Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Hard to say without knowing your interests.

Posted By: sm on 2007-10-03
In Reply to: What kind of alternate careers can MT's transition into? - So Very Tired

Try to find a site that helps you determine a good fit for your likes and skills. You may also want to consider some community college course(s) in subjects of interest to you to help determine where you want to go. Look at this as an opportunity to try something completely different if you're so inclined.




Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

interests
It's not like I'm the one that gets the 11.95 a month. Why do you work? To make money, duh? I personally think this is a very good program and wanted to share it with others like myself. What part of that do you not understand? I'll be happy to share other thoughts and ideas also about being a medical Transcriptionist at home. What would you like to know?
INTERESTS OTHER THAN MT
You go girl!!! I enjoy hearing what other transcriptionists like to do off work, have no opinion as to what one does, just like to share.
I say go with what interests you
I have typed Rad for about 7 years. During that time I have also been fortunate enough to do basic 4, ER, and prior to that clinic. I always come back to Rad...I just prefer it.
Just ask for payment - with interests
1 .If you have no contracts - you have been doped.
2. If you have a contract -
Use it legally.
3. Stop all transcriptions at once until they have paid.
4. Report to the AAMT the incident with the contract, work loads, time and date.
What are you passionate about? What interests you more than anything else?
nm
new owner, new interests in site now perhaps. NM
out with old, in with the new. Personally I think the new ads are refreshing.
Wow! I really respect your post. You really sound like you have the kids' interests as #1, and th
you and your ex are mature enough to handle sharing custody and expenses - well, that is just so refreshingly cool these days! I'm not putting it well, but its a compliment! I admire your choices.
Congrats on your decision. Develop some outside interests or hobbies
s
Knowing what I know now, NO, I would not become an MT. nm
x
It is just knowing what you
are typing as you go along, reading as you type.  If you are using abbreviation expanders, make SURE that you have not typed a WRONG expansion.  Good Luck!
Comes sometimes with just knowing the right people. sm
Many of these positions are not advertised, just referred.
Knowing English as well
In your post you said "I am knew" to the transcription world. It should be new. This is just what would keep you from passing a transcription test.
I would be interested in knowing this as well....

Not knowing your husband, so I'm
not sure if this will work.  Place the clothes in the basket but DON'T wash them anymore.  Clean the dishes but DON'T cook for him anymore (this also eliminates the need for paper plates).  See if he notices....LOL. 
Knowing what my mortgage is....sm

truly keeps me motivated....the mortgage is HUGE....*bites nails* 


*lol*


I has been my experience in knowing other ICs--sm
that they usually try to find someone who will cover for their work load while they are gone. It is not fair to overload the other ICs who work there too and that would keep you from being overloaded yourself when you return. It may make your employer a little more amenable to you being gone, if they knew that there would still be someone there to do the work. just a thought.
Knowing what I have heard from others
including nurses, the field is wide open for the pay scale. If I had the chance to go either MTing or nursing, definitely choose nursing. The situation in transcription has been going down in pay and I doubt it will improve. I have met nurses who have their house notes paid, their vehicles paid, $$$$ because of physicians wanting someone in their office. To me this is a no-brainer. I do not think the 2 compare when it comes to the bottom line, money that is. The working at home is ok but my pay, for example, has fell in the 80s from the high $50,000 to maybe the medium 20s now. If younger and had the chance, I would say nursing is a wonderful opportunity.
I'm interested in knowing how much

one should make after 19 years?  I ALWAYS short-change myself and would love to know how to know when it is okay to push for more and when it doesn't matter because they won't go any higher.  A couple of weeks ago, for example, somebody said Diskriter offered them nearly 10 cpl, but I had 18 years of experience when I interviewed with them last year, and they said 8 cpl was as high as they would go.  If I had said, no thanks, I have to have more per line, would they have gone higher?  Somebody explain to me how to negotiate...  I would hate for my paycheck to be 20% less because I'm not savvy enough in this regard.


