Have you considered a split shift? DH and I
Posted By: me on 2006-02-22
In Reply to: Anyone else crazy enough to work nights with a.. - (sm)
are on separate schedules (though I have some flexibility) and we find we have to plan private time. I'm a night person, he's a morning person - just doesn't work very well. If you worked Sunday through Thursday schedule you'd have a chance to have some time to sleep on Friday and you could still have a weekend and not be dragging your butt. If kids are all in school you could sleep during the day and working nights might not be so bad. There will be a period of adjustment and there will have to be some compromise about when you sleep and when DH takes care of the kids, but you do what you have to do.
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split shift
split shifts are great! you will do much, much better if you split your 8 hours up by 4 and 4. Early in the day and then late evening are usually the best.
Split shift
Employee; afternoon and late night/early morning split shift.
split shift
I work Sun-Thu 6A-10A, 6P-10P. This works really well for me, as I could not sit at a computer for 8 hours straight, and I have Fri and Sat off to spend time with my kids.
split shift
I work M, T, W, & F 8:00-12:30 and 2:30-7:00 (9-hour days). I, too, find it hard to sit for a complete 8- to 9-hour shift and enjoy the split.
Split shift
My kids are all in school, so I work M, Tu and W 12 noon - 3:30 p.m. and then 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Thu 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. and Sun 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. This works real good for me. I'm part time.
split shift
10a-2p and 7p-11p
works well to give me time in the morning to get my child off to school and a few things done, same when the bus comes. my child is a little older so the 7p is just a couple hours before bedtime and I take a break for bedtime. I love my split.
Split shift helped me a LOT! Was
getting very painful to type eight hours straight. It has helped to the point where I barely realize any pain anymore. Also, I can seem to go "great guns" the first hour or two of my shift, and then slow down some after that. This way, with split shift, I have two sets of "two hours" of gungho, at least as gungho as I can get...LOL.
I have a daughter and a split shift.
My daughter will be 2 in April...Maybe you can try something like this... I am working 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
yup, employee, split-shift.
x
IC - work split shift. nm
v
I would think a split shift would benefit them!
I know where I work they swoon over people who can pull a split shift...say early in the morning and then again late afternoon into evening. I think it really helps get places out of TAT jams. I once did 7am-11am and then 3pm-7pm for a while and it worked out great for me at the time and was equally beneficial to them. Have you tried pointing out the potential benefits for them, to them? Might be worth a shot if you haven't already. Good luck!
Split shift and kids
I find the same with the split shift. It works out great to get kids to and from school, dinner, etc. but I am wiped out. I feel like I have no downtime. I have thought about homeschooling but I am also hesitant that it will take too much out of me being that I already feel so exhausted.
I'm no expert but my neighbor has home schooled 3 kids. She told me that there is an association or something that she is a part of where a large group of home-schooled kids get together for field trips and more structured lessons and things like the all important health videos that no kid wants to watch with their parents. lol Not sure what is is called but she did say it is online so maybe some googles might turn something up in your area.
Definitely split shift...I use a hot parafin wax dip when they're really bad -- also,
i have my "magic typing gloves" You can buy them at most major drug stores... they're kind of like support hose stockings for your hands.. fingers are free, but hands and wrists are warm, toasty, comfy and happy. About 10 bucks a hand, but truly worth it..
I usually work a split shift on Sundays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (there really isn't much to do during that time), then I log back in after 9 p.m. when I get my son in bed and will usually work for 3 or 4 hours. I am usually busy then because the docs are all dictating their pre-surgical H&Ps for Monday morning surgeries. I'm on the East Coast and my hospital is on the West Coast, so it works out good that way.
I will occasionally log in on Saturday afternoons too, but work is slim to none then, so I usually don't bother.
I work a split shift just for this very reason.
After about 6 hours, I am toast. Now I work 2 4's with a 4-hour break in between. I always come back to work so refreshed, and it has really helped my productivity.
Split shift MTs---what hours do you work? sm
I'm trying to revamp my schedule around transporting kids. Would be interested to know what works for you. Thanks!
