A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Transitioning to a new career - MMTT
Posted: Jan 26, 2012
Anybody else switching careers right now? I have started a training course for a new career and it is EXTREMELY difficult to continue with MT. I just dread sitting at the computer, its like 8 hours of torture. I went through this before when I changed careers to MT. I cried everyday until I could leave my previous job. I am not crying everyday now, not yet anyway. Maybe its grief, leaving a job that I once loved, letting go, moving on. I am considering changing to part time, but not sure I can swing that financially, although my line counts are plummeting, so it probably wouldn't make much difference now. Just not sure how long it will take me to find a job after I complete the course. Sorry for rambling. Just wonder how other people are handling career changes, transitions, life changes.
New direction - SM
[ In Reply To ..]I applaud you for studying for a new career. I am so wanting out of transcription, but I do not yet know what I want to do when I grow up, (keep in mind I am in my 50s) . I have been in this business for 15 years and so love it, but I have taken pay cuts, lost some positions because of VR and now losing positions because of EMR. I think going with the flow would be to become an EMR specialist, but that entails big time computer skills or becoming an EMR applications specialist, but got to find out where to be trained for that. Well again I applaud you for getting educated in a new field.
look into health informatics - pumpernickel
[ In Reply To ..]There are undergrad and graduate degrees for higher level positions but there are also certificate programs for lower level work, and all of these are offered online (or on site) at various institutions.
Good LUCK! - BeenThere
[ In Reply To ..]You'd better get a degree and not even fool with the certificate, lower-level stuff. Those folks CANNOT get a job!
Health IT Training Program Grads Struggle to Find Jobs - BeenThere
[ In Reply To ..]Health IT Training Program Graduates Struggle To Find Jobs
Some graduates of federally funded health IT training programs are having difficulty finding a job in the field, despite increased use of electronic health records and a growing a need for health IT specialists, Hartford Business Journal reports.
HHS has provided grants to 23 colleges across the U.S. to train students for jobs, such as data managers, implementation specialists and practice consultants.
A Look at Connecticut
Capital Community College -- the only college in Connecticut participating in the HHS health IT training program -- graduated its first class of students earlier this summer.
While about half of the students already were employed, only four of the 33 graduates have secured jobs in the health IT field.
Jo-Anne Leventhal, coordinator of the program, said she believes the field is so new that a lot of health care providers are not yet aware that they need to hire such employees.
However, Kimberly Kalajainen -- vice president and CIO at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn. -- said that hospitals are looking to hire experienced health IT workers, not those who just graduated.
She said, "There is a steep learning curve," adding, "We are not looking for entry level positions."
Jess Kupec -- president and CEO of St. Francis HealthCare Partners in Hartford, Conn. -- said, "We've found it very difficult filling jobs related to electronic medical records." Kupec added, "The best candidates are the ones who have worked in a physician's practice, understand the workflow and have a background in IT."
A Look Ahead
Todd Park, chief technology officer at HHS, said, "There has been a lot of job growth in the health IT industry," adding, "But these programs are having a tougher time connecting graduates to actual jobs." Park said that he believes the issue is "solvable" and that demand is not the issue.
Leventhal said that although hiring of graduates from the health IT training program "has been slower than we would like," she expects it to "pick up greatly" (Bordonaro, Hartford Business Journal, 8/1).
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/8/1/health-it-training-program-graduates-struggle-to-find-jobs.aspx#ixzz1kj84u5ZU
What are you doing? - Curious
[ In Reply To ..]I was just wondering what your chosen new field is.
Coding - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I enrolled at Andrews and am loving the training so far. I know that coding may not last, but I am taking a chance that it will last for a while anyway. I'm 47 and hoping to transition again to some other job related to coding. I just cannot stomach the idea of all the medical knowledge I have going to waste. I am tired of being a highly-skilled professional and not compensated for it.
OP - DM
[ In Reply To ..]I am also 47 and have been at this for over 26 years. I have seriously considered going back to school for coding. I'm just so afraid that it will end up just like medical transcription is now down the road.
