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#95106 - 04/09/08 09:32 AM
Finish MT education?
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mktkey
New Member
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 13
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I'm about 1/3 of the way through the MT course at 1 of the 2 "good schools," and I've realized that this is probably not something I'm going to be doing for the long-term (mostly because of the future of the industry).
I'm looking at going back to grad school for a completely unrelated field (environmental biology), although this wouldn't be for probably another 5 years.
Should I finish my MT course? I would require a few extensions at this point as well as the time commitment. Then I could work in this field for the next 5 years and then possibly part-time while I went back to school. Or would I be better off just finding something else in the meantime?
The big pro for me would be the potential money difference in doing MT (after some experience) versus working where I am now in a healthcare field where I'm making $9/hr.
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#95115 - 04/09/08 10:28 AM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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Glory1863
Member
Registered: 03/27/08
Posts: 215
Loc: Beyond Antares
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Mktkey, I'm not sure that money-wise you will come out ahead by finishing the MT class if you are already making $9/hour. You don't mention what sort of healthcare job you do now, but I suspect it may have a wage scale where you know you'll get some sort of raise over time. Not so in MT. Lately, it seems only to go down.
In the last 2 years, I've gone from being statutory where I could work all the hours I wanted as long as there was work (and there usually was) to employee limited to 40 hours/week on a strict time clock (had to get a second job to take up the slack). Then we got speech recognition. Same skills plus how to work that program but worth a 30% pay cut, and this is actually less of a cut than most companies. I type more lines, do more minutes and consistently make less. I don't find a productivity bonus to speech recognition. Plus, if the assigned account(s) is/are out of work, it's the nationwide transcription tour 2008 for me. Each job a different account with different rules. After 30 years, I still love learning new things, and it's still interesting work, but money-wise I've lost ground and feel like a hamster in one of those circular runs. At my age, it's a bit late to go back to school for something else.
I don't think that sort of industry trend will change in the time it takes you to finish and the time it takes you to "get up to speed." Any way you could go to grad school now? Could the office of career planning and placement where you got your bachelor's help you find something better using the degree you have? With the push toward "green", it seems like opportunities might be opening up for you. Good luck!
_________________________
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. Abraham Lincoln
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#95122 - 04/09/08 11:01 AM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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baldymom
Member
Registered: 02/26/04
Posts: 629
Loc: Hampton Roads - Va
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Hmm...my experience has been a bit different...here goes.
I took my course from one of the big 2 starting January 2005. I graduated September 2006. I had a job with a smaller company (less than 100) within 2 weeks as an IC. I make plenty more than $9/hour and have since 6 months on the job. I pay taxes out of that and have no benefits. I suspect the pay offered to a new grad who was looking for an employee position would be a bit less than what I make now as an IC, but I don't think you would bet on it being that much lower. I think the biggest problem is that when new graduates are looking for a job, they figure they have to start with one of those larger companies that pay pennies in order to get started. That is not the case if you graduate from one of the big 2. You can be a bit more choosey and get the position you are looking for with the right company.
If you graduate and then think you have to get a job with a sweatshop then, yes, your experience will be less than desirable. What you have to do is graduate and then look for the right job at the right place. You will have that option with the education you chose.
It's not all bad out there. I say finish up and then find the position that you deserve for all your hard work.
_________________________
What would you do with a brain if you had one? -- Dorothy -- Wizard of Oz
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#95127 - 04/09/08 11:08 AM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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MicheleA
Member
Registered: 02/18/05
Posts: 1009
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I'll come at your situation from another angle and give you some things to consider.
Will it look bad on your resume if you started an education course but didn't finish? Will you kick yourself later and call yourself a quitter? Quitting now may not be something that will haunt you later but then again it may be. You mention the future of the industry being the main reason you do not want to do this long-term. Do you like the course work? Have you spent much time on this board researching why people like this type of work? I know you will hear more about what we don't like, but the good stuff is there, too! In fact, someone started a thread a while ago specifically asking what we like about our jobs. I know I answered "freedom of scheduling" or some similar term so you could try looking up "freedom," "scheduling," "schedule," etc. and maybe that thread will still be there. Even if this industry continues to move toward EMR, it will not be overnight and not every single doctor in the US will move to it immediately. There will continue to be work in "traditional" transcription, although it may be harder to find. I have been hearing about this move since I was in school in 1999-2000 but I work with a doctor who still uses microcassettes. 
