Too many people get sucked into the idea that

you can work at home right away; maybe 10 years ago, maybe even 5 years ago you could, but not now.   Did you check out MT before you took the class?  So many come here only after completing their schooling and most complain they can't get a job, but they didn't investigate it before starting and they are expecting to be working at home right out of school.  Some have taken programs through correspondance schools that were pretty worthless, again because they didn't investigate the schools or because one has a more affordable program. 

It doesn't matter what your grade is, whether your grade is 97% (which is not the same as GPA) or not.  If you went to one of the better recognized/accepted schools and then have that grade you might have better luck.

You need an eye for detail in this job and that will be helpful, but that is only a tiny portion of what an MT does.   I have been in this business 20 years and I learn new things all the time and I think most MTs with several years of experience will tell you the same thing.   I still have days where I spend up to 30 minutes researching something.  I still have days where I have to leave a blank because I can't document a piece of equipment or I just can't understand what the dictator is saying.   You have to be able to understand accents/dialects, be able to make out what the doctor is saying while they are dictating and eating an apple.   You need to be able to tell the difference between abduction and adduction because they pretty much sound the same most of the time.  You need to know that when a doctor spells a piece of equipment or a drug that you shouldn't take his word for it, investigate it yourself.  Doctors spell things wrong all the time.  You need to know when a doctor mispronounces a word - doctors all the time say "Perm a Cath" but it is PermCath.  All this comes with practice/experience, which you just don't have fresh out of school. 

I know I sound like it is hopeless and it isn't, but your expectations are probably unrealistic too.   Post your resume.  It doesn't cost anything and you never know what will come of it, but I would recommend you come to this board or the company board and ask about any company just to be sure they are legitimate.  

You could also contact local doctors.  Find a doctor in practice alone or maybe just 2 doctors.  Since you are only wanting to work PT and take care of your daughter you probably shouldn't take on anything more than that.  You will also have to look up lots of things to start with, which will slow you down.   

• Where can I gain PT employment from home? - Jenn
  • The best thing for you to do is post your resume on the various free - me
    • at-home positions - Jenn
      • Too many people get sucked into the idea that - me
        • working from home - sowseeds
          • Yes, there is hope. - LOL
        • Getting foot in the door... - Jenn

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I know this is far fetched, but this is the first thing that came to my mind.  What if you are transcribing a report about a friend's or relative's significant other, and you see that they have an STD such as HIV that your friend/relative is not aware of.   

Several years ago,I did what you are thinking of doing.  I have a good job with a high salary and good benefits, but my home needed quite a bit of work, I didn't want to take on debt to get the work done, and I also wanted to beef up my retirement savings as I am single and have only myself for support.  I heard about MT from someone whose relative was an MT and decided it sounded like just what I needed to make some extra money. 

I didn't have a clue about what constitutes good MT training, so I took the MT training courses offered by my local community college.  The medical terminology training was the only part of that program that was worth anything.  None of he practice transcription was real doctor dictation.  It was actors reading scripts.  Apparently, their MT program is similar to programs at other CCs and technical colleges, which may be why so many people who get training that way complain of having difficulty finding a job. 

I was very, very lucky.  My friend's MT relative turned out to be responsible for hiring MTs for the clinic she worked for.  My friend put me in touch with her MT relative, and I was hired with no experience.  I had to work very, very hard to make up for the deficiencies in my training, though I was fortunate to have a background in general transcription and a very good ear for transcription.  If I had not had the good fortune of an introduction, I think it would have been very, very difficult for me to find the first job with the poor training that I received.  I would certainly not have been able to find a job with one of the nationals. 

If I were looking for training today, and knowing what I know now about how hard medical transcription can be with inadequate training, from my personal perspective (you will want to do your own research to determine what is best for you), I would choose Andrews or M-Tec (often mentioned as the two best schools).  There are other good programs, and some community colleges and technical colleges do provide good training, but without knowing what good training is beforehand, it would be very difficult to judge a program's quality. 

With the experience I gained working for the local clinic, I was able to get a job with a small national that does clinic work when the first clinic I worked for transitioned to an electronic medical records system that does not require human transcriptionists.  I submitted at least fifty applications, from which I was offered six opportunities to test, and from those I received four job offers, three of which were untenable (one company turned out to have a bad reputation because of treating MTs badly, one company appeared to be hopelessly disorganized and was therefore not very appealing, and the third appeared to be managed by crazy people).  The offer I accepted has worked out well so far because I am working on the only specialty I have ever done.  I was not even invited to test with companies that do hospital transcription because I do not have either the necessary experience or suitable, recognized training. 

If you want to have the widest range of employment options, you will need good, comprehensive traning that is recognized as good training by employers.  If you think can get your foot in the door with a local clinic, it probably won't matter where you get your training.  If you want to have a chance at the widest range of available jobs, you will need training that employers recognize as good.  Otherwise, it might be difficult even to get an opportunity to test for a job and you might find your options very limited.

