Lisa do not get discouraged!
Posted By: Do not let others judge you. sm on 2007-09-19
In Reply to: Newbie - Lisa
Only you can make it happen. I would suggest you look at the job seeker's board here on this site. There is actually a job posted there today that is looking for "newbies". Everyone was new once. I did not attend a course per se. I learned anatomy and transcription in high school. I have many years of experience and am still learning every day. Please, do not let negative posters here misinform or discourage you from your endeavors. Do not fear the fact that you did not graduate from one of these so-called 3 great schools. Your work ethic will say it all, and yes even after 20 years, I still use a spellcheck and still leave blanks. It is inevitable, and you learn each and every day. Keep your chin up, and I am actually liking your attitude towards these negative people. Stand up for yourself as no one else will. There was another company called CLK Transcription that had posted a while back on the job seeker's board that wanted to mentor. This may be an avenue for you to stroll. You may not make the big money (none of us do on-line), but you will gain experience, hence, making it easier to find even your own accounts on-line. Kudos for taking life by the horns and riding it out. This is a great profession and much to be said for a job well done!!!! 
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Do not give up Lisa.
Hang in there. Do not give up because some people are just jeolous and do not want to face their insecurities and would rather tear other people down to gain some self-assurance. There is more to life than that. Take care and God Bless in whatever you decide.
Hang in there Lisa!
Hang in there! Something will come your way that is the right fit. Our oldest son was killed in an accident and his two young babies came to live with us for a year. That is the same time I finished my MT education. I was hired before I finished school. I have worked from home from the beginning. I set my own hours, accept work or turn it down; however, I always meet my 24-hour TAT. There is the right "fit" for everyone out there. Don't get discouraged! 
Lisa, I don't mean to discourage you (sm)
but there are really only 2 factors to consider here:
1) your 6 children, and 2) the funds for MT school.
Personally, I think the fees for the so-deemed "best 3" are
exorbitant. I don't know the ages of your children, so the only comment, or advice, I can offer you is....by the time you get through school and get the number of years of experience to even get close to swimming above water, well....I think you get my point. When I tell people I work for pennies they think I'm kidding. LOL>some things never change. Unfortunately, this line of work is one of them.
Anyone else wish to chime in and help Lisa out please???
Lisa/Tech Skills
Lisa,
Did you attend that in AZ? I almost did that but decided to go another way.
Please read my thoughts on this, Lisa
I think part of the rub from your post, Lisa, is that you seem to think that you seem very self-centered. Honey, unless you have a disabled child that requires you to be in that house 24/7, you do NOT HAVE to work from home. You just want to really bad. Nothing wrong with that!
However, just because we don't tell you what you want to hear does not mean we are being rude. You just simply don't want to hear the truth.
You even said in one of your own replies that you have decided that your children's welfare was more important than hitting the TAT expectations. Great! You've made your decision! At this time in your life, this is probably not for you.
You can have it all, just not all the same time dear. Concentrate on getting your babies into school, then sit down and concentrate on your career while they are safely looked after in school and learning.
I don't see any reply to your thread as rude in the least. Even the newbies who are encouraging you will probably come back shortly to say they have had it with this profession because they cannot make what they want. Most do.
You've taken the really tough road by starting out at home. Learning inhouse is far better, easier on you, and easier on your family, actually.
While they see you typing at the computer all the time right in front of their little faces, they believe that computer is more important than they are. Wait until they are out of the house with school and then work. This way, when they are at their safe, loving home they feel their mommy is really there for them, not the computer.
Trust me, even later as teenagers, they will constantly complain that all you do is work, all you do is sit in front of the computer. You have tough enough times ahead! Don't rush it!
Good luck, dear.
Lisa, I understand your frustration, but I do have to agree with (sm)
Amanda that this must be looked at as a profession and simply not a convenient way to work while staying home with the children. I don't necessarily think you feel that way, but your post does come across as someone who wants their cake and eat it, too! It is very difficult to become an accomplished MT without the benefit of on-site experience, but it most certainly can be done. However, there are dues to pay when it comes to gaining your experience in a home setting and one of them is to be able to gain that experience at someone else's convenience.
Now, I am not saying that you have to be at available at someone's beck and call, but you do have to realize the time, effort and expense it costs the person mentoring you and appreciate the knowledge and insight so freely given to you. Many companies will not even give that chance anymore, so I would take it as a gift rather than an obstacle.
I have raised 2 children by the grace of working at home and without the benefit of a spouse, as I became widowed at a very young age, but that took a lot of determination, scheduling and humility to do so. It is not impossible and my long days and exasberating nights paid off in the end, but only because I was willing to work at it. I can say quite proudly that I have wonderful, well-adjusted children who have reaped the benefits of having their mother with them and have also learned the respect of a hard day's work.
Of course, you can always obtain your own clients and set your own hours, but you will not gain the knowledge that is required to become a proficient MT, as there really is no one to guide you in what you just don't know. However, if all you are after is a paycheck at the end of week without a true respect for this field, that might be the alternative.
I know it is hard - it is very hard, but if you truly want it you will to the lenghs to achieve it with an open mind and the willingness to reach your goals.
I wish you the best!!
