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Can a transcriptionist be hired to type both Rad and acute care for Medquist? - Posted By: Thanks! nm

nm

Seriously need input what to do... - Posted By: Banshee

In the past few years I have had 3, what started out as, great jobs. The problem that happens is I start out doing a certain work type (ERs just to be blunt) and quickly get up to speed and begin making very good money.

At all 3, very different companies, after the first 6 months to 1 year in all 3 cases a lot of people were hired at once. I then find my work type changes and my lines start getting harder and harder to make, I start getting more difficult dictators. Obviously, the newer employees are getting the easier, more lucritive work is what I imagine.

Does anyone have any advice on how to approach the problem...and it is a problem because my lines are not only dropping but my pay is dropping. I am now even considering working both weekend days to see if I can get the same work I used to but that is a really going to be a hardship.

I am not sure this would even work but I refuse to quit another job. This one is the best ever and being around for 15+ years I am not unaware of what a good job is in this business.

Three jobs, though, can you imagine, all happening the exact same way. The last 2 jobs I tried to speak up and eventually got less and less work etc., so now I have no idea how to approach this. Unfortunately, when there is no accountability I guess it is easy to make or break people just on a whim.

I honestly think because I have been through this before with the work I am now getting my abundant paychecks will be getting smaller and smaller. Forgetting about quality is not really an option, either, as this company is completely, 100% about quality.

Has anyone been through this and come out ahead, and if so how did you do it? Is there hope?

Or do I just have to go backwards again and accept I lost out on a good thing, for the 3rd time. I mean, is that it? Did I top out and now everything is going to go down before 1 year.

The last job I left I was not even bringing home $550 in 2 weeks from starting with about $800 after the first year.

A little background, and just to come right out and say it these jobs all began with doing ERs (which I find are bread-and-butter) and eventually the job types switched to discharge summaries (lot of looking of names, places, etc. ), cardiac procedures with doctors who I cannot understand, you know, the work types you have to work like an fool just to make any money.

I am terrified to complain because of getting the reverse to happen - which it what happpened at the last 2 jobs.

My QA is 99-100 consistently, I have little contact with anyone and do not complain, I work my hours pretty much and have been told QA is very happy with me...I do not leave many blanks and do not mind researching.

Since I am a fighter and believe in my worth, it is difficult to just accept losing out on the good bucks. Is there nothinig I can do, am I just reduced to taking anything dished out to me-that is just so wrong on so many levels.

I am hoping any responses I get will be helpful and not the mindset that I just have to do whatever I get and just be thankful I have a job. That is not for me.

If anyone has any advice for this particular situation, would you please share your experience, offer some advice, or at the very least let me know if this does happen to other people even at good companies...is this a common practice? Since I have so much invested in my what I use to think of as a career just quitting and joining another profession is not an option (not yet anyway).

Thank you,

A fellow MT getting bluer by the day...

DISCLAIMER: Any mistakes or typos are to be blamed on the hour of day and because I am a keyboardist not a typist (smile!), and am not using my spellcheck right now.

Can a company "trick" you into paying you by the 65 character line by - Posted By: JLG Question

stating 9 cents per 65 character line in writing, but you don't get paid for spaces? I heard rumors about this particular company that they don't pay for spaces and so I'm wondering about this. I suppose I could call and ask them, but was wondering about that. Thanks. What's been your experience about pay, if you have one?

this applies to MT, right? (link for financial assistance) - Posted By: MTbucket

link: http://www.doleta.gov/programs/factsht/taa.cfm

something has to be done to help people losing jobs to foreigners...

it says you need 3 or more workers to apply...

also, it aint going away, ladies:

Other projections include:

10 percent of U.S. technology jobs will have moved offshore by 2005 (Gartner Group)
up to 25 percent of traditional IT jobs will be relocated from developed to developing countries by 2010 (Gartner Group)
500,000 financial services jobs (8 percent of all U.S. jobs in banking, brokerage and insurance) will be shipped overseas by May 2008 (AT Kearney)

Food/medicine caught in throat - Posted By: seasonedMT

This very thing happened to me while eating pizza one day - I ended up in the ER because I could not get it out or to go down. The ER doc ordered a chest x-ray (do not know why) and then sent me home with some Prilosec saying that I had esophagitis. It was a rainy day - two dogs chased my car home and I was afraid to get out - plus I had my sister's four children that week, besides my own two. I took a Prilosec and then had to have my husband rush to the pharmacy for some Benadryl - I was allergic to the dye - then, and I don't recommend this, I got a long-handled teaspoon - bent it and stuck it down my throat - retrieving the pizza dough. I still had esophagitis because my throat was now inflamed from the pizza and the spoon handle - I put the chewed up dough in a ziploc and returned it to the ER for an explanation - of course they thought I was crazy - but you do what you have to do. I have found that many doctors are either incompetent or on drugs (cocaine, meth, and others that they either sniff or smoke). That is why there is such a high malpractice rate (but that's another story). In fact, I see a doctor now who is a drug-abuser - but he prescribes what me or my family needs when we go to see him and we get well - but boy is he high - nice, though. That's my take on the ibuprofen in your throat.

