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

Community College vs. M-Tec/Andrews - GbytheSea

Posted: Feb 11, 2011

Is it better to go with the tried-and-true Andrews or M-tec as opposed to a local community college that offers MT courses? I was thinking it would be better to stick with the former, but was intrigued by the fact that the local junior college seems to be promising "internships". I'm not 100 percent sure yet, as the informational meeting isn't until the beginning of March, but wondered what the prevailing wisdom might be on the subject. Thanks in advance for any info.

Community College vs Andrews - Way Old MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I would go with a good transcription course, where THE FOCUS is on transcription. My understanding of some of the community colleges is that they do a heavy, heavy focus on things that may be helpful in MT (like the sciences), but they lack all that ear training.

I would to a side-by-side of hours of transcription, types of transcription, ESL focus, etc., etc. That ear stuff is invaluable and there's only one way to learn it.

Community College - no1joe

[ In Reply To ..]
I wouldn't recommend an MT course at all anymore, but with a community college, at least you would have transferable college credits for the future. Plus, if they offer an internship program, that's the best way to get your foot in the door for possible employment. Please read further on these boards before making a final decision. Good luck to you.

MT Career - Way Old MT Again

[ In Reply To ..]
I will second that about even going into this career. I was assuming she or he had explored the field before her decision to go into it.

Please listen to us - no1joe

[ In Reply To ..]
and really, really think hard before deciding to do MT... and read these and other boards before you commit to anything. Also, I just wanted to add that schools (not community colleges) will very aggressively try to recruit you. They want your money! Just be extra careful of any personal e-mail responses you may receive from this post. I gotta run... I finally have some work coming in (I've been actively checking the computer since 4:30 am; it's now 2:15 pm around these parts, and I've made a whopping $48 so far today. That equals $4.92/hour. I also have 15+ years' experience).

Agree w/no1joe. Our local community college just nixed this course. - Hayseed

[ In Reply To ..]
I was reading the spring offerings and it said the medical transcription program has been eliminated from their curriculum.

Even my husband's doctor, an older fella so you'd think he would "roll old school" hooked himself up with voice recognition software for his own personal practice and he LOVES it (we just had to know what that weird looking thing attached to his shirt collar was--turns out it was the microphone he dictates into).

:(

Depends on what you want to do with it - xmtso

[ In Reply To ..]
If you want to do ONLY transcription, then take the Andrews course.

If you want to be exposed to transcription, coding, office procedures, etc. then I'd go community college because you end up with a wider choice range.

Re internships- when you go to your informational meeting ask if THEY place you in an internship or if YOU have to find a place in which to do an internship. This makes a huge difference.

Good luck either way, sounds like a solid education is in your future.

community college - deb

[ In Reply To ..]
I would find out if they use the SUM program and if the instructors have real MT experience.

What you want to do with it/good points - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
XMTSO, you made some very good points. A community college program would offer more variety, also after the basics and the terminology and anatomy classes, a person could pursue other career choices. I don't know what kind of internship they would offer these days as on site jobs are fairly non-existent any more, I'm assuming it would be with one of the companies. I began my MT career with a community college course and was placed by my school in an acute care/hospital setting when I finished my program. I was green as grass, of course, but my coworkers mentored me and I learned much more after I began work. I think a CC program is also worth considering. Our profession has changed so much with our role changing to editors now that it's difficult to advise anyone about what to do.

I think you read my daughter's mind (sm) - Lifelong MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I've been an MT since a couple of years before my daughter was born, so she's grown up seeing the good, bad and ugly of the profession.

After floundering for a couple of years not knowing quite what she wanted to do or what career path to explore, one day she had a revelation (gasp, LOL) that she wanted to get into the medical field but not having a stomach for bodily fluids and suffering nursing would require, she decided on MT or coding and, once she decided on that direction, she also decided to learn medical office management AND medical assistant.

She's now taking full-time courses at the local college with classes in medical assisting, medical billing/coding, medical terminology and anatomy.

