Those aren't the only good schools
Posted By: oh boy on 2008-04-11
In Reply to: You need experience UNLESS you go to Andrews or M-TEC. - deb
I was hired at a national straight out of CS. In fact I had 2 job offers within a couple weeks of finishing the program with zero medical experience prior to that. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good education.
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Good schools??
How do you determine what is a good reputable school and which one is a waste of money & time?
Thank you!
The Good Schools
Andrews and M-Tec. Career Step is also considered to be a good school. Andrews and M-Tec are the gold standard, the Harvard and Yale, of MT training. Their graduates have no difficulty finding work because employers know those schools turn out job-ready MTs.
There are only two very good schools M-Tec and Andrews.
There are only two schools approved by AAMT. Do you want to work for a national at home? If the answer is yes, then you need to go to a school that is acknowledged by the big services as the best. If you want to work at your community hospital, then you need to go into the community hospital and ask them where they would recommend you get training. Most likely they will not have heard of Andrews or M-Tec, but they may hire from your local community college and then you would be okay with going there.
Accreditation with on-like programs is not the same as with college education. What you are asking for doesn't exist with an excellent program. Places get accredited for their state, but this doesn't mean that they necessarily know anything about MT or even teaching MT. They have the money, and ability to fill out the forms that the teachers have credentials and they use basic materials.
Figure out who you want to employ you and back track. Being able to investigate is a skill necessary for being an MT. Good luck with your decision.
Good schools to attend that you will not have problems with and
likely be able to get a job upon graduation.
Andrews School - www.andrewsschool.com
MTec - www.mtecinc.com
Career Step - www.careerstep.com
SETT - www.settinc.com
Don't fall for the fly by night schools. What are fly by night schools? Generally, those that advertise all over creation trying to drum up business. Those that rent out halls in hotels and have conferences promising that you'll make a ton of money the first year. Any school that promises you big bucks straight out of school. Those that run TV ads offering every "degree" under the sun including medical transcription. Those that make you buy their expensive players and footpedals before you can get started. Those that you find a zillion "testimonials" posted on every discussion forum available.
Why doesn't someone give some good reports on other schools
One person on this board constantly rips the so-called Big 3. Instead of doing that, why doesn't she bring some good facts forward about her own school. That would be more productive.
While you're researching the schools, be sure to get a good resume sm
and keep it updated at the local hospitals, services, etc. If you are really interested and have some training, you're chance of hospital work is better than having none. That is the best training ground you can find. Years ago I started at a local hospital with a semester of medical terminology. Those breaks are rare now, but you might get lucky.
In all honesty, though, you will probably have to take a "legitimate" course. I wish we could get the word out nationwide. I also know people who paid their money and still had no marketable skill. Good luck.
Good MT Schools--CareerStep Medical Transcription Program
Hi--saw your message and I am a graduate of a really good MT school--CAREERSTEP.
Just type in www.careerstep.com and check it out!! It is really a good school and they have either textbook and tapes method or online course--2 types, I believe--Gold online and Platinum online. Goodluck!!!
There is plenty of work, I agree. Grads from good schools
Sorry you aren't near me
I live in GA. I worked in the office for a while so I had someone right there to ask questions and check my work. That is the way they work. It was a pain to get childcare but it was quite nice to be able to ask questions and have a live person look at my work right then and there.
Good luck in your search!
No they aren't
Basic 4 are
History and Physicals
Discharges
Consultations
Op notes
Clinical notes are NOT basic 4
My, you are perfect aren't you?
nm
and instructors of many CCs aren't even MTs
Most community colleges can't afford good instructors who really know how to transcribe. They also can't afford the kind of books and materials because administrators don't think they can get jobs anyway.
Aren't you thoughtful
Very Good me! see we work together and help one another.
First you aren't typing 150 lph, you are
transcribing 150 lph - big difference. That lph isn't bad for being a newbie and you can't compare yourself to an MT with 10 years of experience.
