Don't spend a lot of time initially trying to get
Posted By: me on 2006-02-09
In Reply to: How can I become a better MT? - JumpingwithJoy
a blank. After you complete the dictation go back and relisten to see if you can fill in the blanks. When I get a new ESL dictator it sometimes takes me a while to get his accent so I don't spend a lot of time trying to fill in the blanks initially. Usually by the end of the report I have gotten the accent and can fill in most blanks. I also have the experience to know what the blank should be in most cases, and that also helps me fill in. If you get QA files back make copies of them and start your a notebook. If you have the ability to relisten to files after they have been signed off when you get QA back relisten to the dictation and see if you can hear the blanks then. When I first started doing ESLs I was so stressed because they were hard and I left a lot of blanks and I just don't normally leave blanks. After getting QA back and relistening it seemed so clear what they were saying and I couldn't believe I had struggled so much.
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I spend more time out of my chair than in
nm
lol, don't blame you...I used to spend so much time
searching for sample reports, listening over and over, trying to make sense of some speedy English-speaking (incoherent, actually speaking half words and tripping over their words and stuttering because they go so fast) docs. This is a legal medical document, doc, treat it like one! And in my opinion, too many MTs and QA that try to interpret the gibberish often make more of a mess because you just can't be 100% sure in cases like these and better off leaving it blank so as to avoid the lawsuits. Don't ya think? ;)
So how much do you make for the time you spend
*Enquiring minds*, and all....
How much time are you willing to spend testing?
I'm not willing to spend more than 30 minutes or so testing for a company. I've seen a few that are well over an hour.
try to convince DH that now is not the time to spend...I think he's in denial...nm
nm
Maybe if you spend more time honing your skills and
x
ADHD is bull. Just maybe try to spend some time
working with her (not pushing her but just introducing new things). I am sick to death of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis of kids. I do not believe in it. Some kids DO have a little harder time adjusting to school and again there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just talk to them every day, help them in any way you can but most importantly be there for them no matter what. It will all work itself out but DO NOT stress yourself out over what some teacher says. Most of the time they are wrong and can be proven wrong. I am a teacher, although I teach adults/teenagers in college and really..... I truly believe elementary teachers try to make it easier on themselves rather than try to work with a child that needs it.
Yeah I used to spend time carefully (sm)
crafting tactful feedback only to realize later that the MT had apparently not read it, deleted it, tossed it, whatever. You get to where you hear the same old excuses time and again and you realize that some people just don't care.
Another poster made the comment on how she didn't want someone to mother her; well, a lot of the MTs I worked with apparently did. They wanted me to be like a longsuffering mother and overlook their mistakes, take their excuses over and over and over again and offer tea and sympathy. They would repeatedly not write down what I told them, not look in reference books ("oh, I forgot you said to look there") ad nauseam.
So you get to the point where you're just sending to-the-point messages and you quit handholding. And then some people get angry because you're not "nice." Can't win for losing.
RAMS football, spend time with 10-mo old grandson
Yes, it is opening day for football in St. Louis, fall is right around the corner.
My grandson is at that handful stage, hard to get anything done with him around but I volunteered to babysit while his parents are out Saturday night. Hope to squeeze in a few hours Sat and Sun for work as well.
If you will spend some time reading the company board
you'll see that the industry is more volitile than ever. Work is being offshored to India and other countries and the garbage is left for the US MT. Companies are going to VR. Pay is low, you can expect to make 9 to 10 cpl average as an employee, maybe up to 11 cpl as an independent contractor. A lot of companies cannot provide steady work and insurance is very expensive.
I would not recommend leaving your job to pursue MT full-time. Most companies want the experience to be current, within the last 2 years, so you could potentially have some issues with being 3 years out.
I would suggest trying it part-time to get a feel for how things are before you decide.
Without starting a war, how much time is reasonable to spend on reasearch (sm)
when paid by the minute?
