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Can you have Incredimail with Bellsouth? nm -
Posted By: Curious
nm
I'm a failure!!! -
Posted By: Jodi
What is going on??? Is this really happening?? I failed the MT test. I don't understand. I have been a Transcriptionist for 7 years. I wanted to work from home again after taking a few years off. I took a job at a hospital making extraordinary money just a year ago. They didn't have a problem with me. At first I thought it was because I have been away, but I don't think a year can make that much difference. HELP!! 
Does anyone know anything about the new EMR system? and how it will affect MT's work? nm -
Posted By: Barbara
For those who work from home.. -
Posted By: SM
Do you ever feel like you get away from transcription when working from home full-time? I work part-time at home, and it seems (especially on my Sunday shift) that I'm typing all day and half the night! Do you just completely shut down after a strict schedule and walk away from it? Even when I quit, I'm there in my bedroom which is where I also have my computer armoire and I feel as if it is staring at me! LOL...calling my name...pleading with me to come work. The co. I work for part time is always needing extra help and I feel so guilty just to lie around when I could be typing. It may sound silly, but it is really getting to me!
Protecting your employability and livelihood (SM) -
Posted By: MT Pundit
As I have read here and elsewhere several interesting pieces regarding the value and employability of new versus experienced MTs, I've had time to do quite a bit of thinking and review. This has produced some uncomfortable but profound changes in my perspective on this topic and this industry. I wanted to share these thoughs with everyone, hopefully to support and influence as many as possible to take stock.
This topic has been disguised and hidden and mislabeled for a while as a variety of names -- setbacks, progress, trends, offshoring, labor costs, etc. All of these words are only descriptive of the true topic: Change.
Change is the one state of being that we can all count on. Evolution is part of who we are as people, as a nation, as workers and it applies in every role of life. Everything changes at some point. Without that constant change, there would not be renewal and freshness that is necessary to continue. Change brings usefulness.
It also is uncomfortable for most and can be quite painful for some. Sometimes it produces unwanted results. More often, because we want to resist change, it produces results that we tried to avoid. Change does, however, continue on - with or without us.
The key to surviving and evolving with change is a characteristic we all are capable of: Adaptability. Making ourselves adaptable is what will keep us included in change. Exclusion means an end. Unless you want to change direction completely or embark on completely different pathway, exclusion will be the death of whatever process you are referencing.
I have opportunity to be involved with many new MTs as well as those with quite a broad spectrum of experience and backgrounds and from different countries. These are the observations I have made:
New MTs and those in the economically challenged countries are eager to learn. They are open to learning and have new sources of energy. They are willing to work harder, with more effort.
New MTs usually do have specific training on the AAMT's Book of Style (2nd edition). While not every company or client employs the use of this reference, many do and these newer MTs have already been trained in its use.
New MTs usually have a little more specific factual information regarding terminology, disease processes, etc., that experienced MTs may have missed in their on-the-job training along the way.
New MTs are accustomed to feedback because they have been educated by receiving it - quite a bit of it, in fact. They are seeking that feedback and they know what to do with it. It keeps them keely aware of what they are doing.
Experienced MTs that have had broad exposure to many types of dictation, especially large acute care facilities and teaching hospitals, have an incredible knowledge bank to draw from. They usually possess a living understanding of operations and procedures, actually envisioning what is occuring during the dictation, and can apply that knowledge to assist them in ensuring the transcription record is accurate and complete.
Unfortunately, the more experienced MTs have usually not worked in an environment that provides a great deal of feedback, if any at all. For many, this scenario of no news is good news equates to their being correct in all they do. With the push for quality these days, once feedback is being received, it becomes personal and defies what they have been practicing all of their years. It can easily make the most experienced MT defiant and bitter. Being argumentative, however, keeps one thought in the mind of the employer: You are unwilling to be taught.
Many experienced MTs have no experience with the AAMT's Book of Style (2nd edition) reference or may have obtained their copy but have no formal training in using it. Owning that reference is not enough. You must be able to use it appropriately.
Experienced MTs often feel they have paid their dues in the past and that they should have first choice at accounts, schedules, etc. Employers and accounts need experience dispersed throughout all of the days/hours they are providing and needing coverage for.
What I see are needed to protect your employability and livelihood in this industry:
1. Make yourself adaptable. Make it known to your employer and those you apply to. An employer hires you to do the job they want, the way they or the account wants it done. Do not be afraid - your experience WILL come into play but you need to be able to adapt to their needs. Remember that you are working FOR them.