Does anyone on her have eczema? - Posted By: ama

My 7-year-old son was just diagnosed with it. He had a little patch of bumps that came up on his inner forearm. He said they didn't itch or anything. A couple of days later, he had another area on the other arm in the same place. Then, the next day it was all over his back and on his outer thigh. I took him to the doctor and was told it was eczema. The doctor put him on an oral corticosteroid.

My son has bad allergies to begin with. He is allergic to practically everything that grows outside. So springtime is tough for us. He will be on two or three medications. He is also allergic to nickel of all things. The buttons on his jeans break his stomach out since they are made from nickel. So I have had to become very creative over the years to cover that up in order not to break him out.

I was just curious if anyone had any tips that work for you regarding eczema that I could try with him that might help. The poor boy, I feel like every time we turn around it's something else added on.

TIA!!

Is anyone else having this problem - Posted By: with the MTStars site? (sm)

When I click on posts I have not read they normally change from blue to purple to indicate that they have been read, but since last night this is not happening. Just curious if others are experiencing the same trouble.

Big nationals and MTs - Posted By: me

I have been in this business over 20 years. I started when we used IBM Selectrics and tapes. I have seen this business changing over the years, some good, some bad. One thing in particular is the very large national companies getting more and more of a monopoly in the transcription business. This has had an impact on the MT. I am making less per line than 15 to 20 years ago, and I seen that is widespread in this industry. I see it is getting more and more impersonal.

20 years ago many MTs were getting 7 to 7.5 CPL. I see that still happening. Adjust that for cost of living increases and inflation, and I feel wages have gone down.

Now we must compete with overseas work and if an MT wants to do VR, they must take a pay cut, at some companies of up to 50% of your line rate. I remember many years ago when they were talking about implementing VR, we were told we would not have pay cuts, just be able to type more. I knew then that they were lying, of course they would cut our wages. They will squeeze and squeeze to get the most money for themselves. Many of these CEOs make millions, but what about all the unethical business practices. Remember Enron.

I feel most of these changes are because of the a few very large nationals changing the nature of the business. Of course, they want to make as much money as possible. Everybody does, I cetainly do. But it seems to me they are doing it at the expense of the individual MT.

Did you know many transcription companies actually train the MTs in India and then give them a job. If you are in the good old USA, you pay for your own schooling and are lucky to get your foot in the door because of no experiernce.

I think if there were fewer nationals and more smaller companies, maybe the MT would benefit.

Word Autocompletion Software - Posted By: Any MTs use it?

Do any MTs use any of the word autocompletion software for MT work? Is there a medical one that works for MT work? Thanks

eskiepoo - Posted By: Jam

Looking for an eskiepoo. 19:13:49 said the had white hair all over the house. Thought poos weren't supposed to shed?

anyone know Medscript ? word wraparound issues ! - Posted By: JoJogal

Hi guys ... my hospital just switched to Meditech / Medscript for transcription. Does anyone how to adjust the word wraparound at the end of a line? It won't let me automatically wrap around a word at the end of a line; it breaks up the word where IT wants to - and deletes the first letter of the first word on the 2nd line! It's terrible - and I cant figure out how to adjust this.

Thanks everyone!

JoJoGal

TransTech - Posted By: Wonkers

Anyone know anything about this company. They sure do sound "good". Anyone who can give some insight please post, especially if you are currently with TransTech.

Need information about laptop computer for MT sm - Posted By: kady

Exactly what do I need to look for in a laptop. I have an ill family member which requires me to be more mobile. Ram? Hard drive? How many ports? Do you like any particular brand - I lean towards Dell, but am certainly not a diehard Dell fan.

Any tips you might have would be appreciated.

Thak you

Split keyboard mounted on chair arms versus split keyboard on desk - Posted By: Dixiekaye

For longtime comfort which is best - split keyboard mounted on chair arms or split keyboard to be used on the desk?

Also, why the preference over split keyboards that come totally apart versus split keyboards that are permanently connected at the top?

I want to revamp my office and there are so many different options.

