It depends on a LOT of things.
Posted By: How many places have you applied to? sm on 2006-04-26
In Reply to: Newbie looking for work - Melissa
Have you systematically inundated companies with your resume? And what's your resume like? Is it EXCELLENT? Does it show the employer all the specialties you've learned? Does it show other experience that might be helpful, such as working at home in a home business (many employers wonder how you will handle being at home) or general transcription, etc.? Are you keeping HIGHLY accurate records of all the places you've applied to and following up with thank you notes even with the places that won't hire you? Have you reapplied after not hearing from them in a couple of weeks? Have you networked on different chat groups with other MTs? Have you placed your resume on any of the sites that take MT resumes (including this one)? What exactly have you done? We need more information!
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Depends on a lot of things
Depends on how long you have been working as an IC, do you have a husband that works and has taxes withheld, what deductions you have as an IC, combined income, etc. My best adcive is that if this is your first year as an IC, to go to an account with your last year's taxes, your husband's (if you are married) last pay check stub, a report of what you have made year to date and what your expenses have been and get some advice. Do not wait until after the first of the year when they are so busy. But for the first year talk to an accountant, pay $50 to $100 for some advice. They are not as busy right now and it could be cheaper than if you wait until the first of the year. Or else, get a copy of Turbo tax and try to do your taxes even it if is based on last year's program and that will tell you what you need. If you are married and have trouble putting aside money, I suggest you have your husband up his withholding, it is easier that way. E-mail me with questions and I will try and answer for you. Patti
Some things to think about regarding
It's expensive and time-consuming for employers to train a new MT. You have to consider this from their perspective. They run a business, not a support group.
Being new to the industry, you won't know this, but the chance you want them to give you requires them to hire someone to, basically, do all your work over again and then tell you what's wrong with it, sometimes for six months. You're asking them to spend in the range of $20-30,000 in addition to what they paid YOU to do the work inadequately . . . so that you can have a chance.
If you've taken an employment test with them and have not scored in the 95% and above range, or, with some companies 98%, they're not going to take you because they believe that after completing a course, you should have been able to make that 95 or 98%. If you cannot, it tells them that you spent a year or two in school and still didn't get the message. They're not going to give you a chance because they think you already had one.
They also look at the school you attended. If that school has a reputation for turning out poor prospects, then the employer knows that hiring you will be a waste. He also knows that you could have determined in advance which schools he will hire from and whose graduates do well, and he thinks that you made your choice about jobs when you chose your school, and if you chose a school that he won't hire from . . . well, that was your decision. Not his. He owes you nothing.
Before you choose a school, do your research. Going with the lowest bidder gets you a low-bid education. You need to go with a school that can demonstrate results. Graduates of those schools do not have trouble getting a job.
If you have already completed a school and cannot get a job, you can go on to a better school, or you can look locally for a physician office employer and work your way up from there.
Most college programs train only at the "physician office" level. Most distance programs train at that level, as well, so you should have the skills for that kind of job. Once there, you can work your way up to a larger office, a larger clinic, perhaps a local hospital. Along the way, you can improve your skills by self study. It may take three to five years, but you can advance that way. It's often less expensive just to take a better course, even if you've already completed one.
If you are just out of school and nobody wants to hire you, they're telling you that your academic preparation is not what they consider to be adequate for the jobs they have.
there's several things to consider.
Are you working 12+ hours because it takes that long to get the required line count, or just to make enough money at your line rate? Under most circumstances, i would work your 1st job for at least 1 year, and maybe more. Many employers will overlook the time requirement, or not be as strict with it, if you have the knowledge and skills in place. Have you asked your present employer for a raise? Are you getting the mentoring that a newbie needs? Do you have worthwhile benefits? If you are getting 'very good' work experience and do not run out of work, it may be worth staying put awhile. E/m me if i can be of more help.
Things to look out for
There are errors in their course material. There are other courses that are more thorough with more accessible knowledgeable staff. Also be aware that there are people, a lot of them former students, out there who are "affiliates" that make a decent income by promoting CareerStep and getting people to sign up for the course.
Yes, but all those things you
mentioned can be written off as business expenses since they are required for your work. There are other write offs and percentages you can take as well by working from home, maybe not the whole heating bill of course.
Like working anywhere, there are always expenses incurred associated with any job.
there are all ways of looking at things
I'm going to respond to you, item by item –
>>>The seasoned MT's and recruiters are using this forum to vent on their frustration with the newer MT's.<<<
What I saw was one harshly worded message from MTSO. As a former business owner myself, I see where they are coming from. While I do not agree with the manner in which they expressed their views, I can look beyond their frustration and understand how they feel. Try to look beyond how MTSO expressed their views and focus more on what they were saying.
