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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

i did their transcription test last week

Posted By: bma on 2008-02-04
In Reply to: Focus Informatics - newbielw

and i had some blanks, but i heard back from them today.  they offered me a spot in the training program. 


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SOAP Transcription takes on newbies who test well. nm
s
Test with MediVoxx, SOAP Transcription, MQ, Spheris, Focus. nm
s
New here and about to graduate next week
Hi..
I'm new here.
My name is Danielle, Dani for short. I'm an almost newly-graduated medical transcriptionist student. i will finish my one year course from GTCC in Jamestown, NC next week. I've already started looking for work.

I have one question though...as a newly graduated MT, where are the best places to look for work? the only major transcription experience i have is through the 10 week internship that was required of the program that I am enrolled in. Any suggestions or advice would be helpful. Dani from Greensboro, NC


going for interview next week...
that had asked for 2 years experience but not required. I was told that I meet the minimum requirements for their company and they want me to test with them.
Some jobs are only 20 hrs a week, but you will need
s
I'm a week away from completing

my MT course and would like to set up an email just for work. What service would you all recommend? Are there any requirements when it comes to emailing confidential documents?


New hire within a week, put no experience
I graduated from Career Step and a week later I had a job lined up as an IC.  In every application I sent out, I made sure that the employers were aware that I was just starting out.  I DID NOT say that I had 2 years of experience.  Career Step does not say to use their education as experience when applying.  Many companies recognize CS as a decent school and these companies will give us a shot. 
I've got a week or so before I call...
...them back and accept, but if they're hiring more, I'll post it.  My advice is to just apply like crazy!  I applied even to places that said they wanted full-time MTs.  Why not?  You never know.  Maybe they'll have that little "extra" work and will keep you in mind, or you might just hit them at the right time and place.  Good luck to you!
did it in 9 months of about 35 or so hours a week
Worked HARD those hours too! :-)
I was typing 150lph my first week. sm

It certainly isn't impossible.  No, it isn't great pay for someone who has a skill that is needed and is good at it, but you do need to start somewhere.  I don't think companies are willing to start newbies out at 7-9cpl because they can and do hire experienced MTs at that rate.  Why should they take a chance on someone unproven when they can get someone who has been in the industry 5+ years at the same rate?  That doesn't happen in any profession that I know of.


I've been a working MT now for just under a year and can type 300 lph doing acute care and more if I am doing podiatry.  Even at 6-7 cpl I can make a decent amount of money.  I'd love to be getting more money, but that just isn't happening.  Look at the job boards, most companies are advertising for 3-5 years experience starting at 7-9cpl, any higher than that is not the norm.  Is it fair?  Probably not, but it is the reality of this industry.  Those who don't love their work, are not good at it, or are only in it for the money will be getting out and finding another profession.  That will leave less competition and eventually the wages will begin to go up again. 


I think there has just been a huge surge in new people entering MT in the last few years because of all the 'get rich quick' ads out there, but people are starting to realize this isn't an easy job. 


Who knows, maybe I'm just too optomistic.


