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

New MT graduate needs advice HELP - Maggie

Posted: Nov 28, 2012

I am frustrated at finding employement. I am a recent graduate from Career Steps and I do not know which way to turn. I have spent hours trying to find full-time, part-time employee or independent contractor positions. One company offers a mentoring program, which is more money. Does anyone have advice on these mentoring programs. Any advice on where to go from here would be so appreciated. I am employeed at a hospital currently(have been there 10 years), so I am dependable and loyal. Thanks in advance.

Obtain additional education - me

[ In Reply To ..]
Career Step is not a good program. I too went to a less than desired program, and I ended up repeating everything at the local community college, which had an excellent program. I have more work on my desk than you can imagine.

If your local college does not have a course, others on this board recommend 2 online schools. Go to the new MT board. I would also go to the local AHDI chapter meetings, where members who have their own accounts would hire you. A lot of members are now retiring and could possibly give you your own account, which I had a lot of offers through my chapter.

Good luck. It is tough out there from what I read on this board.

Contact Career Step counselors - CS_MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I am not sure a blanket statement that Career Step is not a good program is entirely accurate advice if it is from somebody who did not attend Career Step and, therefore, isn't able to speak firsthand about the program.

I graduated from Career Step in 2008 with High Honors and passed both the RMT and then the CMT in 2012.

The best advice I can give to a new graduate facing difficulties such as yours is to contact the Career Step counselors and tell them of your situation. They cannot help you if you don't contact them. Also, participate in the Career Step graduate forum. There is a lot of information and networking to be gained from being on the graduate forum.

Give the counselors a call and see if they can assist you.

Forget local AHDI - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
There are very few local chapters left, check their website. No one "gives" you your own account. Truthfully, the members who are retiring probably are not AHDI members. Career Step has a good reputation but the job market is very tight, that is not their fault. It's difficult to get hired in any occupation without experience. One of the 2 online schools referred to is not accepting new students.

Just a suggestion - Long-timer

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't waste your time with AHDI. They do not have MT interests at heart.

Career Step is too a good program - you obviously have no clue

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Their program has put out many excellent MTs. I had 3 companies fighting over me when I completed their course, and have been working over 12 years with outstanding audits over and over again.

If you haven't done their program, you don't really have the right to talk crap about it.

Ditto on the 2 MT schools - See Message

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Some community colleges are good for MT, others just give a tiny hint of what the real world is like. You need a good, for real education if you are going to do this. Good luck.

Why can't you transfer to doing MT at the hospital - none

[ In Reply To ..]
That is how I started. I have a 4 year degree but it isn't in transcription and when I applied at a hospital, they hired me to transcribe. I had never done it before and they trained me. Best way to get started and it has been 20 years now. Good luck

Hospitals Train These Days? - See Message

[ In Reply To ..]
Many, many people were trained as you were 20 years ago, but that doesn't seem to be happening these days. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that even the clinic specialty doctors don't take the time to train in their clinic work, let alone the hospitals on acute care. That's one reason they hire MTSO's.

Maybe they don't but I was just giving a suggestion - none

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If she already works there, can't hurt to ask

My advice is that unless you have a sig other to pay half expenses - then give it up and look for something else to do.

[ In Reply To ..]
x

My suggestion - sm

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If you are employed at a hospital, my advice is to stay in that job and be very happy to have it.

There is going to be little, if any, advantage in working for an MTSO. Working conditions are worsening, pay is being cut, and there are fewer jobs. I think the career field is on its way out as a source of good incomes. Your chances of getting up to speed and making a go of it are not good, sad to say.

My advice is to keep your current job. You can make use of what you have already learned in many jobs in health information management (medical records). If you work there already, great. If you don't, consider moving as soon as a position becomes available, no matter how low it seems. Continue learning and move up. What you learned for MT will help you in medical records, especially in coding.

