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

Kaplan University MT degree - NewMTstudent

Posted: Oct 07, 2011

So about 6 months ago I started the MT program at Kaplan University and have been really enjoying it so far. I was reading in this forum earlier, however, and read about a school called Andrews. I was just wondering what the difference was between the degrees that are offered at Kaplan and Andrews and if anyone on the forum has graduated from Kaplan or is in their program and what they thought of the program and if they were abled to get hired right away or not.

A girl e-mailed me who graduated from Kaplan - IMANMT2

[ In Reply To ..]
owed 29,000 or so and couldn't get a job. I'll dig her e-mail out if I can (I save EVERYTHING) and you can talk to her yourself.

Look for a cheaper alternative for shool... - past and present student

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I went through a community college that had a program that qualified for application for becoming a certified CMT. I would check into that--it's much cheaper.

Respectfully and Kindly Both Agree and Disagree With You - CMT

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I agree that a less expensive option might be appropriate. On the other hand, "cheap" is only a bargain if it gets results. I would not do it the way you suggest either. Here's why.

Employers also don't care about MT degrees, but they do expect applicants to have attended a school that has been approved by ACCP, a joint committee established by AHDI and AHIMA.

Also, schools can't qualify anyone to become a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT). If they did, most, but possibly not all, community colleges would fall far short of meeting that goal. They rarely help with job placement, often for good reason, because they don't provide enough training.

CMT - Old Pro

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I agree with you. IMHO, the ONLY two schools that are worth spending time/money on are (in order of preference):
1. Andrews.
2. M-TEC.

CMT - NewMTstudent

[ In Reply To ..]
Kaplan is approved by the adhi and they help with the certification exam. When I looked into andrews and M-tec they are both out of pocket schools and do not provide financial aid. I am a stay at home mom so have no way to pay out of pocket.

CMT-NewMT student - Deb

[ In Reply To ..]
I am a graduate of Andrews and have had no problems getting employment. Also, Andrews has a payment plan that is very affordable I'm sure if you talk to Linda Andrews they can work with you.

So what--AHDI approval means very little - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
As a former MTSO who had the power to get people hired, I can tell you that AHDI and CMT mean very little to me. Being able to perform on the job does. I would willingly hire an Andrews grad any day, no questions asked. Did you actually speak with someone at M-TEC or Andrews? My understanding is that they have several plans that work for people who are having financial challenges. All I know is that when an Andrews grad steps up to the plate, he or she will get hired right out of the box. Kaplan? Doesn't impress me.

why does kaplan not impress you? What are the differences in education - NewMTstudent

[ In Reply To ..]
I have talked to the people at Kaplan and the instructors for the transcription degree are all CMTs that are working or have worked in the field. What makes Andrews so special that Kaplan doesn't have. As for the payment plans, those are great if you actually have money. I wish I did have the money for Andrews but Kaplan seems to be just as good. They have instructors you can talk to and they give you feedback. Why is an Andews graduate so much different? To me its not where you graduate from but whether you can do the work, and I believe I can do the work. I have a great work ethic and a dream and am willing work wherever and whenever I can. I also have the typing speed and listening skills as well as some editing skills. I appreciate you advice I just don't understand why everyone is all about Andrews when Kaplan provides the exact same education. I looked over the courses and the courses they teach at Andrews are the same ones I've taken at Kaplan.

What makes Andrews special - Old Pro

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And this is based on my observations--I do not know any of the principals at Andrews, nor have I ever spoken with anyone on its staff. Andrews grads ALWAYS can step right up to the plate and start to work on the first day. No questions, no "show me hows," they just do it. Many people from Kaplan and the like THINK they can do that, but there is a saying in MT that " you cannot know what you do not know." And that applies everywhere else. You might want to call any MTSO--choose someone from a smaller company right up to the big folks like MQ and Transcend--and ask THEM why they would hire an Andrews grad over a Kaplan grad. PERFORMANCE, baby, PERFORMANCE. I do not doubt your work ethic or your dream and I wish you the best with it. However, you will be competing with the pros. And when you say, KAPLAN PROVIDES THE EXACT SAME EDUCATION. Wow, you could not be more wrong. Wait until you get on the job. Or even looking for job. The difference will become apparent. Believe me, they are the same in the way that a Rottweiller is the same as a poodle. But please do not take my word for it. Start calling companies or e-mailing them. You can find them under the Job Seeker's Board. Ask them which of the two schools they prefer to hire from and why. And ask them if they think the schools are equal. Time for a reality check.

