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

USA Career Institute - Jen

Posted: Feb 15, 2014

Hi,

I'm about to sign up for MT school. I am leaning toward USA Career Institute. Has anyone else graduated from that school? I am very limited on what I can spend. Their cost seems to fall in the middle of the prices I have seen online. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive.

Thanks!!

No! Don't do it, Jen! - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Oh, Jen, have you already given them any money? You obviously are brand new here, or you would know that the MT industry is on its way out FAST. Please just spend time looking through the mountains of posts from MTs who are having to go on food stamps because they can't make it on their MT jobs anymore. We long time MTs are appalled that there companies still in business who lie to hopeful people like you by making you think there's a future as an MT. There isn't, Jen. Choose another career.

Above advice is right on! (see mssg) - Rose

[ In Reply To ..]
We are currently making only one third the line rate we made in the 1980s. It is not enough to live on. For every job posted there are at least 800 applicants and your competition for these jobs is with people who have been doing this 20, 30 years or more.

MT Schools will site Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing MTs making about $15 an hour or 30K a year. Those figures are years old. That was what we made many, many years ago working direction for the doctors and facilities. Today just about your only option is to work for an MTSO (MT Service Owner) and they are trying to lower our rates even more.

What this comes down to for a newbie is you can not expect to get a job, and if you just happen to be offered one they will try to get you to work for .03 cents per line for editing. For someone new this will end up being about $1.00 an hour and raise slightly if you stick with it and learn to about $7.00 per hour but that takes a long time because there is so much you have to know that schools do not cover.

You cannot expect minimum wage because they will have you signed on as a contractor where labor laws do not apply. You will have many duties that are required with no compensation. You will not have health insurance unless you pay what you can't afford to get it and work F/T. You will get zero benefits like sick time, paid holidays, overtime, shift differential, vacation time, etc.

It was very smart of you to come here and check this out before paying an MT training school. There ads are just loaded with lies. They didn't used to be, but today they are nothing more than a scam.

At this point - Do not go into MT, but...

[ In Reply To ..]
If you insist, you must read the archives here on which schools are the best. There are only 2 in the entire country, so any others are no-go's.

So that means do not go to the school you are talking about. I no longer promote MT anymore, so I'm only going to suggest you check the archives to see which schools are good if you are seriously really going to go into MT.

Do NOT waste your money!!!!! - former USCI "grad"

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If you did take their course, after you got your certificate you would find that you are having to relearn almost everything. I learned more terminology and PN formatting from when I was a CNA helping the nurses catch up charting. I was unable to get a job as an MT with my certificate from them. They are not accredited as much as they claim. I ended up doing legal transcription for 6 months before I started filling in for the medical side at the company I was working for at that time. From filling in I worked in enough experience to be able to get a job as an MT.

certification - Jen

[ In Reply To ..]
What if I complete the program through USCI & then sit for the RHDS exam? Then I will be certified through AHDI.

You are assuming that - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
the school will provide you with an education sufficient to allow you to pass the examination.

It might. Or not. You won't know until you've spent your money for their course and then spent the money to take the exam.

What will happen - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Your first mistake is your assumption that all programs teach the same thing. They don't.

Your second is your assumption that you are going to be the exception ... the special one who is able to make a success of this no matter what.

Listen to what people already told you, please. Large companies will not hire you unless you graduated from one of two other schools. Period. They won't because you will be unable to do the work. Having that silly certification won't make any difference. Even if it did, you would discover in a month that it is impossible to make a living at it.

Facilities are now moving toward front-end voice recognition and point and click EHR templates. There is no need for MTs or "editors." None.

Please pay attention to what we are telling you. Find another career.

For decades, MT has been plagued with matchbook schools, the ones that advertise on matchbook covers, on the sides of buses, and in the backs of women's magazines, and now on work-at-home websites. Wannabees shell out money, waste time doing their programs, then come here to whine that "no one will give me a chance." You are on your way, poor judgement in hand, to becoming one of them.

Sorry to be so blunt, but that is what you need to hear. If you don't heed the advice after that, you can't say no one told you differently.

RE certification - former USCI "grad"

[ In Reply To ..]
The course through USCI doesn't teach enough correctly to be able to pass any real exam. As I said before, I learned more helping nurses catch up backlogged charting than I learned from the course from USCI.

