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Medical transcription school - Penn Foster ? - grannieof1

Posted: Jan 02, 2011

I am new to this site. I am thinking about training to become a MT but very confused about schools I have checked on. The school I am leaning towards is Penn Foster, but the price is much cheaper than all the others. I want to get all I can from the course. If anyone has done the MT course with them let me know what you thought about it. Thank You

Research first... - x

[ In Reply To ..]
If you want to be able to test for companies and find employment after graduation, you MUST research first and not choose a school based on the cost of the program. You can go to the AHDI website and find their list of approved schools, but the 3 main ones known for producing WORKING graduates are M-TEC, Andrews, and CareerStep. Good luck!

Penn Foster - Lil

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't do it! I did but at the time it was called Harcourt. It's not enough schooling to get you into a job. You're much better off going with a place like Career Step were MT is the main focus (unlike accounting, car repair, etc that Penn Foster offers). When you finish the course and have no experience, finding a job is difficult, but I understand a lot of places will hire a new grad from Career Step just based on the school's reputation. I had already paid for my course and started it when I found out about Career Step, otherwise I would have gone that route, but $$$ was an issue. Luckily I got hired into a small office and had one-on-one mentoring. Otherwise I don't think the education I had would have been enough. Of the bit MT school, it seems Career STep is cheapest and not that much more than Penn Foster. Much luck to you.

Don't choose CareerStep - Randy

[ In Reply To ..]
Choose Andrews or M-TEC, where they have actual instructors, not an answer key, to mentor you. Yes, CareerStep is adequate in a very average kind of way, but who wants to be average?

Grannie of 1 - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't waste your time/money with Penn Foster. It is imperative that whichever school you choose uses the SUM program. I am a former MTSO and I can tell you, I have never been impressed with Penn Foster. I consider it to be a "lightweight." That is just my opinion and some people may love it, and that is fine. I am always sad when people choose a school based on "cheap." Remember that old saying "You get what you pay for?" Please speak to the people at both Andrews and M-TEC. (I am affiliated with neither, but have been very impressed with their grads.) They are both good, decent, legitimate schools. Andrews is the Harvard of the MT world. Avoid the matchbooks (and semi-matchbooks) like the plague. In today's economy with so much competition, you will be up against Andrews grads, M-TEC grads, CareerStep grads. If I had the choice between an Andrews or M-TEC grad or a Penn Foster grad, guess who would win? Truth is, I doubt I would even interview someone from a school that was not SUM-based in its approach. Remember, this is an INVESTMENT for you. Just as you would not buy a shoddy house, don't spend your money on a less than adequate course. One thing that you might do is call a recruited for a company you would like to work for and ask them if they routinely hire grads from whatever school you are considering. That will tell you a lot. Best wishes to you.

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