I'm delighted because once she completes her courses she'll have a much broader scope from which to choose to pursue her actual career in the field. Heck, we even joke about starting our own MTSO in which I'll handle the transcription service and she'll handle the billing/coding service, LOL!

At the end of the day, even if all medical positions (except the medical assistant) end up going the way of offshore, she'll have a nice tidy bundle of transferrable college credits.

The best part? She's rocking a 99.8% in her MA class so far...She's turning out to be an apple that didn't roll far from the tree, LOL!

I would also check to see what program the - college uses. I know that

[ In Reply To ..]
there are some that use Careerstep which is also an online school. I wouldn't pay them extra to do a course I could do at home.

If it were me, I would do the M-Tec or Andrews. Those are schools that some the online companies will at least look at students, and it seems they give a pretty good education there. I can't imagine that a community college would really be able to help that much with finding employment locally as there are usually very few doctors or hospitals hiring for transcriptionists, and you can guarantee every transcriptionist within a 50 mile radius is applying.

I had checked on a community college before I chose schools, and most of the courses really wouldn't transfer to anything else as they were listed as medical transcription classes, not like regular science or english classes you would take for any other degree.

GbytheSea - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Asking the difference between Andrews or M-TEC and a local community college is like asking the difference between a Ferrari and public transportation.

To Gbythesea RE Andrews/M-Tec - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
How do you know? Have you seen the curriculum from the community college that the OP is considering? There are also other considerations; the availabilty of funding, internships and transferrable college credits. Also the chance to sit in a classroom and interact with students and an instructor instead of in a virtual classroom.

CC vs. MTec/Andrews - GbyTheSea

[ In Reply To ..]
All, thanks for the many replies, I have much to consider. I havent quite figured out the deal yet at the CC, I hope I can get a lot of those questions answered at the orientation.

To those of you that wondered, I have been researching and thinking about this MT training for a looooong time, including reading these boards for quite some time. I totally GET IT, "oh it's awful, why would anyone want to do this, it's HORRIBLE". One would think that some hang around the New MT forum for the express purpose of turning away those interested. My favorite had to be the post "Seriously, Why?" which at some point mentioned that Walmart and McDonalds were hiring. SO... if anyone here thinks I should look into another line of work and can consider my circumstances and recommend something better, I would love to hear what that might be. I am married with four small sons, my husband makes a nice salary with full benefits, but we need SOME extra income. I HAVE to be home, and able to work flexibly. Where would I find a job that doesnt require a rigid schedule of nights, weekends, holidays, or allow me to just leave any time I needed because one of the kids got sick and had to be picked up from school? Or not come into work because school was canceled and I had no childcare? And hubby's job requires him to be gone 3 or 4 days out of the week, so no help there. I am totally aware that I am searching for the "Holy Grail" of job opportunities, if anyone has a better idea, I would love to hear it.

Lastly, I was just about to pull the trigger on either M-Tec or Andrews when the local CC added their "Health Information Technology" courses, they do include coding... but I just assumed that would also not be a "work from home" job (and the other day at the opthalmologist's office she was doing her coding during the visit).

Be very careful...SM - All Ears

[ In Reply To ..]
While your CC may have a placement program, make sure you are guaranteed a job, get it in writing.

BUT...consider carefully. If for some reason, the job they get you does not work out and you want to move on to something else, would that certificate/degree get you a job with another service?

I'm going to say that as a fairly recent Andrews grad, that I have had quite a few job offers after my initial application/resume submission blitz after graduation. I'm still getting interest a few months later and am happily working for two services now, one that I got 3 weeks after graduating and one that I just signed up with.

I'm still paying for my schooling with their flexible tuition payment option. It has been worth every penny I paid for it and I have gotten many comments on how well I test.

As for the flexibility of the job, you are absolutely right there. That's one of the major reasons I went for this as well. No, I'm not getting paid very well NOW, but it has everything to do with how slow I am and as I pick up speed, I should do just fine. Better than standing on my feet all day at a restaurant or retail establishment.

Just make sure you understand... - ZonedOut

[ In Reply To ..]
that the flexible schedule you sound like you want, get on and off whenever you want, work when you want, just so long as you get your lines in, are very hard to come by. Don't get me wrong, they are out there, but again, very few and far between.

