Worth being a medical transcriptionist
Posted By: Nancy on 2005-10-04
In Reply to: it is worth it - agj
Yes, it sure is worth being a medical transcriptionist.
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Are you a medical transcriptionist? Have you experience or training in medical transciption?
You can't just say you want to be "an" MT and just start doing it. It is not easy.
Becoming a Medical Transcriptionist
I am interested in becoming a MT but i'm not sure how to find out information on it. I'm trying to find out which is the best school, best rates and how it all works. Can I start working from home immediately or do I first have to work in an office? Is it hard to find a job? is the pay good? If anyone has any information for me please let me know - I'm getting desperate!
New Medical Transcriptionist
Hi
I am a 2003 graduate of Mountain State College Parkersburg WV, with an Associate Degree Medical Transcription. After graduation I had my fourth child. I have not been able to get a job doing Transcription because I lack the needed experience. I would love to work from my home doing entry-level work. Anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate some advice.
Thank you
Laura
slcdcp6@yahoo.com
This is an insane question, but does medical transcriptionist
nm
A good book for phrases is the Medical Phrase Index. $$$ but well worth it when first starting
s
I think that is low for a transcriptionist...
But I see no reason fwhy an MT (just out of school, even) should work for $8 an hour. My sister started working for a lawyer (no experience whatsoever, only worked prior as a secretary at a church) for a starting salary of $13 hr. They hire girls to answer the phone in the office I work for $12 hr. Maybe the reason companies offer $8 is because we as MTs aren't presenting ourselves as professionals and too many of us are willing to work for $8 because we are "desperate" for a job. This is too hard of a profession with highly trained skills to be working for $8 an hour! Heck, Wal-Mart starts out more than that and I live in MS. Just my opinion, don't sell yourself short!
it is for the transcriptionist.
nm
transcriptionist
Hello. My names is Amber.  I am a medical Transcriptionist looking for a transcription job. I graduated in 06 with a certificate in Medical Transcription and can not find a job as one!  Everywhere requires you to have experience!!! How can you get experience if no one will hire you without any? If anyone needs a Medical transcriptionist please reply to this post! Thanks a lot!!!
Amber
wondering transcriptionist sm
I would suggest that you steer yourself more towards the companies that accept "newbies" or transcriptionists who have less than 3 years experience. You must start somewhere to gain some experience and learn to decipher the doctors.. Not all docs are awful, usually just a handful. The more you do the work, and the more terminology you become familiar with, the easier it will be for your mind and ears to HEAR everything the doctors dictate. To begin with you may make less than what you're expecting, but the experience will be priceless in the end.
texas transcriptionist
any one out there in texas?
Texas Transcriptionist
I'm in San Antonio. I'm not working yet, but I hope to soon! I graduated from Everett Community College's online program in April 2006. E-mail me if you'd like to chat!
Dietchie Franks
Transcriptionist researching MT
I have 17 years as a legal Transcriptionist (court reporter) and have taken down several doctors through the years who read straight from their reports. I have a huge dictionary of medical terminology. Now, I know you probably think "who does she think she is", but I have burnt out on ct. reporting and want to transfer my steno machine skills into MT.
I have researched all the schools and, I agree, Andrews and the others given the "golden seal" so to speak by AAMT would probably be the best place to get educated. But I've already had 3 quarters of medical terminology and 17 years of listening to doctors from foreign countries, OB-GYNs, and my specialty is med/mal lawsuits. So I was wondering if taking an at-home course like Stratford has would be sufficient.
Do employers take into consideration my transcription background and medical classes? Are they still going to only take me serious if I go to one of the best schools? What is Stratford's reputation among the MT community?
Thanks, guys, for any info you can give me regarding my situation.
Being a transcriptionist is much different from being a nurse,
even if it's a medical transcriptionist
How much does the average nurse know about surgical procedures? How much time does the average nurse (not surgical nurse0 spend in the OR? Radiology? Neurology? Just because they know medical terms does not mean they are ready to be a Transcriptionist without getting any training.
transcriptionist with 1 year's exp
I think Spheris has a program to do that.
20 reports and they consider you an employable transcriptionist?!?!?!?!
.
Did you see the job listed for a manuscript transcriptionist?
On the Job Seeker's Board. It would be dictation from a doctor writing about her life, so not full of many terms, but it would be about 2 hours a day, so if I were looking for my first job, I'd be applying for that.
Any companies willing to hire transcriptionist
nm
Medical Transcription/Medical Coding
Hi,
I am a MT and can't find a job or pass employment test. So, I have to take one of the AAMT approved schools this time around and was thinking about Medical Coding but, not sure of this. Does anyone know if Medical Coding is harder than Medical Transcription to pass or is the stress more intense? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a bunch!
