CAI Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long does the program take to complete? The program is approximately a 300-hour program. On average, students usually complete it within four to nine month's time, but the program is designed to be totally self-paced and the initial time completion is one year with optional month to month extension.

Is there a time limit for completion? We allow one year as of June 2007 from the time you enroll for completion (excluding the testing process). Should you need more time than the one year allowed, we do offer a pay by month extension at a fee of $50.00 per month for however many more months you require. How the tuition fee works is the original cost you pay for the course incorporates a tuition fee, as well as the cost of the course materials. This tuition fee is based on a one year period of time and pays for the day to day operational cost to run the physical school thus allowing us to be available to every student for instructional,technical,testing, and job placement support. The pay by month extension if needed is required so that we can continue to offer these services to you during that extension period. Other no cost extensions may also be given due to health reasons with appropriate medical documentation required.

What are the requirements for enrollment? High school diploma/equivalency is advised. You should be able to type at least 45 to 50 wpm proficiently. No medical background is necessary however; a good spelling/grammar aptitude is a plus.

On average, how much can a medical transcriptionist earn? A set hourly rate is difficult to establish in this profession since most at home transcriptionists work by production i.e. page or line rate. However, on average a properly trained transcriptionist can average up to $25.00 per hour approximately 3 to 6 months into working. It is important to remember that although earnings in this field can be substantial, it does take time to get to that level. Even with the most vigorous training, MTs still continue with on the job training once they become employed. It takes time to become familiar with different software programs, dictators, build the confidence you need to not have to reference every little word, and to increase your production.

Do at home transcriptionists receive any type of benefits? Working at home is actually a benefit in itself. Because you work out of your home this can mean a substantial savings. This savings can consist of day care costs, clothing expenses, traveling expenses, meal expenses, and even time that is taken unpaid. With all of these components taken into consideration, a transcriptionist working at home earning 20K part time can substantially increase his/her earning power by just tacking on the savings stated above. This can amount to as much as 10K per year thus increasing earnings to 30K per year. Another factor is substantial tax savings related to using your home as an office. This too can increase your earnings substantially. As for benefits themselves, over the past few years many companies are now offering medical benefits, paid time off, pension plans, life insurance, etc. So all in all, being a transcriptionist can be very, very lucrative.

Do I need a transcriber to complete the program? Although it is possible to complete the program without a transcriber, I do not recommend it. Using media player without a foot pedal will be difficult when it comes to doing the actual transcription in the program in that you have to keep taking your hands off of the keyboard to manually control the CD. Using a transcriber allows you the ability to keep your hands on the keyboard through the use of a foot pedal, which controls the movement. A transcriber may also have functions such as, an auto backspace that will prevent you from losing your place. This is very important in order to maintain the concentration needed to properly transcribe the documents with the utmost accuracy.

Do companies test and hire your graduates for at home positions? Yes they do. We have had many national and smaller transcription companies test and hire our graduates directly following completion of the program.

Do you offer job placement assistance? Yes, we do offer job placement assistance. Although no one can guarantee a job in any field, we do our best to provide you with job leads and referrals for testing. To date, our track record for referring and placing graduates or having graduates hired by companies has been substantial. We pride ourself in not only offering the training aspect, but also completing it with as many job placements we can.

Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau? Yes, we are a member of the BBB both online and locally. You can go to our home page and click on the BBB Reliability Seal to view our credentials and standing. We have been a member of the BBB for over 3 years now and our standing has been impeccable.

Do I have to be a resident of New Jersey to enroll in the program? No, you do not have to be a resident of New Jersey in order to enroll in our program. We are licensed by the NJ State Department of Education to offer our distance learning program. This does not mean you have to reside in New Jersey. It basically gives you complete assurance that our training program and school guidelines are monitored and approved by the State of NJ.

Do you offer online and phone assistance/support to your students? We offer both online support via email and via a toll free student line. You may contact us via phone or email Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m and 5 p.m. EST. During off-hours, you may also contact us via email.

Am I required to take the final examination? If you would like to receive a certificate/diploma, the final examination is required. Receipt of this certificate also allows you to use the CAI school name as a reference for training completion.

Do I have to be certified by the AAMT in order to work in the profession? No, you do not have to be certified by any organization in order to work in this profession. There are no mandatory or government mandated laws or testing regarding Medical Transcription. Taking a specific test does not increase your chances for more job opportunities or better earnings. This is basically a personal choice.