Most companies these days want a scheduled committment, usually Tues-Sat or Sun - Thurs, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd shift and they expect you to be there for your shift, and just like a job you would go in house for, you have to let them know ahead of time if you cannot work, and not every MTSO is as flexible as the other, so it's just about finding the right shift.

I've been doing this for a while now, so I'm not sure what the job offers, schedule-wise look like for newbies, but I just wanted you to be aware of what most of us MTs really work and not go into this thinking we all work when we want and have a dream job of no set hours. Most all of us are looking for this, but its hard to come by.

Good luck, and who knows, maybe you'll find exactly what you are looking for!

Tell Me More - GbyTheSea

[ In Reply To ..]
Zoned, thanks for the info, did not mean to come off as naive as if ANY job would be "work whenever, wherever you feel like it"... Just hoping for some flexibility. Can you tell me more about your schedule? Like, can you bid or have a preference for a particular schedule? Is it set in stone then, and for how long? Can you change at some point? How does it work? Thanks in advance for the info

I have a set schedule - ZonedOut

[ In Reply To ..]
I work 2nd shift 3 p.m. to midnight and I am expected to be working when 3 p.m. rolls around. However, with my home situation, I don't need a whole lot of flexibility, my hubby works 1st, I work 2nd and it works out well, no daycare required. He takes over with the kids when he gets home.

Of course, if something comes up, as long as I let my employer know ahead of time and have a plan to make my time up, they are very understanding. I am lucky. I don't normally run out of work and am not expected to sit around all day waiting for work if I do run out (unlike a lot of MTSOs nowadays).

Like I said, you just have to look around. Maybe you will find a job that lets you work whenever (most likely an IC job, I am an employee). They are out there. If not, think of a schedule you could generally work, and go from there. a lot of employers are willing to do split shifts (some in the morning, some at night), just make sure to ask questions when applying.

Good luck!

P.S. I hope I didn't come off rude, just wanted you to have a feel what the "real MT's" worklife is really like.

Schedules - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't want to sound rude either, but working as an MT at home is a commitment to a schedule and a commitment to show up just as if you drove to the office every day, and they expect you to produce a specified amount of work. There are days and hours when they need you to be there, particularly if you have employee status. If you are lucky enough to be able to choose your days and hours, you are expected to commit to that, and not change on a whim. I've worked on site most of the time, but even when I was at home (same employer) I had to submit a schedule every week and was expected to follow through. Any schedule changes had to be approved by my manager, just as if I was at the office. I think some people are going into transcription thinking it's a dream job, and because you are home based you can work when you want, as little as you want and make tons of money, then reality sets in.

Response to your reasons for choosing MT - xmtso

[ In Reply To ..]
"I HAVE to be home, and able to work flexibly. Where would I find a job that doesnt require a rigid schedule of nights, weekends, holidays, or allow me to just leave any time I needed because one of the kids got sick and had to be picked up from school? "

Unless you get your own accounts, you're not likely to find the above. MOST gigs now require a RIGID schedule, you do your share of holidays (including Christmas) as healthcare is a 24/7/365 position. Most companies also require you do at least one weekend day.

As a newbie you will have a difficult time getting your foot in the door, thus my suggestion to see how you are interned because if the school does not already have these relationships, you may find them difficult to come by.

Then stir in the fact that as a newbie, even one with internship in her pocket, you are going to be faced with NOT being offered a day-shift position but more than likely a second or third shift (nonflexible, you gotta be here these hours kind of schedule) position.

If your husband is gone several days a week and you are the primary parent to 4 sons, may I ask how you think you will be able to work as a "professional MT?" It's not easy. In some cases, it's just not even doable. I raised 3 kids doing acute care in the days of carbon and typewriters. I ended up working third shift hours most of the time, had a husband who only wanted me working when he was working so he didn't have to be parent aka babysitter (in his head) while I worked.

So if your primary reason for going into MT is so you can work at home, think you're gonna be able to do it an hour or two between being full time mommy and part time daddy, and not if you have a sick kid or 4 kids home from school, I'd encourage you to rethink investing the money.

