As long as everyone is together, that's what counts.
Posted By: Hungry2 on 2006-04-09
In Reply to: We are going totally nontraditional this year... - gmg
nm
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I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some. Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not. I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position. Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks. Any advice would be appreciated. I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this. Thanks again for any advice.
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!
Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000. Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts. Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved. I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc. So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type. Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one.
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...
I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!) Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place. Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly. They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line. That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages. Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas. YES, we're complaining.
Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....
I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.
You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.
Good luck to you!!
LIne counts
Per discussion below about 16,000 per pay period, is that one week or two weeks? I am a small MTSO, IC or whatever and have 4 accounts (6 docs) plus I work in a clinic to "get out of the house" after an ugly divorce. I work there 20 to 25 hours plus bring home tapes. (hourly rate) On my IC accounts, though this is per month, I do 32,000 to 34,000 lines per month and put in about 22 hours per week with pick up and delivery, printing, cutting apart chart notes, etc. So if that 16,000 per two weeks, that could be considered part time but if it is one week, she is a whiz if she does that part-time which I consider under 24 hours a week.
Just my 2 cents worth.
line counts
If I work the eight hour shift with the two 15 minute breaks and 30 minute break I usually do 1500-1700 lines per day, depending on the dictators, quality, etc. I rarely do 2000 and it takes 9-10 hours a day with NO problems when I do (and no breaks). Oddly, it seems that when I push myself to do more I have less problems with my hands than when I don't....... go figure !!
Line counts
To all transcriptionists:
I am new to MTStars. I am so glad to see a place where transcriptionists of every kind can blow off steam. I am a well seasoned profession medical transcriptionist and like so many of you, take pride in my work and profession. The rash of recent sweeping changes and concerns in our industry have me very concerne as with all of you. We can no longer afford to sit back and say nothing. For too long the personality profile of the medical transcriptionist was that of a meek, never-talk-back mouse in the corner who did what she was told. After all, and I may be dating myself here, many transcription departments began in the basement of hospitals - you gals remember that? We were stuffed in corners where storage boxes made their homes!!!
For too long this industry has gone largely unregulated and for too long we did not unionize or gather forces to protect ourselves and our profession as other allied health fields have done. Because we are a nonrevenue-producing department in the chain of our healthcare system we are always the first to get cut in budgets. Yet that medical record is most vital to reimbursements and to the patient. We now find ourselves wondering if the powers that be care at all. We are concerned about offshore outsourcing, the shady practices of national transcription companies, and an array of legitimate concerns.
The medical transcription industry is a multi-billion dollar business. You bet competition is stiff. Is it any wonder there are so many scandals right now?
Here's mine concern, for now. LINE COUNTS!!!! WE MUST UNIFY OUR EFFORTS FOR ACCURATE LINE COUNTS THAT REFLECT WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST ACTUALLY PRODUCES AND WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY COUNTS. For too long, way too long, I hear (and have experienced it myself) so many transcriptionists complain and voice their concerns and doubts on what their actual line count may be when they work for a national transcription company. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO CLEAR THIS ISSUE AND BRING IT INTO COMPLIANCE FOR ALL INVOLVED - TRANSCRIPTIONIST, TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY AND CLIENT. We are the only industry I know of that puts blinders on its workers when it comes to piecemeal work. The cable man, the UPS guy, the plumber, salesman - all know up front what the client gets charged, what their cut is, and what the company charges - Hell, even the farmer workers know up front what they get per basket of strawberries they pick!!! - CLEAR, UP FRONT. WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THE LINE COUNT UTILITY PROGRAM THAT CHARGES THE CLIENT?
If we are losing our work to overseas sweat shops, let's address the sweat shops here in the UNITED STATES making the money. I believe a forum like this is valuable and long over due - we should list companies that are shady and treat their employees with unfair practices. There must be a way to address the line count issue on a national level so that it changes, changes to the benefit of all - the transcriptionist, the transcription company and the client. I say we start by dialogue among ourselves at this site and take it to all transcription companies in a format that engages the dialogue among all concerned. I'm willing to invest some time on this issue of importance to all.
By the way, I don't currently work for a national company - I have been an independent contractor who has just lost 2 hospital accounts to, yeah, you guessed it - INDIA!!! Hospitals CFO's got a boner when they heard this company can do the work for $2.00 an hour.
RE: Line counts
There is already an advocate for what you are proposing. It is called The American Association for Medical Transcription focuses on directing the evolution of medical transcription and to advance and represent the profession ...
Line counts
No, I'm not in a union, never have been, don't belong to any group, but did belong to AAMT a long time ago.
