How do you find a balance in this type of work...
Posted By: nn on 2009-01-15
In Reply to:
with family, friends, hobbies, etc and still have time to type! Is it possible, if so, how?
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So what do you do to keep motivated to type during the work day? Sometimes I find it so hard to...
stay focused. When you're working at home it is soooo easy to turn on the TV, take frequent breaks to answer the phone, talk to hubbie, play with the kids, take a hot bath, play solitaire on the PC, surf the net, post on a message board, etc.
I just wondered if anyone had any miracle cure for the wandering mind?
Most banks have auto numbers to call to find out balance. SM
You could call bank tomorrow morning. Maybe put some charges on credit card, but anyway call them.
As stated, it is taken out immediately. When I purchase stuff and use it, but forget to put it in checkbook, recording will tell me as soon as I arrive home what was spent.
The OP was asking how other MTs balance homelife and work....
she didn't ask to be judged on whether or not she had experience working outside the home, et cetera...if you don't have anything productive to say to her than why bothering posting a response...obviously it sounds like she has a lot going on in her life and just needs some positive encouragement not judgement by others who feel they are more "grounded"....
You and me both. MQ is totally sick. They had better find another type of business to get into
because they have failed miserably with this.
I find myself cringing everytime I type a cath
nm
i have a Geneticist that i type and find it extremely hard with the terms of all the genetic disabli
;
nm would you mind if I asked where you work and what type of work hosp, clinic ?
x
Just return the work, submit your bill, the scurry and find more work elsewhere. sm
They will never meet with you before next week. It is Thursday, already. Be prepared to sue for payment, because you will probably need to. But, most of all, find other work elsewhere, because I have a feeling this final payment will be a long time coming.
I don't know where all that type work is..
and its not that I don't know medical transcription, I've been doing this for 30 years and I am certified.. so that's not the problem.. it's the bad platforms and the "clerical" duties like looking up these doctors! I hear your frustration and mine too! I KNOW there is good stuff out there, but why can't I get it??
every work type has a different TAT by
H&P 24 hours
Consults 24 hours
Ops 24 hours
DS 48 hours
from the time of the event occurred. 24 hours from time of admit. 24 hours from time of consult. etc. (unless JC has changed those guides) Some hospitals want a quicker TAT by the MTSO for patient care or billing reasons.
Many preop H&Ps are needed stat because the anesthesiologist will not administer anesthesia until they review it.
Does not matter whether or not it is placed in the chart, as long as the document itself - whether on paper or in EMR - is completed by the time guide. It has been this way by Joint Commission standards for at least 15 years (that I know of). JC will put a random number of charts and look at the date/time stamp on the document to determine compliance. They have no way to gauge whether or not the document was in the chart as soon as it was transcribed or a week later.
This is where many hospitals lose points, but in the scheme of things, these points are minor.
I was once asked my the MR director of the hospital where I worked to go back in time and change dictated/transcribed dates and print new documents to place in the chart on the eve of an audit. I showed her how to do a global replace for dates in WP 5.1, reminded her she would need to get signatures on them before the next morning, then clocked out and went home. Whether or not she did it, I never asked. I don't believe she did it after the reality of not getting signatures hit her. She hinted at my being fired for not doing it, but I was not going to alter legal documents. Nothing was ever said again about it.
So is this the type of work you do?
Beause that's very helpful to know if you're doing nonmedical, two-person audio recording transcription. I have nothing to compare this to since I've never looked into it before. If it turned out I could do the work and liked it, I could ask for more money, or apply at other companies that do this kind of work.
Can't find any work
I guess I need to start over as a newbie. Can anyone tell me the companies that hire new MTs? I have a lot of experience, but not acute care. Maybe, with my experience, I can start at the ground level at one of these companies that does not require experience with acute care. All the work at my company is gone, the docs editing their own reports now.
Yes, if I could have the right balance of
administrative support and the power to hire/fire employees who are worth keeping/letting go.
Yes, I would.
How to balance it all.
I've been doing MT for 7 looooong years now and have recently gone back to school (pre-med). I've had to find a new job, a child with ADD/depression who takes massive amounts of one on one time to get school work done, etc., and another little one. I'm struggling getting work done and my homework. I took a fairly light load (13 credits) but am just feeling overwhelmed. Any time saving tips would be greatly appreciated!
Anyone work for Freedom Type sm
Do they have SE and employee status or just employee? TIA!
 
work type/TransTech
Don't be afraid to email QA and ask for help. I work for TT, too, and our QA Dept. is top notch. 
Most productive work type?
What is the most productive work type? Radiology, OP, etc? Which one can you really make the money on?
