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How unrealistic is this? - Posted By: frost

I have been an MT for only 2 years and I work as an IC. My husband and I would like to get pregnant (actually I would like to get pregnant) in a year and of course I would love to stay at home and work still. I have heard it's hard to do with kids at home, is it? I work about 30 hours a week and would cut down to about 20 if I had a baby. Am I just dreaming that I will be able to do this?

Thanks!

Lots seem to be afraid of VR and the salary they think they will make but - Posted By: Kate

I posted below asking with the drop in pay per line, just what does anyone think they might make as compared to now. I work on VR and work partime and would just like an overall consensus about how a person thinks their salary will be, say pre- and post VR. I think maybe the unknown about this has MTs worried about will they even be needed once VR is up and running or whether they will be able to make enough to pay their bills. Give me some feedback on this- would love to get others ideas and maybe I can tell you from my standpoint about VR. Thanks!

does anyone have - Posted By: help

a used BOS that they would let go cheap? I'll take any edition, just need more reference material and i'm poor!!! i can paypal or send money order. Thanks so much!!!!

Christmas bonus - Posted By: Deeply saddened

Last year I got a $50.00 Walmart gift card from my company. Nice gift. This year I received a $25.00 gift card from Walmart. My company merged with another company, there are taking on new accounts right and left, I worked every single holiday, many many weekeds and when ever they would asked for help, and my bonus is half of last years. This is really sad and hurtful to say the least.

For those interested in MagicJack - Posted By: it's on QVC right now.......nm

xx

Question re: certified mail - Posted By: nervous!!

I wasnt home today when the mail arrived, but the mailman left a postcard that my husband has a piece of certified mail to p/u. The sender is listed as from the Clerk of Courts... What do you think it could be? Nothing good I am sure!!!

Reminder: Croc Hunter fans, watch Steve Irwin's Memorial filmed - Posted By: see complete message inside

Reminder: Croc Hunter fans, watch Steve Irwin's Memorial filmed at his Australia Zoo's Crocoseum tonight on Animal Planet. The memorial is commercial free and airs from 9 to 10 PM ET/PT tonight and then an encore will air at 12 to 1 AM ET/PT. If you are a fan of our beloved Steve Irwin, make sure to have a DVD or VCR tape ready to record!

CONGRATS to George E. of Texas on winning MPWord MTSO - Posted By: given courtesy of MPWord.com! nm

/

Resumes and filling out applications - Posted By: Wondering

Hi all, I'd like to know if any of you have run into the same problem as I have when filling out applications and what you did about it. I have, from time to time, left MT work and applied for other jobs outside the home. Over the last few years, I have worked for a few MT services for a short time. I don't even remember the dates that I started working for each one and stopped. Some were so short (a few months) because it didn't work out for some reason (job wasn't as described or some other reason). How do you handle something like that on an application? You don't want to appear as though you job hop, but you know as well as I do how some services are and you CAN'T stay any longer working for them. I'm at a loss now, how to handle this on a job application.

Thanks for any help or advice.

Remembering those lost 4 years ago - Posted By: Aching Heart

I just wanted to take a moment to remember those lost in the planes, the WTC, and the Pentagon 4 years ago including Laurie Neira, one of our own, who MT'd for YOG.

did everyone graduate MQs "Code fo Conduct" course? -- what a crock - Posted By: MadamX

that's like you stealing my purse and then sending me to class on how not to steal purses....

Does anyone use noise canceling head phones? (sm) - Posted By: AzMT

If so, do they really work and which ones do you use? I'm starting to work remotely and it was hard at the hotel with the family in the same room as me. I'm looking for a way to block them out =)

Thanks.

A question for the pros - Posted By: Siren

I was taught years ago that generic medications were to be in "lower case." However, I then worked for a facility (for 14 years) who wanted all medications capitalized. I am now back to at-home transcription and back to having to transcribe generic medications the correct way, but I am having to look almost all medications up, not for the actual spelling, but to see if it is a generic medication or not. Any suggestions on how I can streamline this process? It is really slowing down my production. TIA

Just wanted to see how my avatar looks...ignore. - Posted By: gmg

Unless you want to see, too.