Line counts in MTS.....sm
My MQ account is still on MT Shell. Over the past couple days, I've noticed that when I check my line counts under "Work Summary," they seem much less than what I was expecting. Have been doing this for over three years, so I have a good feel for the approximate number of lines I've transcribed. Of course, in MTs there is no way to see the gross number of lines you've typed, as far as I know. You can see the "gross" lines for each report under "Edit Transcriptions" but that doesn't allow for empty lines. I wish it would give the actual line count you are being credited for. Again, my line counts seem pretty anemic for the amount of typing I've been doing.
Everything is so underhanded with this company. With all the crap going on, I am nearly ready to jump ship.
low line counts
Hey fellow MQMT
Do you realize you're not being paid for spaces.
I just figured that out... Starting to work for the night.
Consideringtypingwithnospacesjusttoseehowtheylikeit.
about low line counts
My line counts are always low and it is mostly MY fault. I HATE leaving blanks so will listen and relisten, trying hard to get it, slowing it down, speeding it up, etc. Also, I always proofread my work before sending it. When I worked in the hospital I used to ask the high producers just HOW they got so many lines and they would always say, "don't proofread, the spell check is good enough," and also they didn't care if they left a lot of blanks for QA. The one thing I HAVE discovered is to listen to the whole report, leave blanks right away and then go back after the report is done. I used to struggle and waste time, but now find that once I get used to the dictator's voice, when I go back sometimes it sounds much better! I hate to admit this (and sorry QA people), but I do think I am going to start leaving more blanks because I do have to make more $$$ and it aint happenin this way!
line counts
Said 5 errors in 10,973 lines. I have done more than 2500 in an 8 hour day. Like to average 300 to 400 per hour but my accounts now only take me 25 hours per week now. (including printing, delivery, cutting chart notes, etc.) I have two I/C's that do my psych accounts now. Cut back this year after ugly three year divorce but my small MTSO sill grosses 55 to 60K of which 80% is mine from typing. Will be picking up another account or two after the first of the year. People can accurately do 250 to 300 lines per hour, believe me they can. I pick up the small accounts that the large ones do not want and give them personal service and little extras. Have been doing this for over 20 years.
Only 10 more to go before retirement.
Line counts
I would guess as a newbie you would probably average about 100 lines per hour starting out (yes, that's only about $7 or $8 an hour). This should increase within a few months, but this depends a lot on what kind of work you are doing. Most company requirements are around 150 lines per hour. I have 10+ years experience and average about 300 per hour.
I will also mention that working part time may also hinder the process of speeding up just from the fact that you won't be working as much. Keep with it though, the speed will come.  l
line counts
Really decent...in fact, that rate might give you a slight edge over 65 w/space counts. Is that for IC or FT employee status? What about headers and footers, benefits, etc.
line counts
Headers and footers are patient demo, report type information, ccs and the like. Even though some of that info is already entered for you, some companies pay for that because it accounts for the time you spend looking up doctor and patient information...and some don't pay it. It typically varies by account profile. In any case, for parttime, it sounds pretty good to me. Good luck with it.
Line counts: How do you do it?
Do you work really fast in short spurts. Do you sit your butt down and stay planted there till you get all your lines done? Do you set a goal for yourself each day and not stop till your get it? Or do you just type for however long you are going to type and are happy with whatever you come out with for that day? Do you have a goal each day/each pay period, what? Do you use an expander? Do you use Smartype or something similar where it finishes words for you?
I seem to have a hard time keeping my happy @ss in my chair! 
Line counts
I'm in the same boat. If you make a template for each dictator, you can add 200 or 300 extra lines a night, which adds up over the pay period. It takes 1-2 minutes to do it each time you have a new dictator, but it pays off. Each of them has their own style with their own order of headings (at least at my hospital)and if you make a template with jump codes, it works wonders - plus it saves Keystrokes and is easier on the fingers.
Hang in there!
Well, obviously your opinion is all that counts
LOL
Maybe it's what you're NOT seeing that counts.
s
why do u need it explained. Everyone counts different.
what do u need to know?
Line Counts
For those of you who responded, are these edited lines, standard transcription or a combination of the two?
Line counts
AT the present job i work at, this line counting situation is wierd. We are to take 26 x the number of reports we type in a day to get our line count. Has anyone ever heard of this and i am coming up short from what my employer says i have and what I actually get on my paystub. I am told the company uses DocuCount for their line counting progam. Now.. why is it we cannot see what the manager comes up with lines and what we have to compare. The only way we know what our actual line count is ...is when we get our paystub. I downloaded a free line counting program to compare but I am confused on Custom line count and just Line count. What is the difference. Can anyone help me here? TIA
Line Counts
I can't even try to do the math with those numbers, I can't add 2+2. I have to say that this does sound really fishy to me. We also used ExText where I used to work and we had access to our line counts at any time. The fact that they basically took away the transcriptionist's clearance definitely makes it look suspicious. If they were treating you fairly why would they care if you could look at your line count -- it is your line count! With so many different line counting programs out there I think that a company that doesn't use one is foolish -- or -- being dishonest with their transcriptionists.
