The Career Step Medical Transcription Course
Ranked #1,262 in Education, #30,398 overall
How I got started with medical transcription and Career Step.
I looked into several schools, but with my husband on unemployment and in school, we really couldn't afford the price of some of them. I found Career Step and did even more research on it. Was it a scam? What were the courses like? Were graduates getting jobs? I found the answers to all of my questions and decided to take the plunge. I started taking the medical transcription course with Career Step on December 15, 2009.
The modules that have been the hardest for me would probably be those that involve grammar and punctuation. I thought that I was pretty decent at it, having taken AP English in high school, but apparently there was a lot of material that I was not taught because those modules were really difficult. The modules that I have enjoyed the most would be Medical Terminology and Clinic Notes. I liked Medical Terminology because I was learning the meanings of the word parts, which makes it so much easier to understand those long, long medical words. I like Clinic Notes because it is the first module where you are actually transcribing a report. It's quite challenging, but it's also very rewarding to see yourself become more skilled in all the things that you have learned up to that point.
So without further ado, I would like to share what I've learned with you, so that you can better decide if Career Step is right for you.
Note: You can find a list of helpful links near the bottom of page. The links include forums and general transcription companies.
UPDATE: I will not be finishing the MT course. I've ended up working as a virtual assistant and I'm getting ready to start my own VA business as well. There simply isn't time to do everything!
Last Updated: 3/19/11
Table of Contents
- What is Career Step?
- Is Career Step a scam?
- How much does it cost?
- How long does it take?
- What is the course material like?
- The Best Medical Transcription Products
- Are graduates getting jobs?
- How can I enroll?
- Here are some other helpful transcription-related links
- How do you feel about Career Step?
- Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you.
- Medical Transcription Items
- About HorseHelper
- Want to read more from me?
What is Career Step?
Located in Provo, Utah, Career Step offers online classes to train you in medical transcription or medical coding and billing. They have been offering classes since 1992, and they are the nation's leading provider in medical transcription training. They also offer online classes for medical coding and billing, prep courses for the RMT and CMT tests, and they have just introduced a course for medical transcription editors.Career Step was founded by Andrea Anaya, who says: "My goal when I started was this: a medical transcription course that is comprehensive, easy to use, and contains enough practical experience so that anyone who goes through it conscientiously WILL be able to do transcription when they are finished. And, just as important, a course that is affordable."
They are partnered with some of the large medical transcription companies, and these companies often hire CS graduates.
The following are companies that are partnered with CS:
Spheris
MedQuist
ALL TYPE
Alpha Transcription
Amphion Medical Solutions
Ascend Healthcare Systems
CAT Transcription, "We work directly with Career Step because we feel their program prepares MTs to be ready to work on day one. "
Encompass Medical Transcription
eMTS
eTransPlus
Focus Informatics
Office Business Systems
Presynct Technologies
Sten-Tel
Is Career Step a scam?
No! Career Step is recognized by the ADHI (Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity) as an approved education program, it is accredited by the BBB, and it is registered as an educational institution in Utah under the Utah Postsecondary Proprietary School Act (Title 13, Chapter 34, Utah Code).Career Step has also been recognized by Inc. 500 as one of the nation's fastest growing companies.
Career Step is not accredited. From their website: "Accreditation is a peer review process extensively used in education. Career Step has not sought to be accredited (1) because of the expense, (2) because its program is competency based, (3) because traditional approaches to training medical transcriptionists are often both accredited and inadequate, (4) because external reviewers are unlikely to offer suggestions for improving our program, and finally, (5) because there is no commonly shared definition of shared content nor a professional organization at present by means of which content codification could be engineered or by means of which students could transfer from one program to another."
Do your own research and decide for yourself. You should always do this for anything that you are thinking of spending money on. Don't just take somebody's word for it.
How much does it cost?
Career Step has two different enrollment options for you to choose from. The recommended option, the Platinum level, will run you $1875, and the Gold level costs $1625.Both levels have:
The Platinum level includes:
I signed up with the Platinum Level because I knew I would need a lot of help with my resume and phone interviews. However, many people sign up with the Gold level and do just fine. There is an option to upgrade to the Platinum after you have enrolled, so you could sign up at the Gold level and upgrade if you needed to.
