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

How sad it is to be so good at something - that nobody cares about anymore

Posted: Oct 18, 2013

I could do MT in my sleep. I fill in blanks with almost a 100% completion rate. My QA scores are excellent. Any specialty, name it, I know it. And yet I'm embarrassed to tell anyone what I do because NOBODY CARES ANYMORE. And I can't find a job doing anything else either. There just aren't any jobs that really require this skill. It's just sad. I wish I had learned to anything besides this.

I know it is sad - and I feel the same way

[ In Reply To ..]
because MT was what I had trained to do and what I was good at, but there are other options out there for transcription... general, audio/video, legal! try to expand your skills a bit, and the work is there! I just got hired for medicolegal transcription to do chronologic medical record reviews for an insurance company. Pay is much better, at this point, than most MT companies are offering. Look into it. you may be pleasantly surprised. good luck.

I feel that same way too. In addition to that, - MT2

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I feel fed up with medicine altogether. I've been an MT for going on 25 years. I became interested in nutrition in the 90s.

It's sad how many people are on numerous drugs. I did a report once with 25 drugs listed for one patient. Now they know statins cause muscle aches, amiodarone is associated with pulmonary fibrosis, and who knows what all the psych drugs are doing.

I want out of MT not only for the lack of respect and low pay, but I just don't have much faith in conventional medicine anymore.

You know, that's so ironic, I was just saying that myself - curiousMT

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to my family and friends. Told them that docs are getting people hooked on all kinds of drugs and it just can't be good for them. Losing, if not already lost, my faith in conventional medicine. Too many specialists getting into the mix with the PCP and way too many drugs being prescribed. Also, noticed, what I feel to be, unnecessary hospital stays for minor ailments. Also, wanted to add that there seems to be a heck of a lot more CAT scans and MRIs than before. Lots and lots of tests exposing to radiation. Is it all necessary?

I think docs are trained to manage disease, sm - Rockabilly

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not actually cure it. No cell in the human body is made of a drug. Younger people are getting hypercholesterolemia, heart disease, diabetes type 2, you name it. This can be changed with diet. I don't think docs get much, if any, nutritonal training.

I've thought about the radiation too. I personally (sm) - MT2

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don't go to the doc unless it's an emergency and I'm an old fart.

Just fired a doc for trying to put me on too many - meds. sm

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Have been relatively healthy, taking no meds. NP at last GYN annual exam RX'd HRT for extremely minor stress incontinence, no other issues; RX'd amlodipine for hypertension, said it probably would cause water retention and will RX HCTZ for that; wants me on calcium tabs (last lab was within normal range); potassium tabs because of the HCTZ.

My GP just shook her head, ordered HCTZ (BP was high last year, too), told me to lose at least 7 lbs, try DASH diet and see if HCTZ can be stopped in a year. Recommended eating more K-rich foods. Gave me pelvic floor exercises to try. HRT used only as a last resort as I am already at risk for breast cancer (family HX and childless). What a difference. So glad she is my GP.

I can highly recommend pumpkin seed oil/extract - sm

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as a natural alternative for the bladder issues. Admittedly, I've never taken Detrol or anything similar, so can't compare, but I decided to try the pumpkin seed oil/extract after doing a lot of research and am very happy with the results. I use 'Better Bladder for Women,' but you can go on Amazon or elsewhere and check out other brands to try too. I also have a higher risk for breast cancer (mom and maternal grandma both passed from it), so no HRT for me either.

Thanks. Will check out the pumpkin seed oil. - nm

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: )

I think MT on a resume just gets thrown away... - sm

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I've only been an MT since 2008 and before that I never had a problem getting a job or interview or even a call back. Since I started MT and then applied for anything else (even through temp agencies), it's like I dropped off the planet. I can deal with a no response but to not even get the thanks-but-no-thanks letter just irks me and is unprofessional. I sent you my resume and then I never hear another word? Even after a f/u resume? They either vanished into thin air or they see MT and go NOPE and shred it! I can't imagine how vet MTs much be feeling. Prayers for you all. I'm still in my 30s and have to stay in MT for the $$ (?) and the insurance until something else comes along or I get the boot. Then what? When I was going to school to become an MT, I got really defensive when people said I won't have a job in 5 years (that was 2005 or so). Hindsight I guess, should've just gone for Rad tech like I originally wanted to, but nooooo I had to go into MT so I could be a SAHM and make "good" money being an MT and still be at home with my kids. Well fast forward to now, still no kids and can't get out of MT if I tried. I know you all believe me that when I say having MT on your resume is bad news. Non-MTs don't get it.

