Any ideas about how to approach this...
Posted By: luvjcn on 2008-10-09
In Reply to:
In these tough economic times, any ideas on how to bring up the subject of a salary increase to management without it turning on me in some way? Is it even worth asking in our industry? Working for major MTSO for a few years, still making same salary since the beginning, below 10 c/l. Any little bit would help. Love my job but getting desperate.
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I like your approach sm
I think your service adds the "personal touch" which definitely makes you different from other services. You shouldn't want to be the same as everyone else.
I have studied marketing for years and have learned that the personal touch is often more effective to not only getting an account but keeping an account.
You're proof that it works!
Your brother took the right approach...sm
too many docs write a prescription without testing to make sure that a person has the diagnosis to support it. A good doctor will do the testing like you indicated to make sure a patient truly is ADD or ADHD prior to handing out medicine.
Question to the original poster: Are you under extra stress lately? If so, that's probably what is causing you to be scatter brained and learning how to handle stress will be more effective long-term than taking medications.
Good luck to you!
Let me tell you how I approach the visit
If going to a new physician, I have my history and physical and all other information typed out for them. If a return visit, I type out a small list noting the reason for the visit. Mine are short and sweet, first of all because if not written down, hard for me to remember and just makes it easier for perhaps a person who is on their treadmill trying to see all the patients they can and me as I don’t want to spend a lot of time there either. I heard somewhere that after about the first 4 or 5 minutes you are tuned out anyway. Why not simplify for the visit??
While I like this approach, the fact that you
motherly. I think sometimes MTs feel like it's their parents correcting them. Would you agree? Also, I think a lot of us are home MTs nurturing our children, and cannot separate when we are speaking to an adult. I would prefer no baby talk, but then again this is my interpretation. You sound very nice, and keep up the positive attitude; however, we're not children being scolded. We are adults that need guidance once in a while and as you put it a second set of ears. 
Get your own accts. When approach Dr with
x
That is how I approach my position as QA as well...
not my problem to find missing commas, et cetera...it is my job to listen to the blank, plain and simple...
Ever approach client of national you used to...
work for to offer your IC services for their account...or is that asking for some kind of a lawsuit and headache that you don't want?
Approach homeschooling with knowledge. sm
I have family in California that homeschool their children, and it is wonderful. The mother has an education, sets up great courses, and the support network there is absolutely fantastic. Sports, music, field trips, clubs, they are all available. They couldn't get a better education anywhere, and the socialization is absolutely great.
However, I had to homeschool my son last year for health reasons, and there can be real problems. He is an only child and was left out of all the school social activities. Unfortunately, there is no homeschooling network in my area, the nearest one is 150 miles away, so there were no field trips, sports activities, etc. We live in a small town, and not much is available outside school. It took him 2-3 months to get back into the social swing in high school. Fortunately he is very well adjusted, and turned out fine. Be sure the pieces are in place before you homeschool. Otherwise, you will be the only support your child has, and it can be almost a full-time job, especially if you have to start your own organization. I highly recommend homeschooling if you are in an area to do so. It can be a great experience and children can learn so much faster than in the public school. Good luck.
cost effective approach???
Okay, I am ready to start out with my own "company". I don't want the inconvenience of tapes yet the equipment to setup my own dial-up service is prohibitively expensive. Does anyone provide cost effective services where I can offer a 800 dial up service? OR, any rental options? Is anyone using this kind of service? What does it cost? Thanks.
How about this.......wait until the time comes and approach your sup then..
Why cause "drama" when there is none..
I like your approach, straightforward and observant (NM)
Valid question, I agree.
We don't have to approach hospitals we work for;
there are plenty of others out there, and we didn't sign any contracts not to contact them.
We wouldn't need to be talking about specific MTSO's in general, either, but the industry as a whole. And more importantly, about AHDI and all its underhanded little shennanigans.
Jay Vance tried that approach and it died. You have to charge
reasonable membership dues for people to see the seriousness of the action. Jay Vance charged something like a dollar or something like that and no one took him seriously. Of course, that was the old days, now he's an AAMT suckup.
The fine-toothed comb approach!
Being right there in the same room is wonderful. How wonderful you were able to be of assistance to a relative too! I will keep everyone posted. I would like some other contractors to post in about what they think should be paid out of 8 cents/line for an OJT. Looking forward to more input!
Having waitress' say "you guys" every time they approach each and every table.
