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#96936 - 04/30/08 01:42 PM
Question
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scrapper
New Member
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 4
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I am currently in school for becoming an MT. I am about half way through my course. I am a little paranoid about what happens after I finish my schooling. I have three young kids and I want to stay at home with them. I am worried about the fact that I am investing my time and money into this and it might not work out. So far, I have only talked to two others, but both of them work at the clinic my mother-in-law works at. So I have a couple of questions and I would appreciate any type of feedback I can get!
1. How long did it take before you were hired on as a MT after you finished schooling?
2. Is it harder to find work as an MT when you work from home?
3. Is there a lot of pressure when it comes to the work?
4. Is it more stressful working from home then it is in a clinic or hospital?
I know I have a lot more questions, but I have a feeling if I dont stop asking now, I'll keep on asking.
_________________________
Excited about becoming a medical transcriptionist (I spelt that all right, didn't I?)
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#96938 - 04/30/08 01:53 PM
Re: Question
[Re: scrapper]
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BlankKeys
Member
Registered: 04/09/08
Posts: 625
Loc: New York
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Speaking only for myself - everyone's situation is different ...
1. 3 months
2. Definitely when I started, but not as much now.
3. Can be. Depends on deadlines, incentives, productivity count. Some companies/offices are sticklers and some aren't. When you work from home, the work seems to be staring at you from your desk all the time, you don't leave it and go home every day.
4. The main problem for me is getting husband, kids, mother, school do-gooders and neighbors to understand that I WORK. I am not at home to do their errands and entertain. You have to be able to carve out specific work time and it's not always easy, especially with young kids.
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#96947 - 04/30/08 03:29 PM
Re: Question
[Re: scrapper]
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Endiqua
Member
Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 3468
Loc: At the computer - where else?
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1. How long did it take before you were hired on as a MT after you finished schooling? I was hired and went through OTJ training several years ago. Not too much of that around anymore.
2. Is it harder to find work as an MT when you work from home? From what I've seen nowadays, it can be, depending on the program you attended.
3. Is there a lot of pressure when it comes to the work? There can be, yes. Turnaround times can be short; you may be expected to keep to a schedule; you may be given production requirements of lines per hour, lines per day, or lines per week.
4. Is it more stressful working from home then it is in a clinic or hospital? I've never done MT outside the home, but I've worked in enough large and small offices to know that I personally prefer working at home.  However, some new MTs find working at home very lonely and struggle with not having anyone around to help them hear difficult phrases.
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#96989 - 05/01/08 04:10 AM
Re: Question
[Re: scrapper]
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HoosierFemme
Member
Registered: 09/28/05
Posts: 1132
Loc: Parisian suburbs, France
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I'm close to finishing the M-TEC program, but I've also been an MT since about 1999. Like Endiqua, I was trained on the job, but to echo her, that's hard to find now and I would not recommend it. In fact, I decided to take the course to learn what I didn't learn with OJT and to expand my opportunities.
1. I can't answer that yet, and it'd be difficult for me to do so, since I live in France. I currently have a job, but if I were to try to find another one, even with the help of M-TEC, I believe it'd be difficult. Perhaps more grads can answer that. I do know one M-TEC grad who had a job within a couple weeks.
2. It was when I started; you had better luck getting your own accounts. Now, it seems most jobs are work-at-home, at least with the national services. If you want a local job with local accounts, you may have to search a little more or work inhouse for a time before they'll send you home.
3. It depends on what you consider pressure and how you handle it. There is stress with any job, I think, and this is no different. The others have covered a lot. I would add there is the pressure you may put on yourself to do a perfect job. Be careful if this causes you to research a term for hours or be slow in turning in reports because you want to proofread just one more time. Even if you have a schedule, whether set yourself or by the company, there is the pressure to work any and all hours just because your commute is 30 seconds. Stick to a schedule, and like someone else said, make sure your family and friends understand that when you are working, you are unavailable, just as if you were offsite.