Has anyeone else had a problem receiving x-rated emails? sm - Posted By: ick

It started a few weeks ago, and they come in with the name on the email as my husband's name, but it's my own email address. They are usually lewd subject lines, talking about male size, and crap like that. I accidently opened one and they all have to do with drugs like Viagra and Cialis. They had a website to link to to get off their emailing list, but I can tell that they have somehow just glommed onto my system.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is it a virus or something? Any ideas on how to get rid of it? It's not like I can block my own email address or my husband's from coming into my email box, which is exactly how they're sending them, like they're coming from myself!

Any ideas, please? I've been deleting something like 25 emails a day from these, and I'm getting ill just having to read the subject line that pops in with each one.

Many thanks, in advance, if anyone has any info on this scam.

Need help! - Posted By: PJ

The doctor seems to be talking about a patient being put in a hospital gown, but instead of gown, she uses a word that sounds like "Cherny". Any thoughts? (Definitely not referring to a gurney).

Does anyone on here think... - Posted By: Just Me

that anyone makes up numbers about their wages/cpl/lines per day, etc? It seems like every once in a while I come across a posting that makes me feel like I wonder if I am doing as well as I think I am. I think I do okay and if I had a constant supply of work I would do pretty well, but then I come across people saying they are making $60,000+, or whatever, and I feel small and slow again. I guess I should feel happy for those people and assume they are telling the truth, but, to be honest, I feel a little jealous and I want that kind of money for my family, too. Sorry to be so selfish, but just wanted to know what others thought/felt when they read posts like these (assuming you are not already one of those with the $60,000/year jobs).

What do others think about (sm) - Posted By: maj

using internet resources (reliable and recommended, of course) for research purposes, compared to books (referring to posts below)?

Personally, I have a lot of success with websites (have saved certain ones under my favorites listing) when researching new meds, terms, etc. There is a wealth of info available on the internet as everyone probably knows already.

Transcription software - Posted By: Cheryl

what type of transcription software do you use if you are planning on sending work over the internet. I currently am working where I have to pick up a tape from a docs office every night. I would like to pick up another account and would prefer to do it over the internet, but am not sure what company to use? What type of recorders would the docs need, how do they get their voice files onto their system, send it to a server for me to pick up, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Cheryl

How's this for a fun fact? A pound of flab is the... - Posted By: MI-MT

equivalent of four sticks of pure butter. Thought this would make some laugh. I just started running and found this fun fact in one of my fitness magezines. So that means I have 100 sticks of pure butter on my butt and thighs that I want to lose, LOLOLOL!!!

Can you - Posted By: freeze leftover sauerkraut

Meditech - Posted By: pauline

Has anyone ever tried this for Meditech

Meditech Magic Overlay template. If so is this the same thing as a template to put over regular keyboard that would have shortcut functions for Meditech on it? I work PT for a hospital but have never had any formal training as I work remote for this hospital. I really would like to more about maneuvering around in this program. I just know enough to get in the report, type it and send it to the hospital. I would like to learn more. Thanks.

Pauline

media play dictation - Posted By: karand

Anyone familiar with this? My doc is dictating via internet. It comes across on my media play and i can hear him but when i switch over to word there is no way to pause him from talking...........

JOBS. - Posted By: Small companies or Nationals?

I hear people complaining from the big companies that they hate their jobs or that they are low on work and etc. So, it brings me to this question; I have been working for a small MTSO and was thinking about trying to get on with a big company, but then I read all of the bad posts about them. What do you think is better? Dont the Big Nationals offer benefits?

Thanks tonz for all then INFO!!

The NP said... - Posted By: MSMT

orphenaryx.

Escription? - Posted By: MT in FL

Does anyone know of any companies that use Escription, OTHER than Transcend and MDI-FL? Thanks in advance.

Do you write down your (sm) - Posted By: EXText Question

job numbers. How do you keep record of work completed each day?

Does anyone remember name of book for deductions - Posted By: Tax time

if you work at home, saw posted a few weeks ago, wrote down and have misplaced. Thanks.

Someone else using my initials - Posted By: Need advice

I'll try to make this as brief as possible. I starting doing IC transcription for a medical office with six physicians. One physician was using a company in the state that outsourced work and continued to do so. The work was uploaded via voice files, etc. I was paid to proof and print that dictation for that particular physician. Well, their work was extremely inaccurate and the OM decided to no longer use their service. She informed them of such and told them that I would be doing this particular doc's dictation from now on. I was told today by the OM that there were four final dictations from that group to print out. Upon going to the web site and downloading the four dictations, I noticed that MY initials were being used as having transcribed the dictation. They were called and asked if they had a Transcriptionist with my initials - to which they replied they didn't. THe work is horrible and I would never return dictation with so many errors and such "broken" language. I don't think I'm being paranoid in thinking this group used my initials to make it appear that such inaccurate work was my work. Were I the not the one printing the work, I probably would never have known this and the doctor would have read it, noticed my initials and stroked out thinking he had gone from worse to pathetically worse.

