Teresa, that's really encouraging as I am taking the At Home Professional courses now. I am just starting Course 4 and have done well so far. I would love to hear any hints or ideas you have about getting started. Will these courses totally prepare me to start work right away? Will the school help me in any way to find work? Leslie

Hi Gina, I had my RNY two years ago. I've been a transcriptionist for a good 20 years. At the time of my surgery, I was working at our local hospital, but after surgery, started working from home. I started back about two weeks after surgery. Like you, I figured I could be sitting in front of the TV or sitting in front of my computer earning morning. I was more than ready. Good luck with your upcoming surgery. Let us know how you do. Teresa

Hi Carrie, I've been a medical transcriptionist for 20 plus years and currently work doing oncology and multi-speciality transcription for large medical teaching facilities. Medical transcription is VERY difficult to get into as everyone requires so many years' experience, but once you are in it, you will always have a job. It is possible to get into it yourself, but it helps to know someone who knows someone...if you know what I mean. It takes a LOT of determination to do. Good luck with your course. I've not heard of Thompson Learning. I took medical transcription classes along with a medical secretarial course and then years later took the At-Home Professions course as a refresher course. It's a great program, and both of my daughters took AHP, too, and are currently both MTs. Take care, Teresa

Boy do I know how you feel. I went to college (continuing ed) for over a year and took all the classes required for med term. No one out there wants to hire you without at least 3 years experience. Our teacher said start anywhere. Become a receptionist, work in a hospital doing anything. She said that's how she started out. Easier said than done. I interviewed for a job several months ago. I am a real good typist and my term skills are good (or so I thought). The woman let me transcribe from a woman doctor. I could barely hear the doctor. The woman, said oh but she is our best doctor. I give her to all the trainees. Well I blew it big time. I left there so defeated. I totally put MT out of my head. Well, I just got my second consultation date today for 4/22 and I figure if everything went will with all my tests I'm looking at a May surgery date. But nooooooooooooooooooo. Things were going too smooth. Today the woman from the typing service called and asked me if I was still interested. She said she saw potential in me. Saw that I really wanted it. She is willing to train me at her home for a couple of days and then setting me up at my house and training me via the phone and email. I was floored. What to do, what to do. I am not going to postpone any potential surgery. I was too chicken to tell her about the pending surgery cause she was complaining that she had 4 ladies out on extended medical or personal leave. But I know I have to tell her, and I will when she calls me next week. Okay, I vented. My advice to you is to keep plugging along. Something will come up. Send out a zillion resumes to every doctor in your area. I wish you luck. Just know that you are not alone. 11 of us graduated at the same time in December and not one of us has had any luck yet. Maybe you can break the spell!! Good luck.

Hi, I am Dianne, a student of VLC online course, and future MT. I am so glad I found this board. What a terrific group of ladies. I took medical terminology at the community college near me, but decided I could finish a lot faster with the online course. I have pretty much finished all of my course except the transcription tapes and the final test. These tapes are going to take a long time. It takes me a hour or more for one tape! I have to look up the meds to make sure I have the right one and spell it right; then I have to look up any medical term I am not sure of and check the spelling on it too. I am really looking forward to the day I can look back on this training time and laugh at how hard I thought it was.