You have just finished your Medical Transcription Course and you are ready to venture out into the world of job hunting. Is that silent screams I hear from students/grads? The job hunt can be a daunting one, but guess what? You get to stay in your jammies and do the leg work. Sweet.
Job hunting should really start when you are finishing up your course. Begin to pay attention to where people in the forums are getting their jobs, begin networking, pay attention to what they did right. Research and make your top ten list of companies you would like to work for. Find out all you can about them. Job hunting is your job for the next 3 to 4 weeks. You will be testing. My advice is to test for a few companies that are not your top three first. Get the testing under your belt. The testing, at some companies, is the same as the Career Step examination, so that is a comfortable feel. Oh and get ready for some doozies!! Testing is not fun. And the cardinal rule is DO NOT GUESS EVER. Blanks are our friends.
Your resume is just as important as the test, maybe more so. I had a cover letter for some of the companies I sent out designed like a doctor's report. SOAP format, of course. Subjective, objective, assessment and plan. It was quirky and was something a bit different. Plan out some way for your resume to stand out a bit from the crowd, but make sure it is not a spelling mistake that makes it stand out. They are looking at a lot of resumes, so any advantage you can make, will work in your favour. (I am Canadian remember, we add a u to favour) Another resume tip is to include the resume in the body of the report, as well as or instead of an attachment. Some companies won't look at an attachment, what with a world full of viruses. Last tip about your resumes, don't worry if you have no job experience--you have the training behind you. Have fun with your resume, stay at home moms of 15 years! Think of all the life skills you have and put them down as Time management, organizational, PTA experience, Volunteer work etc. Think outside the box for your resume.
When you get a call for an interview don't be nervous. You have the education behind you!! Some companies will waive the 3 year requirement for Career Step grads. Apply at the companies that sound like a good fit. Ask if they have a training program for new grads. BE CONFIDENT. They need you, remember. They are not doing you a favour by hiring you. You are the back bone to their business. And if it is not the right fit, move on to the next. Don't stress out about it.
This brings me to a point I wanted to be sure to make. If you start or it doesn't feel right, get out. You don't owe them a thing. Do a bit more research and see if there are reasons for the feelings. And pay attention to the negative comments too. Take them with a grain of salt, but a lot of the comments are not just sour grapes, but real concerns that you need to deal with. There are a lot of companies that will hire new MTs and take advantage of them. I know a handful of people (and I don't know that many people) that were taken by smaller companies that decided to not pay them. Be careful once you are working and don't except excuses for not being paid on a continual basis. Move on to a different company. Don't fall victim. And don't give up if your first experience is not stellar. I know a couple of girls that were discouraged by the pay and gave up and moved on to something else. Find a better fit for you, don't give up. There are tons of companies that need good MTs, so don't undervalue yourself.
Don't forget to check into transcribing for your own group of doctors or setting up a co-op with some of your MT network. It is not a large output of money to do this. You will need a FTP, express scribe, a file done in a mp3 from your doctor and you are ready to go. I know there is more, but begin researching this if this is what you would like to do. And the money involved in this is much more than 6 cents per line. So you will make more money or have less hours to work. Sounds good to me.
Job hunting can be a chore and stressful as all get out, but remember that you are in control and you have been trained and are considered a professional. Send out your resumes and wait for the right fit. Enjoy your job hunting because soon you will be tied to the computer working for a living.
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Wednesday, December 8, 2010
TRANSCRIPTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING
Transcribing is a lonely job and it is up to you to come up with a way to change that. Career Step is a good place to start and the forums that they offer. If you have not become involved in this gem of a resource, please do. The connections from this will one day save your sanity. The forum is great for job connections, help with exam techniques etc. but more so it is a life line to many mompreneurs and work at home moms. I can not stress how important it is to develop bonds now as a student. It may feel weird butting into an existing group and adding your two cents worth or talking about your family. I never really thought anyone would care about my concerns and interests, but my group of online friends from Career Step forum are a wonderful support system and something that all MTs need. This group of friends are your colleagues and the only ones that can really understand the day-to-day frustrations, laughter and agony that we experience. They are the ones that can tell you to put ice on your wrist when it is hurting or to adjust your chair because it is cutting into your leg circulation. They are the ones that will laugh at you when you fall asleep with you feet soaking in water (right Sharon) or you google balogna cast and it turns out to be below knee cast (okay that was all me).
We have our instant messaging set up and we do get a lot of crazy IM statuses with secret hidden messages for each other. It always makes you smile. We will put in a goal and then do a count down as to how we are proceeding. Networking with a group of MTs make the days go faster and make you feel not so alone.