What to do? - Posted By: RIpaR

I have been an MT for only 2 years of which time I have been an IC, and I currently work for the company from he!!-- SS. For these 2 years, I have had no benefits and no insurance, just too expensive for me to get. I am considering going to full-time status for benefits and hopefully to be more disciplined and be more productive. However, I just don't know where to start or if this is even a good idea. I am worried that I will hate sticking to someone elses schedule or end up with a crappy company. But, if I can stick it out at SS, I think any place would be easier and better than them!

What to do?

I switched from Shorthand to Instant Text and my experience was...s/m - Posted By: IT user

I'm curious to see what the reactions were from those that went from SH to IT versus IT to SH. I'm getting ready to switch from IT to SH and really need some input from you well seasoned professionals!

I truly appreciate your time and help!

Our Military People - Posted By: This holiday season

I want to share something my family does in case you're interested in doing something similar. We live near a military base and every year I call and get the names of a couple of soldiers to invite into our home for Christmas Day. These are soldiers who are very far from home and not scheduled for leave on Christmas. We been doing this for several years and it has been such a wonderful experience. We have made friends that we'll keep in contact with until ...

We pick up these soldiers up at a set time and set gate on the base. They have dinner with us and we always give them some small gifts -- phone cards, note cards, stamps, restaurant gift certificates, etc. The guys love it when they get a box of all occasion cards with stamps, as most of them say they aren't very good at picking out cards to send back home. We end the evening by driving around showing them Christmas lights, etc.

Yes, it is generally a bit awkward for them at first, but they always end up getting "comfortable" and enjoying themselves.

You usually need to call early - they do have to make sure you aren't a serial killer or terrorist. Often times, they have an office set up where you fill out a form for "adopting a soldier" and that simplifies matters a great deal.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Doctor's Choice Diet - Posted By: babe

Anyone been on this diet? I called and they said it is a diet plan and some kind of a hormone shot that you have to get once a week. Sounds scary to me.

Dropping AHDI and CMT - anyone else? - Posted By: VA MT

It took me several years to make up my mind - I decided this year to drop my AHDI membership as well as not do my CEUs for my CMT (due this past January). I've been an MT for over 23 years. I joined AAMT 18 years ago and was thrilled to be part of it including in my local chapter for a long long time. I passed my CMT in 1994 - 15 years ago. I have never been paid any extra for my CMT.

I worked for MQ from 1997 to 2006 and finally found the guts to leave and have been happier for it. I don't make any more money. In fact, I'm making the same cpl that I was in 1997 now - that is no raise in 12 years. That is in spite of my CMT, in spite of taking on every new and difficult account I could, etc., etc.

I will leave AHDI and the certification process because I am finally admitting to myself my thorough disgust with the connection between MQ and AHDI - that started well before this so-called settlement. I sure wish I had checked in here before now, I didn't take note that there was a deadline to send in objections.

Most of my coworkers, with more experience than me and with similar hard-working, transcription loving ethics, long ago left AAMT in disgust at how they were not doing a thing for us to raise wages and how they paid more attention to MTSOs, hospitals, etc... and then, the whole offshore thing.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my 2 cents. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with their thoughts. I've been reading and listening to pro-AAMT stuff trying to wade through and made my decision. My final bottom line was that I listened to my gut, my instincts, and and accepted that I know in my heart and head that for AHDI to still pretend they are for us MTs is a sham - and shameful - and their getting anywhere NEAR a company like Medquist says all that any of us should need to hear. Or, rather, that I need to hear.

Enjoying the slaughter Canada? - Posted By: Canadian NAWT

They ought to ship a video of the baby seal slaughter with every piece of seal skin attire they sell.