I was you 4 years ago - T

[ In Reply To ..]
I was advised against taking an MT course for the same reasons here. I didn't listen. I told myself it would be different for me. "This is one of the best schools. I live near a huge hospital with lots of specialty clinics. It will be different for me because I'm a hard worker..." Yada, yada.

Well, after toiling through the course for 2 years and getting a 97%, I finally got a job for a MTSO. I dove in, determined to make it work. I spent most of my time staring at my computer waiting for work, competing against an invisible pool of other people. When I was transcribing, I spent more time verifying patient and hospital demographics than in actual typing, which wasn't part of my line count so I didn't get paid for that. I was making less than 2 bucks an hour. No idea where my hospital was getting its MTs because it sure wasn't locally. I called them regularly and got nothing. I stuck it out as long as I could but finally gave up. I could've made more money walking people's dogs.

These people are giving you good advice. It's up to you though. You could get by and make a little extra money. If you're married and have a husband with a good income and benefits, maybe that's enough. But will your income justify all the time & money you invested in schooling? It's up to you. If you choose to go ahead with it, I wish you the best.

please do not go into MT. Most of us are on our exit plan - East MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I am back in school for social work. I graduate in May with my Associates and will go on to University in the fall.

Just curious ... what led to this decision? - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Maybe we can explain why it isn't what you think it is and maybe suggest a better plan.

Wow... - Jen

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi,
Wow, so surprised to see all the negative comments. I am looking for something I can do from home that is not sales. I homeschool my kids 3 days a week & have to drive them around town the other days. I need extra money for sports, vacations, etc. I dont need insurance. My husband is the primary money maker. Its been hard to find cash for extra stuff. I want to work about 20 hrs a week & make about $200 a week. I only need to do it for about 3-4 years. Then, I will have more time to get a job in a medical office & work away from home part time. I have read that the MT field is evolving & that EMRs cannot do what a person can do. I have read that many MTs are getting close to retirement age as is a very large part of the population & that the demand for MTs will rise over these next few years. And, I have read that many DRs would rather keep their MTs and pay the fine rather than switch to EMR. Now, I read your side of it, but I am still leaning toward doing it. But, please feel free to make alternate suggestions. I am sitting on my cash trying to decide which route to go. Thanks!!

The things u have read about MT is news to me. - See msg

[ In Reply To ..]
Compared to what I have lived as an MT. Did the articles you read tell you where the MT jobs are? Or where they are going to be? Because at the moment they're all at the MT companies & they are only paying 3-4 cents per line. If all you need is part-time supplemental income then, I guess it can work for you, but you should probably pick a more reputable school. Even local community colleges are eliminating MT programs due to the current state of MT industry. I personally wouldn't take the risk, but that's just my opinion.

other options - devolving

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you considered the following careers? Modeling,actress, linotype operator. You would have a better chance succeeding in those careers. I agree with the previous posters thoroughly. Just look on the job seeker page. Look at how many hits each opening receives. I went from $50,000 a year down to . . . too ashamed to say . . . in last 5 years. transcription will be totally eliminated in the next several years. Even if you decide to ignore our advice, you will not find anyone willing to hire you with no experience when they are thousands of MTs too old to change careers hanging on for dear life until retirement also competing for the 2 or 3 jobs remaining nationally. Go into web design or babysitting. Dont say we did not warn you.

All she is going to remember - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
from your post is $50,000 a year, not that you don't get anywhere near that anymore. She's made up her mind and nothing we say will change what she believes.

evolving same manner as dinosaurs - devolving

[ In Reply To ..]
Forgot to say that was 10 years ago ($50,000)when pay was 10 cents a line. Now it is 4 cents.

Try 1-800-Flowers - work at home job

[ In Reply To ..]
you'd be better off than spending money to get into this dead-horse job. Convergys is another one.

Childcare, selling on EBAY, get some elderly clients, clean houses - all are more promising AND

[ In Reply To ..]
Wont cost you anything education wise.

link to 2013 CA stats - Jen

[ In Reply To ..]
I am in California, so I don't know if that makes a difference. Here is one of the pages I was recently looking at. CA has the highest need for MTs...

http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/OccGuides/Summary.aspx?Soccode=319094&Geography=0601000000

Any California MTs - want to chime in here?

[ In Reply To ..]
There are a lot of companies who won't even HIRE experienced MTs from California.

Used to be in CA. Many will not hire Californians due to... - changes in the labor laws.