Thanks for comments from Maggie - Maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for the feedback. I decided to do transcription because I want to work from home, I have always wanted to work from home. My hospital has outsourced transcription and the girls that were doing it work in my registration area now.I do Outpatient Scheduling and I have a dream of working from home and won't stop till I make it happen. I know my Career step training looks good on a resume and will help open doors. I think it was a very thorough program that has prepared me well.I just wondered if anyone knew how to start by getting "my foot in the door". I have spent endless hours applying with no results. I have been in weekly contact with Career Steps graduate program and they have been fantastic. I have not really post on forum yet, but will- thanks for all the tips. I'd love to hear more opinions.

I would work on punctuation, spacing, spelling, - subject verb agreements,

[ In Reply To ..]
Just my opinion. It could be holding you back.

I agree - MaraschinoMary

[ In Reply To ..]
You took the words right out of my mouth. Unfortunately for Maggie, every sentence has errors, and that does not bode well for her to even get past the testing process.

I did not know this was a test - Maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
I did not know everyone would be so critical. I was just typing away and did not know I was being graded. You guys are mean. Thanks for being so critical. I did graduate with honors and I was just typing along concentrating on getting my points across. I will not use this post anymore. My feelings just got hurt pretty bad.

If your feelings got hurt bad - over this...

[ In Reply To ..]
then I would say you are definitely NOT ready for the real world of MT. I agree with others who told you to stay with whatever jobs are available in the hospital and forget about throwing away any more time and/or money pursuing MT (mostly now ME, by the way)

If your feelings are hurt over that, you shouldn't be on this board - none

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People on this board tell it like it is. If you can't handle criticism, I suggest you don't come to this board as there are a lot of critics

Maggie... You asked for the help - did you want sugar coating?

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I believe there is a difference between being mean and constructive criticism. If you cannot differentiate, you are going to have a hard time getting past the initial QA process at any employeer. I guess next time you ask for help, you could just say, "please lie to me and only tell me what I want to hear."

Help - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
She didn't ask for help with her grammar, she asked for advice in regard to mentoring programs. I don't want to sound like the internet police, but point out others' spelling and grammar errors are against forum rules. I've seen much worse from people who call themselves experienced MTs.

Don't feel bad. - RC

[ In Reply To ..]
This is a forum, not a medical record.

I make countless mistakes when typing in forums and emails. I laugh it off, saying
"hey, I don't have to be anal when I'm not paid to be."

It's not really fair to judge someone's ability by a post on a forum.

If her default mode is poor grammar - and punctuation

[ In Reply To ..]
she will find using the proper forms in transcription work very difficult. In fact, it is unlikely that she would perform any differently in her work since people who have a good command of language tend to use good grammar, etc., in their everyday communications without having to think about it. Given that all of her posts appeared to indicate a poor educational background, it is understandable that she received suggestions and recommendations for improvement.

Well, I destroy the English language all. the. time. - RC

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And I think it would be nice for her to hear that.

You HAVE a job . . . big difference - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

default grammar - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Being an MT for 10 years has made proofreading and proper grammar usage such a habit for me, I proofread texts before I send them. How sad is that?

Maggie - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
So the people who are offering help are "mean?" Are you three years old? If you cannot take basic suggestions and get your feelings "hurt pretty bad" this easily, you probably do not belong in transcription. How will you deal with critiques from QA? You do have serious issues with spelling and grammar. Frankly, I would not have hired you, based not only upon the technical errors, but also based on your attitude. You should be grateful that people will help you. Your attitude just makes me more certain than ever that there are many people are trying to get into MT who perhaps have wonderful talents and skills in other areas where they would be better suited. Please, put on your big girl shoes and check your "hurt bad feelings" at the door. Try to understand what the MT world really requires. There are people on this board whose help could be invaluable to you, but they will not be likely to extend a hand to anyone with a crybaby attitude. Best of luck with whatever you do.

