Not a hard and fast rule anymore. Strictly up to QA and
Posted By: what client wants anymore. NM on 2007-09-24
In Reply to: Reply - jodi johnson
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Are you strictly trying to find a home-based job? if so, (sm)
I would suggest that you consider working on site in an office or hospital for a period of time. At home you don't have the support group that you really need when first starting out. Best of luck to you!
You are the exception to the rule, isn't fair to make people think ANYONE can do it. nm
x
I don't think so. Not anymore. Used to be
GREAT but you must understand, medical transcription is now available in a global market. The Internet has made it possible for every Tom, Rick and Harry in India to make their services available. These people are not dumb. They are very hard working. Most of them hold TWO master's degrees. Now, granted their quality is not too good now... but just wait. Let them get a few years under their belts and you will really see India take off as competitors. Furthermore, on a DAILY BASIS, I hear from others in MT who lose jobs to voice recognition, which now works, and electronic medical records, a point and click system. My own service holds a physical therapy account that brings in $70,000 per year. Five people work part time on it and the department is now implementing a voice recognition system. Bye Bye Gravy Account. In the Big Services, i.e. Medquist, etc. they have gone to voice recog with back end editing. What it really means is the MT goes in and cleans up what the computer missed. Now it used to be you could get 9, 10, cents per line typing the report. But editing takes JUST AS LONG, only because it's "easier" you only make 5, 6, 7 cents per line. The customer gets it at a lower price, the service keeps its margin, the MT gets screwed. The only dictators left to do are the ESL, and what a bear. So if you want to invest $4000 to make $4 per hour, IF you land a job, be my guest. I have 20+ years watching this field, and it's on its way out. If you think things are bad now, check back in another year. They will be much, much worse.
When you don't hear from QA anymore nm
//
Industry certainly isn't the same anymore - sm
I'm a +35-year MT and still going strong, had my own business, worked in-house for hospitals/docs, done it all, work for MTSO now, but just like other industries, a lot has changed and most not for the good. I have stayed with an MTSO for only a couple of reasons - My husband has been transferred many times over the years all over the country and this is one job that I can keep doing wherever my next address is . . .I can visit family and take my work with me when I travel. It is a very isolating profession to be at home, lack of social networking and getting to meet people in new areas.
I have numerous docs for medical conditions and not one of them uses a Transcriptionist anymore, all have their own laptops they carry around. So much is offshored, VR is taking over for many facilities, and many transcription services have been gobbled up over the years by larger ones, also much of it not for the good . .I am just hoping to hang on for 10 more years until I can retire, but I'm not even sure how much of a demand there will be for my years of knowledge and quality work - it's all about the bottom line for these MTSOs and medical facilities - I saw the writing on the wall about 20 years ago or so in Calif when managed care started. One doctor I worked 15 years for was very involved in fighting it with insurance companies as HMOs moved in, of course, to no avail. It all trickles down eventually. I know many people in the business and with whom I keep in touch, and we all feel the same way. It's just sad.
It used to be you could find a mentor to see you through the early years - I had one and that was worth more than my college degree in some ways. I still believe that work experience in-house for acute care/multispecialty is still necessary to gain a good grasp of what transcription is about, but I'm old school, and I'm sure some will disagree - I tried to train/employ new MT's for my business right as they were getting started, and 90% of them just didn't get it, no matter what their courses - an at-home transcription course or college graduate - I couldn't believe the lack of comprehension of the English language in most of them.
This has just been my own personal experience I'm passing along. Overall would I recommend this profession to someone looking to get started in it - NOT ANY MORE.
Disclaimed: Please excuse any typos/grammar errors to those who love to play transcription police - I'm doing this very fast, as I am in the middle of working and typing on a separate keyboard off to the side - always have numerous computers going for different things. I normally don't even post on here, but I happened to click on the wrong board and this caught my eye - I'm sure this subject has been brought up many times here.
I truly am empathetic to your situation and wish I could give you a more uplifting opinion. Good luck to you and anyone else in the same boat.
Legal aspects mean nothing anymore
India isn't the only place, how about the Phillipines. Yes, it's going there too. They're being trained specifically for this work, hundreds of them. So more and more will be going away from the U.S. Your medical privacy rights mean NOTHING in those countries. They can't be held to anything!!!!
Legal aspects mean nothing anymore
Yeah, I saw the Phillipines too. I can't believe the health care profession would be that careless with such an important subject. All the about the bottom dollar huh?
In my opinion, not anymore. Been in this 25 years.
It is all going to voice recognition, meaning that the only real transcribing there will be left to do are the horrible dictators (ESLs and NON-ESLs) who cannot be processed by speech recognition.
