At one time I would have let it slide, but now I've learned I can't afford it or
Posted By: it will kick me in the butt. Sad but true. nm on 2008-12-02
In Reply to: New Doctor, some patients already typed - Lisa
nm
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I've been doing this doc for many years, so I've learned how to function with him. sm
I can tell what's a stutter, what's another word, what's just an "uh." Years of experience will get you through a lot.
Wouldn't want to do his charts all day, of course, but a few per day aren't bad. I haven't had to send his to review in a long time, but they do take a little longer to shuffle through.
From what I've learned from...
doing psych reports, people rarely have MPD unless they've been abused horribly. First off, I wouldn't blame this poor child. Her life has obviously been unstable and erratic, no thanks to her parents. I type it time and time again.... Kids are brought in and labeled with all sorts of conditions, ADHD, oppositional defiance disorder, OCD, you name it. And WITHOUT FAIL when the doctor gets down to the social history, the child comes from some sort of broken erratic unstable home. The parents don't create a nurturing environment for their child, parade boyfriends and girlfriends in and out of their lives, and then the poor child is labeled with a dozen diagnoses. Sounds to me like this poor child has been abused, which isn't very far fetched if a mother is recycling boyfriends. I'd contact a local psychiatrist and start from there. I wouldn't take one person's word that the child wasn't abused. Even if she is lying, she's doing it for some reason.
Yes, several times. I've learned to listen to them. (s/m)
A very long time ago, I once had a dream that my dog got hit by a car - the exact time, place, etc. And exactly one week later, to the day, place and hour, she got hit & killed by a car.
Another time I was driving on the freeway, and suddenly in my mind got a very clear picture of a pickup truck on fire. Yet there was no truck on fire where I was, and no smoke or anything. About 10 miles up there road, I came around a bend and there was a truck exactly like the one I'd seen in my "mind-flash", and it was on fire.
Go figure, but yes, I definitely DO go with my hunches and premonitions.
Previous posters are 100% correct. Here's what I've learned...
There have been a lot of very good points brought out here, and I encourage you to consider the advice that has been offered and think this over very, very carefully before making a decision.
I've been in this business since 1996. I went to school (with 3 small children at home), studied at 4 a.m., maintained another full-time job, earned a 4.0, was lucky enough to get a part-time job in MT before I even graduated. I excelled at MT, loved the work and have worked my way up to the top. It has been a lucrative career for me and I've had the chance to stay at home with my kids while they were young (and I still work at home and enjoy being here for my junior high and high school age kids.)
HOWEVER, times have changed. I'm an MT instructor at a local college. We made the decision to drop the MT program because we simply cannot place new grads. I don't care how smart you are, how good your grades are, how much potential you have or how motivated you are--it's very, very difficult, if not impossible, to get a job working at home as a new grad. (Finding a job in a clinic is a little easier, but still difficult.)
If you are one of the few who are lucky enough to find a job working at home as a new grad, you will make next to nothing for at least the first year. New grads are NOT prepared to meet production quotas, they still need mentoring, and they still have a tremendous amount to learn. Most jobs, especially working at home jobs, are production based. As a new grad you will spend most of your time researching, and your production will be minimal; therefore, so will your salary. In addition, most work-at-home jobs have production quotas. Meeting a quota when you are still in the learning phase leads to a tremendous amount of pressure, which in turn, leads to frustration and is not conducive to learning and retaining information.
My first boss (the one who hired me as a new grad) gave me some words of wisdom that I haven't forgotten. She said that transcribing at home with small children NEVER works under any circumstance. Either the work will suffer or the parenting will suffer. I, of course, thought I would be the exception. (My kids were age 2, 4, and 9 at the time.) She had 25 years of experience as an MT and as an MTSO owner, and she was absolutely right. I learned quickly that I could be successful working PART-TIME with small children, but trying to do it full-time defeated the purpose. When you are transcribing, you may be physically "at home," but if you are doing a good job, your mind is tuned in to your work, not your kids. Constant interruptions lead to low production, errors, and huge frustration. I found that I could work a few hours in the early morning before they woke up, fit in a few hours throughout the day and finish up late at night after they were in bed. I was in a position at that time not to need a full-time income, so this was a nice compromise, and it prepared me for full-time work later on when they were all in school. I consider that period of time an extension of my training.
Like another poster said, I do not want to rain on your parade, but tuition is not cheap. (I'm STILL paying off a student loan.) Additionally, MT is not an "easy" curriculum to learn, and it takes a certain skill set and personality type in order to excel and succeed. You will invest a lot of time, money, and effort just in the process of completing your training. It may or may not be worth it in the long run. Career college admissions reps are paid on a commission basis; therefore, they don't always give you the "rest of the story." Those of us who have posted here today are trying to give you "the rest of the story," and our intention is not to discourage you but rather to give you an accurate picture of what MT is truly like, not what the admissions counselor might have told you.
