different program, similar idea
Posted By: JR on 2007-12-03
In Reply to: Jumpstart requirements - JR
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!!
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Isn't that similar to which came first the chicken or the egg?
How to get experience without a job and how to get a job without experience? Do you have formal MT training?
This is similar to how I started out 19 years ago.
I was given the opportunity to transcribe for the radiology department and soon was asked to cross-train to other areas of the hospital to transcribe. Boy, did I learn a lot.
I remember one lady (I was only 18 when I started working at the hospital) after 3 years of vo-tech high school training. I used to get mad because she would make me look things up in the medical dictionary. She forced me to use my noggin. Once I got the hang of it, I thanked her again and again for being so hard on me. There was another lady who worked p.r.n., but she had her own clients. I learned a lot from her. I think of her often when I "can't go/have to work" even though I work from home. NOW, I know what she was talking about, but I have learned to manipulate my schedule to not miss out on anything. 
It depends on what similar factors are
important to you. If you are interested in medicine, then maybe medical coding would work for you (Andrews has a program in this). If you are interested in transcription,then maybe general or legal transcription. If you just want to work at home with a flexible schedule, maybe Alpine Access or something similar.
Have you tried Open Office? It's free and very similar - see inside
http://www.openoffice.org/
I had no idea...
Since this was new to me, I had no idea of where to go. I went to the BBB, but they don't do employee/employer disputes amongst other things. I didn't know where to go after that.
idea
Well, let me tell you how I got around that. I know what I did was morally wrong but it got me two jobs. I was so sick and tired of everywhere wanting 2 years or more of experience. I mean when you graduate how are you susposed to get that experience if no one will hire you? So anyway I decided to fudge on my resume about the experience. I made up a fake company name and everything. The first place I applied for didn't check for references or anything and I was hired because I passed the test. The second company wanted to check for references so I gave her my mom's name and number as my supervisor. lol I called my mom and asked her if she would fudge a little for me which of course she did because she rocks! lol But I was hired there too. I figured what's it gonna hurt? I do know that some companies may hire newbies like I think focus infomatics will. And keep checking the jobs here. Sometimes companies are specifically looking for new grads. Or you could be sneaky like me. Just tossing the idea out there.
just an idea
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.
I had the same idea
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 second that! Wonderful idea!
*
Great idea!
Thanks for the tip!
That's a great idea! Let's do.
Best idea I've heard all day.
Good idea, thank you.
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.
Good Idea
Thank you for the suggestion. I'll go ahead and ask the school and see what help they can provide.
That is a great idea
I just recently completed all of my course work towards my degree and am just waiting for my degree to get to me and I think it is wonderful that you are even considering reaching out to others in the same shoes as me.
Experience is required for almost every MT position, but you can not get it until someone else is willing to help you.
I know if there was a company or established Transcriptionist that was willing to offer their help in helping me start my career I would jump at it, but many times the cost is way to high for me. I just keep looking ahead to my student loan payments that are coming up.
Since I am trying to find entry level work, or an internship/mentoring program, I think that what would be the most helpful to me is more practice. Building accuracy takes time and since my experience is limited to my training in school and my externship I feel that I may not be able to build that accuracy fast enough. I think being able to find an internship/mentoring program that allows you to get more "real" experience done would be the most beneficial to the new graduate. It also allows us to find our weaknesses and the things we need to do to avoid them.
Best of luck in making your decision, I am sure it is not an easy one to make.
---Christina
Agree with this. I have no idea how many wpm I
type anymore. When I started doing MT years ago, I typed about 85 wpm. I tested about 5 years later & was over 100 wpm, but I haven't taken a typing test in years, so who knows. Knowledge makes you faster rather than simple typing speed in MT. It doesn't matter how fast you type if you have to stop and look every other word up. A slow typing experienced MT with knowledge will make many more lines per hour than a newer fast typer who is having to do more research.
WAS THIS A GOOD IDEA?
I am almost done with my transcription training and I read on these comments how bad the job market is. People on here say that there is no real need for transcriptions any more. Is this all true if so did I waste my time and money?
Re: was this a good idea
Two things:
1. People who have the most to complain about are the people who have the most to talk about. Everyone else is too busy working, so take the negativity you read on message boards with a grain of salt.
2. There is going to be a strong market for GOOD MTs for a long time. GOOD MTs are hard to come by. MTs from TV commercial schools are a dime a dozen.
Can you explain what you're looking for? No idea! nm
s
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.
Not a good idea to lie about work experience -
Chances are there is a reason they do not want someone with less. More than likely it will be obvious to who hires you that something is amiss. Never a good idea to lie about these things because you more than likely will be found out! Good luck to you. :-)
You need training, not just "classes" -- obviously you have no idea what is involved.