Personally, I have a wonderful group of friends that are a lot of times more like sisters than colleagues. We all care about each other and take pride in their successes, try to pick them up if they fall and encourage when it just seems impossible to go on. I once posted a Sorry Linda.... for another friend outside our circle...and I got 4 or 5 what is wrong with Linda? from our clubhouse residents.
When you are in Career Step, you would be doing yourself more of a service to network than a lot of other things that you will learn from the course. Networking will become your life line on a cold day sitting all alone in your office feeling sorry for yourself because others are out in the living room playing Wii and laughing. A smile is no further away then my IM and I can carry on with my work.
You will find that the connection between the company you work for and yourself is very limited and very cold. It makes you feel like a number and very isolated. Without a network, I don't think I would be able to do this job. I think Mark and the kids are very happy that I have my online network, so they don't have to listen to all my bellyaching or the joy when I get a great report to work on. I just click on a name of someone who is on and I share with them. My super cool MT friend, Nicole, (from one town over that I never met) and I have youtube study breaks together. It makes the time go faster and actually makes us work better. They understand, they commiserate, they correct your spelling mistakes and commas. (I have to google commiserate--sigh I don't need Kim on my back) What would I do without them??
We have our instant messaging set up and we do get a lot of crazy IM statuses with secret hidden messages for each other. It always makes you smile. We will put in a goal and then do a count down as to how we are proceeding. Networking with a group of MTs make the days go faster and make you feel not so alone.
Personally, I have a wonderful group of friends that are a lot of times more like sisters than colleagues. We all care about each other and take pride in their successes, try to pick them up if they fall and encourage when it just seems impossible to go on. I once posted a Sorry Linda.... for another friend outside our circle...and I got 4 or 5 what is wrong with Linda? from our clubhouse residents.
When you are in Career Step, you would be doing yourself more of a service to network than a lot of other things that you will learn from the course. Networking will become your life line on a cold day sitting all alone in your office feeling sorry for yourself because others are out in the living room playing Wii and laughing. A smile is no further away then my IM and I can carry on with my work.
You will find that the connection between the company you work for and yourself is very limited and very cold. It makes you feel like a number and very isolated. Without a network, I don't think I would be able to do this job. I think Mark and the kids are very happy that I have my online network, so they don't have to listen to all my bellyaching or the joy when I get a great report to work on. I just click on a name of someone who is on and I share with them. My super cool MT friend, Nicole, (from one town over that I never met) and I have youtube study breaks together. It makes the time go faster and actually makes us work better. They understand, they commiserate, they correct your spelling mistakes and commas. (I have to google commiserate--sigh I don't need Kim on my back) What would I do without them??
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Mompreneurs and Medical Transcriptionists
This week I spent a bit of time delving into the world of mompreneurs and I did not even get a toe wet. It is mind boggling the information that this entails and encompasses. For the next little while I will examine about mompreneurs and how their ideas can help us out. I think that we can consider Medical Transcriptionists a member of this growing entity. A mompreneur is someone that finds a way to work in a way that is more family-friendly and she takes into minds ways to make a business/career fit around her busy lifestyle. A mompreneur does not accept the norm and she tries to figure out how to work outside the box. There is a new TV show with Kelly Ripa that is based on this lifestyle. I haven't seen it yet as I am usually working in the evening,but I can bet it is good. It is on TLC and is so intriguing to me. Mompreneurs are fearless warriors in my eyes. I consider myself a mompreneur to some degree;however, I have not stepped out of the comfort zone as of yet.
My mind is that of a mompreneur,not a day goes by where I don't have ideas how to start my own MT company. I have every detail in my mind. I can envision myself on Dragon's Den answering Kevin O'Leary's question "HOW can you make me money?" I have figured out some of the ins and outs of the mistakes happening... figured out things to write in a contract ....Insurance issues etc. I have the workforce lined up with all my dear MT friends and associates. I can see it playing out in my head and I know that it would work and could make money. I know for a certain fact that I can make the MTs happier with their wages, but more so by making them feel like valued members of a team. I have an idea that may even translate in other MTs starting their own business using my research and model. I have the name and the business model all figured out. I do not have the courage to get it on paper and get it rolling. I am scared to death of failing and not having it succeed. A successful business in my mind is more comforting than another idea that fails to develop.
This time,however, I have education backing me up. I have research skills to die for (No modesty there, I know that is my strength) and I have people that I can employ and make things better for them. I have a service that I can offer that will help out doctors and make their transcription needs effortless. What is stopping me??? So this is a wake up call for me and for anyone else that has something that is stopping them from doing something that they really want to do... Just go for it. Don't let fear stop you
My mind is that of a mompreneur,not a day goes by where I don't have ideas how to start my own MT company. I have every detail in my mind. I can envision myself on Dragon's Den answering Kevin O'Leary's question "HOW can you make me money?" I have figured out some of the ins and outs of the mistakes happening... figured out things to write in a contract ....Insurance issues etc. I have the workforce lined up with all my dear MT friends and associates. I can see it playing out in my head and I know that it would work and could make money. I know for a certain fact that I can make the MTs happier with their wages, but more so by making them feel like valued members of a team. I have an idea that may even translate in other MTs starting their own business using my research and model. I have the name and the business model all figured out. I do not have the courage to get it on paper and get it rolling. I am scared to death of failing and not having it succeed. A successful business in my mind is more comforting than another idea that fails to develop.