Between that and overseas workers, not much in the way of a future in my opinion. Glad I'm nearing the end of my career in it.
Med. Transciption not too good anymore? What next?
Hi,
I've been interested in going through Mtec and becoming employed as a Med. Transcriptionist. Howevever, looking at this board, it seems like things are doing too good for transcriptionists. If the future of Medical transciprion isn't doing too well, then what other sort of occupation should I consider that is similar?
oops!...can't take on anymore students/trainees ...nm
.
Run away as fast as you can
I worked for them to. Everything that was said about them is true. What I loved about them is they are telling you what is wrong with your report while using bad grammar and spelling most of the time I couldn't figure out!
Not so new, still not so fast
I've been around for a few years, but I still can't seem to keep my speed up consistently. I know that part of my problem is trying to go too fast, as you said, and going for that 100% accuracy. I always go back and fix my mistakes as soon as I make them, or maybe a line or two later. I keep telling myself that's what is slowing me down, but I hate seeing the mistakes. I am also trying to work around a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, and let me tell you, this has been the most frustrating 4 years of my life! I'm just counting the days until they go to school.
The "timeclock" I use is http://www.nchsoftware.com/timesheet/index.html (free through Express Scribe) and I was surprised at the amount of time I am actually putting in; sometimes more than I thought, sometimes not as much.
Good luck, and please share any tips you come up with.
Fast
isn't really always good but necessary in order to make money.
I, too, am a green Transcriptionist and struggling with line count. (Wish I could do 150 lph!)
I can see I am getting faster at certain aspects, but something always comes up to slow me down (difficult dictators, research, or whatever). I rarely have those days where everything goes smoothly, but even on a good day I am not doing 150 lph yet.
It is frustrating and discouraging.
Not so fast, that's what you think,
EMR can contain a lot more than just the 'vital signs'!
For whom are you working for?
And what do you mean by 'TO different animals?'
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.
...nm Shrinking Fast
s
Fast Dictator
Just transcribe what you know and leave the blanks for the whole document. Then go back again and listen. A report tells a story, so think about the big picture of what this physician could be saying about this particular patient. I have learned that sometimes you can find clues in the end of the report as to what he/she may have said in the beginning. There is usually a summary or impression towards the end to compare to the beginning and middle. Also, get up and stretch, take a deep breath, and then try again to relisten. This takes time, I know, but the whole idea is that you do not want to turn in a document with a lot of blanks. Things to think about while listening are what is the patient's problem keeping in mind the patient's diagnoses, think about what type of report acute care or clinic note, and another thing to try is a sample of available of this dictator. Hang in there! I don't know which is worse, very, very slow or very, very fast! 
As far as fast dictators,
you should be able to slow it down with your program. If not, you'll just have to do a lot of stopping and starting.
Fast Chart
Has anyone heard of the MT company Fast Chart? I was recently offered a position with them and just wondered if anyone has worked for them or knows anything about them.
TIA!
Amanda
Fast Chart
I worked for them twice. They are a great company. I was the one who had the problems, not them, and they even took me back a second time after my first mess up!! The owner, Sandy, if she is still doing on-hands, can sound "tough" but she is a great person. The work was always there, I don't remember ever running out, and the paychecks were always on time. If they still do it the way they used to, they give you a Dictaphone machine to use to get your work/transcribe. Again, I loved working for them, just was at a REALLY bad time in my life and I blew it. Good luck!
MT is not worth it anymore. Would not worry about past. Did need to give ID to be hired though.
.
Most places only do the overflow or unwanted work from a facility, anymore. Once those
s
A nurse does not have the proper training to be an MT, anymore than an MT could suddenly decide to b
nm
Fast talking dictators
What do you guys do when you get a dictator who rattles off words so fast you have no idea what they are saying? I have tried to slow down the dication but it still doesn't help. I can barely make out a word this guy is saying. Half of my typed document is blank spaces and I don't want to turn it in to QA this way.
Doctors speaking too fast!
Ok i need some help here, i can not understand what some of these doctors are saying because they are speaking way to fast!! I have tried slowing down their voice and speeding them up but it is not helping me at all. Please please help.
doctors speaking too fast
Well thank you for your response. I am really worried about this issue...... especially if there is a whole sentence I cant understand but I guess blanks are the only option.
Anything coming from the AAMT holds no water anymore - they invalidated their status
when they sold us out for the $$ in India. AAMT means another chance to screw MT's, that's all.
Should probably try to apprentice locally if you're in need of fast
s
LMAO, thanks everyone for your comments, maybe we type too fast and are not looking at the screen,LO
Or maybe we just like to irritate the ol MT's with spelling mistakes. LOL
If you choose Andrews or M-TEC, you won't need a fast track or extra training.