I still want to know how they really want me to answer when then ask "Are you guys doing okay?" or "How are you guys making out?" ???? Well my relationship with food is personal I guess!
Any ideas?
 I'm beginning my carreer as a medical Transcriptionist - which is best Expander program, are there any good ones lower priced?? anyone know if there's a free trial with any of these programs?
Some Ideas - sm
First, keep a list of each job # you do...this is useful in case there is a dispute or lost work. Also, if you later need to request a copy, you can ask your QA dept by job #.
Second, your question: I do about 20 reports a day for around 750 lines. It takes me anywhere from 4 to 10 hours. :( New accounts are really slowing me down lately.
HTH!
Try these ideas.
I picked up an exercise bike at a yard sale for $1 and a mini trampoline for $5. Whenever I need a break to recharge, I get on the bike or trampoline for 5-10 minutes. They say that little spurts of exercise throughout the day are as effective as exercising all at once. Plus, it'll help clear your lungs out. Another thing to try is to just step outside for a moment and take some really deep breaths of fresh air in. You used to inhale deeply with smoking, so now you inhale deeply without the carcinogens. You can also try yoga or tai chi. Very calming on the nerves. I also switched to herbal tea, so I'll take a break and fill up my little teapot for one. Replace your bad habit with a good habit. Just don't replace smoking with eating. If you need the hand to mouth thing, try air popped popcorn, cut up fruit or vegetables, a small amount of nuts or seeds, or hot peppers. I keep a jar of Bit o' Honey and fireball candies on my desk, so I'll have one of those a day.
It's important to reward yourself, so take the money you would ordinarily have spent on cigarettes and get something for yourself. I like to buy books, bubble bath, stinky candles, mocha lattes, restaurant gift certificates. You can also put the money you're saving into a big jar to watch it add up for a BIG reward. I saved enough to buy a dishwasher, which is kind of silly for a reward, but I really wanted one.
thank you both for the ideas
nm
several ideas on where to go
Number one was psychology, but that will take too long, going part time, and knowing in the next five years MT'ing might not exist. You need a bachelor's to get foot in the door. I wish they had schooling completely on line for this degree, but they do not.
Second is something with cooking. Would like to work with people on diet and weight loss, since it is the way i've lived my own life for years and I believe strongly in it. The chef/cook field is predominantly male, so it will be hard to get a foot in the door there. I can be a certified dietician all on line within a year, but the pay isn't all that good.
Ultimate goal would be a personal chef or working for myself doing SOMETHING. I think thats everyones dream.
all these ideas
are right up my alley of interest. I have a community college in my area that offers a certificate in cooking. I've sent away for the packet, and I feel this is the direction I want to take, since I actually enjoy cooking and working with food. I'm just in a premid life crisis. Thanks for your advice, i'm glad I posted today.
Some ideas....sm
For the business expense part I would buy a printer that uses a different ink cartridge than what you have now. The best one you can afford. I would tell them that my home printer won't handle that much printing (they might even be able to get you a good deal on one from their supplier). In the meantime I would go to Kinkos or printer and have them print the reports and SHRINK WRAP or package the bill with the reports while you are waiting on your new printer. javascript:editor_insertHTML('text',' ');
Thanks for the ideas.
I do have that book and an equipment book as well. Thanks for the idea I will ask and see if they let me.
:)
The ideas seem to be getting better and better, lol--SM
I like the sticker--I could certainly give a quick glance. But the bead of glue or "diamond" ideas sound even better, as I won't have to even look/glance to check and correct my hand position Thanks--you're some resourceful ladies and I was drawing a complete blank on such a simple annoyance, lol
Two ideas
My daughter LOVES trains, and you can find scenic train trips all over. We did one in Romney, WV that was just wonderful. The train was called Potomoc Eagle, and we did see bald eagles on our trip.
Not sure where you are in WV, but what about Hershey, PA? Probably not the cheapest vacation, but lots to do. Besides HersheyPark itself (very kid friendly) there is a zoo, a garden and more. I'm sure there are packages available.
I'm anxious to see what others come up with too. We are in PA and looking for some close trips as well. Which beach do you go to? We found a beautiful not-so-commercial beach at Lewes, DE last year and can't wait to go back!
Good luck with your planning!
