the lower you start, the longer it will take you to make good money!
Posted By: does not work for peanuts on 2006-09-01
In Reply to: there are so many variables - dont be discouraged
those are just the facts!
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I make good money at it, wouldn't quit for anything.
This particular board has a lot of "the sky is falling" mentality but in reality, there are many, many MT jobs.
I make about $30.00 per hour, well worth my time.
Unless you can work in-house somewhere, I feel the at-home MT who can make good money is a
s
Average start pay anywhere is in the 7-8 cpl range. Do a search of the Company board, make contact
s
This is a good start for you (sm)
In light of the fact that you are new, this is an excellent rate of pay with a reasonable (generous, really) production requirement, even though you may not be able to meet it at first.
Add 20-25% to it for the benefits and you'll be making more on the lines of $13.08. As an on-site employee you will not have to pay self-employment tax or overhead.
When people scoff at this rate of pay, remember that everyone starting out in a new career field starts at the bottom. You have to work your way up. As an MT, your value lies in your ability to produce quantity work while maintaining high quality. Newbies aren't able to produce much while maintaining quality.
The incentive pay makes this better, and if it has good benefits, then you're doing well.
The most important thing about this job is that it will give you experience. You NEED that experience. If you can get it while being paid hourly, so much the better.
Unless someone scoffing at this can produce a job for you which pays better, do not listen to them.
If you do not have a job and you need a job, you are in no position to be turning one down because it doesn't pay top dollar. Take this job and do your best with it.
Is this a good start
I've heard Sten-Tel is a good starting company, is that true? I need to gain experience. I recently finished up an internship, but need 1-2 yr experience to be able to work in clinics or hospitals in my area. So I thought if I could work online at home PT or FT(I need to make around $400/mo to pay all my bills) for a year, then I could start applying again at the hospitals... anyone have any good leads?
I would start with PT. Good way to
get your speed up, familiarize yourself with macros. Easy work - no drugs or labs, usually no ESL, lots of repetition. Start with PT and then go from there.
5.5 as an employee is good to start! sm
I started my first job at 5cpl as an IC, no benefits. If you are offered 5.5 cpl plus benefits to start take it. You will get more later on but you need the experience. I've been working 7 months now and just took a new job at 7cpl. You have to start somewhere and cannot expect to come into the industry making what experienced people are being paid/offered. Yes, many companies post ads and say they offer 7-9cpl, but you'll also notice most of them are also asking for the MT to have 3-5 years experience. Taking a lower wage when you are new is not belittling, it is reality. You can always work your way up. Also you can continue to job hunt while working and if you find better, great then switch companies. You have to start at the bottom, but you would be surprised how quickly you can move up if you are good at what you do. Good luck!
Pretty good money
You can make pretty good money as an MT, but it takes time. You might be ready posts from people who have only been in the field a couple of years. I read an article recently that gave a pretty accurate account of what can be expected for pay. It was called "How much money can you make as an MT" It was on the articles page of this website www.help4mts.com and there were other articles too if you have not gotten started. There are many factors involved in MT paid, i.e. inhouse, SE, contract, benefits, etc. Good luck.
Put the money towards good education, not an unnecessary laptop.
It should tell you something that a school offers a "free" laptop to get students to sign up. List how many good things and how many bad things you have heard about Andrews and M-TEC. Then make the same list for Allied and TRS. There's your answer.
You make some good points, BUT please SM
It's interesting how you only see PCDI grads and the like complaining that no one will hire them as new grads.
I can't remember ever seeing an Andrews, MTEC, or CS grad complaining they can't get a job.
I know a couple of recruiters who have told me they won't even look at PCDI grads. Are they possibly short-sighted? Maybe, but sometimes it's just not worth picking through the haystack to find the needle when you have another source of needles.
