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

Recommended online certification programs? - Jennifer

Posted: Nov 04, 2010

Hello---I am a stay at home mom that is interested in becoming a Medical Transcriptionist. I am looking for any recommendations on an online certification or training program. There are so many out there, and I am leery of being scammed or overpaying or completing a course that is not recognized, etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I definitely need it to be online, from home, and would prefer a shorter timeframe. I already have a Bachelor's degree (in an unrelated field), and do not need a degree....just the training/certification to work in this field.

Any help/advice is much appreciated!

I would look for something else - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
I would look for a different job. MT is not going in the right direction, jobs are hard to comeby, newbies have an even tougher time finding work, and the pay is minimal.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

I second that - mb

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with the previous poster. Do not get into this field. I would say at least 50% of us are sitting here all day with no work.

Agree. It's no longer worth it. - Lane

[ In Reply To ..]
x

I would suggest looking for a different career - MT is a dying field

[ In Reply To ..]
I've been an MT for many years and it used to be a good job. But with the direction MT has been going for the past 5 +/- years, I honestly wouldn't recommend MT to my worst enemy.

Between offshoring more and more of our MT work over to India, Pakistan, Vietnam, etc., on top of VR/ASR (voice recognition/automatic speech recognition), and EMR (electronic medical records), MT is a dying field.

Many of us who are still in MT are making less than half the salary that we used to, and many of us are sitting for hours each day with no work. So our companies tell us to "flex" our time and then we end up working nights and weekends to try to make up for the work that wasn't there during the day. Personally, I am currently at my computer for about 12-14 hours a day in order to try to get in 8 hours worth of work.

I know that these MT schools make it sound great, make $50,000 a year working from home, working whatever hours you choose. But that's just not reality. Maybe it was true 10 years ago, but the reality today is that a lot of MTs are barely making minimum wage.

I agree with your assessment (sm) - Long time MT

[ In Reply To ..]
The advertisements make it look like everybody is making $40-50K a year, and that's a long way from the truth. Also, if you are looking for certification, be aware that none of the schools can "certify" you - only testing by AHDI, the professional organization, is considered valid certification. I think some of these on line courses lead people to believe that passing their test qualifies you to call yourself certified. It does not.

Jennifer, what they say is true. The last post, - Barely Surviving

[ In Reply To ..]
I could have written myself, and I think too many of us have that experience as well. I am making a little over minimum wage now where as a few years back it was around $25/hour. My skills have not changed but the environment of MT has.

The companies use the term flex when they really mean jump through hoops to get your puny pay.

We are just trying to save you from our grief. We are stuck in this, many of us older and the reality is that older workers have a harder time getting jobs. At least that has been my experience. MT jobs are available because they love to have the skill level that they can pay you peanuts for, but anything else? Forget it.

I agree completely - countrygirlMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been doing this for 26 years. I make 40% less than I made 11 years ago working more hours. I echo the sitting at the computer, no jobs available (thus I work 2 jobs), working 12 hour days, flexing your schedule, weekends, just to make a living. The off shoring, the voice recognition, the electronic medical record, all are causing this profession to go down the tubes!

Not to mention - MY2c

[ In Reply To ..]
it is just really really hard to learn MT from scratch with no help. Very easy to get discouraged and give up, especially after you take the course and realize no one will hire you. And if they did hire you, you would not make enough $$$ to make it worth while for a long time (at least a year, probably longer).

Hmmmmm - Jennifer

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, thank you all for your honesty. I am not sure I should abandon it though, given my situation. I have been offered a job already through a friend, I just need to get the training. I do not need to make a ton of money, but in this economy, I am just looking to bring in SOME money to contribute to my husband's earnings. I am not looking for a full time job or a full time salary, just the opportunity to make money by spending a few hours in the morning or afternoon or at night in between my kids' school and activities working. There doesn't seem to be very many other jobs that are as tailored to that schedule as MT. I have looked into medical billing, but that seems to be a lot more tied to the telephone, talking to insurance companies, etc.
I am not 100% certain I will pursue it, but I am interested in it. If I did decide to do so, can anyone give me an idea of the length/cost of a training course, and then the requirements to take the exam to become certified???
Thank you!!