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#95137 - 04/09/08 11:46 AM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: MicheleA]
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emcatsmom
New Member
Registered: 11/22/07
Posts: 21
Loc: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Another thing to keep in mind is the likelihood that posters on forums like this are the vocal, and often clearly quite unhappy, minority, apart from the dedicated volunteer educators here. One must be cautious in assuming that what can be gleaned in terms of industry stability or MT career satisfaction is accurate based on complaints here.
I wholeheartedly agree with Michele regarding regrets. You are so close to finishing and having that feather in your cap, whether you use it or not that, in your shoes, I would complete the course.
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#95146 - 04/09/08 12:24 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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Quiltie
Member
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 302
Loc: Oregon
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I agree with posts 3, 4 and 5. It is never a bad choice to get an education, even in different fields of study as you have been doing. You never know, one day you might end up really needing to go back to a job like MT to supplement a paycheck or countless other reasons after the 5 years and after the other degree, etc. Especially where you've chosen wisely on the MT school, finishing the course is something you will never regret.
It seems like maybe you found your way to some pretty negative threads about MT somewhere and you can't shake it. I have had wonderful experiences with different companies, bosses, etc. whereas another MT found them to be completely unbearable. The success or failure of this field depends on you, what type of person you are. I would put "quit" down at the very bottom of the options column.
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#95161 - 04/09/08 01:38 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: Quiltie]
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Endiqua
Member
Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 3450
Loc: At the computer - where else?
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I think baldymom's post is an excellent one and raises some key points - to wit, working for a "sweatshop" for pennies versus getting the right job. People who go to "the big two" generally have more options in that regard.
(I must confess that I am rather shocked to discover the response you posted in the other topic came from one of those schools, though!)
Baldymom also mentions that she does not have benefits - a job that does offer benefits may pay less, so that's something to consider, as well. People who are able to scratch off benefits from their list of "must-haves" in a job have more flexibility and better gross earning potential.
Despite my voiced concerns about pay in this industry in our other discussion - I do think it would be worth finishing your education and working in the field for a few years. Personally, I wouldn't count on making a LOT more than $9/hour (especially not your first year), but you should make at LEAST that and possibly a dollar or so more (being conservative).
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#95166 - 04/09/08 02:04 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: Endiqua]
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mktkey
New Member
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 13
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(I must confess that I am rather shocked to discover the response you posted in the other topic came from one of those schools, though!)
It was just one paragraph from a long e-mail in response to my questions about MT's future after reading posts online (neither she nor I mentioned any particular sites). The whole response was, in essence, that the industry was changing, but graduates of this particular school do well out there and keep up with those changes.
Of course, what else is an MT school going to tell a student? I think I was looking for reassurance more than anything at the time.
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#95241 - 04/10/08 12:37 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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mktkey
New Member
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 13
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Thanks everyone so much for your answers!  I do enjoy the work so far. I think I'll finish this up and see where it leads me -- I might be able to finish by the end of the year if I really bust my hump.
Glory - My degree is in computer science, which I worked in briefly 5 years ago before leaving to work as a personal care aide instead. I just didn't have any interest in the job (I studied it because it was a "hot job" at the time), and at this point, I probably couldn't go back to that type of work even if I wanted to.
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#95615 - 04/15/08 05:57 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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mktkey
New Member
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 13
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Sorry, I don't mean to dominate this board, but I'm now thinking of doing a 180 from my previous response. Our local Sunday paper is always full of places looking for CNAs. One place in particular is currently offering 25 hours pay for 16 hours of weekend work, which would be perfect while I was in school. Some places pay for the 2-week training up front while others reimburse, and the going rate for a CNA in my area is $11/hr to start.
Another aspect to my decision is that I really do enjoy the book learning part of the MT course; it's the actual transcription part that I don't know if I would want to do 8+ hours a day.
I know that I do have a passion for environmental science (among many other interests). It's too late for this fall, but I could position myself to be a working CNA/biology grad student by the fall of 2009.
Even if I don't end up doing MT, I'll probably still be around the Off Topic board here (if that's all right). This has become one of my favorite places to go for some intelligent online conversation and debate!