Barb
Medical Coder or Medical Transcription
I am so confused!! I took a Medical Transcription course and could not find a job and it was not one of the BIG 3. I am about ready to go with M-Tec Medical Transcription School. But, I have been reading post about Medical Coders and now I do not know which to choose. I do not want to make another mistake and choose the wrong school or the wrong career. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
BMT
is it worth it?
to spend the $3500, time and effort to learn MT and then have the fear of not having work or dealing with a less than reputable company waiting for my checks when they are late or they bounce?
I have to admit some of the posts scare the heck out of me? Am I the only one scared of this aspect of the business?
is it worth it?
It's not as bad as it sounds on these boards. A lot of complaining, but it isn't that bad. I have made a pretty darn good living at it and I get to work from home, don't have to pay those high gas prices! Don't let these folks scare you. They just like to see themselves talk!
Is it worth it to become an MT??
I am currently taking courses to become an MT, but from reading some of the post on this board about the difficulty finding work, or making any real money, I am left wondering if this career choice is really worth pursuing. I am not fully concerned with working from home, although I am sure anyone would agree that would be nice, I can work in an office just as well. Can anyone give me some positive advice? I don't want to waste anymore money or time if this profession is that hard to get into. TIA! S.C.
Is being a MT worth it
If you have small children & have a hubby that makes $90+ a year, perfect. Otherwise, women in this profession of 30 years have had to claim bankrupcy. Not too good. Used to be a proud profession,now the work mentality with outsourcing, etc., makes me wonder if HIPAA was tuned up, so people couldn't see the sloppy records that go to insurance companies, courts, etc. Mary
Is it Worth It?
It seems people have widely different experiences. I read a lot of negative posts when I was student, and it made me nervous that I had picked a "dying" field. Of course, people have been saying that about the MT field for years. My experience is that I went to a top-notch school with an excellent reputation (M-TEC) and was hired by a large national before I even graduated or had begun looking for work (my school called me and said this company wanted to hire 5 of its new grads to start immediately after graduating). It was honestly the easiest job I have ever gotten. I didn't even have to take a test. I work full time with benefits and incentives, and should easily make $24,000 my first year. I believe I can make 30,000 or more my second year. This is not really great money compared to a lot of other fields, but I believe its a reasonble wage for being able to work at home, not wasting time and money commuting, etc. It's what I want to be doing now and I'm very happy. Well-trained MTs are VERY much in demand, I believe. Make SURE you pick a good school. That's the ticket to getting that first job.
it is worth it
now it depends on what your goals are. Mine was to stay at home with my newborn while helping augment our family income. I am doing both now and I am pretty satisfied. I do have more goals to accomplish and I'll get to that in time.
For what its worth
I personally don't lump all "newbies" in together. It is pretty obvious by the questions that are asked who is taking advantage and who isn't. Even us old-timers get stuck on words now and then and this is a wonderful place to get some really good possible answers. I am always amazed and what the responders can guess out of a s/l or phonetic spelling with just a phrase to go on and no voice.
It is worth it!
There are many MT jobs out there. Every time I go to my doctor or the pediatrician they are asking me if I would type for them. Our hosptials always have overflow they will give out and I even had another Transcriptionist recommend me to a doctor because she already had too much to do and could not take on any more.
It can be difficult to get your first job (as most want experience) but if you are willing to start out working in the clinic or hospital it will be a little easier to find a job. If you want to work from home it may be a little more difficult but there are national companies that will hire new transcriptionists, it just takes a little time. Our hospital has a program where you work six months at the hospital and then they will set you up to work from home if you want to.
If you are worried about voice recogition, don't. I have been editing files transcribed by voice recognition and there is no way that voice recognition will ever not need editing and most doctors don't want to edit their own reports. I love being able to stay hom and still contribute to our income. My biggest problem is being offered more work than I want.
Is it worth it?
I am disabled and need to train in a new profession. After some reading and researching, I wonder if I should learn MT.
With so many jobs going to India, Philipines, etc is there really work (and I mean work that will pay me enough money to more than survive) in the US?
With Dragon, is it easier for non English speaking persons to transcribe? I am really nervous. I can't waste time and money learning something that is no longer offered here.
Is it worth it?
It's worth it
If you are a self-motivated person than I do think it is worth it. I took classes through an online program, the SETT program, which gave me an excellent background for MT work. I chose to work out of my home and it was very convenient and profitable for me. I chose how much and when I wanted to work.
If you really want it, then it will be worth it!