How would you handle this? Granted, the office isn't using them now, but I'm outraged and I think something needs to be done. Thanks.

I want to learn how to proof as you go and need tips - Posted By: Jill in WA

For those who proof as you go, I would love to hear any tips and tricks on how you learned to do this and what method works best for you. I need to increase my line speed and I know proofing after the fact is really killing my line counts.

TIA!

Which font if charging by page? - Posted By: USA mls

I am doing something very different from my usual transcription. They want it single space and a different format. I am using Courier New 10 and it looks like they are getting a heck of a lot on the page for what I am charging - I am working for ZIP with this setup. Can anyone tell me what font to use, this is so small when I print it, that I can barely read it, my eyes are killing me as well. Help! You can E-mail me if you wish, I am very, very tired, 12 hour days on this with little to show for it.

TO ALL - Please see post on Company board - Posted By: jt

that was posted by the Administrator regarding mudslinging. Don't just read it. Live it!

backing up abbreviations - Posted By: Jan

I'd like to make a backup copy of all my abbreviations on Word Expander. I use Bayscribe for my work. Does anybody know how I can go about backing these up? I'm concerned that all it would take would be a virus or something funky to happen to my PC, and I'd lose all those abbreviations. I have stored over 2,000 my own abbreviations for a total of over 60,000 characters and would really regret all that work if something happened. Thanks.

Do you shut your puter down overnight? - Posted By: Cindy

Just curious how many shut completely down at the end of your work day or overnight? Why or why not?

Blanks in tests - Posted By: Apprentice

Hi!

I am looking for an opinion please. I have been taking my very first at-home test(hoping to come home and leave the politics behind). I was wondering if it would be counted against you if there was a blank in the one of the trascrption samples. My current employer prefers blanks to guesses but then again they are familiar with their employees' strenghts and weaknesses.

Any advice welcome.

Starting a business now: Dumb idea? - Posted By: Curious Georgette

With so many huge transcription companies to compete with, is it ridiculous to even consider going into business for myself at this point? Who in the world would go with the small guy rather than the bigwigs? I really would love to do it but am just wondering if my timing is way too late here.

Check this out! - Posted By: sm

Thought I'd share this with y'all. Tried this and it works for sure. Nice resource to help MTs.

Scam companies/schools that recommend them - Posted By: MTTOMANY

In regards to scam companies mainly Toth�I also wanted to add this note . . . there is a school (a small one) that provides passing students with a list of places that hire new grads. I cannot say the name of that school, as I have seen them advertise here and I don�t want to point fingers. Anyway, I do not know if she still has Toth on her list for newbies searching for potential jobs, but she did at one time. She claims she checks out the companies before she lists them, which is false. I personally informed the school about Toth because I along with four other MTs who had taken her course were cheated out of pay. She told me she didn't put Toth on the list � that she checks them out etc. Not too long after that a new grad approached me because she found that Toth was on the list and wondered if it was the same company that had cheated so many newbies. I told her that it was and she didn't take the job. At least I saved one MT. J Anyway, please do your own research when applying for jobs. Some schools don't care. They just like to say that they have a high percentage of working grads (they fail to mention the grads are not getting paid)! Please use caution. The best way to learn about the good places is by word of mouth. Okay-Thank you and have a good night. I am getting off my soapbox now.

Need advice on what to do with a cat. sm - Posted By: M

I just went through a divorce last year, so financially I haven't exactly gotten my feet completely on the ground yet, and then in September I started running out of work which made things a lot worse. (I work for MQ). I just sold my house, and I am moving into an apartment where the rent is half my mortgage. I plan to go back to school so I can get out of MTing all together.

My problem is this stray cat that I have. He started hanging around our neighborhood a few years ago. He is the sweetest thing. I didn't want a cat at all, but my kids started giving him hot dogs, and he has never left. He's a great cat, never messes in the house, never scraches the furniture, and loves my kids. I got him fixed 4 months ago in anticipation of making him a housecat so that we could take him to the apartment with us, but so far it hasn't worked.