Should clarify, I was an IC for a company working a split shift. nm
d
Do any of you work a split shift? Are you employee status or IC? Thanks!-nm
Every company is different -- I worked FT for one as an employee but worked a split shift - sm
So I never took breaks. I would work 5 hours, break for about 4 hours then do another 3. Another company I worked for did not care what hours you worked (IC) but wanted a min. amount of work each day, 500 for PT and 1000 for FT-- BUT they paid you by how many lines an hour you put out, the higher the lph the higher up the scale you made per line in pay; they have since changed everyone to a flat rate with incentive. But bottom line, if you are an IC it does not matter what hours you work, though many ask for a schedule and ask you to stick to it, they just want you to meet line requirements daily, i.e. 1000 per day, 1200 per day, whatever it is.
if it is feasable, split that 6-hour shift into two 3-hour shifts. sm
i work a split shift and find that i am much better able to stay focused and get more work done that way. also, being 3 months pregnant you have gone through the very tiring time of pregnancy and you should start seeing an energy perk before long.
Split? I bought old IBM off ebay but not split.
..
Split keyboard mounted on chair arms versus split keyboard on desk
For longtime comfort which is best - split keyboard mounted on chair arms or split keyboard to be used on the desk?
Also, why the preference over split keyboards that come totally apart versus split keyboards that are permanently connected at the top?
I want to revamp my office and there are so many different options. 
hit left Shift key 3 times, then right Shift key 3 times -
nm
I seriously considered it myself because
my former coworker kept telling me how great it was. She planned on getting rich off of it and retiring by the time she was 35. She was too busy promoting her "home business" on company time and the company computer to even get her work done at her regular job. She's still not rich or retired.
Also, there are a lot of negatives out there regarding Ameriplan. There is one dentist in my entire state that accepts Ameripan cards. No other medical providers will even consider it. One good post by someone trying to sell Ameriplan doesn't negate lawsuits, BBB complaints, and thousands of people who weren't given refunds when they requested. I would never stand behind a company that wasn't ethical and honest with people.
Believe me, I understand what it's like to work hard and still live paycheck to paycheck. However, "Posting advertisements or solicitations of business" and "spamming" are against MTstars terms of service, which you agree to when using this site. Selling the discount cards (and/or recruiting people) is what you were trying to do, so be honest here.
Have you considered......
Where I work, there are a people who actually work part time, at 30 to 35 hours per week so that they do not have to meet the high line count for full time. If benefits is not an issue for you and you are paid by the line maybe you should consider 30-35 hours a week instead of 40. I am sure you would not loose much money and making rate would not be a problem because you would have that big gap i.e part time rate is 5,100 and full time rate is 10,200 that would mean your only required to make 5,100 a pay period even if you are 30 to 35 hours a week......then you would'nt have to work so hard and you could have more time with you son. From what I have heard from other MTs...it was actually a relief for them to have to go part-time because they did not have all the pressure anymore.....it is something to think about. However, if insurance/benefits is an issue than I could see how this might be difficult.
You might also want to try getting on earlier, ie. 4 am to 7am and then once your son is off to school get back on and complete your shift. I wish you luck. I am sure something will work out.
Have you considered
asking your company if you could copy someone's? You wouldn't happen to be working on ExText and using the ESP would you?
It's not anything I considered, but I just...
Googled scoping and came up with quite a few hits that should be able to give you some info.
re: anybody ever considered
A lady I know is married to an HVAC man, and she got a general contractor's license. She makes money off it, but subcontracts all the work out on building jobs. Her husband does the HVAC part.
Anybody ever considered
becoming a plumber or some other type of construction? My husband and I are looking at things we could do together. Don't even know if a woman could do the job and I'm 54 so might be too old to cut the mustard and been doing MT for 9 years so out of shape.
Is 4 cpl considered too low?
Is 4cpl, 65 character line including spaces and hard returns, very low for a new graduate? I've been told that this is exceptionally low. BUT, with companies offering MTs with 5+ years of experience 7-9 cpl I thought it was a fair wage.
Am I wrong? Am I working for a MT 'sweatshop'? The accounts are not difficult, and no ESLs.
Now after hearing some people tell me I am working for peanuts I am wondering if I need to find a different job. I like these accounts, but I also want a fair wage. I was told we'd renagotiate pay when I got off full QA. Am I being taken advantage of?
