My Journey Through Medical Transcription

This VERY long... It is the entire story behind my medical transcription journey.  I hope you enjoy it!

My husband, Edward, has worked as a baker at Great Harvest Bread for 11 years.  The hours and heavy lifting are finally starting to wear him out.  His doctor has also said that his cough and allergies may be worse due to the flour he breathes all day.  We decided after much counsel and advice, that I had a greater chance of getting a good paying part-time job than he did.  This was in the summer of 2008.

Before I really got serious about looking, the kids and I went to Utah with my mom to visit my sister Lauri.  Her husband’s sister has a business that they both work for, but I never really knew what it was.  While there, I asked a bit about it and found out that it was a school for people wanting to train to become a Medical Transcriptionist (Career Step).  I didn’t think too much about it at the time.  When I returned, I began in earnest looking up various Research labs and people I used to work with to see what my options were.  I wrote each one on a card and spread out all the cards in front of me on the floor.  I came before the Lord to pray and ask which ones to start with and who to call.  I heard the Lord clearly, though not audibly say, “Call Lauri.”  I didn’t want to.  I wanted to work in a lab.  Not really, but that was what I was already trained for.  That is what I had already psyched myself up to do.  Why go back to school?  So I asked again.  Again I heard,  “Call Lauri.”

So I called.  Come to find out, the entire course is $2,400.  I now realize that is NOT a large amount of money, but at the time it seemed like a fortune.  I hung up and said to the Lord, you will have to pay for this!  We sure can’t!  I have to admit that I was a bit angry.  Why would he ask me to do something I clearly couldn’t afford.  I found now that the Lord was silent on the issue.  The only vague sense I had was that I was not trusting Him to the full.  I was worried about something out of my hands.  I was not letting Him lead me and was concerned about details I had no business caring about.  I called Lauri back and joked about Andrea giving me the “family discount.” Did I count as family?  She said she would check.  She called me back and said that Andrea would gladly give me the family discount, but it was only $250 off.  Not much of a solution.  However, she then told me of a new deal that Cameron had just finished up.  It was with a community college that was wanting to offer the course for their students.  I called to talk to the FTCC representative and was told that it would cost $65 per semester.  WOW!  God is awesome.  That, I could afford!  By the time the second semester came, it had gone up to $175 for my the second half of the course.  Still affordable!  I was not done in the year, so I needed an extension (and eventually a second) for $30 each!  The extensions for standard students are $125 each.  So I spent $300.  It would have cost me $2400 even with the family discount by the time I used both extensions.  With 1 month left of my program, they discontinued the FTCC option to all except North Carolina residents.  I was able to complete the course through them, but anyone starting now would need to go a different route.  It is almost like God created it just for me and when I was done, so was the program!

Through this program, I had to wait until their “session” began before I could access my course.  It was two weeks I think.  I was excited by this point, and found myself being restless before bed one night.  I was talking with my brother-in-law about good MT companies, and he gave me the names for three that he thought were the best.  I spent several hours researching all three of them and MedQuist was my favorite.  I decided that was where I wanted to work.

The course was difficult and time consuming.  We were finding it hard to make time for me to study with all of Edward’s pastoring and such.  I continually wanted to just give up.  Every time I would begin to despair, the Lord would reassure me and lead me forward.  Each time I signed on I would say, “I am only doing this because you told me to!”

Toward the end of my course, I was learning how difficult it is to get a high score and how difficult getting a job out of school is without one.  I gave my anxiety to the Lord reminding Him (really myself) that I was only doing this because He directed me to, and I could only get a high score with His help.  I really and truly was at peace and at ease.  I was giving myself to a lifestyle of trust, a lifestyle of worship, where I did not worry for my life or my work.  I had to do this almost every day.  The forums were filled with panicked people not getting jobs or not passing the final or not doing well in the course.  Everyday, many times a day, I had to have a lifestyle attitude of trust and refuse any anxiety.  Finally, the day came for me to take the final exam.

The final exam is two parts.  The first part is multiple choice, true/false, and matching.  You can only go on to the transcription portion if you pass the objective.  You are given 48 hours to complete the test.  I began my final exam at 10:30 am on a Thursday.  The girls went to a Spring Break Camp, which Jeanne kindly drove them to, and at 8:30 I began praising and worshipping.  I prayed until 10 and began the log on for the test.  I felt total confidence and peace the entire time I was testing.  The first night, while unable to get to sleep, I felt myself becoming anxious, and I rebuked the anxiety and gave the entire situation to the Lord, again reminding myself that it was in His hands.  I went right to sleep.  In the morning, I had a shorter prayer time.  At the end of the time, just before signing back onto the test, I asked for His Spirit to help me hear, discern, research, and do my best.  I felt absolute peace the entire rest of the time and even went to bed early.  When I submitted in the morning (2.5 hours early) I knew I had done well. 

I was so convinced in the Lord that He had led me to a high score, that I wrote out my resume to say HIGH HONORS GRADUATE.  Edward teased me and I just affirmed that I was trusting in the Lord and His promise.  Again, I was living out a lifestyle of faith and trust.  I also went to the MedQuist site to see what the application process was like and if they were hiring.  They had no listings on the main site, only a form to fill out if you were interested in looking at positions.  About half-way through, it asked what graduation level I had achieved.  Even though I knew in my heart, I didn’t want to put it down without verification, so I signed out to finish later.  When I received the email with my final results, I had Edward come in with me.  I read down to the Graduation status and it read HIGH HONORS.  I jumped up with hands raised and shouted the results.  Everyone high-fived me and congratulated me.  It was late on Good Friday afternoon, so I had to wait until Monday to actually set my appointment with my placement counselor. 