Bebo
getting the wrong work type
I work for an MT service and do discharge summaries per my request. My production is quite good when I work on this work type. However, quite often I end up transcribing an OP note here and there. This really slows me down and affects my line count. I realize that it probably happens because the doc keys it in wrong. Or it could be that when they are out of summaries, my 2nd work type is OPs. I am really out of practice with OP notes and just getting one here and there throws me for a loop. Any advice on how to handle this? TIA
I would type it and be thankful I have work.
Eventually you will get good at it. It takes practice. If you start complaining, they may just send you less work.
It is different for every MT. My favorite work type is....sm
operative reports, other MTs hate them. It depends on what catches your interest. I dislike H&Ps. In general, the most difficult work types are the BIG 4, H&Ps, consultations, discharge summaries and operative reports, or "acute care".
It may depend on the type of work?
If it is extremely easy dictation, i.e. clinic notes, than it may be worth our while as MTs with years of experience. I have almost 20 years experience but I'm making 7 cents for extremely easy work. Just a thought...
Will they let you do a work type at a time?
Or maybe a couple of the specialties at a time?
depends on type of work
Recent experience shows that working for a service with radiology accounts pays anywhere from $1.25 to $2.25 or so for a page or report (depends on how computer program / system counts a page) with diagnostic x-ray being short and quick and longer MRI/CT reports paying more. I've heard of psych reports - IMEs which are longer with very dense line count per page - being paid higher page rates but many years since I have done this work, no idea of average $ amount now.
That depends on the type of work
I'm in the same boat. I like doing this type of work, -sm
and the solitude. Don't know what else would interest me at this point, and I'm close to 59. I DETEST school, too. So something would have to be really interesting and motivating for me to work a full day, then get in the car and drive at night in the rain to a campus somewhere to take classes. And what I REALLY hate about school is all the prerequisite classes. Like the time I wanted to brush up on my computer skills, and before I could take that class or the labs, I had to sit through an entire 20-week semester of "The History of Word Processing". Boring, boring, boring!
I don't want to be a nurse, and I'm leery of getting into something like coding, which will probably become much like MT, if it isn't already, in terms of low pay and offshoring.
I'm not a front-office 'people person'. I despise ringing telephones, and hate answering them even more. I'm lousy at math, and that cancels out things such as accounting, and things I've always found interesting, such as physics, astronomy and geology. I like where I live and don't want to move, yet there's no on-site MT work anywhere around here. The closest job available right now that I'd consider taking would mean a commute that would eat up all the extra money I'd make, not to mention 2 hours of my time in each direction. Nope, not gonna subject myself to that torture.
I'm good at embroidery, but it's a slow, tedious process, and although it would make a nice sideline, there aren't enough hours in the day to squeeze something like that in.
Cooking? Forget it. I can make grilled-cheese sandwiches, scrambled eggs and cookies - that's pretty much my full culinary repertoire!
If I wanted to go back to school for a LONG time, I could probably get into management, and I have the problem-solving skills, but then there's that people-thing again. I just don't have people-skills, or even the desire to learn them. So that pretty much rules out SALES, as well. Real estate interests me somewhat, but not dealing with the people looking to buy. Plus the market is in a nosedive right now, anyway.
So, although I carefully study every community college brochure that gets sent to me, I haven't yet found anything that would be worth the torture of sitting in a classroom again!
I don't get this. Why would somebody be obliged to find work SM
for other MTs because she has a good job?
"When they find out they have not work"?
And no question mark?
Wow...
Try to find an office you can work out of where other MTs can help you out!
nm
I work 2nd not 3rd but I find taking a nap
just prior to start of shift makes a big difference is my staying power and alertness through the shift. I usually take a 30-minute _power_ nap. Yes, I keep the same schedule on my off days unless family members force me to get up early! Then I just take a longer nap during the day! My productivity has increased from 1100 lpd to 1800 to 2000 lpd since I switched shifts. No one else on the systems helps a lot!
Do you find there is more work at those times
and less stressful because of a good workflow?
I think you need to find a different line of work.
It's tough to balance it all.
I've got a very full life, too. DH puts in a lot of hours at his job, but he doesn't see that I put in just as many. When he takes a break at work, he gets to sit down somewhere and actually eat or drink a Starbucks coffee. I have to make my own coffee, drop a kid off, pick a kid up or swap out a load of laundry during my "breaks" just to keep up. He does put in long hours at his job, and he's too tired to help out with household chores. He doesn't have time to get his errands done during the day either because he's got a demanding job. The kids do help out around here, too, but they have really full schedules with school, sports, jobs and friends. We've got pets contributing to the mess. Even my relatives call during the day for help with stuff. Cooking, grocery shopping, errands, bills and finances all fall on me to do. It's a load of bunk. I told DH I wasn't going to do MT full-time any more because of everything else I do around here. Why should I make as much money (or more) than he does, work just as many hours, and do EVERYTHING else that is expected of me? I even got hired part-time at an MT job, but they're trying to creep the hours up on me again. Plus, I have a second part-time job that's pretty demanding and just not worth what they pay me. I've got people demanding of me from sunrise to sunset, and I'm sick of it all! I'd like to sit on my backside and watch a TV program or movie for a change. I'd like to be have time to pursue my hobbies.