This time,however, I have education backing me up. I have research skills to die for (No modesty there, I know that is my strength) and I have people that I can employ and make things better for them. I have a service that I can offer that will help out doctors and make their transcription needs effortless. What is stopping me??? So this is a wake up call for me and for anyone else that has something that is stopping them from doing something that they really want to do... Just go for it. Don't let fear stop you
Friday, December 3, 2010
TRANSCRIPTIONIST JOB AT ACCENTUS CANADA
I work for Accentus Canada and can honestly say that it is a wonderful place to work. I love the fact that we commit to a number of minutes per week (200) and that we can transcribe when ever we want to; morning, noon or night. They offer quality bonuses for anything over 96% accuracy and they do blind evaluations to monitor this on a weekly basis. And they have another bonus for us MTs that bust our butts and get in over 750 minutes in the two week pay period. Pay day is never late and it is a secure place to work. Invoicing is done in a daily tracker and we are responsible to record our jobs and the minutes. Accentus pays by the audio minute and is a great way to pay. I find that the fast talkers are really balanced out by the average talker and everything works out just fine. I believe that their pay rate is fair, when compared with other companies.
Andrea in Human Resources is a gem and she is very good at her job. Be ready for a bit of a wait to be hired. Follow up every so often to see where you fall on the wait list. I would think that a 2 month window is a good time frame as to a wait to be hired. If you have any job experience, school mentoring programs et cetera make sure to update your resume online. When you get the call, have some questions ready to ask Andrea. It is a job interview, but if you have made it this far, you have a good shot as long as you are professional, courteous and polite. Sell yourself at this point, you have the qualifications. When hired, you have 6 weeks of gating (mentoring, training et cetera) and even more time to work up your speed. Quality is always valued over quantity. Just try your best and try to find someone to chat back and forth with.
On my account, I have two Team Leads (TLs) that are the absolute best. I find that if I have a question, they are there to answer it. I love that, you never feel truly alone. Shout out to my TLs that work very hard, every day of the week.
There is a mix of voice recognition and straight typing. Some accounts have a lot of VR, while others are straight typing. I am on a great account and I love to work every day (well, almost every day). I think that Accentus is a great place to work for and a place that is secure and can be your home for a long, long time.
I love working at Accentus.
Andrea in Human Resources is a gem and she is very good at her job. Be ready for a bit of a wait to be hired. Follow up every so often to see where you fall on the wait list. I would think that a 2 month window is a good time frame as to a wait to be hired. If you have any job experience, school mentoring programs et cetera make sure to update your resume online. When you get the call, have some questions ready to ask Andrea. It is a job interview, but if you have made it this far, you have a good shot as long as you are professional, courteous and polite. Sell yourself at this point, you have the qualifications. When hired, you have 6 weeks of gating (mentoring, training et cetera) and even more time to work up your speed. Quality is always valued over quantity. Just try your best and try to find someone to chat back and forth with.
On my account, I have two Team Leads (TLs) that are the absolute best. I find that if I have a question, they are there to answer it. I love that, you never feel truly alone. Shout out to my TLs that work very hard, every day of the week.
There is a mix of voice recognition and straight typing. Some accounts have a lot of VR, while others are straight typing. I am on a great account and I love to work every day (well, almost every day). I think that Accentus is a great place to work for and a place that is secure and can be your home for a long, long time.
I love working at Accentus.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Finding Doctors to Transcribe for
Today was a not terrible day for me and work. For some reason the last week has been a hard week for me to stay on task. My mind wanders and I am not getting the reports that I want to type. No 20 minute Psych reports to type up, only a multitude of little ones. Lots of good doctors to type for, but still the minutes do not amass to much of a pay day and they equal a long work day. It is days like this that make me dream of typing for my own doctors. And I am sooo sure I will be belly-aching about how boring it is doing the same doctor again and again. Let me rephrase that... belly-aching about how boring it is transcribing the same doctor again and again.