 


Knowing the truth....
Anyone who has been in this industry doing MT for more than 30 years and has survived knows the score. We feel grateful for our skills and we are humbled by the years of dedication it took to crack any nut thrown our way. People in the industry know who we are and most of us just prefer to do straight transcription because we know what we are doing and feel comfortable.
Also, we love the challenge of being able to decipher a really difficult report and make that doctor happy especially the ESL.

From my point of view, there are just to many MTs who go to QA hoping to learn something but the learning is in the transcribing. Just reading the reports is not going to give you that edge. You need to develop the "ear" and a knowledge of the specialties that only true dedication brings to the forefront.

We're living in a time when people want to make easy money without really having any experience or real knowledge. They just feel if they go to that good school, they will be all set and ready to make big bucks. It's that mentality of entitlement minus the years of hard work and dedication that is ruining this country. Sadly, it seems the more you know and the harder you work, the less you make.
Call it moral degredation.
If it rains hard, the wind blows hard and there are trees
nearby, it snows heavily it will mess up the signal.  The speed is not constant, sometimes as slow as dial-up, but at least still connected.  Many companies will not allow satellite. 
You gave notice to your old job w/o knowing
what your line rate would be? Am I understanding that correctly?
thanks...just knowing there are others, same age bracket, skills, etc...does help...
like you, I LOVE this job, and actually chose it - not the other way around. Fortunately, it has not cost me anything, really, like the other poster mentioned; but I too am scared.

It is always upsetting when you life changes because of things out of your control...at our age, we are from the times when people had one job until they retired. I know that is history, but man, this way is ridiculous. Flying from job to job, no continuity, no structure. What good can come of this anyway.

like the other poster mentioned, who cares about us anyway, really. the rich only care about getting richer, and that crap about giving the tax cuts to the rich and they will 'share it' - what a bunch of fools we have been.

thanks for sharing!
ROFLMAO - you're better off not knowing!
nm
I am interested in knowing more about wireless

I am in the very same situation as the first poster, although I do have a reliable ISP and connect at 50+ Kbps all the time.


I know nothing about wireless and am wondering if it would be advantageous for me. Please keep in mind, I not the most computer literate person. :D Could you explain it to me in further detail? If you would like, please feel free to send me an E-mail.


Thanks so very much.


Sandi


kids have no business even knowing about this!!
nm
You're right, it doesn't, but it does help already knowing
the basics of medical terminology and such.
I'm interested in knowing the brand - I'm looking a new chair. Thanks! nm
xx
Without knowing the details of your finanacial situation . . .
it's impossible to know.  If you have good credit 18 points shouldn't be hard to do.  Didn't he have any other suggestions?  One thing you can do is, if you have a good banking relationship, get a small signature loan from that bank and pay it back in 30 days.  That will raise your score, but ONLY if the bank doesn't pull a credit report, since that takes off a few points.  Get a $500 or $1000 loan, let it sit in your account, and then pay it back.  It will only cost a month's interest and should raise your score enough.
I would be interested in knowing if they have young children too?
x
They might not, but I would still get satisfaction knowing I didn't keep quiet about it. sm
And you know AHDI probably has the attitude of "well nobody has ever come to us telling us we're not working for them," or some such thing.
So, you think it is okay for hard-working MTs to earn 7-8 cpl for their hard work?? nm
:{
Sort of like passing your driving test and knowing. . .

That you'll never have to take it again!


Well, at least until you're 80.


It is hard but only at first...

I have 2 children and did it with both of them.  I am also a nurse but after trying part-time out of the house work combined with MT-ing to stay home with kids as much as possible, I ended up strictly at home 2 years ago. 


It's not the easiest when the children are infants - but it's worth it once you get past that phase.  I actually used to type with my daughter breastfeeding in my lap!  I had some crazy, crazy days and nights.  Don't expect to get 3-4 hours straight - be ready to get an hour or 2 when you can throughout the day.  It can be frustrating, but once they reach a certain age and are sleeping well you can work at night and during naps.  (My kids did not take to naps too well, so the night was my time.)


