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

Moving on from transcription...what to do? - tiredhands

Posted: Jun 23, 2010

I really want to move onto something else..I'm just burned out. My arms and hands are constantly sore and aching. I've been doing this for about 14 years. I'm not paid enough and I just can't concentrate like I used to (very easily distracted...adhd??) With the kids at home for the summer (3 of them), it's just so difficult to work all day with them here.

Anyhow, I finally finished my bachelors in Sociology, I have all these medical terminology experience, and I used to work in customer service. I've been putting out my resume to just about anything that sounds like it may fit into my experience, but I'm getting virtually no response...very frustrating, especially with having a 4-year degree. I'm worried that being at home working for so long is going to hurt me in the "real world" outside the home. I've had my resume looked over by a professional, so I don't believe it's my resume...just curious if anyone has broken out of this field into something new and that pays well :).

What to do - some ideas

[ In Reply To ..]
Here are some ideas. They should get you going. I also have a 4-year degree, plus graduate work and have not been able to find a job, but you may have good luck.

Human services. Look in your city and state personnel offices, if there is not a hiring freeze.

Case manager for persons with disability. Those jobs would be with rehab agencies. Sometimes requires master's but maybe not.

Working in day rehabilitation. (Person with disabilities go to "day hab" for activities during the day.

Substitute teaching. Teacher's aide (paraprofessional).

Recreation therapy with seniors at nursing homes. Sometimes requires certificate or experience, depends on where you live.

College advisor. Also, colleges and universities have services for people with learning disabilities/social issues. There would be different positions in those departments.

Legal secretary. If it's a firm that does medical malpractice your med. terminology would come in handy. Also, maybe they would let you do some paralegal work (summarizing depositions, interviewing clients).

Do you know how to set up a "daily alert" at the job websites? You put in title of job you are interested in, they search for you and send them to you by email. Good luck.

Great ideas... - tiredhands

[ In Reply To ..]
Some I have thought of and applied for and some not. Thank you!! I do have a daily alert set up for some sites.

I think I may have to be more aggressive in following up after sending a resume, which is difficult when sending resumes online...they often ask not to be contacted or it's difficult to determine just "who" to contact...that's my goal from now on is to follow up after sending a resume, some way, somehow. Being a single mom of 3, I really need to be making more money!!

Legal secretary - Julia

[ In Reply To ..]
I worked as a legal secretary for 15 years and then changed over to MT for 10 years to raise my children. I am now a single mom and the MT salary just isn't cutting it. I am desperately trying to get back into legal secretary and the jobs are extremely hard to come by. The firms in my area want job stability, a bachelor's degree, Excel, Powerpoint,and could care less about my job experience. I wish you luck.

Legal secretary - Used to be

[ In Reply To ..]
I was a legal secretary, also, for 17 years before switching to medical transcription, to have the flexibility to get my bachelor's, which I did. Keep trying. You can certainly learn Excel and Powerpoint. Bachelor's? They are pushing it. You are qualified, especially if the firm does medical malpractice. As long as you see ads in your local newspapers, there is a job you will qualify for. Sometimes it is just clicking with the interviewer, and if you don't mesh with the lawyer and you know that, that's good to know at the interview stage. I have googled "legal and medical transcription" and there are national legal transcription companies where they will send you jobs via the internet. At least one was in Cambridge, MA. You'll find something; it may just take time. Is there a local university? They have legal departments. Good luck.

Those legal job opportunities aren't 'cutting it' either I guess - because they have so many applicants

[ In Reply To ..]
Nobody is having an easy time finding jobs in any field these days. There are too many applicants. I've been seeing all sorts of reports about people with impressive degrees who have no jobs and no job offers likely. They've lost their homes. These are people with experience. They just woke up one day and the boss called them in and told them they no longer had a job. It's tough for everyone these days.

these are all good, but... - Jay

[ In Reply To ..]
None of those pay well at all. At least not in my area. Teachers aides make 8-9 an hour to start. I interviewed for a recreation therapist, but due to my lack of experience, they offered me the recreation assistant job at 9.50 an hour. I have even looked into legal assistant or legal secretary as I have done lots of work with worker's comp and no fault and they pay is just too much of a cut.

