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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

TV commercials promoting their MT schools also misrepresent the true essence of the MT world. nm

Posted By: lynn on 2007-01-25
In Reply to: I Respect Your Opinion. However... - Amanda

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The problem with affiliates promoting the school is they get PAID to go it.

All the encouragement in the world
and all the positive thinking anyone can muster will not make up for a poor education or lack of skills. When people try to explain to folks who've made a poor choice of schools that they will have difficulty with finding and keeping a job, they're not being mean. They're trying to point out that long-term success and job security will require further investment in time and money for proper training. The truth is just the truth, it's not mean. Just because you don't hear what you want to hear ("don't worry, everything will be all right, just try really hard and be really positive and you can turn limited skills and a poor education into a high income working only one hour a day while your baby plays in your lap") doesn't mean that anyone is being unkind. The cruelty is in the unrealistic Pollyanna "advice", not in the truth.
In the real world

Your employer or clients will tell you how to format SOAP notes.  There is no universal format law.  Each practice determines its own format.  One of my clients wants the name and account number on one line with the DOB and DOS on separate lines under that.  Another client wants each item on a separate line.  A thid client wants a different format altogether. 


There is no point in worrying about various formats until you have a job or a client, at which time you will be told what they want.


ESL dictators are everywhere in the MT world.
If you can't do them, you are going to be severely limited.
world-wide capabilities
Yeah, we do send stuff offshore, it helps us pay more for American transcriptionists. But that really isn't what I meant when we said that -- we have transcriptionists in France, Argentina, Canada, we do a fair amount of translation work, Internet captioining. I do my best to make sure that no matter what happens, the transcriptionists I work with will have work. I've heard a lot about EMRS putting people out of work, and Voice Rec, and so on. So I try to keep lots of options open so we can all stay in business.
i thought this was for the new MT, not the MT who knows everything in the entire world..
oh brother.
Welcome to the world of medical transcription.

Leave a blank where you can't hear something.  Complete the report and then go back again and relisten and see if you can fill in the blanks then.  If you get any feedback on blanks save it for future reference.  Some docs that have the same physical exam, or same operation talk really fast.  Even with a correct copy you may or may not be able to hear each word. 


Even the world's best MT leaves blanks on

occasion, and if they don't they should, because sometimes you just can't hear what is being said and guessing is worse than leaving a blank.  I can't promise you that you'll get to where you can decipher it, but experience will get you better.   When I first started doing ESLs I was majorly freaking, had a stress headache every day, yelling at my family constantly, crying because I was never going to be able to make enough money, etc.  I still leave blanks, but I have become somewhat talented at being able to do ESLs.  


Don't be afraid to leave a blank.  I am surprised at all the blanks that QA leaves in my reports.  Just do the best you can and then go back and relisten like I said before.  Make samples of any dictator that gives you problems.


I had a job once where my very first day they gave me 100% ESLs.  I was going to quit that day because I just could not do them.  The MTSO told me I really did very well and to hang in there.  When I got my corrections back and used them for the next time I could hear clearly when they were saying and got to where I could do them all day long with very little problem.  


World-wide capabilities just means they
offshore, without actually saying the offshore. 
Welcome to the world of real medical transcription.
That's what a lot of doctors' dictation sounds like. You have to be able to handle it. That's why it's on the tests.
They've been around a while & their website is up to date. Also say they have world-wide
,
HIPAA is a joke. These reports go to third world countries. nm
:+
Not the profession. MTs in house at hourly pay do great. The world of the
s
I just started yesterday with World Direct Transcription...

I also was a little nervous accepting this position, mainly because after posting a question on this forum regarding anyone's knowledge of this company, I received NO responses!  I am very happy with everything so far, the account I am on is great and my supervisor is very helpful!  Good luck Sonnett with your test!  Have you heard anything yet? 


Forget "approved" schools. AAMT set the criteria, then approved schools that didn't meet i
Stick with Andrews or M-Tec (both of which happen to be "approved") but forget about any others, they are not worth it.
This is not true
Obviously, you have not taken the time to look at careerbuilder.com.  There are several hospitals and legitimate transcription companies.  If you are going to make a blanket statement like you have, please be sure that you know what you are talking about.  My roommate does work from home for a Florida hospital.  She found that job on careerbuilder.com.  Some of us here are really trying to help the newbies.  People like you just make my blood crawl!
That is true

I don't know if they are the only one to go through the process. I just know that they are the only one there that is approved. You may be correct about what you said, but that does not mean I was not being honest either.


true...true
I've only been in this business for a short time and competition does keep the rates low. I don't mind working for 7 cpl as long as I can work around my own schedule. Now, if somebdy offers me more than that I wouldn't complain.
is it true?