If you do decide to go forward, go with your eyes wide open. I would also encourage you to find a mentor who can advise you along the way.
One thing I've learned in life is it's impossible to
stand up for themselves. Maybe only 1 in 100 will even try. Sad to say, but we've brought a lot of this onto ourselves.
I learned along time ago: My house, my rules. sm
I have been through the wringer, trying to keep my two older kids away from "bad influences." But I have learned.
When they were younger, I simply said, "You can play with so and so outside, but he's bratty. If he gets bratty outside, he'll have to go home."
When they were teenagers, I simply set the "House Rules". Abide by them, or out you go. Funny thing was, the friends were more compliant than my own kids. :)
If my older kids brought a friend over to stay the night because he/she was "fighting with mom/dad," I'd say, "Sure you can stay, but not until you call your mom or dad and tell them you are here and that you aren't going anywhere and that you are safe for the night."
I heard on occasion, "Didn't your mom say NOT to do that?" I guess I had more "control" than they had at their own houses and they felt good about having some limits.
My son who FINALLY moved out at 19 had a few new friends that came over one night and, as they were leaving, they said, "We'll be back around 10:30!" I said, "Sorry guys, this place closes at 10:00 on weeknights." They didn't come back.
I have 2 younger ones, 14 and 10. We have a pool. My pool rule? No towel, no towel. You can swim, but you can "drip dry."
Funny thing is, I've collected well over 2 dozen towels in the past 2 years that I have no idea where they came from. If it were me, the minute my child came home, I would have said, "And where is my towel?" Some parents just don't stay on top of things, if you know what I mean. 
I learned a long time ago to now talk
xx
I've owned cheaper chairs and learned the hard way.
The old saying that you get what you pay for is true when it comes to these cheap chairs! My back always hurt and I was having to buy a new chair at least yearly. You do the math; I've already had the $1000 chair five years and I quit having the backaches five years ago. This chair is no where close to wearing out and will last me at least another five years, probably more. So, if you think that spending $200 every year on a cheap chair is worth it, you go right ahead; I didn't hear anything but thanks for the OP for my suggestion.
I didn't originally plan on it. At the time I learned about - sm
MT, my sister had just started doing MT for a local hospital, and was learning on the job. I was a temp. office worker at the time, couldn't really find anything that was a good fit. My sis thought I'd be good at MT, and I came to visit her at work one day and she let me listen to and try to transcribe some tapes that she was already finished with. I liked it, so went to night school to learn medical terminology. I was offered a job at a transcription company (using mag-card typewriters back then, which were the 'latest thing') and have been doing MT ever since.
Not anymore. For some time now, I've been working 32 hours and am considered full time to receive
p
PLEASE DON'T LET THIS SLIDE BY.....
PAY ATTENTION!!
NO DON"T LET IT SLIDE! sm
you don't know what she is thinking and you need to explain if you can. Its her choice to believe you or not but letting it slide may come back to bite you later.
I have been a supervisor before and if someone didn't answer an e-mail like that I would figure the next time they just didn't want the extra work and I would not offer it to them. Its not up to the supervisor to ask etc. You have seen the e-mail now so explain to her. Its not that big of a deal to explain but its a bigger deal to ignore it!
honestly, just let it slide. You don't have to say anything. I have a sm
tendency to talk a lot sometimes and write a lot sometimes and I would hate to think that something I said in passing could jeapordize my career. I'm sure she was just trying to be very friendly. I know many recruiters and they are very friendly. I wouldn't say anything.
let it slide, unless she asks.
nm
slide the little slider where it says screen resolution. sm
you may want to play with it to get the size you want. i have mine at 1280 by 1024 pixels.
I've had 3 at one time, but only one open at a time. nm
xx
Never learned it? Hah! I learned it and still didn't like it.
You've obviously never had your time
wasted while trying to understand one of these "people". If they were American citizens they would at least have someone you can talk to!
You will burn out...in time... I know, I've been there
Did over 250 minutes (100 being mininum) of dictation in 7 hours with breaks...stayed at the grind while others workers too their time, chatted and barely got the required 100 minutes... I've learned to slow down and just be happy producing quality work instead of having to be the "top" because I've found you can't keep that pace up forever. I was young and needed the money and did what I had to do. Do it while you can.
I've been trying to figure that one out for some time now.
