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Any graduates of Andrews or M-Tec? - JuG

Posted: Sep 04, 2012

Would like to know if any graduates of Andrews or M-Tec became employed shortly after completing course and how much I could be expected to earn on a part-time basis (20 hrs/wk)?

Yes, and No - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
It isn't unusual to hear of graduates of Andrews getting a job right out of school. Your problem is wanting a part-time job. Employers are probably going to scoff at your 20 hrs/week idea. Especially when you are brand new, they will want you to work more hours than that. You will also be so slow at first that you won't make any money. You need to think of a minimum of 30 hrs/week, and that's if you are a very fast (70-90 wpm) typist.

Yes, Had Job Right Away - Ditto the part-time

[ In Reply To ..]
I had a job right away, as soon as I graduated. The companies know the Andrews name and don't hesitate to test an Andrews grad, providing they're hiring MTs.

It will take you FOREVER to get a good line count starting off part-time, and most companies have a minimum per week, so you need to check what that minimum is with the company before your decision to work for them.

There was a time I would have agreed to the needing to type at least 70 WPM, but with VR, it's hard to say if slower is okay, but I would definitely work on your speed either way, because editing involves re-typing large blocks of text due to inaccurate information by the speech machine.

I have to say, while I am not happy with this profession anymore, I am SOOOO happy you did it right and went to an excellent school. If one is going to do this, it is more important than ever to get the right training. Congrats, and good luck to you!

Reading comprehension/excellent school - Inquiring minds

[ In Reply To ..]
The OP didn't say where they went to school, they asked if graduates of Andrews or M-Tec got jobs and if they could work 20 hours a week.

M-TEC grad - DiggerMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I graduated from M-TEC back in 2002 and had a job in less than a month and have been working ever since.. my 3rd company now, where I am working part-time, but I don't know about getting a job right off the bat part-time. Started out as full-time and asked to go part-time.

M-Tec Grad - JuG

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for the feedback. It has been a big help. How long did you work full-time before going part-time? The reason I ask is because we plan to retire in 2 years and hope to work just part-time by then, maybe 20 hrs/wk. I have no idea what to expect my income to be. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

M-TEC grad - DiggerMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Sorry, I just now saw this response to my posting. I have been working for my current company for about 4 years and after about a year and a half I asked if I could go part-time. But I worked full-time at both of my other companies. Even as part-time though I am still working 4 days per week (32 hrs), but love having that extra day off during the week.

Andrews Graduate Here - Kathleen

[ In Reply To ..]
When I graduated back in 2008, it was late summer, and there was some economic downturn--although MUCH less than today's economic depression. It took me about 6 weeks to land my first job, transcribing acute care.

Considering the economic climate today and the MTs with many years of experience trying to find work, landing that first job may be a bit longer. Just don't give up, however. A lot of MTSOs would rather hire a fresh graduate from Andrews or M-TEC than a 'veteran' of 25 years.

As for part-time positions, those jobs are very few, and it is highly unlikely that a part-time job would ever go to a fresh-out-of-school graduate.

Even as an Andrew graduate, I found the first year of transcribing to be exceptionally grueling, and the amount of money I earned was very pitiful. However, I knew this going into the deal, and I considered it to be a continuation of my MT education with some financial reward thrown in.

At the time, I had the choice between transcribing clinical dictation or acute care dictation. I chose the acute care path. Although the money earned would be substantially less, it was obvious to me even back in 2008 that acute care experience was critical to future employment opportunities.

Read some of the sad stories here about MTs who are 'desperate' to get some sort of acute care experience in order to be considered for a job. These are MTs with decades' worth of experience with either clinical or specialized dictation.

IF you could possibly land a part-time job, you would only earn what you transcribed. In order to meet part-time line quota requirements, you would probably be working more than full time just to make the goals.

For me, the first day had me in tears, wondering if I could even do this. I landed an IC position with no training and no guidance. I had to figure everything (including computer problems) out for myself. I worked 14 hours that first day and after getting everything working, I was able to transcribe 96 lines total for the day. The second day, I had a considerable jump in lines as it went up to 300 lines for the day. Finally by the end of the month, I think I was averaging maybe 400 lines every day for 8-10 hours' worth of work. I cannot even describe the amount of stress that I endured that first month and even through the first year.

So, unlike working at, say, a burger joint or a department store where you are guaranteed so much an hour and can actually make some decent money on a part-time basis, MT work is entirely different.

You make what you transcribe, period. When you first start, you will be as slow as frozen molasses going uphill in winter, particularly if you chose acute care and are knee deep in ESL dictators.

That said, I do wish you well with whatever you chose to do.

That's very good advice. Linda Andrews also advised against starting PT - Wise Choices

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for the good information. I'm not the OP, but what you said agrees with what Linda Andrews told me. It's usually not a good idea to start out as a part-time MT. She also said that it is very tough work.

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