2. Create a teachable spirit within yourself. Be open to feedback and ask for it. Perhaps you did transcribe it this way for 25 years...if this employer or account wants it differently, then they just do. If you've never used specific references and your employer/account wants you to, dive in and learn to use those references! Let your employer (and those you apply to) know you are teachable. Keep the argument out of the scenario.
3. Learn to use the resources you have available. You do NOT have to be a supporter of the available professional organizations to take advantage of some of their pros. If it is important to you or your employer, think about certification or registration. If it is not for you, don't worry about it but do not mark yourself by detracting from those who do value this. Many facilities do want the use of the AAMT's Book of Style (2nd edition) so obtain a copy and learn to use it. Courses are often offered to help you understand trends in the industry or how to improve your skills, go into business for yourself, etc. Take advantage of those offers. You do not have to be a member of most organizations to do so.
4. Be responsible for your own skill set and improve on it each year. Purchase self-educational materials and work to improve your own knowledge bank. This is an investment in your ability to earn your living!
5. Dedicate yourself to becoming an expert in the trends that are changing the MT industry right now: Speech recognition and ESLs/foreign dictators. I realize those are 2 hot topics but they are not going away! Learn to make speech recognition your friend - learn to be the best at it! Make employers WANT you because you excel with it and want to! It does take dedicated commitment and patience to learn ESLs but the more you do, the better you can become. You will never be 100% successful with ESLs but you will become comfortable and be able to increase your ability to understand them. It will never detract from your skill set to make friends with the ESL scenario!
I hope these summations can provide some insight and support for you. Having been in this business for many, many years and participated in the changes that have occured and continue on, I know if you employ these suggestions, you will be proactively preserving your career and income!
Please do feel free to e-mail if I can assist anyone with these suggestions.
Frustrated again -
Posted By: justme
It took me 6 months to finish a 1 year course for MTs. It took me another 4 months to find someone to hire me. I seemed to have been one of their better typers, since the e-mails with nasty remarks got sent to all of us and they were not any thinkg that applied to my jobs. Talk about some stupid errors! I have managed offices for the past 30 years and wanted to find a job that I liked and could stay home. Thought I had it! It would have been 1 year this month. The company I worked for has a very poor computer system. They are constantly having problems with their e-mail. My last job typed to them was a very long one, which they claim that they never received. I sent it twice to both owners and also saved it twice to the site. I have not been given another job since, nor have I gotten paid for the previous month. I feel I am a very adequate typist. It only takes a little practice and any one can get a doctor down pat. I use the internet alot for words I don't quite understand and usually get good results. I am now back to the point of testing for everyone and anyone and hearing the same thing, "We need 2 yrs+ experience." I'm glad I kept my day job for this past year. I am still not ready to give up though. Is there anyone out there that hires old women with excellent typing skills and the know how to find what they need in order to type a good report?
what is a typical QA hourly wage for experienced QA -
Posted By: lisa
wondering what a median QA hourly wage for an experienced QA
Has anyone heard of this? sm -
Posted By: gettinold
I have an account where they have a doctor who comes in and does nothing but dictate discharge reports. He's just some outside doctor whose job this is. He's obviously paid by the report, judging by how fast he talks. The medical profession is really going downhill when they're so cheap they hire someone to dictate their reports.
Hi! -
Posted By: It is ZERO degrees here!
 Hello MTs! It's freezing cold outside, but I am warm inside typing away :) How is everyone doing today?
Any Info on Meditech Client -
Posted By: Carrie Fuller
Here's another dumb question, folks. My new job has Meditech client. I have used Meditech, but the kind you dial in with a phone line modem (not using internet).
Is Meditech Client different or is it the same, is it user friendly? Does it use the internet? I hope so b/c I just got DSL available in my area and hope it isn't slow b/c I'm starting a new job soon. Thanks in advance for pointers! 
meditech -
Posted By: Chica
Hi anybody out there know how I can view a previoius report I transcribed in meditech? TIA
Does anyone work for one than one company? -
Posted By: just wondering
If so, do they know about it?
Looking for someone who owns -
Posted By: a corn burning stove and/or furnace
Am looking for some information on these products. Thank you.
Low on work - again -
Posted By: Frustrated
How do you handle low work volume for weeks on end? I am so frustrated. I am an IC so no benefits, just cpl! Help! I have no work again today. And with x-mas on the way. Any suggestions?
Cable or DSL -
Posted By: ng
I have had cable internet service and thinking of switching to Bell South Ultra Fast 6.0. Do you think Bell South is okay too?