IMO, and this is not a personal attack on you, but IMO, this type of MT that you are describing (just some extra money, think I can just do it sorta kinda, dont really want a schedule, want to be able to be mommy/daddy, etc) is the kind of MT that will most indubitably be phased out during the transition that MT is now undergoing. The field is going to require well-rounded, highly-skilled, dedicated MTs who realize it's a full time position and a profession, no longer a "mommy's dream job." I'm seeing this more and more as my cohorts are hiring and I see who it is they are letting go. The threshold of tolerance is low, low, low for an MT who can't/won't be professional with the job.

It's sort of like, if you were an executive administrative assistant, would you take the kids to work with you? Not likely, huh?

I wish you luck as you make your choices. I still recommend the CC course because the HIT is going to serve you better in future employment, and not likely as an MT.

Response to Response - GbyTheSea

[ In Reply To ..]
First, let me say I am very grateful to you for taking the time to write and share your thoughts with me, it is the reason I come to this board.

But also the problem with forums is that they do not take the place of conversations, in that one may only take my words as they are written, and sometimes that does not tell the whole story.

About the schedule, please let me clarify. I didnt mean to imply that I couldnt/wouldnt work a set schedule, including weekends and/or holidays, I could and can, perhaps, as long as I knew ahead of time, but to me the point is doing that AT HOME is far different than showing up someplace (a retail store, etc). And that is why I'm trying understand how it REALLY is for MT's, so I can be realistic about wether this is possible for me or not.

I have put all my circumstances on the table here in an effort to get feedback, but please do not misconstrue my earlier posts as being from someone who is just "sort of" looking for something to flop into (who in their right mind would spend that kind of money on those training courses?)and make "some money". Nothing could be farther from the truth. I AM looking for a career (next year all four will be in school full time), and I would undertake being an MT as I have with everything else in my life, that is, with my desire to do everything to the best of my ability, and be the best I possibly could. It's just that (like the poster Zoned said) my husband's job takes first priority, and also my job as Mom is top priority, but there are plenty of others out there who are able to raise a family and have a career, I think I would like to too.

Not sure about the CC courses, they dont mention job placement and am skeptical about those "internships" also confused because the catalogue list the classes for the HIT "certificate" (Biology, Anatomy, etc) but then I see the booklet for the Spring classes and the MT courses say they are online and through "Greenville Technical College" (???)

Thanks again for all the comments and thoughts, they are greatly appreciated.

GbytheSea - xmtso

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for the further info.

The REALITY is the jobs were you have flexibility are becoming fewer and far between (as has been said). Most companies insist you choose a schedule and that you stick with that schedule. Some have in place, a rule that says you cannot change that schedule for at least 6 months, others will say- "don't ask to have your schedule changed, it's not happening."

As a new MT working from home, it'll be a slow ramp to productivity and if you insist MT comes third, SOMETHING will always have to give.

Given your further information, I'd go with one of the recommended MT-only programs (and make sure they train you in editing not just transcription). By the time you would be ready to work, all the kiddles will be in school and hopefully you'd find something day shift that would allow you the freedom being a wife and mom first requires.

good luck!! Let us know what you decide!

THANKS TO ALL - GbyTheSea

[ In Reply To ..]
for the replies, greatly appreciated. I also have to admit, I need to research more about "editing"... seen that mentioned and not familiar (see what I mean? Dont have the whole picture yet!!)

Editing - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Editing is ASR (Automated Speech Recognition) editing. I'm not clear on why some think you need a course in it, except to learn a few keystrokes that will save you time.

You have a document that's already typed by a machine and it has a bunch of errors, and you fix the errors.

CC course not all it seemed - G By the Sea

[ In Reply To ..]
Scoped out the college courses at their orientation meeting, and just as some said, it was long on the sciences (anatomy, biology etc) but seemed a little shallow on practical transcription stuff. And the "internships" are actually for the HIT course students. Plus the cost difference was negligible. So I wont be enrolling in the CC. Thanks again for all the info.

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