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I have done some studying on my own (online and textbooks) and I am really drawn to the field of medical transcription and medical coding, with the ultimate goal of becoming a health information manager, and I'm considering M-TEC to help me get started. I just need to dispel any disquieting notions that this could be a big mistake and a huge waste of time and money for me. Currently, I am a high school foreign language teacher(French and Spanish)and I have also taught English and English Language Development [ESL]. I have been doing this for many years but have become jaded and especially unhappy with the "babysitting" and disciplinarian aspect of trying to teach a foreign language to students who really have no desire to learn another language and almost no basic language skills. My salary, however, is good(over $50,000) but I have been doing this for 20 years and I want something different. I expect to make considerably less money as a transcriptionist, but it is alarming to read messages about hard-working MT's dealing with mumbled dictations, etc, barely able to make $20,000 a year. I may be able to live on that the first year...but only the first year. So what's the real truth about actual earnings for someone willing to put in at least 8 hours a day and treat this seriously as a real job? Also, what about doing both transcription and coding? Also, I am a man (although, admittedly, I do not watch football or repair car engines). Since apparently almost everyone in this field is a woman, could this be a problem for me getting a job (even though politically, it shouldn't be)?
I will really appreciate any truthful reply

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I am sorry for my delay in responding. I would like to invite you to post your questions to some of the male students on the M-TEC message forums, where I believe you will probably get a quicker response. The website there is www.mtecinc.com and the general forums are open to everyone.

My take on this is that $20,000.00 the first year is a possibility, and rising above that after a year is also do-able. However, there are many factors to take into consideration: 1) Your keyboarding skills. 2) Your level of comprehension of the core competencies we teach in anatomy & physiology, advanced medical terminology, human disease processes, laboratory procedures, pharmacology, formatting using the AAMT Book of Style, medical legal issues and technology, and 3) Your ability to work independently and keep on task. These are all major issues on the success of a working MT. We have seen a growth in the number of male students we have enrolled in the last year, and they have all been successful in the field. We have one graduate who is living in Canada and doing so well after almost a year that I look to see him advance to level 3 status quicker than any graduate in the past. With the increased level of transcription competencies, so does your income (line rate) increase.

We are watching our professional association hard at work on some of these issues, and hopefully things will continue to make forward progress as we continue to launch initiatives such as Lobby Day and partnerships with other health care organizations. This is a great profession, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to succeed. I don't think you will find much less stress in this profession over any other, but the benefits of working independently (usually from home) to me outweigh some of the negative aspects.

I would be happy to continue this conversation with you if you would like to email me for a quick reply. Otherwise, I try to visit the forums as often as possible to help when I can!