And don't forget to catch a glimpse of the seal mothers going nearly insane with fear and pain as they watch their babies being clubbed to death in front of them.

Please write to the Canadian prime minister (or whatever they call the leader of that sick country) to express your outrage. That is, if you feel any at all.

Anyone heard anything more about USMTA -sm - Posted By: Just wondering

(the new website an MT had recently put up for "United States Medical Transcription Association"). Just checked it and it appears to be down.

Any more news, poster-who-created-that-website? You had some great ideas.

liquidated damages - Posted By: Be careful who you work for

I just spent a year as a "newbie" Transcriptionist making 4 cents a line for the first 6 months, 5 cents a line for the last 6 months. The girl I worked for, lets call her SHE, had a tendency to pay only every 2 to 3 months....and then it was only a 2-week paycheck. The kicker? When I quit I gave a 2-weeks notice, per request of the contract....but then I got mad and quit 1 week early.....but the contract stated "In the event that "me" fails to provide such notice, "me" agrees to pay SHE liquidated damages in the amount of $250 or any amounts owed to "me" from SHE at date of termination, whichever amount is greater. As of the present date I am owed over $600. There were monies from May that I had never recieved. So, if you should come across a contract like this, PLEASE say no. I am now happily employed with a company that pays me every 2 weeks. I am just happy in knowing God will be her judge someday.

wound closure - Posted By: Kathy

I know this is the wrong board, get error message on word board.

"The wound was cleaned, dried and then layers of s/l Indermal were applied"

Leave your Link for Best Drug Ref site - Posted By: just me

Thanks! Lost my favorites

Need help on word board, please. TIA :) - Posted By: Help please?

:)

To the person asking whether to increase her rate sm - Posted By: Rate increases

check this website out. These are the vendors and what they are charging for New Jersey Medical Center.

http://www.umdnj.edu/purchweb/employees/employ16_transcribing.htm

To all of those MQ MTs, check it out, they are charging up to $0.20 per 65 character line.

Hope this helps.

line counts - Posted By: Crystal Peterson

My company has their own line count software and you can check your line count as soon as you are finished with a document if you want. They pay per 65 characters. I have noticed that they are rounding down the lines. Say it is 42.49 lines, they drop the .49. Is this legal? It seems that we should get paid for the partial lines as they add up over a course of time. Is this something that is common?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Free digital player - Posted By: terri

A conversation below mentions a free digital player that works like Gearplayer and Bytescribe but I can't find the name of that free player. Does someone know of one?

Question on number of posts - Posted By: smashboxfan

Someone emailed me and asked why i had posted 22 posts in a certain period of time using different names everytime. Why would anyone be that interested? I'm not - I am either working or trying to dig up information on my neighbors and relatives, searching for past loves or again working. Is there a way to find someone's email address through this website. I much prefer it to the other, but if I cannot keep my identity concealed, I guess I will have to resort to posting on the other board.

Passover and/or Easter....*S*....sm - Posted By: Just want to wish everyone a happy

Whichever you celebrate, just want to wish everyone a happy Spring holiday season!! Passover commences Wednesday 4/12 evening, and Easter Sunday is this upcoming Sunday!! Enjoy!!!

Keyboard Opinions - Avant versus Kinesis - Posted By: Dixierose

I am faced with a decision between these 2 keyboards, both with pros and cons. I would like to take a survey to see what everyone's opinion would be. I strongly prefer a programmable keyboard, as I would like to change some of the keys around to suit me, but will I regret not having an ergo keyboard in the long run? Will I like the IBM clicky type keys?

KINESIS FREESTYLE KEYBOARD
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/images/freestyle-solo_690x375.jpg
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/images/solo-v3-10-blk_690x306.jpg
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/images/solo_us_legend.jpg

It splits and tents.
Delete key is on left side (which I love)
All other function keys are in the wrong place for me.
Quiet low-force tactile membrane switch
10 function keys on left
Keypad separate purchase
2 year warranty
60-day money back guarantee
Price: $124.15 with the options I chose

AVANT STELLAR KEYBOARD
http://www.lonestarkeyboards.com/Avant-Stellar-Programmable-Keyboard/productinfo/KB%2D00%2D1001/
(click on additional images for close up)
I actually went to the manufacturer website (http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/stellar.htm) but they didn�t have any large photos so I went to a reseller for larger images.

