Medical Transcription

[LisaR]

I don't mean to make you feel bad, OP'er but it is sad to me that you are 26 y/o, do not have an education, are trapped in the house all day without a car or public transportation, and don't feel as if you have any options. You are way too young to feel like that (not that anyone of any age should feel that way).

Do something! Take charge of your life. Drop your DH off at work everyday so you have a way to get out of the house. If your dream is to be a nail technician, make it work. Get a loan and babysit to help offset the cost.

You seem trapped and it is up to you to break out and lay a new path. Picture yourself in 10 years or 20 years from now. Is this really what you want to be doing?

 

[maelstrom]

Can you get a second car? You are really very limited in options if you "have to" work at home.

Have you considered moving someplace with more employment opportunites/public transportation, etc.?

Have you given up on the pharmacy tech option? Around here there are so many pharmacies and a lot are open 24 hours. So they hire a lot of techs.

Good luck.

No, we have no way to get a second car. No money, cannot get approved for a loan due to my husband's poor credit and I have a 2-year-old bankruptcy on my record, and no one will co-sign. Believe me, if we could get another car, it would help us so much!

We do not have the means to move. Moving costs money, which we don't have. Both of our families also live here and we do rely on them a lot for grocery and gas money when we just can't make ends meet some months.

I haven't totally given up on the Pharmacy Technician arena, no. We have no 24-hour pharmacies here. A big problem is that in New York State, you do not have to be Certified to work in a retail pharmacy (Walgreens, Rite-Aid, CVS), so they will hire a non-Certified tech because they can pay them less. You do need to be certified for hospital and nursing home type Tech jobs. My mother-in-law works at the hospital and keeps an ear out for me, but at our hospital anyway, there is very little turnover. I do still keep an eye on Craigslist for Tech jobs.

 

[Sadie22]

Medical transcription as a career has evolved into some straight transcription and mostly editing of speech recognition technology transcripts. You can study this at home and work at home for a service. The in-hospital jobs and in-office jobs are few and much farther between than there were before the advent of the electronic medical record and speech recognition technology. Some jobs are employee jobs. Many are independent contractor jobs.

Read about this career and others on such forums as workplacelikehome and wahm. If you decide to pursue MT training, make sure your program is on the AHDI approved list. Career Step is a good online school which has a medical transcription editing course. Some colleges use their program. Honors and high honors graduates are finding jobs in the field.

Your community college course may not be up to date. I don't know whether it is or not, but if it only teaches straight transcription, nothing about text expanders or speech recognition editing, it would not prepare you for the workforce. MTE is not easy and is not for everyone.

 

[njcarita]

I have 10+ years experience in retail, I wouldn't call that untrained. And I can't even get a retail job. (To a previous poster, yes, I stalk Craigslist.) I'm not totally uneducated. I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician... I could not find a job doing that.

My husband works in a town over. Our car is a gas guzzler and we cannot afford the gas for me to drive him to work, come back to town, work, and then drive back to the other town to pick him up at the end of the day. The car is also in a sad state of disrepair, and we cannot afford to fix it or get a new (used) one. I live in a very rural area; a bike would not be practical.

I am unable to get financial aid due to my husband's income. I cannot get loans because I have a 2-year-old bankruptcy on my record (and no one will co-sign for me, not even my parents, and I don't blame them). I fully take responsibility for the financial mistakes that I made in my youth, but that doesn't change the situation.

Cut out everything non-essential? Really? What should I cut out? Rent, electricity, internet (which my husband needs for his job because he is on-call 24/7), car insurance, renters insurance, gas, or groceries? Because that is what we spend our money on. That's it. And we still have to ask for help sometimes so we can put food on the table or gas in the car so my husband can get to work. So what would you suggest that I cut out?

Not that it is any of your business, but every trip that I have taken to Disneyland or Disney World has been with my mother or both of my parents, and they always pay, because we enjoy going together and we love to spend the time together; they won't be around forever. Yes, I've been there a great number of times. Most of them were also long before I was an adult. Don't you dare imply that I am throwing away my money at Disney World instead of tending to my responsibilities at home. That was a pretty great conclusion to jump to, and frankly, quite obnoxious. How dare you judge my trips to Disney, of which you know nothing about the circumstances.

I really try to hold my tongue on this board, but your post was extremely rude, condescending, nasty, obnoxious, and not at all helpful. I'm not sure if I want to cry or punch the computer screen. Who the hell do you think you are?

i dont think the poster was rude or nasty....i think she was asking a good question.............on the internet we dont know u and only see what little we see......you are a young 26 year old who has the world at her feet............being angry to want to punch a computer cause someone asked u about your disney trips seems a bit much.........it sounds as if u are frustrated and looking for ideas.......and thats what we are trying to do.................so here is mine next time your parents offer to take u to disney maybe suggest they spend the money on helping you on your education.........it will benefit u more in the long run................now dont get mad at me............i am offering this suggestion with all good intentions.............either take it or say it doesnt work for you..... only u know ur true situation......................

