Medical transcription graduates typically have a small panic at the end of the course when it's time to go to work. They wonder whether they will ever find a job! They can be divided up into several groups.

1. Many find anywhere from one to three jobs immediately, usually all work-from-home positions. Their biggest problem is which one to take.

2. Others get a slower start. They call or e-mail me in a panic. It has been TWO WEEKS and I haven't heard back from any of the employers!

3. This doesn't happen very often, but on some rare occasions, the student has been on the "job search" portion of the course for six weeks without finding the right job.

The third group gets bigger during certain times of the year when employers are taking a break from hiring. It may take several weeks to find the right job. The economy has some effect here as well. When patients lose jobs and medical benefits, they can't afford to go to the doctor.

I do have to admit that even after all of these years, I sweat it out with each and every student until the student is appropriately placed.

There are some special cases:

1. Student does not test well. I think most of our graduates have had so much experience taking tests by the end of the course that they usually won't panic in a test-taking situation.

2. We provide remedial transcription experience throughout the program for those who need it. There is no additional charge for remedial work.

Students with the best of grades often choose to do some of our optional transcription tapes just to build speed and accuracy. That's a great idea too! There is no charge for the optional tapes either.

3. A student (very rarely) refuses the necessary remedial work and, against our advice, goes out there before he/she is able to do marketable work.

My telephone is ringing, so I'd better stop here. This message is already too long anyway. Once I get started, ...

If anyone (student, graduate, employer, potential student, other) wants to talk to me directly about this or anything else, my direct line is 405-721-3555. That rings on my desk. If you would rather write to me, my e-mail is linda@andrewsschool.com and of course, my students and graduates already know that.

[ 06-09-2003: Message edited by: Linda Andrews CMT ]

Write to me if you are a graduate from years past and you don't know how to get to the student and graduate boards. I hope you'll spend time here as well. We get so caught up in what we're doing on the other boards that we neglect this one. I'm going to try to change that.

[ 06-09-2003: Message edited by: Linda Andrews CMT ]

quote:

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I haven't been here for a while and I just realized how much I miss this place!

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Well we miss you too, Linda!!! Always glad to see you.

I'm going to try to be here much more often.

Amanda

Do you do followups on all of your grads to see if they do indeed all get jobs in the time frames you describe?

Miss Pyggy

I'm sure Linda will answer your question herself, but I'll just throw this in. I could be wrong, but I doubt Linda has to put out much personal effort in finding out how graduates' job searches are going. I think we probably keep her updated on an hour-by-hour basis on that subject! I know she was first on my list when I had any news. She's such a "mother" to us all, it would be unthinkable not to keep her updated on how things are going in that area. Thanks again, Linda!

Terri

We have a private, instructional message board where we also keep up with everyone, with people signing in to update all of us, students and instructors alike, to the latest report on their job search.

Then we do have (very few) students who go off and do their own thing. They do not participate in the "job search" portion of our course, because that is not a requirement of the course. It's just recommended. I respect that. Almost always they report back in a few months about their new job, usually something like this, for example:

"Linda, I forgot to tell you that I started work with (employer) back in June. My supervisor took me off full edit almost immediately because she said that I transcribe like someone with experience and that I know what I know and better still, I know what I don't know. She likes the way I flag because I don't abuse flagging but I flag appropriately. I just got a raise. My supervisor told me she was amazed at how well I was doing and she wants more just like me.If you have any more graduates finishing up right now, send them. They are hiring."

I've been thinking about enrolling in the Coding program. (I've been an MT for 13 years now and it's time for a change.) Do you see similar results for the coders who graduate? I'm most curious about the at-home coding positions. Thanks.

A recent AHIMA journal article discussed the possibility that at some time in the future, coders may be allowed to work from home. Some companies are already allowing experienced coders to work from home, but those positions are rare.

As you may know, medical transcription used to be that way. It was almost impossible to find a work-from-home position in medical transcription. That has changed. Most medical transcription jobs are now done from home. I expect it to be that way for medical billing/coding some day, but we do not know how long that will take. Right now, medical coding is not a good choice for a work-from-home career. My bet is, that will change, but when??? I don't know.

[ 07-10-2003: Message edited by: Linda Andrews CMT ]

Would you be able to tell me if Andrews School offers or excepts any kind of financial aid?

I have went through a not so good school my first time around and would like to try to get into medical transcription again and hoping to succeed this time through. But I'm also worried about spending more money and still being in the position that I'm in now.

I hope, that I don't sound selfish or greety. I'm more than willing to do whatever it takes but I hope that people understand why I would be worried about not getting anywhere since that's how things went the first time around.

Thank you, for your time.

Financial Assistance: We work with several agencies such as Workforce Investment Act (WIA),Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and various private job placement programs from across the nation. Financial assistance (Pell or Guaranteed Student Loan Program) as such is not available at The Andrews School. We have chosen to assist our students by offering a payment plan with no interest.