>>>This is just my opinion, but if you need to put others down to make yourself feel superior go to the site where the seasoned MT's are.<<<
Putting others down to make yourself feel superior is what kids do. And why are you using the term “seasoned MTs" when you speak of people with a lot of experience. You make us sound like a steak going on the grill.
>>>This site is for newer MT's that need advice and a place to talk to other new MT's. Seems inappropriate for the experienced MT's to jump on this site to talk about what makes them mad about the newer MT's.<<<
What MTO did is give you serious advice, and you need to seriously consider WHAT was said rather than HOW it was said. And if you want to speak of what’s inappropriate, I feel it is very inappropriate for someone trying to break into the industry to post messages on the Main Board asking for help with their test.
>>>Has it been that long that we cannot remember what it was like, or was it like this.
Every day of my life. And I was grandfathered for this job. I never went to school for it. If you had a good ear and good spelling skills, you received on-the-job training. I vividly remember my first day on the job ... I think I transcribe 250 lines in 8 hours. And the work was filled with blanks and errors. Now, I'm asked to do some dictators that more experienced MTs say they can’t do.
>>>I did not have to apply for a job with my computer. I actually got to speak face to face with someone hiring. Maybe if my lack of experience did not charm them, I could. I think it is harder to apply on paper than it was for us in person.
I agree with this. I do very well with face-to-face interviews. With respect to applying for a job over the Internet, it’s become “dog eat dog” so to speak. With so much being outsourced to foreign countries, there are thousands of MTs in this country who are fighting for the same jobs with the same companies. You’re no longer a person; now, you’re a white piece of paper with black ink on it. And that’s all you have to sell yourself beyond the competition.
<<<Let's lighten up a little bit ladies and play nice.<<<
Kill joy! 
mastering these things?
Doesn't a lot of this come with time? It's seems like with transcription, like anything, you have to jump in there and do it. If your serious about it, will you not learn to master all these things over time? I mean anyone can do anything they really put there mind to.
Cannot say enough good things about M-TEC!
You get what you pay for! :-)
Cannot say enough good things about M-TEC!
I graduated from the premier program nearly 8 years ago now and have been employed at home since graduation. I had numerous offers to test because many companies will waive the 2-year experience requirement for MTEC grads. I had job offers every place I tested, so I had my pick. Like the other poster said, go to their site and research or call them up. Best of luck to you! 
A couple of things...
1. People who hire do read these boards so, for your own sake, watch spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
2. Have you tried contacting your school for help with your job search? That should be your first step.
Lots of luck.
These questions seem like things
your instructor could answer better than anyone here could. In general, when to edit for grammar, what format to use, and how to decode mumblers are all things that you will get better at with more and more practice, so don't get too discouraged. For those hard to understand dictations, try playing at different speeds (even faster) and going back to the difficult parts after you have transcribed the entire report. As you do more and more reports, you can look back through them to figure out what a dictator might be most likely to say at that point, which may give you a clue. Another trick is to put key phrases around the part you can't understand in Google and see if you come up with something. You can put an asterisk for the part you can't understand and put the key phrase in quotes and sometimes that will help, for example "* prostatic hypertrophy."
It can really help to say it out loud in the doc's accent! Really! Some things just pop out at yo
s
Unless you are facinated with all things medical
.
Thank you so much for you honesty. The things you said are very true. I only wish I had read some
Hard to tell as each company does things differently.
I'm sure they'll ask the basics about your experience, what work type you prefer, hours/lines you can do each day, etc. They may ask you questions to see how well you know your stuff. They should also ask you if you have any questions and they should tell you what they are looking for, what their platform is, how they pay, etc.
typo, fascinated by all things medical. nm
.
Moving to California and selling a few things
Hi All,
I am taking a long break and moving to California. Yeap that's right I am just up and leaving. So I must travel Lite.
I am in search of a house to rent--so if any of you Californians know of a place I would appreciate it.
I am selling: This would be great for someone thinking of evidently having their own accounts.
C-phone and headset with instruction manual (paid $200)
USB universal foot pedal (paid $100)
Panasonic Cassette transcriber with foot pedal (regular cassette) (paid $250) Great for those doctors still using regular cassettes or great doing general transcription work.
Resource materials:
Medical Transcription Guide Do's and Don'ts 3rd edition (this is the most recent one) (paid $44)
Nurse's Pocket Drug Guide
PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook
Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary 27th edition
Sloane's Medical Word Book
The AAMT Book of Style
Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Illustrated in color) 28th edition with CD
The language of Medicine with CD inside
Medical Transcriptionist's Desk Reference (Carolyn Collins-Gates)
CD transcription sample reports
I would like to sell all as one price so best offer.
I hate it when husbands INSIST on things ...
when they don't know what they're talking about!