kaplan vs andrews - NewMTstudent

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So I'm just curious. Have you ever hired a Kaplan graduate? You say you have based this opinion on observations. Have you observed a Kaplan graduate? I just want to understand why everyone is biased against Kaplan when it is a perfectly good program and is accredited by the adhi. I don't understand why everyone is all about Andrews when the only difference I see is that Andrews is a specialized school and Kaplan has other degrees.

My thoughts on this - sm

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I think it's less about being biased against any school and more about being biased in favor of one with an excellent track record.

NewMTstudent - Old Pro

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I have observed many Kaplan grads. And for the record, I am not "against" Kaplan at all. I just think it is far too superficial. I am not "against" community colleges either, but I do not compare them to Harvard. Again, I offer my challenge to you: Ask current MTSOs what comparisons they would make.

MTSOs - NewMTstudent

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I have talked to several MTSOs today and they said that they just wanted MTs that had their certification. They didn't care which program or school it was from as long as they were certified. That's what my program does is get me certified. They prepare me for the test and they have a great career services department to get my job portfolio ready. Why do you think Kaplan is superficial?

NewMTStudent - Old Pro

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You'll find out when you hit the working world. I am not interested in being cross-examined time after time about why I think one school is good and another not so much. There is a ton of information in the archives. Do your own research. You will find out. Just read this board and the archives and see what others say when they hit the job market. Go ahead and try your best. You could be the exception that proves the rule. Who knows, maybe you will easily find a job and succeed at it. Let's hope so! I truly do wish you well. Do all the research you can about Kaplan and Andrews and make your own decision.

NewMTStudent - Annabelle Lee

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No, your program does NOT get you certified. AHDI gets you certified. Sounds to me like Kaplan is feeding you some baloney sausage.

NewMTstudent-yes, I have tried to hire - MT

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a Kaplan student. It was terrible for both of us. There was so much that they did not know they didn't know that just getting through a simple report was incredibly slow going. Eventually, they ended up re-taking a course to learn all that they didn't learn, spending more than they originally should have in the first place. On the other hand, I have hired from Andrews, fresh grads, and after 2-3 reports, they're off QA and running strong. No issues in using account specifics, platform, Word, FTP, etc. One big difference in the schools is Linda is not going to take your money if you don't show any aptitude for the job to begin with and Kaplan will take your money regardless. That says a lot right there.

kaplan vs andrews - NewMTstudent

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I just don't have the money for Andrews. Kaplan provides financial aid. I am hoping to be the exception to the rule. I have talked to other Kaplan students who have graduated and they seem to be doing okay. The program Kaplan uses has the SUM software. It's called My Transcription Client. Maybe after I graduate I will be able to take a couple more courses to get more knowledge but right now Kaplan is my only choice. Andrews won't even take my transfer credit so I would have to start completely over.

NewMTstudent - Nick

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You might want to rethink this. ESPECIALLY if money is an issue for you, don't waste it on a school that likely will not only not get you a job, but will not prepare you to keep the job. I sense that you will need a good deal more than "a couple more courses" as you put it, to have you ready to play with the big kids in the MT marketplace. It is refreshing to have someone so enthusiastic, but I wonder if you realize that for every opening there are HUNDREDS of applicants? (I talked to a former MTSO the other day, someone well-known in the MT world, and even she cannot get an interview--she has many years of experience and impeccable credentials.) And that some schools (I am naming no names here) on a resume are the kiss of death? Regardless of whether you do it now or later, you will likely have to start over. (It would have been much easier if all of this research about schools had taken place BEFORE enrollment.) Anyway, I wish you the best. If you do get a job, please let us know after six months how it is working out for you.

