First thing to do is choose a business name,
Posted By: This will get you started. on 2008-06-10
In Reply to: Need a mentor- I have 13 yrs experience - Need help/advice starting own service
you can certainly use your own name, register the business name with your county licensing bureau, have a business phone line installed, create a website to advertise what you will be offering to your clients.
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Thank you. There is such a thing as good business sense
and doing what is right. Those who have messed with people need to think about that and those businesses know who they are.
There is no such thing as a "standard business practice".
This is just another variant on the AHDI group-think. There is no standards body that has the authority to establish "standard business practices" for text communications among businesses.
If you mean that it became "common practice" to use one space, that's a very different thing than a "standard practice" - although I would not even concede even that much.
At this for 30+ years. I think the thing to remember is yes, it is a business, when I am home to w
working. One thing I do to start off is treadmill every morning 30 minutes, just walk, no vigorous jogging too old, just enough to get those endorphins working and then start with my cup of coffee. I don't answer the phone for anyone unless its my mom. She only call is if something is wrong, otherwise I let the machine pick it up. I will if I have personal calls for myself take time when no work or do that rather than lunch for 40 minutes or so. I do the hour stretch. I also use weights, free weights by my desk I use to lift and stretch out my neck and arm muscles. I also use a ball twice a day to lie on and roll out the shoulders. This enables me to keep at it. No house chores. After I am done I do those. My kids are raised, but this job always enabled me to be here at home for them. I worked nights for a long time too broke up my work time when they were younger. So everything at home is workable with the right approach. Just remember, you are working, just because your home don't take personal calls. I don't think I would have done this for this many years if it was not work the $$. Be creative in your own routine have fun with it and make it work enjoyable. We can go out and have coffee in the sun on the deck in our PJs for our breaks, so remember the flexibility factor there.
One thing also - keep all your receipts of any business related expenses
I have a folder and everytime I buy anything related to work whether it be a pen, a printer ribbon, a book, a keyboard, etc. I put in that folder. Those things add up and they are all deductible which comes off of your gross. This is in addition to the home use of your office. A statutory IC is a great way to go because you don't have to pay the entire social security but you are still IC and can utilize the business deductions. If you pay your own health insurance and it is in your name that is also deductible. Keep good records...this is the most important I have learned being an IC. Also you will probably have to file quarterly if you make over a certain amount. If you don't you will be penalized by IRS and have to pay the penalty fee with your April 15th filing. And also remember to figure your state taxes for the year. However it does depend on your personal situation and if you file jointly with your husband that may change things. Good luck.
Personally I think IC is great but unless you have some really good deductions you can end up paying a lot in taxes . If you have to pay your own social security at 15% and you were taxed at 20% rate for federal and let's say 6% for state you would be paying 41% of your income in taxes which is no fun. But you only pay on your net income and not your gross so it sort of comes out in the wash.
Unfortunately it is legal..so yes it is business and they will continue with bad business practices
x
I made my business your business by posting and...
I totally respect everyone's opinions. It is easier for others on the outside looking in. That's why I pushed the "post reply" button yesterday. I trust my fellow MTs and I know the more I read from you all, the more confident I am becoming. I just need that final push, not from him though. I also wanted to let you all know that the physical abuse while I was pregnant was documented by my doctor and the hospital. I only wish I had known then that it is a felony to abuse a pregnant woman. I also photographed my face from a couple of weeks ago and told several people in my circle. I had such high hopes for us. Now...not so much. I'm not saying that I won't try to get him to church, but I realize that God can only do so much for someone who isn't listening. j
Business is business. Internet forums are
.
So many to choose from...
I like Triscuits with with cheddar cheese, lean summer sausage, and jalapenos, or Triscuits with mozzarella and hot salsa. Other than that, fruit, nuts, popcorn, veggies.
who to choose???
Any info on Precyse Solutions...Silent Type....Breitner ????
Need to give decisions by Friday...help!
ok believe what YOU choose to believe....sm
And empty, not-yet-used concentration camps do not physically exist in the USA, yes? And your president has told no lies in 6 years, yes? 
SHEEP I tell you...........BAAAAAAAA.......
Which would YOU choose?
Hi, MT's!
