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

Is CareerStep a good school??? - Pamela

Posted: Feb 27, 2014

Is this school okay or a scame

Pamela - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
I always ranked it a distant third (behind Andrews and M-TEC). However, more importantly, why on earth are you considering medical transcription today? I really would think you could make a better, more profitable career choice. Please do your due diligence and think this through carefully before you sign any contracts or send ANYBODY any money. Good luck to you.

An old pro too, and totally in agreement with - none

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you. At one point, my daughter was thinking about doing transcription and I encouraged her to do so. That was a very long time ago. Subsequently, she did not and now is making more than I ever thought of just working hard and learning other things. She has gotten her 2 year science Associates degree and is planning on going to coding at the junior college in our town in the fall. It looks as if she will be making very good money. Please, I am sending you this because I care about people who are sold this profession as one that has a future to it. It most certainly does not. GOOD LUCK TO YOU NO MATTER!

ALL MT schools are a scam - Evy

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You've been told before that this is a dying field. Do your research. Go look on the Nuance or MModal boards on this site. Read the posts here. This is not a joke. Many of us are trying desperately to get OUT of this business because we cannot make a living. The pay is horrible. You will have a difficult time even finding a job once you finish the course. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!!!

I regret ever becoming a transcriptionist. I've wasted the last 10 years of my life and am further behind now than I was before. I have to start all over in my career. There is no future here.

Please take heed of our warnings.

AMEN to that! - clb

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Yes, OP, what she says is true! Please don't do it. Do any other minimum wage job out there. At least they pay by the hour, maybe even overtime, and there's always room for advancement, promotion, raises, transfers, or moving onto something better. I'm trying to get out and am only able to get $9/hr jobs. I was making $14/hr before MT! It will ruin your life, seriously do not waste your time or money. Do anything but MT.

Evy - Old Pro

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Actually, I would like to differ (politely and kindly). Andrews offered a superior education in medical transcription. Its owner (whom I have never met, and no, I have never worked for Andrews), is a highly ethical professional woman. While I do agree that it is foolhardy to study medical transcription at this day and time, I do feel that is disingenuous to blame all schools for the current plight of MTs. There are many I would blame (the matchbooks), but it is not the fault of Andrews (or of M-TEC, which was also a good school) that the state of our profession is where it is. I know that it is very easy to "shoot from the lip" and cast blame for things where blame does not belong. (I know this because I have done it myself on more than one occasion.) In short, I think Andrews really gave people their money's worth. I would never have hesitated at hiring an Andrews grad. People who came from various "institutes," not so much. Not making you wrong, just asking you to please think it through. I think we can agree that an MT education is not a good investment today, but please don't paint all schools with the same brush.

Old Pro - Evy

[ In Reply To ..]
Ok... I guess what I meant is that this entire business is a scam and any place willing to take your money and sell you the falsehood that you can make a living in this business anymore is in on the scam. These schools know the state of transcription and yet they still churn out the lies about projected job growth and salaries. I didn't go through Andrews, so I don't know their practices. Do they tell you before they take your money the state of the medical transcription business these days? Are they honest about the future of MT? Do they tell you about EPIC? Are they honest about how much work goes offshore, how much editing versus transcribing you are likely to do, how most companies these days will not pay more than 8/4 cpl and that you are more likely to get the 4 because of how much editing there is. Do they give accurate practice samples of ESLs, horrible audio, VR catastrophes, etc. to properly prepare the students for what they are going to encounter? Are they honest about how much money you are likely to be able to make?

If not, then they are in on the scam and are just as guilty, in my opinion.

Evy - Old Pro

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The proper place to get these questions answered is to ask Andrews. Never having studied with Andrews, I would not have the answers you are looking for. I think you are more interested in hurling names and accusations such as calling them "a scam" than in finding facts. (I know, it always feels good to find a scapegoat.) Remember the late Senator Daniel Moynihan? He had a great saying, "You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts." The situation is not nearly as simplistic as you wish to paint it, and IMHO, Andrews (and other good schools) are not "guilty" of anything. And, BTW, some people still make good money in MT. I do it part-time for travel money, and am still averaging over $30/hour. Again, you can't paint everyone with the same brush. I empathize with you, and with all younger people in this same boat. However, if I were going to pick a scapegoat, I would point my fingers at the biggies like the Squid and yes, even that holy grail, AHDI.

If you make $30 an hour, you are DEFINITELY the exception - n/m

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n/m

$30 an hour - Dee

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Sometimes I can get that, but I am copying and pasting and it depends on the dictator and how fast he is going.