They offer a few other things that you can buy that might help you with your studies. These are the text companion ($250) and the audio CD library ($50). They charge S&H too. I personally did not purchase the extras and I don't feel that they are necessary to succeed in the course.
If you like the course but don't want to spend that much, you can take the course through FTCC (Fayetteville Technical Community College). UPDATE: The FTCC course is no longer available to out-of-state students. They offer the medical transcription course for a total of $350. They are partnered with Career Step, so the course is the exact same one that CS offers. They do put you on a schedule though. The course is split into 2 parts, and they expect each part to be completed in 16 weeks.
How long does it take?
The course can be completed in as little as 4 months, but most people take 6 to 9 months to finish it. There are even some people that have been working on it for over a year!The length of time will really depend on you and your schedule.
What is the course material like?
The best word to describe the course is "challenging." The medical transcription course has 21 modules and is split into 2 parts. The first part is the Pre-Practicum. It contains modules on medical terminology, grammar and punctuation, keyboarding, pharmacology, anatomy and disease, and building the medical record (to name a few.) The second part is the Practicum. It is one of the most challenging parts of the course because it has 800 medical reports for you to transcribe. These reports can be very difficult to transcribe because some of the dictating doctors are ESLs (English as a Second Language), speed talkers, and/or mush mouths.You will get out of the course what you put into it. If you aren't putting much time or effort into it than you will have a hard time completing the course and finding a job afterward. However, if you are really working hard on it, than you will learn what you need to know and be prepared to do an excellent job for your new employer.
The Best Medical Transcription Products
Are graduates getting jobs?
I have read many posts around the web from graduates who were hired shortly after graduation, or even before they were done with the course! Many graduates take a little longer to find a job, but it all seems to depend on timing and testing. There is a slow period from October to February where many companies aren't looking to hire, and many MTs have a harder time finding a job during the slow season. How well you do on an employer's test is probably the most critical thing to getting hired.Many new MTs see that companies require 2+ years experience to be hired and pass that company by without bothering to test with them. It is important to understand the reason why companies say that is because they don't want people applying who have no training. Yes, they do prefer that you have a couple of years experience, but they will still hire you if you do well on their tests and interview.
The majority of the complaints I have heard are from people who think that a job will be handed to them on a silver platter after they graduate. There is no school in existence that can guarantee you a job. This is true for any profession, not just medical transcription. Career Step will give you the training and support you need to get a job, but it is up to you to pass an employer's testing and interviews.
How can I enroll?
You can enroll by going clicking here.NOTE: I would highly recommend trying general transcription before you start taking any courses. That way you can decide if transcription is even something you like.
I recommend applying with QuickTate. They don't pay much, but they will hire just about anybody. It's a great way to figure out if transcription is really something you want to do and get some experience under your belt too.
I have provided links to numerous general transcription companies, including QuickTate, farther down the page.
Here are some other helpful transcription-related links
Guru
eLance
ODesk- I was just recently hired through this website for a part-time virtual assistant position. It's completely free to use and your pay is guaranteed for hourly jobs.
Forums:
Transcription Essentials
MTDaily
MTStars
General Transcription Companies:
Accutran Global jobs@accutranglobal.com
ANP Transcriptions
Cambridge Transcription
Modern Day Scribe
eWord Solutions
Morningside Partners
Mountain West Processing
Net Transcripts
SpeakWrite
Tigerfish
Ubiqus
Verbal Ink
QuickTate
TASK Transcription
Mass Transcription
Film, TV, and Broadcast
Large list of transcription services
ChaCha- You can do transcription with ChaCha after you've worked as a guide for a few weeks. A guide answers people's question with a summary of information they've found on the internet and a link to the source. When you do transcription with ChaCha, you transcribe short voice mails that people have left into questions to be sent to guides for an answer. Quick and easy!
I hope you find these helpful!
How do you feel about Career Step?
What do you think of Career Step? Is it the best school for MT training or do you think there's a better school? Let us know!
What's the best school to take medical transcription at?