Please see inside for some helpful answers. - MT Fairy Job Mother

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't let naysayers cheat you out of your own pursuits. Regardless of the career, you will always find people who project the same negativity toward it and write it out of the future. It simply isn't happening like that. It is changing but that is the reason many are so unhappy - they don't like change. Training as an MT now, you will find this upcoming phase as your baseline, just as the more experienced MTs found typewriters and the dawn of the main frame and PC as theirs.

Spend all you can (money and energy) on your education: It will be your foundation. You will still have much to learn on the job but you must have that foundation first.

Go through an AHDI-recognized program. The top 3 distance learning programs are (in no particular order) M-TEC, Andrews and Career Step. You should thoroughly investigate the website for each one, formulate a list of questions and ask the recruiters from all 3 of these schools the same questions - compare your answers. I think M-TEC even has a student community you can join without being in their program.

Once you complete your education, your school should assist you with job leads or companies that prefer their graduates (providing you have a high GPA).

Consider taking the RMT (Registered Medical Transcriptionist) credentialing exam upon graduation. Once you are comfortable in your job with at least 2 or 3 years of experience, challenge yourself with the CMT (Certified Medical Transcriptionist) exam. These credentials/exams are offered by the most widely recognized association for the MT career: AHDI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity) which is on the Internet at ahdionline.org.

Remember, you don't know who any of these posters are, what their perspectives are in other areas of their life, nor where they get their information from.

Recognize the difference between opinions and facts. Make your decision based on FACTS that you diligently research (think associations, government entities).

It will take you time to get to top money and you will have to be at the top of your game for it but you CAN have a wonderful career still yet in this field.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you want.

MT Fairy Job Mother

Helpful answers - Jennifer

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you so much for your advice! I really appreciate it. You have given me some good information to go on, I will be researching everything you have given me.

Helpful feedback - Glinda the Good MT Witch

[ In Reply To ..]
Jennifer,
The Job Fairy offers good advice to someone IN GENERAL entering this field.

However, when I read your second response about already having a job, not needing to make tons of money, just want to do it here and there between kids' activities, I have a bit of a different answer.

When I hired, I called people in your category "Johnny Moms" because they only wanted to be able to work when Johnny was napping or doing this or doing that.

Since we don't know what kind of job your friend has offered, this might not apply, but MOST often, you have to give the person you're transcribing for a schedule and MOST often they don't really care if Johnny has soccer practice.

I still love this profession and while I don't go around drumming up recruits anymore, I think if you have an excellent grasp of the language, know how to research, have ABOVE AVERAGE typing skills, with the proper education you can still do well in this field.

Good luck! I, too, would encourage you to NOT look for the cheapest school because MOST often (wink) you get exactly what you pay for!

Good grief. She has the right to do as much or as - little as she wants for any reason she wants.

[ In Reply To ..]
Get over yourself.

If she wants to just work 10 hours a week, that's her business.

It's a job, for crying out loud. It's not rocket science and it's not a specialized field. LOL It's not even a SERIOUS job!

Eye roll.

Not a serious job??? - What??

[ In Reply To ..]
If you don't think this is a "serious" job, then why do you do it?

For flexible-hour, part-time work for extra money, - McDonalds is a far better choice.

[ In Reply To ..]

Excellent Advice! - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
You will definitely be cheating yourself out of any chance of success if you go for the shortest and fastest course you can find. Then you really need to evaluate your own work/study situation. If you don't have serious time to devote to your studies and to your work afterward, don't do it. If you have so many distractions, interruptions, and other things going on in your life that your studies will not be a priority, don't do it. Too many people get into this kind of work thinking it will be something easy they can do while the children are napping. It doesn't work that way. It's serious work. Otherwise, you may find that it's the ideal career field for you. Nothing is perfect, especially in today's economy, but it may work for you better than anything else. Just don't' go the short, fast, cheap route thinking that will get you where you want to be.

