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

No Experience No Job - No Job No Experience - Nola

Posted: Jul 30, 2011

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the situation of not having enough experience to get a job but not being able to get the experience if you don't get a job. I have skiills and talent out the wazoo - I've passed numerous transcription tests - and I nearly always get a quick response to my application and resume submission. HOWEVER, because i've never worked in a hospital and my 10 years of experience was more than three years ago - AND because I that experience was clinic transcription, the door slams in my face.

I've done everything I know to do to keep my skills up. My typing is super fast and super accurate. I'm currently doing freelance for Morningside, which of course isn't medical but was all I could get right now. I've taken refresher courses in transcription, completed an MT course through Weston Distance College, transcribe for anyone in the medical profession as often as I possibly can (which isn't as often as I'd like in my neck of the woods), and I work in the nursing department at a state university.

Sorry this is so long, I'll finally cut to the chase: I know I can to the work if someone would just give me the chance, but how do I convince a potential employer of that? Any suggestions? Anyone?

LIE - redman

[ In Reply To ..]
Hey, if you are having such a hard time, just think up the name of a hospital that may no longer be-like one that was bought out by another chain which happens often. they may not even check. Hey, give it a try, and cross your fingers when you do it!!! Things are tough with the job market, and go for it!!!!

WRONG - CMT

[ In Reply To ..]
A friend of mine tried that in another field (not MT) and they said if they could not verify he needed to produce his last paystub and tax returns. Needless to say he did not get the job.

LIE - redman

[ In Reply To ..]
Just saying, many people embellish on their resumes. Times are tough. Getting your foot in the door is not easy sometimes. If you can back what you say you can do, then so be it!

All this trouble - CMT

[ In Reply To ..]
not to mention LYING and possibly getting caught and fired later just to make a whopping 3 or 4 cpl. Gotta love the smell of desperation. There are many places that hire clinic experience.

NO EXP ETC - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
The thought of that did enter my mind, but I'm not a very good liar and it would be just my luck that it would be a job I really love and they'd find out later. . .So I don't think that would work for me. I thought doing well on the tests was the key - but recently I aced a test and as a backup they sent me an editing test. I know that's the direction things are going - but my experience hasn't gone there yet. If they needed an editor, they could've just posted that.

I agree, lie - Kat

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree, if you are able to pass the test, just make your resume read as though you have been employed. Many times, if you can pass the test that is what really matters. If you get caught, oh well, there are other jobs to be had, but you probably wont get caught once you are hired.

LIE :: yes, I did it !!! - and got hired. Been a Successful MT for last 5 yea

[ In Reply To ..]
I love this anonymous board.

Maybe for those honest Abes out there, we should call it embellishing...Try This Nola - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Instead of making up a fictitious hospital or company, choose a hospital that you know the MT dept was outsourced to a service. Then you say you were in business for yourself and that you contracted with that hospital to do overflow discharge summaries and OP notes until upper management/hospital board of directors decided to outsource transcription to save money and you lost your contract. Then ask one of your good friends to act as a "supervisor" at said hospital who lost her job with the outsourcing, but give your friend's phone number and email so she can still give you a reference. Brief your friend on what to say and voila, you have work experience.

It's dog eat dog out there and you do what you have to get a job. Don't feel guilty.

Good luck to you Nola.

Would love to know where these places are - HospitalBrat

[ In Reply To ..]
I have 15+ years of experience in both clinical and hospital settings; for every 100 resumes I send out, I'm lucky to get two responses. It's solely because I haven't typed in three years. Quality has nothing to do with it.

EXACTLY!!!! - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
That's exactly it! It doesn't seem to matter what my quality is. Because I haven't worked as a full time medical transcriptionist in the past three years I'm just out the door before I can even peep through it. It would seem to me that if a person can DO the work and can prove that on the test that quality should be most important.

ever heard the word ETHICS? - No wonder MT is where it is

[ In Reply To ..]
Geesh, talk about BAD advice.

Yeah right! Like transcription companies worry about their ethics - Kat

[ In Reply To ..]
You know, sometimes it can be a littl rough getting started, especially in these times when there are so many people out there looking for work, and when you are having a little trouble getting employed you do what you have to do to get yourself a job. Ethics in this bussiness can be a touchy subject. It can be defined by ones own interpretation.

definition of ethics - is not lying

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank goodness I'll never have the chance to hire you. I pity the people who have to deal with your brand of ethics in life. Ethics aren't something you apply willy nilly and your posts speak volumes. Hoping you reap what you sow and that you share with us when your ethics support your choices.