Thanks for your ideas! (s/m)
I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my post and give your input. I already know that I will have signed on for real at a new job before I ever walk out the door at my present one. And although I want SO badly to tell them to "take their job and shove it", I guess I have to not burn my bridges, either, just in case. I had thought about doing some part time work, but I'm usually so burned out at the end of the week that I don't know if I could do that or not. I run around like crazy on Saturdays, just trying to do all the household chores, shopping, etc. that doesn't get done during the week.
I seriously considered training for another career about 10 years ago, when we were told our jobs would "be taken over by VR" eventually. But I got into MT because I don't fit well into most other professions. I've had a couple of my own businesses. Too much worry and having to be available 24-7. I've gotten lazy in that respect. The same with going back to school. I'm just hoping I can keep on scratching out a living with what I know how to do, until I have enough saved to at least retire to part-time work to supplement my 401K & whatever Social Security is still left in 2025. So, I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Some ideas
All teachers don't come out of the same mold, but my friend who is a teacher says the best gift she can receive is a gift card from a grocery store. She likes all gift cards, but it's easier to use the grocery store ones. We all have to eat!! An Amazon.com gift card is also good.
Her second favorite is homemade cookies or other edible products.
Trinkets and personal gifts are great, but she says she remembers students by their personal qualities (or lack thereof lol) more than any personal gift.
Good luck!
Thanks for all your ideas !!
We have decided to make a picture collage of the puppies that survived and "mom and dad", and include it with a basket of goodies that can be eaten while on the run with an assortment of coffees, teas, individual bottles of flavored water, etc.
Although we wanted something unique, the goodie basket seemed to be at the top of everyone's list... so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Again, thanks for all the help.
Thanks for the ideas!
I think some of these might get me arrested, but they are good ideas! Hubby would love them! I am going to take my special chocolate chip cookies to the airport for him to eat in the car. I will give him a kiss and a big welcome home card too. Thanks to you all! :-) Just 1 week to go now!
Some ideas...
I'm in the same boat, but decided to get over it as July has come and is on its way out and the work is still very skimpy. Fortunately, my rent isn't due until the middle of the month and I'll figure something out about the rest of the bills even if it means getting reaaal good at Ebay.
Some suggestions:
--Check the local temp agencies, perhaps they have something, med. transcription or not, that might be available to help tide you over.
--Consider hiring on with another "back up". That's not being disloyal. It's being smart and sane. What good are you getting frustrated, upset, being tense about where the rent's coming from if not your current employer? What good are you to your family who is depending on you or your employer if you're all out on the street?
--Whether you tell your employer what you're doing (to literally keep yourself afloat) or not is up to you and depends very much on your relationship. Think this particular over very, very carefullly regardless of how much better it might make you feel regarding loyalty.
Hang on, hang in. We've both no other choice. We'll get through this.
Need some ideas
A friend of mine has throat cancer and is undergoing radiation. His throat hurts and he has no teeth and I am trying to come up with some high calorie food for him to eat, he says he can't taste much and has been doing milk shakes and mashed patotoes, any other ideas. Really need to be high calorie because he does not want to have a PEG and if he can keep up his weight and still swallow then he won't have to have one. Thanks for any suggestions
Some Ideas for You RE: LX-219
First, sorry about the funny way my answer is formatted below, I'm no good in this little box.
Are you dialing into a Lanier system? LX-219 and other Lanier equipment only works with Lanier.
Ranzy Luster in Texas fixed my LX-219 with large display for a flat rate of $100, gave a 90-day warrantee with the repair. He sometimes advertises on the MT Daily site. He has been around a long time. His phone number is 254-235-3241 and his e-mail is rluster@transcribe solutions.com. I felt he treated me very well and he was fast. I should say if the large display is not working, I don't believe he works on that, but if you can see anything in the large display, I believe he will work on it. Ask him.
Look in your User Guide for the LX-219 and try performing the call-echo-cancel sequence. If you are calling into a Lanier system, then it is not recognizing your machine. Lanier machines send a proprietary tone in to connect with the host modem.
Sometimes the phone is set for dictate instead of transcribe. You can try this: Press *99 (that's star-99) then the 1 key
If set for transcription it will say 20 through 39.
My old Lanier service tech said he always used 20 as his default when setting machines for transcription mode.
When you dial into Lanier, the LX-219 must be programmed with YOUR ID number. So, program one key with the number you are dialing, then another key with your ID.
You can test how this works by dialing the phone manually, touching all the buttons just like the regular phone, then input your ID number, the system should recognize you.