Way too many people drop out of MT courses, the schools are smart enough to get all the money up front.
Plus there is the "monitor" board to report things, look at left - nm
s
I think jealousy makes the unsuccessful schools say bad things about the others
If I had a really bad school that nobody liked and it had a really bad reputation, what would I do? I would claim that education doesn't matter. I would tell people that you don't need all those books and materials because you learn it all on the job anyway. I would tell people that all schools are horrible. In other words, I would try to bring everyone else down to my level. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't why we see so much negativity about schools when the graduates tell a different story. Graduates of schools that do a good job say it was worth it. Graduates of stinky schools say they wish they had done it differently. Then someone yells that all schools are bad. I think they protesteth too much.
Sorry, I read the wrong post. I had way too many things on my mind.
but that said, I think the local hospitals would be your best bet. You can get invaluable experience there. Especially with acute care.
Good luck with your job search. WIll keep you and your family in my prayers.
Only 1 post recently from someone who heard good things and wished they
s
...You'll get questions & answers right away, make contacts. See things done as
s
Thank you Corp Anon! Everytime I say those things, somebody starts with the "oh, you're so neg
whining. But as an MTSO, I couldn't agree more. The resume is your first contact with the MTSO. It had better be good because you only get one shot to go on to the next round.
Just type what you hear. Lots of things are repeated in differnent notes.
s
It depends...SM
I have some very good dictators who dictate in quiet areas, but I have others who dictate from their cell phones, which is horrible. I also have one who dictates from the cafeteria in a children's residential center with kids screaming and hitting things in the background. The good news, however, is that after you have done those dictators several times, you begin to understand them even when the sound quality isn't that great. Don't get discouraged. You eventually develop an ear for it and can learn to block out the background noise. Good luck!
It depends on whether
you need to hone your typing skills or not. Knowing your word processor helps a lot. I worked with MSWord for years prior to changing careers. However, my first two employers needed Word Perfect knowledge. Not much difference there. Aside from your typing skills, work on listening skill, too. For me, the toughest was learning the medical terms for each area but you'll get the hang of it.
It depends...
I have made, starting out hourly, about $8 an hour (8 years ago), then started at another hospital 5 years ago, started at 12 something an hour, then we got incentive pay and with incentive sometimes made up to $16 an hour. If you have high line counts you can make 20+ per hour. But of course also depends on how they calculate a line count......good luck!
It really depends
on the company you work for. If you are just looking for a pedal to do practice work or test files, I recommend an Infinity pedal. I got mine brand new on ebay for about $20.00. It's a 15-pin serial port pedal and works great with Express Scribe. But each company has different requirements, so if you haven't gotten a job yet, just remember that you may have to purchase another pedal to meet their requirements (that will work with their software).
depends who else wants the job
if experienced people are getting 7, you probably won't have a chance.
It depends on why you want to do MT...
There are lots of changes in the field right now. Many are just trying to hold on until retirement. Some believe jobs will always be there. It is a good job if you want to work from home. It is not a good job if you hope to become rich or if you are not self-motivated. Think about it and decide if it is for you or not.
Depends.
Some doctors will never be voice recognized because they are terrible dictators. If you get onto an established account, then you will have less typing but you will never have 100% editing.
Depends on the MT - 1.5 hr to 3, 4,
It varies with the MT and with the dictator. Very experienced MTs might take only 1.5 hours. Others might take 2-3 hours. New MTs might take more, and student MTs might take . . . days.
If there is a lot of material in the 1 hour's worth of dictation, then it will take longer. If there is a lot of dead air, it might be possible to transcribe it in an hour flat.
Depends on if you want a job or not.
If you need to work at home and want to get a job right out of school, there are only two reliable choices, Andrews or MTec.
Read the archives. Look at the numbers of people who complain about not being able to get a job after graduating. It's not because there are no jobs -- jobs in MT go begging. It's not because they're stupid, either. It's because only two schools teach MT effectively enough to virtually guarantee you a job. They cost more for a reason--they have hgh-quality programs with instructors.
National services will test and hire their grads without hesitation, and those grads invariably get up to speed quickly and make it past the 2-3 month point of employment.