Maggie - Maggie, too

[ In Reply To ..]
Wanting to work from home is not a good reason for going into MT. The truth is that you will be unable to survive on 3 cents a line or less that you will get as a new MT without experience.

It is not a good enough reason to go into ANY job. Employers know this. Your intense insistence on this . . . that you just must work from home . . . is going to be apparent to employers. It tells them that you have a problem working with others, and that is not something any employer wants in an at-home employee, where teamwork and good interpersonal skills are required. They are going to be reluctant to hire you for that reason alone.

You expressed outrage over others' advice about your writing skills. That is a poor attitude to take toward people who are trying to help you understand why no one will hire you. If you express that attitude here, my guess is that you express it in your current job and on job applications. Inability to take constructive criticism, no matter how slight, almost always disqualifies someone from a job.

The fact is that the errors in your posts say a lot about why you might not be hired . . . your transcription is going to exhibit the same errors. What employer wants that?

You did not mention whether you have passed, or even taken, employment tests. If you have not been offered tests, the reasons above may be why. If you have failed them, then your skills are simply not enough to sustain you in an MT job. No employer today trains MTs who did not learn enough in school--they feel that you had your chance. They know that if you did not get the message in school, you are not going to get it from the employer, either.

If you are unable to recognize the grammar and punctuation errors in your posts, MT is not for you. One of the Big 3 MT schools would have noted that on their entrance test. They would not have misled you about your ability or job prospects. They would not have admitted you.

Coding might be an option for you. It does not require the writing skills of an MT and there are remote positions. You would need to get a few years of experience on-site first, but the jobs are very good ones.

I do want to point out something else that could hamper your ability to get hired. Believe it or not, it is calling other employees "girls." In most work situations today, that is considered a demeaning form of reference. This is not a "women's lib" thing, either. Many employers have rules of civility that require showing respect and consideration. We do not refer to men as "boys" or "dudes," to women as "girls," "gals," or even "ladies," or to mixed groups as "homeys," or "peeps." We do not address anyone, including patients, as "sweetie," "hon," or "dearie," and sometimes not by their nickname or even first name unless they request it. For an alternative, "coworkers" works well.

Maggie - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
You said you would not be back but hopefully you will one more time and read my message. I would say that the MTs who are now working in your area would be a good place to begin seeking mentoring. Also, ask yourself why none of them continued to pursue MT; that in and of itself should give you an idea of where this occupation is heading. I was an MT for over 30 years, never worked at home but had several great jobs, I loved what I did was considered very skilled by my employers. The MT department where I work was closed about 6 weeks ago and all the MTs were laid off. I had many offers from MTSOs to work at home but turned them all down for a number of reasons; running out of work (I don't know if anyone told you that there is no guarantee of consistent work flow), difficulty making a decent wage even for someone with experience, and finding employers who offer a decent benefits package. If you have an hourly wage and benefits where you currently work, I would strongly advise you to re-think doing MT from home. I ended up moving into health information management as was suggested here, and in addition to that QA the work that is returned from our outsource company, filling in blanks and making other corrections. I am lucky to work for a large organization who steered the displaced MTs into other areas, but anyone currently working from home is having difficulty, and many NTs are looking for work. As I said before, the job market is very tight. Working at home requires a great deal of self discipline and you can become very isolated socially, so that is something else to consider. Long story short, use the resources available to you with your current employer. Study billing and coding and your scheduling job could lead to a coding position or something related to insurance. You could work in medical records or possibly other clerical jobs where you currently work. At the very least, stay where you are while you continue to look. Some of the companies do hire new graduates, Career Step should be able to help you with that, just be patient. I am trying to offer help, so I hope you are not offended by this post, and I hope you will come back. Good luck with your future plans.

Oops - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I made some typos and probably grammatical errors, so I apologize.