Exactly what I was thinking. This world is becoming a sick place. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

No brainer....I would go for a clinic MT position...nm - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
x

No brainer. . . - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
That's what I've been going for and have even made it to the interview stage a few times. The first question they ask me is whether I've had any acute care experience at all. So I asked the last one if there had been a mix-up because I was sure I'd applied for a clinic position - she said that in time everybody pretty much ends up typing everything. This is the same company that sent me an editing test instead of a transcribing test.

I can't believe so may people are encouraging someone to lie. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
There is no such thing as a good lie. A lie is a lie and the fact that so many people think it's okay is exactly why we're living in such horrible times right now. Lying goes right along with greed and all those other bad things. We can't use the bad behaviors of others as an excuse to create our own bad behaviors. It makes us just as bad. All of those that say lying is okay because the MTSOs don't care are absolutely no better than those they are accusing. There is ZERO excuse for lying.

tooting your own horn - drthumm

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, since no one else has asked, I would think if you were "acing" all these tests, then someone would hire you, regardless of the field you were chosen in. They usually do not give tests for work types they would not be hiring for, so if you were doing as well as you say, then that should be enough to get your foot in the door. Could it be, perhaps, you are not as fantastic as you think you are?

I didn't mean it to sound that way - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't mean to "toot my own horn." I just found it odd that I've done well on the tests, gotten interviews that seemed to go well, and then everything just STOPS. To me that seems odd. Maybe it's not. I never said I was fantastic, and I never meant to ruffle anyone's feathers. All I'm trying to do is figure out why I can't get work since I've done everything I know to do.

Lying only lands you in trouble - HospitalBrat

[ In Reply To ..]
Sure, lie if you think no one will find out. That'll look really good later on. I'm in a similar situation, only I have hospital experience, and, NO, I'm not lying about it. It's extremely hard, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it. I'd rather know that I'm getting a job on my own merits.

And it's a small world out here. You never know who is reading this and will pass it on to a supervisor. No, there aren't full names being thrown around, but lying would just come back to bite you in the butt.

I agree - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
Those were my thoughts also - that you just never know who is looking over your shoulder.

Did you do the editing test? - maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
Many hospitals now have word recognition and they may have wanted to see how you did with the editing part of it. If you can transcribe, you should be able to edit. You seem to be doing better than I was the past few years- I oculd not even get an interview and I have 10+ years acute care experience. I finally found a hospital that wanted to hire me but it required me to move to a town 6 hours away from where I lived. Did I do it? Heck, YES! It was totally worth it. You may have to consider what you are willing to do for a job and it might require making some adjustments in your expectations-- I think if you are getting interviews it is not the fact you haven't worked in 10 years but the economy. And as far as not having acute care experience, there are hospitals who hire people as level 1 transcriptionists at a slightly lower pay until they have proven themselves- that is probably something worth considering. Where I used to work hired people straight out of school and had sort of an 'apprentice' type of program and got a lot of good transcriptionists that way. You didn't mention schooling but I assume you have that if you transcribed for clinics for 10 years. All I can say is keep plugging away- it took me 2 years to find the job I have now. But lying on a resume is definitely never a good idea.

Oh, and one other option would be to get certified- - maggie

[ In Reply To ..]
that would definitely prove that you know what you are doing, and a lot of hospitals prefer certified over not.

Editing Test - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, Maggie. I did do the editing test, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. It took several days to hear back from them - In fact I had to e-mail the woman and ask her about it. She said that I did pass and she would be sending me a contract. Most of the work is psychiatric and ESL - but this was on Thursday, and I haven't seen a contract yet.

And lying might get you hired but - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
what happens when you are struggling to learn various report types, like cardiology or surgery, etc.? Those do not come easily and if you are being trained usually they will give you some leeway while you get familiar with their doctors and system but if you are not familiar with the terminology you are going to be way behind and they are going to wonder what your problem is. That is one of the reasons so many hospitals want previous acute care experience, but it IS possible to get a foot in the door, just be honest.

Lying - Tracie

[ In Reply To ..]
I figured I'd be better off to just be honest. I've never been a good liar.

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