Discouraged
coming to the last weeks of a very abbreviated MT course. am thoroughly discouraged--ready to give up--and seems like i can't get ANYTHING right--even the punctuation skills i thought i was GREAT at (versus comparing transcription to keys). all reading on the various specialties has not, for the most part, helped me on many of the difficult words -- never mind the horrid dictating styles!
is there any hope? i am ready to cry before i give up! 
getting discouraged
I am a recent graduate of Career Step and am feeling very frustrated. I got an 86% on the transcription portion of the final exam. Not what they wanted me to get but I was so anxious to find work that I went ahead and applied to MedQuist. I did not get the job, because I only managed to get an 84% on their exam. It seems that no matter what I do I cannot get myself over this mid-eighty percentile. It seems that everyone wants you to have at least a 90%. Now I really don't know what to do. Does anyone have any advice or know of any employers that are willing to give newbies like me a chance. Any reply would be appreciated
Don't get discouraged...
You're best bet would be to try and find a job in a hospital or clinic setting first before trying to work from home. A lot of hospitals are outsourcing nowadays to cut costs so this might take some searching.
There is just no substitution for hands-on experience. I don't know what I would've done without those extra ears from fellow coworkers to help me out with all my questions. I worked in-house for many years before I took the plunge to work from home.
Good luck and by all means don't give up. You just need somebody to give you a chance.
don't get discouraged
Network, apply everywhere and be persistent. Eventually you will find work - it's just a numbers game in the beginning and you have to put yourself 'out there' - everywhere ! Good luck !
Don't get discouraged.
I also just graduated in December. I was getting discouraged about finding a company that would hire a newbie. I had applied and tested for several companies. I was offered a job at the beginning of March and I will be starting my training this week. So keep trying. You will eventually get a job. It may not be a dream job right at the beginning but it will get you some experience.
Discouraged
I have been a psych Transcriptionist for the past 14 years. I am wanting to get back into medical transcription, but the posts here seem so discouraging as far as it being worth going back to school, etc. It appears that everything is being offshored, etc. I do not know if it is worth my time and money. Maybe I should find another profession, huh?
Getting discouraged.
Ok, I have been reading A LOT on this MB for a few days now and asking what I think are the right questions. What school? Is part-time really available?
After many varied responses and further reading I am only more confused. I really do not believe that the MT field is going to dissappear before I finish training, but should I continue to investigate other at-home careers? This just seemed like a great choice as it is a REAL job, not selling something for pennies (been there, done that) or conning people into a pyramid scheme (found PLENTY of those!)
I would love to hear both sides from you guys. Who is happy with the job as a newbie (and I realize it will be tough at first)? And who would have gone another direction if they had known then what they know now -- if so what would you do instead?
I would love to hear from WAH MTs as this is what my goal is (Part-Time only). But I will appreciate all advice!
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don't get discouraged
this is a tricky field to get in to, but if you are persistent, hard working, and willing to be trained, you should do fine. Check the job board frequently, and try to find something that requires recent certificate only; no experience.
Some schools offer an externship. If yours does, jump at the opportunity, even if it is for 5-6 cents per line. I know a lot of people will say don't do it, but I disagree. 20 years ago when I graduated, I pounded the pavement (noone really worked at home back then). I actually begged the medical records director for a job. Told him I would take minimum wage for six months, would never ask the same question twice, and be one of his top producers within a year. Guess what, I was. I worked so very hard that first year, but it paid off. After ten years working in the transcription department and establishing many contacts in the hospital, I was able to come home and work.
There are services out there who will hire new MT's. Since you are close to graduating, this would be a good time to start looking. Check the job board on this forum, and also MTjobs.com. They also have many jobs for MT's.
Good luck.
Amanda, you know what? I sat here all weekend thinking about offering Lisa an IC position (sm)
that might be able to help her out, as I work in 12-hour TATs, but the more I saw the posts left from her, the more I chose not to get involved. I come to this board for the specific reason of offering help, as I feel anyone who truly needs a break should be given the opportunity. However, Lisa has made it blatantly clear that the only opportunity she wants is on HER terms and I actually feel slighted that I was willing to take a chance with someone who comes across the way she has.
Also, I am offended by the fact that Lisa states her first job is "Mom," as if mine is not. Yes, I do WORK as an MT and I work hard at it, but I also am there for every single aspect of my children's lives, including class mother, PTA chairperson, basketball, softball, baseball, dance, etc. I work hard daily for the balance (without the benefit of my wonderful husband) and I MAKE it work for all of us and for that I am rewarded and blessed. How dare someone even critique my abilities, especially as a mother.
First of all, it's way too early for you to get discouraged (sm)
If you read the archives on this forum, you'll see that a lot of newbies went through months of job searching before they found work. But you'll also find that a lot of them DID eventually find work because they did not give up. I myself am a newbie and it took me about 5 months to land my first job. I put the same effort into my job search as I did my schooling and looked/tested about six days a week. Does your school offer any job placement assistance?
Search the internet for medical transcription companies and test with anyone that will allow you to. Even if you don't pass their test it is good practice.
And be forewarned about companies that say they have work for you but you have to pay money upfront. Any legitimate company will not charge you to work for them. Read the posts below for more information about that.
Finally, don't give up, because I know you worked very hard on your education. Once you land your first job then you will gain the experience you need and be able to apply for more jobs in the future. Best of luck to you!
Replying to Suzi who's discouraged
Try a hospital; some are so desperately short-handed, they'll let you earn while you learn & give you that chance. Good Luck! don't give up!
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