You can make more macros, use more expansions. If you are trying to work around kids you probably aren't working as much as you think you are. There is a free program you can download called Time Stamp (I think) and you use it to clock in and out to show the time you are actually transcribing. You'll be surprised how much time you think you are working and how much you are actually working.
Try to get up early before kids and work 2 hours. If they are young enough to still take naps, work when they are napping, or give them at least an hour of quiet time in their rooms so you can work. Work after dinner when your husband can look after them.
Don't get on the internet unless you are researching and do your research and don't visit other websites or check your e-mail. If possible make a note about what you need to look up and save it for when you take a break and you can look up several at one time.
I've been doing this for 20 years. I'm not a fast typist, I can't transcribe with the speed ramped up. I know people who can turn out the lines, but I have also seen some of their work and it isn't a quality product - not saying that it isn't possible to do both, just that fast isn't always good.
You aren't going to be typing 60 wpm. You are going to have to
look up words, format, spellcheck, etc. so just because you can type 60 wpm doesn't mean a thing. You also have to figure it the difficulty of the account, how lines are counted .........
I think you aren't understanding
You state that the only skill you lack is speed.
That is not the reason you are not being hired. It is because you lack experience, not speed.
Even if you pass a test, there are probably many more who have scored higher and have experience - they will always get the jobs first.
There are a few companies that hire newbies but not many. It costs in resources to train newbies. Even with all of your education in your MT program, you are not as prepared as you think.
There are a few posts on down the page here that list companies willing to hire newbies. Check those out.
The best way to get your experience is to get it in-house locally. It will be easier for you to gain experience, you will learn more and then, once you have a history of having actually been hired and worked as an MT, you will be more appealing to employers.
CMT
No, they aren't. Monster and Careerbuilder
are legitimate job search sites. People just have to use their common sense. A legitimate job will ask for a resume, possibly references, and probably testing. Scams won't give you any information without a fee, or charge for "mentoring", equipment, software and other things you don't need. You can always find the information elsewhere for free or buy the equipment or software elsewhere. Never, ever pay for a job or information. If the person from the ad is being pushy or has a "money back guarantee", it's probably a scam.
aren't you exaggerating? She is a newbie!....nm
nm
There aren't any legitimate TranSCam employees.
There was even an article written about them in a national Parents magazine about how they're scammers. They tell everyone they'll "train or mentor" them. They want to charge $300 for a footpedal and software that can't be used anywhere else. You can get a better deal on ebay with a foot pedal for under $40 and download Express Scribe for free.
BTW, I have eight years of experience. I applied there to see what A. would say to me. I know I aced his "exam", but he told me I needed to be trained. Translation: Work for him for free. There's one gal that posted on this website who claims to have worked for him for two years for free now. Don't waste your time or money with it. If you already have, GET OUT! It might take you a while to find a legitimate job, but you will.
Sorry to hear about your lost business. We aren't seeing that.
I'm seeing more business than ever before. I hope yours will pick up. Don't get discouraged.
Even worse if spaces aren't included. nm
s
It's a shame the MT companies aren't more "honest" --
when you tell them you "graduated" from AHP, or Penn Foster, etc. they tell you they only hire people with 2 years' experience. What they DON'T tell you is they will test AND hire grads of Andrews School and M-TEC, right out of school. If they would be more honest about that, maybe so many people wouldn't be ripped off by the schools that hold seminars, send out fliers, put postcards into TV Guide, and print advertisements for their school on matchbooks (hence the term "matchbook school"). These schools teach less than HALF of the necessary stuff that Andrews and M-Tec teach, and the companies know it. No matter how much you think you have learned or are learning, you have no idea of all the stuff you'll need to know that you haven't learned at the matchbook school. Like someone else said, the bad far outweighs the good when you're talking about those schools.
