Medical Transcription

Decorating By MainCake Updated 16 Sep 2005 , 8:50pm by Sangria

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MainCake Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 4:43pm
post #1 of 16

This is way off the cake subject but I wanted to ask. I'm taking a class for Medical Transcription. It's with a company called At Home Professions. They send you the work thru the mail and you work at your own pace. My reason for this topic is, I wanted to get some feedback from anyone who #1: does Medical Transcription (from home or at an office) & #2: has firsthand knowledge of this company (At Home Professions). Any input would be wonderful. I'm halfway through the first course and I am finding it pretty easy so far, but I want to make sure this is a legit thing before I spend any more money on other courses...

My goal is to get certified as a transcriptionist and work from home while working on my cake business. Right now, I work at an office which pays well, but is a very long commute. I have very little time with my son or to dedicate to cake decorating. I want to concentrate on my cake biz, but working full time, commuting almost 3 hrs a day and still trying to take care of my family (plus throwing some study time in the mix) kind of makes it hard.

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BJ Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 4:57pm
post #2 of 16

I can't help with the transcriptions - but I would look them up under the BBB to find out any information on the company before you spend any more money for sure. Good luck. thumbs_up.gif

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MainCake Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 5:37pm
post #3 of 16

Yeah, I checked them out on the BBB website. They appear legit and have been very helpful so far. I'm just worried about putting time/$$ into it and not having it be a 'recognized' certificate once I'm out trying to get clients. Just wondering if anyone has any personal experience with this company.

I was also wondering if anyone had any input about working from home. I'm pretty disciplined but I don't know how well I'd do working from home. I'd probably be cleaning house all day!

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MainCake Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 5:44pm
post #4 of 16

Actually, now that I think about it. I'd probably be on this site all day if I worked from home. Not cleaning house!

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momofjil Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 5:56pm
post #5 of 16

I work with a foundation that gives scholarships for schooling. A problem that we have run into is these companies that appear legit may not be worth anything in the "real world". I would check with some local doctor offices. See if they hire or would hire anyone with this type of degree. Also check to see if this degree would be viable in your state. If At Home Professions are located in TX, the degree may only be good in TX. Most times, spending more money for a State College is a better buy because in the end, that piece of paper is worth more than a piece of paper.

As for cleaning house all the time, I have a book at home that has been very helpful for me with starting a home-based business. In this book it talks about how to have a home office, not an office in your home. Meaning how to seperate the two so you still 'step' out of your home, into an office. I will have to look for the title and get back with you next week.

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Fishercakes Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:00pm
post #6 of 16

I am a medical transciptionist, well I used to do it for a living from an office and from home. Now I work for an attorney icon_confused.gificon_surprised.gificon_confused.gif go figure!?!?!

I have never heard of this company, which does mean that they are bad, I just can't help on their credibility.

Hopefully, you are not paying alot for your courses. One word of advice, make sure that this is something that you truly want to do, because there is no sense in wasting your time and money if it isn't. Also keep in mind that if you are doing transcription and decorating cakes you are really at a higher risk of developing carpal tunnel.

I really enjoyed doing transcription from home until I contracted with this one doctor whose philosophy was that her office notes "should read like like a novel". I had the worst time convincing her that they didn't have to be novels. 3-4 pages for a 30 minute office appt was just crazy!!

But any way, sorry to travel off of your topic. Definitely check with the BBB office in the state that they are home based in. Also check our your area to line up contracts for once you finish your course!

Good luck icon_wink.gif

icon_redface.gif Sorry it is so long!!

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ThePastryDiva Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:13pm
post #7 of 16

LONG RANT...

Just because a company is NOT listed in the BBB doesn't mean they are legit. It means that NO ONE has made a complaint about them.

I had reason to experience first hand...I dance Hula with a Hula Halau and we went to competition, we were informed that there would be someone doing the video so we didn't have to pack extra things like vid cams...lol

The man was selling Videos, or DVDS...I ordered my 2 Hula competition videos for $12.95 and went along my merry way without any concerns about taking pictures or videos of the event.

I gave the man cash and S/H charges...got my receipt...and waited patiently for my video to arrive...When I called after waiting several weeks to find out when I'd get my video the guy informs me that I'd have to send him an additional $12.95 because the competion was too long for one tape, if I didn't send him the extra money, the only thing I'd get would be the "highlights" of the competition.

That's NOT what he offered and NOT what I paid for..and the receipt stated so. He offered to return my money to me, but I didn't want the money, I wanted the tape!

I called periodically and emailed this man...then we had a storm that hit Orlando, ( 3 months later...!) so...this man hides behind the storm and says that due to the storm, he suffered damage to his editing equipment but that he has farmed out the work to friends of his and that we would eventually get our tapes.

A couple more phone calls and emails and the man starts to NOT answer his phone and emails starts bouncing back because his mailbox is full.

I called the BBB and reported the company. They investigated, because the man didn't answer the mail nor the phone calls the BBB sent, they dropped the investigation.

Needless to say, I STILL don't have the video...2 years later...no one made a decent copy of the show and this man has absconded with the money....a company hired because there was NOTHING negative listed on the BBB, when the show promoters investigated them.