OK then, and good luck to you - MT field is dying

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't post above only to discourage you. I posted it because it is the honest truth. MT **is** a dying field. Yes, it will probably be around for at least a number of years to come. But it is rapidly evolving into a minimum wage data entry type of position, albeit one where they will still require a vast amount of medical knowledge.

I started out years ago on typewriters and I loved it when we made the switch over to computers. I do love the new technology and I love new change, in and of itself. However, with EMR, VR/ASR and offshoring, every time I turn around, they are DEcreasing the amount of money they are willing to pay for this type of work. And believe me, as VR/ASR increases, and more and more work is being sent off our shores, the pay in this field will continue to DEcrease.

I totally understand your situation and what you're trying to do, but I also thought that you needed to understand that MT is a dying/drastically changing industry. It's not the rosy picture anymore that these MT schools are painting it to be. JMHO

TRUE! I could no more recommend that someone - learn MT, than I would recommend learning - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
shorthand, Teletype or Addressograph operator classes.

Changing Doesn't Mean "Dying" - From what I am seeing

[ In Reply To ..]
Things constantly change, in any career field. Medical transcription is no different. Technology changes everything, sometimes for the better and sometimes causing even greater problems. We have a mix. The jobs 10 years from now will no doubt be different. From what I am seeing and hearing, those with questionable skills are going to be out completely. The work is going to have to be taken more seriously than some of taken it in the past, it's going to be hard work, which is new for some MTs although I have always found it to be interesting but hard work, and many people who are doing it now are not going to make the cut.

My 2 cents... - LisaMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Jennifer, for the job offer through a friend that you mentioned, all you probably need is solid training through a good, AHDI-recognized school, which MT Fairy Job Mother listed in her post. Unless the friend/employer is requiring that you get your RMT and/or CMT, it is not a prerequisite to working in this field.

Good luck!

My 4 cents - Judy

[ In Reply To ..]
I've read all the postings regarding your solicitation for some advice and thought I'd add my 4 cents. I'm an old MT, with over 40 years in the business, still going strong doing something I love.

Basically there are a few prerequisites for being an MT. You need to be a fast accurate typist, a naturally excellent speller, have an excellent memory for literally millions of medical minutia, the ability to work with little or no supervision, and, to work from home, discipline and solitude. If you are lacking in any of these areas, you will not do well, that's just a fact.

For your training, if you can swing it and have access to a local community college, go there to get the education you need. The curriculum will be more thorough and you won't pay an arm and a leg for it. You might have to devote a school year for it, but it's better than some "accelerated 3 month course" that will only take your money and not give you what you actually need to do the job you say is waiting for you.

When you complete your training and start your job, don't get discouraged if you feel like you really don't know anything. It's part of the process. You learn in a vacuum and then you have to go out in the real world and apply what you learned, only to discover you've learned just the tip of the iceberg. When I first started out after graduating from my "medical secretary" course, my first job was at a US Navy teaching hospital where we transcribed everything, every medical specialty known to mankind and it took almost 9-10 months before I felt a glimmer of confidence in what I was doing and then, "click", everything sort of fell into place. So if you really want to do this, again, don't get discouraged when you first start out.

About being certified, as another poster indicated, it's not a prerequisite. I'm not and it's never held me back; in 40 years I've had only 4 employers and have always worked in-house. Also, be very grateful that you have a job waiting for you. If you've learned anything from MTStars, you should have learned that most employers want nothing to do with "newbies".

If you really want to make this your career, and make no mistake, it is exactly that, a career, be aware that the other posters are correct in their assessment of the once lucrative MT field. It's drastically changing because of all the reasons they stated. You may have a job now, but because of technology and off-shoring, you may not have one in the future, so be prepared not to have a job. I'm thankful I got in the field on the ground floor and also thankful I have only five more years before I retire.
Good luck to you Jennifer. Hope you will be happy with your career choice.

online programs - Dee

[ In Reply To ..]
M-TEC (www.mtecinc.com) and andrews schools are the best ones!

Similar Messages:

Jun 14, 2012

Does anyone know if there are any online MT courses for certification that have financial aid? Most of the ones I have come across so far have no financial aid, want payment up front, or want at least 200/month payment, which I cant do. I was a MT for about 10 years, got out of it for a couple of years, and cannot seem to get a job now that I would like to return to it, so thought getting certified would help. With our financial state though, I cannot afford a big payment of an ...