So this brings me to what is the perfect way to get my own little stable of doctors to type for. It seems that cold calling is not the best way to get to the doctor. I found that you had to get around office staff that did not take very kindly to someone trying to muscle in on their territory. Virtual MTs are not the most popular thing, it is seen as a threat in some ways. I wish that they would see it as a help to them, again back to being part of a team. The next option would be to e-mail the doctors, but this proves to be a waste of time in that they will ultimately end up in the junk mail file and are then deleted. Faxed resumes are a good idea if you have access to a fax machine and is inexpensive, but time consuming. Maybe this is a good chore for your 13 year old son, but if he is anything like mine it is not going to last for too long and you will have to listen to a lot of whining.
Probably the best bet is to drop off resumes and hope for a call. I think that networking can play a big part in finding your own doctors locally. Ask your family doctor, specialists, hockey mom, facebook friends to help you out. If you are serious about getting your own doctors then this networking and word of mouth is probably your best resource. Remember to follow through with the information you find. Organize yourself. Maybe order business cards from Vista Printing online and hand them out to everyone you can.
A big weakness and fault in trying this is feeling like they are doing you a favour by hiring you. It actually is the other way around. You are offering a service that is of value to them. If you get a positive response back, don't gush and thank them for giving you a chance. That is a mistake. Play it cool, like a teenage girl. When you ask then for an approximate amount of minutes of dictation, think about it for a moment and then state calmly that you would definitely be able to fit them into your schedule. Even if that schedule is between breakfast and the time your preschooler is done morning gymboree. They don't need to know that.
Set a price and stand firm. Make it something that you can live with for the long term. Do not undervalue your work. Consider charging by the minute or by the line, whatever you are more comfortable with. I think that you would be doing yourself a disservice by charging by the hour. In the beginning this is a good deal, but as you learn the doctor, add to an expander et cetera, you will never be able to make extra money or shave off an hour of work time. To me, per minute of dictation is just easier. The recorder says 3:45 and that is what you charge. Easy to understand for you and the doctor. However, if the doctor is a speed talker, you price accordingly. I have seen a business that charge 35cents extra per minute for speed talkers, background noise or accents. Good to know that that can be done. They also charge a premium for same day TAT, 2 day TAT etc. The standard that they offer is 3 day.
The pricing has to be up to you and your market place. You have to take into consideration that there will be no QA for you. If this is holding you back, contact a seasoned MT and as them to be an on-call QA for you and pay them for the time they invest. I am in Canada and $20/hour for QA is a good rate. So figure that in to your pricing, if you are worried about that.
You rarely see how much people charge when scanning for information, so I am going to give you a little heads up. All areas are different of course and getting a number from a MT company is like getting the recipe for KFC. Call the doctor's offices, conduct a survey, send out some type of market research to get the information from the doctors themselves. Then you should be able to get a general idea for your market. woulI would say that the MT companies are getting, at least, 3 to 4 times what they are paying you to work. So if you are getting 6 cents, I would bet that the company is getting 18 cents. Big difference. The services that you can offer the doctor is much superior to the bigger companies.
So what I want you to take away from this is to value yourself not as a commodity, but as an asset to the doctor's business. Have confidence in what you do and realize that you are needed by the doctor. Develop a network around you as a Work from Home MT. The network should include other MTs, members of your community that may know someone that may know someone. Take the bull by the horns and have faith in yourself. No one is going to do it for you.
This was supposed to be a small blog tonight and once again, my words have gotten away from me. Until tomorrow.
Oh yes, I would like to say that this blog is my place to be free. My ideas are free flowing and not really thought out. Spelling mistakes and missing commas and grammar errors are my friend in this little world. I will cringe when I see one, but please don't judge me. (okay you can comment me and I will fix it)
So this brings me to what is the perfect way to get my own little stable of doctors to type for. It seems that cold calling is not the best way to get to the doctor. I found that you had to get around office staff that did not take very kindly to someone trying to muscle in on their territory. Virtual MTs are not the most popular thing, it is seen as a threat in some ways. I wish that they would see it as a help to them, again back to being part of a team. The next option would be to e-mail the doctors, but this proves to be a waste of time in that they will ultimately end up in the junk mail file and are then deleted. Faxed resumes are a good idea if you have access to a fax machine and is inexpensive, but time consuming. Maybe this is a good chore for your 13 year old son, but if he is anything like mine it is not going to last for too long and you will have to listen to a lot of whining.
Probably the best bet is to drop off resumes and hope for a call. I think that networking can play a big part in finding your own doctors locally. Ask your family doctor, specialists, hockey mom, facebook friends to help you out. If you are serious about getting your own doctors then this networking and word of mouth is probably your best resource. Remember to follow through with the information you find. Organize yourself. Maybe order business cards from Vista Printing online and hand them out to everyone you can.
A big weakness and fault in trying this is feeling like they are doing you a favour by hiring you. It actually is the other way around. You are offering a service that is of value to them. If you get a positive response back, don't gush and thank them for giving you a chance. That is a mistake. Play it cool, like a teenage girl. When you ask then for an approximate amount of minutes of dictation, think about it for a moment and then state calmly that you would definitely be able to fit them into your schedule. Even if that schedule is between breakfast and the time your preschooler is done morning gymboree. They don't need to know that.
