Penn Foster grad
Posted By: Gina on 2008-05-08
In Reply to: Be honest. Which of those "matchbook" schools do YOU work for? - deb
I took the Penn Foster course and was hired by the first company I tested for...they knew what school I attended because I put it on my resume. I agree that some schools may be subpar, but that doesn't mean the students/graduates are subpar. If you work hard, you will reap the benefits- no matter what school you attend.
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Penn Foster Grad
Hi :) I graduated from there this year. It is difficult to get a job in Med Transcription if you didn't graduate from the Med-tech, Career Step, or Andrews. Penn Foster has ads from MRTservices and MediVoxx on their website. You might want to try one of those. However, they didn't work out for me, and I tested with both.
I think MRT was having human resource problems because some new girl took over the position, made me resend all of my tests and then never got back to me. The first person I was in contact with said I had done well on them.
MediVoxx is a pain to apply for. I never got my interview, and I think that is partially why I "messed up" on my test. I didn't do that bad. For instance, she marked me off for putting "she's" instead of "she is." Then, she marked me off for putting "Marsha's" and then corrected it by putting "Marsha's" right next to it. I was wondering what was wrong what the correction was.
I think that the course was good except for the ACTUAL transcription part, which is obviously the most important. That part was very unorganized, and I didn't like most of the instructors, especially that one guy.
I think I found a good place to work. I'm doing more testing on Monday. Email me for details. I don't want to put it on here.
Also, you might want to try Focus Infomatics. I tested there last week, and they called me, but I'm more interested in this other place. Plus, the posts on here about Focus scared me.
Penn Foster?
Hi,
I just came across this wonderful site!
I'm planning a career in Medical Transcription & would like to know if anyone could recommend an accredited online/correspondence school. (if there is one out there)
I've received mailings from Penn Foster - formally Education Direct. Is anyone familiar with them?
Thanks for your time,
Christy
I have seen ads for Penn Foster as well..
but as far as "accredited and reputed" schools. There are 4 or 5, which you can see here:
http://forum.mtstars.com/schools
Penn Foster
Thanks for the info, I had a feeling she should look further. I had already given my recommendations, but she chose to go this way. Luckily she had not paid yet, and is now going to re-think this carefully before jumping in again.
Thanks again!
penn foster
what does everyone think of them? are they a good school for MT? i came across them but i am not finding anyone saying much about them..so was wondering what everyones opinions were on them! thanks
penn foster...
I took my training from there, it was actually Eduction Direct when I started. Am not impressed at all with what I recieved to try and get a job in the "real world." If at all possible, I would have my friend try to get into another training program even if it is more expensive. I've read a couple listed here..andrew's and another one-can't remember the name. I'm just happy I didn't foot the bill for the course as I got it through a job retraining situation. I'm doing general transcription while trying to get more training for MT.
Hope that helps.
Penn Foster
Hi,
Has anyone out there graduated from Penn Foster Career school and had any trouble getting work?
Thanks!
Penn Foster
Hi, I am also a soon to be grad of "Penn Foster". As we all know now, its subpar. I'm wondering if getting my RMT would help with future employment? Any thoughts?
Penn Foster
I, too, recently graduated Penn Foster and am having difficulties finding employment. It seems everyone wants 2+ years experience or graduation from a different school..I wish you luck in finding employment.
Unfortunately, Penn-Foster
will not prepare you for the demands and competition of today's MT world. I do not think many MTSOs take it seriously. You would be better off to take your loss and enroll in Andrews or M-TEC. You get what you pay for. There are too many well-trained MTs out there looking for jobs, many with decades of experience, competing for the little work available. Unfortunately, I do not think Penn-Foster is going to give you what you need to compete in the reality of today's MT world. It may not be a complete waste of time and money, but it surely leaves much to be desired.
Christy - Penn Foster
Hi Christy,
When deciding on what school to attend it is very important to do a lot of research. There is a list on this board under "schools". There is a lot of information out their and questions asked about almost every school there is. Read through the web sites, contact schools directly (several so you can compare), then get a list of employers and contact them to see what grads the will hire. There are other websites you can also get infromation on MT Chat and AAMT. It is important to do the research before you decide on what school to attend. In the long run it may cost you a lot more if you try to save in the first place. Choose wisely! Good luck.
Penn Foster transcription
Try Career Step, M-Tec,
or Andrews School for MT training. they are AAMT approved and will help with employment.
Absolutely do not take Penn Foster.
You only have to have an 8th grade education to make you eligible for their courses, so that should tell you right off the bat it can't be that good of a program. My teen son took a course through them (not MT) and it was very poorly written and the information wasn't always accurate.