Straight keyboard
Can program any key to another function.
Mechanical click/tactile key switches like the old IBM keyboards
12 function keys on left that can be reprogrammed
Keypad built in
2 year warranty
30-day money back guarantee
Price: $189.00
Macro programming features
PS/2 interface but can buy PS to USB cord (I find this a little odd)
Programming software not compatible with Vista but can be programmed through the keyboard

This is from the sales rep I spoke to this week:
Have you ever heard of Northgate OmniKey keyboards? We purchased the rights to the keyboards when they went out of business. It is like typing on an old IBM keyboard. It is a loud click, you know when you hit a key. A lot of customers say they make fewer errors and I personally agree. I have had my Avant for a little over 10 years and I type all day long. I also have one at home. It might help for you to listen to this review on our website: http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/menu.htm
Click on HEAR OUR INTERVIEW ON Lets talk Computers. Avant is VERY reliable. We sell to a lot of medical transcriptionists, writers, gamers, call center operators, etc. People that type 8 hours a day 5+ days per week. Our keyboards can really take a beating.

What'cha think?

Formula for calculating lines? - Posted By: Julie

Can anyone give me the formula for calculating lines rates? I need to know how much (money) is made if I transcribe 15,000 lines at 8 or 9 cents per line. Also, about how many pages is 15,000 lines (I know that each page will be different in lines for live transcription, but I'm looking for a ball park figure.) It's been a while since I have been on this payment format.

Need help re using line count - Posted By: Daphne

I recently took a job where you do your line count in Word. I am supposed to count with spaces, which is really easy, and then I divide that by 65, but if you are also supposed to count headers, footers, how do you do that. When I put a checkmark in the box to count headers and footers, the count is no different than if I didn't check it. I must be missing a step. Help! Thanks.

Can you use a different spellchecker with Bayscribe? nm - Posted By: goldfish

nm

Words printing too small - Posted By: What is happening here?

Trying to type a letter in Microsoft Office Word this morning. Noticed when I first started the print seemed extremely large. Nothing that I know of doing that would have caused this. Used the minimizer and brought the words on screen down some. The writing on the screen in big but when I print it off need a magnifer to read. Tried everything but do not know why it is printing so small. Any suggestions on how to remedy this? Thanks.

Flashing Icons - Posted By: Cece

What are the flashing icons beside the job postings on the Job Seeker's Board? Are they intended to indicate that the jobs have been filled or still open? Thank you.

Unlimited long distance service? sm - Posted By: VTMT

What is a good unlimited long distance company? Has anyone used Chatterbug? Pros, cons?

More on Medquist - Posted By: duck

'Wondering why everyone hates MedQuist. I have worked for them for six years and I haven't had any problems.

I found Vonage terrible. - Posted By: MTing

They charged me 49 dollars for the modem. Then when I tried to connect, I lost my internet provider because they screwed up something (Vonage). I was not able to type. After many, many phone calls to Vonage and never getting it resolved, I was never able to use it. I was on the phone forever on each call to try to get some technical help - I found it virtually nonexistant.

They never refunded me the 49 dollars for the modem, so I was stuck with nothing but losing 49 bucks and no internet or phone for days, until I got my IPS address straightened out. Vonage messed me up good.

I was not able to work for 2 days, because it did something to my internet services. I had to call my internet provider and they had to fix it for me, but then Vonage would never work. Vonage said the technology is new and they never did fix the problem. I went back to my old phone service. I know people that have it and are very happy, but I found it a total nightmare.