He has his routine: Every morning he follows all the neighbor kids to whichever car in the carpool on the block is taking them to school and then watches them leave. He toms around the neighborhood all day, and then when I get home from picking the kids up from school, he is always on my front porch. Then he spends the entire afternoon going in and out the front door with the kids.

I've tried keeping him in the house and not letting him leave, and he cries and cries. Then when I get exasperated and finally let him out, he just lays down on the front porch and goes to sleep.

I don't know what to do with him. It is breaking my heart that I'm probably going to have to find a home for him. Any ideas on how to make him a housecat?

Ok time for me to quit - Posted By: Sunny

Just looked at a job I sent in and I typed: The patient was admitted to the ER with interesting shortness of breath ( should have been increasing). Where does stuff like that come from? Hope that one doesn't get checked for an audit.

Anyone going out of town tomorrow? - Posted By: RadGuy

I'm going to Cincinnati 2C my sisters! Yikes! Wish me luck...

Disappointed... - Posted By: S EWING

I have been hearing about MT so frequently lately I thought I'd look into it. I just attended an MT seminar held by At Home Professions and was interested enough to come home and do some research. That research led me to this board. Unfortunately, rather than being inspired by my research into the MT field, I am disappointed and frustrated. The postings here are largely negative and lead a reader to believe that the MT field is 1) Full of schools/ programs that will scam you for your money without providing the training/education you truly need to do the job right and succeed, 2) Open to only a few elite or those lucky enough to become gainfully employed w/ a good company that will pay what your work is worth and 3) A field w/ an uncertain future.

Is there anybody willing to share their MT experience w/out all of the drama?

Just your experience. The good and the bad.

For a "newbie"... Is MT a good investment in my future?

Thanks.

Getting my ducks in a row for my big job search. I just bought a Dell laptop for X-mas. SM - Posted By: MissouriMT

It was used when I bought it and I want to make sure that I have everything I need to work from home on it. The PC I'm on now will be going back to the hospital. It is a Dell Latitude. It has a Pentium IV processor, 512 mg of RAM, 40 gig hard drive, wireless internet plus ethernet card, Windows 2000. Will that laptop suffice for working from home? I assume it will, but I just want to make sure before I starting applying places.

Thanks!

When testing, is it better to - sm - Posted By: no idea, new at this

When testing for a company is it better to type verbatim or can you change things like grammar to make it actually correct?

laptop usage - Posted By: Barbara

I am considering purchasing a laptop to use mainly outdoors this summer so that my soon to be 4 YO twins can play outside while I am working. I already have a Verizon air card so that shouldn't be a problem. There is a place here that sells used laptops and new ones and they are awesome IT folks so I am going to talk with them more about my needs on the tech end. What I am looking for here is if anyone has any suggestions on a setup of the laptop itself and a separate keyboard and mouse, i.e. What to sit them on while I am working? I would like to find something either weatherproof that I may not have to move if it is heavy or something that i could at least roll around to bring back in the garage or something when I am not using it. We have pretty level ground where I will be at. TIA for any suggestions. Oh, and have a wonderful summer!

Radiation Oncology - Posted By: Shasta

Do any of you oncology transcriptionists know of any good sites for radiation oncology terms?. I am a seasoned oncology Transcriptionist who has a new oncology account that includes radiation oncology dictation, which I have never done before. Help, please.

Thanks

Windows XP Professional & Word - Posted By: Barb

Searching Word help section I see where it is possible to email directly from Word and also encrypt the document. If anyone does this, I could use some direction in doing it.

Thank you. bw

Need input from all you "night owls" working graveyard shift! - Posted By: MT

I am considering working nights, since it seems that's where the pay is higher. Do you go to bed in morning after your shift ends, or do you stay awake for a couple of hours, and go to bed, say 10 or 11 am. How many hours during the day do you sleep; or do you just take a nap in the morning, and go to bed around 6 or 7 p.m. and sleep until it's time for your shift to start? Input on getting a balance, and staying awake during shift. I worked that shift for a while in the past, but never could balance it out. It seems I was always sleeping and had no time to do anything else, other than sleep and work. Thanks

just found out our line count is being fudged - Posted By: totally disgusted

I suspected something when pay didn't seem right and now another employee also believes it has happened. No proof, unless the paycheck is proof. I am so done with this profession run by crooks. This is the second time this has happened to me, and I am just fed up.

You are the only ones who understand. You try to tell someone outside of the profession of the stuff we have to deal with and they look at you like you are either crazy to stay in it or a big crybaby. Sometimes it just really gets to you.

ChartNet to EXText - Posted By: soontobeTT

Has anyone moved from Chartnet to EXText lately? If so, were you able to move your expansions to EXText?