Please remember this when you are applying

Posted By: for a job ... sm on 2007-02-12
In Reply to:

Send yourself an e-mail first ... make sure you have your email account info updated so that it actually shows your name.

You really will score points if the recruiter or HR person can find you by seeing your name in the email list rather than "dogsRpeople2@whoknows.com"!

Thank you.

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Please remember this when you are applying - for a job ... sm

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applying for a job
If the job asked for experince preferred and typing speed of 70, should a newbie apply for this positon. If she has no experince and can't type 70 wpm.

Should you give SS# when applying?
X

Start applying.
x

I agree with applying first to see if you can get a job. sm
The answer to your real question is probably yes, transcription companies are only going to consider your experience in medical transcription, and most want either 2 years acute care, or a nationally known school. Sorry, but those are the facts. Most nationals will not even let you test unless you have one of the two.

However, since you feel you already have some training, you might try applying locally at hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, etc. Even looking at national clinic jobs with smaller companies might get your foot in the door. Since you have a job now, you can afford to take a little time.

I don't know about the mechanics of using a machine for transcription, I believe that is done by some, but I'm not sure. It certainly would make for good speed.

If I were you, I would not waste any money on a course that is not nationally known. You may get an education just as good somewhere else, there are other really good schools, but if they are not known to the nationals, your chance of getting a job is slim to none. I do not approve of AHDI in any form, but they have given new MTs a job outlet by "accrediting" several schools, I believe Andrews, M-Tech, and Career Step. If you don't want the full course, I think Career Step may have a shortened form. I would contact the schools first and ask all the questions you can. Good luck whatever you decide.

I don't know where you're applying,
but I didn't go to CareerStep & I've never had a problem getting a job. I had a job with Medquist before I graduated! NO ONE has ever told me I should have gone to CareerStep, & I've sent out plenty of resumes.

Remember,
she asked if she can do it on the side, not change careers. She also asked if she could take the RMT. I checked, and I believe it said that you have to either have experience or have taken a course in MT. I agree with the person aboving stating she could not pass it. As I said before, these days you will not even be able to test most places unless you have experience or if you have passed an MT course.

As far as someone wanting it bad enough, that will help but if that was all you needed, that's all people would need to put on a resume. From listening to many people over the last 2 years who hire for these companies, they certainly do not find nursing to be adequate experience for MT nor do they hire people just because they will try
hard.

It is true that some people just don't realize all they don't know and you just shake your head. You have to go to school for any specialized field. Why do people think that MT is any different? Maybe it is because it WAS different years ago.

I would challenge anyone who is a nurse and wants to do MT on the side try to get hired by a national. Not going to happen. As stated before, in a local office maybe, sure. You aren't going to be as good as a trained MT, though. That's just a fact.

remember, you get what you pay for...
I am in my 5th month with M-Tec and it is so thorough, challenging and wonderful. Be careful not to rush your training and waste money whle doing it. The final goal is a really good job and MTec is proven positive.

I remember my first day as an MT -
I could not believe how worn out I was. I could not have been more tired I had run a marathon. It was pretty tough for a few weeks, but I made it and so will you! Get a good night's sleep. Best wishes for a good day tomorrow.

How to remember
I don't use it but there is a system called ABCZ by John Knowles. It makes it easy to remember how to form expanders. The basic rule of the ABCZ method is to use the first three letters of a word (hence ABC) and its last letter (hence Z). So for example, you use hosn for the word hospitalization. Then I believe there is an ABCZ Glossary which you can buy and use with Instant Text but if you read more about how ABCZ works, maybe you can adapt it and not buy the premade Glossary. That's it in a nutshell but Google ABCZ. There is a lot of info out there. Also there is a great site called Productivity Talk if you can wade through it.

Thinking about applying but have a question.
I currently work for a small MTSO and have a small account with her but there is not enough work to support myself. I realize newbies don't start off with the best pay and that is fine with me but, if you don't mind me asking, do they start you out with the usual 5-6 cents per line? Is it gross or 65-character? Is work pretty steady?

Thanks in advance for the info.