Good day to all,


I am a Physical Therapy gradute here in Philippines and currently working as a medical Transcriptionist for a year.  I am looking for a homebased medical transcription job, though Im having a hard time. 


I hope there would anyone would like to help me.. just mail me at dlorf07@yahoo.com


 


Thank you for taking time reading it.... God Bless..


That is not true at all.
and choose to type from home.  You just need to set boundaries.  You will have to use areas where your children are safe.  You will have to come up with a plan, and then try to go with it.  Life is full of ups and downs, but this job can be done while taking care of children.  I am living proof of that.  My children are well-adjusted, are very smart, and boy am I glad I could be at home to teach them and enjoy all their new wonders in life.  Maybe not for everyone, but it can be done. 
That's Not True

EvCC students receive the same benefits.  They also get access to the CS forums.


Why are you always pushing CS?  They are still getting credit when someone goes through a community college that uses the CS program. 


Not true
I didn't use one the so called "big three" and had an at home offer with MQ the week I graduated.  I am still with them.
No, it's not true.
Some of Career Step grads are hired, if they pass the application process and testing. Other school grads do, too.

OP is telling untruths! lol
True.
True, but I don't know where else to look. I've tried many search engines and lists of companies. I must have applied to over 100 places. Any ideas?
Sadly true
Many employers will hire new MTs from certain training programs, but won't even test grads of other programs because of bad experiences with applicants from those programs in the past. It's a shame that certain schools put so much into advertising to get people to hand over their money, then don't prepare them properly for employment. Maybe you can find a position with an individual doctor's office helping with overflow or vacations. That way, you could get some experience and have a chance to see where you might need to supplement your training. Have you contacted your school to see if they can give you the names of any MT companies that are willing to hire their grads?
Your statements are not true. (SM)
Posts are not deleted because they discuss certain schools, period.

Posts are deleted if they are inappropriate and against posting guidelines.


Not True Information
Not sure where you had heard this info, but we never would hire anyone and allow them to work for free. We pay competitive rates for every single new hire. Our training program that we used to have was a FREE program offered to new grads.
Exactly true--they DO suck
They do favor the military but even worse, they constantly lose good teachers, don't tell the students and then say they made "changes" and nobody is there to help you or answer emails or anything. The staff is rude, too. I wasted my money there.
Not true, FAQ says 2 yrs required.nm

That's true, but you can get a Sallie Mae loan & pay only $30/mth
.
guess it's true what they say about newbies...sm
a bunch of eager-beaver pants-wetters who know everything from their 20 hours of transcribing "real" tapes, plus entitlement attitudes
That is simply not true. CareerStep's course is NOT
through the entire course.  And you get everything you need to become an excellent MT.  I know because I took the course and am now working in a good job.  But don't take my word for it.  Call some MT employers.  Ask them about CareerStep.  Ask them which course they recommend.  You will see how many employers LOVE CareerStep!  Don't listen to any naysayer with an axe to grind.
This is not true at all -- completely false.
You don't know what you're talking about!

You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true ...
It says you can be reimbursed for 100% of the cost of the 16 "Advanced Practice Packages" which cost $59 each. This would be a total of $944, which is not the cost of the entire program.

While the textbook they use is a good one, it is also the only one that they say they use. Andrews & M-Tec use a lot more books. Although lots of practice is good, I believe the training you get before all that practice is the most important. What good are all those reports if you haven't learned what you need to know to transcribe them?

In five years I have heard nothing but raves about Andrews School and M-TEC. I have heard next to nothing about eSmartMed. That alone would be enough to steer me away from it.
That's not true at all. Statistics prove that Americans
work more hours than workers in other countries.  We are not lazy.  We are also faster and more accurate at MT than anybody else.  That's why every single offshored report has to be checked over by an American employee.  However, we won't work for peanuts like EVERY offshore worker out there.  THAT is the bottom line.  CEOs want their six figure salaries and bonuses.  They can't get mucho deniro unless they screwo the employees.  They don't give a darn about anybody but themselves.  You can say what you want to stroke your own ego, but it's completely untrue.  The only thing offshored workers are to anybody is CHEAP labor.
Thank you so much for you honesty. The things you said are very true. I only wish I had read some

Not true. I score tests for new and experienced MTs.
I'm shocked at what should be basics that newbies do not have. Shocked.