Gas prices -
Posted By: sm
Subject: Gas Prices
I went into the Shell gas station this morning and asked for five dollars
worth of gas.
The clerk farted and gave me a receipt.
Gross physical line?? -
Posted By: MTmom
From what I have been told, a gross physical line is anything typed on a line, regardless if it's one letter or 65. My question is ... would 8 cpl on a gross physical line for acute care be good pay? How about 7 cpl on a gross physical line for emergency room reports? Thanks
Auto Correct in Word -
Posted By: D
I use auto correct in Word to make my macros. Is there any way to save this info in the event that my computer were to crash. This has happened before and I've had to enter all of my macros again on a new computer (quite a hassle). I appreciate any info.
Thanks,
Line counting -
Posted By: JustATypn
Anyone use a line counting program given to you by your MTSO to track your line count.....and it ends up that the line count is different from there's? Shouldn't the line counts be exact since the company issued their own program?
The program works with MS Word's count, and their reasoning is that Word counts differently on different computers. Say what???
I've been a Transcriptionist for 14 years and this is a first. I've worked for several MTSOs and my lines have always been the same. Is MS Word that inaccurate on their counts on different computers?
Lately, every week I'm having a techie problem. My latest -
Posted By: Getting older
is the sound on my computer cuts out for no reason. I just started doing VR this week and the sound disappears. It's not just the program. It's the whole computer. If I reboot, it's back.
I also noticed that, although the work load is heavy, I'm out of work around the same time every day for about an hour or two. Then I'm okay for the rest of the day.
Please don't tell me it's my computer. I can't afford another one at this time of the year.
Please don't tell me it's my sound card...the computer is only 1-1/2 years old.
I have 512 MB RAM. Do you think this is too little for VR? It never happened when I was doing regular transcribing.
Any ideas?
Thanks,S
Soft Script and Accustat -
Posted By: Wondering
I am busting my hump trying to learn SS (I am a newbie with some experience but under a year) and I also am an IC for Accustat, now I have to really work for hours on end to try to get a line count for SS and on my Accustat its a nice account where I can have a line count with normal speed and hardly any ESL's
So basically here is my problem should I keep working for SS ( i have had no problems with pay, of course I don't make much of a line count) or should I just do my Accustat account and quit SS
Did I forget to mention I also have a day job....lol (My hope is to just MT and make some money someday)
SS takes out taxes and IC does not so I going to just go with SS but reading all of these posts makes me think just do my IC job for awhile and stop working three jobs busting my but
Being paid gross line -
Posted By: Susan
I have been offered a job that pays 8 cpl per gross line. Is that a good rate? Thanks for your input.
Need help with invoice... -
Posted By: DG
Does anyone have any samples or know where I can obtain some. I have looked everywhere. I did a fill-in transcription job for the past week and now I need to submit an invoice, but I have never done one. Please help!!!
word help, about to scream -
Posted By: romey
I am so sick of the numbers in word doing weird and crazy things, not indenting right or bolding on their own and now to top it all off they are bolding on their own and are very little, so I start with a normal 1 and then the 2 is tiny compared to the 1 and it is bolded, can someone please help me.
Anyone ever transcribe police reports or anything similar? -
Posted By: ThankfulMT
My mom was applying for a job transcribing reports and she has to take a spelling test. Just wondering what type of terms she would need to spell. (She's not the best speller in the world and it would probably be to her benefit to study some before the test.) Thanks for the info.
Posting on this board sm -
Posted By: Just me
I agree with the moderator and the thing that bothers me is that some take up so much of some of the boards, that they seem to "overcome" and this is why in desperation, some say, "Please help me on".....xyz board because they know the board they should be posting on has only one or two posters. Albeit, these posters are helpful also, but don't you think it would be wise to allow only a certain number of posts per day on certain boards to allow someone else to get a word in edgewise? Then there would not be so many "lockouts" and posts on the main board. I was in a situation that was of importance to my future business and I did ask for help on a board which seemed to have only one or two posters lately, and I was shut down. This is not a punitive message, just a suggestion that sometimes we are desperate to be helped. This board is an excellent source of communication and I would hate to see anything negative happen here. Just a suggestion. Carry on the good work!
post thumbs down votes aren't being counted -
Posted By: moon1010
If you've tried to vote thumbs down on the two posts by computerboy advertising illegal downloads of Stedman's items, you'll be interested to know that the forum is instead counting them as "thumbs up" votes.