I have looked into Tumor Registry but I still haven't made a decision. I have an Associate's Degree but I graduated in the 1980s, so I'm not even sure if those credits could be applied to a course I choose in the future.
Like you, I would like to be able to use all the medical knowledge I have. Good luck to us all!
Hey DM - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I have a degree from the 80's too! We have a lot in common. I just know I can't stay here in this job forever and it is too stressful coming to this board and reading about how many MTs are losing their jobs to EPIC. I just hope to have a good-paying job for awhile, one that will allow me to be able to afford to get another degree. I sure can't afford it as an MT now. So I see coding as a step up and away from transcription, plus it's fun learning new things. I know I felt much better once I made the decision to go with coding, at least now I have a direction, a plan. Wish you the best! We're all in it together.
Hey OP - DM
[ In Reply To ..]We DO have a lot in common. Nice to "meet" you. I probably should have mentioned that my degree from the 80s included coding, so maybe I should reconsider the coding option. I'm going to have to make a decision one of these days.
I agree. It's pretty stressful reading this board. I have found that I can quickly pick out posts that I'm not going to waste my time reading.
Right now, I am doing pretty well as an MT, but the question is for how long? I work for an MTSO but certainly not one of the "nationals."
Anyway, I wish you the very best, too. I agree with you - we're all in this together (or at least most of us). :)
transitioning too.....at least I want to - MJINATL
[ In Reply To ..]I too sooooo want out of transcription badly. have 2-3 accts but still barely making any kind of money. They are ALL running low/out of work - or they are over-hiring on these accounts!!! I want to do coding, but can't even afford it, but I'm gonna do whatever it takes - at 53 years of age - to get out of this transcription and NEVER look back. This was a field I truly loved - the great days of transcription are gone.
New career - JW
[ In Reply To ..]You sound just like me. After working for a practice for 24 years and decent pay, I was laid off and had to find a job with a company that I did not hit it off with the first day with them. I had to work so hard I wrecked havoc with my left wrist which is permanent. I plugged along with this company for three years and then last October I found a job in a local office here where I now live and it was a dream MT job but the hammer came down just before Thanksgiving when there was not enough work for me being their "trickle-down MT" and my heart was broken and still is. I'm looking for work now. I need at least a part-time job and will try to put up with the work so I can have some fun and live my life. Like you I cried everyday and went through three ergo keyboards and throwing my books out of frustration. Had to work 10-12 hours a day to make 1000 lines and most of that was due to their slow slow platform. I'm trying to hang in there too. You are not alone.
Thank you - OP
[ In Reply To ..]Thanks for the reply. I'm sending you my good wishes that you find a job that is a good fit. I can't imagine being without a job right now. That is why I am pushing this training right now. I have no backup, not married, no kids, parents deceased. So if I lose my job, which I see happening on this board more and more, I would be homeless in less than a year. I cannot let that happen. I have to get out. God help all of us.
Thanks OP - JW
[ In Reply To ..]THANKS OP. Hope things work out for you too. We are all in this together and I am glad I'm not alone. If I could find something new at my age, I would take it in a heartbeat. I would still like an MT job if the right one comes along. One problem I have is not being able to commit to 1000 lines per day because I have a sore left wrist so I'll just keep looking. I guess that's all any of us can do at this point. Thanks for your supportive comment.
non-MT job possibility - Donna
[ In Reply To ..]I am in the same position. I have great eye strain doing VR as opposed to straight typing. My pay has dropped too. Some temp work days helps me get by. Will be learning Excel and some other office skills through my temp agency (free). Then plan to apply for ROI position through Healthport or Parallon.
Good for you. ROI = good. (sm) - CMTx2
[ In Reply To ..]I applaud you for taking action.
I've seen the 2011 pay thread, and I'm truly perplexed why smart, capable women would put up with such low pay.
Best wishes. Please do keep us posted on your progress.