NewMTstudent - MT

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I do wish you the best and you may very well be the exception to the rule. Let us know how you do out there when you're ready to start working. Perhaps Kaplan is better now than it was.

KAPLAN - NewMTstudent

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Thank you. I will. i have a couple classmates that will be graduating sooner than me and they are going to keep me up to date as well. I really think that Kaplan isn't as bad as it used to be because I know they have changed some of their curriculum lately especially when it comes to the medical transcription software.

NewMTStudent - Old Pro

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I wish you well. Why on earth would you be satisfied with a school that "isn't as bad as it used to be?" Why would anyone ever settle for a school that had been "bad?" I do not understand that mentality. Why settle for mediocrity? And does Kaplan teach grammar and composition? Just curious. In any event, I hope you find what you are looking for.

The answer to that is very simple - Claire

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Someone else is paying for it -- likely the taxpayers.

As a previous poster mentioned, Kaplan is a diploma mill that profits from the generosity of the taxpaying public to provide substandard "training" to people looking for something for nothing.

Claire - Old Pro

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Well, then, it is unfair to the government and the TAXPAYERS (that would be us) as well as to the hapless wannabes who are not getting the education to prepare them to become productive in the workplace. Sad.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone - would want to sink so much money -- s/m

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training for a dead-end sweatshop "career".

Because it's not their money - Claire

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Many people, maybe most, who choose the expensive diploma mills get a free ride from the taxpayers, so they don't care how much their "education" costs. Someone else is paying for it. In fact, many of them are quite happy to admit that they chose the diploma mill without regard to the quality of the training but because they wouldn't have to pay for it out of their own pockets.

Claire - Old Pro

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I think the government needs to get rid of the "free rider" system. I know many, many disabled or otherwise unfortunate people who have found a way to pay for their own education. As long as there is a free rider system, there will be institutions that will take advantage of the system--take the money, but give no value in education. Everybody loses.

MT - Old Pro

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Your experience is the same as mine. Every MTSO has a list (whether in the head or somewhere on paper) of schools that we like to hire from. Andrews is right at the top of the list. Several other schools (ahem) did not make the cut.

Old Pro - MT

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It took me a while to realize it though! :) I do have a list now (in my head) of schools that I just refuse to try those students. At first I thought maybe the work that I have available is just too difficult for a newbie and I didn't realize it, but then I noticed that the exact same mistakes are made in the exact same places and that shows the education received was lacking. The Andrews' grads never had that problem. The other skill is less tangible, though very important (I think), and that is the ability to not just transcribe what you think you hear, which means an actual understanding of what you're transcribing and being able to visualize and/or research that exam, procedure, etc. Does that make sense?Maybe I'm too picky, but on the other hand I also pay very well, 0.8 to .12 cpl, and need someone with that ability. If have to QA constantly 100% to be sure that it's done the way the client requires, (it's a nasty MTSO world out there and very cutthroat) I might as well do it myself. And I don't mean QA for like a few days or blanks where you just can't understand the dictator (I do have a few that are boogers), I mean QA for WEEKS and still the same mistake over and over. My fave must be Elk Foss. Just like that too. Very frustrating.

MT - Old Pro

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I can really relate to what you say! The most ironic thing about it all is that these "students" are led to believe that they really will be able to perform in the job market--or to even get a job. (Like you, I had a proverbial list of schools whose grads consistently produced subpar work.) I am still always amazed that people do not check out schools BEFORE enrollment. I am also amazed at the (lack of) logic that says "I don't have much money, so I have to settle for a less than adequate education." As if that kind of thinking is going to permit one to get/keep a job. (Perhaps we should require a course in basic logic and reasoning before people are allowed to even contemplate choosing an MT school.) Anyway, yes, I have seen the work that the graduates of some of these schools and institutes produce. I think every MTSO who has been on the job long knows that you cannot go wrong with Andrews. With the job competition so tough, if I have a choice between an Andrews grad (or an M-TEC grad) and someone who just graduated from something like the Acme School of Baking and Medical Transcription, I wonder which one I will choose? And just an FYI for newbies, the last time my last company hired, there were approximately 300 resumes for each opening. In the economy you cannot afford to have a subpar education. Good luck to all!

