As long as you're doing it just for spending
Posted By: sm on 2009-03-15
In Reply to: I am optimistic - teresa
money & have a husband who is the bread-winner, then you'll do fine. If you're a single mom counting on this to support you and your children, then I'd recommend another field. Now that the greedy corporations have taken us over & are sending most of the work to India, they've pretty much destroyed our industry.
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Does it bother you they're spending the inheritance?
And I know that healthcare costs are so out of control here that there are organized flights that go to India and other countries to get get their health care. Because it's sadly cheaper to fly halfway around the world, get a hotel/apartment for a month, buy food, and pay cash for surgery or medical care than it is to stay here and get it down.
He11, even some of the insurance companies were pushing for offshoring our health care to India.
And nobody has yet to say that we don't have great medical care here; the big gripe is that so few have access to it.
I replied this morning and was deleted. I asked if you're spending a lot of extra time on the ex
work. If so, I see no reason why you can't charge her by the hour for what you do. It could me maybe $100 a week insted of every 2. I do think that is a rip-off and you're being taken for your generosity.
Ask if you can come off. Since June is way long enough especially when you're familiar with the
s
It all sounds pretty okay, as long as you're not - sm
being paid by the line, but by the hour. (I assume you're currently paid per hour as an inhouse employee, right?) If you can still make your previous inhouse salary, rather than the paltry cents-per-line most at-homes make, you should be sitting pretty.
Double check and be sure the inhouse people have to maintain the same line count as you! There is no reason why at-homes should be 'penalized' with higher line counts than in-house people, especially if you're doing the same work, using the same equipment, etc.
If you're paid per-line, and it's not as much as you'd be making per-hour inhouse, what could happen is that you'll find yourself working longer hours for less money, which isn't fair. It's hard to maintain quality work when you're depressed about what you're making, or about never being able to leave the house!
Depending on your hospital's software, they may be able to clock you in and out. I worked at a place where they could see the time you started a report, and the time you sent it, but that wasn't always accurate if you were halfway through a report and then got up to use the restroom, and then had to wait in line for a stall, etc.
Even if you can't get worker's comp for getting hurt at home (though if you got something like carpal tunnel, you might be able to dispute that!), you would probably still be able to get Disability.
For the most part, it sounds like a deal that would work. You're better off being at at-home employee of an inhouse MT department than you are working for a large national. You probably already have better benefits, too.
And, at some point in the future, if you decide working at home isn't for you, you probably would have the option of going back inhouse without much change in anything, but if you left and worked elsewhere, it would not only be harder to come back if you wanted to, but they'd probably add insult to it all by offering you a lower 'starting' wage.
Good luck, and let us know how it all works out!
You're in the minority pay-wise, but hey, as long
as you're making your money, screw everyone else.
As long as you're correcting people, think about "English."
x
Help! Long shot, but if you're near Redding, CA, please read
I'm desperately in need of a Dictaphone pedal. Mine randomly quit working this morning, I need to work today and tomorrow, and I can't find one in any stores here. My employer's Fedexing me a new one that will get here Monday. If you have one that I could borrow until Monday, I'll come pick it up, and I'll bake you one of my famous apple pies.
Actually, it started long before the post you're talking about.
'Shroom had nothing nice to say in a number of different threads, mostly because she didn't want to believe what people were telling her about the kind of income they are able to generate by working for themselves. Either way, the word is inappropriate and should not be used. Fighting among each other is non-productive and only makes this site less useful to those who need information, encouragement and a place to turn for advice. The "advice" and name calling that was undertaken by 'Shroom is inappropriate and should be deleted.
I'd be all for spending some money on ....
tracking down the father of her child. Where is he? Why shouldn't HE be made to provide for the child he brought into the world. That's another big problem... Not saying this is your friend's situation, but when you have an average of 30% of whites, 50% of Hispanics, and 69% of African-Americans having children without benefit of marriage, we've got a REALLY big problem here in this country. People are turning their lives into a train wreck and then expecting the taxpayer/government to pick up the after math. Let's hold the 2 people who bring these children into the world truly responsible for them financially. Maybe people would be a little more careful if they didn't know the govt would be their safety net.
Oh yes, I'm spending 3 times as much it seems.
I have been trying to make up a menu for each night and trying to include the cereal/bagels whatever for kids in the morning and buying only what's on my list. It did help, but I've only tried it twice. Another good thing is it's in and out as I buy it because I truly believe that the meat in the store has just sat there since no one is buying. I'd much rather go twice a week (it is across the street) than go only once a month and buy "old meat." I'm not a big fan of frozen fresh meat anyway; it seems rubbery after it's been frozen...
OF COURSE we know what daycare is! Its anyone OTHER than Mom spending the majority of the day
course, just the way lots of you like it!! Dump and run!! Unreal. The Govt monitors day care - oh, there's a relief! Then the Govt monitors schools, which are your next dump off point for your kids! And of course you can't spend the day with your own kids - they grow AWAY from parents over the years, not closer. You can't control your own kids, cause they're NOT your kids - they belong to daycare and their peer group friends.
Spending too much time with your child?
x
wealthy spending money
I have minimal respect for Oprah. Yes, she does some good things, but I have noticed that she always makes sure she get splenty of publicity for her "good works." Her remark to David Letterman about her show being so much more than a "talk show" was arrogant, pompous, and demeaning to the rest of the "talk show" hosts.
Last year when her audience got those cars, it was publicized as if she gave them the cars - in fact, the car manufacturer donated those cars - it didn't cost Oprah one red cent. When her audiences get all those goodies on the show, I'm willing to bet it isn't costing her - that stuff is mostly if not all donated. It's a tax deduction as a cost of business for her anyway.