There are a few good newbies but most have not a clue what they are typing. Applying knowledge to actual transcription is FAR different than just spouting off what a term or value means.


Not true, I made a 95 once. But grammar and spelling
are key issues as stated below. 
Not true. Plenty of newbies get work everyday.
nm
It is true. Those have tested and meet AAMT's minimum requirements
The Approval Process does mean something to me. It means that those schools have been tested and at least meet the minimum requirements, according to AAMT's standards. It doesn't say if they have gone over and beyond those minimum standards, but people in the industry know that already.
MT schools
Thank you for the advice. I have been researching M-Tec and have decided that it seems to be the best choice. Wish me luck.
schools
Can anyone give me any info on Laird's School of Medical Transcription.
MT Schools

 Hi


  I am looking to train in this field and have looked into the Career Step Program.  There are soo many programs out there and I'm not sure which one to choose.  Looking for opinons on which programs are some of the best.  Its an awful lot of money and I certainly don't want to chose the wrong one.


MT schools

I am researching MT schools to see which one is best. I am having trouble figuring out who will give me the best training. I am a medicla biller (18 years) and would like to work from home. I thought about PCDI and VLC but I am not sure.  I don't want to spend a lot of time and money on a school who is not recognized in the MT industry.  Also most of these schools start the medical terminology and anatomy, that's great for someone who's new to the medical field, but what about those who know terminology like the back of our hand.  Can anyone recommend an online or correspondence school?


Thanks!   


MT schools
Thanks for the information, I will keep this in mind:)

thank you, thank you!!
Schools
Just wondering which schools are best.  I checked out a few.  Does anyone know anything about Meditec?  Is it a good online course?
Schools.
Thanks for the advice. I will check into both of those schools. I presently work in the Administration Office of a hospital, and on occasion when a doctor quits the hospital I have had to type Discharge Summaries, etc. for him/her when they finally return to catch up on what they did not complete. I have yet to figure out why they quit without having all their charts complete--however, they realize there's more time allowed for DS than H&P's, Op Notes, etc. So, besides taking extra terminology courses and practicing with Absolute Experience tapes, I have done a little "real life" transcription.


schools
"career step" is highly recommended, and the gal with whom i've been e-mailing is very helpful. i was an MT in my past life, am now and RN (could you guess from the ID?), and seriously thinking of doing both. i suspect that if i go the course route, it will be via career step. good luck!
Schools
The best schools are M-Tec or Andrews. The next best is Career Step. You will need to go to one of those to brush up on your English skills and learn everything else you'll need in this industry. For instance, your first two sentences should have been just one sentence, and the little things are very important in this field if you want to compete. If that is too picky and boring for you, you won't enjoy going to school or working as an MT.
Re schools - please SM
The top 3 are Andrews, MTec, and Career Step. Companies are more willing to hire new graduates of these schools and some have partnerships with CareerStep, in fact.

You can search the archives here for posts regarding schools and get more information.

In addition, ask the school what placement assistance they offer and who hires their graduates. Don't take their word for it, either - call the companies they say will hire you and ask them if they hire grads from that program.
MT schools
I recently heard only graduates from Andrews and MTEC were getting the newbie jobs out there. Well let me tell you what I did, I graduated from HTC Education now called Brighton College and I was educated with a SUM based program. I also took Medical Coding at the same time. I called the director of MTEC to inquire about the program they offer and discovered it was not any better, still the same based SUM program that I took. The tuition cost were about 250 dollars higher but given inflation over the last year that is relatively a mute point. So I paid the same as their students do. I invested 10,000.00 in my tuition and references and computer, just to be as highly educated as an MTEC graduate and so I asked the MTEC director what their job placement was. I was told that their job placement was at 98%. Well Newbie MTs let me tell you this is purely political on the part of the AAMT and those two schools and by the way when I was looking into schools for MT I went to the AAMT and found Brighton College/formerly HTC Education and it was at the AAMT website at that time my school was also recommended by the AAMT so why am I not able to get hired as Newbie. As far as I am concerned and the research that I have done on this subject it is all a lot bull! Just hang in their work for the peanuts, get internships, do anything you can to get the experience it will happen.