I have considered that myself but have yet -sm
to find a product that I can get my hands on cheaply (i.e. wholesale) in order to re-sell at a good profit, not 1 or 2 dollars. I have 2 boxes of stuff right now that I plan to put on ebay, old kid toys basically, books, etc. Don't care much about making a bundle just want to de-clutter my house some, one man's junk is someone else's treasure and all that jazz. I have toyed with the wholesale designer clothing scene (returns/imperfects) but it requires connections and basically buying a tractor trailer worth of clothes for $5K or more, nothing to enter lightly. As with most risky ventures you have to have money in order to make money (i.e. stock market). But in regards of gettign out of MT I have just gotten my CDL for bus driving, have 10 more hours of training (paid too at $8/hr) then I can substitute drive for my county, yeah! Within a year I should have my own route (don't have to use my own gas either to get to work, nice, they have a shuttle pick you up at home), work 2-3 hours a day and get $60 a day for my trouble, a lot better than I make doing MT. Great thing is I get paid 12-months a year and make about $1K a month which is not much less than I make now and I work a lot more than 3 hours a day. I still plan to do MT but cut back some so I can reclaim my life a bit. I will still have freedom to do what I want during the day and have a well paying PT job (which they call FT and it has benefits too, health insurance and 401K). So it is an interesting alternative for me and will give me a steady income and I will have job security too unless I have a ton of accidents for some reason, but really don't expect that to happen as I am a good driver. In time may apply to the USPS for driving the smaller mail trucks (not tractor trailers, different CDL class), have to get 1 year experience before I can consider that. Just looking at my options for the future as my DH wants to retire in 8 years at 55 (who doesn't?)(I'm 7 years younger by the way) so I need a job with good health insurance IF we have to change insurance that is, something I do not want to do since we have phenomemal coverage. Doubt this helped you at all but maybe it will get you thinking of other avenues other than ebay. Good luck!
anyone know what the split was?
I'd love to know what the split was--anyone know? It was so close last week between the 3 of them.
Have you considered therapy?
zz
We were considered a valuable
not just a sweatshop drone. 
Have you considered asking your instructor
for help? After all, you are presumably paying for your education. Shouldn't the school be helping you when you have difficulty? Why should you expect working MTs to drop everything and help you? Maybe you just need to put more time into your studies. If you're going to be a successful MT, you're going to have to learn to figure things out for yourself.
I considered a lease once (sm)
but when I found out my payment would be only $1 different I decided to buy instead. My loan was for the same length of time as the lease, had no "fees" attached, and didn't require a down payment. Make sure you read all the fine print on a lease. They can determine who services the vehicle. They determine "wear and tear" when you turn it in, early termination fees (you never know), and on and on. Any little dent that might be on the vehicle will need to be repaired, either by your insurance or out of your pocket, or they will charge you for it at turn-in. Beward of leasing salesmen that call you after you have already leased the vehicle and try to squeeze cash out of you. I've heard of that scam more than once.
The only way to end up upside down on a loan is to pay more than it's worth to begin with. As soon as you drive a new vehicle off the lot you are upside down on the loan and will be for at least 6-12 months. You'd be better off buying a vehicle from someone else who made that mistake. Not a lease buy-back, but from a private individual who needs to get out of their loan and hasn't driven the vehicle into the ground in a year's time. With a year-old vehicle you can easily determine whether there are major problems with them too, unlike new vehicles where you just hope it's going to be okay. Check epinions.com and read reviews from owners who are already driving that vehicle. Good luck!
Are you serious? Is 1400 really considered low???
nm
Have you considered the Kinesis?
I have the Kinesis Classic and I have tried several types of keyboards and find this one has the lightest touch that I have personally tried and it also stopped all my finger, hand and wrist pain I had prior to that. They are pricey and take some time getting use to but, to me, it is well worth it. I can't even type on a regular keyboard now. I use one even with my laptop.
Patti, have you considered
considered overnighting tapes? Find an excellent MT to subcontract and overnight the work back and forth when you need time off (we ALL need time off!!!). If your clients are willing to wait days for you to do the work that has built up, they may be willing to wait an extra 12 or 24 hours for overnight. Once you train your sub, you can go on vacation, your client's office staff overnights tapes to your subcontractor, the sub overnights the reports back.
I know how it is to come back from vacation and have piles of work staring at you. That is one of the reasons I stopped taking my own clients and now only subcontract from services.
Trolls are considered to be the certain--sm
individuals who frequent the board and post responses to other peoples posts that could be considered rude or inflammatory, just to start an argument.
Been at it 33 years - most likely that's considered well beyond
X
what are considered ops notes?
I currently type clinic reports but I would like a change. I was considering ops notes. I am not sure what it means when a company indicates Ops notes experience. 