I'm trying to make a decision about my job, and thought maybe your input would help me put it into perspective. I'm thinking about changing my MT job. I have gone over a long list of the pros & cons, and still am up in the air about it, and hope to make the most informed decision possible. Here's the situation:
I have transcribed since 1975. I have been at my current job for roughly 29 years. Still, I am a long, long way from retirement, if ever. Most likely the earliest that could happen is 2025, but I'll believe it when and if it happens! I have always worked in-house, initially for services, then for a hospital, and for the last 29 I've been at a multispecialty clinic. 20 or more years ago or more, it was a decent place to work, but that has all changed and now it's very stressful. We get blamed for every mistake the doctors make, management communicates with us very little, and what they pay us has not even begun to keep up with the cost of living. Still, on the plus side, my commute isn't too bad, I enjoy the variety of specialties to type, and I have the most seniority. Although our pay isn't so great, we do have paid time off and fairly decent healthcare, though it must be at our own clinic. We have a 401K retirement savings account through work. Our pay is by the hour, with no overtime offered, so we have no opportunities to increase our earnings. I've been saving to buy a condo, but at this rate it's always out of reach.
I have had my eye on a national service lately that seems to be much better than most of what you see offering jobs out there. I have a couple friends who work at home for this service, and they recommend it very highly. The service pays on production, and when I tally my daily work that I'm currently doing and convert it to the service's way of paying the best I can, it at least SEEMS like I could make a lot more money. The service also has a 401K, health insurance, and paid time off. The hours are very flexible, which for me is a huge plus. As long as you do a set minimum amount of lines per pay period, it's all good as far as they're concerned.
Lately I've been so stressed and unhappy in my current job situation that I'm almost ready to take a cut in pay, if that's what it takes, to be able to work at home, where I can control my environment (heat, air-conditioning, light brightness, office ergonomics, etc.) Working at home for a national would also free me up to be able to move to a less expensive area. That would help if the pay WAS less, but if the pay was equal to or more than I'm making now, then I could be socking a lot more of it away towards a down payment on a first home. And if I finally did get to buy that home, being able to take short, "meaningful" breaks from typing (instead of pigging out at the candy-machine) would make it possible to take care of that home, as well.
As it stands now, my list of "pros" for taking the at-home job is quite a bit longer than the "cons". And just the opposite for my current job. My biggest concern is the longevity of either position. I am reasonably sure that bit by bit, MT work in the US is going to diminish. The question is, which one is likely to fold first? Our clinic already sends extra work out to a service, rather than pay us overtime to do it. Over the years our MT Dept. has shrunk considerably. The more it shrinks, the more work gets sent out. Although we are told otherwise, my gut feeling tells me that it will continue in this manner until the department is eventually closed, and all the work gets sent out.
But, when I read all the message boards here, and people working for MT services talk about how much of their company's work is being sent to India, or being partially transcribed with VR, I have to wonder how much longer "live" MTs are going to be around in the service venue, as well. And I don't think being an Editor wouldn't be an option for me, either. Not only would I be bored to tears, but instead of paying more than MT, which it should be, it appears to pay quite a bit less.
So, if you knew you weren't going to be retiring in the next 5-10 years, and you wanted to continue being an MT (it's the only thing I know how to do), do you think there is more security in staying with a long-term employer that not only very callous towards its employees, but is slowly but surely whittling away at their transcription department? Or would you take the "unknown road", and go with what is currently a very viable and successful national company that would let you work at home, but may already be offshoring extra work? (I haven't been able to find out if they actually do or not.) I don't relish the idea of having to "start over" as a new employee, but the idea of having less stress and more freedom also appeals to me quite a bit.
If you were in my shoes, how would you base your decision?
Thanks in advance for any ideas you can throw my way!
Which would YOU choose?
First of all, I think you've answered your own question as to whether or not to stay or leave the company you're with. The Pro's outweigh the Con's. If I were you, the first thing I would do is make sure my 401K was transferrable to my personal account. Many places shut their doors, and with them go the employess 401K's due to a tiny clause that wasn't even brought up. Next, stressful working conditions will eventually cost you your health. I know, been there done that. We're creaturs of habit and have a tendency to stay with what we know and venturing into the "unknown" is always scary. But life is about chances. You don't want to say your "coulda, shoulda, woulda's" down the road once they completely close your MT Department. Yes, many jobs are going to India, Pakistan and Bangledesh, however, if we speak up, call our state reps, write letters and contact Congress letting them know that even THEIR identities maybe be stolen through outsourcing personal medical records then they'll do something about it! The "brass ring" only comes around once or twice in our lifetimes, if I were you, I'd go for it!
which would you choose?