Does every employer/physician follow the AAMT guidelines The answer is no they do not. The AAMT is a private organization established and operated by medical transcriptionists. One of their goals was to establish a universal method of doing medical transcription. And although the guidelines they have established in their Book of Style are great to refer to when in doubt, not all physicians or employers follow these guidelines. The reality is that employers/physicians pay you to transcribe documents according to their specific instructions, which more than often do not follow the AAMT guidelines. The problem here is that although it is a good plan to try to get all medical transcriptionists to use one universal set of rules, the reality is that we have no say over how a client wants something done since they are paying us. It is not up to us to decide how a specific document is to be formatted or transcribed, but up to the physician/employer. They establish the guidelines you will follow for their documents. Ultimately, the AAMT concept is a good one, but in order to realize it, both parties, the transcriptionist and physician/employer would have to be on the same page. We at CAI, train you to be adaptable and flexible when it comes to style. Whatever a physician or employer wants, that's the way you do it. If they want you to implement the AAMT BOS, then it would be prudent to purchase that book as such. There have been occasions where employers ask us if our students are trained according to AAMT guidelines and not because they want them to be, but because they have found that is is very difficult to unteach someone, who is led to believe that the AAMT style is the only way, to unteach them to adapt to changing that style according to each physician's samples or instructions.
Why is your program less costly than many other programs? With Medical Transcription becoming such a sought after job because of its at home work possibilities and lucrative earnings, along with the fact that the technology has advanced so much in the last few years allowing more and more transcriptionists to work for companies that aren't in their local vicinity, the training costs have reflected this. It is common sense that the more people want something, the more you charge them for it. Well, in my personal opinion, I don't feel this benefits anyone except the person providing the training. I've been in this profession over 15 years and have seen training costs soar, but have not seen anything that has substantially changed in the training process to account for these high costs. I offer you a quality program with all of the components necessary to become work ready and I make a living at doing that, not a fortune.

Will I be able to talk with other students/graduates before and during training? Yes, you can talk with other students/graduates through our training discussion board, which is accessible from our home page. Over the past two years this has become a great support system for both students and graduates. It also helps out prospective students with questions and concerns they may have prior to enrolling.

Do I need to purchase anything other than the final examination? No, there are no other components to purchase other than paying the exam fee. The exam fee at this time is $89.00 for one final examination, however, we do also offer a 2nd re-test at no extra charge if the student scores borderline and it is felt by the instructor to be of benefit to the student. We do not include this in the program since many are budgeting and every little bit helps. This allows students to pay the exam fee when they are ready instead of paying it up front thus paying for something they will not need until 4 to 6 months down the line.

Are the transcription CDs you offer actual doctor dictation and do they encompass different dialects and levels of difficulty? Yes, the CDs are actual doctor dictation "real dictation". They do consist of different dialects and also different levels of difficulty. They are based on acute care transcription, which is the most difficult area of training, but also the area where most Medical Transcriptionists are needed to fill at home positions on a national level.

Do I receive a diploma/certificate upon successful passing of the final exam? Yes, a certificate/diploma is issued upon successful completion of the program and passing the final exam. This is necessary should a prospective employer require proof of training. This also allows you to our school as a reference for training completion.

Can two family members or friends share the same program? Although we do give a discount to two or more persons enrolling at the same time, we only allow sharing of programs by two members of the same household (please click on the family sharing icon on the home page to view details)..

What exactly is the earn as you learn program? The earn as you learn program is basically our referral program whereby we pay a referral fee to students/graduates who refer a person who enrolls in the program. It is our way of saying thank you and also gives students the opportunity to earn something while learning. Although not a steady income, we have had students earn substantial referral fees just by word of mouth.

What is the refund policy? Our refund policy consists of a 7-day trial period. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with the program, you may return it within 7 days of receiving it. No questions will be asked and a full refund minus shipping/handling charges will be issued. You may review full details of our refund policy by clicking on the refund policy link on your home page. We also do offer a pro-rated tuition reimbursement for up to 45 days.

Do you offer payment plans? Yes, we do offer payment plans. Details can be reviewed by clicking on the Pay Plan link above.

Once I enroll, how long does it take to get the study materials? We try to ship out the program on the day of enrollment, although sometimes we may be waiting for stock that is totally out of our control, so we have instituted a 7 to 10 day shipping time to facilitate these unforseen events. If you pay by personal check, there is a three-day wait for your check to clear prior to shipping the program. Transcribers come directly from our distributor in California, so we ask that you wait at least 5 to 7 days beyond receipt of the program.

I notice that many companies now do transcription via the Internet or phone line and I was wondering if I would use the same course equipment when I begin working. Basically, there are many, many transcription companies out there. Some may use the same equipment and some may not. You will eventually at some point in your career need what I call "tools of the trade". This may include several different types of transcription equipment.

Can I call or email present students/graduates and ask them questions directly? Although we do not give out student/graduate phone numbers or any other personal information, we do have a student testimonial board, which is accessible from our home page, where you can email students/graduates directly. These students/graduates have permitted me to list their email addresses for the purpose of helping out prospective students with their questions and concerns.

Do you feel that voice recognition programs will eventually replace medical transcriptionists? Definitely not. Because this field is so technical and ever changing, it is pretty much impossible to encompass the whole medical profession on any type of software. Also, many physicians are ESL physicians (English as a second language) thus making use of this software almost impossible. I honestly don't see our jobs in any kind of jeopardy in the near future because of this software development.

What is a WAV player or computer based transcriber? A WAV player has a foot pedal and headphones.The foot pedal controls the stop and go motion sound rather than you have to remove your hands from the keyboard to stop, start, rewind, and fast forward. This unit also has an auto backspace, which you manually set. When you remove your foot from the pedal, the dictation will automatically go back the amount of words you set the auto backspace at. This motion is pinpoint accuracy and is required so you do not lose your place or retype something you already typed. The Wave player is connected directly to your computer. The transcriber controls are right on your computer screen. This unit allows you to play the voice files on the CDs you will receive with your course and will also allow you to transcribe voice files via Internet when you begin working.

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