Career changes can be tough - LalaG

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm in the same boat. Just got my Bachelor's in English, have been an MT for 11 years, and hands, wrists and shoulders really hurting. I'm applying wherever there seems to be some sort of match with my experience, and I have had no hits either. I have heard that even people with Masters degrees are having a hard time finding jobs right now. All I can do is keep on trying.

Just got a book set called the Laws of Success by Napoleon Hill. I'm hoping it will help me to remain positive during this process. Also, I've been reading a little about changing careers on Monster.com, and here's a great article also (http://www.resumepower.com/resume-transferable-skills.html).

Good luck

Change - keep trying

[ In Reply To ..]
That's all you can do, is keep trying and stay positive. I'm still working as an MT as a stop-gap measure against homelessness, although thankfully I have family. I also have bachelor's and could not find a job in my state, although I can work with my bachelor's in other states (licensing issue). So I have moved to 1) go back to school (help me--enough is enough) and 2) get a job. We do what we have to do. Good luck.

Stop-Gap MT - Change

[ In Reply To ..]
What is your license that you had to move to another state for a job? Just curious. I will graduate with a BS next week and can't find a job to save my life doing anything, and I mean anything. Are you a new nurse?

I've been looking for a year.. - tiredhands

[ In Reply To ..]
I've been separated from my ex since March 2009 and looking since then, so over a year. I feel like I can't get out of this house! I've only had a couple of interviews...but I'm definitely going to look into the legal secretary avenue a little more..I just hope it pays decent. I really hoped finally getting my Bachelor's would get me somewhere...depressing!!

Stop-Gap MT - BA

[ In Reply To ..]
Good luck to you. It is really tough for everybody, and those MTs with jobs (most anyway) can barely make a living.

Really, what is your bachelor's degree in and what kind of license do you have? Just curious.

Think that was keeptrying..not me - tiredhands

[ In Reply To ..]
Mine's in Sociology, minor in psychology. I was originally going for my nursing degree and ever so stupidly changed my mind halfway thru school!! Kicking myself now of course.

Stop-Gap MT - Changing

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a brutal job market out there for ANYONE with ANY type of degree. I haven't been able to find any kind of job for 1 year -- the first time in my entire life, really. It is just annoying and ridiculous.

I am hoping to find a job in the next couple of months, but if I don't, I am transferring the credits from my other degree into a BSN nursing degree; it's all set up. BUT . . . it kind of irritates me in that I really don't want to be a "professional student," but it is starting to look like that is what I am going to be for the next 3 years. AND . . . I hate the idea of spending more money, but I guess BSN nurses get paid well; of course I will be working until I die because my savings and retirement have went down the tubes.

I am still looking feverishly, but whatever the good Lord sees as best for me in the long run, I seriously hope will work for me. There is just no way to know about the future; everyone is at risk at this point.

What to do. - Chester

[ In Reply To ..]
Go into public health. You already have your degree in soc. Go back and add a second BA of Public Health to it. You would be SHOCKED at how well it transitions from MT. There is a huge market. That's what I'm doing.

Huge market? Doing what? What job title? - Wondering

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

court reporting - BAK2SKRUEL

[ In Reply To ..]
Skill set is virtually identical. You are just doing transcription in a different language (steno) on a different machine. I've been told that my MT background will be a huge benefit, highly sought after.

Schooling is long and brutal, and the dropout rate is in the range of about 90%, but my back is far enough to the wall now that I have no choice but to stick this out and see it through. I've been working for too long and have too much data rattling around in my brain to go back to $12/hr jobs. I simply refuse.

Pay is excellent (court reporting frequently shows up on the "surprising 6-figure incomes" sorts of lists in Money magazine and the like). There are 5 actual career paths within the field (having options appeals to me!)...1 of which is work-from-home and another *could* be. I'm not yet sure which branch I'll choose.

See a similar thread over in "Company Board" as well. Good luck to everyone who is going back to school and being proactive in jumping ship on their own volition before being forced to walk the gangplank.

Times, they are a-changin'.

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