Set a price and stand firm. Make it something that you can live with for the long term. Do not undervalue your work. Consider charging by the minute or by the line, whatever you are more comfortable with. I think that you would be doing yourself a disservice by charging by the hour. In the beginning this is a good deal, but as you learn the doctor, add to an expander et cetera, you will never be able to make extra money or shave off an hour of work time. To me, per minute of dictation is just easier. The recorder says 3:45 and that is what you charge. Easy to understand for you and the doctor. However, if the doctor is a speed talker, you price accordingly. I have seen a business that charge 35cents extra per minute for speed talkers, background noise or accents. Good to know that that can be done. They also charge a premium for same day TAT, 2 day TAT etc. The standard that they offer is 3 day.
The pricing has to be up to you and your market place. You have to take into consideration that there will be no QA for you. If this is holding you back, contact a seasoned MT and as them to be an on-call QA for you and pay them for the time they invest. I am in Canada and $20/hour for QA is a good rate. So figure that in to your pricing, if you are worried about that.
You rarely see how much people charge when scanning for information, so I am going to give you a little heads up. All areas are different of course and getting a number from a MT company is like getting the recipe for KFC. Call the doctor's offices, conduct a survey, send out some type of market research to get the information from the doctors themselves. Then you should be able to get a general idea for your market. woulI would say that the MT companies are getting, at least, 3 to 4 times what they are paying you to work. So if you are getting 6 cents, I would bet that the company is getting 18 cents. Big difference. The services that you can offer the doctor is much superior to the bigger companies.
So what I want you to take away from this is to value yourself not as a commodity, but as an asset to the doctor's business. Have confidence in what you do and realize that you are needed by the doctor. Develop a network around you as a Work from Home MT. The network should include other MTs, members of your community that may know someone that may know someone. Take the bull by the horns and have faith in yourself. No one is going to do it for you.
This was supposed to be a small blog tonight and once again, my words have gotten away from me. Until tomorrow.
Oh yes, I would like to say that this blog is my place to be free. My ideas are free flowing and not really thought out. Spelling mistakes and missing commas and grammar errors are my friend in this little world. I will cringe when I see one, but please don't judge me. (okay you can comment me and I will fix it)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Time Management and the Medical Transcriptionist
I am one of a number of transcriptionists that sets my own hours. I have a minimum number of minutes that I have to put in for the week and get bonuses for quality, as well as producing over 750 minutes every 2 weeks. I wish I could tell you all that I was the most motivated person in the world and I put in an 8 hour day and achieved my 800 minutes by the end of the 2 weeks. But sadly, I am not disciplined and I have not managed to develop good time management skills. I am the scurrying squirrel looking for the last of the nuts as the snow falls to the ground. Sunday night week two, I can guarantee that you will find me on the computer until 11: 59 trying to make up those last few minutes. It is a race to the finish and somehow, I usually have good reports and some good luck. I often look back at the first Monday or Tuesday of the pay week and think how I wasted my time chatting on IM, cyber shopping, facebooking or my personal favourite--sharing youtube links with Nici Essex, back and forth. Sigh, what a waste of time. I wish that the Time Management Fairy would grant me a wish or two, but still I procrastinate and let time slip away. I can't even say I have done anything great with the time. My TL can list 101 things that she has done in the day and still found time to type and edit and q.a. My favourite phrase has become I am putzing at work. Ugghhhh.
So my dear followers -- I believe there is one or two (which in itself is a strange concept) -- my daily advice to those starting out is to really pay attention to time management and work on your organizational skills as you complete the course or look for work. As you are busy learning all the new skills and there are a lot of things to absorb and learn.
And for me, I am determined to prove that it is not to late for an old dog to learn a new trick. I am determined to better use my time and then check my emails at the end of the time. I will give myself more time to have a break at the end of the night, as being a putzer (not a Putz) I seem to be on the computer from morning to night. This is a bad habit to get into and one that I do not endorse. So my lesson for myself is to focus on one activity at a time which is a difficult thing for me to do. A high degree of focus has to pay off, right?
Time management and organizational skills are tools that some of us are not born with and they need to be honed to be successful as a MT. So if you are like me keep this thought in mind. Am I making good use of my time? Can I do things differently to focus better on my work? I think back on my report cards and the common running was always "Jody would do better if she would only apply herself". If only I had listened.
So my dear followers -- I believe there is one or two (which in itself is a strange concept) -- my daily advice to those starting out is to really pay attention to time management and work on your organizational skills as you complete the course or look for work. As you are busy learning all the new skills and there are a lot of things to absorb and learn.