It is a cheap program, but you get what you pay for.
Trying to say this gently. Penn Foster is
probably one of the worst schools. I have not seen their MT program, by my 15-YO took one of their other courses. The only requirement needed to take any of their courses is to have an 8th grade education. From my son's books that I have seen they are not well written.
I would recommend trying to get an in-house position, taking another course, or find a legitimate menitoring program.
I did the Penn Foster route too!
I did the course and I found employment within 1 month of grad. You just have to apply, apply and apply!!! Good luck to you.
Any luck with Penn Foster?
Has anyone graduated from Penn Foster and had any luck finding a job?
I graduated from Penn Foster sm
I recently started my first MT job after graduating in December 2008. Because of this course, I felt right at home with transcribing hospital reports, which seemed to surprise my new employer. Penn Foster taught me the basics, and I've been able to apply what I've learned to looking up unfamiliar words, etc.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
I'm a Penn Foster Graduate sm
I graduated from Penn Foster in December 2008 and found an MT job within two months after graduating. Before you consider your education from there a total waste, my suggestion would be to apply to some of the companies who don't require two years of experience and see how you do on their tests. If you aren't passing them, then you probably should consider additional education.
If you pass them and the only thing stopping you is lack of experience, you might want to give it a bit of time and continue to apply to every company you can find who will take on a newbie.
Good luck to you!
I would not recommend Penn Foster. In order
to take any of their courses you have to have completed 8th grade, and that is about where the courses are geared to. My teen son is taking an automotive course through them and he knows more than is in the books and he has found many errors in the books. They emphasize that the testing is open book and if you do poorly they allow you to test again. I don't feel like you learn much this way. While the school itself is an accredited school in most states, I feel like it would be a waste of time and money for MT.
Penn Foster Career School
I am asking on behalf of a potential new Transcriptionist student about Penn Foster Career School. Does anyone have any positives or negatives about them and their medical transcription training?
Thanks in advance!
penn foster - questionable practice
I did take a freelance writer's course from penn foster and I found the course not very balanced. There were mainly mutable choice open book questions (for a writer's course?) that were too easy and most of the relevant info I found in other sources.
The other problem with this course was lack of writing for it, lack of practical lessons in the course. The course was designed as a half hearted reporters course that assumed the writer has a college level writing ability. (I had high school level from 17 years ago)
The other problem was lack of professionalism with grading the manuscripts and fuzzy grading system. The Editor (mystery editor-would not disclose who, where or what qualifications the editor had.) was NOT a professional, missed basic mistakes and went out of her way to find mistakes that were not in the script. If she did not care for your story you a poor grade a failed it. (Only 4 manuscripts [test] were required out of 14 test total.
When I called for help, the man on the phone said he could only answer questions from the text book, he could not tell me who graded the manuscript, he said they were sent off campous but would not say where. He then stated, that I would not want to talk to the editor anyways.
I researched the accreditation--which means noithing but they filled out forms and paid a 1,000 dollar or less fee and garentee the MININIMAL standard.
They are a real school, that just moved to Scottsdale AZ by the way, but they operate at a min requirement.
The price is double what the course is really worth, save your money and go to a local college.
Penn Foster transcription program....sm
Has anyone been through this program and if so, how prepared were you for a career in this industry? I have a neighbor that just told me she has signed up for this and based off of what I've read on their website I'm concerned that she may be wasting her money as there's no mention of actual transcription time - it just talks about learning terminology stuff.
Is Penn Foster a good school?
I completed MT course at Penn Foster Career School and I'm having trouble finding my first job. Has anyone had experience with this school?
Don't waste your money on Penn Foster.
go to M-TEC, Andrews, or Career Step. These grads regularly finding jobs right after graduating. Most online companies that allow you to work from home will not hire grads from Penn Foster. You may be able to find in-house work, but since you stated your goal is to work from home, you should check out the 3 schools listed above. Otherwise, you are just wasting you money.
Unfortunately there are NOT as many opportunities as impled by Penn Foster.
It is not a very good school, does not teach you all that you need to know, and most MT companies are aware of that. Sorry.