You also will receive, with your course, many of the books that CS students purchase on their own - the Book of Style, the Language of Medicine, better grammar books.
I graduated from CS also. And if I had it to do again, I'd choose Andrews or M-TEC.
You are trying to do it the hard way.
Contact one of the best schools, work at your own pace with all the tools and help you'll need to learn this craft efficiently. Your way is trying to build a house using toothpicks and cotton balls just because you have part of the framing up. ;oD
Really hard to say - sm
Graduated from MTEC 11 years ago and working at home as an MT ever since. Very burned out right now and actually considering coding, but MTEC does not do coding training. From what I understand anyway, most coders work in house. You need to research both career fields extensively and decide what might suit you best.
Hard Decision
I am trying to decide between Andrews and M-Tec for my MT education. I realize this is beating a dead horse, but I would like to share some of the things I've noticed about the two and hope someone might have some insight for me.
Andrews: Has had an excellent reputation for a long time. You can take as long as you need to finish the program. Students have same instructors, i.e. everyone gets to experience REDPEN.
M-TEC: Very good reputation also. New website is very professional. Long list of well-known CMTs and AAMT members on staff. You are assigned an individual instructor. You need to finish in 18 months.
I've been weighing these things in my mind trying to decide. I had a bad experience with MT training before. I was completely dependent on one person for feedback, etc. This was great while it worked, but all of a sudden this person stopped responding to my messages, phone calls, etc. I never want to get in that situation again. I am attracted to M-TEC because I know I could track down some of the people on staff there in other contexts if need be. I realize this is probably paranoia on my part because neither program is likely to disappear like mine did, but... The no time limit that Andrews has might be good if an illness or emergency arose. On the other hand, a deadline could be good because I tend to be perfectionistic and overwork things before handing them in. I'm a little nervous about being assigned one instructor at M-TEC because this puts me in somewhat of the same position I was in before of being dependent on one person. However, I would be able to contact Susan Francis or Kathy Kropko if there was a problem I suppose. Still, I kind of like what seems to be more of a traditional classroom experience with a lot of students under one instructor at Andrews.
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
Hard decision
First of all, let me say that you will get a good solid education with either school. That said, here are some further points to consider:
Redpen is no longer teaching trancription; she teaches coding now.
Andrews has been around longer, their teachers are more experienced, both in teaching methods and transcription. For instance, a recently hired teacher for M-Tec has only been a Transcriptionist for less than 5 years.
M-TEC only requires you to have an 86% score on your final exam to graduate; Andrews hold you until you get a score in the high 90s. Of course, you could compensate for this by just not allowing YOURSELF to graduate until you can achieve a high score.
HTH.
It's hard to find...
someone to even give me a chance. I've been really lucky so far.
Thanks for the advice though.
It is hard enough now for newbies to get a job, but if she
is going to take a program like this she will have a tougher time to find a job with a reputable company. There are 3 good schools M-TEC, Andrews, and Career-Step and there are companies willing to hire newbies provided they have graduated in good standing from one of these schools. Another option would be a local community college who might help with job placement. I worked for a company that used to let the MT student some into the office and do a short rotation to get real hands-on experience.
Some people are just determined they are going to do something and you can't do much about that, but I feel she is throwing away money if she goes this route. I don't have any personal experience with any of the above schools, but they all come highly recommended.
I had a hard time
I had a hard time getting through this course too, I found that I was marked off for things that were not wrong on the previous chapters. So I would argue every grade I got and although most of the time they fixed what they counted wrong they still never gave me a higher grade. I finally got finished with the course and the only job I got was one that has a severe history of not paying their employees. I trusted the school to provide me the jobs for life like I paid for and being new at this I didn't know any better, so I took that job and never got my money and when I contacted the school they said that they had looked up and researched that employer and was very sorry for all my troubles. I have not gotten another job yet and it has been since September. They do not provide doctors to work for like they say, they provide assessment tests and I have tested with hundreds and still had to take a part time job that has nothing to do with transcription work. I strongly urge you to research any job you get from them. I think the grade all depends on the mood of the grader that day, I did great the first half, above the expected grade and then about chapter 10 they were confusing on the grading and it took sometimes 2-3 weeks before they posted a grade and by then I was ready to submit my next test and was again waiting, Very rarely did anyone return my calls and so I e-mailed everyone that I had an e-mail address for with my questions, I figured somebody would answer. haha. It worked. Well good luck to you, but one thing I did find when I was working is that you learn so much more on the job than the school ever teaches you, Good luck to you.
maybe your reports are too hard
I am new too, but I know the answer as well. And I just type office notes right now at my first job going on 4 months. Hmmm.
