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

MT transitioning out and nervous - anon

Posted: Jan 25, 2014

Seeking advice from other MTs who are currently in school for another field or have already transitioned out of MT. One semester to go and I will hopefully be prepared to enter a career field that has nothing to do with MT. Problem is, I find myself worrying about working outside the home. I've been an at-home MT for almost 12 years. I have found a new enjoyment being around people in my classes and activities, but I'm so used to the home environment as my workplace. I am getting close to my goal but at times I doubt myself. I sometimes think if the new career doesn't work out, I can fall back into the familiarity of MT, which I know has a limited future, and some days I despise it. Anyone else been there? Have advice? I really don't want to get into the rut of thinking, "I can always try going back to MT." It isn't pretty, but gosh it is familiar. Please no snarky comments, Interested in people who have advice. Thanks in advance.

Same boat - sort of - Anon2

[ In Reply To ..]
I have no advice, but if you don't mind my asking, what are you studying? I just left my MT job this month and am considering leaving the field entirely, just not certain which road to take yet. I have some of the same concerns after so many years at home and being quite the introvert. Best of luck to you!

field of study - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm studying American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. Hope to work in the school system, rehab services, anything to get my foot in the door, pursue interpreting and take whatever path I find interesting and rewarding in the field.

Me too - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm looking for another job, too, outside the home and it's scary thinking about it. I'm lonely and need the exercise of walking to and from somewhere in the worst way.

you can do it - Old School

[ In Reply To ..]
Think about how much fun it will be to decide what to wear, to put on makeup and join the morning rush, radio on, cup of coffee. Think about getting to meet new people, share ideas, work as a real team, talk about weekend plans, go out for a drink after work. Think of the positives! The majority of Americans go to work every day and you can too!

Also think about how nice it will be to know ... - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
... that work is over when the 8 hours are over ... that your paycheck is predictable ... that you get real benefits like paid time off and sick leave ... that your employer pays for the equipment ... and lots of other things. Won't that be wonderful?

I don't think you will keep thinking of falling back into the "familiarity" of MT. I certainly didn't. I saw just how horrible it was the first day. By the end of the week, I had decided that I was a victim of Stockholm syndrome -- brainwashed by the Big M to believe that I had to stay there and scrabble for those few piddly jobs and believe I was worthless because of the ridiculous "errors" they found and to appease them to let me keep their alleged "job."

As for being introverted ... well, I am introverted, too. In fact, chances are that I totally surpass all of you on introvertedness tests. But, you know what? Unless you are aspiring to a job selling real estate or used cars, introvertedness has very little bearing on success in most jobs, unless it is to INCREASE it. That is because you have more time and interest in doing a great job when you are not spending half your time focused on socializing.

If you are worried about getting along in hen-party offices, I would encourage you to aim higher to get out of those environments. That nonsense largely goes away when you move out of clerical work.

In any event, yes, the majority of Americans do work outside the home. They do this whether they are extroverts or introverts. And they never think about it because it is really quite irrelevant.

In addition to the above post, I found these - things to be helpful: (msg)

[ In Reply To ..]
For getting up early, especially when you're not used to it, set 2 alarms. I set one electric, one battery-operated. (Lots of power failures where I live.)

To allow yourself the most possible sleeping time, do all or most of your preparations the night before. My instant coffee/creamer combination is pre-mixed in my travel-mug, with spoon in it. I either gulped down instant Cream-of-Wheat (also set out & ready), or else ate a more portable breakfast in my car.

If you can exercise in the afternoons/early evenings to help you get tired, that's a great way to get yourself to be sleepy earlier. Just don't exercise just prior to bed. Some people read before bed; I usually just have a small glass of milk and watch TV prior to bedtime. If you're in school, studying or doing school work can tire out the ol' brain and make you sleepy, too.

Don't make the mistake of saying "Just 5 more minutes" when your alarm goes off in the morning. I've made that mistake, and ended up sleeping another couple of hours! I usually set my first alarm for 2-3 min. before the 2nd alarm - time enough to come back to consciousness, and then that second alarm prevents a possible lapse back into sleep.

By having your clothes all set out the night before, you don't have to stand in front of the closet, all foggy-headed, saying, "What'll I wear?" If you're like me, and tend to make last-minute changes, then put out optional pieces of clothing, too, in case you change your mind. Then it won't take up valuable time trying to pick something else out of the closet.

For driving to work, especially if you have to travel a long way, it's ALWAYS better to leave too early than too late. Whenever I cut the drive time too close, something always happens: A wreck, bad weather and flooding, car won't start on the first try, unexpected ice on the windshield has to be scraped off, road construction, detours, etc. I'd rather get there early and calm than late and frazzled.

Where I worked, if you got there early, you could leave early. Leaving early also had the benefit of missing the worst of traffic, often cutting driving time by as much as half. And even if you don't have the option to leave early, the extra time before the start of your day can be spent eating breakfast, touching up hair or makeup, checking/writing email, reading a book, working on your grocery list, making appointments, or even snoozing in your car if you get there really early. (Be careful with that one, though - be sure you have an alarm with you that you can set!)

If you can spend your lunch break or another break during the day outside walking around. It does wonders for your alertness and frame of mind, and it's good for your heart.

Whenever you have a hard day, keep reminding yourself that it's a small price to pay for that larger, more-dependable paycheck you're now getting, and how hard life was when you were working for non-living-wage crumbs as an MT. That always put things into perspective very nicely for me!

great advice - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks a bunch for taking time to share what has worked for you. You gave great tips I will definitely try to implement. Transitioning from working at home to an outside job is really a lifestyle change, not just a job change. Seems daunting since I've been in a routine at home for so long, but I do think it will be a healthy change overall. Thanks again!