Frankly, I think she and Dave deserve each other. They are 2 extremely self-absorbed people.
Gracious! You all are spending way too much $$ on stickies
GSMI, Inc. Has good single sheet or flat fold.
Computer Extras has a great price on the large roll of stickies. Their flat fold is too flimsy for my printer and separates too easily.
I usually get 1" perforated roll from Computer Extras for $54 including shipping. It looks like it is for dot-matrix printers (has the holes on the side of the page as leaders to fit the printer) but works great in laser printers. I tear off as little as 6" inches and stack them up in my manual print tray. The leaders give an easy separation guide for the offices, too. The 1" perforation makes little waste when separating multiple chart notes/patients on a page. 
Same here, although I won't be spending it on a trip to China
I do disagree about not being good at MT though. I think many competent MTs shoot themselves in the foot by not recognizing the value of their skills and working for less than they are worth.
If you are spending all that time having to proof
may as well hire someone else and proof their work. I've considered starting a business of my own but I can definitely see there would be headaches. I do IC for a gal and I really like working for her. She pays me a decent wage and I do my best to make the client happy because I know that will make that gal happy. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure I have made an error here and there; NO ONE is perfect. There are good days and bad days. Some days, I have to send loads of blanks to her but usually because the doctor seems to mumbling, sound quality, maybe a doctor's name in the report I'm not familiar with and don't want to put the incorrect spelling in, or a discrepency I may find in the report. There are other days when I have great docs, great sound quality and the doc may even spell an unfamiliar doctor name for me. :) I definitely hope the gal I work for is happy with my work and I would also hope she would say something to me if she was unhappy so I could fix it. Have you talked to your MTs about your concerns? Sent them changes you have had to make when you proof?
The difference between not caring what you spend and spending as
x
Guess what? When he's at work all day at HIS job, he's not spending time with the family
Grrrrr.
Yes because i will be spending money i don't have and won't earn anything with work decreasing
;
You would be better of just going to work and not spending so much time tilting at windmills.
.
Spending a couple weeks traveling in 4-corners area
We have about 3 weeks to wander around this area -- starting in Albuquerque and ending up in Phoenix. Looking forward to seeing the National Parks, Monument Valley, etc., but would love to hear about out of the way or particularly neat stuff!!!
You spending 3K in gasoline to make 4K plus all that time on the road?That doesn't make sense Pat
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!!
For Pete's sake, you're not terminating a pregnancy, you're just typing a report after the
It's already been done before you even hear about it, and NOTHING changes regardless of whether you or someone else types it. Sheesh.
It's not funny when you're on a board where language is one skill you're selling.
.
Hope you're gonna have a glass of wine while you're relaxing
in your spa goodies. Congrats!
Well, you're all complaining that accounts are current and work is low, so, gee, maybe they're
focusing on WORK, as in CLIENT and transcribing, as maybe half of you should be focusing on!!
If you're experienced, try for 9cpl or higher, and you're lucky to get that! nm
s
Skip it. No one cares. Either you're good on the test or you're not.
x
You're probably right. Plus we're losing our percentage of good people by .... (sm)
allowing every loser from every 3rd world country on the planet to just stroll on into our country, some legally, most illegally, and take advantage of the social services all us hard working little gerbils pay for by having money taken out of our pay every month. But I don't think we're all lazy. Just the ones on permanent welfare driving around town in brand-new Cadillac Escalades. Saw one just today on the Bayshore Fwy. Brand-new black Escalade with expensive spinner wheels, with 5 or 6 Mexicans in it. Well, who knows - maybe they stole it and it was on its way to a chop-shop. Smart-and-hungry people aren't always hard-working and honest.
You're not going to find a word expander for free. You're going to have to pay
g
You're forgetting all the stuff you can't buy when you're UNEMPLOYED!
Unemployed people have a hard time buying anything, including cheaply made offshore products. How many will have to end up depending on public assistance? That means more tax dollars being eaten up - besides the taxes NOT being collected from the overseas workers. In the long run, are you really enjoying a lower price?
If you're on the job, ask for samples to do it how they want it. If you're testing, separate o
s
You're not losing it, you're burned out on your main job.
I feel for you... I am having my own "version" ;-) of these kinds of struggles. Lots of recent changes at the admin level have made my job do a 180, going from a really great one to a really crappy one.
For me, it's a struggle to get through the day with a shred of motivation. I get distracted in the way you discuss as well.
I just try to make my environment as comfortable as possible and make the best of it while I decide what the best way is to deal with the burnout... I figure if I can't change my inner brain workings so that I still like this job, I need to find another one, or this feeling will possibly get worse!
I hope it works out for you. Wish I had some better advice for you, but this really does look like burnout and extreme job dissatisfaction to me. We all wear it differently. Try to be good to yourself while you figure out a solution.
Don't know what you're complaint you're making with this post. sm
You stated in your original post that you don't want to work weekends or odd shifts. What is your definition of an odd shift? Second shift? Third shift? Sounds like you want to work M-F on days. Sounds kind of rigid to me. 
Personally I like second shift, so everyone working days means more work for me! 
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year
You're not under a rock, you're just like me... an adult with more to
s
It's not because you're beautiful, it's because you're an IDIOT!
Does that make it any clearer for you??
YOU'RE A SACK OF CRAP!! YOU'RE NOT
THE ADMINISTRATOR. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE IDIOTS???
 
Honey you're not being a shrew, you're being a
I don't get it when husbands and wives *allow* the other to have money that THEY work for...just don't get it. Go buy the flippin' keyboard and tell him to take a hike! (To put it sweetly!)
Why is it the only expander you're permitted to use? How would any know what you're using?
xx
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