Hard to fiind MT job for newbies
Why is it so hard for newbies to get employed? You go to school and pay all this money and don't know one want to hire a newby. If someone knows please let me know why.
Its hard to even ask a simple question here...
Roxie, I have to respond to you. I feel as though you are being attacked here and it is just wrong. I look at this board and I have been transcribing about two years. I feel that many transcriptionists here are just rude. I know what you were asking and I can say that I worked with an internship program for three months and that got my foot in the door to work for another national company. The pay was terrible but that was okay. I just wanted to work and learn about the real world of transcription outside of the schooling environment. I am sorry you felt attacked. I hardly ever post because I see how new MT professionals get treated here. It is just a disgrace to our profession. Seasoned Transcriptionist must not remember what it was like to just start out. Give her a break. Please.
Hi Emtee! Yes, it is a very hard test (IMO)sm
I'm the kind of person who usually passes tests with flying colors, yet I just barely passed that test by the skin of my teeth.
They go by the BOS II book...so, if you have the book, make sure everything conforms to the rules in that book. I don't own the book (yet) and just checked the style board to learn of differences between the two books. Off the top of my head, q.4 h. (note the space between 4 and h), cancer classifications (some differences), using Arabic numbers for 1 through 9 instead of spelling them out, etc.
Don't give up! If you are able, buy that book. If not, use all the internet resources (reliable ones) that you can think of.
Good luck to you!
Regards,
Chickadee
HARD GETTING FIRST JOB, NO WONDER INDIA IS AHEAD OF US!!!!!
I finally got my first job for 6 cents a line. I found the job myself. Keep looking around and do not give up. I encountered a lot of road blocks. Everyone basically cares out themselves. Sad to say, but the majority of Americans do not care about teamwork, and helping others. That is why India and other countries are ahead of us MTs and many other professions. TEAMWORK 
Hard work and determination will
to find you a job or help you every minute. No one is promised anything in life. In my day of beginning MT'ing, there were no computers, and there were no boards. So before jumping to conclusions and screaming about India, you need to look at yourself and what tools you have used to become an MT. No one is handed anything in life no matter what profession you are in, but I personally like hearing your input and wish you the best of luck! 
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
I recently finished an online course in medical transcripts. Now, I am finishing an internship. I am finding it very difficult to find an at home job. Most companies require at least one year of full time experience. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really be appreciative.
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
Yes. I should be done the first week in April. Will this count on my resume for experience? Maybe I am just impatient. I have tried some online tests, but I do find them very difficult, although I am doing quite well with the internship. Thanks for your advice.
Newbie finding it hard to get first job.
Thanks for telling me that. I think I will stick with the internship and take as many tests as possible. I am getting better at them. I do believe persistence will pay off eventually.
I guess I'm just not willing to work THAT hard
But you are right, if you are IC you have no health care benefits, 401k, etc, so you'd get paid more. Also working for 3 different companies helps. Good luck to you.
I think most of the new grads are having a hard time.
I still haven't found a job myself, and I graduated this May. I would go through your local phone book and start calling all of the transcription companies if you haven't already. Call the hospitals, too. Start applying everywhere. MTdaily has a list of companies and most of the companies have a carreer or job opportunity link on how to apply. I know how frustrating it can be. I am actually considering switching to legal transcription.
Dont' be so hard on youself
I never heard of the top three MT schools until I was well into Meditec. When I graduated I did not even make minimum wage with my first job (but I got a job right away). My first two week paycheck was less than $75 and I put in full time work. I spent a lot of time looking things up and double checking myself. Also, my research techniques and proofreading skills were stumbling blocks for me back then. Improving those two things sped me up tremendously.
I'm doing okay now. So, if I can do it, so can you! You will get much better over time. The more experience you get, the better you will be. You might consider ShortHand or some other expander. That is a help. However, my best friend is the Stedman Plus Medical Dictionary. I love that.
Good luck to you. Hang in there. We all struggle in the beginning.
God Bless.
I went to the school of hard knocks...
... working strictly for doctors' offices for 36 years, when my last boss of nearly 28 years decided to close down his practice. I was hired at one of the nationals, starting on clinical work with the promise to up-train me to acute care (and the promise has been kept). The same day I was hired, a brand-new graduate of Andrews was hired, to work the same accounts, with the same promise. As far as I know, my co-worker (the Andrews graduate) had no trouble finding a job.
For what it's worth.
hard work pays off
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I just finished the Allied program a week ago. I think the job market is bad for all areas. I got into this not only to be able to stay home with the kids, but because I love what I do. I think we have to work hard no matter what it is. It is not looking good anywhere right now. Best of luck. :)
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