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#77976 - 08/01/07 11:07 PM
OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
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Gini
New Member
Registered: 07/24/07
Posts: 2
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I'm a recent graduate from PCDI and I get now that I picked the wrong course to take, but isn't there something that can help me? I have been job hunting with no luck. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm not as interested in the money right now as I am in getting feedback. I've been emailing a QA and she has looked over my work and doesn't seem to think that I'm so far behind.
-Regretting my decision, but eager to gain experience.
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#77980 - 08/01/07 11:09 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: Gini]
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meri
Member
Registered: 09/08/01
Posts: 8795
Loc: Murrieta, California
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The time that you are spending not working could be put to good use by attending another school such as Andrews or M-TEC. You will make that money back within a few months after graduation. That's better than making no money at all ever.
Good luck.
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#77992 - 08/02/07 06:07 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: Gini]
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Hellcat
New Member
Registered: 12/22/06
Posts: 16
Loc: US
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Hi,
I am a med student now, but used to be a transcriptionist. I graduated from PCDI and was hired within two weeks of finishing my courses. Granted, the school was not the best (by any means!), but it still got me a job as a full-time, in-house transcriptionist. I stayed there for a little over a year, then quit, because the career wasn't quite for me - I wanted to follow my parents' footsteps and become an MD.
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#77993 - 08/02/07 06:33 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: Hellcat]
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baldymom
Member
Registered: 02/26/04
Posts: 629
Loc: Hampton Roads - Va
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I think that is the difference right there. Hellcat was able to get a job in-house. Most are looking to work from home. With PCDI you can't make the jump from graduation to at home. That's where the other two schools come in. With their graduation certificate you can get that job at home.
Gini, I'm afraid it will only be more education (Andrews or M-Tec) if your intention is to work from home. Otherwise you may be able to find someone locally to mentor you, either a small MTSO or an in-house clinic or hospital position that is willing to give you the extra training you need.
_________________________
What would you do with a brain if you had one? -- Dorothy -- Wizard of Oz
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#78021 - 08/02/07 02:10 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: baldymom]
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meri
Member
Registered: 09/08/01
Posts: 8795
Loc: Murrieta, California
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And then again, it just might NOT be possible. Not everyone comes across a lucky break.
I still say don't waste any more time. M-TEC offers Sallie Mae loans and I have heard of those payments being as low as 20 dollars a month. After you are working, you can pay that loan off right away if you so choose. Not only that, with an excellent education under your belt, you are going to have many choices of where you want to work.
Meri
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#78025 - 08/02/07 02:21 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: meri]
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Gisele Dubson
Member
Registered: 05/28/99
Posts: 5608
Loc: Boulder, CO, USA
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There are some first jobs that are so bad (people training you who don't really know what they're doing) that newbie MTs can never find a job after that first one. Just something to think about.
_________________________
Gisele F. Dubson, RHIA, Mercury Medical Communications
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#78034 - 08/02/07 06:00 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: Gisele Dubson]
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candsmom
Member
Registered: 01/12/06
Posts: 420
Loc: Minnesota
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I think you should look into working locally too. You just don't know unless you look into it if your local hospital/clinic has the option of working from home. In my experience this isn't usually advertised in their job postings. One hospital that I worked at required people to work on-site for 3 months before they were able to go home. If this QA individual says you aren't that far behind, you may find a hospital/clinic that is willing to work with you and working on-site right next to other transcriptionists has its benefits as well. I worked with a woman who went to school to be a HUC and started in transcription doing just EKGs, EEGs, and the like which were basically fill in the blanks. Everyone gave her a helping hand to teach her to do all the other reports we did. It took her longer to get home than the rest of us, but nobody had issues with giving her the help she needed. I actually think it's well worth it to give it a shot working on-site first. It would definitely help with any weaknesses you may have. That is my opinion . I have also worked with people who went through a speedy transcription course and then got hired at the clinic. Definitely worked to their benefit to be on-site where there are plenty of other people to listen to your work and go over it with you as you work on it rather than waiting for it to go through proofing, editing, QA, what have you. Good luck!! Explore all your options before settling.
