I consider this one of the top correspondence courses in the United States for medical transcription. I mentored several students who took this course, so I have seen the curriculum first hand, and I consider it very thorough and well thought out. It progresses from beginner to advanced in a logical way.
This course is designed to be completed in less time than the other two recommended courses. So if you don't have a year or more to devote to training, this might be the school for you. It has less reports and minutes of transcription, but you will be well grounded by graduation and should have the skills and knowledge to be able to apply to and pass the tests for national transcription companies.
~ Cost in 2009:
Gold level $1,625.00 (this includes everything the platinum level has except for the post-graduation help with job placement. But this level should suffice for most students. You will be ready to be tested and hired. )
Platinum level $1,875.00 (same curriculum as Gold but extras of post graduation one-on-one assistance with job placement)
~ Estimated length of time to complete: 4 months (Career Step says if you devote yourself full time, it should take you 640 hours or 4 months to complete the course. However, from my experience with students, it is more realistic to assume you will not devote full time, and it will take more like 6-9 months to complete.
~ Maximum time allowed to complete: 12 months.
~ Actual physician dictation used: Yes.
~ Minutes of dictation and number of reports: About 1320 minutes, 639 reports.
~ Student forums: Very active online student forum.
~ Military spouse funding (MyCAA program): Yes.
~ Payment plans: Interest-free and interest payment plan options, with scholarships available.
~ Endorsed by AHDI (formerly known as AAMT): Yes.
**For you non-US-based candidates, Career Step has a Canadian affiliated course (CanScribe) and an Australian affiliated course (OzeScribe). You can link to them below. Also Career Step is now branching out and partnering with schools in South Africa and the Philippine, but they have also made special arrangements to include students from US territories. Check with them to see if you can qualify.
I have looked through the web site extensively and based on what I've seen, this school is top notch as far as content and organization of their curriculum, and it is one of a handful of correspondence schools endorsed by the AHDI. The owner, Linda Andrews, a highly qualified MT herself, is very responsive to questions (I've e-mailed her myself). I truly feel she has put together one of the best courses available.
When comparing tuition costs, please notice that Andrews School tuition includes seven of the best reference books as part of the tuition (a full-sized Dorland's medical dictionary and the AAMT Book of Style being just two of them!) and tuition also includes your transcriber equipment. This kind of comprehensive package takes the burden off of YOU having to scout around and find equipment and get your basic reference books. When you sign up with Andrews and receive your package, you're ready to begin.
~ Cost in 2009: $3,800.00
~ Estimated length of time to complete: 9-12 months.
~ Maximum time allowed to complete: Course may be extended at the discretion of the director as long as satisfactory progress is being made.
~ Actual physician dictation used: Yes.
~ Minutes of dictation and number of reports: 3412 minutes, 1048 reports.
A potential student e-mailed me about M-TEC, so I researched it out, and feel I can recommend it as a good choice for an online course. There are only a handful of correspondence schools endorsed by the AHDI, and this school apparently was the first school to receive that distinction.
This school probably compares most evenly with Andrews School. . .about the same cost, about the same amount of dictation offered, about the same amount of reference books and materials included with tuition, interest-free payment plans for both, and about the same amount of time for completion of course.
~ Cost in 2009:
$3,395 (Tier II Premier for health care professionals) *
$3,495 (Tier II Premier for the novice) *
~ Estimated length of time to complete: 12-14 months
~ Maximum time allowed to complete: 18 months.
~ Actual physician dictation used: Yes.
~ Minutes of dictation and number of reports: >2425 minutes, >810reports.
~ Additional minutes/reports available: About 1000 minutes/300 reports.
~ Student forums: Very active online student forum.
~ Military spouse funding (MyCAA): Yes.
~ Payment plans: Interest-free payment plan options.
~ Endorsed by AHDI (formerly known as AAMT): Yes.
M-TEC accepts US and Canadian students.
*This school also offers a Tier I (novice) and Tier II (health care professional) Basic Course for $1,895 and $1,995 but this only gives the beginning transcription tapes and is for entry level positions only (they describe a job position where you will be working with another experienced MT or in-house as part of an MT department). I don't think this course would prove to be worth your time or money. I can't think of anyone who would hire you after doing this much training. The only time this MIGHT work is if you already have a position lined up, for instance, a relative already works for a company/hospital/office and they will let you in the door with that relative's mentoring; therefore, you just need to get the basics under your belt. But for the same price you can have the whole course from beginner to advanced with a school like Career Step, so I just don't see how this would be a viable option. If you are serious about transcription, you really need the Premier course offered by M-TEC or one of the other schools.
Note: The AAMT (American Association for Medical Transcription) recently changed its name to Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). Their website is ahdilonline.org
E-mail me with questions (see "contact me" button above) and
I'll be happy to answer your questions honestly and without "hype."