Now my kids are 8-1/2 and 4-1/2 and it's wonderful.  I'm finally past the crazy hours and grabbing an hour whenever I can - never at the same time.  (I am fortunate to work for a company that does not require set hours.) I type while they are at school and then on occasion after they go to bed at night.  I volunteer at their schools once a week, coach my daughter's cheerleading team, and am baseball, soccer and football mom.  I had an RN office job part-time about 2 years ago that I loved, but I just couldn't take not being able to be there for their school activities, after-school stuff, etc.  Nothing beats the flexibility of MT-ing. 


Good luck.  There will be smooth days and not so smooth ones - keep in mind how lucky you will be to be able to attend everything you want to with your child - to not have to call in sick when they are, to not have to ask permission to run that lunchbox to school when they leave it in the car, etc., etc.!


hard to say - sm

I sure hope not.  I don't want to think that God would punish many for the actions of few like this either.  Probably purely coincidental. 


The sad thing is that those who demanded that these religious monuments be removed are probably not even from the south but chose that area because of the spirituality and religious folks that make the south their home.  


I personally find the removal of these markings truly abominable.  They are a simple reminder of what this country was founded on, faith, hope, and freedom. 


Southerners are devote and proud. They will get through this with time and help from the rest of us.  This is what American grit really is.  Help from others or no, we have to stick together and pull ourselves up from the muck. 


 


 


I really would like to know why it is so hard

to let someone ask a question if they want.  You do not have to read it, think about it, address it, whatever.....what difference does it make that the topic was brought up at some past time?  This board is for communication and nobody is forcing you to read redundant posts. 


Just PLEASE stop making folks feel stupid.  Go onto the next post or start one yourself. 


You are being to hard on
Not stop it - you are just looking at your own reflection in your monitor! You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself!
How hard is it to get a job?
I'm considering getting a Medical Transcriptionist Certificate at a local college.  I was wondering how hard it is to get a job after graduating?  I've noticed on the Job Seekers Board that most of the jobs require experience.  Any advice?
Having a hard day

I'm having the hardest time working today.  My best friend is having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic today.  She is only 28 and has grade III anaplastic astrocytoma.  She was only diagnosed three months ago after she had a seizure and this is now her second surgery.  She is so far away (we live in Kentucky) and I really want to be there.  To those who are reading this, I am asking for your prayers for my friend, Jenny, and her husband and two young children, that they may all be together this Christmas.   Please also pray for me to have the strength to help her and her family through this terrible time and difficult road ahead.  Thank you all.


don't be hard on yourself for the

decisions that you've made.  we all want to believe what our spouces tell us and hope that things will change but in the end it never does and in the meantime you're raising your kids in an environment that will effect them the rest of their lives.  i've been through a lot of what you're going through and there's no good or easy answer to help anyone through it.  I used to be very confident, strong and able to do anything and now I don't have the confidence to make the most simple decisions because my x was so abusive.  my family didn't believe me about the things that would happen and I was too humiliated to tell my friends.  when I finally got the courage to make him move out I was recovering from neck surgery, couldn't ambulate by myself, didn't have a full time job,  had a 1 year old, and  he had wiped out the savings.  it's been 2.5 yrs and I'm almost back on my feet.  there are state systems that can help you but be prepared for a battle there too because you will have to nag and nag to get help in a somewhat timely manner, just don't give up.  start checking into things as quickly as possible because I found out that it's usually first-come first-served type of thing.  call you local police department and ask what they can offer and what steps you need to take to keep yourself and kids safe. what I finally realized was that I didn't want my son growing up in an environment that was unhealthy and unsafe not to mention I didn't want him to think that it was ok to treat people, especially women, in the way he was seeing at home.  I'm a firm believer that God gives you what you can handle and you will be a better person once you've overcome his challenges.  I also believe that it's my job as a mother to do anything I can to protect my son for as long as I can.  no parent, not even a step-parent, should ever be jealous of their child for any reason especially health reasons and needing more attention. I know I'm on my soapbox but I believe that you can find the confidence to do what is right for you and to be stronge for your kids.   try to remember that abusers never change. (feel free to email me anytime you need to.)  there's lots of us out there that can relate to what you're going through and although there's nothing to make it easier it helps to have people just to vent to.   my prayers go out to you and your family