I think that depends on the company
I think some companies but a time frame on when you can test again if you do not do well the first time. Good luck
Depends on how fast you are...sm
I would hazard a guess that a beginning MT, working on a new account alone at home, with unfamiliar words, having to re-listen, research, might make...mmm $4 an hour? That's why experience is so valuable.
depends upon the company
The company I'm an IC with is located in CA but I live in TN. Since I've had a problem with my sleep for *years,* it was an ideal situation in terms of what accounts to put me on. I'm in charge of H&Ps on three specific accounts. They need the reports by 6 a.m. their time, which is 8 a.m. my time. No problem. It's rare for me to sleep until 4:45 a.m. Usually, I'll get up around 2:30 to 3 p.m. I just go back to sleep for a few hours when the morning rush is done. My work day ends by 4 p.m. my time, which is 2 p.m. their time.
depends on the hospital
There is hospital near me who will take on beginning MT's who have typing and medical terminology skills. They work with you for up to a year before you go on your own. They pay about $11.75 an hour to start. But, then there is another hospital that requires years of experience. You need to check with you local hospitals to see what their requirements are.
depends on how much schooling they go for
After high school, go into the armed forces or live at home for a while with mom and dad.
Same to be said for most 2-year associates degree.
After BS degree, probably can find something to sustain independent living. Absolutely after a masters. Pick of your field with a PhD.
That is today's reality. Don't just wait for your kids to finish high school. I would recommend (and probably get kicked around for saying so) taking the kids to Belgium to finish schooling is much better and if they finish in the top percentiles, their college education is also free. Belgium kids routinely score 40% higher than their US equivalents on the very (repeat very) same tests. My nephew's presence in the US Marines was welcomed after he finished his education there. Knowing 3-4 languages fluenty in our global economy is nothing to sneeze at. If you really wants you kids to succeed and don't want to leave the US, then teach them different languages to speak and the earlier in life it is started, the easier for them to learn. Translation is going to be a necessity for doing most things in another 10 years.
It depends on the training...
that the new MT has. With proper training, it wouldn't be a problem. If you are trying to do the job without the proper training, it is much more difficult.
Just depends on who you talk to
When you select a school, be sure to enroll in a program that can offer you some job support or a program like Career Step's Spheris Training Track, which can lead directly to employment. Maybe other schools have something similar. Just be really clear about what your school will provide you with when you start your job search. Some schools don't offer any support whatsoever. There are companies who hire beginners. New grads get jobs every single day. I haven't graduated yet, but I know that though sometimes it takes a while to get that first job, almost everyone at my school who has wanted a job upon graduation has found one within a couple of months, and high honors grads usually get multiple offers.
Buy Olympus DS-2. Then it depends if
you want it to be completely automated or the front desk have to drop and drag. If you want it automated, go to DocShuttle's web site and look at their DocShuttle Administrator, Dictator and Client. If you will be the only transcriptionist, then look at their Eshuttle Email program, same site. Otherwise, you can set up an FTP site and then use a free ftp software, like ftpsurfer. The front desk can drop and drag the files up to the ftp site.
Email me if you have any more specific questions... but it sounds like Eshuttle would do it.
Not a rumor ... it depends ...
If you are an employee at a company that offers benefits, then you get them. If you are an independent contractor or subcontractor, you don't.
So if you need health insurance or other benefits, you have to be an employee and work for a company that supplies benefits.
It all depends on how well you can understand
the dictators and how good you are at proofreading. I have been editing for a long time, and even with a lot of experiences I have some really low line days, and I get paid by the line.
Take this into consideration: How fast you are and how accurate you are equals how many lines a day you can proof. How much do they pay per line versus hourly. It is pretty easy to determine.
Depends on the company
I have a part time that requires 2500 per week part time and two that have no requirement. I generally do 2000+ lines per day with them all combined.
It depends on where you went to school.
If you graduated from one of the AAMT-approved schools, some companies will waive the 2-3 years experience. I received my first job offer before I even graduated and I am starting with a second company in a couple of weeks.
If you graduated elsewhere, you may have more luck looking for in-house work at local hospitals or clinics.
Good luck!
It depends on where she wants to work.
If she wants to work locally, then a local college program would be best. But if she wants to work online for a national, most of them do not recognize local college MT programs. She would want to use a reputable online school like Andrews or M-Tec (and NOT one of the cheaper schools).
Depends on the company
It is harder to get a raise with one of the big nationals. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to ask. Talk to your supervisor and give her the reasons you feel you deserve a raise. List your good qualities such as dependability or good grammar skills. You have a 50/50 chance! Good luck to you.
I think it also depends no where you work
When I worked as an IC, I ran out of work and I also had days where I had very sporadic work which didn't help my paycheck. Now that I'm an employee at a local nephrology clinic, I never run out of work, sometimes I have too much work, and I there is ever a day when the doctors aren't working, I still get paid for an 8 hour day. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. After reading some of the horror stories, I consider myself lucky.
It depends on a lot of factors.
I charge 13.5 cpl, but I do everything digitally. I do not pick up tapes or print out documents. If I did, my rate would be much higher. I also have a very long TAT. For shorter TATs, I charge more. Also, consider your cost of living. If you live in a high-cost area, you should charge more.
Good luck.
I think it depends on where you work
I work from home locally and I get yearly raises.
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