I still haven't recovered my money from the Medquist mess of about four or five years ago, and I have a copy of all of my line counts!
Good luck
LINE COUNTS
i finally found out they use DocuCount and was told that was in the contract with the client...but when I read up on DocuCount it is for Windows 97 or Word 97..i am using Windows XP.. with Word 2005...somethins is wrong with this picture but I don't know what I can do about it
line counts
Very encouraging to read the high counts MTs can achieve! Inspiring also. Thanks to all who posted.
I think your experience counts more than the
I worked in a hospital for 10 to 11 years. I have done acute care for 26 years. It is my experience that gets my foot in the door. That and word of mouth. When you are a good MT, the word gets around and the doors open. I don't think any of my clients would care whether I had a CMT behind my name or not. All they care is what kind of job I do.
At least our line counts would be up for that day. nm
nm
line counts
How does this work...you trust a company who "autopopulates" your line count, you in return use "microsoft word" to populate your line count. The company, meaning the payer, populates your line count 10 lines lower per report than what your microsoft word count populated it?????
As for line counts,
a manager once showed how they could manipulate a dozen different things about the way the system counted. I believe lots of systems are like that. In that job, they used it to reward us for difficult dictators and work types, but it could just as easily be used to benefit the company.
The Chartscript I used had its flaws and its great points, but I think the one I used was WP based instead of Word based, and that's what I liked about it.
Is it possible to pad line counts?
Is there a way to pad line counts and actually get more than a person has actually typed? I have been with the same hospital account for 15 years and we have two girls that make just an ungodly amount of lines per day. The rest of us transcriptionists can't understand how they do it and why no one in management has questioned it. One of my coworkers said she thinks they pad their line count, but I don't see how they could. What do you all think?
Besides padding counts
I worked with someone who got into the Lanier system and moved jobs typed from other transcriptionists onto her number. We were all "judged" by how many minutes we could type per day besides lines and also judged for raises by difficulty of the dictators we typed. Everyone could not figure out how she did so "well" until we started logging by hand the job #s that we did each day and then checked on it later. Lots of them magically moved over to her number. Somehow she got the Admin password and was putting it to "good use." It was mind-boggling and eye-opening.
my line counts...
I did not say that I consistently do that many lines in a 15-minute period - I said I do it. I "consistently" get 2000 lines in my scheduled 6 hour work day. That averages out to 83 lines in 15 minutes, but I never work that full 6 hours. I have to stop to go to the bathroom, rest my fingers for a few minutes, stretch my back and legs, etc., so there are many times when I do more than 130 lines in 15 minutes. So even at 332 lines an hour "consistently" that is $19 an hour at 0.8 CPL, which is still way more than minimum wage. And I know that as a newbie, I never made just minimum wage...
I agree with you on both counts nm
nm
line counts
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.
line counts
What is the difference between lines and weighted lines? We just switched from total lines to total weighted lines. Is this good or bad? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Low line counts
There are certainly lousy American dictators also. In fact they are the ones that do not even try to speak clearly, they go 80 miles an hour, eat and drive while dictating, carry on conversations with other people, you name it.
With that being said, I can sympathize with MTs and how time consuming some reports can be. Ya never know what your going to get from one report to another. It's become a very difficult job. Probably a good one to have going into old age as it certainly keeps your mind busy. Some people do jig saw puzzles and some transcribe. I think I would rather transcribe.
Line counts...
That is a really cool feature. FYI on some software that does this as well if you're interested...
http://www.nch.com.au/counter/index.html
I enjoy it and it's up the same ally so I just wanted to add my 2 cents on this.
Good line counts. Do you do 16,000/pay (sm)
working part-time with MQ? How many lines per day are you doing, and how many hours? Hope you don't mind sharing the information.
SoftScript line counts
I used to work for them. My line counts were 1000 lines off from theirs. They said it was a "computer thing" and that their final numbers are correct. Not ours. Too bad for us.
Frustrated with line counts
I just started with a national a few weeks ago. I am struggling to get my line counts plus get used to the different dictators. It is a large account but I do find the dictation interesting. I also have a part-time job typing for a small company. There are a lot of ESL with the national, but not all are that bad. I am not sure if I went with the right company or not. I had researched for quite a while and found this national to be very flexible, which is what I needed for now. I just would like to know if any others have had the same experience and how long it took to get better and get a decent line count. The people at the company so far are great to deal with, but I am just wondering if after a while it will really get any better as far as pay, etc. Any suggestions appreciated.
my line counts have always been right in 7 years,
x
and who is to say if these line counts are LEGIT?
NM
not new or unhappy. having fun. wrong on all counts.
wouldn't want to be ya.
Congrats -- no its not just you. i'm happy with my counts too.
x
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