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

New Transcriptionist need help - Justine

Posted: May 31, 2011

I have just graduated and am looking for a job which is not easy. Someone finally responded to my resume and they say that I need all these different books that are expensive and the Microsoft Professional instead of Home and Student which is more. I do not have any source of income so is there a place I can get used books and microsoft professional?? Im worried that I will spend all this money I dont have to get started and then not get the job.. Need advice please help.

Need Help - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
You might check with Stedman's. Last time I checked they would let you make a down payment and then pay the rest on installments (no credit check). Also, for the Microsoft Professional, if you have someone you know who is in college, you might see if they can purchase the software for you at a student rate, which should be at a discount even for the Professional software and not the student. Hope this helps.

need help - Deb

[ In Reply To ..]
I think there is something shady about a company that needs you to purchase all this. I would just keep looking for another job.

I'd be leary - Rhiannon

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree. You shouldn't have to purchase all kinds of stuff in lieu of a position. Do you know for sure that you would even have a job?

Justine - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Two thoughts:
1. I would not do it.
2. What school did you graduate from? Why did they not cover how to handle these things as part of the curriculum? NOT criticizing at all, just find it strange that a school does not include these issues in the business portion of the course.

Good luck to you!

New Transcriptionist Also - Kaitemae

[ In Reply To ..]
I understand what you are going through. I went to At-Home Professions and they didn't tell me half the stuff that I was going to need. I have since found out that there are a lot of books that I really do need. Whether a potential employer says so or not. I've found several really good buys on Amazon and Ebay. Good luck :0)

Personally I would just tell then after a few days - sm -

[ In Reply To ..]
that you got the books, and the software, and go from there. How are they going to know if you have the books or software, come to your house? I don't see why you need a "professional" version of Word. I use MS 2000 and have never had any issues with any job I have had. Maybe look up the MS pro and see how it might differ with the student version. If you really need it you can probably get an upgrade so that will save you money, look on ebay or Amazon.

Stedman's - as

[ In Reply To ..]
I bought a lot of Stedman's books from half.com and I got some of them 75 cents.

The only reference book I own is the Book of Style... - sucker punch

[ In Reply To ..]
as there are plenty of free resources available on the internet. The information is more up-to-date, too.

New MT grad - MsMello

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi, Used books can be bought on Amazon.com for various prices. I have gotten a couple of used references from them and have had no problem. For your PC, Windows XP (Operating System (OS)) is usually most desirable with internet access and MSWord older version because it is tried and true. Don't worry about the PC requirements, but the references are important. A good medical speller is a necessity. I have Stedman's electronic medical speller. Some companies will give you a computer, like Medquist etc. Please don't invest in working for a company right now, you need experience first. Good luck, hope this helps.

Cheap books online - Buttermoose

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi,
I've found amazing deals on books from Abebooks.com and Thriftbooks.com.

Similar Messages:

Oct 20, 2010

In posting a reply in a different thread, it brought back a memory I thought I'd share. I had just turned 18 and my mom had just had surgery. I went to the hospital to visit her but wasn't sure where she was. The nurses asked me what surgery did my mom have. I replied, "A vasectomy." Oh my how the nurses laughed! They replied, "Oh no honey, I think you mean a hysterectomy." And look at me now, been an MT for nearly 20 years! ...

Mar 28, 2011

When I see an ad saying that companies are looking for a few good "transcriptionist's" (sic), I always think that maybe they should be proofing their ads before submitting them. ...

May 03, 2011

Hello, Any and all comments to this question would be helpful. I am new in the medical transcription field. I have been having a hard time finding a job, and one day I get an email from this company. The email said they work for Affiliated Healthcare. I googled the company name and came up with a few hits as to what this Affiliated Healthcare company is. I transcribed a sample and sent back in. I received an email the next day stating they would like to hire me, to please reply to posting. I ...

May 05, 2011

TTS is recruiting, that is ironic! - but so true to form in this business. Every day I run out of work at some point during my shift and they say "We will let you know when it starts coming back in." Meanwhile I am making no money. I used to be a happy, loved my job, transcribing in the hospital - over 10 years ago. Since my hospital farmed out to these companies that I have tried to work for - NOT happy, not even able to earn a decent living. H ...