[ In Reply To ..]
.

And here is the small print... - Rose

[ In Reply To ..]
Under the salary the small print reads:
"Wages do not reflect self-employment"
In other words independent contractors (most MTs) are not subject to state labor laws or the minimum wage. These figures are for the EXTREMELY minute percentage of MTs who work in-house and are employee status, not contractors. These transcription departments are quickly shutting down to outsource to MTSOs (the middleman) who pays .03 to .04 cents per line for editing (which is about all we do now), or to convert to ASR (automated speech recognition). It would be illegal for hospitals and facilities to pay what we are paid by the MTSOs as it would not meet minimum wage. There is a huge difference in what In-house MTs and independent contractors make. Contractors are only paid for the actual characters on the page when it is completed, usually often *excluding* headings, canned text and sometimes even spaces, even though that is a keystroke. In-house MTs are paid hourly for everything they do on their shift, not just black characters on the page. This includes things that contractors are not paid for such as: Listening to long audio files to confirm there is no dictation, researching to find the correct patient when no name or MRM is given. Researching a mispronounced drug that does not exist, but we have to research to see if it happens to be a brand new one or one used in a clinical cancer trial, or otherwise not FDA approved. Searching to determine the gender of a patient when the dictator uses both "he" and "she", then making all the corrections. Reformatting the document per client specs, correcting or creating numbering, indents, bold print, etc. Sitting and waiting for a doctor to finish his dinner. They no longer use the pause command except on rare occasions in which case they usually cut off words or work parts requiring more research, emails to the supervisor, etc. You can spend literally hours working and not being paid a penny because it is not a producing a black character. Every paragraph the dictator decides to "scratch that" and start over is unpaid.

I can guarantee you that you will not be hired as an in-house MT, or a contractor with your own accounts as that requires many years of experience after school. Your only remote possibility of a job is through an MTSO starting out at $1 per hour. The dictation is not the easy to understand school audio. You will spend more time researching than you do typing or editing until you build experience.

Whoever told you that what MTs cannot be duplicated by technology is absolutely correct, but that does not mean we are not being replaced by technology. Voice recognition is not ready to produce correct medical reports, but they don't care. They are adding disclaimers to all the reports stating that they were "created by a computer and may contain false information".

They don't care that Jane Doe's report states that she is "married, having an affair with a lesbian and taking illicit drugs" when none of that is remotely accurate.

It does NOT r years equire years experience to work in-house - An IC may require a certain

[ In Reply To ..]
Amount of years, but not in-house. I worked in-house 13 yrs before being outsourced to MTSO.

Does not require yrs experience to wrk in-house. - Sorry, phone freezing.

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Msg Inside - MT Today

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't know about that. I work as an in-house MT and am making a fairly decent living as an hourly employee with benefits. Besides, Jen wants to find an at-home job, and depending on where she lives, she could very well find a decent job. Yes, the MT field is not what it used to be, HOWEVER, it's not all bad, either. Myself, personally, when seeing what types of MT jobs are available, I have noticed a bit of an upswing of in-house transcription positions here and there, so they are out there!

To Jen: I wouldn't 100% deter you from looking for an MT job but definitely have a backup plan. Hope everything works out to your advantage. :)

I made that median - Val

[ In Reply To ..]
FT in a hospital environment until July 2013 when the department was outsourced to M*Modal. I currently work PT for M*Model while arranging for another career. Last check I made $8.83/hour gross and $7.38/hour net.

Doctors hate paying MTs - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
They may complain about EMR (which, by the way, does not eliminate MTs--that's a common misconception about EMR) and VR, but when they see that after the initial investment in the necessary technology they will be able to eliminate the ongoing expense of paying to have humans transcribe their dictation, they learn to live with the technology.

Whoever told you that doctors will prefer to pay fines AND continue to pay MTs was dreaming or hallucinating.

Look at the Job Seekers board and see how many jobs (hint: all of them) require experience (school does NOT count as experience) from applicants. Then look at the Jobs Wanted board and see how many people seeking jobs have experience. You may want to believe that we're all too old to work or about to die off, but wishing won't make it true. All those experienced MTs on the Jobs Wanted board (and that's just a tiny fraction of the MTs currently looking for work) will be your competition.

So, spend your money on some matchbook-cover MT school if you feel you know more about the industry than people who are actually, you know, working in it and trying to find jobs in it. You're probably right that you know better. What could we possibly know.