I haven't used my LX-219 machines in a long time, I use a Lanier TXC card to download large amounts of dictation to a sound card in my computer, but the above were some hints I wrote for myself in the handbook for the LX-219 a couple of years ago.
Is your C-phone located near any other equipment? That can cause static. Move it away by itself.
I hope something here helps. Give Ranzy a try. He might have some suggestions for you.
Some ideas
Grilled cajun chicken or shrimp over Caesar salad. Marinated steak over salad. Marinated chicken or shrimp kabobs. Italian sausage kabobs with peppers and onions and cherry tomatoes. A crustless quiche. Shrimp scampi. Tasty veggies..brocolli with cheese sauce, cauliflower with cream sauce, glazed carrots. Cole Slaw. Stacked thin burger patties filled with layers of swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions, or whatever you like. I find if it's tasty or fun to eat you don't miss the carbs as much ;)
Any ideas
Sorry, this is kind of long, but I would appreciate any advice/comments.
Back in May I was contacted by someone to whom I had sent my resume several months prior. She asked if I would be interested in some part-time work, and I said that I was. She had no idea how much or what time of day, etc.
Well, it turned out to be quite a bit of work, and I wound up calling her and letting her know that it was too much, as she would ride me about turnaround time when I had let her know that I already had almost full-time work prior to accepting her part-time deal. She did have another girl working on the account, but her work needed to be edited (fully to voice), and she asked that I hang in there while she found someone else, which I did, and she went through about three other girls. During this time she would hit me with sometimes 2+ hours of dictation out of the blue, and there would be many days with nothing at all. I had actually been hoping to still get daily work, but just a reduced amount from what it had been, and was still hoping that is how it would go once she was able to find someone else to share the load.
Anyway, about a week ago I received an e-mail from her that she no longer had the account, and here is where my question comes in . . . I really liked doing this dictation, and am interested in trying to obtain the account for myself, but they are in a different state from me. Since she has lost the account, I do not feel that it would be stealing, but obviously they must have had a replacement transcriptionist/service prior to telling her they would no longer need her services, so I am wondering how long I should wait and what approach I should take . . . should I call them, or perhaps mail something, or even call and try to get an e-mail address??? I was not told what the reason is that they no longer use her services either, by the way, and as far as having said what I did about it being too much work, I would give up something else to have this account if I could get it, but at the time I told her it was too much I had not decided that. I had been considering proposing just that to her, for a negotiated higher wage, but then she lost the account.
What would you guys do?
TIA for opinions/ideas!
Thanks for the ideas!
I am also really, really tired of being strapped to my seat, working my buns off for 9 cents a line, having nearly no communication by the company I work for (oh, unless they need a STAT done and then they are all over me to take it!), and just generally being a really small fish in a vast sea of transcriptionists, which they seem to cycle through on a regular basis when people either cannot handle the rotten accounts or cannot meet their line quota. I have done this for 7 years and am about worn out, which I never thought I would say because I do enjoy the work itself. It is being switched around on accounts all the time that is really killing me. It is like starting over again and again and again...Yep, cleaning houses is sounding pretty good right about now! 
Here's some ideas ...
MQ pays 80% of your MT base rate. If you make 8 cpl MTing, you'll make 6.4 cpl MEing. If you make 9 cpl MTing, you'll make 7.2 cpl MEing. If you make 10 cpl MTing, you'll make 8 cpl MEing. They pay the most for VR work.
I'm not sure about Spheris.
The other smaller companies pay 50% of the base rate.
need ideas
You know, I go on this board and I read where people are typing 400 to 500 lines per hour, and they make $40 to $50 an hour (okay that was one post, but I've seen others that are semi-comparable in recent times). I have been doing this for 7 years and I STILL average only 250 to 300 lines per hour and top maybe $23 an hour (at 9 cpl w/spaces). And this is with doctors I've been typing for 2 or 3 years now! Would someone please tell me what I'm not doing completely right? I use a word Expander (Instant Text), and I have macros, but apparently I'm still not quite "getting it." Any suggestions would be so very much appreciated. 
need ideas
Wow. Yes I do have entire paragraphs and sentences actually as "quickwords," but never thought about speeding up the doctor. I will try that. Thanks very much!
Thanks for the ideas
I have been checking Craig's daily. I even went so far as to post a "wanted work" doing anything. I don't have a car so... My family lives over 600 miles away and they aren't much help anyway. I did put some flyers up in my community for PC work, repair, etc., as I am A+ certified and a former Dell tech.