Penn Foster stinks to put it mildly - sm
Everyone recommends the 3 you mention, years ago (8) I did CAI, a little more affordable, not a bad program though a lot look down on it as well, a little more affordable than the others as well. You will be able to bring in some extra cash, and if all 6 kids in school, I would say $1-2K a month in the long run. Starting probably $600 or so if you work hard. It won't make you rich unless you have you own accounts and a lot of MTs working for you. I have a very busy schedule, only 2 kids and only bring in $1500-1800 a month, but I have a lot going on, I am sure I could get that up to $2500 if I didn't have life happening all the time. But avoid Penn Foster, AT-home professions, etc. Those programs are a joke. I worked with a lady who did Penn Foster, boy was she bad, she did not last long where I worked as she did not listen, made the same mistakes over and over again, etc. I looked over their course and could not believe how bad it was from the decription on the internet, total joke. But MT is a good job if you are looking to supplement an existing income, this what I do, no clue how I would live on $1800 a month, but I would if I had to I guess. As for finding work after, no it is not easy, you have to be persistent and apply everywhere basically. Took me 2-3 months to find a job after I was done my course, I just applied everywhere I could and eventually found 2 places (1 was clinic, the other acute care, the best of both worlds) that would take me and I ran with it, put in my 2 years and have since worked at about 5-6 other places, think I have my niche now, but will probably shoot to get my own accounts soon and get a few MTs working for me so I don't have to work so hard (I hope).
Penn Foster requires an 8th grade
education to take their course, which should tell you a lot. They are poorly written and your chances of getting a job are only slightly better than if you had not taken the course. Basically you've wasted your money - in this case you got what you paid for. I don't mean to sound so harsh, but if you did research before taking the course you would have been much better off. Your best option at this point is to see if you can get an in-house clinic position or either take a menitoring program.
I've never heard anything good about Penn Foster
The only time I hear about them is when someone who took that course is complaining they can't get hired.
Penn Foster isn't a good school/program. I would
suggest finding a mentoring program of find an in-house position.
This post is definitiely an advertisment for PENN FOSTER!..NM
NM
They changed their name from Education Direct to Penn Foster to mislead people ...
when too many people found out what a worthless course it was. She needs to get her money back, and save up enough to take the course at Andrews School or M-TEC.
Allied is no better than At Home Professions or Penn Foster. Not a good school. NM
x
Penn Foster & PCDI can't help with job placement because it's too hard to find jobs for their
Not being mean, just honest. There's a reason they won't help with placement. They take your money for their course and don't care if you can get a job afterwards or not. And most people can't, because they are not trained well enough by those courses.
NEW GRAD WITH A JOB! YES, IT CAN & DOES HAPPEN! I'M NOT AN ANDREWS OR M-TEC GRAD!
I just wanted to share that I'm a new grad from EvCC/CS (Everett Community College utilizing CareerStep courseware), and I GOT A JOB! I'm IC status doing straight transcription and start working from home June 1st! I was offered .08 cpl, 24-hour TAT, and no ESL!
I'm posting my news here for a couple of reasons:
1. I want all the new grads out there job hunting to see that there are companies out there willing to hire you! I applied to only 4 companies, and I got this job on day 18 of my job hunt!
2. I'M NOT AN Andrews OR M-Tec GRAD! I believe those are probably great schools, but they are not the only schools that produce grads who get jobs! I graduated with high honors and earned real transferable college credits. If MT work does decline in the future and I need training in a different field, my credits will follow me.
I do believe getting that first MT job is about being in the right place at the right time! I also feel very lucky to have only applied to 4 places before landing this job, but my training played a huge part in that "luck." This company requires 100% on their employment tests, and without the great training I received, there is no way I would have made 100%.
In the end, great training, determination, hard work, and great networking skills will get you an MT job!
Penn
Thanks for the advice. Has anyone heard anything about Penn Foster? I have also been checking on this one.
Thanks Donna
Penn Fostetr isn't worth the time. Their
classes are geared to an 8th grade level, so basically you would be throwing your money away. The better schools cost more because they offer a better education and you have a better chance of getting a position as a newbie, though it will still be difficult. If you take the Penn Foster class it will end up costing you more because you'll need more schooling if you expect to get a job. Why people are even looking at this profession anymore is beyond me.
new grad
I see I left out the word
'hire' in my post!
Jewels
I'm a soon to be VLC grad...
... I've had no problems with the VLC. The instructors are wonderful, especially Carol. The tech team has always been helpful if I needed them. My materials came as scheduled, maybe a few days late but I live in a very rural area so wasn't expecting them on the EXACT date.
I've found the course to be very good. I've already tested for several companies, though I am a few days shy of completing the course, and have been told I am testing very well.
One thing about the VLC is you make your own deadlines, ect. and you will get out of it what you put in. Don't just rule out VLC because one person had a shipment problem.
New grad pay
I started as a new grad doing acute care at 7.5 cents a line. This was a year and a half ago with a large national. However, I think a new grad should be careful not to set expectations too high if they want to get a job.
CS grad here...