If you are doing this for less stress and more time with your family and to be home only, then don't do it....It takes a lot to get started and if you want to make money you have to type long hours. I work for a small company and also do some work on the side for a local therapist. At first, I had my doubts about getting into this career because I never that it would be so stressful and hard. I would work almost full time hours and bring in 300 dollars every two weeks. I have more than doubled that since and I love what I do.. With anything the beginning is hard, but the job is alot better than a lot of other things. I also like the fact that I get to learn some much everyday on the job...Good luck to you!!
I do think it is worth it.
In my opinion I think it is worth doing it. That is something only you can decide though. Unfortunately, through Canada, the course is more expensive than the US. For me, it was worth it and I'm a happily employed from home MT. If I were you, I would continue especially if you have job placement assistance like I know I had through CS.
GOOD LUCK!!!
the course is thorough and worth the $
So what if someone is an affiliate and gets a cut.
Yes, it is worth it. sm
I did their Jumpstart program after training and I highly recommend it. You learn a lot in Jumpstart and it is all relevant because you will be working on real reports with account specs. Corie has an awesome knowledge base and is very encouraging. I've been working steady since completing the program. Great experience during Jumpstart and post Jumpstart. There is plenty of work. Do yourself a favor and contact Corie at Meditec. Some people are skeptical of internships, no doubt with good reason as there are some scams out there, so you have to be careful. I know I wanted a training program that had an internship attached for the experience. I can tell you I got my money's worth and then some. I consider my entire experience with Meditec an investment in myself and future and I'm satisfied with what I got.
That's less than 1 day's worth SM
of work and you want it spread throughout a whole week. I can't imagine any service even trying to work with you on that.
This is a time-sensitive business. If I owned a service and someone wanted to work for me with that kind of a schedule, I'd tell them to look elsewhere. Someone who wants to work this little is probably not going to be too dependable. Even at 8 cpl, this only amounts to $80.00 a week. You can make that in 1 day at Target.
Is it worth it!!!!!!!!!?????
"Quoting" Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it. "Unquote"
Oh my goodness what a statement! That sounds like you're unhappy with your job, or have been at some point. THOSE ARE EXACTLY the reasons I do it from home. Well, small child anyway.
I have been working from home for 16 years as of October 6, and frankly I would never go back to an office. Working from home has allowed me to move in with my elderly mother and care for her during her Alzheimer days until her death, be with her during her cancer experience years before that, and be with my newborn and throughout her life. She is 5 now and doesn't know what it's like for a mommy to go "off to work" although she does know that when I'm working, I can't be incessantly at her disposal. I am an older mom and will probably be given about 25 years with her, so being able to sit and hold her in a sling while I worked was worth every moment.
At any rate, it really is "to each his own," because not only medical transcription, but also working from home, doesn't fit everyone. I think Redpen gave you excellent suggestions. Good luck!
my opinion...take it for what it's worth
but when I read your post your grammer was good and you seemed very bright. These are things you cannot learn in medical transcription school. When you finish your schooling and if you have any trouble landing a job, I suggest you revisit this site and as eloquently as your post above, ask for someone to mentor you. I do not think you will have a problem at all. Good luck.
Here is my 2 cents worth
Sometimes clinic work won't really be for a few doctors, it'll be for a system of clinics often with very, very short reports with just as much fact checking and account specs as any other place. You might be surprised and find your speed much slower for a while, I know I was.
Teaching hospitals often have the best and the worst of dictators. Residents are honing their craft and learning to dictate well is a part of that. I think we all have to bear with them. Eventually, they will improve.
As for the group of seven hospitals all with different specs, sure it will take you a while to get up to speed. It would take anyone a while to get up to speed. Granted it would be very nice if the company you work for would just give you one hospital per month to get a good grip on the specs before adding another. But, unfortunately, MTSOs are not so considerate anymore. You do sound to be learning them and basically doing okay.
My first MT job was for a teaching hospital too, only there I could do operative notes, but no ER. I had to look up a lot of words/phrases here and there. I looked up things just to make sure I knew what they were. I probably wasted a lot of time. For my efforts, I started off making less than minimum wage and was stuck at about $4.00 per hour for close to a year as far as speed goes, so I would work 12 hour days or as long as I could in a day. But after a while, I broke that and started to make a bit more per hour and in my day. I discovered I was flying through some dictators, while others still held me back. Eventually, it does get better if you hang in there. We who work at home are production employees or ICs and not hourly employees. I started feeling better about my speed, production and myself once I put that into perspective. I also increased my speed and production once I got it off my mind and concentrated on each job at hand. I also set myself line goals for the day, say 800, 1000 or 1200, whatever you feel comfortable with and worked steadily until I met that daily line count, which increased my pay also.