The OP never said - she knew better

[ In Reply To ..]
She's just asking questions and sharing what she's heard. I was BS'd by one of these schools too. She's not the enemy here. You can share your opinions and bad experiences without being insulting.

If you insist on becoming an MT, try Career Steps. - its a more reputable school and

[ In Reply To ..]
Apply at Nuance; they hire new MTs fresh out of school.

No it's not - John Doe

[ In Reply To ..]
they'll take your money and tell you lies you want to hear. I graduated from there. I'm married to a dollar store manager and the cashiers all make more than me.

Anyone who thinks there is a still a lifelong career to be had in MT is a fool.

Please re-read her post, she is looking for - supplemental income, Not a lifelong career .

[ In Reply To ..]

You sound like - A recruiter

[ In Reply To ..]
And does Career Step now have instructors? I haven't kept up because I got out of MT completely, but last I heard years ago, they had no instructors. You were completely on your own. Nobody to ask course questions, nobody to guide you, nothing.

I would'nt know, it was just a suggestion. I went through - community college many moons ago. Not a recruiter

[ In Reply To ..]
trying to help a sista out.

MT schools = waste of money - John Doe

[ In Reply To ..]
Any MT school is a toilet you will be flushing your money down. Use the money for, say ITT or DeVry, they have more flexible payment plans than CareerStep (which doesn't have any grant or scholarships available), and they can actually point you toward something that won't go the way of the gas pumper in another 7 years.

even more hare-brained scheme - supplemental income

[ In Reply To ..]
Only wants to do it for a "few years." So the plan is to pay some FBN school, get a part-time job making 3 cents a line, struggle to understand the horrific dictators (only kind not sent to India) and then quit in a few years?
Hop, hop. Go fer it. Maybe even get a job with the lovely and talented Patient First crew!

Huh? She only wants 20 hrs a week and her husband - is the bread winner, whats the

[ In Reply To ..]
All the fuss about?

fuss pus - oblique obtuse

[ In Reply To ..]
She asked advice? If she were going to try to MT without investing in an "education" with some rinky school, I would say give it a try. But to invest her money, her time learning, her efforts (futile) to be hired PT with absolutely no experience, and then have the shock of hearing what dictators really sound like nowadays,just seems like such a waste of money and effort. She will never recoup her investment and she would make MORE money working for telemarketer or bill collector to supplement her husb's income.

and with 100% less stress! - Val

[ In Reply To ..]
Why work so hard for so little money?? Less worry, nagging, micromanaging, keeping up with all the new drugs and machines and procedures.

Jen is assuming... - see msg pls

[ In Reply To ..]
The OP is assuming that 20 hours a week is going to bring her $200 a week. Not so, especially at first. I had 15 years of serious acute care experience and towards the end, I was lucky to make that.

Fifteen years ago, I was making $20-$30 an hour. I was lucky to make $10 when I quit the biz completely 2 years ago.

Jen, I think you're misguided on what's involved in terms of learning this stuff. The curve is loooong, and you are not going to make that money you think you are, even if you choose a good school.

I'm sorry if it sounds like we're jumping on you--I know all you asked was if the school was a good one, but we're trying to help you here.

Okay, so NO, that is not a good school.

I would work at Burger King before I would - begin in transcription

[ In Reply To ..]
at this point. Horrible field. No money, lots of stress. Do home day care or something if you must be at home. Plus it is VERY difficult to do this job now with kids underfoot. The easy work is usually offshored to India. What is typed in the USA is extremely difficult and the accuracy requirement is close to 100%.

EMRs have nothing to do with it. - Informaticist

[ In Reply To ..]
You are reading outdated information and, apparently, absolute nonsense.

The job market information is outdated, based on what it would have been like had EHRs and front-end SR not changed everything. The field is shrinking and salaries are now less than minimum wage.

You are misunderstanding the relationship between EHRs and MT. An EHR does not preclude transcribed reports. It just offers several other ways to do the work.

Having a doctor decline to use an EHR does not mean he has to use an MT or that he will use an MT.

You are reading these things and jumping to mistaken conclusions, I am afraid.

