Is Transcription Even Viable Anymore?
I've been watching the various online forums with a new eye since embarking on my journey to a new career and I think it's done nothing but bolster my jaded view of the MT world.
In the Advance forums, Lisa Algeo asks for feedback on bad transcription or coding schools--which has almost entirely consisted of discussion of coding courses. I suspect if she had broken this down into two topics, the transcription discussion would have few, if any, replies at this time, aside from the usual promotion of AAMT's school approval process--a process which, in my humble opinion, started with the best of intentions and quickly deteriorated into a tainted money-making gimmick, thanks to lowered standards and apparent sweetheart deals. If nothing else, it lumps schools that barely meet the requirements on a par with schools that have set the standards for MT training (i.e. Andrews and M-TEC), both of which produce graduates who not only find jobs quickly upon graduation, but are able to pick and choose. In contrast, other graduates are either shuttled through internships because they're not ready to dive straight into the workplace or find their diploma doesn't get their foot in the door to even test for jobs. (Yes, I know they've changed their name and are no longer about "American" or "medical transcription" anymore, but the fact remains that "AAMT" is what we associate with them, no matter how many times they change their acronym.)
There is a dearth of information for potential students, as far as making an informed decision on their education and more often than not, we learn after the fact that we've chosen poorly. Not even taking into consideration the matchbook schools that are solely in it to rake in tuition bucks, and given the purported level playing field claimed by AAMT, students often choose a course based on faulty logic: Why pay $3000 for a course when I can get the "same" training for half that? Well, the sad fact is that by the time you struggle through that cheaper course that comes with no instructors, few reference materials, and often inaccurate or outdated instruction, you're going to end up paying much more to supplement with those same reference materials for the job, remedial transcription materials, and still no guarantee that you know what you're doing. There's an old adage about how a lawyer representing himself has a fool for a client and I think that applies to education even more. You can have the identical textbooks the good courses use, but without a qualified instructor, you can't teach yourself what you don't already know. Even if you could, how much longer would it take you than if you'd just gone with the right school to begin with? Even more important, how much is it worth to you to be ready to make the most money possible as quickly as possible on the job? No, even great training isn't going to make you an expert, but it is going to ensure you don't waste the first six months on the job learning stuff you should have known already. MT wages are low enough these days and if you're struggling to churn out 300 lines a day because you have to research everything, you're not going to last long as an MT.
It seems like most of the transcription questions I see posted are heart-wrenching tales of education gone wrong, people who've found they've invested precious savings and months of effort, only to find things are not as rosy as depicted in those glossy ads for cheerful mommies making $60K a year whilst their well-behaved toddlers perch on their laps. Almost worse are the tales of folks who have chosen well and love the job, but are now facing plummeting wages and speech recognition woes. Contrary to what the vendors are telling clients, SR is not that wonderful money-saver because it's so efficient. It's cheaper largely because instead of paying an MT to transcribe lousy dictations, they're calling MTs editors now and cutting their wages in half or less and requiring double the production, even though they're often finding they're still really doing basic transcription because the SR output is so bad, in essence working twice as hard for half the money. As speech recognition and EMR take over, I'm afraid we're all doomed to transitioning out of straight transcription. It does not matter that canned text and point-and-click records do not make for a cohesive medical record, it's the bottom line that's being sold.
True to form, proponents of AAMT are still claiming a rosy picture for MT, even if our jobs transform into something totally different. In The MT Parachute, we were recently told to expand our skill set, go back to school, get our CMT, and I guess learn to love speech recognition. I'm afraid I found the interpretation of a "parachute" less than logical, as it wasn't actually advocating parachuting to anything viable, just the same AAMT party line.
So yeah, I'm having a "bad MT day." I still love my job, actually, but I see these things barreling down the pike and it has me nervous. This is what prompted my foray toward CTR, after all. I think part of what appeals to me is that the organizational setup for groups like AHIMA and NCRA seems to be done in a much more professional manner than I've been accustomed to as an MT. Of course, I'm a newbie to this side of the fence and not privy to the grapevine yet, but so far, I have a much better feeling about things like school accreditation and member advocacy.
Now, if I could just fast forward to the end of my course so I see more of the picture. After whining last time about a lack of time, I spent my weekend cramming my head full of cell structure, mitosis, osmosis, and all kinds of good things--only to find that I was supposed to jump ahead 15 chapters. Good news seems to be that I can still learn. Bad news is that I apparently have issues with following directions. Gotta love mistakes--no better way to cement a concept in my head than to mortify myself with a doozy. At least learning is something you can never overdo. Now, next time someone asks me to diagram a cell, I'll be ready! In the short term, interestingly enough, I'm already finding that studying anatomy and physiology really has enhanced my understanding of my current job--something I didn't really anticipate, but a great bonus!