Posted: March 10th, 2005

The VLC talks with working grads

VLC: Where do you work as a medical transcriptionist and how long have you been there?
Charolette: I work for a company based in Eugene, OR. Previously I worked for a company from Minnesota. I have been working for about four months.

VLC: Do you work at home or in an office?
Charolette: I work at home and I love it. I am really interested in working only part-time for now, so I am currently working a few hours per day, five days per week. The first company I worked for required more hours, however. My work was available for download in the morning and I had to return it within a 10-hour window. Fortunately, they were flexible with giving me extensions, as long as I let them know in advance that I needed one.

VLC: What did you do before becoming an MT?
Charolette: I worked in human resources and benefits consulting.

VLC: Why did you decide to become an MT?
Charolette: I wanted a job where I could be my own boss and was more focused on the work that I produced rather than if I was at my desk in my cubicle. I also wanted a job that would allow me to be at home for my children and let me have flexibility in my daily schedule. Actually, as I type this I have both of my children home sick, but I am going to be able to complete my work today without a problem.

I also wanted a job that would challenge me mentally. Not only do you have to be able to understand what the doctors are saying while you are transcribing, but you need to be sure that it is accurate. Sometimes the doctor isn't clear and you have to do some quick research to make sure that the transcribed record is correct. It is very satisfying to get that "aha!" while trying to figure out what the doctor is saying.

VLC: Which of VLC medical transcription courses did you take?
Charolette: I took the MT Professional Course.

VLC: How long did it take you to complete it?
Charolette: I was a slowpoke. I think it took me just under two years, but I know I could have completed it faster.

VLC: Who was your instructor(s)?
Charolette: Sheila Cryer, Carole Nusca, and Bev Henderson

VLC: What did you enjoy most about the course?
Charolette: Finishing!! Okay, okay. I enjoyed learning about the body systems and the roots of all of the terminology. It is SO important to have a good foundation.

VLC: Do you find the practice tapes are helping you in a real-work situation?
Charolette: Definitely. Even though I did HOURS of practice transcription, it was very intimidating to actually transcribe an actual patient's record. It was good to get the variety of voices and dictation types for practice.

VLC: How did you go about applying for jobs?
Charolette: I looked online at some of the job boards (Hot Jobs, Monster.com). I had the most success by looking at the list posted on the VLC Message board on MSN. I also checked out leads from MTDaily and MTStars.

It is important to be wary of any company that wants you to shell out money for more training before you begin working! If something seems at all fishy, check with the Better Business Bureau in that area for information about complaints regarding that company. It may not be directly related to being an MT for them, but it can be eye opening. I had an "opportunity" to work for a company back east. They simply wanted me to train a little more with them, but I had to purchase their software to do it. The software cost over $250, and the amount of training was not really spelled out. I did a little research online (BBB, message boards) and decided that my bad vibe was right on the money and left those guys alone.

On the other hand, I did have a legitimate job offer that required me to purchase a different kind of foot pedal that would work with the software that they provided to me. They were willing to take the price of the foot pedal out of my first couple of paychecks and did not require any money up front, but I had also been offered a specific contract stating my rate of pay, etc. In this case, I was not happy about having to buy a new foot pedal, but it was simply a hardware issue at that point.

VLC: How long did it take you to find a job?
Charolette: It took about one month. I had offers from two companies. I thought I had bombed the transcription portion of their online exams, but turned them in anyway. They both offered me jobs!

VLC: Are you paid by the line or by the hour?
Charolette: I am paid by the line. When I started working for the first company, I was earning .06 per line [6¢], including spaces. I had also had an offer for .07 per line [7¢] without spaces. I recently received an offer from another company to work for .065 per line [6.5¢] after only a few months of experience, so that is VERY promising.

VLC: Do you have any advice for anyone thinking of training to be an MT?
Charolette: There are some really great companies out there that will be willing to help you continue learning once you get on the job, but you really need to have a good foundation to be able to continue learning. This field seems to change and grow very rapidly, so you need to be willing to keep learning in order to keep up. I also think it is really important to have someone to blow off steam with. I know there are days when it seems like the doctors are just making things up (and sometimes they do!), but it is important to not let the frustration get you down, especially when you are just starting. This is an amazing field with tons of opportunity. Have some fun!