Express Scribe question. - Posted By: Urgent. See message, please. sm

I have a test report I have to do that was sent to me in Real Player. I have Express Scribe installed but I can't figure out how to transfer the sound from Real Player to Express Scribe.

Help :(

Strange experience with MTSO. sm - Posted By: Opinions, please.

I answered an ad for some p.r.n. work about a month ago, and I ended up getting hired. It's a very small MTSO, from what I gather, and I immediately received some work. I knew goingin that the MTSO didn't pay until they received pay from their clients, and that was okay because I have my own accounts and just wanted some extra work as filler. I looked the place up online and asked here about it and someone responded that they paid in a timely fashion, were good to work for, etc.

Anyway, the strange thing is, I never received any kind of contract to sign and the MTSO has never even asked for my SSN for 1099. Has anyone ever encountered this? Maybe they just ask for it at tax time, but I think it's rather strange. I have all the emails where the MTSO stated the terms of the account, which I guess could be considered an oral agreement, but I'm somewhat uneasy about this.

I haven't received any pay yet. My first invoice was submitted about 11 days ago. Knowing they wait until their clients pay, that's not entirely unreasonable. However, I'm getting more work and kinda feel like I'm flying on blind faith here. I just wondered if anyone else worked for an MTSO that didn't require a contract or tax ID no. up front. Do I have cause for concern? How long should I consider too long to wait for pay, 30 days?

Sorry, all my experiences before have been with larger MTSOs that provided contract, etc., so I'm just not sure if this is par for the course with the smaller places or not. I guess I'm hoping someone will share their story and put me more at ease, or tell me it's highly unusual and to run like mad. I'm starting to feel leery of taking on more work for fear I'm being duped!!

just received the paper work on the Medquist lawsuit - Posted By: should we be scared?

Seriously, no flames, anyone know whats going on? Are we on a sinking ship here?

Would anyone be kind enough to offer - Posted By: up a great site for cancer staging for

oncology and especially for prostate CA.... I would adore you if you could! Thanks in advance....

WORD AND VISTA - Posted By: tonya

Is anyone familiar with which MS WORD program is compatible with VISTA...I just ordered a new laptop and currently have MS Word 2000 and am wondering if it will be compatible with Vista or will I have to purchase MS Word 2007? Any responses are highly appreciated.

QAing - Posted By: sw

You know what?

If the dictations were not so crappy, maybe the whole OAing would be obsolete. This would save a lot of money and the MTs would be paid better.

Ooops!

those of you who do op reports - Posted By: ER MT

I checked archives but didn't find much info - I don't do many op notes, and therefore don't have many reference books. Do you use Google or could you recommend a really good book for me to get? Thank you in advance.

Do CMTs make more money? - Posted By: metawhat?

I have perceived this as a scam by the AAMT. Am I wrong?

If you work for MedQuist... - Posted By: Carole

I just received the computer today. I thought it was going to be JUST a computer. I had no idea they were sending a monitor, speakers, headset, pedal, etc. I'm feeling quite a bit overwhelmed because this is a second job for me. Is this stuff to be used ONLY for Medquist work? Is it okay to not use some of their stuff? I mean, my pedal, speakers, and monitor are just fine. Where would I find the room for two of everything?

The manual keeps talking about a modem. On the phone I was told they wanted me to have high-speed internet access. Am I correct to assume then that I won't need a modem for anything? I certainly hope so because since going high speed we got rid of our phone and went to cell phone only.

I'm also feeling very overwhelmed looking through the big manual. My training starts on Thursday. How am I ever to learn everything in that manual by then? They haven't confirmed my start date but I'm thinking possibly as early as this Sunday. Please tell me I'm not the only overwhelmed by all the stuff that was sent.

Carole

Most productive work type? - Posted By: wondering

What is the most productive work type? Radiology, OP, etc? Which one can you really make the money on?

Bebo

Word 2007 - Posted By: Daphne

Could users of Word 2007 share what you think of it, please. Do you like it, hate it, etc. How does it compare with other Word versions? Thank you.