When I was applying for jobs and I had no experience,
was "real," but it was school experience and not work experience. I made sure they knew the difference. I didn't want to insult their intelligence, but I did want them to know that I at least had some familiarity with the various fields, if not direct experience. Most of them were just fine with that, so long as I was upfront about it.

Please tell me about Focus, I'm thinking of applying.
Hello,

I have been thinking of applying to this company since I heard they are willing to hire newbies. I don't have much experience since graduating from my MT program, but really do need to make some decent money.

The only thing I have heard about this company is that they are Indian owned, thus offshore. I do not know anything about the pay, training, benefits, platform, QA relationship, recruiting practices or anything that might make me worry. Please tell me why you would not recommend them, I don't want to get stuck with a bad company. But I also realize that some companies are not good fits for some people.

Please reply here or by email if you like. I just want honest information. Are there other companies willing to hire and give new MTs a good starting chance?

Thanks.

You could start applying first to see if anyone will let you test now and
s

One thing to remember..
A lot of companies won't hire newbies who took just any course..it has to be an approved course (AAMT-approved or at the very least a course that is approved by that particular company.) If you take an unapproved course and try to go to work for one of the big companies, you might find that they won't accept you without more experience first.

One thing to remember
Maybe 7 years ago they would hire (or even test) someone in your situation, but these days there are so many who have taken the MT courses that they choose to test those first. Hands-on learning positions are around but usually only locally. Just want people reading this to know that. As you can see a few posts down I believe, there is someone who went to school and cannot even test because she did not go to a well-known school and/or she does not have enough experience even to test. So to say that it is possible is technically right, but people out there need to know that these situations are rare.

for spirit328: How do you remember all
the abbreviations? What stands for what? I still use AutoCorrect.

I would not recommend applying to Focus. That is a bad company and
t

Does anyone have any experience with TRS Institute- thinking of applying.
.

Check out the Job Seekers board and start applying everywhere.
/

I feel bad for the newbies, I remember how it was too
I started about 12 years ago, I was lucky because my school helped me find a job (all tapes, talk about bad quality) and the MT office was a little nook in the corner of an ER. The docs were always stressed out and I could not understand much but did the best I could. I remember fearing being fired just about everyday because it was so hard. I didn't get the hang of this job until over a year into it, and when I went home, it started all over again, because I didn't have a second ear. When I first went home for MQ a year and a half out of school, my then fiance was so happy to have me home he came up to give me a loving hug, and I actually shoved him I was so frustrated with work. I later apologized, but the stress level is crazy when you are new, you don't have a grasp on the medical terminology, no one to ask questions in person, on top of the crazy accents.

Remember, that stapler was the only thing that
made it through the fire! You kind of need that kind of durability on this board!

but of course remember if you DO go to a Comm Coll, at least
you will have college credits, and a two year degree under your belt when you go back to school for your next REAL JOB. But if you go to the BIG THREE, and it's time to go back to school, you can start with all the other freshman in English 101 and Speech.

Remember a couple of years ago
We heard the same thing. Big articles in newspapers about the radiology group that loved speech recognition so much. It turned out that administration forced it on the doctors. They rebelled and hired transcriptionists for themselves and walked in with transcription machines. They told administration they had wasted enough of the doctors' time and they were having no more of it.

I'm sure we'll hear of some successes, but it sure isn't getting rave reviews from the majority of users. Someday, maybe.

Remember Nipper, the RCA dog with its head tilted?
Well, sometimes I feel like poor old Nipper as I try to listen oh-so-carefully to dictations. Can anyone offer some suggestions/opinions as to what headphones are really good for transcription? Currently I am using the headphones from an old portable cd player, and now I'm wondering if there are some headphones that are especially good for transcription. I've checked out a few websites, but there are so many to choose from. Does anyone have a favorite?

I remember my first job quite a few years ago and making about $2 an hour until I learned...sm
the account, got used to the doctors, learned how to efficiently research etc. I also needed to create my own expansion program as the system I worked in back then would not allow an outside expander. Keep at it and good luck, it will get better.