Transitioning - anon3

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm not currently in school and don't have any concrete plan that will get me moving in a new direction, but believe me, I certainly do identify with your feelings of wanting to move on from here and yet feeling a bit nervous of what things might be like out there. But, really if you look at it all from a different perspective you might see that you're going through growing pains. Getting past the discomfort of all the change is eventually going to get you to a better place in life. Hopefully, one day you'll be going along in your new line of work, happy as can be, and you'll think, "yes, I made the right decision to leave that other job!" Sure, it's bittersweet...

But, inside you know you've made an investment for a better future, and now you've got to see it through. Make it work for yourself - it might be a bit challenging at first, but you can do it. This job is not what it used to be and never will be again. I applaud you for exploring other options and for sticking with it - now you're almost done with your courses, then all you have to do is make it happen. I have to do that, too, because I want to be where you are now someday. So, you've got to keep going forward and don't look back. Great success to you!!

I bounced right into it and consider myself - an introvert. SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Been working outside the home almost a year and dont miss it one bit. I do miss transcribing, but I like what I do now. Im very friendly and get along well with others, but do consider myself a bit of an introvert
(I get annoyed with hubby sometimes) point is, if I can do it, you can too. Its normal to be nervous, but you will be fine.

Another way to look at it is - (s/m) - Kindred Spirit

[ In Reply To ..]
that even if you choose to stay in MT and not change to something else, MT will not always be there. In fact, for a great number of us, this is the year that our employers are going to do away with our positions, and offshore all the work.

So even if you should second-guess yourself on the wisdom of leaving MT, don't think for a minute that it's even going to be there to go back to for very much longer. Better to make the break sooner rather than later. It'll also likely be easier to find a job while you're still working, than if you wait until your company lays everyone off and you're unemployed.

Thanks - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate all the well wishes and encouragement. It helps to hear others say they don't miss this once they leave.

I'm an introvert, but MT has turned me into a bigger introvert than I would have been if I'd never entered this field.

Lastly, the fact that someone would dislike my post is one big reason I want out of this profession. Speaks volumes. Best wishes to those in a similar situation as mine.

I am an introvert, and I'm doing fine - Maggie May

[ In Reply To ..]
I was very nervous to go back to an in-office job. But I have found many of the people to be very nice and friendly. There will always be cliques and stuck-up people, but sometimes all it takes is a smile and a "hello" to find out who the friendly ones are. If you have enjoyed your classes and activities, you should do fine on the job. Good luck!

After 8 years of working at home, I got an office - job, and although I had to - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
once again train myself to get up early, go to bed early, and drive a long commute, within about a week and a half it seemed normal to me. It wasn't easy, compared to working in one's jammies, but there were lots of benefits. The other employees were all very nice, very supportive, and enjoyable to be around. If I did something interesting over the weekend, I now had someone to tell my story to, rather than just my cat. It gave me an excuse to wear a variety of nicer clothes again. All I wore for 8 years were jeans and sweatshirts. Now I had the choice of comfy, smooth slacks and sweaters, or pretty skirts and something other than running shoes or slippers. It forced me to eat a little better, too. Although healthy things like salads and other fresh foods don't seem to appeal to me that much at home, by the time the office lunch break rolled around, they were delicious. My work was a little more focused, even though the office environment wasn't silent, like it is at my home, because there weren't those other distractions of the phone, the internet, the doorbell, my pets, the dishes, or the laundry. It wasn't all happiness and cumbaya moments, there were times when the boss would be on my case about something, or another employee might be grating on my nerves a little bit. Although I, too, had no intention of going back to MT, I still thought of the job as not likely to be forever, which always helps me to stay in a job - just telling myself it's not written in stone that I have to stay. That way, I'll usually stay. However, this was a good job that I liked, in a friendly and comfortable office, with outstanding pay. Only problem is, the job eventually ended, sooner rather than later, and I was laid off. Now I'm back to Square One again, but at least I know that it IS possible to survive setting the alarm for 5 AM, it IS possible to get to enjoy a long commute, and it IS possible to get along with all my co-workers and my boss. Now if I can just find another job, I'll be all set.

Can't wait for the day I say adios to transcribing... - 4vrtpng

[ In Reply To ..]
Although transcribing allowed me to stay home with my kids while they were growing up, I now find myself needing more of a steady/better income that MT'ing can no longer give me. I am making less and less every year and have my kids colleges bills looming over me and my husband. So, after 18 years of transcribing, I am just entering the last semester of a long 2 year degree program learning to take x-rays. This has allowed me to get back into interacting with the outside world and able to face the daunting task of entering the job market. I love what I am learning to do and can't wait to actually get paid to do it. May 16th can't come quick enough. Being 48, I know I can do this even though it's scary going back out there. I have surpassed each goal I put in front of me these past two years and feel equal to the task ahead of me.

I am there right now. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I start my new job in one week. But for me, I'm not nervous. I can't wait to start. Working at home for a decade has given me terrible anxiety and panic attacks and it's affecting my marriage. My world has shrunk down so small that I am in my head too much all day, and I'm all alone all day. I cannot wait to start my new job--in fact, I'm hoping it will help make me a healthier, more stable person.

After my last day, my husband and I are removing my work desk and computer and turning my corner of the room into a reading area with a big cozy chair and a little table to put our coffee/wine on while we relax. And maybe then, I can have some control over my emotions and my life again. God, I hope so. This career has damaged me.

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