I have access to the patient's electronic chart and often use this as a tool to look up doctor names, diagnoses, etc. Often, these charts go back for years. Documents are both scanned into the patient's chart by the physician's office(a 5-page stress test would be 5 separate scanned entries) and typed directly into the patient's chart (a 5-page document would be 1 entry).
We are paid by the minute, no matter how fast or slow the doctor talks. So, if they manage to speed talk, not take a breath, and slur an entire H&P into a 1-minute report, we get paid for a minute's worth of work regardless of typing time.
Having given the above information, what would you consider a reasonable amount of time to spend on research,i.e., looking up "Dr. Smith" with no first name and no specialty or indication why the patient saw "Dr. Smith", or things of that nature.
(I've got my fingers crossed that this does NOT start any type of MT versus QA argument!!!)
Thanks.
CuriousMT
I personally will NOT spend too much time looking for a word. I listen 3-5 times if I still don'
it goes to the QA. I am getting paid 5-8cpl, depending upon the account, as an IC and don't have the time to spend too long looking. If I can't find something in 15 minutes I'm done. If I got paid more I might take more time to look, but at these line rates no WAY!
I also get no feedback from QA, or very rarely. We have one QA who is rude and puts down the MTs at every turn. It isn't easy for the MT either. If you aren't even listening to the dictation how do you even know WHY the MT didn't get the word, maybe the doctor is a total mush mouth and our ears are bleeding by the time we got to that word.
You're right, i spend way too much time on this board when should be working, I am just so burned
NM
I spend a good deal of time tweaking the ones in there so ummm, may give it a shot lol
dd
I did mine initially in MS Publisher, but I
switched over to MS Word with an Excel object pasted in the center of it that has formulas for multiplying rates out. I have one guy that does a bunch of weird stuff, so I bill him by the project. Sometimes it's a per page rate, sometimes it's hourly, and sometimes it's a flat fee. MPCount didn't work for billing him either.
If you'd like to leave your email address, I'll delete my info so you can put yours into it.
Tried this initially per tech's suggestion. Thank you!
dd
I went that route initially and lost 60 days
and ended up listing my house with a regular real estate agent. In my post below about the soft market, I also mentioned not to go with a for sale by owner agent. Help-U-Sell and Assist-2-Sell are what I'm talking about. Yeah, the list on the MLS and yeah they give you a lock box but that's about it. With a bulldog real estate agent and company they will go the extra mile for you. That's what my agent did for me and my house is sold. We close on October 9th.
Regarding the lock box, your better agencies have them now that will email your agent when someone comes in a shows your house. It's a good way for your agent to followup. For sale by owner agents don't do that.
Be careful about these flat fee agents, because you get what you pay for.
Good luck!
Gentle stretching and ibuprofen initially,
then as it gets bearable, take up walking AT LEAST twice a week. Walk at a good speed with good posture, about 2 miles/45 minutes. The most logical way to keep a back working right when you sit in a chair all day is to walk regularly.
I'm 44, and thankfully all I get are muscle aches. At times there will be actual point tenderness in one of those (2) little dimples on your sacrum, you know, right in that area where a lot of tattoos are put? If you get that, you can massage that spot. It indicates a muscular problem, which is good, and it means you are too tight and need more exercise and especially stretching. The most important direction to stretch (since we are curled up in a C position so much of the day) is exercises that arch the back, so learn safe and effective stretches for that direction. What trainers are saying about stretching lately is stretch after exercise, not so much before, and hold each stretch longer. There are some muscles that don't even engage in the stretch until you've held it 30 seconds. I think piriformis is an important stretch.
It's very relaxing and restorative to stretch the right way.
Hope you are feeling better soon.
I thought initially "how hard can it be?"
It's not that I didn't respect the field, I just didn't anything about it. I had done legal transcription and figured since my mother was a nurse, I was pretty familiar with medical terminology (ahem).
