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

SUM program Beginning Medical Transcription - Monique B

Posted: Jun 04, 2014

Hi all,

I am new here, this is my first post. I am currently taking online classes to become an MT. I've just finished all the medical background training classes and the BOS. I've just gotten the SUM program for Beginning Medical Transcription today along with my foot control. I have to say that I am pretty nervous to be actually starting the transcribing part. Has anyone else used this particular program in training? Any helpful advice?

Thanks heaps,

Monique

I have - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
I was trained on SUM. It's the best transcription program out there, but if you aren't going to a school with real instructors, it isn't sufficient to learn MT.

I am curious. Did you explore this field before deciding? If I were you, I'd do some serious researching. You may want to get your money back if you can.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Not a SUM program graduate but still a newbie myself - clb

[ In Reply To ..]
I've been an at-home MT since 2008 so I'm still considered a newbie in this biz. And I'm getting out of MT this month. Starting a new job not related to healthcare at all. No weekends or holidays. AND PAID HOURLY! Yes, it will be starting out at less than I make now as an MT, er editor, er medical language specialist, I forget what we are called now, but I will get yearly raises and have advancement opportunity.

My only helpful advice is to switch majors or find a different career. Unless you love working weekends, holidays, 7 days a week for 8 CPL and being paid on production only and getting QA'd to death, then keep going. You can dislike this post if you want, however I've been where you are 10 years ago (graduated from a 2-year tech college which does not even offer MT anymore) and was just like you, wanting to be an MT. Trust me, you don't!

Please do something else, VR destroyed MT, now it's point and click done by "scribes" AKA MAs. Please do not get into MT. Get out before you even start.

Seriously.

sum - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
SUM is definitely the program you want to use to learn.

Are you actually taking a program for MT though? That will make a huge difference in your ability to gain employment.

Sum - Monique

[ In Reply To ..]
It's a 2 year online course specifically for MT training which is supposed to take you through acute care and foreign dialects. I am home bound so I started this looking for something to do at home. Right now I sell on Ebay and wanted to find something to supplement it. The instructors have been very helpful and according to the school, they have a high job placement rate. But then, I guess they would say that. Anyway, I was just feeling nervous about actually starting with transcribing and wondering if this particular course would be easy. Didn't expect all the downers. My tuition is paid in full and I am 3/4 through the training. Don't think I'll be getting any money back.
Thanks for the replies!

They might - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
give you some experience with foreign-accented English, but it is very unlikely that they will be teaching you "foreign dialects," or even any English dialects. Dialects are basically variant forms within languages, often different enough from the parent language to be essentially a different language. A foreign accent is not a dialect. Did they tell you they would teach you "foreign dialects?" What "foreign dialects" do they claim to teach? If they did tell you they would teach you "foreign dialects," they probably don't know what the term means, and I would be leery of the quality of the education they were able to offer, SUM or no SUM.

Also, why would learning from the SUM program make you nervous? It's just a bunch of recorded dictation from people you will never meet. Nothing to be afraid of there. They won't bite.

You should hope that the course is - not easy

[ In Reply To ..]
because an easy course will not train you well enough to get or keep a job.

If you expect to get a job, you need to be able to do difficult dictation. If you do not want to do difficult dictation on the job, then this is not the job for you. No one is going to save the easy stuff for you, you're going to have to be able to do whatever comes your way, and none of it will be easy.

Monique - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Please don't waste your time/money on MT. When I quit fulltime work (I have been both an MT and an MTSO) nearly three years ago, companies were getting 500 applications for every opening. You will be competing with people with years in this field. IMHO, you would do better to invest your time/money in something more secure. If you are determined to do MT, the ONLY way to go is Andrews. Even so, I would discourage you--there are simply no jobs.

monique - anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
90% of the posters on here will spread doom and gloom and tell you how they don't make minimum wage and have to work all day and weekends. They will say how QA picks them apart. They will say no one can make a living doing this and no one enjoys it. However, that's not true. While we may be in the minority, there are some of us that enjoy our jobs and are making a decent living off of it.

If you have already invested in becoming an MT, don't let the pity partiers make you miserable and afraid before you even start. Give it a try and make up your own mind!

I'm sorry, but you're giving her an unrealistic - picture of this dying field. Shame! :(

[ In Reply To ..]
=/

maybe it's unrealistic to you - but it is my reality

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, I'm not being unrealistic at all. I'm telling her to make up her own mind. Whether you want to admit it or not, there ARE people out there enjoying this job and making a decent wage. I am one of them. I know there are others out there who post on this board also. Yes, a lot of people are struggling and looking for ways out, but not everyone is.