I know that there are many of us in this kind of situation in this business :(
Good luck to you!
some ideas...
Hi,
I assume you are using Windows 2000 or XP.
I would disable "system sounds" in using the control panel. It is possible system sounds are interfering with your program or causing problems.
If that does not work then...
Next time the problem happens, right click "My Computer", and select "Manage".
Double click "Device Manager".
Find your sound card driver under "Sounds and Video Game Controllers"...there will be several items there, but you are looking for a "controller" of some kind...It should match the name of you audio device. When you have found it, right click and "disable". Then "enable". If the problem goes away, it is probably a driver issue...if not then it might be something as simple as the volume control turned all the way down.
If it is a driver issue (that is if disable and enable make it work) then you should try to find an updated driver.
Good luck...
Why should it? Just some ideas put together by
x
ideas...
1. Do you have enough room to care and board other peoples' horses?
2. My cousin trains horses and then the local police departments buy them from her. Pay days are few and far between but she enjoys it.
I can think of a few others using your interest in horticulture but I think they're against the law!
two ideas ---
Fannie May candies (the best and all prices) see
fanniemay.com
or - make an ornament with your company name and the year given on it. (great advertising for years to come).
cookies that come in like a floral arrangement in baskets?
basket of assorted coffees.
Babysitting ideas....
That's what I do - I have a 12-year-old girl come by for a few hours on the days my regular sitter is unable to keep my 5-year-old and it works out well. She gets some money in her pockets and I don't have the 5-year-old pestering me every 5 minutes while trying to work. :o)
anyone else with ideas on pay scale for
Can email me if you'd like. Sure would appreciate it!
Is Beyond TXT a VR program? Any ideas on it? Anyone like it?
TIA
Nothing to do with MT but does anyone have any ideas on how to clean - sm
a linoleum bathroom floor? All my bathroom throw rugs (4-large bathroom) have left yellow stains under where each lies. I presume the rubber somehow reacted with the floor. This has happened in both my bathrooms but much worse it the one which has a window. Short of replacing the floor does anyone have any ideas? TIA.
All of these ideas are good.
We lost a newborn. I know it is 100 times worse for an older child, but I appreciated all the things people did for me. Our neighbor came over that morning without being asked, while I was still in the hospital, and mowed our lawn before people started coming by. Other friends brought some meals. I most appreciated visits from friends. I was still on maternity leave with no baby to take care of.
benefit ideas
This may be a little late as it takes some planning, but my great niece was in an "American Girl" (the popular dolls) Fashion show which raised close to 40,000 for a child who passed 2 years ago from brain cancer and this benefit went to the fund the parents kept up for research.
The American Girl company coordinates it, has a whole package thing and the girls modeling are dressed just like the American Girl doll they carry...it was the cutest thing and well worth the money for the ticket.
A couple of ideas...SM
I would suggest you pick up a copy of your local area's business journal and see what terms other businesses for sale are offering. Then place an ad in it yourself once you decide what you want. If you don't have a business journal in your town or one nearby, check the classifieds in your local paper (you won't find as much there, though). You may even want to pick up the Wall Street Journal as a last option, just to see how the ads are worded and what terms/rates are out there.
To add value you need to be offering things like an established company name, any archived files you have, hardware and software used in the business, any "norms" you have set up, etc. You will also want to offer your services during the transition, as a liason between the new owner and the clients to train and troubleshoot.
Finally, be sure to get a well-written contract that spells out exactly what you are selling and what you are/are not liable for. Be sure your business is in compliance with all regulations and don't release any medical records without the knowledge and written consent of your clients, and then only to the new business owner who has a "business need to know".
Good luck!
Thanks you all! These are really great ideas. sm
I've been taking glucosamine w/chondroitin for years, and have nerve heard of glucosamine MSM. Used to have cubital tunnel and terrible forearm aching, but took several years off and it cured itself. Now finger arthritis is my biggest problem. My doctor also prescribed a ketoprofin cream that I run on my joints at night...I call it the miracle cream. It has to be covered with plastic wrap, but wow does it help the inflammation! It has to be made up at a compounding pharmacy, too, regular stores don't stock it. Silly doctors...I had to suggest it to my doctor, but he didn't object to writing the Rx, since it wasn't systemic.
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