but you can go to the AAMT website and they lay it all out, requirements, prices, etc. This is the ONLY CMT exam in existence. All you get in a course is a "certificate" for completing the MT course you took, it is NOT the same thing. You need to straighten your friend out, any company will know she is lying (however unintentionally) about being a CMT if she has no job experience.
What CMT exam? What college are you attending? (sm)
What CMT exam would this be? What organization sponsors it?
Yes, there are a number of groups offering "certification" exams, but there is only ONE recognized exam, and that is the CMT exam offered by the AAMT.
Somebody pops up monthly, it seems, offering some half-baked "exam" or other. Nobody recognizes them.
You can take them if you want, but they are a waste of your time and money. Most of them are only a means to get you to shell out money for the test, for the alleged "certification," and for continuing education units in the years after. And it's all a complete WASTE.
This is almost as big a scam in MT as crummy schools.
Please do your homework and find out exactly what this is before you spend money on it.
If it is not the AAMT exam, it is not recognized by anyone. And if it is the AAMT exam, you can't take it anyway because you don't have 2 years of experience.
Don't think that taking a different exam is going to help you get a job, because it won't. If you pass it and claim to be certified, employers will assume that you are misrepresenting your credentials and they won't hire you.
flunked my 1st employment exam
I just took my first employment exam ever with Transolutions. I really wanted that job because it seemed like the best company that still takes dialup. I live near the edge of nowhere and we don't get DSL. You have to have a 96 to pass the test, and I got a 93.9%. I am so bummed. Anybody else ever flunk one of these? Any tips on how to improve? Any job leads?
How can you sit for the CMT exam without the 2 years' experience required?
.
That's because CS doesn't have an entrance exam, they will take money from anyone
regardless of whether they have a snowball's chance in you-know-where of ever making it as an MT.
Unfortunately, you need 2 years' work experience to take the CMT exam. NM
x
I doubt its "the CMT exam" which AAMT has some organization
the test you are referring to is probabky your final exam there at the school and you will receive a "certificate" for MT, not the same thing. Also it cost $300 or so and you must have a minimum of 2 years experience working as a MT before you are even allowed to take the test. Go to the AAMT web site and look up the test certification requirements.
My final exam was all but ' simple, easy, clear
transcription. It was 70 pages long, 98% accuracy, the audio was mediocre. It was a good school, but not M-Tec or Andrews.
taking the course
HERRO??? I thought that taking the MT course would be a great idea having a past career in nursing and health insurance, but now that I'm about 1/2 way thru, I feel SOOO incompetent due to my grammar and punctuation errors. I posted a portion of a transcript to see if my punctuation was correct and the moderator deleted it...Another thing that confuses me is that a sentence can begin with "comes into er today..."; but in other parts of the transcript, if the sentence isn't grammatically correct, it's wrong. WTH? Anyhow, can anyone direct me to the best way to relearn punctuation/grammar as my educators will not reply to my e-mails or return my calls! Great school...javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
Help with taking test
Hi there....I'm hoping somebody can help me. I have to take a test using Windows Media Player (no foot pedal yet), and I can't figure out how to type in Word and still be able to use the keyboard keys. Any tips would be much appreciated.
How long is it taking all new MTs
I have been at this job for almost three months and I have yet to rest the goal everyday in one week. I can't wait until my little ones are in daycare/school again!
Taking Tests
I am considering MT as an at-home career also and I wanted to know what is the procedure to sending in resumes, taking the tests, etc.? Also, are you hired on an hourly basis or by the amount of lines you can produce in a certain time? Any help and advice you can send my way is very much appreciated.
It will depend on what course you are taking.
nm
I am taking Career Step course and ...
if you go to their forums, you can find that a lot have gotten jobs. The Career Step course is self-motivated. You do a lot on your own, but you have a support group to help when you need it. I have never had a problem w/ getting a reply back when I have needed one. It is taking me over a year to finish because I work full-time, and I am transcribing for a dentist that I started working for after I started the transcription portion of the course. Again, you have to be self-motivated, but don't you have to do that with almost everything?
Advice for taking the test!!
Just nervous.
Yeah, and if you can't make it as an MT after taking the VLC course,
you can always take their basket making class.
spare me - taking a MT course is not going to guarantee a job
can we skip the sell job here? She has experience, might need some QA with different work but certainly NOT a training course.