If she has already paid for a program and is taking it right now, she may as well give it a try and make up her own mind instead of just throwing in the towel because of what a bunch of people on an anonymous message board tell her. Who knows, maybe she will be one of the "lucky" ones like myself who make a decent living and enjoy what they do.

Eh-hem.... - ancientMT

[ In Reply To ..]
In 1999, I had been with the same company for 13 years, making 0.095 cpl straight transcription (there was no VR yet), averaging $18-19/hr, and I was paid $13.50/hr when I did QA and trained other MTs. I made a very comfortable living, my bills were paid, able to take vacations, etc. That company was acquired by MQ in early 2000s and I ended up leaving them in 2004.

Today, after working for too-numerous-to-count MTSOs, I have seen my pay rate go nothing but down, down, down. I now make 0.05 cpl for VR. I don't get to do straight transcription any longer. I cannot "flow" with VR like I can regular transcription. I am averaging, if I'm lucky $10-11/hr... 15 years later!! How can you deny that is a demise of a career?!

As Judge Judy once said: The measure of success is, the older you get, the more you get paid for doing less work.

Isn't that what the American dream is supposed to be? You get REWARDED for your years of knowledge, experience, labor, time, etc.?

Today, I can't pay my bills, my car is a rusted piece of crap, and I live in a studio apartment. This is not what I would call "success."

Anonymous - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
We are not pity-partiers. We are realists. Those of us who can see the writing on the wall have chosen and are training for other careers. The real pity party will come when this poor woman has spent all of her $$$$ and remains jobless.

Please read as many boards on this site as - you can especially the - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
M*Modal and Nuance boards to the left. They're important because what happens to MTs at those companies pretty much happens to MTs at all companies. And the few companies that are left that are still even slightly reputable usually get bought out by M*Modal or Nuance.

Please rethink your choice to become a medical transcriptionist. Never in the history of this career have the prospects been so dismal. Pay goes DOWN, not up. It's very difficult to get hired on as a newbie; it's even more difficult to begin a transcription career working alone at home.

The best you can probably hope for in the field of medical transcription is minimum wage (if you're lucky), and MTs are rapidly being replaced by voice recognition and/or doctor-input EMR files.

It's not even a good "hobby" field anymore for bored housewives, because of the continual stress we're under and harassment we receive, not to mention unrealistic productivity and accuracy quotas. I've been an MT since 1975, and found their requirements impossible to meet because of ridiculously complicated account instructions, malfunctioning company software, and lack of work.

The only way you can even come close to making a living in medical transcription anymore is to buy an ankle shackle, chain yourself to your computer desk, and throw away the key.

not everyone is struggling - anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Your last paragraph is a sweeping generalization that is just not true. I work 4-6 hours a day and make almost double minimum wage. I am hardly shackled to a desk all day long. I make a decent living and enjoy what I do. According to what I read on here, that is not the norm, but it is possible to make a decent living doing MT, at least for now.

"At least for now" - Rita

[ In Reply To ..]
You have hoisted yourself on your own petard. (Look it up.) If this person is investing money and time in learning something, why not learn something that is a good bet for the future and does not need the "at least for now" qualifier?

"The only way you can even come close to making a living in medical transcription anymore is to - Kiki

[ In Reply To ..]
So you're saying it's possible? LOL. I couldn't help myself.......

While I generally avoid any discussions - concerning aspiring

[ In Reply To ..]
MTs because I figure every one should be able to make their own mistakes, I'm in the mood tonight, so here goes.

The SUM is adequate in some respects, but it can in no way prepare you for the kind of muddled mess you will face on a daily basis should you be fortunate to land a job out of your school. I'm talking thick accents, background noise, fast talking, whispering, snot sucking, chewing and rudeness and nastiness of every description. If SUM were truly realistic, it would scare the bejesus out of anyone contemplating the MT field in its current state.

Second point, those who are "making it" in MT fail to mention how long they have been doing this or what their training was. I have over 30 years experience and years of in-house hospital training and don't really consider myself anything but hanging on until retirement in a few years, and my lifestyle is no frills at best. If you have back up resources and an extremely high tolerance for BS,you might find yourself able to get by in a couple of years, that is presuming you land a job.