Something Else Important To Remember About School Quality - In My Opinion

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Students of the best schools will still have some failures.
Students of a poor school will never reach their full potential.

It's important to remember that no matter how great a school is, how wonderful their instructors, how superior the materials they use, and how much they care about their students, no school will ever be able to be successful with every single student they ever have. Students are people. Some have social issues and character flaws, just like everyone else. No matter how great the school, there will always be students who fail to do well.

On the other hand, no matter how brilliant a student is, no matter how hard they work, no matter how much time they put in, you can't learn what isn't being taught. That's why a poor school can ruin a good student's chances. They will just never reach the potential they could have reached if they have had inadequate training or if the training was great, but didn't cover the right things.

This is where students go wrong, because they don't know what they don't know. They may honestly believe they are learning great things, and maybe they are right, but they may not be those things the employers will expect them to be able to do on the job. They may end up with fewer job options and very poor opportunities for advancement over time.

Also, you can't 'fix' poor training. I've tried. I've hired MTs who got poor training and tried to correct the areas where they were taught wrong. The only way to do that is to go back to the beginning and start over again, and what employer has time to do that?

There are schools that say they can teach you everything you need to know about MT in 6 months! It's interesting that the best schools have a more realistic time frame. The best MT schools spend their time teaching the students to transcribe. I've seen MT schools that actually started out by trying to teach the students how to type! That's not transcription training. That's a typing class. MT students better already be good typists before they start an MT course. If the course curriculum designers don't know that very large difference, chances are they will be spending even more time teaching them other things that really don't belong in a transcription course. I've seen schools that had students writing long essays that took up lots of time and studying about various software programs that most MTs will never use, but they didn't have enough time to spend on actual transcription practice. Obviously those courses were designed by someone who had no practical MT experience.

There seems to be a trend these days for schools to treat MT students as if they were something else. The terminology course might have been designed for nurses, for example. Nurses need to approach terminology, A&P, etc., from the angle of someone who will be doing hands-on patient care. Transcriptionists need to approach it from the viewpoint of someone who will be working with the patient's medical record. Some schools these days keep adding to MT courses whatever is the new trend, but they are putting out MTs who seriously lack the ability to transcribe. It's as if they put that last and end up running out of time to do it well. It doesn't make sense. It's because they don't know what they're doing and they really don't care. Medical transcription is not important to them. It doesn't bring in as much money as nursing or medical administrative assistant classes. They can make much more money teaching the more popular classes, so there isn't much thought put into what makes a good medical transcriptionist.

Big difference - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
There is a huge difference between passing a class college-style and passing it Andrews-style. At Andrews, I believe, you don't have the option of passing with a 70, 75, or 80%. They push you to achieve working-MT accuracy right away. That's 98%. That's why their students in both MT and coding succeed the way they do.

The fact that someone is a CMT does not mean they can teach. Most college instructors are people who are first-timers and often people who do it because they didn't like working in the same job they're training you for or can't make enough doing it. Andrews instructors have been with them for years and are all gifted teachers. They grade individually, by hand, not with an answer key. They don't use any computerized teaching programs--they deal with students on a personal basis, imparting whatever it is that Andrews figured out students need to know and doing it however Andrews figured out it needs to be done. Nobody knows what that is because Linda doesn't tell. Everyone just knows it works.

Something else every MTSO knows about Andrews grads . . . in addition to meeting Linda's entrance requirements--making it almost assured that she won't be dumping poor performers on employers--those grads had the drive, the determination, and the inventiveness to somehow put together $3800 in tuition and make it through that program on their own. They respect them for that. It shows something about the character of those students. They know that same character and attitude will be there on the job.