Job A at 9.5 cpl but awful dictators, bad sound quality, speed talkers, cell talkers, ESLs about 90% of the time, blanks in 50% of reports.
Company B: 7.75 cpl easy, long dictations, averaging 9 minutes, 90% English speaking, coherent, slow, pronouncing words, no blanks left all day.
I would choose
Job A, because of the challenge. I would get bored with Job B.
If you choose A, can I have B? nm
nm
Which would you choose. SM
I work at home full-time as an Editor making $15 an hour. I've been offered a position as a pathology Transcriptionist working in the office for a local pathology group. They've offered me $16 per hour with a review in 90 days and a raise to $17 at that time. It's about a 30 minute commute one way to the office.
Which would you choose?
If i were you I would choose.....sm
another field, this field has gone to the DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!and to India mostly. Pay is awful, they get away with treating ICs like employees and all the GOOD DICTATORS are going to India or the Philippines....
Choose your own name.
I'm quite ABLE, I just choose to work my
job instead of babysitting my children!
MTs choose to be ICs for a reason...
not the least of which is being able to choose when to work. Flexibility versus a set schedule is what it's all about for ICs. If a company has both employees and ICs, they either regulate the amount of work an IC can do withing any specified time period or they don't. Why blame the IC? It's on the company's shoulders, IMO. If they want to be fair to and keep their employee-status MTs happy, they need to set a policy to protect them.
Please help me choose the right bike. sm
I'm sponsoring a 7-year-old boy (and his big sister) for Christmas. The one thing the boy would love to see under the Christmas tree is a bicycle. Having never had any kids and never seeing this boy before, I don't know what size or type of bike to get him. The information I have says he wears children's size 7 shirts, size 7 pants, size 2 shoes, and size 8 underwear. Should I get him a 16" or 20"? If I got him the 20, then he could grow into it, but maybe it would be way too large for him for a long time. He lives in a rural area, I think. When shopping for bikes, I'm getting overwhelmed with all the different brands, handle-bar types, and different-tread tires. Please help me, Moms 'n Dads!! I never in all my life thought I'd have an opportunity to buy a child a bike for Christmas and am thrilled to be able to do this.
I thought I could grab some clothes in his size and "reconstruct" him next to a bicycle, but there are just too many people shopping now. I've no idea how long his little arms are.
Thanks!
which coursework should I choose?
College 1:
Medical Transcription Certificate:
Advanced Keyboarding Skills
Beginning Terminology
Keyboarding Skill Development
Structures of English
Transcription and Editing
Word Processing
Advanced Terminology
Intro to Database/Spreadsheets
Medical Transcription
Pharmacology
College 2:
Medical Transcription Diploma:
-Business Editing
-Computer Business Applications
-Medical Terminology
-Word Processing 2
-Basic Anatomy & Physiology
-Elements of Pharmacology
-Information Processing
-Medical Transcription
-Medical Office Management
-Intro To Pathology
-Professional Practicum
You do not have to choose between family/job. sm
There SHOULD be a balance. If the doctors expect us to work the long hours they work, then we should be receiving comparable pay.
Honey, you are an IC, though. YOU are the one in control - not them. Start acting like it, and trust me, they will, too. It's a challenging part of this job, but you must always sustain the boundaries. Keep it calm, cool, and professional. Never let your emotions enter the discussion and keep mentions of your personal/family life to a minimum. Strictly business, and they will respect you more for standing up for yourself and your business.
You may not have had experience when you started there, but you have it NOW, so they are not in control of your destiny. If you speak to them as though you are a professional business owner, they will treat you accordingly. If you allow them to speak to you as an employee, they will continue to do so. You set the tone.