_________________________
THOUGHTS become WORDS
WORDS become ACTIONS
ACTIONS become CHARACTER
CHARACTER is EVERYTHING
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#78042 - 08/02/07 08:02 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: IvyAnne]
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haggis
Member
Registered: 04/29/04
Posts: 2563
Loc: Left Coast, FL
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My advice to you (and I realize my opinion isn't necessarily the best) is to stay positive, and not place more money into training. The best training will come from the actual first few months you are employed… at least mine did.
Oh, yeah--much better to learn on the job. . . when you're already making $1.40/hr because you suck so badly and are having to look everything up or pester co-workers to help you. . .
NOT.
Spend the money on a good education now so that when you are being paid for your efforts, you'll be making the most money possible. If you follow meri's advice and choose M-TEC, you would go through the things you've already learned much faster (and it's never a bad thing to hone your skills), as well as learning all the other crap you should've been taught to begin with.
Going into this job with a half-arsed education is something you simply never fully recover from. You will always be paranoid about what you may be ignorant about--and if you're not, you're probably one of those overconfident MTs who does half the job they think they're doing. That "just stay positive" and "you can compensate for a bad course just by working that much harder" crap is what you say when you're making excuses for a suboptimal education. If you believe that, you probably think it sounds great to have a course full of errors because that scavenger hunt of figuring out what they're teaching you wrong gives you twice the education you paid for. Don't make excuses or help to justify a lousy course. You should be able to trust what you're taught. No, Andrews and M-TEC don't promise to teach you EVERYTHING you'll need to know as an MT, but they'll teach you more than anyone else--and you won't have to guess where the deficiencies are.
Gini, you could search through this forum for similar discussions and find the recommended resources for bolstering a poor education--but if you decide to go that route and spend the money on all those books and CDs, be aware that you're still going to spend about as much as you would just starting over with a good course, only without the expert guidance of instructors. Even with identical materials, you're never going to be certain of learning things the correct way without the input of someone who knows more than you do. I think a legitimate course would be worthwhile.
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#78043 - 08/02/07 08:12 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school...
[Re: haggis]
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Gisele Dubson
Member
Registered: 05/28/99
Posts: 5608
Loc: Boulder, CO, USA
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If I could have taught MT to myself, I would have. But I couldn't, so I didn't. I went to a good school and was taught by an old-timey CMT. Don't stint on your education, you will always regret it if you do.
_________________________
Gisele F. Dubson, RHIA, Mercury Medical Communications
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#78045 - 08/02/07 08:33 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: haggis]
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Mojeaux
Member
Registered: 09/21/03
Posts: 2120
Loc: Kansas City
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That "just stay positive" and "you can compensate for a bad course just by working that much harder" crap is what you say when you're making excuses for a suboptimal education.
I don't know about anybody else, but my goal is to work less and make more money. I've discovered I'm tired and lazy (possibly both) and I'd just as soon not have to work that hard for my $1.40/hour.
Working HARDER is a trap and one that's difficult to get out of. Go to M-TEC, get the education, and start without having to play catch-up. That's working SMARTER so you don't have to work HARDER.
Gah. Kids these days.
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#78049 - 08/02/07 09:32 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: Mojeaux]
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tropsicleAfter
Member
Registered: 10/30/06
Posts: 2147
Loc: MS Gulf Coast
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And, from completely outta left field, my opinion.
Along the lines of 'just think positive' and 'if I set my mind to something, I can achieve it', the reality is that this just IS NOT TRUE. Some people, no, MANY people, just aren't cut out for this work, no matter how well it would fit in with your dreams of making $40K a year while running a daycare in the next room.
A related thread a while back was exploring the critical thinking skills of MTs. This kind of thinking should already be in place and making poor decisions, or decisions made for poor reasons, or having unrealistic expectations, or seeking validation for all of the above from the minority member of a message board all speak to just the opposite of critical thinking.
Sometimes it is better just to cut your losses and realize that some dreams just aren't meant to be.
_________________________
tropsicle
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#78057 - 08/02/07 11:01 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: tropsicleAfter]
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Gini
New Member
Registered: 07/24/07
Posts: 2
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WOW! Thank you all for your input. Keep the responses coming...very interesting!
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#78065 - 08/03/07 08:36 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: Gini]
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BizzeeMT
Member
Registered: 07/23/01
Posts: 1205
Loc: Midwest
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I'd speak in favor of continued education - M-TEC or Andrews. As others have said, you will not regret it.