I would suggest looking for a smaller MTSO or a local physician/hospital to start out with.
they make it sound so good
They make it sound so good when you call and talk to them about the course. You know the $50,0000 or more a year for a course that takes less than a year to get through and the false promise of job placement. I have decided to go back to my old job ( at least for now) as good as it sounds being able to work from home and still be a great parent, sitting here waiting for work isn't going to buy my kids christmas. So I am going to go back to work and get my paycheck every two weeks and learn from my mistake. I will be looking into more course from a better school so that I can do this job someday. I can't just keep putting out resumes and keep being turned down and not passing tests and try to keep my chin up. I am starting to feel really stupid and getting seriously depressed. No career is worth that. So good luck to all of you out there.
My Company will no longer hire Career Step
This is just a heads up for what it is worth:
My employer used to intern and hire Career Step grads, but no more. They just were not ready and we had far too many newbies quit almost right away.
Hope I don't pop someone's bubble, but I'd think this might be prevalent with other companies too.
I'm told that Career Step's transcription typing classes are too weak. Also, too much isolating study that bores the students and results in inadequate skills.
Career Step may be trying to achieve too much with their "server format" when it comes to actual typing.
being able to make 40,000 year without a college degree is pretty good. I'm happy.
Agree...not a good reflection on our profession. A seasoned MT would not make this mistake. nm
x
Even some of us most experienced MTs don't make that. Make your
s
it will start low
I started with $200 or less every 2 weeks when I started. Currently, I make around $500+ every two weeks. That's good for me considering I am just doing this part time while taking care of my baby. Hopefully, I can bring that figure up.
Start looking now
It won't hurt to start looking now. I'd go ahead and start sending out resumes and test with any company that will allow you to test with them. One of the most important things companies need to know is that you have skills and a good base background. Actual experience in the market will come after you land that first MT job. Good luck to you.
Where did you start?
Where do newbies get their start? I have been applying everywhere, but everyone wants 2 years experience.
HELP!
Possible start...
I took the classes, graduated high in my group, etc. And I was facing the same problem; nobody wants a newbie that they have to babysit. I actually got my foot in the door through a temporary staffing agency, working in the medical clinic at the county jail. After that, I was on a role -- 1 more in-house position and now I'm an independent contractor. There are companies out there that will take a chance with a newbie (the lady that picked me up on contractor status, for example) and be very patient with them until they learn the ropes.
Don't ever give up (I've been fighting for this for 12 years now, and am finally able to say that I have 2 years under my belt)!
Where/how to start?
Hello,
I am currently looking to find a part-time at home transcription job. I have been endlessly looking at all different websites and just am not sure how to apply myself and what is real or a scam. I've been working as a full-time Certified Ophthalmic Assistant for the past 10 years as well as transcribing consult letters and in office surgical procedure reports. Though my work experience is all Ophthalmology, I do hold an Associates Degree in Office Technology with courses that included machine transcription, medical/legal terminology, business english, etc... I also took a refresher course last year in Medical Transcription. It was a 59 hour course which included medical terminology, typing with daily timed testing and actual transcription from taped dictations. I would really like to expand my experience and skills but am leary on who would consider me with my lack of experience in anything other than Ophthalmology. My speed was estimated to be 65-70 wpm but I have been trying to keep up on it with timed testing and practice. My accuracy was about 95%. Most places seem to want higher speed. I know I can learn and get my typing up to speed and accuracy. I am willing to do what it takes as I could really use the extra income. Any help to go in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know where to begin.
Thank you.
start up costs
to start up, you need a medical spellchecker loaded in your PC, electronic version of Quick Look Drug Book, high speed internet and Google. You will probably need to get some version of a .wav player in order to test. And for goodness sake, you don't go buying reference books full price at Barnes & Noble's. You get them used through the classified ads on MT sites and you only buy the ones that relate to your specialty. At this rate, you'll never be out of debt.
So it's better to start out in the clinic
area rather than the hospital setting? How do you find clinics who are hiring? I look in the paper and I don't see any.
I start Jan 8.....more inside
I start with the tech call on the 8th, training on the 9th, and begin work on the 10th. Any insight no how to start off great? Any recommended reference books? Are you employed with them?
Jill
Start in-house!