By some miracle I got a transcription job in a small clinic and started to be trained. After the first week my thought was "Well, I guess I found something I CANNOT do!" =80 But my trainer was great, I picked it up quickly because even though it was hard I loved it from day 1.
That was 23 years ago and I've come a long way. I laugh at myself then. I was so clueless!
Were documents signed initially that focused on such an event?
dd
At least you "twiddle." Initially, I develop laryngitis from begging
.
Yes at PHNS-- this was a few years ago....was paid initially on how many lines you averaged an hour
the highest you could get was .085 which is what I averaged, however they restructured and it plummetted to .07.....you could get .085 again but you had to really work your butt off (something like +1500 a day). I was PT so I was only doing 500 lines or so a day, at most 1000, so it basically sucked after that. Plus the company totally changed, they started to outsource to the Phillappines, work dried up big time and we fought over the lousy crumbs. Many of us left and moved onto to better things though!
I resisted it initially. Much to my surpise, line count has improved. Lots of backspacing being do
dd
This will vary depending on dictator style and speed, but the average to shoot for initially shoud b
around 3 times the length of the dictation. So, if the dictation is 5 minutes long, you should be able to complete the transcription in roughly 15 minutes. Again, that can vary, but it's a good rule of thumb to go by.
I don't spend more than $25-30, regardless of who it is...sm
people should remember that it's the thought behind the gift, not the actual gift itself, that matters.
Can't help but wonder if he would rather spend...sm
time in jail in the US versus a Thailand prison. That's supposed to be pretty horrible as prisons go. Maybe he thought if he had to go to jail, he would confess to this knowing it would get him back in the states. I just hope they have more evidence on him than the confession. Surely, they do because they were apparently on to him before he confessed. It is pretty strange...
I'm not sure you really need to spend the $$ to do this.
You are a sole proprietor and can use your SSN as your TIN. You home office expenses as well as percentages of your utilities, vehicle, etc., are tax-deductible. You don't specify what your "other" interests, though.
Well, first of all I would *never* spend 20
minutes trying to decipher a 1-minute report *unless* they were paying me by the hour regardless of production. I don't like to leave blanks either, but you seem to be taking that to the extreme (of course your choice to do so).
I am not sure what the pay off is for you to stress yourself like this...
I think of it this way - How much would you spend on dinner for you and
your spouse or significant other at a nice restaraunt? That is what your gift should be or a little more depending on if it is a family member. So, if you go to a very nice restaraunt and spend $70 for dinner for the two of you, including drinks, than the gift should be about that as they are providing you with a dinner at the wedding, right?
It may be off base, but that is how I figure it. If it is a family member, I usually will give $100 or more.
Spend the money!! sm
Last year an 8-year-old boy on my nephew's baseball team was having abdominal pain. He was not taken to the doctor. His parents found him dead the next morning - he had died during the night with a ruptured appendix.
Did you spend $400 already to the company????? SM
There have been a few magazines that have warned stay at home moms to avoid this company. I believe Parent magazine was one of them.
Please, for future peace of mind and puffier wallet, do some serious internet research on anything that requires you to SPEND MONEY to work for them!!!
I did spend the 400 dollars too
Well, what can I say I just purchased the "software" two days ago.
And in the country I live 400 dollars is two minimun wages.-
So, I basically spent my savings in a promise, but only because I read that Alan is a minister of some kind, I just assumed a Pastor wouldn't be on the internet scaming people...
and I even talked to Alan.
How much does everyone spend on Christmas? sm
Just for presents, not for other things like decorations and food and stuff.
We are a family of 4, kids age 2 and 5. We also buy for my family (mom, dad, 3 sisters, brother) and his family kids (6 of them) and then we do 2 $25 gifts to exchange in a game. Just wondering what everyone's budget looks like and what everyone spends. We will probably spend about $1200 this year. Is this outrageous? It seems like a lot, but yes, our kids are spoiled
YES - they then spend the next day in the woods
nm
There are lots, but they don't spend (sm)
time on the boards because they're MEN! (Hmm, what does this say about the few very prominent male MTs who do post a lot?)