 

[Hannathy]

So get a job in the same town he works. If he makes enough that you can't get financial aid then you should be able to pay for a course or two.

In stead of getting mad at me get mad at your situation and take that anger and do something about it. There are ways to do it, will it be pretty, heck no, but it can be done.


Many of us had to eat a ton of Ramen and sleep about 4 hours a night to get into a better spot. I went to school full time during the day and worked full time 4-12 for 2 years to get thru school and did nothing but work and school, but I got thru it. And paid off the financial aid for a lot of years!

 

[ladypage]

I have 10+ years experience in retail, I wouldn't call that untrained. And I can't even get a retail job. (To a previous poster, yes, I stalk Craigslist.) I'm not totally uneducated. I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician... I could not find a job doing that.

My husband works in a town over. Our car is a gas guzzler and we cannot afford the gas for me to drive him to work, come back to town, work, and then drive back to the other town to pick him up at the end of the day. The car is also in a sad state of disrepair, and we cannot afford to fix it or get a new (used) one. I live in a very rural area; a bike would not be practical.

I am unable to get financial aid due to my husband's income. I cannot get loans because I have a 2-year-old bankruptcy on my record (and no one will co-sign for me, not even my parents, and I don't blame them). I fully take responsibility for the financial mistakes that I made in my youth, but that doesn't change the situation.

Cut out everything non-essential? Really? What should I cut out? Rent, electricity, internet (which my husband needs for his job because he is on-call 24/7), car insurance, renters insurance, gas, or groceries? Because that is what we spend our money on. That's it. And we still have to ask for help sometimes so we can put food on the table or gas in the car so my husband can get to work. So what would you suggest that I cut out?

Not that it is any of your business, but every trip that I have taken to Disneyland or Disney World has been with my mother or both of my parents, and they always pay, because we enjoy going together and we love to spend the time together; they won't be around forever. Yes, I've been there a great number of times. Most of them were also long before I was an adult. Don't you dare imply that I am throwing away my money at Disney World instead of tending to my responsibilities at home. That was a pretty great conclusion to jump to, and frankly, quite obnoxious. How dare you judge my trips to Disney, of which you know nothing about the circumstances.

I really try to hold my tongue on this board, but your post was extremely rude, condescending, nasty, obnoxious, and not at all helpful. I'm not sure if I want to cry or punch the computer screen. Who the hell do you think you are?

I think you need to take a step back and not take it so personally. Obviously they didn't know your circumstances, but it's not a totally unreasonable assumption. it wasn't meant as a personal attack, I'm sure.

But back to your op, I know how it feels, trust me, I do. I live in a very small town and had to move back on with my parents because even McDonald's wasn't hiring. When Mickey D's is keeping a high retention rate, you know it's bad.

Can you do baby sitting? No, it's not ideal, but you can potentially make a lot of money off of it. Since you live in a small town, I'm betting Craig's List doesn't really haves section for you, just somewhere close. Check out Facebook, people make groups for small towns and you can check out and advertise yourself for jobs on there.

 

[maelstrom]

I don't mean to make you feel bad, OP'er but it is sad to me that you are 26 y/o, do not have an education, are trapped in the house all day without a car or public transportation, and don't feel as if you have any options. You are way too young to feel like that (not that anyone of any age should feel that way).

Do something! Take charge of your life. Drop your DH off at work everyday so you have a way to get out of the house. If your dream is to be a nail technician, make it work. Get a loan and babysit to help offset the cost.

You seem trapped and it is up to you to break out and lay a new path. Picture yourself in 10 years or 20 years from now. Is this really what you want to be doing?

We can't afford the gas for me to drive my husband back and forth to work everyday, unfortunately. For awhile, the car was in such bad shape that I couldn't even drive it because my husband was afraid that it was literally going to fall apart while driving it. That issue was fixed and I can drive the car now, but again, it would take twice as much gas to drive him back and forth to work versus him just driving himself. We did do it for awhile, about a year back, when the car was healthier and I had a very small amount of income.

As previously mentioned, I am unable to get a loan.

I dislike children and I am not good with them. I would not babysit.

And please do not be concerned, you are not a poster that made me feel bad.

 

[Bungle]

I really try to hold my tongue on this board, but your post was extremely rude, condescending, nasty, obnoxious, and not at all helpful. I'm not sure if I want to cry or punch the computer screen. Who the hell do you think you are?