I did not start using ShortHand until I was working for about a year. It certainly does help. Anymore I do so much editing that it is not as much help as I had hoped it would be. I think that really depends on the account(s) you have. Shorthand is nice, but is limited with editing. And as far as editing goes, it is crap everywhere. I just decided to bite the bullet and accept it. I actually don't mind it so much now. But, again, that really depends on the account as some are better than others.
I sincerely do not think you should beat yourself up over your concerns. Despite what schools and MT advertisements tell us, it really does take a while to learn to be a really good MT. We all have been where you are (and some of us never thought we'd get through it to make decent money), but with continued practice, patience and confidence in yourself, it will all get better. I myself would think twice about leaving any job right now in this economy. I've had enough jobs so far to know the grass isn't always greener in another pasture.
I hope my perspective was helpful to you. It is, after all, only my opinion.
God bless you.
MTEC - Because for what it's worth
I had 4 job offers within 2 weeks of graduating. Four years later, I'm still at the company I went to work for right out of school.
My opinion, for what it's worth..
I haven't read the other replies, but a few things struck me from your message. First, if you had researched MT as much as you say, then why did you choose At Home Professions? Secondly, finding "MTStars" isn't the Holy Grail of MT information, LOL. Actually, MTStars is great because if a newbie does find this message board, they'll run like the wind from medical transcription and leave more work for the rest of us. Either way, this message board is more or less and "venting" site. Most of the folks that have nothing to complain about are busy doing their jobs, and there are plenty of them. I've been reading MTStars for years, don't really post much, but at least I get a laugh or two every day.
It is worth it, but with a couple of caveats (sm)
It can take several months to two years to train for this profession, depending on where you get your training and how many hours a day you can put into it. Then, it can take up to several months or more to land your first job (again, depending on where you get your schooling - M-Tec grads get placed right out of school sometimes). And when you do get your first job, chances are your pay isn't going to be great at first because "newbies" are generally hired at a decreased rate, and it also takes a while to get your speed and line counts up.
But, like I said, it is worth it.
There was a posting on the Job Seeker's Board here last week (I think) for a company that was offering a unique opportunity for disabled transcriptionists. If you didn't see it, be sure to check it out.
Lastly, check in regularly on these boards. Yes, there is some sarcasm and negativity, but mostly it's people willing to help other people, and I have learned a lot from here. Best of luck to you in whatever decision you make!
MT Schools worth the time
I have been being trained by friend of mine who has been a Transcriptionist for 15 years for 6 months. I feel like I need to still take a course to complete my training. I see many references on this website to the top 3 schools. Can someone please tell me the names of these top 3 schools. Any help is appreciated.
Is it worth taking the RMT exam?
Does passing the RMT exam help you find a job if you have no experience? I'm wondering if I should try to take this test.
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 student, are ergonomic supplies worth it?
I'm looking into ergonomic keyboards, chairs, etc. Are they worth it? Are there any items out there that you think are trash, worth the money, or "must haves"? Any other advice to a new student of M-Tec is welcome!
Thanks in advance!
M-Tec and Andrews as the 2 best, definitely worth the money. See message.
They both have instructors, Career Step does not. They also use REAL books, CS uses books written by the person who sells the course and they are not as good. I took the CS course and if I had it to do over, I would choose M-Tec or Andrews instead.
You will be limited as to companies you can work for using only dial-up, and I think that's actually getting worse as more and more places require high speed internet.
when every newbie gets a job right out of school at 6 cents per line, I will say they are worth 6 nm
nm
The courses worth taking are M-Tec and Andrews. Their graduates
are usually able to get jobs without 2 years of experience that is normally required. Is if worth it? Do you have small children, a husband, do you want a social life - then no it isn't worth it. If you just want to do this PT, in addition to a FT job, it might be okay for a short time, but it gets harder and harder to make a living as an MT. A lot of companies use offshore MTs, they get the good work and the crap gets left for us, or it all goes and we get stuck editing it for pennies and you end up working for minimum wage. You'll also burn out in a short time trying to do both.
if there is just you and you don't care to have a life then it would be okay and if you have a knack for it you can make some decent money. If you are a respiratory tech in a hospital talk to people in your department. Maybe you can start out doing work-related transcription without having to go to school and you can get a small taste of what it is like to see if you really want to pursue it.
MT is not worth it anymore. Would not worry about past. Did need to give ID to be hired though.
.
Another Medical Must
Does anyone know anything about this company?
I would appreciate any information on them.
Thanks !
Another Medical Must
Thanks. I did post it on the company board, but no replies yet.
Medical transcription is a lot more than just
typing. It depends on your knowledge of the material, how clear the dictation is, your knowledge of the material, how bad the doctor's accent is, your knowledge of the material, the quality of the recording, and, oh yes, your knowledge of the material. It also depends a lot on your knowledge of the material.
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