And for me, I am determined to prove that it is not to late for an old dog to learn a new trick. I am determined to better use my time and then check my emails at the end of the time. I will give myself more time to have a break at the end of the night, as being a putzer (not a Putz) I seem to be on the computer from morning to night. This is a bad habit to get into and one that I do not endorse. So my lesson for myself is to focus on one activity at a time which is a difficult thing for me to do. A high degree of focus has to pay off, right?
Time management and organizational skills are tools that some of us are not born with and they need to be honed to be successful as a MT. So if you are like me keep this thought in mind. Am I making good use of my time? Can I do things differently to focus better on my work? I think back on my report cards and the common running was always "Jody would do better if she would only apply herself". If only I had listened.
Monday, November 29, 2010
EDUCATION AND THE MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
Becoming a medical transcriptionist is not a scam. This is a wonderful career for stay at home mothers, people with health issues and others that live in places were getting to work is a headache. I was able to move to Northern Ontario and I am still able to make a good living in my first year of employment. I would not have been able to move away from a city centre if I did not have this career. I am thinking back to googling medical transcriptionist when I was considering going to school. Information was hard to come by. I hope I can guide some new students to take on this challenge of MTing. I am very happy with my wage and it is well earned through hard work and a solid year of education. As a medical transcriptionist, I am always learning and the education does not stop. I am always trying to come up with ways to work faster, to put more into an expander to make more money, as money (sadly) is what equates to success.
Like any job, you have to work hard for what you are paid. If you don't work, you don't get paid. If you are a bit slower at typing, you have to find a way to improve your speed with the use of auto correct or other expanding technology. You may have to study a bit harder so that those medical words are in your vocabulary and fly off of your fingers and onto the paper. Make connections along the way. Career Step has a forum and the best thing you can do is to join it and find some people that are in the same boat you are in, starting out. I have a group of 23 or so FRIENDS that I connected with and we are all each others greatest supporters. I also have some connections of FaceBook that I love to hear how they are doing and about their successes.
I want those looking to start a career to think about medical transcriptionist. There is a lot of fulfillment in a job well done. You will hear lots of horror stories about MTs not being able to find a job right out of school. But then ask them how many resumes they have sent out. Ask if there is a reason that may be holding them back from finding a job. Maybe a new baby that envelops their spare time and energy or a job hunt for something with benefits and they want the MT position to be on a part time basis. The wage is low for some of the companies, but you have to learn how to increase your potential and gain the skills to think of different avenues to go down to succeed. Don't be satisfied with the first company that hires you, demand better. Find ways to find your own doctors and work on your own, keeping all the money and not sharing with someone that had the courage to find their own doctors to type for. I am hoping that my silly blog can inspire some people to find a career that will fit into their lifestyle. I hope that some ladies (and gentlemen too) step out of their comfort zone and try if that is what they want to do. I hope that I can help with resume ideas and ways to find a job outside of the box.
Career Step is a wonderful program and it is the one I am familiar with. I want people that are thinking about becoming a medical transcriptionist is to take the plunge and try it out. You have to be dedicated to doing a lot of hard work, but it is all doable and learnable and enjoyable. If you think that this career is for you, give it a chance and join the world of MTs. As I have said a lot of it is in the virtual world now, but MTs are still an important part of the medical team.
This is just my experience and my little blog to give you some information that I could not find. I would appreciate comments and I will answer you back to the best of my abilities. Remember, this is just one person's ramblings, but I had a very positive experience with my education and I will be blogging about what the Career Step course entails and what to expect if you decide to take the course. It is in your hands if you want to take a chance. You may have to think outside the box to make a good living. I am very content with mine, but of course, as is human nature, I would love to make more money and reach greater heights.
Again, Comments are welcome and I would love to hear what you all would like to know about and if it is in my realm of knowledge, I would love to share it with you. The next week or so of blogs will detail starting out in school and the challenges that I faced and how I succeeded and what some of my downfalls were.
Jody
Like any job, you have to work hard for what you are paid. If you don't work, you don't get paid. If you are a bit slower at typing, you have to find a way to improve your speed with the use of auto correct or other expanding technology. You may have to study a bit harder so that those medical words are in your vocabulary and fly off of your fingers and onto the paper. Make connections along the way. Career Step has a forum and the best thing you can do is to join it and find some people that are in the same boat you are in, starting out. I have a group of 23 or so FRIENDS that I connected with and we are all each others greatest supporters. I also have some connections of FaceBook that I love to hear how they are doing and about their successes.
