Posted by Brenda on April 17, 2000, at 13:19:04
In reply to Re: To Brenda, the medical transcriptionist, posted by Jennifer D. on April 17, 2000, at 6:00:57
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> Brenda- I was trained at my local community college for medical transcription along with Medical Terminology With Anatomy. I might add I made straight "A's"...and received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. I bought a new computer, dictaphone, and $$$ worth of medical dictionaries, spellers, drug books, etc. I've been transcribing now for over five years. I have had quite a few medical offices using my "at home" transcription service, but to be quite honest, they are far and few in-between. It isn't because they are not satisfied with my work...it is because they want the work done in their office. I have to pound the pavement from dusk to dawn, 6 days a week and hope for a couple days worth of work to do at home every month!!! (This is so frustrating). I am lucky if I do get a couple of days. So, Brenda, unless you sign on with one of the big companies (like Total E-Med) who hire homeworkers to do medical transcription, you're better off going to work in a doctor's office rather than doing it at home.Craig, et.al, re MT work at home. I stumbled into the profession. I had been working in HR in a large company, as a result I had good computer skills. I left that company (HR sucks!) about three years ago. I wanted to work at home so I created my own brochures, bus. cards, ltrhead, etc., purchased transcription equip., fax, medical spellcheck software (very important) got a small bus. license and sent out hundreds of brochures. It took about $5000 to start. I at first targeted the legal field because I knew more about that. Then I got a call from a surgeons office to transcribe referral letters. I jumped at the work. Problem was I knew NOTHING about medical anything. I quickly found a class on medical terminology. That did the trick. The first Dr.'s office I worked for was very patient and helpful with my mistakes. I lucked out there. I also purchased the Dr.'s Little Blue Book. Names and addresses of all the doctors in my area. I sent out brochures and letters to every single one of them. Slowly my business grew. I charge 12 cents a line and I've had to turn work away. I pick up tapes at the Dr.'s offices and then 48 hrs. later I deliver the documents. All of my work has come from the brochures I sent out, with the exception of that first surgeon - I was going door to door to every doctors office in my city (San Diego) handing out brochures. I am not a certified MT. Only the big companies care about that. My doctors only care that my work is error free and on-time. Also, if you work for a big company or hospital you make a lot less money. I can make about $25 an hour being an independent. The big companies start you out around 5 or 6 cents a line. Being an independent I only have to work about four hours a day. One thing - I couldn't have done this if my son was still living at home. I needed all the benefits a large company had to offer while my son was growing up. I am able to get health insur. through my husband's company. Or you can insure yourself through Blue Cross or some other HMO. The benefit to sending out thousands of brochures is that the Dr.'s office will save them, and if they lose their transcriptionist they will call you. It's difficult for Dr.'s offices to find independents. That is how I got 99% of my business. I also refer the work I can't take on to the local Junior college MT program. Another thing you can do is join your local chapter of the American Assoc. of MT.They'll send you a list of all the MT members in your area. One of the MT's from the group wanted me to take over her bus. when she retired. I don't know anything about the mail order MT business. For me the best thing was to get my name out in the community. After I sent out the brochures, I followed up four months later with postcards.
Let me know if you'd like me to send you copies of the stuff I created for ideas. If you do, I'll enclose my e-mail address then - and you can send me your address.
I'll help however I can. Thanks for asking. B
poster:Brenda
thread:29693
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30342.html