Oct 11, 2009

What do most people like, editing or transcribing? Just curious. ...

Feb 01, 2010

Do you always need a foot pedal regardless of what kind of program/setup employeers have? ...

Aug 01, 2010

I have been out of the workforce for 2 years. Is there anything to do to refresh my skills? Is there a program for retraining anywhere? ...

Apr 20, 2011

Any ideas? I love the people I work with and the company - but somedays I have all I can do to drag myself in here and stay focused. Been doing transcription for 35+ years and I know I'm burnt out. Where do we old burnt out people go? ...

May 28, 2011

I get a lot of MTs asking me for help with resumes so I thought I would put this out for anyone who is interested. This link downloads a sample one-page MT resume to use as a guide: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20134076/Sample%20One%20Page%20MT%20Resume.docx This link shows this same resume with some tips added. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20134076/One%20Page%20MT%20Resume%20Tips.jpg Hope this helps someone. ...

Nov 14, 2011

Hello everyone. I have posted here before about this topic. I am thinking about taking a coding course, probably through Andrews, and was wondering which credential to get first...the CPC or CCS? Which one is more desirable for employers? If there are any other credentials I would need, please let me know because I have just started researching this. Thank you. ...

Jan 21, 2012

Frustrated that even though I have stressed my proficiency in ED work, I am still forced to do other work types first, while yet others are getting ED work types in their "pools"... I would think you would want someone who types fast in a certain area be allowed to crank that work out first and then when it runs out, let the other work types they are not so good at roll into their pool.... Frustrated ...

Sep 13, 2012

Hello all- I am a licensed veterinary technician that also got a certification as a medical transcriptionist after I had my 2nd child. I am looking to work from home part time and having no luck at the moment finding a job. But as I sit here and read and ponder.... do any of you know of any veterinarians that send out transcriptioning? I don't know if it is even anything a vet office could afford, but I would be interested in it if anyone knows of anything. OR if anyone ...

Jun 16, 2013

I am trying to find a good training program. I have looked into career step and then a local training program at a technical program here in Denver. The Denver program has an internship as part of the course but is not ahdi approved. It is a 17 month program and looks thorough but I don't know how big the ahdi approval is. I've heard that career step helps graduates get a job. Any advice for me on this? Thanks. ...

Nov 13, 2013

I have been a transcriptionist for over 10 years and I recently started a job for a small transcription company that requires 100% accuracy for all reports. I continually get flagged with emails saying, "Please find the punctuation mistake and apply back with why" These are most always just one or two comma mistakes in the whole report. Do all of you turn in reports with absolutely no comma or semicolon mistakes at all or am I just an inadequate transcriptionist? Frustrated. ...

Nov 21, 2013

Does anyone know anything about this? I see a very familiar name listed among the transcriptionists on a certain account that now belongs to Nuance through the acquisition a couple of years ago. ...

Jun 11, 2015

I researched on Indeed Jobs. At Parkland Hospital the requirement to work as a Medical Transcriptionist is to have a certificate in medical transcription or at least one year of medical typing experience. You must be able to type at least 40-59 words per minute with a minimum of three errors. You must be able to operate a dictaphone. You must have medical terminology knowledge and be able to pass a spelling test with a score of 80%. I would prefer to start my career in a hospital setting so that ...

Jun 27, 2015

I am currently studying to be a medical coder / biller. It is a long study time and tough too, but I love it. But just curious, how do we become a Medical Transcriptionist? Now that I know some medical terms and good at the computer. Maybe I can do this job as well. I have a friend who is medical transcriptionist but seem to be secretive about this career. How do we become one? I hope it does not need a long degree or diploma, or something like that. I appreicate any information. Thanks ...

Mar 08, 2010

I saw their ad for radiology and acute care, is this place legitimate? ...

Mar 14, 2010

Can someone please explain to me why Canada is considered OFFSHORE? We have the same extremely strict confidentiality and medical data security laws and, in fact, tougher standards in the definitions with Independent Contractor versus employee status. Why is Canada considered offshore? It's not nearly like sending something to India or Pakistan where you don't know who is working on the dictation or what the ulterior purpose is. Why can't the two countries just get along?� ...