Most MT's tell me it's hard to get 9 to 10 cpl now...nm
x
Not hard at all

I set up my Linksys wireless router myself and it was pretty much self explanatory.  The Linksys help line is pretty good too, in case you run into trouble.  Might have to wait a bit on the phone depending on what time you call. 


This is hard for me to believe
I guess I am stumped as I do 180 to 220 minutes per day.  To me 60 minutes means I am hardly working.  I am not trying to  put this down but this is definitely part-time and so you should be able to do it unless they make you do it at specific times and you like to make your own time to work.  You just need to work toward goals and reward yourself for every 20 minutes you do.   But if this is an account you will be on all the time, you should be able to whip out 60 minutes in less than 2.5 to 3 hours.  You can do it.  How many minutes/lines do you do a day now?  You must not need to make money to pay bills, that is my biggest incentitive -- no money - no food or ability to pay bills.    Patti 
It is so hard
I feel so bad for you.  I had to do the recently.  I still shudder when I think of that horrible day.  I don't know how I got the courage to do it, just knew I had to.
Was that so hard?
THAT is more along the lines of what I was trying to find out - not getting bashed just because I already have a great career and make pretty good money.

I never said I was looking to swich careers. In fact, I specifically stated that I already have a very fulfilling one and was just looking at MT as a part time thing. My husband and I recently had our first child and all of a sudden I find myself at home ALL THE TIME. She's a great baby, and I have quite a bit of free time on my hands at home and thought maybe I could fill it with this after a co-worked suggested it.

After sifting through all the available information online I couldn't make a clear deduction on whether I wanted to invest money in training, and if I did invest what kind of training is best.

I love having an office and getting out of the house to work every day and am not looking to change that. I am on a computer pretty much all the time and wondered if I could turn that into some cash - nothing else was intended from my initial post!
Are Ops hard to do?

It seems some MTs love to do them, but why do they seem so ominous? Are some harder than others? I've heard of MTs making normals out of them, thus, good money. They've just always scared me for some reason.


Thanks!


Hard to say
If you are getting way too much, it could be a sign your skills are poor. Seriously. But on the other hand, some of these QA people are totally anal and frankly a little power goes a long way...

You ask them: Am I receiving an unusually high amount of QA?

I have 20 years in the business and for some companies who completely change the "rules" (style, etc.) I can get a lot of QA trying to get me to do things "wrong" which ya gotta do for the paycheck!

Conversely, other accounts don't seem to monitor closely enough...

What kind of errors are you getting corrected? Minor picky stuff or major (dropped words, wrong words, etc.)?


It Would be Hard...
You'd be completely starting from scratch like the first time touching a keyboard, basically. Think of how long it took you to learn QWERTY and times that by a few :o). I guess you wouldn't be starting from scratch but worse; you'd be forcing yourself to throw away something that is 2nd nature to you by now.

Of course, it's possible :o). I'd love to learn, too, but I seriously doubt I have the patience and determination to do so! If you go for it, good luck!!
it's hard
It's hard to get any acute care experience without working inhouse.  It is also very helpful to have other MTs there for assistance, cuz like you said acute care IS A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME.
very well said...It can be done but it is very hard...
definitely have to manage time wisely for sure...
It will be a while. Don't be hard on yourself. Take
xx
It is possible but hard to get - sm
you have to file a claim and your employer the files their side of things and they usually win 9/10 times. My SIL was "fired", wrongly, filed, her former employer fought it and won. Of course if you can prove you were fired for no reason or they had no grounds then you have a better chance at getting it, but it is still hard. It is basically for people who get laid off or otherwise lose their job through no fault of their own.