I think the poster was giving you sound advice on alternatives like getting financial aid, trying other forms of transportation so it seems like they were just answering your question. Just saying. Maybe your attitude could be getting in the way of job opportunities.

As for real ideas there are a lot of grants/scholarships geared towards women. Our college had a phone book looking binder full, but it takes a lot of time to sort through them. I'm sure you can find something to help get you started. Also are student loans an options? There are ones that cover basics that don't need a cosigner and aren't credit based. As for what direction you want to go medical transcription is pretty much fading out. I would try to find something that will be in demand when you are finished. Good luck.

 

[njcarita]

I think you need to take a step back and not take it so personally. Obviously they didn't know your circumstances, but it's not a totally unreasonable assumption. it wasn't meant as a personal attack, I'm sure.

But back to your op, I know how it feels, trust me, I do. I live in a very small town and had to move back on with my parents because even McDonald's wasn't hiring. When Mickey D's is keeping a high retention rate, you know it's bad.

Can you do baby sitting? No, it's not ideal, but you can potentially make a lot of money off of it. Since you live in a small town, I'm betting Craig's List doesn't really haves section for you, just somewhere close. Check out Facebook, people make groups for small towns and you can check out and advertise yourself for jobs on there.

do u have town forum??? my small town does and lists jobs..........post on facebook u are looking for a job that way your friends and family can be extra ears and eyes for you..........one thing my husband did when we needed money early on is office cleaning...............it was great cause he could do in the evenings and weekends after he got off his fulltime job..............maybe its something u can do at night once your husband gets home

 

[maelstrom]

Medical transcription as a career has evolved into some straight transcription and mostly editing of speech recognition technology transcripts. You can study this at home and work at home for a service. The in-hospital jobs and in-office jobs are few and much farther between than there were before the advent of the electronic medical record and speech recognition technology. Some jobs are employee jobs. Many are independent contractor jobs.

Read about this career and others on such forums as workplacelikehome and wahm. If you decide to pursue MT training, make sure your program is on the AHDI approved list. Career Step is a good online school which has a medical transcription editing course. Some colleges use their program. Honors and high honors graduates are finding jobs in the field.

Your community college course may not be up to date. I don't know whether it is or not, but if it only teaches straight transcription, nothing about text expanders or speech recognition editing, it would not prepare you for the workforce. MTE is not easy and is not for everyone.

Thank you for your constructive post. The programme that I am looking at is on the AHDI approved list. I am attending an open house next week where I will be able to ask all the questions that I need to. I will inquire about text expanders and speech recognition editing. Thank you for the pointers.

 

[ladypage]

We can't afford the gas for me to drive my husband back and forth to work everyday, unfortunately. For awhile, the car was in such bad shape that I couldn't even drive it because my husband was afraid that it was literally going to fall apart while driving it. That issue was fixed and I can drive the car now, but again, it would take twice as much gas to drive him back and forth to work versus him just driving himself. We did do it for awhile, about a year back, when the car was healthier and I had a very small amount of income.

As previously mentioned, I am unable to get a loan.

I dislike children and I am not good with them. I would not babysit.

And please do not be concerned, you are not a poster that made me feel bad.

I understand you're rural, but why can't you walk places? Most of the people in my town, even most of the county, do not have cars. They either take the one bus that comes through 3 times in 3 hour increments, or they walk. Many walk 3+ miles everyday, I know my brother has walked 15 miles home from a job (I'm not really suggesting you do this), but it was because he had to do it.

When things are really desperate, you have to be willing to be flexible and do things that you normally wouldn't do, (like babysitting or walking) and deal with it. No, it's not what you want to do, but it may be what you need to do.

 

[maelstrom]

next time your parents offer to take u to disney maybe suggest they spend the money on helping you on your education

My mother is well aware of my desire to further my education. As I stated, she is willing to pay for the Medical Transcription programme or the Medical Billing & Coding Programme. She is not willing to pay for me to attend Nail Tech school. It's her money and she can do with it what she sees fit, of course, but there is no way that she would take the money she planned on using on Disney to send me to Nail Tech school. If SHE feels that the programme or degree is not worthwhile, forget about it.

 

[njcarita]

My mother is well aware of my desire to further my education. As I stated, she is willing to pay for the Medical Transcription programme or the Medical Billing & Coding Programme. She is not willing to pay for me to attend Nail Tech school. It's her money and she can do with it what she sees fit, of course, but there is no way that she would take the money she planned on using on Disney to send me to Nail Tech school. If SHE feels that the programme or degree is not worthwhile, forget about it.

sorry i must have missed that..........you must feel very Blessed to have the parent u have......very few parents would be willing to pay there grown kids education.......does she want to adopt me....PLEASE.............. my next question will the school help place you when u are done????

