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

Newbie this past November - Michelle

Posted: Apr 15, 2011

I've been a newbie since November and hunting for a part time job. I have tried all of the tricks mentioned and still nothing.

It sometimes takes longer if you limit yourself to part-time work - but have you asked your school for help?

[ In Reply To ..]
Whenever you limit the type of job you will do or are able to do, you have fewer jobs to choose from. That is a long time to be searching though, so it may be something else.

Have you talked to your school? Have they looked at your resume? Have you taken any tests, and how did you do on them? Have you talked with any students who graduated from the same school, to see where they found work? If none of them have, that may be your problem.

Some schools don't teach the skills that are needed on the job and their graduates have a very low percentage of job placement. Those of us who have been in MT for many years know from experience which schools have great instructors and cover the right material and which ones don't. We've tested people from the various schools and can tell you exactly which ones can transcribe and those who can't. The quality of instructor that you have in school makes a huge difference, because they have much more to offer than just marking your work right or wrong. Hopefully you had instructors who were able to share with you their own experiences on the job and how they handled various situations and problems. Those same instructors are great resources for you now in the job search. Use them if they are available to you. Chances are though that if you did have them available to you, you've already learned from them what you needed. If you don't have experienced MTs on staff at the school available to advise you and mentor you, that's a big problem. It's not hopeless in those cases, but it's much harder than it needed to be. You have to work harder to get a job, much harder to keep one, and chances are the job doesn't have as much potential for success.

It doesn't matter how motivated a student might be or how smart they are or how hard they work, if the right things aren't being taught, the right way, graduates have a real problem getting and/or keeping a good job. They might find a job, but often it's one with no potential or one that doesn't last long. I hope that you don't fit in that category.

The first thing you need to do is talk to your school and to other graduates. Has anyone found a job? How? Where?

Was it a job with potential or maybe instead they are being placed in an "auto-job" or a job that the school uses to get a company to advertise that they hire graduates of that school. Reality is something different. The job is one you really don't want because it has no potential, maybe they only keep students for a short period of time before getting rid of them so they can hire another graduate of that school for little money and no potential, a steady stream of free labor for those companies, and later you find out nobody wants you after you have worked there.

These are all things to consider at job placement time because if you do take one of those auto-jobs and later put it on your resume, it's a giant red flag to other employers that you aren't a real contender.

In your case, go back to the school and get some help. Find other graduates of that school and get some advice. Good luck with your job search!

I'm a newbie as well... - Tara

[ In Reply To ..]
I am a newbie as well (as of July) and I have not been able to find anything either. It's very frustrating! I applied for a company and tested and they had over 100 applicants but they did not hire me because of that reason. They emailed me back and told me that I was a perfect fit for legal transcription so I tested for that. I am waiting to hear back from them. It was all verbatim, so I am hoping I did well. I need a job! Can't live at home forever! :( I have 2 degrees on top of this diploma and I have not been able to find anything in either field.

what are your two other degrees in? - nm

[ In Reply To ..]

Other degrees - Tara

[ In Reply To ..]
My other degrees are a BA in English/Communications and an AA in Entertainment Technology.

new newbie - Viva

[ In Reply To ..]
I passed the RMT exam last June after training and am still looking for MT work. It can take quite a while since most companies won't hire newbies to work at home unless they have worked in a facility already. Have you tried other kinds of transcription works besides med?

Newbie - Carrie

[ In Reply To ..]
I graduated in February and began testing right away with on-lne companies. I became so frustrated that I called graduate services. They had some helpful hints, but then a couple of days later they called me about a local pathology office looking for in-house, part-time transcriptionist. I am now working in the evenings, in-house, and it will be awhile until I get to work from home. FYI, it did not matter which school I received my certificate from, although at one of the interviews I made sure to give them my course outline. Besides, my course barely covered pathology and no training on macros. (which is an AWESOME tool!) Remember, stay small and local and away from hospitals until there is some time under your belt.

Carrie - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi, and congratuations on your job! I hope you enjoy it. May I offer another point of view? Not to argue, but I just wanted to interject that I have seen many, many Andrews and M-TEC grads start with major hospitals and do just fine. I just didn't want newbies and students to have the idea that they would not be able to do it. With the proper education, they should be able do to it! Good luck in your new job.

It matters more than you might think - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Viva - Question on RMT exam - Kaitemae

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi Viva, I was just wondering if you found the RMT exam to be difficult. Do you have an advice for preparation for the exam?

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