I give my clients my usual business hours right in the contract. If they want or need something after hours, I will be glad to help them out if I can (but I don't feel obligated to), and if I do, they know up front it is a higher rate. That's a good deterrent. If they have to pay extra, you'd be surprised how often that work can wait until the next morning. Yeah, sure, they might find another service willing to do it cheaper/faster, but that is a risk you run at ALL times. Most likely than not, it can and will wait. CYA as much as possible in your contract so issues like this don't arise later. You will learn with each client what you need to incorporate into your contract in the future. If you don't have a contract, I suggest putting one in place ASAP.
Again, work and family can BOTH be done. You have to have balance. Set your hours and stick to them, and let them know when you are willing to work extra. If they do not understand that, then I'd be in the market for a new client. I am a dedicated and hard worker during business hours, but my family is my top priority. If I have time to work over, I will often do so, but if I don't, I just don't. I'm not superwoman, and I don't get nearly enough pay to be at their beck and call 24/7. I can always find other work, but my family is irreplaceable. Anyone who tells you differently has their priorities way out of whack, IMO.
Here is one I use. You can choose state and....sm
do a sounds like search if doc does not give a spelling.
http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/html/patient.html
Huh? I don't pick and choose and I certainly...
am not putting myself up on a pedestal. I don't think a little pride in one's work is too much to ask.
And yes, right now I do have job security, but these horrible American MTs keep giving MTSOs directly and hospitals/physicians indirectly an excuse for offshoring because they can simply use the argument that it doesn't make much difference regarding quality. So how much job security can I have and for how much longer?
Choose your 2nd job with your 1st in mind. SM
Success with this is not so hard if you keep your primary work in mind as you job hunt for the 2nd (or even 3rd!) IC position. You will obviously want to avoid "IC" positions that require a set number of hours per day on a regular schedule (which isn't really IC work, but employee work for pay without benefits), since you need to be available if your primary job calls with additional work for you.
There are IC positions that have a 24-hour TAT. There are IC positions to which you commit a number of lines per day or per pay period. There are IC positions in which you commit to a number of minutes of audio to be transcribed during a pay period. Those are the kinds of jobs that will be a good fit with your current position.
Best wishes in your job hunt! I currently work for 3 companies, so I know it can be done. All 3 of mine are IC jobs; I have 3 because I like typing different kinds of accounts and occasionally my first one runs out of work. I, however, never run out of work! LOL
If IC, you CAN choose to do or not do an acct.
x
Be VERY careful which you choose. SM
Hi, Wanda. As you develop your personal "dictionary" of expansions and come to depend on it, it will quickly become your most valuable and precious work tool, much more so than your computer even, which could be replaced within a day if necessary--unlike your personal store of expansions.
Therefore, if you can't afford to buy a quality, professional-grade program up front, make SURE the one you choose is stable and reliable and will allow you to transfer your dictionary when your needs outstrip its capabilities and you upgrade to a better program.
I actually think Matilda's recommendation to take advantage of Shorthand's trial and let get yourself roped in to that program is a good one. This isn't a place to skimp if there's any way to avoid it.
(BTW, plan right now to back up your dictionary to a safe location(s) routinely. Mine has many many thousands of entries built up over years, the only one like it in the universe, and the very thought of losing it is scary.)
Shorthand allows you to choose which key SM
you want to expand with and to set a lot of other preferences too (I use the space bar). Probably the other top-line ones do too.
As for best? People tend to fall in love with whichever they have and will be happy to tout it. I like Shorthand's simplicity of use, with many sophisticated features available in the background for those who want them. InstantText is another very good one with apparently all the bells and whistles the market has to offer these days. Its users swear by it. Do note that the "Windows ShortHand Word Expander," Expanderic, is a new program and is not Shorthand.
I think Dell will still let you choose XP. sm
I'm a little puzzled that anyone would "require" dual core, much less with XP, which doesn't really gain anything from dual-core processors.
At one time XP even required a "hot fix" patch to be installed for use on dual-core systems. Don't know if that's still true or not, but the dual-core requirement is still very puzzling.
Just because we choose to work at
home with kids, does not mean we are not giving it our best. My kids were in school when I went home (about 10 years ago) and I did so because the office I worked in was phasing out the MT Dept. It is possible, just because you do not think you could do it does not mean others can't either.