FT is usually 5000 lines a week and - sm
PT is usually 2500 lines a week. I have never heard 2500 for FT and 1500 for PT a week. I hear the hiring rate is 5-7 cpl. The most you will probably get is .08 after a few years, unless it keeps going down which I hope does not happen.
I work 38 hours a week, here is my schedule
I did reply to your post below as well and hope I didn't not offend you. Here is my schedule, it works great for me and for my family. I get Friday nights, all day and night Saturday off, and am still able to attend church with my family on Sunday morning before having to work.
Sun. noon-9pm.
Mon. 8pm-1am
Tues. 8pm-1am
Wed. 6pm-1am
Thur. 8pm-midnight
Fri. 10am-6pm
I have to be up at 6:30 in the morning getting the older kids ready and off to school, but my little ones pretty much sleep through the night and I often catch a little nap with them during the day if I need one. I feel like I have the best of both worlds........stay home mom with my kids, and working and bringing in income. My DH only works a half day on Fridays so he is home before I start my shift at 10. Maybe you could ask for a trial period of a work schedule and make changes where you seem fit with your supervisor. I used to work a split shift, early a.m. and then again later at night, but found that to be quite draining and it made the days seem very long, but that is just me. Good luck, you will find what works best for you. :)
I was lucky if I made $1 an hour my first week! sm
It was horrible! After a month, I am now up to $8 an hour.(I know that is still not much!) I would look up every single drug and doublecheck the dosages. Now, I am familar with many of them and it feels good not to have to look them all up. It is great that your company thinks you are doing good work!
7 years with national - 30 hours per week -
a little over 16 thousand - Good luck making 25 thousand plus - not easy at all to make especially if you type a lot of ESL.
Definitely sounds like a scam. You can't learn much in an 8-week course. NM
x
Med-Line School: Enrolling this week!
Why would anyone post such negative responses if you have no knowledge of this school or no experience with them? Actual transcriptionists are usually too busy to be on these chat rooms making up stories. Might be an M-Tec employee making the response. Did you know that M-Tec is a 20 million a year school? That is a lot of students that they are cranking out.......and they have jobs for all of these?

Med-Line provides a free orientation via webinar for anyone to attend that answers your questions. I have attended this webinar and I am enrolling after looking at ALL of the schools. It explains proper education to be successful and they actually place their students, not just give resume tips. And the internship is a real work experience with 100% QA support and feedback. No keys. Why don't you check it out for yourself and not listen to these people who have no experience with these schools.

Oh and by the way...it’s the 21 century and there are air cards. Internet is everywhere...

what company can I do about 1000 lines/week from home?

Hi, I just got an offer for a day job with benefits but I want to do about 1000 lines of MT a week from home.


Anyone have any recommendations about a company I can do that with?


I just graduated Everett Community College's program.


A woman told me this week her community college "certified" her as an MT.
I think the problem is the people who are teaching those courses don't know the difference. It isn't really a lie. They just don't know better. Of course they also shouldn't be teaching a subject they know little or nothing about, but that's for another thread, another time.
Maybe do a word count in some of your documents and get an average per day or week. Total for new
s
Just test, test, test anywhere you can...

Trust me, I know it's discouraging. Don't give up though.  I am still going to school but I got lucky enough to find some MTSOs to do overflow work for.  Granted I am lucky if I get to work three days a week but it is giving me a little experience and keeping my skills fresh.  I am now working for a national that ran an ad wanting 3 yrs experience.  I took a chance and now I am working with only a couple of months under my belt.


Good luck.


Test everywhere!
If you look at the posts here, everyone says to test everywhere, and it's true! Anyplace that will let you test, test! Some are harder than others, but don't give up. I graduated from my school last November and didn't find a job until March of this year, and I actually found it through a friend of a friend and I consider myself lucky. The important thing is to NOT GIVE UP. I know you studied hard so now work at your job search just as diligently. It is frustrating, but it can be done. Do a search on the internet for medical transcription agencies and test with each one that lets you. Try Spheris, Medivoxx, and Cobb Medical Transcription for starters. Good luck!
Sure you can test 100's.
you set up a worklist off of email responses, send out the grammar screening, when it comes back, run it through a macro to cross check and give scores, then you have an objective measurement of who has potential. Found it weeds out much more successfully than "I completed a medical transcription course and scored a 94%" drivel.
Test everywhere....
By testing with different companies you will soon learn where your strength and weakness are.  Regardless if they require experience, if allowed, take the test.  It will not hurt and it will help to build your confidence.  Most of all, keep trying.  Good luck!
Test, Test, Test

Test with absolutely every company you can.  I tested with at least 50 companies before I found a good company.  Did you get feedback regarding why you failed from these mentoring companies? 


Something will happen, you can't give up.  I wanted to give up several times, and I am so glad I didn't!  Just keep trying - test with every company that allows you.  You'll gain that experience while you're trying to find someone who will give you a shot.  Good luck to you.