Career Step grads certainly aren't better than Andrews or M-Tec. nm
x
I work for a small MTSO. They aren't hiring - sm
I've been with them for years, and they still have the same group of 10-12 MTs. Very steady, but they rarely hire new people.
People selling MT courses certainly aren't going to warn you
"Don't take my MT course, it's ***edited by Moderator*** and you won't be able to get a job afterwards." It's up to the person interested in becoming an MT to do some research about the job before plunking down money for training. If they do, they will learn that in order to be able to get a decent job, they need the kind of training provided at Andrews School or M-TEC, and not to try to save money on "cheaper" schools.
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.
aren't we lucky this site has you to correct our spelling/grammar usage.
maybe you should consider editing.
Good. The lab book was a good choice.
Be sure you look through each book when you get it. Put tabs on sections you will want to refer to quickly. I know my lab book (not Stedman's) has all kinds of extra sections. I think my next purchase would be the cardiac book. Then neuro or OB-GYN after that, depending on which you are getting more of in your work.
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.
Schools
As a recruiter, I can tell you firsthand that Andrews School trains the very best transcriptionists. I will look at their graduates before I look at any others.
schools
Ok, I have looked at the different schools, and am good at working on my own. I am 9 credits away from being a Registered Health Information Tech. So I have Medical Terminology, Anatomoy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, already among my knowledge base. I just don't have the $3000 to put into a transcription course that I know is going to just reiterate most of what I already know. I want to know if Career Step would be adequate enough for me to be Hirable as a transcriptionist?
Thanks for any input that you might be able to give me!
re: Schools
Thank You!
Schools??
I'm an MT-wannabe and I have a few questions:
What are the "Top 3" schools?
Are tech schools really that much better than online schools?
Does anyone know anything about Penn Foster online? They're nationally and regionally accredited. Does this make them a "better" online school?
I appreciate any and all feedback on this. TIA!
MT Schools
I just want to let everyone and anyone that is looking for a good MT school not to go the TechSkills. When I started with the school there were several things that I was not told up front which could have affected me later. I wanted to pass this information on because I wish someone had informed me. Please pass this information to anyone looking for a MT school. Have a good day!!!
Schools
I posted above about schools but I thought I would address you directly. I went to two different schools. My first was Professional Career Development back in 2000 I finished. Had a hard time finding work like others and decided to take a refresher course at TechSkills. I have completed that course and received my certificate but it was more that I expected and more than what I was told. So if you as me do not pick TechSkills. Hope this helps!!
Look at other schools...
I am attending At-home right now. Almost done in fact but there are way better schools out there. I attended college first to earn a degree for medical office which would have included med. transcription. Unfortunatly, I had to move and dropped out.
I do have a job right now working at home and have two main accounts. My point is that I had a college education before I started At home. I would have prefered to finish in school but due to a complicated pregnancy and lack of income due to having to leave my job I could barely afford At home.
There are many many other that are better. Many will help place you. At home gives you a book on how to start out but that is about it.
Schools
I recently graduated from Career Step and I started working within a couple of weeks. They are now AAMT approved. They do offer a payment plan, that's what I did, it wasn't too bad compared to the other schools. Good luck.
schools
Thanks, I have been looking at Career Steps, but yet again the payment plan is more than I can do at this time. I also contacted M-Tec, and the same thing with them.
Thanks
Donna
MT schools
Hello,
I have been looking at two different MT schools, and was hoping to get some opinions. The two I am looking at are Career Step and TNI. If anyone has gone to these or has any feedback please let me know. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks
Schools
I went to Everett CC online, that uses Career Step materials, but you also have teachers, deadlines, and lots of interaction with other students. I found it to be an awesome program and have been offered three jobs this week just graduated in August. My testing and good references must speak for themselves. My job right now pays well and I get a very good cpl. So I would have to disagree about the Career Step program.
Top schools??
I am intrested in MT -- So what are the top schools to go to?? I want to try to get off in the right direction.
Thanks,
Cassandra
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