Complaint Review: US Career Institute

 I am currently a student at U S Career Institute, I just looked them up on the DETC website and they are in fact there in black and white, as well as McKinley College which is my next step in furthering my education. I am very pleased with the program (coding) and look forward to starting the Associates of Applied Sciences in Medical Specialties degree program at McKinley, i suggest everyone do thier own homework as i did.

Thank you for your comment. I can assure you that this response is not canned, rather, it is written in a manner to best answer your concerns. Given the fact you remain anonymous and the school does not have the ability to view the particulars of your concerns, the school must answer in a more generic fashion.

The school has many graduates who are successfully working in their chosen field. In fact, last year USCI and McKinley College had outstanding graduates recognized by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The school offers a Graduate Services Department specifically devoted to assisting graduates with job search skills to include networking, marketing, resume building and interviewing. The school has offered this service since 1993, and regularly reports the status of its students and graduates to the DETC and various states.

Due to the schools strong performance and dedication to standards of excellence, the schools president was elected to sit on the DETC Commission, and remains on the Commission to date.

Schools that are accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education are not allowed to make any representation regarding transfer credit. It is up to the receiving institution to determine if transfer credit is allowed. Therefore, school representatives are not allowed to answer questions about another schools acceptance of credit. However, McKinley College is able to tell prospective students about the articulation agreements it has formed with other colleges that agree to accept transfer credit when students have met certain requirements. McKinley has formed these agreements with several schools.

In addition, students must meet entrance requirements for the school. Failure to meet these requirements is handled by the schools Registrar Department, not the Admissions Department.

All courses and programs are reviewed by outside experts in the field prior to receiving state and accreditation approval. Each course or program must meet stringent criteria established by states and the DETC. The school revises many courses each year. For example, the medical coding course is updated annually as necessitated by changes in CPT, ICD-9 or HCPCS code changes. Generally, these revisions are handled within the schools Curriculum Department. Major revisions are announced to the entire school staff, but routine maintenance of the courses is not announced to staff.

As with any major education decision, it is always a good idea to investigate your prospective schools before enrolling. Each prospective student must determine what is important to them. At a minimum, a prospective student should ensure that the curriculum covers the subject/s needed, the school is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and school services meet the prospective students particular needs.

Two words:  DIPLOMA MILL.   Be forewarned! Disregard the canned responses from the school.  They only respond because someone is paid to do so. I'll probably receive some kind of general response...just wait.  In reality, I won't because they can't dispute what I'm saying.  You will never be able to use your education to find a job. Their programs are horribly outdated. Ask them when they last revised their programs.  A good salesperson will just throw out a date....ask for proof and you'll stump them.  An honest salesperson will stutter, indicating their lack of updates.  You will have to wait for days or weeks for answers to your questions.  You will never receive any help in finding work, regardless of what you hear from their "admissions" department...they are paid to tell you what you want to hear and generally sidestep the truth.  Your "degree" or "diploma" is worthless.  Every employer and college will laugh in your face when you tell them about your education from USCI or McKinley College.  You will never be able to transfer credits, again, regardless of what their "admissions" reps tell you.  Go
ahead.  Ask them what schools will accept their credits.  Make sure these schools are recognized in the field you're studying.  Chances are, IF you get an answer, they aren't.  Do your research!  You can enroll into McKinley College without proof of a high school education.  Pretty sweet if you never graduated high school, (don't tell them that if you want a "college" degree)
but worthless in the real world.  Report this school to their accrediting body, the Distance Education and Training Counsel (DETC).  The DETC would be ashamed to be associated with such a poorly run institution of higher education. 

We regret you are unhappy with USCI and concerned about job openings in the medical transcription field. USCI has been a state-approved school for over 30 years and is accredited by the DETC. One of the tools we use to evaluate the need for an occupation is the U.S. Government's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Concerning medical transcription job prospects through 2018, the BLS states: "Job opportunities will be good, especially for those who are certified. Hospitals will continue to employ a large percentage of medical transcriptionists, but job growth will be in other industries. An increasing demand for standardized records should result in rapid employment growth in physicians' offices, especially in large group practices." (source:  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm#outlook)  It should be noted that sometimes the positions have titles other than medical transcription, such as medical editor, healthcare documentation specialist, or can even be considered a part of another job such as a medical secretary. 

We offer graduate services that assist our graduates with resumes, job search skills, networking, etc.  In addition, we have graduates working in the field who would also be happy to talk to you about their experience.

We would appreciate your willingness to discuss this further.  If you would please call 800.347.7899, dial "0" and ask to speak to our Student Services Supervisor, we can further discuss your concerns.