Just depends on who you talk to
Posted By: jellyfish on 2006-07-25
In Reply to: Training - jsanders
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.
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- Training - jsanders
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sex talk
My 11-year-old is looking forward to having "the talk." My sister-in-law gave me a great book to read to him. It has a good amount of humor in it. We have not had the talk yet, but it is coming very soon as my son has been noticing girls a lot more lately.
It sounds like you covered all the bases. I didn't even think about bringing up the girl lying about birth control.
Good job, Mom! I'm sure you are raising a very respectable young man.
I'd talk to a tax specialist ....
IRS laws can be confusing. Many people on the boards can probably give a good overview of the laws and requirements, however different states may require different things. I wouldn't want to be caught in a financial quagmire because of ignorance of local requirements, thus a consultation with a local tax consultant would be my choice.
Talk to your school
Placement can often be tricky, depending on your skills and your flexibility and requirements. If you graduated from one of the 3 AAMT-approved schools, you should be able to get assistance with job placement from the school that you attended. Be sure you take advantage of all that the school has to offer, and ask them to work with you on finding a good fit.
If you are an M-Tec graduate, please be sure to email me for assistance. Some times it just takes a little time to find the right job for you. Don't give up.
Susan
Talk me out of M-TEC and an MT career!
Well, after 6 years of working a deadend IT job, I'm looking into a career change--and I think MT may be the area for me. (I've been making nearly $16.75 at my dead-end job, and I realize that's more than an entry-level MT makes, but this job is completely stagnant, and I've got no job flexibility or prospects in this career.)
I've been browsing sites like AAMT, XXXXX, MT Monthly, and now this one... And reading articles on the KAMT site... And I'm drowning in information overload. I hear such positive and such negative things both!
Example: the US Labor Dept says MT is likely to continue booming for many years, with off-sea outsourcing and voice recognition having only marginal overall effect on the outlook. Meanwhile, people here at MT Stars talk like it's a dead career and discourage newbies from starting in.
Here's why I think I'm a good candidate: I love English and love learning. I have a sharp aptitude for tech skills and I'm a great keyboardist who loves working and playing on his PC. In addition to my computer love and knowledge--being a born SciFi/computer geek--I'm also a successful (albeit smalltime) Shakespearean stage actor. I just starred in two summer productions (Macbeth in "Macbeth" and Athos in "Three Musketeers") for Central Coast Shakespeare Festival in central California. I've got the thick skin and the self-directed drive that comes from years of auditions and taking huge creative risks. I know how to market myself and am not afraid of taking whatever initiative is required.
I've pretty much decided to sign up with M-TEC, but I'm wondering if anyone really thinks I'm a dummy and a dolt for doing so in 2006.
I truly believe I'll excel at starting my own independant MT career--it just seems to fit my strengths, and it could also provide me the flexibility to live where I want and also take whatever acting gigs come my way. If I study nights I could be ready to quit this job within a year, and making close to the same money within 2 or 3, I suspect, with far greater hopes for the future.
So, let me have it with both barrels!! Or alternately, wish me luck if you think I have a decent shot at it...
I second productivity talk sm
I question how helpful it can be having someone send you expanders. You would have to have the Expanders and a list to constantly stop and look at and memorize. Making your own expansions in a way that makes sense to you will boost your productivity faster. If you think you can memorize someone else's system and abbreviations, then go for it.
I just re-read that and hope you don't think it is being snarky - it is honest-to-god advice. I have found the most effective way to make expansions is by creating them on the fly as I am transcribing. When I notice I have typed the same phrase three times in a report I stop right there and make an expansion. For most phrases I use the first letter of each word. For single words you just have to do what makes sense to you. Many of my expansions end in -x so that they are not confused with real words i.e. medsx expands to medications because meds is a word that I might actually use.
Another thing - if you make an expansion for something like "-year-old Caucasian male" take the time to put in the others like it, i.e. "-year-old male," "-year-old African-American male." If you put in "left foot" take the time to do "right foot" and "left leg" and "right leg." It will take some time now, but using a day or two of slow-down now will save you time in many subsequent documents and boost your production quickly.
Do you have an Expander or are you working from AutoCorrect? I can probably make better suggestions once I know what you use. I mainly use Instant Text, so my suggestions might not be relevant to you if you use something very different.
Good luck - developing a system of your own and constantly building on it is the way to go.
You might talk to someone at TRS and inquire about
the possibility of hiring on with them upon graduation. I am a newbie, and still haven't found a place to call home yet, but I do know that TRS also actually does medical transcription as well as having the TRS Institute. It is called Transcription Relief Services, I believe. I have spoken with people there in the past, and they were very nice; however, I have applied there since completing a program at a technical college and they, unfortunately, did not afford me the courtesy of a response or even aknowelegement that they received my resume.
Did you talk to Andrews about that?
I don't think anybody ever said that jobs would be held waiting for Andrews grads. Employers aren't going to hunt you down and beg you to work for them.
There are a number of employers who waive experience requirements for Andrews and MTec grads. They are willing to consider them, which is a BIG benefit, if you ask me.
It's not ALL employers, either. It's just certain ones. A pretty big list, though. Did you use that list? And apply to all of them?
If you did, then you might want to talk to Linda about it. You might be projecting an image that employers are taking the wrong way or something. The employment assistance, from graduation on forever, is included in the tuition so you might as well use it. They can't help you if you don't tell them you're having a problem.
Talk to each school...
I know that both Andrews and M-Tec have people who will answer your questions about job placement and how their graduates are doing. You should ask specific questions (like those posted below) about what types of jobs, how students are doing paywise, how GPA would affect things in addition to the job placement rate.
As a disclaimer, I am currently an M-TEC student about a month away from graduation, so I can't give any specific job hunt info at this time!