CMT pass score -
Posted By: Kris
Can anyone tell me what is the score required to pass the CMT exam?
DAC phone speaker question -
Posted By: Anna
I am currently using a DAC phone for a new account. It is brand new. I have plugged the headset in and yet, sound is still heard through the loudspeaker on the phone. I have hit every button on the phone and nothing seems to turn it off. Does anyone know I can keep the sound from being broadcasted? Thanks!
MT Ethics question -
Posted By: Tiffany
Hello-Need some feedback. I am a seasoned IC MT. The PT office I type for asked that I find a back-up for a vacation I went on in August. I found someone, which took considerable time, to fill in for me. I gave her the opportunity to make some extra cash and assured her that I would send accounts her way if I could, etc. I just found out, she is also transcribing for this office behind my back. I had no idea. Isn't this unethical???? Shouldn't she have extended the courtesy of at least informing me? I would never do that. Not sure of the circumstances, either. Whether she offered them less rates, or if they initiated contact. Either way, I feel like I have been "had". Please comment. Anyone?
Do you think it is strange that -
Posted By: Delicate Subject
a father would take a bath with his 2 year old daughter and not see anything wrong with that? Or is it me?
Expanders that are easy to add long entries? -
Posted By: anon
I've been using Autocorrect for years and just recently started using Shorthand. Autocorrect is so easy to use and to add entries to. In Autocorrect, you can type up a whole page or template or whatever, highlight it, then go into Autocorrect and just choose which abbreviation you want to use for it. All the formatting stays, bold and everything. When I try to do that with Shorthand, it copies the template into Shorthand, but none of the bold and formatting is there.
I'm sure there must be a way to add templates into Shorthand, but I have no idea what that is and it seems like it would be complicated.
I've been looking at Smart Type and it looks pretty good, but I'm wondering if it will be the same as ShortHand as far as adding long entries or templates. I love Autocorrect because of this feature, it makes it soooo easy. Can anyone tell me which Expander is similar to Autocorrect in this fashion? Thank you!
Need help on tech board before my post is deleted a third time. Thanks. nm -
Posted By: SP
nm
FlashCount question. SM -
Posted By: MissouriMT
I have to enter my client information (name and address) every time I generate a new invoice. Is there a way to save the client information so I don't have to type it in every single time? Also is there a way to enter multiple clients and choose the correct client from a list and have it auto populate?
It takes so much time to generate invoices when I have to type client info in every single time!
Vonage Problems -
Posted By: Carol
I recently signed onto Vonage due to SBC challenges. I have found that I am having problems with the foot pedal to my Lanier and dictaphone. Last night I had to call in at least 10 times to finish all my reports. It seems to go dead when I press on either the forward or rewind pedals. No problems if I just keep typing and don't touch either pedal. Is anyone else having these problems or am I the only one.
Can something be done with SS? -
Posted By: done with SS
I quit SS 3 days ago because they were stealing my lines and I don't enjoy working for free. I see all the posts below from numerous MTs with the same problem. Can they be reported (like to the BBB) or something so that they don't get away with this? This is unacceptable and unprofessional.
Hey Crafty Girls -
Posted By: Romey
My niece wants to get into a hobby or do some crafts in her side time, but does not know where to begin. She is a modernistic woman, age 30, not into the country motif, but wants to be crafty. Any suggestions out there of where she might start or a craft kit I could get her for Christmas? Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Also looking for salary info for NW Washington, Silverdale area sm -
Posted By: SunshineGirl
Hospital employee hourly rate or annual salary range. Thanks for any help!!
Does anyone know how to change font -
Posted By: Huge font
When I read web pages everywhere, the font is huge and I do not know how I ended up with it this way? Does anyone know how I change it? I have AOL.
Thanks!
Private Psychiatrists -
Posted By: tradmt
Does anyone know if private psychiatrists hire MTs and if so, would they use us for session notes etc...? I would like to transcribe private psychiatrists, but it doesn't seem like they really use MT's.
Setback for EMR -
Posted By: Tada
Great article on new VA security breach. Down at the bottom they tie it in with Obama's hope for EMR, with a "whoops, not so fast!" slant. I'd love to know what MT company had this on their watch also.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/13/va.records.security/index.html
Sample oncology reports?? -
Posted By: sunnyMT
Looking for a good web site to help with oncology; chemo meds and such.