Fellow Homeschooler - understand your situation

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been an MT for 20+ years and have been blessed with many wonderful years as an MT working as an IC for a service and then owning the remainder of the service. When I started working for this great service, they had 150+ clients mostly private doctor's offices. I have seen 1 by 1 leave for EMR or VR. They loved using our service, but the bottom line came down to money, and VR and EMR are cheaper and most doctor's offices can't choose to use a transcriptionist anymore because most practices are not privately owned anymore but are owned by big companies that make all their decisions for them. So, yes they love having a transcriptionist but simply don't have the power to make that decision. They hate it, but they deal with it. There are now 10 clients left of the 150 and they are in their late 60s and early 70s and are still working. They don't want to change over to EMR, but it is only a matter of time until they retire. Then, I really don't know what I will do because the pay at these other companies is so bad. Just like everybody says. It is true. I went to school and did great back in 1992. Got my first job, and realized I knew nothing still without experience but trained and worked hard. Even then, I made much more $ babysitting for the first year or so. The learning curve is really long. The only reason I was able to make it was because I still lived at home w/my parents. I urge you to please reconsider. It takes a long time to learn this trade and with homeschooling, I can't see how it would be possible. I have been homeschooling for 7 years and there is no way I could teach school and learn a new career myself. I barely keep my eyes open working the job I have done for years and homeschool during the day. I wish you all the luck in the world. Hold on to that $ and really think about this decision before you make it. Best wishes. I'm on your side but this career really is over with EMR, VR, and sending work overseas. - The good old days were great though . . .

Okay, here's the deal - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
If you are going to do this, at least go to a school that will teach you. That would be Andrews or M-Tec (not to be confused with Meditech). That's the end of that. At least with those schools, you'll be invited to test for an MTSO if they're hiring. Which they overhire, so they probably will test you.

But don't say we didn't warn you, okay?

You already have your hands full, BTW with you family obligations since you're homeschooling and transporting kids to events, so I'm not sure when you think you would be doing MT. It's not the type of thing where you can willy-nilly come and go as you please. You will have some sort of schedule and some sort of production requirement.

Please don't do it! - clb

[ In Reply To ..]
Your post said you only need about $200 a week and want to work 20 hours a week. Well 200/20 is $10 an hour. First off, you won't make that. Secondly, you cannot pick and choose PT or your hours for that matter. Thirdly, you will be required to work weekends and holidays so if your kids are in sports on a Saturday, you'll be at home waiting for work and stuck with NJA. I was just like you 10 years ago when I went to an accredited technical college for MT, thinking I was going to be a mommy and stay home and make extra money for little things, well that never happened! Well, I don't have kids (long sad story) and I work FT as an MT and have a husband with a FT job and we still scrape by. We just changed our TV/internet to the lowest plan just to save $20 a month. My first paycheck doing MT for 80 hours of "work" being paid 8 CPL for production only, not hourly, was $91. I made $1 something an hour? I cried for 2 days! I did not sign up for that! Seriously, go work at Wal-Mart, the dollar store, grocery store, babysit for extra cash, anything but MT. Please listen to us, we are telling you the truth. I'm trying to get out of MT and once you get stuck in it, you can't get an interview anywhere! You will regret it!

Jen - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Please don't do this. I do not know of a single MTSO who takes US Career Institute seriously. If you are going to give money, please give it to your favorite charitable organization. Just my two cents' worth. (For the record, if I were still in business, I wouldn't even grant an interview to someone with those credentials.)

If all you are looking for is spending - money

[ In Reply To ..]
Sell Avon. It would be more lucrative and more stable than medical transcription. No joke.

From what I understand ... - me

[ In Reply To ..]
...the places that hire new grads--M Modal and Nuance, there might be a few more--will only hire new grads for full time. And they really want people who go to a reputable school that provide real world dictation from actual doctors. Go to the AHDI website and look the schools section.

But I actually would suggest you go to to some of the Work at Home websites and look into other things you can do without investing in an education. $200 a week is pretty easy to come by and there are lots of ways to earn money at home these days.

I would discourage you from pursuing a job as an MT - byanyothername

[ In Reply To ..]
To get the first thing off my chest, I will say that part of the decline of the MT industry has been women with children at home who just want a little something on the side. They have undermined the pay scale because they are not the primary bread winner and will settle for less pay in order to accommodate staying at home and raising a family.

Now, raising a family is very important, in fact, I can't think of a job with greater importance. But it means the services offer those who are primary bread winners less salary because of those who have driven down the pay scale.