That is not how you calculate it - Way misleading

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The fact that you say you can "sometimes" get that tells me that your estimate of $30/hr is way off base.

That is why people like Pamela get sucked in by scammy schools. They think they are going to be able to make $30 an hour, when they can't.

The $/hour is not based on how much you make when you have easy work and type frantically for one hour.

It should be total $ received divided by the total time spent in doing the work. That time has to include ALL time involved in work, in GETTING work, and everything else. That means time spent on non-transcription activities like training, picking up tapes, printing, delivering electronically, checking to see if work is available, phone calls to manage the account or deal with the employer, corrections, invoicing, bookkeeping, buying, maintaining, and troubleshooting software, etc.

And, you also have to subtract expenses from the $. Subtract the cost of computers, software, business licenses, certifications, reference material, office supplies, printer cartridges, internet access, subscriptions, accountants and lawyers, auto or mileage, postage, furniture, telephones, telephone service, advertising, flyers, email, holiday gifts to clients, office expenses, insurance, and anything else that costs.

This also needs to consider those times when accounts are new and you are slow because of it, not just the one hour a year that everything goes well.

I have only rarely seen an MT who calculated this accurately. That is why so many live hand to mouth and cannot pay their taxes. Really, when everything is considered, they are making less than minimum wage.

I can just bet that Pamela's acquaintance who claims to be making $30/hr isn't. She is not counting the total time, or the expenses, or is forgetting to mention that she only has part-time work. Or all three.

I agree - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
A true calculation of how much money you can make at MT is how much your gross pay is for the year, not how much you "think" you are making an hour. Most of us only make anywhere between $15,000 to $20,000 per year. The ones who make more are the ones lucky enough to get hired on somewhere at a local hospital or clinic where they can make an hourly wage.

I was just going to say that - about Andrews

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I think as part of her research should be talking to Ms. Andrews.

I agree, she should talk to Ms. Andrews - Old Pro

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She should indeed speak with Ms. Andrews. She should also get a little bit broader exposure to the business of the business--by this, I mean, looking at what impacts the whole marketplace these days. And to the other poster, yes, I know I am the exception. I have been doing this for 40 years, and have been very fortunate, for which I am grateful. Now, back to watching the rainstorms out my window! I hope we don't have a flood.

And all she is going to take away from - xx

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this thread is that you make $30 an hour, not the fact that almost no one makes that much anymore and certainly no newbie is going to make that much for several years, if ever.

Right. I'm still a newbie and I make a third of that... - clb

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If my calculations are correct (and I'm bad at math) I calculate my hourly wage out each paycheck. I take total lines divided by total hours worked (on my timecard of course LOL) to get my LPH x CPL to equal $/hr. Sometimes it's 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, even 15 once! It just depends on that particular PP. On average for the year I would guess $10-11 an hour that it averages out to because weekdays is more and weekends is less due to NJA. That's my gross check though before insurance, taxes, etc is taken out. Not too bad for employee status but I still can't live on that. And I don't have kids. So Pamela thinking one income for herself and her child on MT wages is okay just simply won't cut it. Sorry.

Not all schools are a scam - But doing MT is a joke-nm

[ In Reply To ..]
xxxx

might be a good school - but not for MT

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Don't say you weren't warned. Do not go into MT.

To answer your question - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Career Step is a good school and not a scam. I felt they adequately prepared me for doing medical transcription work. That being said, the medical transcription field has changed and isn't what it was years ago. If I were doing things over, I would definitely pursue a job in the medical field, albeit a different part of the medical field. Sad to say, but anything to do with Oncology (study of cancer) is a rising field. Therefore, go to school to be a medical assistant, x-ray tech, etc. You'll be better off!

Career Step is definitely not a scam - Been around the block

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but it is far from the best. Students need access to real instructors, not an answer key.

Might as well train to be a phone operator. sm - Dinosaur MT

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They may not be a scam per se, but I find it sad that anyone would throw away their money to train for a job that is not going to be around very much longer. I wish I had not been so short-sighted and had gotten into something else a long time ago while I was still young.

or a travel agent - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Does it matter? - Blunt answer

[ In Reply To ..]
It really doesn't matter, does it? On the main board, you were given advice to steer away from MT, but all you seem to have gotten from it is the idea that you will be the exception to the rule. Even if you do accept that most MTs now do not have viable jobs, that SR, EHRs, and offshoring are eliminating most of the work and driving down pay, you still think that things will be different for you.

Similarly, it will make no difference to you if we say a school is bad. You will just think things will be different for you. You will be the exception to the rule.

If we say that a school has no instructors, you will just feel that is an advantage because, remember, you don't want to deal with people.

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