4. Again, it depends on your definition of stress and what kind of environment you prefer. I have worked both at home and in a clinic. While it is nice to have social interaction and to have someone help you with a blank, socializing can take away from production. I also do NOT miss the office politics. Working from home, you are much more on your own to find answers or else you have to wait until someone is available to answer your call or your questions (office, message board, etc.). Your work never leaves you when you work from home, so you must find ways to relax and be firm in sticking to a schedule so that you don't burn out.
Best wishes as you prepare to enter the field!
_________________________
The French motto is "Liberté, Egalité, and Get Out of My Way." English author Stephen Clarke
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#97009 - 05/01/08 09:36 AM
Re: Question
[Re: scrapper]
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inkyfingers2
Member
Registered: 03/25/03
Posts: 604
Loc: southern California
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1. How long did it take before you were hired on as a MT after you finished schooling?
I didn't get hired. After 1 years of largely no responses from companies I tested with or rejections, I finally started my business, and after another year got enough clients that I was working full-time from home. So to change the question to "how long did it take before you were working full-time," the answer would be 2 years.
2. Is it harder to find work as an MT when you work from home? In my area (large major suburban area), it is easier to find work when you work from home.
3. Is there a lot of pressure when it comes to the work? I would say no. But then my last career was as a registered nurse. Now THERE'S some pressure for ya.
4. Is it more stressful working from home then it is in a clinic or hospital?I couldn't answer that, because I've not worked as an MT in a clinic or hospital in over 30 years. You do have to have a good strong work ethic to work from home, because there's no one to remind you when you aren't on task. I set myself goals and try to keep to them.
Hey - it works. But I'll never be able to do more than struggle financially in this field.
_________________________
inkyfingers
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#97312 - 05/06/08 02:41 AM
Re: Question
[Re: inkyfingers2]
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busybee
New Member
Registered: 05/06/08
Posts: 5
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I have a similar dilema, I graduated 18 months ago, moved from a big city to tim-buck-two. my only hope is work at home. I'm finding most employers won't let you get your foot in the door without at least two years experience. What's that old saying... you can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job! Any advice is welcomed. Please.
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#97325 - 05/06/08 09:05 AM
Re: Question
[Re: busybee]
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baldymom
Member
Registered: 02/26/04
Posts: 632
Loc: Hampton Roads - Va
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Unfortunately, busybee, in your situation, the only option is more school. Because you live in such a remote area and need to work from home, I am assuming there are no local clinics or offices or experienced MTs that are able to give you the in-house experience or mentoring you need to get that first at-home job. Andrews and M-TEC are the only schools on your resume that will get you through the "at-home door" right from graduation. Any other school on the resume and they won't look at you. You may get something locally with your training, but my guess is those positions are not available or nonexistant.
If you want to work from home from the start, you must have Andrews or M-TEC on your resume. Sorry, but there really are very few other options.
_________________________
What would you do with a brain if you had one? -- Dorothy -- Wizard of Oz
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#97335 - 05/06/08 11:13 AM
Re: Question
[Re: baldymom]
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Endiqua
Member
Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 3468
Loc: At the computer - where else?
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Well, baldymom, to be fair, CS graduates do also have a pretty good chance of working at home after graduation. There are several companies that partner with CS.
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#97365 - 05/06/08 06:18 PM
Re: Question
[Re: Endiqua]
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busybee
New Member
Registered: 05/06/08
Posts: 5
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Thank you baldymom. I was afraid of that. I took a 2 year at home course and graduated with PCDI, now Ashworth University. When I called Ashworth for help and/or advice, they referred me to mtdesk and mtdaily. I schooled while living in Tucson and knew 3 nurses personally and I have no doubt I'd be woking rght now. As far as where I am now....you are so very right, jobs are slim to non-existant. If I had known before hand, I'd have trained for something else. the worse part for me is that I really enjoy this field. Oh well, I guess I can always go in debt and try to own and operate a roller rink! LOL
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