TIA!! -have a good weekend
Any MTs out there w/Workers' Comp. (sm) -
Posted By: MT
eval transcription experience in Ortho, Neurology and/or Neurosurgery? How many years' experience do you have, and for which state? I'm wondering if it's a hard transition for someone with non-Workers' Comp Rad experience to transition to Ortho, etc. in WC.
UPDATE -
Posted By: MTMommy
I started my period.
Thanks to everyone who replied to me, it did give me hope. I am going to keep on trying, even though I feel like giving up.
I better get back to work. All this worrying has given me low line counts the past few days.
Thanks!!
Converting a "tape" client to digital (sm) -
Posted By: midwestMT
Can someone point me in the direction to find information on purchasing equipment for a doctor to try digital dictation for the first time? He's currently using tapes and is interested in digital dictation.
I have express scribe and a wav pedal, I realize I'll need to get FTP set up on my webspace but I'll need to purchase him the handheld, etc. and I'm really not sure what the best setup is. Being only one person, I can't afford thousands of $ but would like to be able to offer that type of service.
Help?
netbook with air card, has anyone tried this -
Posted By: me
Hi,
Has anyone tried using one of the new netbooks with a broadband "air card" which plugs into a USB port, a wireless keyboard and mouse (for ease of typing), and a foot pedal plugged into another USB port? Am thinking about getting rid of the high-speed cable and going this route which costs about 60$ a month so that i could take my work with me or check on work away from home. This has really become an issue lately because my granddaughter is in Children's Hospital with a heart defect. Most of the time there is "sit around and wait for hours" where i could be doing some reports while waiting for news. Verizon gal told me that the broadband is "secure" where WiFi is not. any advice/ideas? I say a netbook because they are so cheap ...about 350$ compared to a laptop.
WAV pedal/serial port question. -
Posted By: See message.
I work for an MTSO that uses a pedal with a serial plug, and my lap top does not have a serial port, so have plugged it into a USB adapter. The dictation is coming across has somewhat "hesitant"--there are pauses at times and I really have to bash the pedal to get it going again (the pedal works just fine if I use it on the MTSO's computer, which I don't want to keep doing--I need to be portable with my lap top). The tech people haven't been too motivated to help; I can only use my own computer if I don't require tech support, though I'm told many people do it successfully.
Anyway, bottom line, the adapter is showing up in Com-Port 4, and the tech says it needs to be in 1, though I can't get any further advise. When the adapter is plugged in, the MTSO's software shows a drop down menu for ComPort 3 or 4; there is no 1. Any suggestions from any of you tech geniuses out there?? Oh, I also have a USB pedal from another service, but that is showing up in ComPort 3 and won't work at all.
This is getting ridiculous. -
Posted By: more cheapening
Now there's a job on the job seekers board looking for an IC MT to do acute care with ops for 7.5 cpl. IC!!! With ops!!!! Give me a break. That's equivalent to about 6.3 cpl after paying self-employment taxes, not to mention overhead. Their website says "HIPPA" instead of HIPAA, too.
Opinions. Regards to loaning car to friend. -
Posted By: DJ
Hello all, I would like your assessment of this scenario, which created a heated discussion with my sister, brother-in-law and I yesterday. They have a 20 year son, my nephew, who lives with a couple of roomies in a 'den of inequity'. He is creative, sensitive soul, who goes to the beat of his own drum, which includes being anti-society, anti-politics, and a distain for superficiality, materialism of the majority of people in this great U.S.A. He spends his time, when not working at a pizza joint, smoking pot, playing music and dreaming of a better world. He had plans for community college, which he has let fallen by the wayside.
When he got his H.S. diploma (by way of homeschooling when he dropped out of the traditional high school his Jr. year), his parents bought him a brand spanking new car. They felt that it was fair they do this, as they had done the same for his sister 4 years prior. (she was working 2 jobs, choreographing for studios as well as attending college).
She deserved it. He did not.
Well, apparently he has let his female/friend/roommate take his car on a road to trip Canada without him. ( We live int he midwest, so long drive, not talking across the state here!) I was surpised to hear this... when I asked my sister how she felt about it, since THEY are the ones making the car payment, insurance, etc, she completely blew up and her husband accused me of meddling.
What do you think? Would you feel comfortable about this? I, for one, think they are in denial about their son, his lack of motivation for his future, etc.
Bayscribe/Foot pedal -
Posted By: Julia
I had asked earlier if Bayscribe could be operated without a foot pedal. Upon further research, it would seem that it cannot. So, I guess I need to bring my laptop and the foot pedal with me on the plane to California. Has anyone traveled with a foot pedal before? Will it pass through security?
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