Focus mentoring program

• I need to find a legitimate mentoring program! pls. help? - Veronica
  • OSI has mentoring - Simplyme
    • OSI Mentoring Dissolved - Heather
    • thank you everyone!! :-) nm - Veronica
  • Go to New MTs and look at example of this - teacher's idea of how it's done. nm
  • MENTORING - Rosemarie Danelle
    • Focus mentoring program - Sue

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If they give you and promise you a job, 99 dollars small price to pay, but how long is mentoring and what is starting rate after initial period of time.  Ask questions and get answers up front.

We have all had to pay dues in this business, some more than others.  I can speak with conviction after 17+ years

Hello, I was curious if anyone out in MT land would be interested in starting a new MT mentoring program with me. I'm not advertising or anything like that, I just have an idea that I would like to have a sort of email network that new MTs (or experienced ones too) might be able to email me their question and I would have a group of MTs I could email the question out to who could respond if they knew the answer. Does that make sense? This would be a free service just to help fellow MTs out.

I think this is something that would be invaluable to new (or old) MTs because I remember being a newbie at home and being sort of lost in space as it were.  If you are interested you can email me.

***E-mail address removed by Moderator. 

I typed my first 3 years as an MT at a hospital and I found the mentoring I received from seasoned MTs, and being able to talk to the doctors and other staff, a really big plus.  I also found it better when you're at the beginning of the learning curve to have an hourly position vs a production position. 

You might want to consider inhouse as well to help you see the big picture as to why the doctors won't dictate more clearly, why nobody has the manpower to scruitinze every report, how sometimes the mistakes found in reports have been edited and put in there BY the doctors, and the low respect in general MTs get compared to the rest of the health professionals out there.  This might help you gain some perspective as to some of the "whys". 

You might ponder that MTSO's are not going to scold their clients to learn better dictation habits in order to make the MT's job easier - that would just alienate the client.  Inhouse, should you personally want to scold the offending dictator, they will often laugh in your face and tell you to deal with it.  In general, doctors do as they please and our jobs exist for their convenience, not the other way around. 

On the negatives!  What about the children who were born into this poverty through no choice of their own?

You take the negatives only in this tragedy, what a very closed mind you have

I have worked at Focus for just over a year now as an IC and I really like it there.  Everyone is very pleasant and helpful.  Any problems or concerns that I may have are addressed right away.  I have plenty of work to keep me busy.  They offer benefits if you are employee status, but you can also choose to be an IC.  They also have direct deposit.  I do transcription only, but they also have VR if you want to do that (you don't have to if you don't want to).  I work on the Dictaphone ExText platform but I know they have other platforms as well.

The bottom line is that they are a great fit for me.  I have had a really great experience with them.  No complaints at all.   

I also work for Focus, and I have to agree that they are the best company that I've worked for (or interviewed with) so far.  So far, I've worked for 3 other online companies and one local hospital.  Plus, I've interviewed with (and ended up turning down positions at) at least 10 companies since January of this year.  Add to this number those who won't give me a chance because I only have 2 years of experience (it apparently does not matter that I've had between 99% and 100% QA ratings in every MT job that I've had so far) or don't live in the required state or don't own a C-phone, don't have access to unlimited long-distance phone service, or some other such thing. 

The flexibility at Focus can't be beat.  I don't have to get permission to change my schedule to fit my needs.  Whenever I have a question, someone is available via IM, email, or telephone.  The pay on my favorite shift (third) is better than I've been offered anywhere else.  I also have 5 accounts, so if one doesn't have any work, I can generally find work on another.  I am an IC, but they do offer the employee option, last time I heard, and the premium for health insurance for a family was less than $400/month. 

My only fear is that they are sharing the work with so many other companies that I'm afraid of what is going to happen to the individual MTs like myself.

These are my experiences and my opinions, and are not open to debate.  But, I am happy to share the good, the bad, and the really UGLY about any experience that I have had with any MT company in the past 2 years.  Overall, it has been a true temporary nightmare, but I am very happy now at Focus, and have decided to stop searching for greener (USA-based) pastures; I'm not so sure there ARE any.

Focusing and not getting distracted is my toughest chore.  When I'm on point and working, I'm a great producer.  It's the getting there and staying there that's an issue for me.

I found a clock chime program that chimes every hour.  I initially got it to remind me to get up and stretch so I couldn't get so stiff, but it helps me stay focused, too.   When I want to get silly and I let myself get distracted, I know that I'll have 5 minutes coming with the next clock chime, so I get myself back to work a little bit easier.

This company has offered me a job.  I have never heard of them before.  Anybody have any info on them??? Good/Bad.. Thanks.

 Can anybody tell me anything at all about Focus  I heard they are a good service to work for.  Anybody   ??

Hello-

I am a newbie who is supposed to start at Focus and was wondering if you are stil happy with them? I am also going to be doing IC status, not employee. How much work do you usually get per day (hours?) Thanks for your help!

Amanda

pay her the $100.00 which, by the way, is not measly to many people, especially if they worked for it.  Two wrongs don't make a right!!  MTSOs have to understand that you must pay subcontractor MTs on time, especially if you have a signed agreement, even if they have a 50% error rate in reports and the client doesnot pay until 2010.

And I agree with the other poster, what was your subcontractor doing with your client's contact info?  Did you have her sign a non-compete clause in your transcription agreement?  If so, and she still contacted your client, then you still pay her the $100 and let her know she is in violation of your agreement, too, because her contacting your client is interpreted as competition.  If not, this is a learning lesson for you.

Beware of quality-based deductions!

Posting this because I want to get my line count up. I work as an IC and can work anytime I want to... when I type I do about 200 an hour so it is not the company line counter, as reason why my lines have been pretty low.  I have been in this business a long time though and find it hard to sit and focus.  If I could just even do 2 hours at a stretch and do that 3-1/2 times a day it would be great.  I just get so tired, bored, I don't know what that I cannot seem to tolerate the length of time needed to sit. I am making a fine line count for part time and meeting my contract, but I sure would like to earn more money and the work is there.  Anybody having the same struggles? Any input would be highly appreciated.  BTW: I tried setting a timer, giving myself little goals, even long-term end-of-pay check treats for myself, but the boredom or tiredness or something is just too strong. Thanks again for any ideas.

I have been working as a Transcriptionist since 1999, always from home.  For the first 5 years I could pound out the lines and sometimes work 9 or 10 hours straight and get an awesome line count.  About 2 years ago I started losing my focus and would get sidetracked by other things in the house, but I was able to meet my line goal most days.  Last year I decided to rent an office away from home with a neighbor who also works from home and I was a little more productive there, but still distracted.  Now, I am back home again and I feel like I would rather be doing anything than transcribing.  I don't want to give up on it because I LOVE the flexibility it gives me!  I am currently transcribing for two different clinics (not working for someone else) and I work as an IC for a national part time. 

My distractions are:  Internet, housework, sometimes my family although I'm working on re-training them (and I invested in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones so I don't have to hear them when I'm transcribing ) 

I know I'm not the only one who has gone through this so if you have and you have any tips that workd for you, I would love to hear them!  I need to get out of this rut!

Thanks in advance for your advice

Focus is an Indian company, you know.  Most who have been there were not happy, and many MTs only go there because they are fresh out of school and find it hard to get the experience they need.  Just FYI.

again