I want those looking to start a career to think about medical transcriptionist. There is a lot of fulfillment in a job well done. You will hear lots of horror stories about MTs not being able to find a job right out of school. But then ask them how many resumes they have sent out. Ask if there is a reason that may be holding them back from finding a job. Maybe a new baby that envelops their spare time and energy or a job hunt for something with benefits and they want the MT position to be on a part time basis. The wage is low for some of the companies, but you have to learn how to increase your potential and gain the skills to think of different avenues to go down to succeed. Don't be satisfied with the first company that hires you, demand better. Find ways to find your own doctors and work on your own, keeping all the money and not sharing with someone that had the courage to find their own doctors to type for. I am hoping that my silly blog can inspire some people to find a career that will fit into their lifestyle. I hope that some ladies (and gentlemen too) step out of their comfort zone and try if that is what they want to do. I hope that I can help with resume ideas and ways to find a job outside of the box.
Career Step is a wonderful program and it is the one I am familiar with. I want people that are thinking about becoming a medical transcriptionist is to take the plunge and try it out. You have to be dedicated to doing a lot of hard work, but it is all doable and learnable and enjoyable. If you think that this career is for you, give it a chance and join the world of MTs. As I have said a lot of it is in the virtual world now, but MTs are still an important part of the medical team.
This is just my experience and my little blog to give you some information that I could not find. I would appreciate comments and I will answer you back to the best of my abilities. Remember, this is just one person's ramblings, but I had a very positive experience with my education and I will be blogging about what the Career Step course entails and what to expect if you decide to take the course. It is in your hands if you want to take a chance. You may have to think outside the box to make a good living. I am very content with mine, but of course, as is human nature, I would love to make more money and reach greater heights.
Again, Comments are welcome and I would love to hear what you all would like to know about and if it is in my realm of knowledge, I would love to share it with you. The next week or so of blogs will detail starting out in school and the challenges that I faced and how I succeeded and what some of my downfalls were.
Jody
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Virtually There Transcriptionists--the name
Well, I would like to explain a little about the name and what it means to me. I do not like the notion that the transcriptionist is just an empty, nameless entity; someone that types the note and then sends it back. I think this is what makes it easy for businesses to pay pennies per line and makes some small businesses not pay their staff for their hard work. It is almost like transcriptionists are second class employees, a hidden machine that returns a report and then is heard of no more. I think that this leads to loneliness and a devaluing of the MT. I want the MTs to see that they are a valuable "commodity" to the medical industry. We do an important job and it is devalued and hidden away.
Thank goodness for some of the companies that hire us NEWBIES (A term that I hate) and give us a chance. We feel honored that we have been hired and are grateful for the chance to prove of worth. A point I would like to make is that why should we be grateful to make 2 cents a line?? We paid good money for a valuable course and we have a specialized skill set. We deserve more and we need to develop a voice to express this. But I do understand the need to get experience and move onto something better. I am not criticizing those that work for a lower rate, I am saying shame on the businesses that pay it and use the excuse that they are giving a newbie a chance.
Soooo.. the logic behind the name is to show employers that we are there. We are there to be a member of the team and to contribute with a qualified skill set. As my friend Sharon in her blog states we do more than type. Please check out Sharon's blog http://clubhousemt.blogspot.com/ In it she says that "As an MT we are required to type what we hear (from a dictated file), but also we must correct grammar, check medicine dosages, verify the patient information, and reform sentences so that they are full sentences and not run-ons or fragments". So this is a little bit more than just listening and typing, but we are hidden away and we never really hear how we are doing. Not really; and not really from the one we want to hear from, the doctor. I know as an MT, and typing from a large hospital pool, I love hearing my doctor say "Thanks for typing this." I am amazed that he/she realizes that I am a person on the other end of the headset and I smile and feel good about myself. Hmmm, shouldn't my job make me feel like that on a day-to-day basis. Would more interaction with the doctor, medical assistants, nurses et cetera make me feel this way? I think that it would and in the long run it would benefit the doctor and the patient.
So, I want my doctors to know that I AM THERE.... VIRTUALLY...BUT THERE... I want to make MTs part of a team. I want to instill in them that they are part of the medical chain and just as important as other members of the staff.
So there you go, the reason behind the name and the notions that make my brain work. I hope that I can organize my thoughts so that I am able to start my own little business and that I can pass along some of the knowledge to others that may be interested in doing the same. I would like to see a bunch of little MT companies with 3 or 4 MTs working for 4 or 5 doctors. A team of MTs that can get a sense of satisfaction from working in a field that they have trained for and keep educating themselves for day after day after day.
Sigh... but tomorrow I am back to work for my wonderful large company... I love ACCENTUS and I would recommend it to every MT in Canada (I am sorry my American friends, they only hire Canadians) Let me know if you require information on Accentus and I will refer you for employment if I think that Accentus is a good fit for you. It is a great company and the pay is not bad at all...It is not the pay that I have my issue with, it is more the feeling of isolation and the feeling of being a number. I will continue to dream of my own business and a day when I can work for my own doctor or two.... I just have to figure out all the ins and outs of getting the doctors, getting their files to and from, finding out about all the software and programs and file sharing protocols etc. Sigh...