It all depends on the training course you are taking
If it's not Andrews, M-TEC, or Career Step, you're going to have a much harder time finding an at-home job. Not that it can't be done, just will be harder.
Thanks for taking time to answer.
x
Taking a quiz - I'm stumped!!
We do not allow test/exam/quiz questions on this site.
Moderator
It's called taking advantage. SM
Two weeks at no pay? Two year contract? Please. More like 2 years of indentured servitude. Good luck with that.
Are you taking tests and failing or not even getting responses? nm
s
When taking the online test with companies...
...that offer it, is it acceptable to use reference materials. I didn't see anywhere on the page that I couldn't. Just askin'.
I've replaced them in a desktop, taking apart a
laptop isn't quite as easy and I'd recommend you have a professional do it.
There is no difference in working on a laptop versus a desktop. If there is a problem it may either be an equipment issue, such as the sound card, or a setting issue. Maybe you need to update drivers or something similar. I've worked on a laptop exclusively for 6 years.
Hi, 'me': You suggest taking a mentoring program
for newbies.
Could you name some companies or schools which offer mentoring programs?
TIA
Taking classes for medical terminology and "some transcription"
Most nationals will only consider you if you are an actual graduate of one of the AAMT-approved courses. If not, she may look for local clinics who are willing to train.
is it worth it?
to spend the $3500, time and effort to learn MT and then have the fear of not having work or dealing with a less than reputable company waiting for my checks when they are late or they bounce?
I have to admit some of the posts scare the heck out of me? Am I the only one scared of this aspect of the business?
is it worth it?
It's not as bad as it sounds on these boards. A lot of complaining, but it isn't that bad. I have made a pretty darn good living at it and I get to work from home, don't have to pay those high gas prices! Don't let these folks scare you. They just like to see themselves talk!
Is it worth it to become an MT??
I am currently taking courses to become an MT, but from reading some of the post on this board about the difficulty finding work, or making any real money, I am left wondering if this career choice is really worth pursuing. I am not fully concerned with working from home, although I am sure anyone would agree that would be nice, I can work in an office just as well. Can anyone give me some positive advice? I don't want to waste anymore money or time if this profession is that hard to get into. TIA! S.C.
Is being a MT worth it
If you have small children & have a hubby that makes $90+ a year, perfect. Otherwise, women in this profession of 30 years have had to claim bankrupcy. Not too good. Used to be a proud profession,now the work mentality with outsourcing, etc., makes me wonder if HIPAA was tuned up, so people couldn't see the sloppy records that go to insurance companies, courts, etc. Mary
Is it Worth It?
It seems people have widely different experiences. I read a lot of negative posts when I was student, and it made me nervous that I had picked a "dying" field. Of course, people have been saying that about the MT field for years. My experience is that I went to a top-notch school with an excellent reputation (M-TEC) and was hired by a large national before I even graduated or had begun looking for work (my school called me and said this company wanted to hire 5 of its new grads to start immediately after graduating). It was honestly the easiest job I have ever gotten. I didn't even have to take a test. I work full time with benefits and incentives, and should easily make $24,000 my first year. I believe I can make 30,000 or more my second year. This is not really great money compared to a lot of other fields, but I believe its a reasonble wage for being able to work at home, not wasting time and money commuting, etc. It's what I want to be doing now and I'm very happy. Well-trained MTs are VERY much in demand, I believe. Make SURE you pick a good school. That's the ticket to getting that first job.
it is worth it
now it depends on what your goals are. Mine was to stay at home with my newborn while helping augment our family income. I am doing both now and I am pretty satisfied. I do have more goals to accomplish and I'll get to that in time.
For what its worth
I personally don't lump all "newbies" in together. It is pretty obvious by the questions that are asked who is taking advantage and who isn't. Even us old-timers get stuck on words now and then and this is a wonderful place to get some really good possible answers. I am always amazed and what the responders can guess out of a s/l or phonetic spelling with just a phrase to go on and no voice.
It is worth it!
There are many MT jobs out there. Every time I go to my doctor or the pediatrician they are asking me if I would type for them. Our hosptials always have overflow they will give out and I even had another Transcriptionist recommend me to a doctor because she already had too much to do and could not take on any more.