However, some (those who are "naturals" at MT) are more than capable of OTJ experience/learning. Before MT schools, that's how we learned the job. The ability to type was the primary requirement. Not so these days. Things have changed.
I often wonder how I got this far with MT as I have without a formal education. I have to say it wasn't by working HARD but by working SMART. Big difference. And I will say, working onsite, with very patient QA staff and/or doctors right there to answer questions, laugh hysterically at your mistakes and give you a clue were the best teachers! Those kinds of working conditions would not be easy to find these days. You'll need more than luck.
Choose a better school and MAKE your own luck! You won't regret it.
_________________________
For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me." — Winnie the Pooh
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#78072 - 08/03/07 10:18 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: BizzeeMT]
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Endiqua
Member
Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 3450
Loc: At the computer - where else?
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On that note - I was actually trained OTJ some years ago. I was lucky enough to have the right skills to where that was a feasible way for me to learn - I read quickly, I had a basic medical vocabulary, and I caught on right away to expander usage and how to research. I also invested a lot of my own time in studying advanced search techniques, expander dictionary creation, and the BOS. I was smart enough to know when something didn't make sense and double-check, and I don't think I made too many "howlers" while I was learning.
HOWEVER, I didn't make a ton of money my first year, nor my second. In addition, I now find I'm at somewhat of a disadvantage when considering the CMT credential because...well, I know how to do the job (and do it darn well, she says modestly), but I don't know a lot of the background. I can research a term in a dictation, but I don't know the ins and outs of the cardiovascular system. I know when fulguration is generally used and how to spell it, but I don't necessarily know what the procedure actually IS. I know how to use correct grammar almost instinctively, but I had to learn how to EXPLAIN it to others in QA. To this day, you'll see me saying in the grammar forum "I know this is how you do it, but I just can't explain the rules behind it to you" and then Tonks or Ebit will come in and save the day.
Can it be done without MTEC or Andrews? Of course, given the right employment situation. However, getting the education will give you the foundation to do a better job in less time and give you more employment and advancement options.
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#78076 - 08/03/07 11:46 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: tropsicleAfter]
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motach
Member
Registered: 08/03/99
Posts: 1251
Loc: Sunnyvale, CA
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Along the lines of 'just think positive' and 'if I set my mind to something, I can achieve it', the reality is that this just IS NOT TRUE.
Tropsicle, you are such a party pooper... haven't you heard of Camp Falsehope?
Camp Falsehope
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#78077 - 08/03/07 11:53 AM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: motach]
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tropsicleAfter
Member
Registered: 10/30/06
Posts: 2147
Loc: MS Gulf Coast
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Yes, I know, and am acutally quite surprised by the lack of dissent (while still noting the 'yes, but I did it giving of continued hope) posts.
It wouldn't BE a party unless there was a proper pooper, and that is a role I believe I deserve, therefore must be good at.
_________________________
tropsicle
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#78079 - 08/03/07 12:07 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: tropsicleAfter]
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Mojeaux
Member
Registered: 09/21/03
Posts: 2120
Loc: Kansas City
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It wouldn't BE a party unless there was a proper pooper, and that is a role I believe I deserve, therefore must be good at.
Oh, put your ego back in your pocket, sir, so you can fit through the door.
You are in the company of some of the greatest Party Poopers in MTville. In fact, I would say that the lack of dissent from the Sweetness'n'Light Brigade is due to the diligent patrols made by the Party Poopers to eradicate their fluffy, sweet, vanilla-flavored lies.
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#78080 - 08/03/07 12:07 PM
Re: OK, OK, I get that I went to the wrong school.
[Re: tropsicleAfter]
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motach
Member
Registered: 08/03/99
Posts: 1251
Loc: Sunnyvale, CA
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Wear your title proudly then!
Like many people on this board, I have worked with/ interviewed/ willingly or unwillingly mentored/fired a person with a suboptimal education. When I worked in-house, I was guilty of enabling co-workers who really needed more schooling, rather than dragging me over to their desk every 5 minutes to listen to something that THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN before they walked in the door.
Moral of the story: Working in-house is not a substitute for a good education.
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Moderator: Annie
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Good luck!