Feb 27, 2011

One more question from me! HIM programs for an associate's degree usually require an internship which, of course, gives you experience in a hospital setting that will be valuable and possibly lead to a job. Do any of the online certificate programs do this? Did you have the opportunity while in school to do an internship that your school helped you set up? I am looking at Andrews and Career Step. Initially only Andrews but in reviewing more I have realized I can probably get a lot more fi ...

Oct 18, 2010

I have been working through a company as an IC and now have an opportunity to gain a local account, but I need an FTP site that I can receive wav files and send reports back, does anyone have any suggestions? The last time I did local accounts they were still using tapes, LOL! ...

Jan 24, 2011

Ear wax drops at TC? The only thing I could find was temperature control, but does that make sense?? If anyone can help, I appreciate it. ...

Oct 13, 2010

x ...

Nov 09, 2010

Does anyone know or can recommend the Andrews School? The cost seems to be high for the course. ...

May 26, 2012

I've read so much on this forum trying to get some good information on which school to go with, and all I can find is Andrews, Andrews, Andrews! How can it be the only school that anybody seems willing to recommend? Is the forum just overrun with Andrews students or is it truly the only school that anyone knows of that prepares you for the CCS exam upon graduation? How can that be? And believe me, I'm not criticizing the school or anyone for their opinion, I jus ...

Oct 26, 2012

I know I'm hearing "Ibumetin" correctly...how often do you hear doctors recommending drugs that aren't offered in the US? He's a native speaker, and there's no mention of the patient traveling abroad. Is there some other drug that sounds similar? His dictation at bottom. http://www.drugs.com/international/ibumetin.html TREATMENT PLAN: Anti-inflammatories. Ibumetin would be recommended. Patient reports she had an episode of a lower GI blee ...

Sep 08, 2014

I'm really thinking about jumping ship from MModal. I've been there for 8 years, being a QA/editor for half that and have been nominated for MT of the year 4 times. Recently it seems they've put a target on my back and I think I need to get out. I have been out of the business loop for that time, so I don't know what's out there. Are there any places you would recommend? Any you would recommend to stay away from? I know going to Nuance ...

Oct 03, 2014

I'm currently in CareerStep and hoping to be done with my training in the next month or so. I'm trying to get a jump on companies I might want to apply for, and I'm not sure if I'm really getting anywhere. Many of the companies on GlassDoor are geting barely 2 out of 5 stars! CareerStep partners with a bunch of schools as well and I can only get information on about half of them off of Glassdoor. So any recommendations OR companies to stay away from would be great! ...

May 04, 2012

I can't get a 1.5 MB speed without a major expense, and I'm worried this will slow me down. Thanks for your help :) ...

Jan 19, 2010

nm ...

Mar 07, 2010

I have set my goal to become certified after being a transcriptionist for 5 years. I wondered if anyone knew of any good study guide or books that may have helped them? I have been to ADHI and they have a monthly course I was considering. ...

Mar 31, 2010

Just talked to sup and was informed that MTs who get certified will make a whopping half cent per line more! ..... ROFL ...

Apr 27, 2010

I took online coding program years ago as well as an MT program. I decided to go into MT but am wanting to start back up with coding again. Is it worth it to do another coding program or to pursue a certification? I'm not sure the money I'd need to spend would really justify either. I've been doing a lot of research and while certification is preferred, it's not always a requirement in job descriptions. Thanks ...

Aug 19, 2010

With all the news about AHDI MT certifications and such, is anyone not certified taking steps to get certified? I find this very frustrating. I have been in the business 15 years and have leared on the job. Not sure what to do? ...

Aug 11, 2014

Ok my certification is due in a few months and I'm tired of paying dues to Recertify. I feel it is not benefitting me at all. I haven't had a pay raise in years and I'm getting extremely frustrated. Any advice appreciated! ...