They respect them, too, for not getting suckered into taking out up to $39,000 in federal grants and guaranteed loans. They know that low-income students are prone to going with high-cost, high-loan diploma mills because it's easy money.

That is what is at the back of a lot of MTSO's minds when they see "diploma mill" on your resume. For the $29-39K that someone pays a diploma mill for 2 years of dubious-quality education, they could get an MBA from one of the best schools in the country! When working professionals who NEED that MBA sweat paying that much for it, what do you think they'll think of you when you think it's an appropriate sum to pay for junior college classes.

So, faced with a choice between a diploma-mill graduate who made the poor decision to use $29-39K in taxpayer money because they didn't have the drive to come up with on their own, or who had to take that route because Linda wouldn't take them, and an Andrews grad who scraped up that money on his or her own, studied harder, and is in job-ready condition the first day . . . who do you think will get the job?

One more thing . . . you mentioned that you checked and thought that school taught the same thing as Andrews. You need to check again. From what I could see, Andrews doesn't teach intro to math and 3/4 of the rest of it. That's part of why they are so successful. They aren't spending 75% of the course teaching something else. It's all directly focused on what you need for success in transcription.

Linda's program has been around a loooong time. Their graduates have a reputation for consistency and superior performance. As someone said above, they are literally the Rolls Royces of the MT world.

Big Difference -sm - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
I am the one who said Andrews was the Rolls Royce of MT education and I absolutely stand by it. I have seen too many of these other folks who simply were not taught their knee from their elbow about the intricacies of MT. To even compare Kaplan and Andrews is an exercise in ridiculous futility. Again, I issue my challenge: For anyone wondering, call any MTSO, be it a huge one like MedQuist or Transcend or some of the smaller players. Ask them their opinions of Andrews grads and their opinions of Kaplan grads. Don't take any of our words for it. Speak directly with HR at any company you select. You need to be looking at whether Kaplan uses SUM? How many actual physician hours do you do? Stack that up against Andrews (or M-TEC) and what their students do. Why settle for a C grade when you can have an A grade? Again, good luck to the OP.

Question for NewMTstudent - wondering

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What kind of financial aid did you get for Kaplan?

wondering - NewMTstudent

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I received some loans and one pell grant per term just enough to pay tuition. And just for all those out there who think that Kaplan has a crappy education I have done my research and they do use the SUM software not only that but we get almost a years worth of experience using it. Hows that!!! I can't to graduate because I already have several companies interested in my skills and waiting for my graduation date.

NewMTStudent - Long-time MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you read the reviews and personal experiences of other grads/students as listed on scam.com?

past and present student - Old Pro

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Cheaper is almost NEVER better. You need a legitimate school that will train you adequately so that you can get--and DO--the job. People who cheap out invariably shoot themselves in the foot. I have seen it happen dozens of times.

NewMTStudent - Old Pro

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The difference is like the difference between the city bus and a Rolls Royce.

NewMTStudent - Nick

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Another difference is that students from Andrews ALWAYS get hired, often even before graduation. Can Kaplan come close to that?

You don't know what you don't know -- the - Explanation

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Several posts here have mentioned that "you don't know what you don't know."

Every time someone says it, the original poster -- usually a student -- comes back and insists that they are sure they'll do fine, the school is great (in their opinion), etc. They just don't seem to understand what "you don't know" means, so I thought it might be helpful to explain.

When we say "You don't know what you don't know," we aren't talking about just not knowing more facts than you already know. Most everyone, for instance, would admit that a physician probably knows more about pharmacology than what is presented in nursing, medical assisting, and MT courses. They would probably admit that there were facts they were supposed to know that they didn't learn.

That's not what we're talking about. When we say "You don't know what you don't know" we mean that you have NO CONCEPT THAT THERE *IS* ANYTHING MORE TO KNOW. It can also mean that you might be vaguely aware that there might be more, but that you don't think it's necessary for you to know it.