I changed companies, bought an expander, even tried Dragon Naturally Speaking. I give up.
I've suggested before that perhaps you all might come up with a day & time
that you could all meet up in chat every week. Why don't you all discuss it and let me know. I will make a post on what you decide.
I'm like this all of the time! And now that I've read this
and became aware of my chair position, I have to adjust again! I think it's just one of those little MT quirks we all have.
As I recall, ONLY after you've been there for a set length of time.
x
Not me. But I've waited for this for a long time.
Been through the daily grind for over 20 years. At one point I even had all four of my kids in different schools, having to drop them off before leaving for work. I don't miss it one bit. I still laugh when I'm lying on the couch in my pajamas reading the morning paper while all of the commuters are fighting for a place in line at Dunkin Donuts.
But with 4 kids, 3 still at home, my house has always been like Grand Central Station. I have never been able to complain about the quiet for sure. Hubby works nights so is here during the day and starting early afternoon there is an endless stream of hungry teenagers in and out as well as messy little grandkids. I don't remember the last time that I was completely alone for more than an hour. I wouldn't know what to do.
Unfortunately I don't. I've had it for a long time in the closet. nm
x
I've done it basically all and ops most of the time now and I really enjoy doing ops.
DS and H&Ps can be very sedative LOL You do need to have a wider grasp of medical terminology and like Hayseed said, at least know your anatomy basics, and have your own resources and know how to use that provided on the internet, and not referring to Google (but that comes in handy once in a while when all else fails). You have to be able to visualize as the doc is cutting away. For example, cardiac anastomoses are like little tubes that have to be hooked up some way, side-to-side, end-to-side and so on. When they cut out a specimen, you have to think of it as a nugget or chunk of meat that someone else is going to be looking at, so they have to orient this with a clip or a stitch here and there to let the pathologist know which side is what, which one has cancer the top, the side or the botton and so on. Everything in the body is a bag, hose, tube and so on, so using common sense in typing this also helps a lot.
I've only been on it a short time but love it - I use Shorthand, though with it.
nm
Best post I've read in a long time.
I tend to go back and forth with my feelings about this profession. In the mornings I am glad I do not have to get up, get ready and go to an office. Many times in the evening, after I have during the day and still have work to do, I feel like stuffing it all. Many times I am disheartened when I get my paycheck, but I am glad to be getting one, while my sister worries about getting laid off from her manufacturing job. MT has advantages and disadvantages.
Time to move on if so unhappy! I've left
s
I've done it a couple of time to a nearby state SM
and a bunch of times to a nearby relative when my house was temporarily unlivable. My company loaded the programs on my laptop for me (but with a previous employer we did copy them from home when I wanted to try working on my new laptop).
I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, and a little electronic doohicky that allows my laptop to work off somebody else's computer (unfortunately I don't travel enough to justify subscribing to my own mobile service, so I could work in the car for instance).
Anyway, it's an easy matter these days. After loading the programs I've never felt a need to bother my employer with details of just where I'm working, and they've never displayed any interest either. I did buy a little $20 folding table from Office Depot so I could set up where and at a height that suited me.
I had an ESL spell "sheet" for me. Must've had someone type "sh*t" one time.
xx
I've used my laptop to MT for about 5 years, full-time. Couldn't
I love being portable, plus I have a small working space. It's great transcribing on the deck (or at the beach) on nice days. Have never had any technical issues; there's always some sort of adapter thingie that's available for whatever comes up.
Oh, my. That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.
AHDI: Solving the world's problems, one foreign MT at a time.
ROLFMAO
Hilarious! First time I've burst out laughing all week! Thanks. nm
xxx
Get involved? With AAMT? You've got to be joking. What an incredible waste of time.
It wasn't ALL that and it was expensive no matter. I'm sick of hearing the same old blather and seeing NO change that benefits AMERICAN MTs. I'm in California so it was nothing for me to hop from the mainland, but EVERYTHING on the Hawaiian Islands is expensive. Of course, the Modesto Mavens were there in all their AAMT glory. Can you say PUKE? Sorry, but that's the way I feel about it. I went to see if anything had changed, REALLY changed, and most of it was a big bunch of double talk. Oh, and to think that I actually thought that I might interject in conversation! Boy, was I wrong. I'll never attend another AAMT convention again in my life. What a waste of time and money.
Fun With "Rick" and Jane is the best/funniest movie I've seen in a long time! s/m
Okay, it's not Rick and Jane, but the censor wouldn't let me put the short form of Richard.  LOL
Oh I know, I've studied legal aspects of med recs, too, been in this a long time. sm
I totally get everything you say, and I don't argue with any of it.