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#95708 - 04/16/08 01:45 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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Glory1863
Member
Registered: 03/27/08
Posts: 215
Loc: Beyond Antares
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This sounds promising, Mktkey. It sounds like you're really interested in your master's course of study, not just looking for a "hot job" like your bachelor's. As I said before, with the push toward "green", you will, hopefully, be going into a growing field. You might want to check into patient care tech positions in a hospital as you might be able to get tuition reimbursement or a scholarship from the Women's Auxillary (Pink Ladies) to further help with your finances. With all the baby boomers like me getting old and sick, CNAs and RNs of all types should be in demand. It's not a job that can be sent overseas. My biggest advice would be that you start your master's as soon as you can. The longer you go doing something else, whether CNA or MT, the more likely it is that you will never start it. It's true when they say, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans." I'd hate for you to get caught in doing something that provides an OK living now, but when you're in your 50s you wake up and find that you've stayed at that party a little too long. The living is not so OK anymore and it's not realistic to go back to your dream. Best of luck to you!
_________________________
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. Abraham Lincoln
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#95730 - 04/16/08 03:34 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: Glory1863]
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tropsicleAfter
Member
Registered: 10/30/06
Posts: 2147
Loc: MS Gulf Coast
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I passed on comment yesterday, but now, feel obliged to say:
mktkey, I don't know where you live that CNAs are paid $11.00 an hour, but I would venture that the cost of living would be responsible for the difference between that and CNA pay here, approximately $8.50. Either way, I'm sure you understand what a CNA does and how they are used, which would explain why your Sunday paper is full of these jobs and why they pay for training, as well as why you can get the 25 for 16 deal. Finally, there is the whole thing about the value of a job that anyone can be trained to do in two weeks. CNAs are literally at the sh*t-end of the direct patient care spectrum.
Glory is incorrect about CNA and RN of all types being jobs that can't be sent overseas. In nursing, they just bring the overseas here. With CNAs, though, foreign workers will generally not work for such low wages.
You received fantastic advice early in the month but now seem to want to explore other avenues. I wish you good luck and urge you again to finish the program you have already started. No matter what you ultimately decide to do, the finished program will look much better than one you just quit.
_________________________
tropsicle
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#95744 - 04/16/08 04:51 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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FarAwayDeb
Member
Registered: 03/15/02
Posts: 2783
Loc: just south of Rochester, NY
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...it's the actual transcription part that I don't know if I would want to do 8+ hours a day.
I agree with Trops. I'm not sure if you understand EXACTLY what you would be doing 8 hours a day as a CNA. I would try to locate a couple in your area and speak to them before you decide. There's probably a good reason why there are so many openings for that job.
_________________________
Good grammar ain't easy.
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#95843 - 04/17/08 03:33 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: FarAwayDeb]
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Quiltie
Member
Registered: 11/05/01
Posts: 302
Loc: Oregon
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I'm not sure if you understand EXACTLY what you would be doing 8 hours a day as a CNA. I would try to locate a couple in your area and speak to them before you decide. There's probably a good reason why there are so many openings for that job.
I completely agree with you here. There are always job announcements in my area for CNAs. They are practically begging people to come work for them. "We will train you and pay you double if you're willing to work a night shift." I don't know exactly everything they do, but I do know they have to put up with a lot of stress in dealing with patients who are verbally and physically abusive. If someone crapped the bed and I was expected to clean it up, with a smile, I had better be paid more like $25 per hour. When looking at a job description for CNA, it states "CNAs are often given patient duties that are undesirable to other hospital staff." I think they sugar-coated that pretty well. LOL
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#95859 - 04/17/08 04:52 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: Quiltie]
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mktkey
New Member
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 13
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Thanks for the replies. I'm already used to dealing with "crap" as a personal care aide (changing diapers, beds, dressings, catheters, "digital bowel stimulation" -- don't ask unless you really want to know), and I don't imagine it could get much worse. The biggest difference would be moving from an in-home PCA working with one patient at a time to a hospital environment with many patients. I don't think I would ever choose this as a long-term career, though. Sometimes you do get tired of being expected to do all this.
If you can't tell, I'm not a very decisive person. I just handed in another test, and I'm that much further through the course.
Thanks again for all the advice. I feel like I must be trying your patience with my indecision.
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#95862 - 04/17/08 05:08 PM
Re: Finish MT education?
[Re: mktkey]
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Endiqua
Member
Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 3450
Loc: At the computer - where else?
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"digital bowel stimulation" -- don't ask unless you really want to know)
Oh, lordy, we're not generally a squeamish bunch. MT lets us run into all KINDS of...um...interesting procedures - and many of us have been curious enough to do Google searches that tell us wayyy more than we wanted to know. (Urinary sounds, anyone?)
Anyway - decisions are tough. There may indeed come a point where the well of advice runs dry, but if it helps you to figure out what you really want by posting here, then I'd say go right ahead. Sometimes just the act of writing things down (or typing them out, I should say) can clarify the issues.
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