Online Medical Classes

does anyone know about being a medical transcriptionist?im taking a class online and i need some opinions?

i am recentley taking a class for medical trans. through penn foster online and they said i get my certificate at the end of the course. it seems to good to be true though. it only is going to take me 6 months to do and i havent had any typing courses yet and im sure that is a big part of it. right? well if anyone is a medical trans or is taking a class also please give me some info. thanks so much!

Public Comments

1. How far into the course are you? It is possible to work from home as a Medical Transcriptionist, but Penn Foster is NOT a good choice. I get e-mails weekly from graduates of their program who simply can not find work. Just last week, a very upset mother wrote me, asking for help in finding a job after being told, time and again, that employers would not hire graduates of PF. Most employers require experience or participation in one of the top AHDI approved schools. If your looking into Medical Transcription pay the extra in tuition to attend an 'approved' school. The top three schools are Career Step, Andrews, and M-Tec. Attending any other school would be a waste of your time and money. Many people have received training through inadequate programs only to find out that they are unable to find a job. AHDI sets the standards for MT courses. Employers know that graduates of these 'approved' courses have gained the skills necessary to begin their career as an MT. ------ AHDI is the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity - www.ahdionline.org (formerly known as the American Association for Medical Transcription). I attended Career Step and recieved a job (at-home) less than a week after graduating. I've received several more job offers since, but have stuck with my original employer because of the flexibility they offer. Career Step is an AHDI approved program and they are partnered with many of the major MT employers. In other words, their graduates get the jobs. Many companies require 2-3 years experience, however, a lot of these companies will waive this requirement if you graduate from the right school. I recommend CS because they are partnered with MANY employers, self-paced (you can finish in a few months or take as long as over a year or two), and more affordable than the other top 2 courses. Plus, I have personal experience (and success) with the program. The SUM program is a specific set of dictations that a lot of schools use to train MTs. CS feels that the SUM tapes can become out-dated easily and are not often updated. CS does not use the SUM tapes. The dictations that are used in the Career Step course are actual doctor dictated reports that are acquired from transcription companies. These dictations are ones that actual transcriptionists are working on in the field. They are updated frequently, so students are getting hands-on practice in the most up-to-date reports with up-to-date terminology. Attending your local community college will give you a good chance at a job in-house, but if you are wanting to work from home, an online 'approved' course is the way to go. Choosing the right school is so important! They do offer financial aid and payment plans. :)