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

Any At-home-profession graduates - Jen

Posted: Oct 15, 2011

I am looking for any one who has completed the AHP program and is currently employed. I need any advice you are willing to give.

Thanks for your time.

Long Ago Grad - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I took their course 19+ years ago and have been working ever since. Not sure that any advice I could give is relavent at this time. I had a job waiting for me once I completed the course; I worked from home for a local hospital (a friend's husband was the hospital administrator).

Long Ago Grad - anon2

[ In Reply To ..]
I doubt you could get the same deal today. Too many really top-notch schools. The poor folks who do not have friendly connections as you did are likely to have a tough time. MTSOs want people who did the SUM program, the most comprehensive and RELEVANT program there is! Glad you got a good gig, however!

Thanks for the response - Jen

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for responding. Doesn't seem like there is many AHP graduates out there. Hopefully I have some luck soon.
Thanks again!

It's a big school. I think there are quite a few graduates - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I'm one, too. - - very long message

[ In Reply To ..]
I graduated from AHP 10 years ago. The hard thing, as someone else mentioned, is finding a job afterward, even though I felt as well prepared as anyone straight out of school--even if they didn't use SUM, they did have over 240 hours of real dictation, lots of ESL, people chewing and chomping, coughing, croaking, ummmmm-ing aaaahhhhh-ing and saying, "Go back and change this," or, "add that," static, speed problems with their recorder (which isn't usually a problem now that so much is digital), etc., etc., etc.

IMO, it is a very thorough program (if they've kept updating their material, because a lot of the style rules in what was the "AAMT Book of Style" at that time, now AHDI's "The Book of Style for Medical Transcription," especially regarding number rules, but a lot of other stuff, too, changed right around the time I was graduating and looking for work) as far as teaching medical terminology, drugs, equipment, abbreviations and eponyms, anatomy and physiology, lab results, you name it, and then giving lots and lots of practice dictation and teaching you to research things yourself.

The schooling itself wasn't the problem. It was the fact that it was not as well known as the big two or three--and those are the ones you've already seen mentioned right here--Andrews, M-TEC, and I think to a lesser degree, though those who have taken it swear by it--so undoubtedly it's good, too--Career Step. These were the three that I consistently read good about, and people tried to poo-poo AHP right off the bat, even though they knew nothing about it.

I don't know if AHP will ever be as well known or highly regarded as the others, and so even though I've never even so much as glanced at a piece of their course material, if you want a better chance of getting hired, even I--a working AHP graduate--would say you'd be better off going with Andrews, just from what I've read over the years and how I know that I had to take my career into my own hands and fight for my own job once I'd graduated.

Now I DID get a job within just a couple months of graduating, but the way I did that was (and I may get boo'd for this because people applying for jobs they aren't qualified for is not generally encouraged) I went ahead and applied anyway when they said at least 5-years' work experience was required. Then I still got turned down. However, when I got turned down, I didn't just drop it and walk away with my tail tucked. I wrote back and begged to test to show them how much I know, and I basically told them, "You may not normally hire new grads, but I'm not your normal new grad. You just don't know how good and how smart I am. I graduated with a 99% average for a reason." They reluctantly let me test but were still kind of like, "Well, I'm going to let you test because you have such a positive attitude, but don't expect much because I'm really just humoring you" (not in those exact words, but you know what they're telling you when they say it).

However, once I passed their test, they did go ahead and hire me, and I've always worked for the same company (well, recently bought out by Transcend but still kind of the same), but I still think I was EXTREMELY blessed (I don't really believe in luck, or else I'd have said "lucky" there.) because I just absolutely don't think that's the norm, especially now-a-days. It's getting harder and harder.

As a matter of fact, everything everyone else says about how hard it is in the beginning is absolutely true. You don't make hardly anything at first because no school can teach you everything so you do spend a lot of time researching things instead of typing and getting those lines on the paper--in fact, starting a new account still has that affect on me until I get used to what they're saying--AND the face of medical transcription is changing constantly with voice recognition and the pay going down. Thankfully, I'm still full transcription right now and paid pretty well, but I have already been told what my line rate will be if/when in the future I do any VR and I'm not one for change and am not looking forward to it at all! Also thankfully they don't see it happening for me with the account(s) I do for some time yet.

I hate to say this because I'm so grateful I still have a great job, but with everything I am reading from others lately, I'd say don't even get into this industry. I know someone else said they would never discourage someone from doing this and I understand, but I kind of wish someone had discouraged me from doing it in the beginning. I wish I'd gone to school for something else I really enjoy like working on computers. I've always like technical stuff, though I only know enough to be dangerous with a computer. LOL!

I THOUGHT, oh, I could definitely see myself sitting at a computer all day typing away and making a living at it--and I AM soooo grateful I don't have to commute and can work from home and DON'T have to deal with office politics and, heck, that I even have a job right now--don't get me wrong, but honestly, if I had known how quickly I would get burned out and how bored and annoyed with this (not my employer at all--just transcribing dictation in general--listening to someone talk all day, trying to decipher what they're saying, and turning it into a comprehensible professional document)--if I had known how absolutely depressed I would be some days with my life, I'd have never gotten into it.

My back hurts. My feet are always swollen. I'm just soooo tired. It's really not my cup of tea, and yet I've been doing it for nearly 10 years now because I already invested so much into it and I can't make this much at anything else now without going back to school and I need to take care of my family and the economy is so bad that I'D BETTER be grateful for what I have, and I am. I really am. Every time I get kind of depressed, I say a little prayer and say, "But I am grateful for what I have, Lord. Please don't take it away. I really am glad I have it." So I just can't quit. This is my career, and I have to like it or lump it. But it's much more exhausting than you think, sitting in front of a computer screen all day and doing this, very mentally exhausting and takes a toll on your body, too.

Having said all that, if your heart is just set on MT, then again, I as an AHP graduate would suggest you go with Andrews instead. I hate to say that, too, and not be loyal to my school, but it's just true about getting hired afterward. Sorry to be so negative, and hope that is helpful.

AHP graduates - Laney

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for this honest, insightful post about your experience. I think it really helps paint an accurate picture of what the daily grind can be. You seem to have an awesome attitude and i'm sure you will succeed at whatever else you end up trying. Best of luck to you :)

Laney - Old Timer

[ In Reply To ..]
Just Google "AHP transcription scams" and "AHP complaints" and see what comes up. If this is such a neat school, how come they have dozens of complaints against them with the Feds? And most MTSOs I know do not think kindly of AHP. Please do very thorough research before making your decision.

Thank you! :) - - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
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At Home Profession Graduate - Penny

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm a recent graduate of At Home Professions. I have been taking online test and sending out resumes as they have recommended. So far nothing....No one seems to want to give a new graduate a chance even if their website says they hire newbies.

Penny - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't think it is the newbie part as much as the AHP part. Many, many MTSOs will not hire AHP grads. You might Google the words "AHP scam" for some insightful articles. Good luck.

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