It's more than just typing. You need to know anatomy, pharmacology, terminology, etc. Doctors don't dictate slowly and clearly, and they don't always dictate in quiet places. Take peroneal, peritoneal, and perineal. If you don't know what the doctor is talking about you will not know which word to use. There are many sound-alike words like that, not to mention zillions of drugs. You need good training (Andrews School or M-TEC) and nobody is going to hire you without experience unless you have good training.
Love the idea on using a phone book A-Z for writing down
I have almost 4 year experience now and may branch out on my own next year I think, or at least try. Love the idea of using the phone book, can't believe I never thought of it. Thanks for the tip.
try the SUM Program
It is the best one I know of. Good luck.
MT program
Hi,
I took the Oak Horizon course offered at CVCC in Hickory NC.
At the time I took it, it was 2 semesters. But it is now a 3 semester course.
It was tough but I managed to make the honor roll.
Take care!!
The CS program done via the
community college is actually a better program! I would definitely consider myself a CS graduate. Put CS first, and I wouldn't even mention a community college unless you are asked. Where you took the CS course shouldn't matter. Good luck to you.
The program more than likely can be used elsewhere.
It doesnt mean you are paying for work. After you have been in transcription a while you will have dozens of programs on your computer for some reason or another. I have about 20 :) Some were free and some I had to pay for.
FTP program
Does anyone know of a good FTP program, and how to work one? Sorry if this is posted to the wrong board, but I am new to posting anything. :-(. Thanks in advance.
AIM program
Does anyone have any experience with the AIM mentoring program through Allstatae Transcription? Any info would be helpful!
AIM program
That was what I was afraid of! I have already paid my $99. and she said that it would be about a month before I could get started because she had a new client starting and she was going to start my internship with that client. Did you do any interning with her at all? Why did your friend go 5 months?? Thanks for your info I really appreciate it!
AIM program
Yes, I went through the program earlier this year and was able to find a job because of it. However, I never did receive my certificate in the mail.
M-TEC uses the SUM Program.
You are provided detailed feedback from an actual live human being who has experience in the field.
CareerStep has their own dictations that you compare to a computer program. You have to deduce for yourself if the differences in your transcription versus the "key" are true errors or acceptable style differences or if you are correct and the person who transcribed the report for the course made an error. If you have questions, you are to contact student support, who may or may not have time to provide feedback, and that feedback may or may not be accurate.
I went to CS, but I also did the SUM program on my own. If I had it all to do over again, I would not choose that program. I would go with Andrews or M-TEC. I did graduate with high honors, and I did get a great job a week after graduating (with a company I still work for), but I supplemented the course with the SUM program, Language of Medicine, and the HPI workbooks. There really is no comparison when it comes to the quality of materials. The CS course is essentially homemade whereas the materials used by M-Tec have been created and vetted by knowledgeable professionals.
OSI mentor program.
I applied and have not heard anything yet? Have any one else applied. Thanks.
I don't know about their mentor program...
But I have been working for them for about 6 months now and absolutely love them. I highly recommend them, and I have heard good things about their mentor program. I just haven't experienced it first-hand.
Lisha
Try an internship program
Cort Medical and Accustat Carolinas both have a mentoring progam, I also graduated from PCDI and could not find work, I had to work for free in an intership program for 8 weeks to get a job in the end, this might sound hopeless but I know how frustrating it is to look for work, I now have been working steady for accustat and love them if you need more information email me at flgeitner@comcast.net if you wish and may be I can help..
OSI Mentoring Program
Ever heard of OSi Mentoring Program?? Is this supposed to be on the up and up???? Good program? Bad program? Good company???? Thanks for the info....:)
osi mentor program
Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I am currently in the OSi mentor program and while it lacks a lot of structure, I am certainly getting my foot in the door and obtaining the experience necessary to move on to another company when possible.
Is there anyone at your school/program who can help?
Would it be possible for you to ask someone for more sample ESL dictations to transcribe? Would you be able to buy a CD of ESL dictation?
This company has an ESL CD: http://www.absoluteexperience.com/AudioSamples.html
The typing program I have is .......
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, which I have had for years. It doesn't cost much and allows you to practice your typing and improve typing speed.
Also, used to get a lot of headaches sitting in front of the computer but since I bought a radiation shield/screen to hang in front of my monitor, that has relieved a lot of my eye strain and headaches. It tones down the brightness of the monitor, which I didn't realize was so bright and how it affected by eyes until I put the filter screen in front of it. But I also wear glasses now for nearsightedness as a result of sitting in front of computers for years in previous jobs.
Anyway, hope this helps.