It's an awareness thing. Because you don't already know what you need to know, you have no earthly idea that there is anything more or that you need to know it. You can't even come up with the concept that there is anything to know. You think you're doing just fine!

So, when you see "you don't know what you don't know," you should read it as "you can't be aware that there is anything more to know if you aren't aware that you don't already know everything."

The more people know, the more they are aware that they know only a fraction of what is out there. Students know so little that they can't even see what's out there and thus assume they know it all.

Diploma mill programs come out of a can, for the most part. They begin with the curriculum they used for medical assisting, which they recently adapted for health information technologist programs, and tossed in some kind of canned MT program. Look at those programs closely and you'll see that they are nearly identical except that MT and "coding" have 2 or 3 "classes" in MT or coding instead of a class in how to give injections and change the paper on examination tables. If the school started with an HIT program, they turn it into a coding or MT program by removing some of the HIT classes in how to stuff papers into record jackets and store them on shelves.

The school has no clue what is required to do the job--they just buy canned material from publishers.

Instructors? They just need a job, so they'll go along with anything. With the canned programs, they just let the computer do the grading and they hover around in chat rooms. Their credentials are used to sell the program, and that's what they get paid for.

You don't know what you don't know.

Excellent Message! - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

The Explanation - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
What an eloquent and well thought out and well organized explanation. I hope those who are still cheering for the pseudo-matchbooks will read it and think it through carefully. If I had a dollar for every graduate from one of these "universities" or "institutes" who has stood before me crying because they cannot do even the most routine kinds of medical transcription (despite the fact that they have their shiny new graduation "diploma" clutched proudly in their hands), I would be able to buy a home in Tuscany. I guess some people are satisfied with mediocrity in education. I am not, and I would not hire from those schools. Never, not ever.

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Does anyone else here find it "interesting" that a company would require an Associates' or higher degree for their medical transcriptionists? ...

Aug 23, 2012

I can't stand doing MT anymore. I applied and have received Pell grants, yay! Now, I need to decide on my major. I want to be in a career where I can help people. I'm thinking social work or psychology. But I keep seeing jobs where they say "BA in Human Services needed." Wouldn't this just be social work? ...

Jul 14, 2011

I planned on going this route in order to obtain a job as an MT. Do you think this is feasible? I would also be purchasing plenty of dictation practice materials. (Practice, practice, practice!!) Thanks in advance for your input! ...

May 07, 2010

Im so confused, I keep reading on different forums on line how hard it can be to break into medical coding. Does having an AA degree help? Is that a plus? I see some on line colleges that are accredited offer AA degrees, AABS degrees, etc.....whats the difference? Is it better for a newbie to go straight to AHIMA and take their cluster of courses or take an on line billing class through one of the on-line universities, then go test at AHIMA and AAPC? ...

Oct 21, 2010

Can someone help me with the proper way to type third degree burns or 3rd degree burns. thanks so much. ...

Mar 12, 2012

Interesting post on the coding board about this, so I thought I would mention it here. If you have a bachelors degree in any subject, you can qualify to take the RHIA exam by completing a postbaccalaureate certificate program in health information administration that is accredited by AHIMA. That opens up a lot of job opportunities. You should have little trouble with a program like that because of your healthcare background. There are only a few of those programs and some are extre ...

Feb 13, 2013

In researching an HIT degree, I have mostly come across job descriptions that include coding. I am currently a medical transcriptionist and jobs are now being shipped off shore. Are coding jobs being shipped off shore as well? And, if so, what would the benefit be of a degree in Health Information Techology? What jobs are available other than coding and medical records? ...

Nov 28, 2014

or does it need to be a specific AA degree in HIM, as far as what employers are looking for from coders with the proper certifications. ...

Aug 03, 2010

What are some of the best online college/university that offers certified medical coding/billing? ...

May 09, 2010

so very confused now. wanted to sign up for AHIMA but now i read this on their site. Step One: Education Step one begins with a college education. You need to complete either an associate or bachelor's degree program in health information management offered at over 200 colleges and universities across the country. For a listing of accredited programs, click here. ...