There are other factors that are driving down the pay scale. Voice recognition has been the snake oil of our times. Produce more for less money because VR does more for you (or some such sale pitch)! Offshoring to countries like India and the Philippines where they are willing to work for pennies on the dollar has had a significant impact. EMR has forced people into accepting VR and/or an offshored product more readily. Doctors entering the healthcare field are more technology proficient and willing to make those changes, while the older doctors who resisted the advances are retiring.

Jen, I have been an independent contractor working as an MT for over 20 years. I can no longer support my family (I am a single mother of a 10-year-old child) by working as an MT. My crash happened in 2013. By December, I was on food stamps. One doctor lost his contract, found a new place to work, and no longer needed my services. Another elderly doctor had a kidney removed due to cancer and only works minimally now. An MT service organization I subcontracted for lost their major client due to reorganization due to Obamacare insurance reimbursements.

It takes at least 3 years to become a fully functioning MT and able to earn more than minimal wage, even if you were offered good pay. I have mentored new MTs, and that is a constant, whether it is through on-the-job training or via an established educational venue.

To think that doctors like to pay their MTs is a myth. Because we do not generate income, our pay is often doled out after the electric bill and monthly condo fees are paid. I can't tell you how many times I had to work out a payment arrangement for my rent because I was paid late by those doctors.

I would encourage you to apply through your local public school system as a substitute. You can control how often you work. You would not be looking at your computer as you try to fall asleep each night trying to will more work to be available to make a decent paycheck.

If all you want to do is stay home with your kids, please do the rest of us who don't have someone else as a primary bread winner a favor: Don't become an MT. Do yourself a favor and don't invest in an industry that is meeting the same fate as the horse and buggy industry.

Jen, a few other points to consider - Rainwoman

[ In Reply To ..]
It's not a family-friendly field. Almost all companies want you to work holidays (including Christmas) and at least 1 day on weekends. Work frequently dries up in the daytime and you have to make up the time at night. Very, very few get a M-F daytime routine. Even if you're an IC, MTSO's want a schedule fitting their needs, not yours. If you're an employee, you'll have an electronic timecard which will be closely monitored. You will be pressured to work extra, especially as a part-timer, since they don't have to pay OT before 40 hrs, on weekends or when they get behind TAT. Try computer programming, website design, bookkeeping, tax preparation, but don't waste the money on MT.

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I am a 47-year-old woman with a BS degree in management who has always wanted to work in the medical field. I began a training program for transcription but have since learned that field isn't promising at this point. I am analytical and have worked in accounting-type positions for many years, and I think I would enjoy coding. From the perspective of someone with experience in the coding field, would you recommend coding as a career or would you suggest possibly RHIA? I would appreciate ...

Oct 08, 2012

I am about 90% done with my preemployment process at a county position in a neighboring town. It will not be too soon for me start as we got word today that we lost one of the biggest contracts they had and they wont be getting a new one until February. So let me tell you just how thankful I am that I am not going to have to deal with these issues of MT anymore. I will be moving on to an employer where I am fully vested at 8 years! I am 40, so essentially I could retire then! & ...

Oct 12, 2012

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I am a military wife, so I'm hoping to start a career where I can work from home. For now I would only want to work part-time since I have a young child at home, but it would be nice to have the option to work full-time someday. I've been thinking about becoming a MT for a while now, but lately I've been discouraged because it looks like the job growth has slowed considerably in recent years. I'm looking into the Car ...

Apr 02, 2013

How many of you are pursuing a new career. I can't live on the money I make from MT, and I don't know if I can do this until I retire. I have been studying gemology, trying to get into estate jewelry. ...

Apr 08, 2013

Well, I wish I would have looked at this forum before going to MT school. I tried working for two different MT companies. First one I hated the platform/pay and the second one I really liked the account and platform but my work wasn't "clean enough" and they let me go after two weeks. I think I got canned because I questioned some QA redlines and was told I was wrong (no, no comma. Yes, you put a comma. That's hypenated. No, not hypenated.) I even ha ...

Aug 03, 2013

Here is a link to a very cool career map on AHIMA website. You click on one career in entry, mid, advanced or master level and it will connect you to all the paths you can go. It also shows emerging areas. Just what we have all been talking about mapped out! http://www.hicareers.com/CareerMap/ ï»¿ ...