Maggie, I worked at the local hospital as a - transcriptionist

[ In Reply To ..]
for almost 20 years typing radiology and H&Ps, discharge summaries, consults....everything. A new boss then took over and made work torture for almost everybody, and several of us quit as a result. I decided to start working from home (a dream I have had for a long time). Long story short.....the boss who made everybody so miserable left shortly after I quit, I am only making a fraction of what I made at the hospital as an at-home transcriptionist, I have no insurance or other benefits, and I run out of work all the time. If I had known that boss was going to leave so soon I would have stuck it out. I'm afraid my experience is that supporting myself as a transcriptionist just isn't going to happen any more. My opinion is that you should stick with what you've got.

decision made - Maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
This is the last post for me. I will not be back. I thank those of you who did not cut me down to pieces for my typing and grammar in my posts. I can't believe some of you do this to people! Thank you for the positive and professional guidance that a few of you gave me. I have pretty much decided that I do not want to be part of any of this. I have to rethink my plan for the future and it will probably not include being an MT. I will not recommend this forum to any future MT's.

Maggie - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
Perhaps it would be helpful for you to get some counseling to assist you in dealing with your hypersensitivity issues. No one on here did anything but give you what you had asked for. No one was "mean" (what a juvenile, playground word), cruel, or inappropriate. What they were was honest, frank, and adult. Perhaps you have other issues that are affecting you. I don't know and it is none of my business. I just find your attitude to be rather immature and unrealistic.

Your attitude shows in this post - Agree with Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
You are not hurting us one whit by not coming back or by not recommending this board. Your belief that you are says a lot about why you cannot find a job and about why you want to work in isolation.

I agree that counseling might help. You have a serious inability to accept constructive criticism.

now don't give up - go to the New MTs board

[ In Reply To ..]
You have put a lot of effort into becoming an MT and you have spent a lot of money to achieve your dream of working at home. You need to start over at the New MTs board (see side bar to the left).

I think when the sun comes up tomorrow, you will feel a lot better. I know sometimes I've had my feelings hurt on this board, and then 24 hours later, it's forgotten.

Poor Maggie! - anon2

[ In Reply To ..]
you know, to those who offered "constructive criticism", most of them did not seem so "constructive" to me! You ripped this poor girl to shreds. She didn't stand a chance, and I don't blame her for saying she was giving up. I am embarrassed by the responses from most on this thread. How condescending and rude can you be?! She didn't ask for criticism of her punctuation and grammar...she asked for advice on how to proceed, and became instant fodder for leaving out punctuation and using grammar some of you found to be incorrect. How "perfect" you all are! I just cannot imagine how many of you make it past the first mirrors you see every day! What a bunch of "helpful people." You DO truly enjoy hurting people, don't you? You need not be hurtful when trying to correct someone's misuse of the language, punctuation, grammar, spelling, or whatever else you perceive you are so much better at than anyone else! Try to remember, OUR jobs are in jeopardy right now, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how good we are at grammar and punctuation, or our skills, or how much time and effort we put into this "career." Some of the egos on this board truly supercede any transcription skills we have learned. Your "people skills" are sorely lacking!!! WOW!

No one was hurtful at all... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Not one of the posts was hurtful. They were all truthful. She wanted to know why she could not get a job. That could be a factor in her not getting a job. That is not hurtful. There was no mean-spirited intent by any of the posters. I think you and the OP are hypersensitive!

