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Hi Sheri, I am with you, I hear this too. However, most of the things I've read have been on the internet and after reading it seems to me that there are people out there who thrive on negativity and drama and really like to complain. I read one thread about a transcriptionist who was fired and she said it was for no reason, but a few posts down she mentioned how she had made a critical error on the job. I've read more posts like that and it really bothered me until I remembered about how there are all types of people out there. I'm halfway through the program and I worry that I won't find a job, or that I will find one that won't pay, but I'm confident that with the education we are getting we will find a job and we will do well and since I am not making any money right now, any amount is better than nothing. :)

Kathy, I think you and I may have read the same post online! You are very true, there are so many different types of people out there and some are just in it for the drama and attention. I just get myself so worried. 

I'm halfway through, too. I just submitted my Module II final tonight. :) 

There have been problems with some of the MT employers for years now. Nobody knows exactly how everything will settle out over time. There will most likely be fewer MT jobs, but some of them are very good. Fortunately, we have a nice group of employers who love to hire our graduates. We also keep hearing back from some of our MT graduates that they are getting new opportunities and doing well. It's not a perfect situation, but MT is still working well for many of our graduates.

I agree with Linda....the world of MT is changing. However, I have been in this field for nearly 15 years, have never had trouble finding work, and heard the same kind of comments about it being a dying career choice from the "negative Nellie's" at that time. Also, just think if all those complainers leave the MT world as they claim they are, you will be positioned perfectly to accept one of the jobs they have left behind.  As Linda stated, it may not be perfect, but I honestly cannot think of anything that is. :)   

Linda, thanks for helping us feel better. And Sheri, here's an example of how I know we are in the right place to land a great job: I was at a doctor's appointment a few months back and his receptionist was doing all of his transcriptions, including mine. We were going over something from my previous visit, and it was mostly incorrect! The doctor would ask me a question and I had to tell him at least 3 times that what he was asking was not correct. After that visit, I realized that what I am learning is very important to a future employer. Here's another: we have a home warranty and an a/c repairman was coming over. I looked at their website and read some really awful reviews about how their employees were late, dirty, unprofessional, etc. I was a little worried, until the technician showed up early, wore those protective booties, and showed my husband how to fix the problem the next time it happened. So, you shouldn't believe everything you read online and notice how you never read anything positive because the positive people are too busy working to write mean things on the internet. :)

I did learn that you can't believe what is all online when I was pregnant. Man that was the worst thing I could possibly do at that time for my mental sanity!  

 

Thank you, Linda and Jeane. I appreciate your imput. I would just like to work at home until my daughter is older, at least. I try now to worry about it so much, but its hard. My family (husband, daughter, and my mom) are wanted me to get a job ASAP and get school done and over with. I've had to tell my mom that I will be done when I'm done, because I'm working as hard as I can, and if she wants me to go faster, then I won't learn anything. Apparently that turned into a venting post. Sorry!

 

Sheri

Since I saw this comment earlier, and my sweetie is an Andrews grad from about 10 years back doing MT work, I thought I'd pass on a few insights. She is doing more "Medical Editing" now, which means some voice recognition software has done the transcribing first, but that is a real stretch. She is also doing straight transcription of letters. And keep in mind doctors do not like, or have time, to proof their own dictations. Without violating any HIPAA regulations I asked for some examples of this disconnect between "real people" and software. Regarding an MR concerning a CT of brain, software indicated "tibiotalar" rather than temporomandibular". The MT/editor has to fix that! I'll refrain from describing the many examples of lower extremity body parts apparently sticking out of patients heads. Doctors miss speak terms that are then contradictory in a report/letter. The MT/editor needs to get that back to the doctor for clarification. The software can not think critically. When in a specialty, the MT learns (to a greater degree) the dosages for frequent drugs administered in their sphere of practice. When a doctor dictates a dosage that does not match up with normal practice, the MT raises the red flag, whereas the computer does not (yet). So adding these examples to Linda's response above, although things change, they are probably not changing to the degree some are posting on the web. As a side note, my personal assumption is that 80% of posts on the web are not worth the pixels they waste on my screen. I avoid most web sites that seem to fit that percentage of negativity, or unprofessional discourse between posters.

I am just back from attending the 2014 annual AHDI convention in Las Vegas, and I can say that the world of transcription is not going away and is brighter than it has been in recent years. Our keynote speaker was Ronald M. Wyatt, MD, MHA who is the Medical Director, Division of Healthcare Improvement The Joint Commison, which is the organization that accredits more than 20,000 healthcare organizations in the US. He informed us that since the adoption of the EHR error rates in documentation are on the increase. He also stated that practitioners are frustrated by the lack of information and how it is input into the EHR and are demanding changes. Both of these situations bode well for the future of medical transcription. Also, many EHR vendors are seeing these same trends and are making changes to their software that allow for dictation and transcription in the EHR.  While the way in which we do medical transcription may change, it isn't going away anytime soon!  

Thank you for this information! Very encouraging :)

That is great news Jeanne.  Thanks for sharing that encouraging bit of information!

Thank you for bringing that information back from the convention! I recieved notes about going to the convention, but I wasn't able to at this time. It looked like fun, though, and I hope to make it to one in the future. 

Yay for hope!  :)

Thanks, Richard! I can handle the field changing. If things do not change, then they will surely die. I think I need to ignore the posts on that one page and pay attention to the other one... the one where people are trying to help each other out!

I have been working steadily since my graduation 4 years ago next month.  I started out doing straight transcription, and now I do mostly editing.

With a good platform, it's certainly possible to earn as much or more editing than you can doing straight typing.  I've gotten to where I prefer editing, at least on some accounts.  What slows you down is having to mess around with file name creation, saving files, attaching them, and uploading online.  A good platform lets you edit/transcribe without having to mess with that. However, even with accounts where I have to do that, I can still make decent money.

When it comes to "rumors" it was the same 4 years ago.  I came to the realization that most of the people posting sour-grape messages weren't working.  The people who WERE working didn't have time, so you mostly hear from those who are out of work and disgruntled.  So you have to take what they say with a very large grain of salt. 

Thank you for making me feel better, Janine!  A few months ago I stopped reading MT comments because they were all so negative.  I realized the negativity was from unhappy people and I've been feeling much better about working in this field since then.