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

Can I work as a MT if I do not finish my schooling? - CWestCoast

Posted: Aug 01, 2014

Just wondering, does anyone know if I can work as a MT if I do not complete my schooling? I have about a month and a half of MT schooling left and I was wondering if I can do MT work? Iam at the point where I do not know if this is the right thing for me or not. Maybe if I can do some actual work it would help me decide to complete my schooling or try something else. Anyone else in my boat? Thanks!!!

MT work does not require - "schooling" per se...

[ In Reply To ..]
Back when I first started in the stone age, hospitals would pretty much take anyone who could type and showed an interest and train them. Unfortunately not so much these days, so without a school you probably just wouldn't be considered for an MT position with an MT company... just too much competition from experienced folks looking for work. It's also doubtful that someone would let you even listen to real dictation somewhere to help you decide (not legal). Most people who have never heard even the best, easiest dictations are usually gobsmacked at how difficult it is to comprehend at first.

Best bet... if you can go into something else such as coding, billing, etc. without losing money, do it immediately. Even if MT is something you think you would enjoy, it's just not the "right" occupation for anyone nowadays.

Two of my coworkers do not have certificates in Medical Transcription. - Jay

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi:
I work for a small hospital and two of my coworkers do not have certificates in medical transcription. They have degrees/certificates in other fields though. If a company, clinic or a doctor is in need, they will hire who they want to as long as that person can get the job done. Continue school and apply for jobs, you might get hired.

Have a good day.

Quitting now is not going to impress - any employer!

[ In Reply To ..]
You need to finish, whether you can get a job now or not.

Education is valuable because of what you learn, but even more because it demonstrates that you can work toward a goal, finish something you started, and delay gratification.

Trustme, getting a job now is not going to help you decide if you like the work. It will just put you out there less able to make a go of it than in 2 months. You'll hate it, but it will be for the wrong reasons.

Someone above suggested you switch to coding or something if you can. I second that. That is the best thing you can do.

Depends on if you want to work at-home or in-house. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If you are hoping to work online from home, you are really going to want to complete it. Most companies won't even let you test if you haven't completed a training course. As said above, there are so many experienced MTs out of work right now, you really aren't going to be able to compete in the online world without education and even then it will be difficult as a new MT. I worked in-house at our local hospital for 2 years and when I wanted to find an online job, I had a very hard time even getting anyone to let me test. So I ended up taking a course and had 3 job offers the same week I completed it.

With the partial training you have, you could probably find a local in-house job to hire you that is willing to train, but you are so close, why quit now? I would finish it anyway, even if you don't know if MT is right for you yet. Even if you don't go into MT, you can still use it on your resume as some of the skills you learn will be useful in other positions. Because of my MT experience, I have been able to work other jobs in the hospital as a unit clerk, receptionist and billing secretary. So I wouldn't throw away all the hard work and money you have put into the course when you are so close to finishing.

You could try working as MT WHILE you are - taking classes. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

I agree, finish your program and work - Anonymous one

[ In Reply To ..]
Continue your course and while you are still in school try to find a part-time MT job working at home or maybe a doctor's office or medical facility needs help getting over a backlog - that is probably rare but you could try. I've been an MT for a long time, but when I was in school as part of our course we had to have real-world work experience. I was interested in MT and worked as a transcription clerk (paid next to nothing) at a local hospital and they hired me when I finished school, but there was a lot of on the job training. There used to be companies who liked to hire students/new grads, they probably still exist. Doesn't your school have practice dictation? Six weeks from completing your course, I would think you might already have had some reports to transcribe. If you haven't, then sorry, I think it will be difficult to find a job.

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