It can be difficult to get your first job (as most want experience) but if you are willing to start out working in the clinic or hospital it will be a little easier to find a job. If you want to work from home it may be a little more difficult but there are national companies that will hire new transcriptionists, it just takes a little time. Our hospital has a program where you work six months at the hospital and then they will set you up to work from home if you want to.
If you are worried about voice recogition, don't. I have been editing files transcribed by voice recognition and there is no way that voice recognition will ever not need editing and most doctors don't want to edit their own reports. I love being able to stay hom and still contribute to our income. My biggest problem is being offered more work than I want.
Is it worth it?
I am disabled and need to train in a new profession. After some reading and researching, I wonder if I should learn MT.
With so many jobs going to India, Philipines, etc is there really work (and I mean work that will pay me enough money to more than survive) in the US?
With Dragon, is it easier for non English speaking persons to transcribe? I am really nervous. I can't waste time and money learning something that is no longer offered here.
Is it worth it?
It's worth it
If you are a self-motivated person than I do think it is worth it. I took classes through an online program, the SETT program, which gave me an excellent background for MT work. I chose to work out of my home and it was very convenient and profitable for me. I chose how much and when I wanted to work.
If you really want it, then it will be worth it!
If you are doing this for less stress and more time with your family and to be home only, then don't do it....It takes a lot to get started and if you want to make money you have to type long hours. I work for a small company and also do some work on the side for a local therapist. At first, I had my doubts about getting into this career because I never that it would be so stressful and hard. I would work almost full time hours and bring in 300 dollars every two weeks. I have more than doubled that since and I love what I do.. With anything the beginning is hard, but the job is alot better than a lot of other things. I also like the fact that I get to learn some much everyday on the job...Good luck to you!!
I do think it is worth it.
In my opinion I think it is worth doing it. That is something only you can decide though. Unfortunately, through Canada, the course is more expensive than the US. For me, it was worth it and I'm a happily employed from home MT. If I were you, I would continue especially if you have job placement assistance like I know I had through CS.
GOOD LUCK!!!
the course is thorough and worth the $
So what if someone is an affiliate and gets a cut.
Yes, it is worth it. sm
I did their Jumpstart program after training and I highly recommend it. You learn a lot in Jumpstart and it is all relevant because you will be working on real reports with account specs. Corie has an awesome knowledge base and is very encouraging. I've been working steady since completing the program. Great experience during Jumpstart and post Jumpstart. There is plenty of work. Do yourself a favor and contact Corie at Meditec. Some people are skeptical of internships, no doubt with good reason as there are some scams out there, so you have to be careful. I know I wanted a training program that had an internship attached for the experience. I can tell you I got my money's worth and then some. I consider my entire experience with Meditec an investment in myself and future and I'm satisfied with what I got.
That's less than 1 day's worth SM
of work and you want it spread throughout a whole week. I can't imagine any service even trying to work with you on that.
This is a time-sensitive business. If I owned a service and someone wanted to work for me with that kind of a schedule, I'd tell them to look elsewhere. Someone who wants to work this little is probably not going to be too dependable. Even at 8 cpl, this only amounts to $80.00 a week. You can make that in 1 day at Target.
Is it worth it!!!!!!!!!?????
"Quoting" Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it. "Unquote"
Oh my goodness what a statement! That sounds like you're unhappy with your job, or have been at some point. THOSE ARE EXACTLY the reasons I do it from home. Well, small child anyway.
I have been working from home for 16 years as of October 6, and frankly I would never go back to an office. Working from home has allowed me to move in with my elderly mother and care for her during her Alzheimer days until her death, be with her during her cancer experience years before that, and be with my newborn and throughout her life. She is 5 now and doesn't know what it's like for a mommy to go "off to work" although she does know that when I'm working, I can't be incessantly at her disposal. I am an older mom and will probably be given about 25 years with her, so being able to sit and hold her in a sling while I worked was worth every moment.
At any rate, it really is "to each his own," because not only medical transcription, but also working from home, doesn't fit everyone. I think Redpen gave you excellent suggestions. Good luck!
my opinion...take it for what it's worth
but when I read your post your grammer was good and you seemed very bright. These are things you cannot learn in medical transcription school. When you finish your schooling and if you have any trouble landing a job, I suggest you revisit this site and as eloquently as your post above, ask for someone to mentor you. I do not think you will have a problem at all. Good luck.