No lawsuit even considered
I nor my friend have even considered a lawsuit. I just get mad at being pre-DISQUALIFIED no matter how good I am at my work. I have had to deal with this problem all my life, so it is nothing new. It is just that I have never been visually disqualified for anything before in regard to work and this was a real eye-opener to me.
And for the record. Morbid obesity is a legal handicap and so is being left handed which I am both. It is just sad. Oh well... I will continue to work where I am appreciated for my job well done...and so will my friend....:) They pay me way more anyway.
I think it's really sad when 0.095 is considered good
I made that over 12 years ago. To know that MTs really believe that 9-1/2 cents a line is mouthwatering pay these days just shows how much the industry has changed for the worst and isn't ever coming back to us.
All our skills, knowledge, intelligence, experience, work ethic, and everything else we bring to the table as MTs is worth little more than 7 cents a line, if that, no matter if you have 10, 20, 30+ years experience.
To get the ever-evasive 10 cents a line, you either have to jump through hoops with the most awful ESLs or American mushmouths you'll ever hear in your life...OR...you'll only get 5 reports a day because there's not enough work to go around.
I admit I'm just beating a dead horse. I really need to get out of this business, I know. I rue the day I chose medical transcription as my career of choice. What a stupid thing to do.
Just wondering - doesn't anyone remember probably about 1998 or 1999, if I recall correctly, when almost all the jobs on the MT job boards would pay at least 9 cents a line for experienced MTs?
At that time, I remember it was the norm for MTs to come on the boards and complain about any companies who were trying to get away with paying experienced MTs a measly 8 cents a line! LOL I remember those days well. That's why I have such a hard time with 8 cents apparently being the norm even for EXPERIENCE now, when it was higher a decade ago. And 9 or 9.5 cents being considered frickin PRIMO pay. ..? Uggh!!!
I'm just royally ticked. I know what's happened & no use going back and rehashing and torturing myself, so I have to let it go. Maybe go get a waitressing job here some time this week, too ;)
I considered polysomnography, too....sm
There's a school nearby that offers it. Then in researching online I found a chatboard much like this one, but for polysomnographers, and the complaints were rampant...long boring hours, understaffed, low pay. Didn't seem like much job satisfaction. Gave me a bad taste, and I dropped the idea soon after.
Not to split hairs....
but in order to be a satanic person, you have to worship or even believe in satan first. I don't know a huge amount about world religions but I do know that satan is largely a christianity religion figure and that most other religions don't believe in such an entity let alone worship one. I guess my comment is a piece of the discussion best left for a religions board, so I just had that thought and I will leave it alone
I never use my mouse with DQS unless I split a job
x
been split for years
I start about an hour after I wake up, which can be any time in the middle of the night, and put in about 2-3 hours. I usually go back to sleep between 7 and 6:30 a.m. I get up again when my body tells me to, and then I'm back to work between 11 a.m. and noon. I'll work until 4 and 5 p.m.
A "regular day" (two 15-minute breaks and an hour for lunch) is way too hard on me. Been doing the split for years.
I have to split or I'd run out of steam.
Early a.m. 6:00 to 10 for starters and then, depending on what I've got going on or what is going on with the kids, either noon to 3:00 or at night after supper. Love the flexibility.
split shifts, yes
That definitely would help, also wrist splints, but flexible support ones help as well.
split keyboard
Go to www.datavisionergonomics.com. They have several different styles of keyboards. I personally have one just like the Maxim keyboard, which is just like the keyboard has been chopped in half right down the center. I've used mine for ten years and it's getting old and needs to be replaced. When I bought mine ten years ago, it was over $400.00. You can buy one now for under $$150.00. Here's how it works:
I sit in my chair with my arms at my sides, and each half of the keyboard is directly in front of each arm. I can put my schedules, an 8.5 x 11 in. paper, in-between the two halves of the keyboard! That's how far apart the two halves are, and there is no strain on my wrists, shoulders, arms, or neck. When I try to use my husband's keyboard now, a regular keyboard, I can't even type my name!
It'll take you 1-2 days to get used to this style of keyboard, but take my word for it, you will love it and never want to go back to the traditional keyboards or even the so-called "split" ones that are still all in one unit, but have the right and left hands a little farther away from each other.
Another thing, I (like you) use my left thumb space bar as the back space. My right thumb, as usual, hits the forward space. I never have to use my right pinky to go way up and hit the original back space key. Hmm...maybe Maxim will give me a free keyboard if I refer enough MTs to them.  Let me know if you have any other questions. Have a fun day!
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