Test
Can anyone tell me how many test they took to get a job because i have taken like 5 so far and be very confident researched everything and they still turn me down. I am getting very depressed because in school I did excellent on all of my reports and they graded hard. I am starting to think that I will never get a job. What is it? Please can any one explain and help me. I am very sad
test
I took a test for MQ last week. When do you think they will get back to me?
98 on Test

Hi,


Is that true you have to make 98 on test to get a job?


Thanks for your imput.


test
test
written test help
I am testing for a new job. Anyone have any info on where to find practice quizes or something. Any help would be great!
They test them and if they do well, they get hired like anyone else.
nm
It's likely that most companies won't test you without
I'm a small MTSO and won't even consider testing someone if they haven't been trained, preferably at one of the better schools (M-TEC, Andrews, etc.)
Help with taking test
Hi there....I'm hoping somebody can help me.  I have to take a test using Windows Media Player (no foot pedal yet), and I can't figure out how to type in Word and still be able to use the keyboard keys.  Any tips would be much appreciated.
Some companies won't even let you test unless
.
You'd have to test for companies. How would you do?
What would happen when the truth came out? There is no faking it when it comes to doing hospital work. Did you see the ads for general/religious transcription? If your English skills are top-notch, jump on those. One of the companies says they also have or will be getting some MT work, I believe.

