My Story

From chatting with friends and other MTs, I was discouraged about working at Home.  As a student and later a graduate, I was told it was too hard to be a WAHM without quite a bit of experience. I was told I should start as an employee in a clinic.  Go to work for 2 years and at least get some experience before trying to do the WAHM thing.  So, I was scared I might fail.  It helped so much that Med Workshops had contracts with Transcription companies to hire their graduates for work at Home.  Their Job Placement Program made me feel secure.  I also met a couple of grads who were doing great by starting to work at home right out of school.

Right out of the gate, I was hired by TNI Transcription (a job I still have), who contracted with Med Workshops transcription school.  I started with entry level clinic work.  It was such a good place for me to get my feet wet. I struggled for a month, but working with my school mentor gave me the confidence I needed to know I would do just fine.  And that is the way it happened. I have enjoyed success and have moved up in my skill level and my speed.

I don't know why there is all this sentiment against taking a WAHM job at the beginning of one's career. I guess some schools just don't prepare their students well enough. Maybe some people perceive home MTs as lazy typists who have a leisure life and come and go as they please.

Work is still work. Some people have the misconception that it's easy or just a part time thing requiring little effort. I'm a professional and I take pride in that. It also gives me a HUGE sense of security. I intend on doing a great job and maintaining my reputation. The medical transcription community is much smaller than I thought. Bad news about someone's work gets around.

Today I'm a well paid WAHM with freedom I never expected to have. I don't commute, I take care of family when I break from work, I set my own schedule and I have a cute little office of my own.

The most important thing a "newbie" can do is get good training and take an internship.  Next, if you can make yourself stand out, do so! Sometimes I am asked if I can help with rush jobs or help clean out a backlog of work.  I do it!!  I actually get calls thanking me for doing a little extra or working late. One of my Docs recently wrote my company a note saying he realized just HOW GOOD MY WORK is. I love it!  It's almost all upside and I wouldn't change a thing.

"Motivation got me started.  Learning moved me ahead to my goal."