Choose Your Battles
What is the big deal? I'm sure QA didn't mean to be insulting when they said not to guess. Hey, choose your battles. I mean, why bring it up and risk being targeted more if QA was in the wrong. I say let it go. I understand where you're coming from and am not saying you are wrong to be upset at all, I'm just saying, choose your battles and forget about this one unless this QA person seems to continue to do this. :)
You are free to live as you choose
and so am I. Don't give me orders.
She's not wrong. It was last week when they got to choose
So many of the others have a large base and people call more than once for their favorites. Taylor and Kellie always are in the top 2. But the vote this week had nothing to do with the Christian song. Mandisa, Paris and Elliott have finally moved down to where they belong. They just don't have it.
Gonna be hard to choose! nm
x
Typehow you want, c&p to shorthand & choose
x
Some of us choose to work from home, though. sm
Yeah, that's pretty much a given, but those of us who work from home usually do so by choice and know what we're giving up as far as benefits, paid taxes, etc. Most of us do so because in turn, we have flexible hours and don't have to pay gas expenses, daycare (if you have kids), uniform fees, etc. There are pros and cons to everything, for both the client and the MT/MTSO.
My point is that outsourcing is NOT the same as offshoring, and if we were all to ban every place that outsources, we'd have to ban every client, and every MT would have to go back to working in-house. Personally, I like having the option to work from home. If I wanted onsite work with benefits and no longer wanted to work from home, there's no shortage of opportunities for that.
As for working for an MTSO and not getting paid enough, that's a whole other ball of wax, but that still doesn't make outsourcing bad, per se. It's up the MTSO to charge a decent enough line rate to pass it on to MTs, and that's where offshoring comes in -- with offshore facilities undercutting American MTSOs, it's getting increasingly harder to compete and yield a line rate that allows for paying SC MTs decent rates. We can only hope that offshore MTs continue on the recent trend of charging closer to the American MT rates (this IS starting to happen, slowly but surely) because the only advantage they have over us right now is their bargain rate. Take that out of the equation and most places are going to choose quality American MTs, hands down. Our best hope is that foreign MTs start figuring out they are worth more than the pennies they are getting now and start asking for more per line. ;)
People know about offshoring, just choose to
x
Right on, JMO. Also, when I have the ability to choose dictations SM
from a list (which I don't have at my current work, darn), I like to gather up all the dictations I can find for bad dictators and do them together to learn that dictator right up front, instead of struggling over months. I'll also use them to put together a template, which if dictation's really horrible will include a whole pack of phrases he/she has been known to use, a grab bag of possibilities to scan over. May sound like a bother to some, but it's a real serenity-saver.
Yes, the download does let you choose which version.
xx
I am a loner at heart, somewhat shy. I do not want to change. Probably why I choose MT.
dd
new at this... how do I choose a good expander program?
 Which is best Expander program? anyway to get a free trial to check out how these things work?
my butt will probably just get bigger, but I choose face
Look at Madonna, bod is solid as a rock but that FACE ---eek
People have options and have a right to choose what works for them
It's a shame for the people in that office, but it happens.
You can go to Insert, Break and choose Next page.
I would usually keep a template with the different settings, use the correct one then save it to another file.
Hope this helps.
Unless there's another work type to choose with Ctrl/W, I
s
Depends on the definition you choose to accept
It can be "the particular occupation for which you are trained" or simply "a person's job or profession." I choose to think of mine as a career, also. I have not failed to increase my income each year, albeit by a relatively small amount, each year for the last seven. I think maybe the main difference between categorizing MT as a "career" or a "job" is one's contentment with where they are and what they are doing.
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=define%3A+career
MTEC - Which option to choose if I am already a transcriptionist, but
have never had any schooling. I have just been trained on the job and feel that this keeps me from getting the better paying jobs. Which option would be best for me to choose?
some doctors may choose to use Point & Click with EMR.
nm
For a business ad?! A business that deals
''Transcriptsis'' x2
''with good track record''
''serve our clients of all sizes'' (I know what they mean, but I just think the wording is funny)
''strive to achieve highest possible quality'' (once again, they never met an 'article' that they didn't hate)
''all departments including H&P...'' (or a comma, for that matter)
I always choose to Save to install to play safe.
You may need to configure your foot pedal to work with Express Scribe (Settings, Control). Also, there are posts further down that deal with getting the audio file into Express Scribe. The short answer is use the Load button. Good luck!
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