I would ask any of the MTs who say they are "making it" this question: If you were choosing a career to start right now, would it be MT? I would say for most, including myself, probably not.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide. I think a lot of us here are just sad and bitter, so don't take it personally.

Yes - I would still choose MT - anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm making a decent living and am a relative newbie (4 years). I took my program through one of the big MT schools and had a job within 2 weeks of looking after my grad.

Yes, I would still go into MT if I were still starting. I work from home. I don't pay for gas, car insurance, car loan, can work in PJs. I'm here when my kids get off school. It's perfect for me, and I do enjoy it. Again, I realize that's not the reality for a lot of people, but it's also not fair to make generalized statements that no one can make a living or enjoy doing the work.

I also find it interesting that a lot of the "Debbie Downers" are people saying they have 20 to 30+ years of experience, the same ones who think they never make mistakes and know it all.

Honestly, the old-timers remember when they ... - me

[ In Reply To ..]
...were making $50,000 to $100,000 a year,and this was the 80's. You can see why they're bitter. Also I think they really hate VR. It's very different than transcribing.

But I've had a similar experience with MT and I'm glad I chose it as a profession.

I even think it might be around longer than a lot of people here think, but I have no crystal ball.

The "old-timers" were still making - $50,000 a year in 2002

[ In Reply To ..]
I know in my case, my income didn't drop until 2003, when Medquist pillaged & burned my company. And, I don't hate VR, I hate the fact that it pays 4 cpl to correct it over and over, when I used to be able to insert my normal expander & make 10 cpl.

At one time I was making close to $60,000, then - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
came the days of taking away incentive, then it was lowering pay, then VR. I am now lucky if I am making $30,000 a year.

And all the OP is going to - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
remember from these posts is the $50,000 to $100,000 incomes, not the fact that those incomes happened in the past and are not happening now and certainly not happening to newbies. She's probably been sold a bill of goods by the "school" that took her money. Any description of real-world experience she hears from people advising her that MT is probably not going to be the lucrative dream job she has been led to believe it is will be dismissed as "negativity" or "meanness."

I don't know why we bother. They never believe us. We should probably just do the on-line equivalent of smiling and nodding and let them find out on their own.

did you all miss in her second post - where she said

[ In Reply To ..]
she sells on ebay and is looking for something to supplement it? MT would be great for supplementing.

Medical transcription - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Monique, I'm going to be honest with you, and tell you that I suspect the people in this thread who want to call us experienced MTs a bunch of Debbie Downers, have a hidden agenda, and it involves $$$ for them, not you.
I don't know exactly what your training has cost you in dollars and time, but it seriously may be time to cut your losses and move on. First of all, make a strong effort to locate some working medical transcriptionists in your area, people you can talk to face to face, and check with them about what is happening in your area.
In my own area, the local chapter of AHDI has just disbanded for lack of sufficient numbers still working. People are jumping ship because it's a sinking ship. I've been at this 25 years, and am actively and aggressively seeking non-MT employment. I want to work another 10 years, and I seriously don't think that MT will survive that long.
The only positive thing I can say is that there will still be some MT work, but the volume is going away ... fast. If the chats on this site don't convince you (and I actually get that), find some locals to give you their experience.

I remember listening to my first MD dictation - in the SUM, and...sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I knew that I loved doing MT. I completed Beginning and Advanced in a great MT program. I've been working for several years, and I still love it. However, I must admit that it is strictly supplemental income for my family. If something happened to my husband, I doubt I could make enough as an MT to support us. What I would say to anyone considering this field is only do it if you absolutely love doing it. Hopefully listening to the SUM dictations will give you the answer to that question.

SUM program - kabina

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, I graduated from the SUM program and I thought it was a pretty good program. Back when I graduated though things were better in the MT field and VR hadn't taken over the industry like it has now. If you want to do this work that's fine, but the posts you are hearing here are true about the field going downhill along with the pay and it's quite a struggle making money. I used to make a good income but not anymore. People aren't getting on here and lying about this, and there are too many people complaining for it to not be a reality. But if it's what you want to do, go for it. I wouldn't personally recommend it for anyone and the last few years have been very discouraging and quite a struggle.

kabina - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
No one "graduates" from the SUM program. The SUM program is a transcription teaching tool developed by Health Professions Institute. It is utilized by several transcription schools. Perhaps you graduated from a school that incorporated SUM into its curriculum, but it is not possible to "graduate" from the SUM program. Just a clarification.

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