well, maybe in YOUR eyes you were not hurtful... - anon2

[ In Reply To ..]
but to a passer-by, you WERE hurtful, and I am not hypersensitive...but "compassionate" to those who are being beaten down. Every one of us has been in her position at one point or another what with trying to break into a field that is not only difficult to break into without having experience, but also on a downswing in our economy due to technology and whatever other factors are involved. You too were once hoping for help and suggestions on how to gain the experience to land a good job and succeed in this "career." Now that you have made it there, you obviously have forgotten what it is like to just be starting out. Now this egotistic attitude where one must berate someone and their abilities verbally, just to see if they can "take it" or not, is akin to hazing and downright cruel. Yes, you were hurtful....most of the negative statements were hurtful! I hope you all feel so much better about yourselves now that you succeeded in hurting someone! and to save your own face, you call the victim "hypersensitive." Well, you all are "hyper-bullies!" There is no "truth" in subjecting someone to that type of criticism. If you were more concerned about how she typed things, worded things, spelled things, punctuated things, you could have made your point in a much less degrading way! again, absolutely NO "people skills!" and the fact that you just don't care, either, says more about you than it does about being "truthful." Face it...you just LIKE being mean!

Dont you accuse me of being hurtful, you dont - even know which post is mine!

[ In Reply To ..]
I think the only person being a bully is YOU.

you were the first one to respond.... - anon2

[ In Reply To ..]
to my post about MOST others being hurtful to this poor girl, so you were the target, mostly, of my post. If you did not feel "guilt" at what I had to say, then you would not have responded in "defense" of your hurtful words. Bullys always try to point the finger back at the person who is being targeted and defending themselves, and that is exactly what you did...pointed a finger at her, and then at me for defending her...soo, ... if the "shoe fits"..... moving on now. I have said what I needed to say in compassion for those you feel a need to hurt. Have a nice day! :-)

I highly doubt though - that she will not stay in MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Yesterday Maggie claimed she had decided not to pursue MT, but come on. She's going to just toss that not-inexpensive education and give up her dream entirely because someone on a board was unpleasant?

FInd something different. - NM

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We are now transcription livestock, minimum wage. You may have wasted your money. Sorry darlin.

My thoughts on this..... - Let me start out by saying

[ In Reply To ..]
that I am not trying to bash anybody. I believe that it is the SCHOOLS who are at fault here! Like all other businesses these days they are trying to stay afloat, and to do that they are sometimes filling people's minds with all of the advantages of being a medical transcriptionist and are failing to mention the fact that VR and hiring overseas transcriptionists are taking our jobs away. Soooo these schools get their money, but the student can't find a job once they graduate. I am not saying all MT schools are like this, but lots are!

RE: Your thoughts on this - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Schools who do not test for grammar, spelling, English competency yet take students anyway, are nothing but rip-offs. Some people are simply not capable of being MTs. They need to be weeded out from the get-go, for their own good and for the good of the profession.

Just a couple of things... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The hours you've spent looking for an MT job will eventually turn into months and months. Unfortunately, there are tons of highly experienced MTs looking for work right now, and newbies often aren't even being given a second look.

However, if you did well in school, get letters of recommendations from your instructors. MTSO recruiters are getting thousands and thousands of resumes, and a resume from a newbie gets tossed aside, unless, of course, it's obviously different from the others.

List your education first on your resume, and be sure to mention the "attached" letters of recommendations. When you're a newbie and you list your work experience first, all the recruiter is going to see is your LACK of experience, not that you've gotten great training and you're qualified for the job.

Regarding the mentoring program, if you're an MT newbie, you're not qualified to be an MT mentor. It doesn't matter how much education you get, MT is an experience-based profession and there are things required by mentors that can only be learned through many years of experience transcribing for thousands of dictators. Sorry.

Attitude - if you were an eagle ... - Lucy

[ In Reply To ..]
If you were an eagle - attitude often determines how wide you will spread your wings and how high you will soar. There is a book called "Even Eagles Need a Push" by David McNally -(Learning to soar in a changing world).

Constructive criticism is good and you can learn from it, but if you do not open your mind to it and adjust your attitude, then yes, I would say you will not survive in the MT world. There is far more to being an MT other than just working from home (that is the least thing) and you cannot allow your feelings to get hurt from constructive critism, as that will affect your attitude; yes, and thus, will affect how high you will soar as an eagle in this field. We have all learned from criticism (QA) and learned from it as long as it is constructive without getting our feelings hurt.

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