So, on Monday April 5^th, I met with Julie.  She gave me the names of 3 companies that were hiring only High Honors Grads.  I applied to all of them.  One was MedQuist!  I immediately went to finish my application only to find that they had disabled my information because I had not completed the process.  I called the number to reinstate it.  Another company was Focus and they had no testing on their site, only an email to send a resume.  My placement counselor had said to use HIGH HONORS GRAD – Career Step as the subject line of any email I sent, so I did.  I applied to both of their open positions.  Next, when my MedQuist application was reinstated, I went to the site, filled out their application, and sent my resume.  The testing is by invitation only, so I couldn’t test with them yet.  Next, I went to the InScribe site.  I had not heard of them.  They had 2 positions.  I took the test for the radiology position.  It was late by then, and I went to bed. 

In the morning, this is now Tuesday, I had 2 emails in my box from Focus stating that my resume had been rejected.  I also had an email from MedQuist inviting me to take their test.  I couldn’t take it right then (I had to wait until Edward got home or the kids went to science), so I chose the option to finish later and started getting breakfast for the kids.  Just as I was getting dressed, I got a phone call from Focus.  She said that the system sends out denial letters automatically for anyone without the required experience, but she still looks at them.  She had seen the CS-HH and called Julie.  After looking at all of my coursework and test scores, she called me and offered me a position and offered to waive the testing!  I told her I would get back with her because they wanted 35 hours a week and that was more than I wanted.  It was still pretty exciting to get a job offer the second day of looking! 

The kids went to science, and I went to MedQuist site to test.  It wouldn’t let me on.  I again had to call to get the email link to get into the test.  The test was very similar to my final.  I had received an email from Inscribe while I was taking MedQuist’s test.  It said that I had done exceptional on the radiology test, but that they were not hiring for radiology at this time.  It then invited me to take the general medical test.  I was finished with the MedQuist test before the kids were done, so I began the InScribe general medical test.  I finished the first few reports before they came home, and took a break.  After dinner, I checked my email and MedQuist had offered me an interview!  I followed the link and set up the first time they had available – Monday, April 12.  After the kids were in bed, I went back to finish the InScribe Test.  The first three reports I had done earlier went very well, but the last two were VERY difficult.  I left over 20 blanks in one and maybe 30 in the other.  I almost just gave up thinking that MedQuist was going to offer me a job, that’s the one I wanted anyway, why bother?  But the Lord clearly prompted me to finish, so I did.  At the very end of the sound file, the person said to not be discouraged by the last two and to submit the best work you can.  I must admit though, I did not go over it very carefully as I was a bit done with this testing thing!

Wednesday afternoon when the kids were outside playing, I got another call.  It was a woman from InScribe.  She said that I had done very well on the test (I was a little surprised) and wanted to do an interview.  She asked a bunch of questions and then offered me the job!  It is very good pay, very flexible hours (just requires one weekend day when you start), hours can change to accommodate life, but it was independent contractor.  I wanted employee.  I wanted MedQuist.  So I told her about our concerns with IC and she totally agreed!  She says that is the hardest thing for her too.  Then I said I might not get back to her until after Tuesday the 13^th (I’m thinking about the MedQuist thing still), she said FINE! 

I spent the evening after everyone was in bed sending out more resumes and filling out more applications.  I did not take any more tests though, I was done testing.  I went to bed kind of late and thought I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep.  It was a bit reminiscent of the night of the final, so I prayed and bound up anxiety and gave it all to the Lord.  Nothing.  No sleepiness.  Two hours later it dawned on me to ask the Lord what he was trying to tell me.  Then something weird happened.  I thought of MedQuist.  I got nauseous, felt very sick, and got clammy all over.  My first thought was that I was so tired I was getting sick (I have been known to get very sick when overtired).  But then I thought of InScribe and felt peace, joy, the presence of the Spirit.  I thought that was very weird, so I did it again.  MedQuist – ugh, blech.  InScribe – Aahh, nice, peace.  MedQuist – ugh, blech.  InScribe – Aahh, nice, peace. I did it over and over.  The Lord had never spoken this way before.  MedQuist – ugh, blech.  InScribe – Aahh, nice, peace.  MedQuist – ugh, blech.  InScribe – Aahh, nice, peace.  I got up and went to the computer.  I looked up MedQuist employee reviews.  I was shocked!  Nothing positive at all, anywhere.  Come to find out, they were bought out last year, outsourced all of their work to India, and are laying off all of the seasoned MTs  and hiring new grads.  No more flexibility, lower pay, all full-time.  Okay, be fair.  I looked up InScribe.  All good. 

By now, Edward was up to go to work.  I followed him into his room and I’m spouting all of these facts between the two companies and he can hardly keep up (he just got up, it’s 2:30 in the morning for goodness sake).  Finally he stops me and says, “What are the names of the companies?”  I tell him.  Which is the one you like?  I said InScribe.  He then relays a dream he JUST woke up from where he was telling someone what we did for a living.  He told them he was a pedagogue (slave who supervised children and took them to and from school) and that I was a scribe!  Weird.  The Lord is Good!!  Edward went to work, and I went to sleep. 

The next morning I called Angela at InScribe back.  We talked a bit more about the IC dilemma.  She suggested that we hold out more taxes on Edward’s check (when he starts getting them again) to help offset my self-employment tax.  The conversation was actually quite long, and I said something about the Lord wanting me at InScribe.  She got very quiet and said, “What did you say?”  I thought for sure that I had said something inappropriate.  I repeated what I had said before, prefacing that I had no idea what her beliefs are.  She giggled and told me she was not allowed to ask before, but the owner and many of the managers are believers.  They even have a prayer chain for those who want to participate. 

That’s when I knew that this is where the Lord wants me to work!