I don't know particulars about the MT program, but
my 14-YO took a course from them and it was a joke. You have to have finished at least 8th grade to take their classes, so that should tell you there they their courses aren't very challenging. Everything is open book and if you flunk the test the first go round, or just do poorly, you get a second chance to take the test, though you can only get a 70 if you have to take the test again, even if you score higher. I wouldn't waste money on it because it is like taking some classes from some of the other schools, it is just money wasted and their reputation isn't great and unless they are terribly desperate or running a scam, will pass you over. M-Tec, Andrews, and Career-Step are good some schools (not necessarily in that order). I believe the PF course is close to $1000 and you can take the course for close to the same amount at a local community college.
Mentoring program
Allstate Transcription has a mentoring program for those who are interested in something like this. Feel free to visit the website to learn more. Click on the AIM Program link, then Detailed Overview.
Advice for your program
Our company hires a good deal of recent grads, though most have a few months of experience.
Let me tell you what I see in their work and tests when they are referred to me because they cannot make their quality audits or they want to test to move up:
1) They have no idea what the AAMT BOS-2 is most of the time; those who do, seem to have just glanced at it. Please, please thoroughly study this wonderful resource and have your students deliberately practice these guidelines.
2) Teach them appropriate grammar and punctuation. Simple basic English grammar and punctuation that should have been learned in grade school and many do not have it.
3) Teach them to never, ever guess and to always use spellcheck. I am usually shocked at what could have been avoided had these 2 simple techniques been employed.
4) Teach them that even when they feel they are at their best game, they should - at the very least - periodically review AND relisten to their work before submitting it. Maybe 2 reports a day or so. Re-read it first for any spelling, grammar, terminology and punctuation errors. Then, relisten to that same report.
These very, very basic skills should be intinctive if they are well taught.
Please feel free to write if you'd like a more in-depth discussion about other trends I see in their work.
Took their intern program too
I felt the intern program was taking my training to a higher level and fine tuning that training in a way that would get me working faster and make me both more productive and confident when I finished it. Not only that, the growing experience with different companies only helped cement that training, which is something I will always have as I go forward. Meditec is not a scam and they are very supportive.
Maybe everyone does not need an internship opportunity, but I knew I wanted one and am glad to have had it. Besides, that very internship was one of the main reasons I chose Meditec in the first place. I did pay a little extra for it, but I am worth that investment! I have been on paid status since the internship and never had to worry about getting that very important first MT job.
Good luck to everyone and God Bless.
Unfortunately this program is horrible and
you wasted your money. Many people have come here complaining they can't get a job after completing this course and end of having to take another course. You're chances of getting a job are very slim.
Internship program
Has anyone completed the internship program offered by Allstate Transcription? Did you receive a job offer? Is it worth the money?
If you're already in an MT program, then do get it and
s
AIM Mentoring Program
AIM got back to me in 5-7 days.
which program did you complete?
nm
M-Tec certificate program
I want to thank everyone who responded to my other post about choosing a school. I have read web pages and MT chat boards till my head hurts. When I think I've made my decision, then I read something else that makes me think about it more.
I'm wondering, when people recommend M-Tec, are they referring to the certificate or the diploma program. Some make is sound like you can't get work unless you have the diploma program? After reading their website, I do think they have a more extensive certificate program than the others I was considering. It seems though that there will not be much help in obtaining a job afterwards, but a push towards upgrading to the diploma program. I know a couple of people that have completed a less extensive certificate program and are able to work at home, but their schools had placement support.
Are there any M-Tec grads from the certificate program that could help me out...tell me of their experience? I would appreciate it. I really need to enroll and get on with the schooling part very very soon. :)
Thank you for every one's opinions, advice and help!
Becca in Mi
I did a internship program...sm
I entered an internship program. I was in it for 6 months. I ended up finding a job and told them I was leaving the intern. While in the intern I was still never guaranteed a job. I did it because it was a legit MT company and I needed the actual work exp to get a job. The startout pay with this company if they hired was 6 cpl though. I ended up getting a job for .065 cpl somewhere though. I have since went up from that rate. I think 7 cpl is good pay for a newbie. I know it is rare a newbie is offered that much. But I am not familiar with the internship on here. So I can't advise you or not.
I don't mean to burst your bubble but when you start an intern or do get a job you will find that you weren't as ready as you thought you were. There is a lot as a newbie I did not know that I learned with hands on exp. An internship was kind of like a transition from school to work. I would advise you to find out the name of this place that offers this internship and do some investigating and research on it.
Good luck to you in whatever your decision is.
Venting - bad MT program
Don't feel bad - I got caught up in two bad programs - not to say I didn't learn anything, but ---- I'm just finishing my 3rd program. I never did finish the first two because I was so frustrated - DETERMINIATION!!!!
AIM internship program
This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for! A chance to actually work without the stress of that first job. But is it reputable? Can anyone recommend it, and will it help significantly to find a job? thank you!
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