Meryl, I can't believe no one answered your post! If you are new, I highly recommend that you start in-house, as a lot of us did. You can get the help you need starting out. Benefits are usually good working in a hospital or doctor's office.
If you don't see any jobs in the newspaper locally, put out some feelers. I got my best job, one I have been doing for 13 years, at my daughter's oral surgeon's office. I mentioned I do transcription and asked who did theirs. Turned out the bookkeeper did it when she had time.
It is difficult to work at home just starting out due to the lack of the support you need.
Good luck, Meryl. We all wish you the best.
Start applying.
x
start stop
i do
how does a new MT start testing?
How does a new MT take tests to prove to employers she can do the work?
Start testing and see what happens ...
Good luck!!!
Want to start MT course this month
Hi -
I'm new and looking for information. I would like to start a MT course as soon as possible. I need a way to make some kind of income for my family. Right now I'm looking at Academy of Medical Transcription & Professions out of Maine and CareerStep. Would there be any recent graduates from either school that would be willing to tell me the pros / cons they found of their school? It's hard to compare and would like some input. There's some difference in money, but I really would like to take a course that is going to prepare me to start working right away after graduation. Any thoughts or advice?
Thank you for your help!
Becca (in MI)
great start...
I agree---the program gave me a great start. I have posted many times on Focus. If you search the forum you will see many posts.
Good Luck---Sue
bright start
I've been racking my brain trying to find a good MT program. I looked at Bright Start and it sounds good. They have the BBB logo on their page but I've yet to find them listed with them. That makes me a little leary. I did see though that you can take for an extra fee 2 levels of advanced specialty training.
Just graduated.....where should I start?
Tomorrow night is my last class. The school does not help with finding jobs. Any suggestions as to where I should start looking?
I saw a posting for PT entry-level MT position with Rider & Associates, Inc. Does anyone know who they are and are they reliable?
I was told by a former graduate form my school to look out some companies are not cracked up to be what they seem.
Money
What are the chances of making $35K yearly and still having your wits? That is really what I am concerned with. I live in South Florida and am considering this profession. I would like to make enough to supplement husband's income of $85K. However, I don't want to be so stressed out that I can't enjoy life, either. Is there a happy medium here?
money
Those are good ideas.
Its not that I don't have the money, I just have a hard time spending large amounts. I can fritter away $100 here and there at Target and Walmart, but, phew, a $1500 check is hard to write.
We actually have enough money in savings, IRAs and investments to live at our current standard for at least 18 months without either of us working. Not that I would want to do that, but it could be done. So, its not that I don't have the money, its just a matter of spending it. I'm sure you can tell that since we have almost 2 years of living expenses saved up in the bank (and we have about 30-35 yrs to go til retirement), we are kind of tight with spending money.
Thanks for the suggestions though. I do need to have a Yard Sale, as much to get rid of stuff as to get some cash on hand. I have a pile of childrens' clothes to take to the resale shop for some cash too.
Where is the money at?
I was wondering...do MTs make better money working for someone or having a business of there own? Just wondering. I realize being new I will not have my own business for a couple of years but will I be able to make a "living" until then?
Big name=big money when you-sm
can get the same elsewhere at much lower prices. This board and its members often advocate only three schools that charge more than the others and don't offer a lot more. Most companies don't even know these names and could care less as long as you have a certificate and are certified. If you look into these higher priced courses, the only thing different is that they might use the more expensive transcription tapes, that's about it. These courses, all of them, are basically taught by sending you a few books then it's up to you as an individual to make it work. You will see members of the big three schools advertising their wares left and right here and everywhere they see someone looking. They are out to make a catch, so don't be fooled by the nonsense you here about their grads being the only ones being hired out of school. That's total bull and being said their by their little advertising cheerleaders, as well as the owners themselves who have no pride or too much. They order a bunch of books, sell them to you at twice the price and sit back and rake in the profits.
The money isn't what it used to be, and
job security isn't what it used to be.
