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

Searching for new career idea-What type of course leads to this? - MTSearching

Posted: Apr 27, 2013

I've been noticing available jobs that have various but similar titles, but basically the function is as described in the link. I think I'd really enjoy doing this, but I'm not sure what to study (some sort of medical office program?) . Ideally, I need to take a course online if there's something decent, but I'm enrolled at the technical college in my home town for fall, so I could go that way. In looking at what they offer, though, nothing seems like it would lead to helping me get hired in this type of job.

Patient Registration Specialist - greyhoundmom

[ In Reply To ..]
I worked in 2 different hospitals in this position. That was some time ago. At that time, they referred to the position as Admitting Clerk. Most of the time they wanted someone with experience in that position. Usually they just give the person a typing test and medical terminology.

This was a long time ago. But when I started at the second hospital they had a total of 703 beds and they were all filled including hall beds. One other part of the position was placing patients. That was pretty stressful. Now they have RNs placing patients with only a little over 200 beds. The RNs were making over $30 an hour.

Doubt training required for this ... it is - nonclinical clerical work

[ In Reply To ..]
You can access a more complete description through the link you provided. Click your link then click links within what cbut.omes up.

It is described as "nonclinical clerical work." It is, in fact, going to be low pay, low reward work.

I doubt if training is required. This job would be good in the interim, perhaps while going to school. Don't think it is some fabulous, rewarding career, though.

If you want to know more, contact HR at the number provided.

Pay - MTSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree it's just clerical work, but the pay is not so low at our local hospital (this is a new posting at another hospital that is similar). I saw one posting for $14.25 an hour to start, so that works for me! However, like everything else, they are receiving many, many resumes. I'd like to have something on mine that would break me out of the pack, so to speak... I'm just lost in the shuffle, and sadly my MT experience doesn't seem to make one bit of difference, especially since my clerical experience is too far back now.

MT experience - Suggestion

[ In Reply To ..]
If you are finding that your MT experience doesn't count, you might need to change the way you view it, the way you view it in relation to clerical work, and the way you present it to potential employers.

The fact is that there is a strong overlap between MT and clerical work. MT has other components, too, but keyboarding, using a computer, changing toner cartridges and printheads and loading paper, entering data, using the phone, making photocopies, scanning things into the computer, verifying names, phone numbers, and addresses, faxing, printing, assembling paperwork and putting it into envelopes is clerical work.

I do not know how you could have been an MT for years and NOT done those things. Yet, you say it has been years since you did clerical work.

If you want a clerical job, you have to identify what in your current work is clerical and point out that you are expert in it. You have to paint a picture of yourself as a person who is exactly what the employer is looking for.

Further, those jobs require med terms. Don't you have that? You have to communicate that.

Those jobs also hoped you would have experience in their EHR, or at least the patient registration part of it. You might not have that, but don't you have experience using MTSO transcription platforms? You need to point out that fact. The employer is not looking for the experience with the exact same software, but with any software that would show you are trainable.

If your job applications just say you were an MT for x number of years, nobody is likely to hire you. How would they know what that means???

You have to show employees that you meet their needs, not get retraining in entry-level clerical skills that you have been using your entire life.

And, please tell us that the "technical college" you are enrolled in for fall is not a for-profit diploma mill. "Technical college" programs are often next to useless. More so at diploma mills.

Useless technical college programs - (SM)

[ In Reply To ..]
I am attending a local technical college for surgical technology. It is not a for-profit college but one of the colleges in our state technical college system. I do agree that there may be some programs that are better than others, but a reputable technical college will drop programs if a satisfactory percentage of students are not able to get placed in jobs (mine dropped MT, for example). They must disclose the placement rate to you. Students in my program are getting jobs in the field, and my husband also graduated from this same technical college with a diploma in electronics 15 years ago. He has worked for the phone company ever since, which is an excellent job.

Also, as a part of the program I am in, the prerequisites required me to take a computer class, which I thought was going to be a joke. Wrong! I was thoroughly taught Word 2010, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, which has been extremely useful. It was actually a pretty tough class, and some of the less technically savvy older students had a pretty tough time with it. (I am older, but I am technically savvy.)

One of the advantages of training for a program locally instead of online is the networking and connections with local employers that the school might have. With that said, I would be wary of taking general coding classes at a local technical college, but if there is some type of EMR training class that they offer, it might be worth it just to take that and get it on your resume, as opposed to taking a whole program in something.