I have posted on here before about my experience with CS, it was all good.
I had NO problems getting a job right after school, or getting new jobs since. I think it was money well spent. :)
CS grad
I am a CareerStep grad. Their course is at your own pace. There were no mandatory online classes at all. There were chats that you could participate in, but they had little bearing on the actual course material. There are no instructors; you compare all your course work to a computer program. If your answers do not match verbatim what is in that program you then have to decide whether your answer is correct and phrased differently or wrong. Student support is available by phone and email. Looking at my email logs, I sent in 26 questions/concerns. I got 18 replies. There is a student forum, but any question you post there is typically answered by fellow students. I got through the course in 9 months, but I did work a full-time job during the course. I chose not to pay extra for the job assistance package and found a position through networking on a forum outside of the course.
I did get a job within a short time of graduating, but I trained with 2 M-Tec grads and an Andrews grad. They were way ahead of me from a newbie point of view. I felt like I was constantly swimming upstream just to keep up with them. I ended up getting some of the workbooks they had in their courses and studying at night which helped a lot. In retrospect, I probably should have taken a harder look at the course content and given less weight to the cost issue when choosing a school.
I hope I answered each of your questions, and best of luck to you with what ever course you choose.
M-TEC grad
M-TEC can be completed in various amounts of time. It just depends on how much time you invest daily. I started on May 23, 2006 and graduated on December 10, 2007. I had a lot of things interrupt my studies, but I still graduated before needing an extension. However, extensions are available on a month-to-month basis if you need more time than 18 months to graduate. The course is great, the instructors are knowledgeable and very helpful. All in all M-Tec is the best! Good luck!
M-TEC grad
As an M-Tec grad, I can assure you that we have incredible marketability, and did you know that M-TEC currently has a 100% placement rate of their grads? (I'm sure Andrews' rate is just as good too though - helpful, huh! hehe)
I have never gotten an "Andrews is #1" vibe; the vibe I've always had is the "Andrews and M-TEC are THE top schools" vibe. You cannot go wrong with either school, but M-TEC gets my vote. :)
CAI grad
Hi Erica. I'm a CAI grad and I have 2 friends that are also CAI grads. I loved the course. The director is great about answering any and all questions. They have a great message board for students. They also were very helpful with job placement. Good luck to you!
CAI Grad
I graduated last June and had a job within a week and a half. It is a really good program, easy to follow home study. I needed no additional guidance. When I took the course it was done in 6 months, now I think they give you a year for the same program. More than enough time. I really enjoyed the class. The dictations at the end are tough, but they are trying to train you for the worst of the worst.
NEW GRAD
DO NOT let her apply with TOTH Transcription. They hire anybody, particularly new grads to just type the work, but you will never see a pay check. TOTH is a scam operation. You have to trust me on that.
Look on the forum for all the complaints against Toth Transcription.
New Grad
I did graduate with a certificate in medical transcription. Any help would be appreciated, although from all of the boards I have read it look like you have to be in the right place at the right time. I guess everyone eventually gets that first job.
New Grad Help
 Help! How did everyone get their start in the MT business? I just graduated from Penn Foster and I have a medical office background and have worked as a medical claims insurance analyst for 14 years. I have applied to every online MT business I can find, but with no luck. Does anyone have an ideas?
Thanks
Kim
Sorry, but I am a CS grad. I can
of the education one receives there, but also to their business partnerships with the companies that are paid for everyone student that signs up with CS. I can attest to the fact that Andrews and M-Tec provide a more comprehensive MT education than CS does because I train new MTs. Our company no longer hires CS grads because they require far more remedial training and mentoring than grads from the other 2 programs.
New grad needs advice
Hi, I am a new graduate and I had my first interview with a possible in office transcription job. I was offered $8.00 and hour and I was wondering if this was the going rate for new transcriptionist? They asked me what I needed as far as pay, I told them $10 hour... they said and I quote "you will get $8 hour" I live in Tennessee and thought that was low? Any advice?
PCDI grad
Hi, I graduated from PCDI and have been an MT for about a year now. I had to struggle a lot at first, more than people who would have graduated from the better schools, I am sure. I feel very good about where I am at now, though. I have two jobs, one part time and one full time, and have been working at home since December of last year.
However, if you feel you have not learned anything it may be best for you to look into more training. I would not turn around and tell someone looking to get into this field to go to PCDI. There is a big difference from what we learned and what reality is.
I am not trying to discourage you. If you have the will, I am sure you will do just fine. I would, though, really assess how you feel about it because if you wish to go this route, it will take a lot of work on your part. Good luck to you!
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