Good luck with your plan.  MT has worked out very well for me as a second job.  I hope your experience is good, too.

I hadn't thought of working on preparing and learning an expander.  I don't actually use one right now.  Is there one Expander program that will work in all programs/platforms?   Just wondering.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I think that is a pretty good.

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll go ahead  and ask the school and see what help they can provide.

The internship I speak of is not the Jumpstart program but is a similar program.  I took part in a medical transcription course of study at a community college.  In order to obtain my diploma I must complete the internship.  I think it is a wonderful idea and provides experience, not to mention real world learning.  I didn't determine before I started how the clock hours necessary would be calculated.  I thought clock hours meant 8 hours per workday 5 days a week.  Wrong!  Lines typed are divided by 200 lph.  Yea, way longer than 120 actual clock hours!  That's okay but I wasn't given that information at the beginning which I think I should have been.

You learn things the hard way when you new and naive!!

Get a good education if you want to be an MT.  Though there are always exceptions, you need a very solid foundation on which to build your career.  I believe you get what you pay for with the MT schools.  Be aware that just "attending" the school does not promise success.  You need to actually DO all the course work, study, and battle your way through the SUM tapes to train your ear.  It is the ONLY way to train for this career.  There are no quick fixes for this.  You then need to be highly motivated and willing to put in lots of hard work once you graduate in order to continue learning and growing.  You also should have a very solid grasp of English as a written language and have excellent reading skills before you even embark on this as a career choice. 

This career is definitely not for everyone, so everyone should not assume that since they can type, like computers, or want to help people that they qualify and will excel at it.  Honestly assess yourself before you begin and save yourself lots of grief by choosing your career pathy wisely.  Just some friendly advice. 

Why is CS still getting praise???  Affordable or not, you may be an experienced *unemployed* MT because many companies are discovering that CS just doesn't give the education needed regardless of the few praisers who got lucky.

M-TEC or Andrews has a "refresher" course for MTs who have done 1 specialty or haven't worked for a while.

this business?  I'm new and realize how lucky I am to have a MT position in which I can work from home.  I was hired by a MTSO who needed people on a new account she was getting.  Now I am not needed on the account because it's just not rolling in all the work it was suppose to (maybe that is how is going to be or maybe just cause of the holidays). She continues to give me as much work as she possibly can and is constantly stating how amazed she is by my ability to catch on quick to the new doctors she throws at me.  However, I am lucky to make $100 every two weeks.  I am looking for a second MT job.  Does anyone have any suggestions? I am wonder if even a second job is going to bring in enough money though.  I actually just have to bring in around $500 (rent because my husband can pay everything else) but of course to be financially comfortable I would like to bring in more.  Is it worth getting a second job or will I eventually have to get a third?  I really want to stay working as an IC for the MTSO because she is so nice and it lets me be more flexible than a national would.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

It really takes a lot to be a mentor one-on-one with someone entering this field.  My experience has been that there is an attitude of entitlement (not that I'm saying this about YOU personally, your mileage may vary).  It's as though I am supposed to overlook the lack of pervserverance to research words because I'm there as the buffer to fall back on....like just don't worry about, Milton will pick up the slack so I can just get a higher line count. 

Once I actually offered to mentor on the condition of being paid for my efforts and I was accused of being a scheister just into it for the money.  The deal was that I would mentor the person until I could help them get a job and after two months of being gainfully employed (all the time answering questions), my pay would be equal to 2 weeks pay of the person I mentored.  Now, I'm investing all this time and effort into the situation for potentially months on end and then I'm accused of being into it for a couple hundred dollars??  I make that in a day of transcribing so that got me out of being interested in mentoring.

I had no mentor, I had no QA feedback, I worked from home, didn't have the electronic resources that are available today, worked mostly 12 hour days usually 6 to 7 days a week and I made very little my first year but doubled my income every year for 4 years until I hit a plataeu and now pay is going down for reasons beyond my control. 

If you don't have the dedication to making yourself a success, you may find a mentor who gives up on you and you'll be feeling as though you are a victim.  Don't count on a mentor.  Count on yourself.  Best of luck.

I'm in this business many years, almost 3 decades, and I STILL have a couple of people, one especially, who I call when I have an MT question or if I want them to listen over the phone....it's networking and it's great and if you find a REAL good mt or cmt, well, then you've got GREAT help.  Sometimes 4 ears are better than 2.  I even have my daughter listen if she is here (albeit she is not in the medical field except 5 years so far *S*)

Best of luck!! 

radiology and pathology, but the rest has been outsourced for about 25 years.  Hospitals are looking to cut costs where they can.  There are still MTs who work for the hospital, just not in-house.  

If you need a job you do what you have to do.  If the US MTs don't take the jobs guess where they will go.   I make more working at home per line than what any hospital pays that I have seen.  I don't have insurance (because it is outragenously priced), but I do have some benefits.   Also working at home you have fewer expenses, so it pretty much equals out.