But I work for a national that has had the same errors in the same normals for YEARS, so we're talking probably thousands of charts by now. I can't fix years of apathy. If I was in charge, you betcha I would.
The doctor's name is what's on the document, it still comes down to him/her.
I've been doing it at home strictly full time for a couple of monts, but
I have 6 years of inhouse exp where my duties was divied up with other admin work and 1 1/2 years on and off exp doing it as an IC at home....so again, I'm no rookie....which is what is frustrating. My oldest is on sprnig break, so if I haven't been fired by next week, hopefully I will get better by then.
I've never seen mixed acute care & clinic at the same time. That's a production killer for sur
s
Honestly that is the most intelligent thing I've heard from an MT co. in a long time. Completely
You have to be able to retain knowledge.
You have to know how to reserach effectively.
You have to be able to use deductive reasoning.
You have to have confidence in your decisions and not constantly "need assurance."
You have to be able to separate sounds in your head that are both internal and from multiple external forces.
Some of these can be taught, some are innate, some take years to develop, some either you got it or you don't.
Wish I could afford...
...to do that! I am SO SO SICK OF MQ!!! They are driving me crazy! I am on my 3rd MT Supervisor in three months and still have not heard one word from the latest one. They just don't care about us at all. I understand that's the nature of the biz, but my God, would it kill you just to drop an email and introduce yourself???
Wish I could afford...
my TC? sorry, what's that?
If you can afford it, go for it. sm
Just remember, if you work as an IC you may have a "nonconforming" loan which may give you a little higher interest rate. If you can document your income with pay stubs and W2s as well as income tax forms, you may be "conforming" and be able to get the lowest interest rate possible.
If your credit scores are high enough, you can always do 100% finance with an 80/20 loan which will eliminate PMI monthly payment. Your credit scores need to be 685 or higher for 100% finance.
Shop around for the best interest rate, but DO NOT let everyone pull your credit. Have one loan officer pull your credit report and ask him what your scores are. When you shop to the next loan officer, tell them do not pull your credit report, but here are my scores. Just give them your scores and ask what is the best interest rate they can give you. The more people who pull your credit report, the lower the score goes. It drops 2 or 3 points each time it is pulled by mortgage loan officers.
Also, you can buy down to a lower rate. So, if they quote you 5.75%, you can buy that down probably to 5.3% for 0.375% of the total mortgage you are borrowing (which in reality is 0.375 of 1 point).
I hope this advice helps - good luck. I say go for it! No better feeling than to own your own home.
I bought a new house last year and we just refinanced and closed on Friday. That is why all of this information is so fresh in my mind. Also, my sister is a mortgage loan officer, so she helped me a lot and explained how things work.
Always ask what your closing costs will be - different mortgage brokers charge differently. One may be $4000 and another may be $8000. That is a huge difference. Some want more profit, others are reasonable.
Best of luck to you. 
Here is the best if you can afford it.
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Which can you afford more?
The emergency room bill....or the loss of your DH?
I'm not trying to be harsh, but money concerns should not keep you from getting medical help when it is needed and warranted.
It really sounds like some kind of allergic reaction. But it may also be something harmless. I agree with the other poster about calling your MD. You cannot fool around with stuff like this.
Me too! I can't afford NOT to be an MT!
Can't afford not to
I don't know how you've figured all this out. I have spent HOURS researching all this becuase when I started with learning MT, I barely knew how to turn a computer on, so I was completely in the dark. The only thing I've been able to conclude for sure is that you will pretty much get different information every time you go to a different site. I have tried soooo many different things and to be honest, I really haven't found any one thing to be much better than another, even the things I've started paying for.
I will definitly make a block of time very soon (tomorrow?) and try your group of programs and ideas and hopefully it will help.
Sure do appreciate all your time and thought into your post(s), btw.
Whether you can afford or not SM
you are going to have to see an accountant and/or a lawyer. We cannot teach you how to be an IC or how to set up a company. That is a job for a professional and I would never give advice on either (or take advice) on a message board.
unfortunately I can't afford $99 fee
.
I need a workout! Can't afford a PT
Could not walk for a week afterwards! BOY, what a workout! My thighs hurt so bad I couldn't even walk down stairs, and I considered myself in shape before I took the class! HA! Hang in there, it will get better, and the results will be amazing!
Like ER-MT, I cannot afford to not work
I have four sources for work now:
1. Local account I provide services for another MT who has the account.
2. A small local office that is my own account (2-3 tapes a month that are not usually full)
3. A midsized national MTSO in another state.
4. A small MTSO in another state.
The trick is not having everyone bombard you all at once.
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