 

[Jex]

I'm confused, while 46k a year isn't much, I would think in a rural setting the costs of living would be low, none of my business I'm just curious why the money issues.

 

[tnmt]

I have been an at-home MT for over 12 years. Please trust me when I say this is a dying trade. Please look into something else. The school, of course, is going to feed you a load of bull to get you to sign up. Do research on-line and you will see what I mean. I make less now than I did 12 years ago due to voice recognition taking over. It is very tough to get a job when you graduate too. they all want experience, which you will not have.

 

[LisaR]

OP'er, don't take the suggestions and comments too hard. They are meant to give you some ideas.

The poster that suggested cutting all non-essentials doesn't know your situation. Maybe you have already cut everything you can but maybe you haven't. Cable TV, cell phones, and eating out are big things that I find people dish out a ton of unnecessary money for. It is a suggestion to get you to further examine other parts of your life to see where you can make changes.

It is hard not to question the massive amount of trips in your signature. If your mom is funding it fine. If not, that would be the ideal place for you to cut back. It really is a legit question.

I'd go on your community college website and print off a list of all the degrees and certificates they offer. Cross off the ones that don't appeal to you and look into the ones that sound interesting and see if there is any future there. Our community college offers tons of options and they also have some type of retraining program for those out of work. I don't know the details since it doesn't apply to me but I was surprised how much they offer if you dig around a little.

 

[ladypage]

My mother is well aware of my desire to further my education. As I stated, she is willing to pay for the Medical Transcription programme or the Medical Billing & Coding Programme. She is not willing to pay for me to attend Nail Tech school. It's her money and she can do with it what she sees fit, of course, but there is no way that she would take the money she planned on using on Disney to send me to Nail Tech school. If SHE feels that the programme or degree is not worthwhile, forget about it.

Ok, then forget about her paying for it. Many people fund their own education entirely, and I know people who have come from situations that (from the outside of course) are much worse than yours. Why do you have to do what your mom will pay for?

 

[minkydog]

We can't afford the gas for me to drive my husband back and forth to work everyday, unfortunately. For awhile, the car was in such bad shape that I couldn't even drive it because my husband was afraid that it was literally going to fall apart while driving it. That issue was fixed and I can drive the car now, but again, it would take twice as much gas to drive him back and forth to work versus him just driving himself. We did do it for awhile, about a year back, when the car was healthier and I had a very small amount of income.

As previously mentioned, I am unable to get a loan.

I dislike children and I am not good with them. I would not babysit.

And please do not be concerned, you are not a poster that made me feel bad.

When we first got married, we only had one car. DH had a job and I did not. So i would drop him off at his job, then went to look for jobs within to same area. I found one nearby--not my dream job but it helped pay the rent.

You are way to young to give up on yourself. You got mad because someone said you are uneducated--maybe not UN educated, but you are definitiely UNDEReducated. Is there no program at the CC that you might do? I know you are a CPT, but if you can't find a job in that field, then you DO need more education. That particular degree is fairly narrow in scope.

Since you seem to like medical stuff, perhaps you should consider becoming a certified nurse assistant or a medical assistant. The CNA works mostly in nursing homes, assistant living, or home health care(like a sitter for an elderly or disabled person.) A MA works mostly in the doctor's office, taking vital signs, getting health history, doing some minor lab tests, etc.

Have you considered joining the military? Just about any job you could do in civilian life is done in the military.

Have you really thought about what direction you want your life to go? If you'd like to do nail art, perhaps you could take cosmetology at the CC. Once you finish that and take whatever boards, you can get a job doing hair. From that point you might be able to pay your own way through nail art classes.

I grew up poor. My parents couldn't pick up the slack for anything. Everything I have I worked for. I worked as a CNA night shift on a cancer ward. I wiped a lot of puke and stool. I held people's hands as they died. Did I love it? Noooo, but I needed the money. I went to nursing school and after I graduated that, I went BACK to school for more education funded completely by MOI. You do what you have to do, one step at a time.

Time for you to brainstorm. You're throwing up a lot of barriers for yourself. Time to stop living in "I can't" and move to "I will!"

 

[CF'er]

Stafford loans are NOT credit based. If you want to go to nail tech school get a stafford loan to pay for it. Now I don't know WHERE it is in relation to your DH's job and transportation but you say money is the issue stopping you. It doesn't have to be.

 

[Jex]

If the economy is that bad there, is there really a need for nail techs there?