Jul 02, 2012

I ordered it last week from Amazon, received it today, and put it to use just a few minutes ago for a dictator who didn't want to speak into the mic. What a difference! It amplified the volume so much so that I had to put my volume on the lowest setting and it came in beautifully! Sad that we have to destroy our ears like this, but so much better than cranking the volume and still having a report full of holes. Thank you again for the wonderful recommendation! ...

Jan 05, 2010

Looking at college courses at the local community college, I figure I am two semesters away from an associates degree and ability to be RHIT certified. Are you guys certified? Is there online work for coding? Is the pay decent? In your opinion, is this a good move to make? ...

Feb 14, 2010

What are your feelings about obtaining your CMT credentials when VR (at least with my employer) doesn't follow BOS or acknowledge the styles, forms and practices that, at one time were the norm? I get blown away with sentence structure and grammar these days. Do you think one should become certified with the latest trend with VR? Seems to me "No", not worth it, unless I moved on to a company who did not use VR. But, then again, if this is the trend hospitals and companies a ...

Aug 23, 2010

I'm eligible to sit for the CMT and the RHIT and both exams are over $200 to take. It feels like I'm buying credentials! Why are these certification exams so much money to take and keep up! It's ridiculous! What do you pay for? ...

Oct 26, 2010

I am curious about whether one has to have a certain amount of experience in coding before you can take the CCA or CCs certification exam. I have had 20 years of A&P and know a considerable amount about disease process. I have been studying coding on my own for about a year now. I know that your chances for passing the test are better if you have been in the coding business for several years, but has anyone out there taken the CCS just by studying and utilizing their life e ...

Dec 13, 2010

Hello, I am looking for some input. I have been a veterinary technician for several years and am very well versed in medical terminology as I have published and lectured. I am looking for a change and MT appeals to me for many reasons. My main concern is being unable to find a job after completing certification for I have no contacts and have heard of "newbies" having a hard time finding work. Obviously I do not want to spend money only to find no way in afterwards. Does anyone know of progra ...

Jan 04, 2011

Do I have to be certified to do medical transcription? Do companies hire without it? ...

Jun 02, 2011

Hi all, I have been a transcriptionist for right at 6 years. I have been thinking about certification, but wondered if I should do it. The only problem I see in obtaining it is my experience. I have basically been doing clinic work with my company and a little acute care, but not much else. I know that pay wise, it really doesn't seem to help having the credential and I think that is a true shame, because I know the MTs who do have the credential have worked very ha ...

Jan 14, 2012

I was told by someone who attended a recent ICD-10 academy (for trainers) that the OIG is requiring all (current) coders to be certified by the October, 2013, ICD-10 implementation date. I am aware of the OIG's compliance guidelines, but nowhere in that document do I find anything about mandatory certification. Also, I am not sure if they meant certified in ICD-9 or 10, but it is my understanding that the last ICD-9 CCS/CCS-P exam will be given in March, 2013, and at this point nobod ...

Mar 08, 2012

I'm seriously considering going to school for coding and have started to make plans accordingly. This isn't a big question, but one my husband brought up: Do you take the certification exams online or do you have to travel to a facility to take them? Do you take the exams through your school or through the agency doing the certification? Thanks in advance. ...

Sep 25, 2012

I just got my results in the mail from AAPC that I passed the certification exam for CPC-H! I have been an MT for decades and when my last in-house MT job was outsourced, I decided I'd better get moving on to coding. Coding is very difficult and I had quite a time completing the online CPC-H course offered by AAPC. I started in the Spring and just got certified. I want all the MTs out there to know that terminology, A&P are helpful to already know! It was not easy to get this certificat ...

Mar 05, 2013

My junior college offers (in partnership with Gatlin Education, now called ed2go) an online coding and billing course that prepares one for the certified billing and coding specialist certification, offered by the National Healthcareer Association. That's a new one on me. They also have a program that leads to the CCS, but they caution that it is not an entry level program and is designed for people who are already coding. Can anyone tell me yes or no about this CBCS ...

Mar 24, 2014

Now that it has become evident that M*Modal is willing to utilize uncertified coders, do you suppose other employers will follow suit in not requiring their coders to hold certifiications? Will this become a trend? Why or why not? ...