Thank goodness for some of the companies that hire us NEWBIES (A term that I hate) and give us a chance. We feel honored that we have been hired and are grateful for the chance to prove of worth. A point I would like to make is that why should we be grateful to make 2 cents a line?? We paid good money for a valuable course and we have a specialized skill set. We deserve more and we need to develop a voice to express this. But I do understand the need to get experience and move onto something better. I am not criticizing those that work for a lower rate, I am saying shame on the businesses that pay it and use the excuse that they are giving a newbie a chance.
Soooo.. the logic behind the name is to show employers that we are there. We are there to be a member of the team and to contribute with a qualified skill set. As my friend Sharon in her blog states we do more than type. Please check out Sharon's blog http://clubhousemt.blogspot.com/ In it she says that "As an MT we are required to type what we hear (from a dictated file), but also we must correct grammar, check medicine dosages, verify the patient information, and reform sentences so that they are full sentences and not run-ons or fragments". So this is a little bit more than just listening and typing, but we are hidden away and we never really hear how we are doing. Not really; and not really from the one we want to hear from, the doctor. I know as an MT, and typing from a large hospital pool, I love hearing my doctor say "Thanks for typing this." I am amazed that he/she realizes that I am a person on the other end of the headset and I smile and feel good about myself. Hmmm, shouldn't my job make me feel like that on a day-to-day basis. Would more interaction with the doctor, medical assistants, nurses et cetera make me feel this way? I think that it would and in the long run it would benefit the doctor and the patient.
So, I want my doctors to know that I AM THERE.... VIRTUALLY...BUT THERE... I want to make MTs part of a team. I want to instill in them that they are part of the medical chain and just as important as other members of the staff.
So there you go, the reason behind the name and the notions that make my brain work. I hope that I can organize my thoughts so that I am able to start my own little business and that I can pass along some of the knowledge to others that may be interested in doing the same. I would like to see a bunch of little MT companies with 3 or 4 MTs working for 4 or 5 doctors. A team of MTs that can get a sense of satisfaction from working in a field that they have trained for and keep educating themselves for day after day after day.
Sigh... but tomorrow I am back to work for my wonderful large company... I love ACCENTUS and I would recommend it to every MT in Canada (I am sorry my American friends, they only hire Canadians) Let me know if you require information on Accentus and I will refer you for employment if I think that Accentus is a good fit for you. It is a great company and the pay is not bad at all...It is not the pay that I have my issue with, it is more the feeling of isolation and the feeling of being a number. I will continue to dream of my own business and a day when I can work for my own doctor or two.... I just have to figure out all the ins and outs of getting the doctors, getting their files to and from, finding out about all the software and programs and file sharing protocols etc. Sigh...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
A new adventure
On November 25th, 2009 I graduated from Trios College and the Career Step Program with Honours. I was very proud of myself. With a kick butt resume and some fancy work, I was hired by a few different companies right out of the gate. I was once again proud and honoured, but then I realized that some of these companies really take advantage of the new graduates and the pay was pretty pitiful. I spent my time trying to find some thing better, and my efforts and testing paid off. I was hired by Accentus Canada, out of Ottawa, Ontario and finally found a company that paid better than others. I am able to work when I want to and do as much as I can in a day. It is a wonderful place to work. And I highly recommend Accentus.
Today, I should be working but a good friend of mine put the blogging bug in my mind and either, through lack of motivation or a need for something a bit different, I find myself settting up this venture. My goal for this blog is to present my ideas to opening up a different type of company that will team the MT with the doctor and create a better working environment for the MT and a consistency for the doctor. I know that there are good companies that do this already, and I think that that is the way to go. I strongly believe that an MT needs to have a connection to the doctor in order to obtain a higher level of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
So this is my blog on my adventure in opening up my own MT company and placing the power back in the MTs hands rather than in a large company. I hope to be able to share some ideas and learn some things from others that have tried to open there own business.
Today, I should be working but a good friend of mine put the blogging bug in my mind and either, through lack of motivation or a need for something a bit different, I find myself settting up this venture. My goal for this blog is to present my ideas to opening up a different type of company that will team the MT with the doctor and create a better working environment for the MT and a consistency for the doctor. I know that there are good companies that do this already, and I think that that is the way to go. I strongly believe that an MT needs to have a connection to the doctor in order to obtain a higher level of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
So this is my blog on my adventure in opening up my own MT company and placing the power back in the MTs hands rather than in a large company. I hope to be able to share some ideas and learn some things from others that have tried to open there own business.
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