I think it's aweful that MT was sold the way it was, - Rockability

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I learned so long ago, it was on the job training on a typewriter.

Me too - Old, Tired and Hurtin MT

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Same way I learned MT and with some of these applications asking about schooling/MT training, I always cringe somewhat when I put on-the-job training in, because I believe not even the recruiters or most of the "higher ups" would understand that concept.

Not long ago - someone else posted this

[ In Reply To ..]
so I can't take credit for it, but I thought it made a resume sound a lot better than "I spent the last XX years sifting through mounds of computer generated garbage making corrections to punctuation, misspelling and endless mistakes." I suppose I would throw that in the trash too if I got it.

Anyway, not long ago someone else posted this, and I feel it bears re-posting. I liked it so much I saved it for future reference. Once again, I DO NOT take credit for this, and I thank the person who created it.

If you have made up your mind that you are getting out, that is the first step, but you are a long way from done. Let the discouragement end and the encouragement begin. Some of you are feeling "worthless," and you have got to stop that. Take a long look at yourself in the mirror. Yes, things have been bad, but you are about to change that. If you can do MTing, you are a highly skilled person in many ways.

Dress up that resume and work on applying at least twice a week. TALK YOURSELF UP in your resumes. For instance, the first 3 paragraphs of my resume state:

QUALIFICATION PROFILE:
Administration: I provide exceptional administrative support to peers and management. I streamline office procedures to increase efficiency and improve service. I have outstanding communication, problem solving, customer service, multitasking and organizational skills. I consider myself to be highly motivated and reliable.

Technical Skills: I am proficient in typing at least 75 words per minute with superior accuracy. I am knowledgeable and skilled in Microsoft Word, blah, blah, many aspects of office equipment, technology, and software platforms such as blah, blah.

Key Strengths: I develop teamwork relationships with staff, managers, and clients. I adapt quickly to new environments. I pay close attention to detail and meeting deadlnes. I have successful experience in acessing and retrieving data, creating accurate reports that require reseach and analyzing of information, and have the ability to work independently.

Then list your work experience and education. Do not just list schools. Have you taken online courses, continuing education courses, or even self-taught software platforms. But most importantly, TALK YOURSELF UP politely.

No offense - MT Headed

[ In Reply To ..]
With an attitude like the one you convey it is no surprise that you are having difficulty getting hired. For one thing, you do not know that your resume is going into the shredder because they see that you are an MT. If you only want to work at home, you are limiting yourself in a big way. You are in your 30s and there are a lot of things you can do. Use your MT background and move to the QA side of transcription, not necessarily with an MTSO but with a health care facility. I am one of those veteran MTs you feel sorry for. I found myself out of a job at age 58. I now work as a transcription coordinator for the same employer (all our work is outsourced) and a health information tech. I took what I know and what I can do, learned some new skills and applied it to something else. You can work in health information management. You can code. In your 30s, you could go back to school and train for something entirely new. You may not be aware, but for many jobs the applicants number into the hundreds, even entry level jobs, and there is no way HR departments have time to send "thanks but no thanks" letters to everyone. Rad tech jobs are scarce as well because so many people entered that program that it is flooded with new grads; there are no guarantees of employment in any field. Take some initiative and follow up with the places where you apply instead of waiting for them to contact you. There are worse things than being an MT. Look at your strengths and weaknesses and consider how they transfer into other jobs. You can get out of MT if you try. Having MT on your resume is not bad news. You seem to be ashamed of what you do for a living, but then say that you have to stay "for the money," I don't get it.

She probably knows that, she needed to vent. - MT2

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no msg

How do you know what she meant? - MT headed

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Let the OP speak for herself.

Sorry, I was just putting myself in her place. nm - MT2

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xx

I agree with this! - I got out

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Employers in other fields don't have a clue what MT is, so you have to describe the job better for them. Employers in healthcare no longer know what MT is because they have never seen one, or they think it is typing.

I think you have to do more than just sending out the kind of resumes most MTs were trained to write.

You also really, really need more education. At 30, you are YOUNG, so there is no reason you cannot get into an online degree program with the intention of getting out of that house.

You could do any number of programs. One that is almost guaranteed to get you a good job making an excellent income is health information administration. You already have skills and knowedge in that area, as well as relevant experience. The HI/HIA RHIA program at WGU would take you 2.5 years, possibly, if you could get into it.

I got out, and so can you. It did not cost all that much, either. I had no student loan debt.