Not so useless! - MtSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with your post! This is what I'm discovering, too. The technical college is nonprofit and regionally accredited. I'm impressed by their lower tuition and the fact they have discontinued programs that didn't result in employment (webmaster, MT, and something in design). I'm looking at several courses and trying to decide which way to go. Have my student ID, email, and am working on financing. It's exciting but hard at the same time to make all these changes at my age!

I think the surgical tech course would be an excellent course and great career!!

I wish you great success! - Changes

[ In Reply To ..]
Change is difficult and exciting, that is for sure. I have stretched in ways I never thought possible. Ha! Surgical technology takes me way out of my comfort zone, but I'm still standing and have just one more semester to go - a short one this summer - and I'll be sitting for my certification exam, which, unlike MT, is actually pretty much mandatory to get a job in the field of surgical tech. It is so cool to be seeing and participating in all these surgeries that I have transcribed over these past years as an MT. Again, best of success to you. I felt so liberated when I attended that first class a little over a year ago, which seems like a lifetime ago.

That is awesome! You are an inspiration to me! - MTSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I think you will have a wonderful career and be doing something incredibly important, too. That's awesome!!!!

I know what you mean about stepping out of the comfort zone while also feeling liberated at the same time. I keep getting bursts of "woo-hoo! I'm going to do this thing!" and haven't even started yet. Then, other days, I want to stick my head in the sand and pretend everything is okay with medical transcription.

My gut tells me to get moving on a career change, and just enrolling and getting my student ID number was a wonderful feeling! It was a baby step, but it was the first one, so it felt great! Now to decide which program to get into! haha

Good points...I will redo my resume... Technical College is legit though... - MTSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I like how you worded things, and I think I'll rework my resume. Thank you!

Honestly, I think I'm discouraged right now because, truly, people snicker at me when I say medical transcription. One guy actually said, "Do they still exist? I didn't know anyone typed all day any more."

The technical school is a nonprofit school and has a great reputation. Actually, the tuition is low in comparison to most area community colleges, and there are waiting lists for many of their programs. They are regionally accredited and the campus isn't far from home, so I'm definitely checking out their programs, trying to determine what will get me into the job market in a stable position as quickly as possible. They work with the high schools and area businesses to come up with programs that will actually lead to jobs. They've dropped courses that didn't lead to employment, such as webmaster.

Anyway, I'll try reworking the resume and see if that makes a difference in this market that seems to be flooded with candidates.

searching - Mindy

[ In Reply To ..]
I completed the program at the link below. All was online. They are reputable, fair price, and I had a job within 3 weeks of graduation. Good Luck. http://www.careerstep.com/medical-transcription?uid=ppc%7cG-Transcription-p3382312794&gclid=CJCcnoCK67YCFQsy4AodOV4AXg

She already IS a transcriptionist - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Truly, that just made my day!!! LOL!!! - MTSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I am trying to figure out how to get out of this "career." It's becoming unrecognizable and too much like a sweatshop for my liking. I'm also advising everyone I know who expresses the slightest inkling in doing this job to do something else! Nobody should have to scratch out lines and hope there's enough work and take payday advances to handle their bills or be treated like a machine or a number!

MTSearching - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
This is just a thought, but have you ever thought of becoming a medical paralegal and working in med-mal and PI types of law firms? (I am a law student and was wondering if that might be something you would like.) Good luck. I agree with you about the sweatshop part.

Thanks for the suggestion! Worth considering! - MTSearching

[ In Reply To ..]
I once worked as a paralegal and also for insurance liability claims for a major insurance company, so I have some background, too. It's just long ago...and very, very dusty...

Re: Searching - Mindy - TJ

[ In Reply To ..]
Um, no, I do not think that is the answer she is looking for.

Clueless. - (NM)

[ In Reply To ..]
Good grief.

a course of study is not essential - Snow Bunny (the original)

[ In Reply To ..]
Starting researching www.indeed.com for anything with "medical records" in the title. You might also consider "medical terminology" as well. Click on any job that pops up just to see what the qualifications are.

I've interviewed with one company was looking for medical terminology knowledge and medical records experience as the primary qualifications. If hired, they will teach me they're EMR. The other company is interviewing me next week or the following one. They wanted the med term knowledge and also intermediate knowledge of Excel.

Put your emphasis on jobs which want experience in med terms and med records, and then take it from there.

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