How much do you spend on their food and...sm
do you have a family to cook for? I know that what I've heard on these types of programs is that the food is expensive in comparison to cooking yourself and if you have a family to cook for it's problematic to cook for them as well as yourself.
I'd never recommend gastric bypass to anyone. I have known 4 people who had it done and every one of them gained weight after they lost down to their ideal one. One friend had severe complications after his initial surgery and ended up having 2 other surgeries. He wishes he'd never had it done.
LOL--yes...look to make not spend...
still spend too much though:)
MS just wants you to spend $$$ on upgrades.
I do know people using 97 and 2000 without any trouble.
Oooo, she makes me want to spend the whole day
in the kitchen cooking. Her presentations always look so fabulous!
I try to spend a month's net income.
It's always in proportion to what I make.
We split the amount in half and spend half on gifts for us and the other half we spend on a needy family. I let my boys make that decision years ago when they were young and I took them to our outreach program. They wanted to do that and we have stuck with it.
Told 18 and 14 y-os, $400-$500 per each one and have stuck to it. Will spend about $300 on DH. nm
:+
if you're female spend the day at the spa...S/M
did this recently in PA at the Athletic Club and it was fabulous - 1-1/2 hour deep heat stone massages, hair colored and/or just done up, manicures, pedicures - just a special day for the women in honor of the Moms for birthday, Mother's Day, whatever reason....quality time with Mom.....never do really need a special occasion to do this either. 
We are so privileged to spend their life with them
Pets... I've had them since I was a child. I'm 44 and have 4 cats right now. I've gone through the loss of several, and it is so, so hard. Sometimes you wonder if it's worth the pain of losing them. I've thought that many times, but I love having my animals, and I know that as hard as it is to lose them, the joy and comfort and love we get from them during their lifetime makes it worth it to me. You have my sympathy and total understanding for how you're feeling today. Just know that there are many, many of us out there who understand and are feeling it with you. Take care 
You do not have to spend 100.00, or 30.00, or 20.00 to rid your pc of this spyware. Follow the
directions provided with this link and you will be fine. There are SO many free virus/spyware removers online, that if one has the time, patience, knowledge, and fortitude, you should never have to pay for this, or any other type of pc maintenance.
Why would you want to spend $298 on credentials that don't matter anyway?
For a penny more a line?
Either way you were wasting your money. The thing is, you probably failed by one point on something totally irrelevant question having to do with one of the ever-changing BOS rules.
In my opinion, experience wins over passing some lame certification exam concocted by an organization of fat cats looking for more ways to line their pockets with our money.
Don't be too disappointed that you failed. Be disappointed that you bought into the AAMT hype.
My hubby used to spend more than his share...
so many, many years ago (we've been married 30 now) we divided up the bills according to the percentage we each make. We have separate checking accounts, and it has really changed things for the better. Now he only spends what he can afford, and I actually have some money to do what I want to with! He has really become money conscious since we did that. It works great for us.
How much are you looking to spend? Think Express Scribe
s
Good point - I'd rather spend my
time than my money on clothes, gas, etc.
You actually spend your days off on MT sites
That's sad !
'cept most of us don't have $500 to spend on a chair!
I spent a $100 on my leather chair at an auction. It doesn't have some fancy brand name or huge price tag, but I've made it work for me. I tried several different seat cushions. I'm short and if I adjust my chair where I feel comfort, my feet don't touch the ground. So I had my step-dad make me a wooden stool to rest my feet on and put my pedal on.
I would love to be able to spend tons of money on the perfect chair, but there's the chance the chair just won't be "perfect" for me and then there's a little question of my personal finances. I prefer food in my refrigerator than perfect comfort for my butt.
We only have one go around in this life, don't spend it growing roots
x
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