ROI? - TranslationNeeded
[ In Reply To ..]What's ROI, please? I know ROI as a financial term, Return on Investment.
Release of Information? Something else?
Thanks.
Wanting to Switch - Weary MT
[ In Reply To ..]I am in the throes of trying to figure out what to do. I HATE this ASR nonsense and running out of work. I, too, once loved my career. I thought for sure this was going to be my job until I retire, but it's so horrible that I have knots in my stomach.
I'm 57, so I'm not planning on training heavy duty for something else. I'm just going to look for an office job or something, I don't care if it's a receptionist in a tire shop at this point. Anything would be better than this torture of sitting here 8-10 hours a day for peanuts. If a "dream" MT job came my way, I wouldn't take it, because I know that's exactly what it would be---a dream where I wake up and it's turned into the same ASR crud or a boot out the door.
Sorry I can't be more help, but I will handle the transition fine and never look back.
Weary MT - JW
[ In Reply To ..]Weary,that makes two of us. I am heartbroken about the job I took last October and now at .12 per line there is nothing for me to do. I'm calling on an office help job today. Doing my part to find a new job but some of it is up to God and the universe. All we can do is keep looking and applying and hope for the best. I'm with you and you are not alone. BTW, I'm 66 and have some SS but is not nearly enough to live on.
58YO Having same issues! - oaf
[ In Reply To ..]We 50+ are all in the same boat. I've been trying to figure out what I could actually do in an office. I think I'll call one of the temp places in town and see if I can train to do something. I know I'll have to leave my comfort zone, put on a bra and put gas in the car - but at this point our choices certainly stink!
same position as everyone else - at 58
[ In Reply To ..]Just found out that my job is going VR and 8 cpl to 3 cpl, and I have a hard time making 1000 lines a day anyway. And on top of that, found out after my 90 break-in period, I was offered only dental and vision insurance.
So I have a chance at a 25 hour a week job as a church secretary at $11 (Friday off) an hour right now and maybe pickup up an IC position (which I hear are not many anymore), or I can go to the snowmobile factory for $12.50 temporary job but benefits. Not sure which way to go. But this MT stuff is getting worse. I finally broke down and found some insurance just for me at $200 a month so that is not all that bad. And I am 58, so what do we do now?
66YO and having same issues - JW
[ In Reply To ..]I'm checking out a little job I found in the want ads for someone to work at a storage place office. I'm told it is very low-key and only 10 hours a week but better than nothing right now. Who knows, it might just be my new dream job. Let's go for it gals. We have what it takes to do something else.
Weary MT - JW - jan2
[ In Reply To ..]I'm 66 too with just SS and no retirement, have been out of work and looking for a job for almost a year now. At this point I am about $800 a month short to pay all my bills. Hang in there. Just keep praying, "God, may thy will be done," and finally it will all work out.
At almost 40, I am going to start school for RN - Wish Me Luck!!
[ In Reply To ..]Okay, so after reading all the posts on this thread and others for the past several months and asking you guys how to do and still homeschool my kids, work PT at night and still go to school. There were so many terrific answers and advice and I have prayed over them all. I have begun all paperwork to go back to school to finally become a nurse. It's not too late to begin in Fall 2012. It's going to be hard, but SOOO worth it. Thank you guys so much for your great advice and support. I will continue to work as an MT PT as long as I can, but this is the next step in getting things in order to begin a new career at almost 40 years old. Wish me luck ya'll!!!
Best of luck to you! You will do great! nm - mthead
[ In Reply To ..]:-)
We are all in dire straits. - MT
[ In Reply To ..]We MTs have many abilities and talents that would be an asset to any employer. Just focus on those and your confidence should soar. :)
SOME of us saw the writing on the wall over a year ago and have been posting about it on here, only to be ridiculed/ laughed at, criticized, or just shouted down by other MTs in denial but mostly by MTSOs I suspect.
We should all be supporting each other anyway, but ESPECIALLY right now with things being so topsyturvy.
40 is young - Georgia
[ In Reply To ..]Way to go, and good luck.
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