Started MTing in 1972, way before you and - LM

[ In Reply To ..]
I never started this type of work because I wanted to stay home with the kids. I started it because I happened to love the type of work, i.e. medical. Prior to starting I had worked in ERs, medical records, D.O.'s office and others. I think you need more than just wanting to stay home in order to make it work. Years ago, in fact, we did not have any stay at home people working, just was all inhouse. I get it that people are not making what they did years ago but do not feel sorry for the vets and let me tell you why. We ole timers used to make money and I mean really good money. I have worked part-time transcribing for other doctors and asked for $20.00 per hour and they either paid or I did not work for them. We had not only a base pay but production as well. How sweet was that? My speed was such that I raked in the money, so no tears for us needed. I am still working although work part-time now and the last job I got was at an age well over 60 and have been there now for about 5 years or more. The only thing I can say against MTing now is I think too much responsibility placed on the MTer as far as having to muddle thru ESLs and the like. Times past if something not understood you had the right to flag it or even ask the doctor to fill in. Gone are those days. MTing has been a great income for me when I was raising a family but if I were younger and needed some real money, not just chump change, would absolutely without any hesitation make the move to get away from a job that most cannot make a living with.

OP here to clarify... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
First off, I'm 38, not 30. I said I was in my 30s. Secondly, I have looked into going back to school but cannot afford to go back to school FT and only have one income (hubby) to support us. I do not qualify for any grants or assistance so it's either loans or credit cards. More debt to less income is not an option. And personally, I do not want to be in my 40s and graduating again and starting over again. I may have come off as ashamed of what I do, not the case. I just hate explaining it or getting "that" look. I did explain at one job interview what an MT does and it was like a deer in headlights. I've applied to medical and nonmedical jobs and in any fields that I worked in previously. I wasn't asking for pity or anything, just making my own observation. I may be "too professional" or "needy" or "desperate" because I do fill out an application or send a resume and then send a follow up letter if I do not hear back, just IMO that shows my initiative about interest in that job. I've also applied at places where (to my knowledge) they only accept a certain number of applications and then close the job ad. I've applied to many different positions in the same hospital in my town and never heard back once. I've changed my cover letter/resume to reflect that job ad/qualifications specifically so I don't just send out the same cookie cutter resume.

Also, maybe I'm a little jaded b/c I took on this career to be a SAHM and then infertility struggles squashed that so I may have been in a place of "what is my purpose in life?" (After alot of therapy) I am now in a good place in my life being child free and do like my job, I just had to dig down deep and find happiness and fulfillment inside and not expect it from a job or a baby. Long story short, I was simply posting my 2 cents in response to the OP. Would I like to get out of MT? Sure. But until then I will choose to be happy no matter what.

You did learn more than just this - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You did learn more than just this. The problem is that you are unaware of it.

Many MTs who have always worked at home, or who have worked at home a very long time, or who worked in doctor's offices, do not see how their work fits in with anything else in healthcare. They see it as standing alone in a typing for doctors sort of role.

MT is part of the larger field of health information administration, which used to be called "medical records." If you are not familiar with that, or have been out of it a while, it is a large field with a variety of specialties within it. In most hospitals and medical centers, it is as big as pharmacy and holds equivalent importance.

The reason I mention this is that what you learned for MT is part of the core knowledge of HIA. That is, you learned the same basic material as everybody else in HIA. MT programs in colleges used to cover about a year's worth of that material. Some MTs actually have 2 years worth of it.

In other words, the "skill" you think is just one limited thing, i.e. just typing (?), requires more knowledge than just typing. It is more than just MT'ing. It is the same knowledge that everybody else in HIA has, to at least some degree.

You do not have to feel that you wasted your time, or that no one respects your skill, or that you can do nothing else. The only problem you face is seeing it as a dead-end road.

You can put that knowledge to work in other areas of HIA. You can apply it toward a degree in it. You can get a job in HIA and then use your knowledge on that job and to advance.

I am speaking of your knowledge of medical terminology, A&P, pharmacology, lab and imaging, the medical record and documentation within it, software packages and computer systems, time management, healthcare operations, etc. That material is covered in HIA programs.

You need to see yourself more realistically. You know more than you think.

Well stated. I SMH when I read posts - albina

[ In Reply To ..]
expressing the lack of awareness of just how many skills an MT has. No need to resort to applying for jobs like burger flipper or Walmart greeter.

Beautifully written - no msg - CuriousCat

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.

How sad - redmaj

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I feel the same way. We used to be the "elite" support staff in the hospital. When I first started in 1977 I had to get an Associates Degree, and my first job was still a nightmare for a few weeks!! We are dinosaurs unfortunately.

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