"BUYER BEWARE!"...lol

(sorry to have highjacked your post, but, just wanted to share that, yes, there is an orginization out there to protect the consumers, but it's only as strong as the people being investigated play by the rules)

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:44pm
post #8 of 16

Well, I think I would back up the comment that though they may well be legit, they may not be recognized. A friend of mine studied "Interior Decorating" through one of these Home Study courses, they were advertised on match books. Though it was legit, nobody would recognize her certification and she had spent a fair amount of money on the courses.
Hugs Squirrely Cakes

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Fishercakes Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:48pm
post #9 of 16

Sorry to hear about your ordeal PastryDiva.

I do agree with PastryDiva on the BBB issue, now that she pointed out the short comings of the BBB. I didn't realize that they drop the whole thing if the "evil doer" doesn't respond.

I received my transcription education from a local business college. But I also made sure that once I graduated that my credits could transfer to other schools so I could go on after my BA if I wanted to. If you are going to try to train for this at home at least go with an accredited and respectable company.

Good luck!

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ThePastryDiva Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:54pm
post #10 of 16

SquirrellyCakes

TRU DAT!

I have been a " Certified Pastry Chef " since 1995...I got my certification from Peter Krump's Cooking School in NYC. ( not to impressive I guess)

Now that it's the NEW YORK RESTAURANT SCHOOL ( I think..and the Pastry Dean is Jaques Torre..well, that's a horse of another color..lol)

That's why NOW, I'm attending Johnson and Wales...not because I'm really learning anything new...but because the accreditation CARRIES weight.

(JWU, has been refered to as the HARVARD of Culinary Schools...personally I would rather have gone to the CIA...Culinary Institute of America..lol)

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Fishercakes Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 6:55pm
post #11 of 16

One other thing to keep in mind...

Make sure that your training is in more than just transcription. It should also cover medical billing and coding, ICD-9 and CPT codes, medical terminology, etc. That way if you do get bored or overwhelmed with the transcription you can at least process medical bills and do coding for a supplemental income. They have clearing houses that you can process them through.

I have seen ads where some companies will teach you "medical transcription" but then charge separately for "medical terminology". Go figure...how can you type the word your are transcribing if you don't know how to spell it or what it means?!?

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 7:12pm
post #12 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePastryDiva

SquirrellyCakes

TRU DAT!

I have been a " Certified Pastry Chef " since 1995...I got my certification from Peter Krump's Cooking School in NYC. ( not to impressive I guess)

Now that it's the NEW YORK RESTAURANT SCHOOL ( I think..and the Pastry Dean is Jaques Torre..well, that's a horse of another color..lol)

That's why NOW, I'm attending Johnson and Wales...not because I'm really learning anything new...but because the accreditation CARRIES weight.

(JWU, has been refered to as the HARVARD of Culinary Schools...personally I would rather have gone to the CIA...Culinary Institute of America..lol)



My favourite all round cookbook is from the Culinary Arts Institute. It has all the basics, apparently was originally a give away from some insurance companies, my mother had an old copy, mine is about 30 years old, haha old enough, but it was actually purchased.
Good warnings from all though, I graduated from "The School of Hard Knocks" and am working on my PhD from them, haha!
But you are all so right, you have to investigate and some schools carry much more weight than others do.
I have a friend that studied Medical Transcription in college and has since gone back to take it at university for better recognition. I have a feeling that you really cannot do these kinds of courses in a home study situation unless you are hooked up by computer to lessons on-line at a University, but I could be wrong.
Hugs Squirrelly

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frogfiend Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 7:14pm
post #13 of 16

I checked into a transcription training like you are talking about. I wanted to work from home also. But I found in my research that unless you have several years experience, companies wont hire you to do at home work. I also started to take accouting through an online school, and found that the credibility was as worthless as a bump on a log. Now I am in school through an accredited university. Just check really close and make sure in your area you can get the job when you are done. Make sure it is not one of those places that promises the moon and you end up with cheese.

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MainCake Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 7:29pm
post #14 of 16

Oh, now I'm depressed. Thank you all for your advice and input. I actually checked out the course several years ago and opted not to do it because of the carpal tunnel thing and the 'feeling' it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But this summer they held another seminar and I was desperate for a quick and easy way to get certified. I know that if I attempted to take a course at a community college, I'd probably drop out half way through. The closest college to me is 1/2 hr away. I work full time and am in no position financially to quit or even go back to part time. I have a long commute every day and I had a hard enough time putting my son into daycare to begin with. I cannot imagine seeing him less than what I already am. So the at home thing sounded perfect. I'm only obligated to pay for the first course. I've already paid for 1/2 of it so I don't owe much on it anymore. If I choose not to continue with the certification, I do not have to pay for any of the other courses. So I guess that's a good thing about this whole situation. If anyone has heard about or became certified for anything with At Home Professions, please let me know how it worked for you. I'm very curious! Especially before I make any further decisions about continuing or dropping the course...

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Gingoodies Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 8:24pm
post #15 of 16

Pastry Diva.. just a clarification... Peter Kump's school is now known as "The Institute of Culinary Education". (I get their newsletter). Also I think Jaques Torres is a dean at the French Culinary Institute.

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Sangria Posted 16 Sep 2005 , 8:50pm
post #16 of 16

I don't know how much help it is but lots of universities now are offering online classes.

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