Career Step's the best!
transcriptionnet says:
career step is a great option
Sonia says:
I am taking this course right now. I am doing the practicium. There is no way that someone can complete this course in 4 months, unless they work at it 24 hours a day. I am a nurse with a master's degree. I have extensive knowledge of medial terminology. However, there are almost 900 reports to transcribe during the practicium. Sometimes, they are so difficult to ear, that you might spend 30 minutes on a 1 minute audio file. Let's say someone does 10 reports per day for 90 days, they would finish the practicium in 3 months. But remember that the pre-practicium part is quite long and there is no way you can do this in one month. I had planned to finish this course in 6 months, but it will be more like 9, if I work at it non-stop. Overall, the course is super, but you need lots of self-discipline and research skills, as you are on your own. I had to contact student services only once and they replied within minutes. I would recommend the course but be warned that it is long and tedious. Have fun !
n1674100 says:
I took the Career Step course too and found it to be excellent. I have been a medical transcriptionist for years and love my job. One of my favorite medical transcription resource sites is www.transcriptionology.com
Amanda says:
The Career Step course is awesome! There is a TON of dictation but it is excellent practice! They have a great new course demo where you can now see what the course is like before you enroll! http://careerstep.com/demo/?uid=ref11431
JodiVee says:
By the sound of it, it seems like Career Step is a great option for people who live in the US. What about those of us in Canada? What school would you recommend there?
MT_Training says:
Not bad! That was a brilliant piece of information. I have bookmarked your page and added on to my favorites. Hope to get similar exciting info from you on a regular basis. I Medical Transcription Training will share this with my friends.
HorseHelper says:
My choice is obvious, I love Career Step!
Go somewhere else!
Anonynonanon says:
All these people who are pushing Career Step? They're getting paid for it. I inquired about the course and decided against it. Not ten minutes later, I got an email from Career Step telling me that I can make money by pushing their course. They use affiliates to give them great reviews. How good can they really be if they can't rely on their reputation alone to enroll students? I say steer clear.
mihgasper says:
I don't know enough about Career Step to recommend it, so I guess I am undecided...
CherryRidgePonies says:
I have been taking the Career Step program for this past year, and have reached the final "Acute Care" practicum module, and stopped. I definitely have decided that I do not want to sit and type non-stop, straining to make out the garbled speech of some medical professional. It is exhausting. I love interaction with other people, and am extremely bored with transcription.
I would simply like to say that I find it very odd that there seems to be such an array of MT programs available these days. Especially when we now have transcription software which allows the doctor to dictate directly to the computer while it makes out the report exactly as dictated. Also, transcription jobs are being outsourced overseas and anywhere cheap labor is available. My friend had this happen to her MT job.
It seems to me that perhaps, many of these training programs may be becoming obsolete. Look around for other options before investing your hard-earned money in a program like this. Just my two cents on Career Step, and any other medical transcription training program.
tssfacts says:
Online schooling can be very good. I am not really familiar with this school it's hard to say one way or the other.
BeenThereDoneThat says:
Course is extremely superficial; it just skims the surface. When I went to prepare for the RMT exam, I saw how poorly prepared I was after graduating from Career Step. STAY AWAY FROM CAREER STEP.
Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you.
Got something to say? Let me know about it! Anyone can leave a comment, but if you want to give me a thumbs up you'll have to join Squidoo. It's free!
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Brit
Apr 26, 2012 @ 6:21 pm | delete
- Has anyone done their Admin. Assistant program? I would like to give it a try but haven't heard anything on it. Thanks in advance.
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brynimagire
Mar 27, 2012 @ 6:19 am | delete
- Fantastic lens, alot of helpful information
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mihgasper
Feb 24, 2012 @ 2:53 pm | delete
- Thank for interesting info, I'll check some more resources... Thumbs up!
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Brandilyn S
Feb 8, 2012 @ 12:15 pm | delete
- I am curious to know who accredited this school, I would also like a source other then the Career Step website, so I can see it for myself.
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Jill S
Jan 22, 2012 @ 2:50 am | delete
- I totally agree with Sonia. Love the course, but there is no way to complete it in 4 months unless you commit to it 24/7. You will either go blink or end up with carpal tunnel. All joking aside. I have completed 60% if the training. I am wrapping up the clinical notes section (300 dictations w/still 500 to go!) This is intensive but feel confident that I will know how to do the job when I finish. Also, from what I see when I search for jobs, there are plenty companies hiring. No shortage there. My advice: Don't rush it, quality over quantity. Build a solid understanding so when you are ready to interview and test for a job, you are not disappointed. I think it's a great work-from-home opportunity!
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I'm currently taking the Medical Transcription course offered through Career Step. I wanted to share my experiences so you can make an informed decisi... more »
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