A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Getting out of MTing and going back to college - sm

Posted: Oct 13, 2011

Mting is no longer for me. I'm 34, single mom, need a better career. I can't seem to decide on which career path to take. I want to get my bachelor's degree because it will make me feel like I have accomplished something, and I would like to have a degree and possibly get my master's someday. I can't decide between healthcare information management and getting my RHIA, or something totally different and getting a BS in business-human resources management. What do you think?

suggestions - loa

[ In Reply To ..]
You might look into health care administration. It's a combination of management, business, and healthcare. Their industry is expecting a big need for new workers as a lot of people in administration are older and getting close to retirement. I recently went to our state hospital association meeting and at 36 I was one of the youngest in the room full of executives, so I think there is truth to that.

Another one I would recommend looking at is health informatics (or healthcare information systems). There aren't a lot of programs out there yet for this, and some people do a different undergrad and then do a master's in this. This has to do with EMR management, database administration, systems analysis, etc. Very high demand field.

I personally would stay away from HIM just because I think that long term it is going to shrink in need, particularly if you look at how automated things are becoming due to meaningful use requirements.

My suggestion is not to build up huge loans that you won't be able to pay back - See message

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That's the only caution I would have. Other than that, I don't have any recommendations. No job fields are very good right now, so take your time. Don't jump into something if you run into an aggressive salesman as I did a couple of weeks ago.

Respectfully disagree. Lots of job fields are GREAT right now, and - just as people can live with a mortgage,

[ In Reply To ..]
or more appropriately in amount payments on a car, they can live with student loans from state and community colleges--as long as the monthly income is high enough to fit them into the budget. And it is for most once they have a couple of years on the job, with raises, etc.

OP, in the middle of this recession/depression, the unemployment rate for people with 4-year degrees or more is only about 5%. It's always lower.

At the same time many jobs are disappearing permanently at our level, many more are being created for higher-skilled people.

Over the past 30 years, while wages have stagnated and even dropped for non-degree work, jobs requiring 4-year degrees have seen generally steady increases in pay. Increase in base salaries and raises.

By all means, rush to put yourself on the winner's side of this widening gap. As to what to do? I'd really strongly recommend looking for a work within a field that gets you enthused, even if it's not the most lucrative. After all, you'll be working a long time; grab this chance to make sure you can enjoy and feel good about what you're doing. It should be something you can build on or transition from as times continue to change.

Lucky you.

Anything IT related - is a good bet

[ In Reply To ..]
At least in my opinion it is. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the RHIA specific areas, though. I am uncomfortable with anything that is "certified" by AHIMA or AHDI or whatever they decide to call themselves. They are too changeable and too specific to one industry. If something in that industry changes, then you're sort of stuck...sort of like being an MT some days. Ha!

If you like computers, I'd try for something that is more systems management or computer science oriented. That can translate to any industry or business that has computers and they always need IT people.

I am in total agreement with the other poster about the school loan situation. Try to do this with grants or whatever, but really try to avoid getting into debt for it. I've been through a rocky year for other reasons and the thought of taking on new debt on a "maybe" scares the you-know-what out of me.

Good luck.

More importantly... - alan

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what are YOU interested in doing with your life?

I have no idea! - sm

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I really have no idea what I want to do with my life. I am 34 years old and stuck. I do know that I am going to college (all done with grants) but can't decide!

Suggestions - Cathy

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I am just about the same age as you and feel the same way. I would also like to go back to college but not sure of the logistics/money to do it/exactly which path to take. I would suggest doing some self-discovery to find out what would be a good fit for you. There are some good books on the subject, like "What Color is Your Parachute?", etc. It might be a good idea to visit a career counselor to get some help. Another thing that you can do is sort of "sample" different fields online through the open courseware consortium. Some colleges, like MIT, etc., have placed some of their courses online and you can access them for free. You don't get any credit, of course, but it might help you get a feel for some different things and whether or not it would be a good fit for you. I'm trying some computer science classes on for size to see if it would be a good fit for me or not before investing in a degree program. Good luck with your decision! I know that it can be nerve wracking.

Thanks for the ideas - Rainy

[ In Reply To ..]
I had no idea about free online courses. Will look into that as I also am interested in the computer/IT field but am afraid to commit too much money and time only find it is not a good fit. At 48, the prospect of starting over is terrifying, but I need a change.

Everyone needs a change every few years to avoid getting stale - nm

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We all get burnout after a few years. It's good to change jobs occasionally.

Right! - NM

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x

Go for it - cindy

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I just started back to school also. Once you start with one class, you'll find more that interest you. Just start and get out there. I've started and now I found a field to go into in the medical field, the pay is better than MT and you get treated like a real person. You don't get treated like a production assembly line. What if grocery store cashiers only got paid when they scanned an item. One cashier gets 50 cans of tuna to scan and the other get 30, 40 and 50 pound bags of dog food. The one that has the harder job gets paid less and the tuna scanner makes out like a bandit. I compare our jobs to that. If we get a hard report and waste time we get paid less than the ones that get good reports with no problems. This field is the biggest crock ever. I have been doing it for 30 years and I just realize how we are getting so ripped off. At least cashiers get their hourly rate no matter how many customers come through their line. Their not treated like a useless worker with no brain. We are not getting paid for our knowledge and I am so disgusted with this field. I can't wait till I can get a better job. Just go for it. Its really worth it in the long run.

The treadmill - Hampster

[ In Reply To ..]
Go to college to learn and better yourself but don't bet on it finding you a good job with good pay. The hoops one has to jump through may prove to be too challenging for older MTs and even some younger ones. Even if you do succeed, who knows how long it will last. Don't mean to be "debbie downer" but a little reality check of the economy we are is worth knowing about before investing in expensive education with high expectations.

Just what I was thinking - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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