Good luck.
so are you saying your test scores are too low?
you may want to consider buying a book and brushing up on grammar, etc. With all due respect, I noticed you misspelled "receive" in your post (it's I before E except after C or when sounded as A as in Neighbor and Weigh). Now that may just be a typo posting, which is fine, but if you actually don't know grammar and phonics rules, it's the kiss of death in this field.
Test scores
No I am not saying my test scores are too low. I usually denied because of lack of experience. As for misspelling receive that was a typo in my post. I asked for suggestions on how for find a job. I thank you for the tip about the grammar brush up but that isn't the problem. I have never worked for a hospital and I think that the school I went to is holding me back. Unfortunately I had no idea that At-home professions or Us career institute as they call themselves now was considered such a bad school. Again thanks for the tip but I believe that my problem is more a lack of experience problem than a grammar problem. When I did this about 10 years ago the field was so much easier to get into. Any other tips would be appreciated.
Test everywhere you can, you learn a lot that way - sm
also make cold calls. This is how I landed my first job. I had tested with a company and passed and was hired, but was waiting to actually start (took 2 months for that to actually happen). In the meantime I started calling local companies, I got hired over the phone by one willing to take a chance on me. I was on probation for 3 months, doing about $200 a month (she only had little bit of extra work), after I a month or so I knew I was "hired" for good and eventually got a little more work as the MTSO wanted to do less herself. I applied at another place (while working the 2 jobs) and picked up a 3rd. All were PT but different types of work, etc. so I packed in a lot of experience that way. Just keep plugging away, took me 2 months to land the 1st then 2 weeks later got #2, and 3 months later got #3. Just takes a little time, patience, and lots of persistence.
I took their online test on 8/21 and just
heard back from them yesterday. The lady I talked to there told me that she is really behind on contacting people. When did you apply with them?
typing test?
I am testing for jobs, and they want a typing test sent to them.  My comment... why?  I type what I hear not what I read.  The brain is trained in a different way.  I can only type 60 wpm without my shortcuts and stedmans smart type.  They want 80 wpm.  I dont know if I should test or not?
No companies have let me test yet
I haven't received any replies yet from companies to let me test.  Is there any way to test other than sending out resumes?
Test answers
I wondered that myself! But then again I am a pretty naive critter
MEDQUIST MT test
I replied to your message once, but never saw the reply here...so if this shows up twice, please forgive me!  I took the Medquist test a few days ago, also, and today I got the same letter...FAILED...with no explanation.  Like you, I thought I had done pretty well as a newbie.  Now I am trying to take the Focus Informatics test.  However, the very first test...I cannot understand her at all, and it is supposed to be a test for newbies.  Is there someone who can give me some insight into Focus Informatics and their MT tests for newbies?  I really want to get started working and thought I had a chance with Focus, but if I can't even transcribe the first couple of lines of the first report, I'm doomed.  HELP, PLEASE!
Is this a test question?
x
First Test Experience
Newbie took test at local hospital last night.  I had to just post my experience.  I was in a small, messy room with no windows.   The MT who gave me the test sat me a a workstation, brought up dictation file and said 'now you just type'. The head phones they gave me didn't work.  They gave me another set and that set kept cutting out on one side.  I wasn't at all nervous, but my experience was less than enjoyable.  I was given 11 dicationas to complete that were actual doctors at that hospital.  I would say half were ESL.  I had to chuckle or I would have cried.  There was no terminology test or anything - just dictation.  I didn't do very well.  Even the English speaking doctors were mostly just mubbles.  Had I been able to even understand a little of the terminology they were speaking I could have done better; however, they were horrible.  Slowing down the dictation didn't help - in fact - I don't think that was even working.  I spoke a little with the MT and she said the courses don't prepare you for what you will really experience.  Is this really what I'm in for?  I've never run across any dictations, even the ESL, in me courses that were this bad.  Although the MT told me it's better to work at a hospital as a newbie, I think I disagree.  I think I would feel more comfortable working from home.  I guess you get used to the doctors eventually.  On the lighter side, I did watch the MT doing dictation and noted her Expander usage and ya know what --- I think I can do this and will not give up!
Medquist Test
 I recently took the Medquist test and failed for a second time.  I looked everything up before submitting it, and still failed.  I have been in the medical field for for almost 20 years, and this really surprised me.  Does anyone know how many questions you are allowed to miss?
Medquist test
I don't know how many Qs you can miss. I have taken that test, passed the objective part, then flunked the actual transcription test. Maybe they would go over your test results with you a bit if you called them? In my case, I know I need more transcription practice. You might just be missing something easy to correct like one of their punctuation questions or something. I would ask them.
Passed Test!!!
I frequent this forum alot and see lots of helpful information that is being shared among MTs. It is great!!! I spent the later part of last night trying to finish one transcription test for a company and finally finished this afternoon. About 30 to 45 minutes later the company calls and says I did a great job!!! I am quite nervous because there are alot of companies who sucker you around and I am a newbie so I consider that a double wammy for me!! It also made me nervous that they called me back so quickly!! I am having butterflies now. I have not even returned there call yet. Well wish me luck. This company has been mentioned alot on this forum but I am going to give them a try anyway. After all I am a newbie!! Thanks to everyone for the advice and guidence on the forum.
online test
Don't feel bad - I've done transcription for over 25 years, had a CMT for 15 of those years... took an online test with MRC (Medical Records Corporation).  I did the test, waited for two whole weeks... they never got back to me until I asked them what the hel_ was going on and they told me I failed the test - would someone explain that to me?  My audit score for the company that I am currently working for, is 97-98........
FocusInfomatics test...
I, too, just took the FocusInfomatics test for QA/Editor position and I was told I "failed". I think I did well on the first half, just the transcription part I had difficulty with. I just could not understand one of the docs. I have QA'ed for Medquist before and passed their test. Very discouraging.
typing test
It was a timed typing test.
I was not fast or accurate enough to pass, but I am improving. Have you worked online without taking a typing test?
typing test
I agree, when I first started radiology I had to look up every 30 seconds or so - and I'd been doing this for 10 years. If you want you can take a quick typing test at www.typingtest.com, It would be purely for your own knowledge but it is kind of cool to see your improvement.

I remember seeing a job posting that said (this job is not worthwhile unless you can type 75 WPM) which I thought was very stupid. But they pointed out this website and I was at 73 wpm - when I started 10 years ago I was only at 45 WPM.

WPM doesn't matter as much as your knowledge - this is true - so consider that before you apply for a job that even mentions WPM!!