Aug 30, 2010

I would really appreciate any help you are willing to give me. I have not been having much luck finding a job and am getting desperate. I am wondering if my Resume may be putting me at the bottom instead of at the top of the contact list. I have over 30 years of experience and my resume contains the names of 15 companies that I have worked for (I sometimes had 2 or 3 jobs at one time, but I include everyone because some were Acute Care and others were Clinic Specialties). I am ...

Sep 10, 2010

Company A pays an experienced transcriptionist/MLS 3 or 4 cpl to edit VR. Company A boasts about how this makes for a faster turnaround time on everything. Company A tries to tell seasoned MTs with years of experience that their productivity will actually go UP if they learn to be good little VR editors. Company A apparently fails to realize that some transcriptionists can also do basic math pretty well, and can see that they are actually getting paid less to d ...

Nov 09, 2010

I am a 2008 graduate in medical transcriptionist. I have not been able to get a job. I would like to work from home. I am considering taking an exam to become a CMT or RMT. Can anyone direct me to where I can find my first job. I am really getting aggravated. ...

Mar 09, 2011

Here's how easy my job is with ASR. "Fifth once assistance of 99 ounces peritoneum 29-774 mg of 1-1/2 ml." It's gonna be a great day. ...

Apr 06, 2011

Greetings to all. I would love some insight and advice from all you younger MTs who have been working online from home. A little history - I attended Medical Transcription school 32 years ago, before we even had computers. Worked off and on since then, my last job as an IC with a family practice clinic client consisting of four providers. They were my client for 12 years. I actually picked up and dropped off tapes and transcription every day. They have now switched to digital records using a tem ...

May 14, 2011

Just wondering if anyone from WMX is betting on a token gift for MT week. Last year we got the Pharmaceutical Word Book to install on our (their) computers. Did appreciate that. The year before we got nice BBQ aprons with their logo on it. This year we got yet another reduction in our ISR wages. Hoping that was not supposed to be our gift. I know they don't have to give us anything and expect we might get a general company-wide E-mail telling us how REMA ...

Jun 30, 2011

Hello: I interviewed today for a psychology practice that is offering $8.50/hour for a receptionist/transcriptionist position (for 3 psychologists). I thought, well, perhaps there is not much transcription involved, but was told that would be the majority of the workday. I feel this would be interesting work, I need the benefits provided, and all the doctors are English as first language speakers (a bonus!). I was told all of the doctors are very caring people ...

Sep 01, 2011

Having an issue at work - one person skips the "big" jobs and leaves them for the rest of the transcriptionists to type. I personally, if I know for sure she did, I will skip it as well, but we have a girl working from home who gets so mad and wants me to do something about it. I have no idea what to do. We all have been told by my boss (I am the coordinator) to do the jobs as they come in, and not to skip them. She denies skipping jobs, as well all do, but she does do it. Her personality ...

Dec 07, 2011

Is gross pathology transcription considered too advanced for a newbie? Interviewer wants me to have updated immunizations (would need at least 4 shots!) and I would need to schedule a physical (usually takes months w/my doc) and I don't know if it is worth it. HR went dead silent when answered I have never done pathology transcription (not encouraging) and my gut reaction from the phone conversation was that I would not be a top candidate. Of course, then there ...

Jan 20, 2012

Does anyone know if I were to move out of the US, say to Costa Rica, would I still be able to transcribe for a company that is US based? I am assuming it depends on the company. But, I was thinking with the time zone being different, it might be a plus. Honestly, I'm just curious because I'm reading a book about a couple who quit their jobs and moved to Costa Rica and now I can't stop thinking about it. So, I'm curious if there is anyone out there who is doing somethin ...

Apr 02, 2012

Hello everybody I just got news that I failed my test with Precyse Solutions. I always seem to fail tests yet I have been a transcriptionist for nearly 20 years. I did have to leave two blanks because I just could not make out what one of the dicators was saying. I think I am just too stupid or something to pass a test anymore. I really need to leave my current company because it is afternoons plus they switched my schedule on me as far as the days I have to work. They told me at the time ...