Here is my 2 cents worth
Sometimes clinic work won't really be for a few doctors, it'll be for a system of clinics often with very, very short reports with just as much fact checking and account specs as any other place. You might be surprised and find your speed much slower for a while, I know I was.
Teaching hospitals often have the best and the worst of dictators. Residents are honing their craft and learning to dictate well is a part of that. I think we all have to bear with them. Eventually, they will improve.
As for the group of seven hospitals all with different specs, sure it will take you a while to get up to speed. It would take anyone a while to get up to speed. Granted it would be very nice if the company you work for would just give you one hospital per month to get a good grip on the specs before adding another. But, unfortunately, MTSOs are not so considerate anymore. You do sound to be learning them and basically doing okay.
My first MT job was for a teaching hospital too, only there I could do operative notes, but no ER. I had to look up a lot of words/phrases here and there. I looked up things just to make sure I knew what they were. I probably wasted a lot of time. For my efforts, I started off making less than minimum wage and was stuck at about $4.00 per hour for close to a year as far as speed goes, so I would work 12 hour days or as long as I could in a day. But after a while, I broke that and started to make a bit more per hour and in my day. I discovered I was flying through some dictators, while others still held me back. Eventually, it does get better if you hang in there. We who work at home are production employees or ICs and not hourly employees. I started feeling better about my speed, production and myself once I put that into perspective. I also increased my speed and production once I got it off my mind and concentrated on each job at hand. I also set myself line goals for the day, say 800, 1000 or 1200, whatever you feel comfortable with and worked steadily until I met that daily line count, which increased my pay also.
I did not start using ShortHand until I was working for about a year. It certainly does help. Anymore I do so much editing that it is not as much help as I had hoped it would be. I think that really depends on the account(s) you have. Shorthand is nice, but is limited with editing. And as far as editing goes, it is crap everywhere. I just decided to bite the bullet and accept it. I actually don't mind it so much now. But, again, that really depends on the account as some are better than others.
I sincerely do not think you should beat yourself up over your concerns. Despite what schools and MT advertisements tell us, it really does take a while to learn to be a really good MT. We all have been where you are (and some of us never thought we'd get through it to make decent money), but with continued practice, patience and confidence in yourself, it will all get better. I myself would think twice about leaving any job right now in this economy. I've had enough jobs so far to know the grass isn't always greener in another pasture.
I hope my perspective was helpful to you. It is, after all, only my opinion.
God bless you.
MTEC - Because for what it's worth
I had 4 job offers within 2 weeks of graduating. Four years later, I'm still at the company I went to work for right out of school.
My opinion, for what it's worth..
I haven't read the other replies, but a few things struck me from your message. First, if you had researched MT as much as you say, then why did you choose At Home Professions? Secondly, finding "MTStars" isn't the Holy Grail of MT information, LOL. Actually, MTStars is great because if a newbie does find this message board, they'll run like the wind from medical transcription and leave more work for the rest of us. Either way, this message board is more or less and "venting" site. Most of the folks that have nothing to complain about are busy doing their jobs, and there are plenty of them. I've been reading MTStars for years, don't really post much, but at least I get a laugh or two every day.
Worth being a medical transcriptionist
Yes, it sure is worth being a medical transcriptionist.
It is worth it, but with a couple of caveats (sm)
It can take several months to two years to train for this profession, depending on where you get your training and how many hours a day you can put into it. Then, it can take up to several months or more to land your first job (again, depending on where you get your schooling - M-Tec grads get placed right out of school sometimes). And when you do get your first job, chances are your pay isn't going to be great at first because "newbies" are generally hired at a decreased rate, and it also takes a while to get your speed and line counts up.
But, like I said, it is worth it.
There was a posting on the Job Seeker's Board here last week (I think) for a company that was offering a unique opportunity for disabled transcriptionists. If you didn't see it, be sure to check it out.
Lastly, check in regularly on these boards. Yes, there is some sarcasm and negativity, but mostly it's people willing to help other people, and I have learned a lot from here. Best of luck to you in whatever decision you make!
MT Schools worth the time
I have been being trained by friend of mine who has been a Transcriptionist for 15 years for 6 months. I feel like I need to still take a course to complete my training. I see many references on this website to the top 3 schools. Can someone please tell me the names of these top 3 schools. Any help is appreciated.
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