It might still be a good career for somebody who is especially suited to it. That is, someone who has outstanding skills in written English and has the time and money to to to one of the best schools (Andrews and M-Tec are two two IMO, and cost about $4000. Some people have reported it took them 9 months to graduate, just to give you an idea). He or she must be interested in constantly researching new things and learning every day. You need a great work ethic, especially if you end up working at home. It isn't easy to sit at a computer at home working when there are so many things at home calling for your attention. You need to be able to invest in books/CDs, computers, and equipment when necessary. There are many factors to consider. You should go to Monster.com. I think you can take little tests there to see what kind of work you are suited to. You'll be happier in your work if you choose something you will be good at.
No money for us
Simple....corporate greed. Make more money sending work abroad. It'll turn around, may take a while but once the first big law-suit happens, it'll turn around.
Where to Start MT part Time
 Any ideas on where I start if i want to get into MT part time at home? Do I join one of these places that you pay for them to train you? Take training on my own? HELP.. Or am I totally nuts and really dont want to get into this? I have had Carpal tunnel in the past and work full time also...
Even if you so happened to start out with no ESLs,
That can change overnight. The fact is that more likely than not in this business you are going to have to get used to them. :-(
You could start applying first to see if anyone will let you test now and
s
P.S. - I also know that sentences always start with capital
letters. Please check your posts if you are going to scrutinize and criticize and point out typos in posts that other people place on this board. I don't have to proofread when I am posting on this board. I do, however, when I'm working. Do you?
I never said she owed me any money.
nm
Before you spend your money -
Do tons more research before you spend your money, please! I went to MTEC, graduated in 9 months, and have been working from home for more than 8 years now doing acute care. I had recruiters banging down my door to test and was offered positions after every test I took. The little medical backround you already have is nowhere near enough to be an MT, so get a SOLID education so you will not come back here at the end begging for someone to hire you for 2 cents a line. Best of luck! 
Your money would be better spent on
coding and billing. The MT profession is making less and less and having to work more and more. A new MT has a hard time finding a job. As far as boredom, it is what it is. If you find sitting for hours with headphones while mumbling baboons try to put a report together entertaining, than this job is for you. If not, select something different. The top schools is where you want to go if you decide, but again, if I could start my career (been in this for 20 years), I'd go with the billing/coding. It can be done onsite or at home, and all practices need these people to bring in the dough. You'll make more money at it anyway especially since new MTs make next to nothing.
My living is a fair wage for the time and effort, but the effort is from having many, many years of experience. A new MT will have to look a lot of words up which takes time away from production.
Good luck whatever you decide.
P/S: EMR will be mandated probably by the year 2015, so if you're young and smart, you'll choose another profession. I hate to be that way but it's the truth.
If I were you, I'd want my money back from whatever MT course you took.
If you've had any decent MT training at all, this shouldn't have been any problem for you.
I had to start out in the office of a local hospital sm
for a year, then went home. I didn't want to go home to be honest, too many distractions and my twins were babies at the time, but they were sending everyone home. I really don't know what to tell anyone when I see these posts. There are lots of companies out there needing help and you'd think that if they are willing to send their work overseas to people that don't even speak English as a first language, then they would be willing to hire a new graduate. I would be a little more pushy, offer to do 30 days at a lower cent per line then have a review, something like that. Keep pushing, someone will see potential and take a chance on you. Honestly, these companies that don't hire new graduates I just don't get it. I work for a small local company that is always behind on their work and I always suggest they hire some new graduates from the two local schools, but they never do it, they just sit and wait for people to apply. Good luck!
Well, until you start the perfect MT organization, they are the only one around ..joke or not.
Wow! This is a sign to beware of her start up costs.
what your MTs will get. By not giving an answer you are causing us to jump to conclusions...
Most jobs only want 2 yrs of experience. Start testing again and
s
Can you start an IV, put in a catheter, change a colostomy
bag, do venipunctures, check a PKU on a newborn? If so, by all means apply for a nursing position. The point is, you don't HAVE to have formal training (i.e. school) to go from nursing to MT. You do need hands-on training, though.
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