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.
It depends on a LOT of things.
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!
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.
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
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.
Depends on the situation
Usually they lump clients together regarding the software that will work with stuff on their end. So all the clients that use (as an example) Lanier and Meditech will go on the "L" platform, and people with experience with those systems will get assigned to that platform and trained on it.
Or it could have to do with specialties. Example - I type only radiology, and have never been trained for the "Basic 4". I will only be working radiology accounts, so I work on the "rad" platform and am only concerned if radiology accounts are out of TAT, approved for OT, etc. If I type for company XZY and they are way behind on Acute Care reports, sorry, I don't type that. Some distinct specialties are split off into their own platforms with their own supervisors and would call themselves some sort of team name. My supe might be over all the radiology MTs, and there may be several subteams under her (such as "L" platform above).
Usually new platforms are scary to current employees, because some companies tend to use us as guinea pigs to work all the bugs out as we go. Its easier for companies to assign new employees to the new platforms because they'll have to learn everything new as it is.
Depends on your perspective.
I recently read posts from MTs that complained they weren't making enough doing MT. They said they were having a hard time taking care of their families. Then some of them went on to say they were making more than $35,000! I would be thrilled to be making $35,000. I do expect to be close next year though (my second year as an MT).
Depends on where you went to school,
MedQuist
Spheris
Focus
RI Unlimited
Princeton
Sten-Tel (out of Springfield, MA)
Successful Office Solutions
I know there are more, but this is all I can think of right now off the top of my head. Hopefully someone will have more suggestions.
It depends on your account
Sometimes MTs, new and otherwise, get accounts like that. On the plus side, it is experience that you can use. Learning some of these difficult ESLs now can be benificial to you when you move on to another job. As far as line count goes, that would be tough. Just do the best you can, at least it is a paying job.
Good luck and God Bless.
depends on circumstances
The great proof for me is that I'm home all the time, we don't have to pay daycare and we save a lot on gas by me working at home. And if you're happy. You have to enjoy what you do. I'm not making a ton of money right now, but all the things above outweigh that for us.
It really depends on your training (sm)
Simply by going to a particular school (online course), most companies will waive their 2 year experience requirement. Make sure you pick a course that is AHDI approved .... http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm. Going this route you will have no problems being able to work from home in the beginning.
It all depends on your employer (sm)
and what they require.
I work a flexible 12-hour window in which I can put in my time at any point during that time frame. I asked for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. which is what I stick to. If there is a time that I need to alter that, it is pretty much always allowable as long as I notify my supervisor. I work employee status for a hospital.
For those that work as an inidependent contractor, they sometimes work on turn-around-time only. They can put in there time here or there as long as the jobs are back within 24 hours' turn around time, for example.
HTH!
It depends on how badly you want it.
I need to work from home. For me it was worth it to search as long as it took. I just found something last week after searching for three months. The job I found really is a miracle job. I would advice people to ask their school for names of other graduates from that program, preferably people that graduated quite some time ago. I was given a name of some one who was said to work for a small MTSO. It turned out that she now is a small MTSO, and she agreed to give another graduate of the same program a shot. She is providing me with all the software, the foot pedal and offered me a much better line rate than I anticipated, given the current market. My advice would be to send out resumes to smaller companies, even if they don't have posted opennings.
again, it depends on where you are - what part of the northern
part of the US?? Smoe people consider Boston to be the northern part of the US, and others may consider Maine, or both to be northern US. Some parts of NY pay differently, same can be said for PA or CT.
Depends too on how much repetition the reports have, sm
I think I would like to see and hear samples before I could figure it out. What happens if the tape is 54 minutes...do you carry over the 6 min extra to the next tape? Or is he saying If I give you 3 30 minutes cassettes a week, it's $60, whether they are full or not. Again if he says a bunch of the same stuff, it could be good! Just use the heck out of your word expander.
Depends on the school. Some actually teach.
Not all schools are just in it for the money. The employers know which ones those are.
Well, that depends. Some hospitals have in-house sm
and others outsource. I have found it depends what state you live in due to the large corporate health systems.
In my state, there are hospitals that hire for at-home positions after 6 months to 1 year of being in-house.
Other hospitals are hiring in-house only, and others only outsource.
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.
What to charge depends on what services
you need to provide. Are you going to have to pick up tapes and deliver completed work back to them, do you do envelopes with the letters, do you print on sticky paper and if so do they provide it, if you have to return work, do you have to return it printed or can you just put on a disk and they print so you need to figure in cost of printing supplies. If they are digital what equipment do they use and do you have equipment that is compatible so you can download work or will you have to buy some equipment/software, how much dictation will they have, etc. If they only have 1 or 2 docs who might only dictate 2 or 3 times a week that is good for you because it gives you plenty of TAT but do they have enough dictation to make it worth your while (especially if you're having to pick-up tapes, provide paper, etc.)
6 cpl is way TOO LOW, I don't care what part of the country you live in. If you are working for a service that is probably would you could expect to be paid, but that isn't near enough to charge if you have your own accounts.
Depends on the power of your expanders
I average 300 lines per hour and on rare occasions have achieved 400 lph with the right dictator when I'm in the "zone". It's all in knowing your stuff and having shortcuts for as many words, phrases, and whole sentences as possible. I know someone who regularly averages 350+ lph.
It depends on the school you went to. If you went to Andrews or
M-Tec you stand a good chance of getting a job. If you took one of the cheaper courses like At Home Professions your chances aren't very good at getting an at-home position, but you might get a position in a local clinic or a hospital. Does your school not offer job placement?
Post your resume on the various job boards.
Frankly you would have been better staying with coding as there seems to be a pretty good demand for that and you'll make more money with coding.
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