Nov 06, 2013

I was just wondering if anyone had found another work-from-home career to go to after leaving the MT "world?" The way this industry is going, I'm just tired of it all and would like to find something else I can do from home and make good $$ at itI I have started on something of a new career but it will take some time to get up, get going and start making $$ at it. I am designing cat "trees" or furniture that is more attractive and way more easy to clean than what is on the market out ...

Apr 15, 2010

put all of this wonderful medical terminology to good use? Don't want to be a nurse. I hate needles and blood. I am a very empathetic and compassionate person. I really don't want to deal with the public/customers. ...

May 12, 2010

wonder if anyone here, or if anyone knows of anyone who utilized Career Step for either their MT program or their coding program ...

Jun 04, 2010

I am reading on this board and seeing that people from Medquist are being let go, places are being bought out, hospitals are selling in-house to the outside services now. The services charge a decent amount of money to these hospitals, but we see pennies of it. What is sad is that what we do is very important, yet we are treated like all we do is type words (and anyone who has done ESL docs know it isn't just words - it's format, it's incorrect pronunciation, inco ...

Jun 15, 2010

Hello, All: While helping my son research possibilities for his career choice, we found out that ultrasonography only requires two years of education and the median pay is around $40K-$50K. You don't have to be licensed and can take the job anywhere in the country. Not bad, huh? Wanted to pass that information along to any frustrated MTs who are considering getting out. I woudln't mind doing that myself. Dental hygienists make even more and also o ...

Jun 25, 2011

I am considering taking classes for MT as I am ready for a change in my life. As I am looking into MT I have come across several questions that I want to ask to save myself the stress, etc. of preparing to start something that may not be what I am looking for. I see the different schools listed that others have recommended and yet I also see where my local community college offers course in MT. In your opinion would the courses there be suffice to work as a MT? For those working as MT, what do ...

Sep 13, 2010

Hi, I haven't enrolled yet, but I've pretty much decided on Career Step (mostly because of price!). I was wondering if anyone has any input as to whether it's better to take the MT course or the MTE course. Do you need the extra editing experience? I'm sure any extra is helpful, but is it necessary to have the editing training to get an MT job with an online company? Thanks in advance for any info! ...

Oct 04, 2010

I am planning to enroll in a MT distance learning school and one of the requirements is to get information about the career from at least 2 transcriptionist. What is MT all about? What does it take to succeed? What is the income potential? ...

Nov 12, 2010

my company is laying off and since i will qualify for unemployment, my new plan is to finish school in an MT program. i have tried 2x in the past but could never set aside the time/money to do so. now i have found this board, and am a little confused by some of the comments. i had no intentions of working from home but rather a hospital or office setting. i have seen job postings around town and a government site says something to the effect of 11% rise through 2018. so with all that said, how ...

Mar 04, 2011

Does anyone know if in-state tuition for career step is $350??? That's what they told me. ...

May 06, 2011

Hi! I have never posted here before but have been reading several of the posts and found them really informative. I hope my questions will not be too redundant. I tried to see if they were asked in the last 3 months and couldn't find them, so if they were, I am sorry. I have a friend who graduated from Career Step and really liked it. I am considering a possible career in MT, but am not sure. I have noticed it seems very difficult to break into without experie ...

Aug 02, 2011

I have been in this business over 20 years. It is really all I have ever done or know. I realize that this industry is quickly going down the tubes and so I have been looking for other work in other industries. The problem is, I seem to be stuck with the feeling of fear of change. Fear that I know MT so well and I will fail in a different position even though I am qualified. It has been keeping me from actually applying for any of these positions. I know its probab ...

Aug 18, 2011

I have been enrolled in college for the last year while still working. Found out today about a whole new carrer that has just come out and being created because of EHR/EMR and now being offered and will become even more popular. My teachers in college informed me of a meeting they had in the city where I live. This meeting was held with physicians, PA's, NP's, MT's, Medical Assistance, nurses, etc. Because of EHR/EMR, most doctor's (about 78%) do not ...

Oct 26, 2011

I am considering going through training to become an MT and have been reading the posts on this forum for several weeks now. Before I make a decision I would like some opinions from you all who know this industry. Specifically, I would be looking to do MT on a part time basis. I am a stay- at- home mom with two kids in elementary school. My questions: 1) How realistic is it to find a part time job in MT (after training) where I can work my own hours from home? It seems like a lot of ...