You (we) gotta get mean! JUST SAY NO to all the people badgering you all the time. Don't answer the phone or the door. Use caller ID and put a "do not disturb" note on the door. Lock or close your office door if you have one. Stay focused. Set work goals for yourself. I type at least 30 minutes of dictation before taking a break to go swap out laundry and stretch, then I get back to it. Assess your life and see what you can cut back on or streamline. Make a list of daily chores that take less than 5 minutes to do, and do those throughout the day. Delegate, ask for help.
How do you balance time
This especially causes problems for me working at home. I help take care of grandchildren and help my children also, hubby, pets, housework, cooking, errands, etc. I can't seem to balance that with my work. It cuts my production with the constant interruptions.
Silent Type is not a bad company to work for but
Depending on how many pages you type determines what your page rate is and everyone gets paid the same because of it. Obviously, like with any other company the more you produce, the more money you will make. Bi-annual bonuses, again based on your production. Starts at 40 page per day min (which is supposed to be 1000 lines) is $1.50. I think it does to 1.80 per page somewhere around 80 pages per day.
Not sure about the benefits (health insurance). You get paid every other week. Not a very large company, maybe 400 or less TLs.
If you like working for a friendly, family atmosphere, check it out.
Trouble with work type change
I need some help with my Transtech Extext program. Having trouble getting a new work type selected and sound.
I type radiology, but have done some clinic work
I briefly tried acute care, but felt that was a little too hard to do working from home. I have done some clinic work, which worked out fine. The hardest part of that was learning lab values, specific tests, etc. I feel your pain, as it is very difficult to transition. I've done cardiology, internal medicine, and nephrology clinic notes and have done well with them. Things like wound care can get a little tricky because of all of the terminology with bandages, sutures, etc. My advice would be to get some reference books and maybe try to find a part time job, where your livelihood would not depend on the account, and give it a try! With this job, you won't know if you can do it until you try! I know it's hard with the national companies. They don't like to take time to help you learn. I learned my clinic stuff from local doctor's offices, where they gave me sample reports and I could take as much time as I needed to look stuff up. I wish you luck!
Unless there's another work type to choose with Ctrl/W, I
s
Opinions please, which work type equals $$$?
Who is making the most average rate per hour? Radiology MT's, ER/Clinic MT's or Basic 4 MT's (DS, OPS, CONS, H&P).
Thanks!
Email from an Indian asking to type my work!
I received the following email today and I am not sure what to do with it. Should I report this to someone? I would give my work to someone in the US before someone overseas! gesh!
Here is the email below:
"Hi, i am monank from india, i have 6years of expirence i can help you to increase the line count, you can send me little bit of workevery day i will do that for you,you can pay me 5 cents per line & rest of the moeny will be your profit, in this way you can make more money."
These docs think a machine can type their work, sm
So why should we bother to clean it up? They want the cheapest transcription possible, they deserve it, and yes, years ago we WERE expected to know everything. Now they think a machine or anyone can transcribe their work. The doctors deserve it.
Don't work for a national. Find a small
MTSO that pays well. They are out there, as long as you hold up your end of the bargin. I left my hospital job to work for a national, several nationals now but who is counting. I found a small company and finally am making the $$$.
Good luck to you.
Can't find work...should I start a business?
I am about to finish up my certification at a local college and have been extremely disappointed to find that it seems no one is going to hire me to work for a company because I don't have 2+ years experience....even though I've spent the last 2 years transcribing school work....I am trying to decide if I'd just be better off to take what I've learned and try to start my own business. Financially, I am able to do it, but I'm just not sure how much of a headache it might be. What should I do? I kind of feel like I've wasted a lot of time and money. I'm pretty confident that I can do the work, but how can you prove that to someone who just wants to know if you have experience? I just don't know what to do.
Been trying to find steady MT work for 8 months now, at least
At first, no one would even respond. A few months ago I decided to take ANYTHING from anyone who actually did respond.
I'm used to getting paid 10 cents a line for the past 12 years, but when I did get a bite from a company, I took it, even at 7 cents and 8 cents because at that point I was STARVING and worried about making my house payments and paying my utility bills!
Now do you know what the problem is? All three frickin companies have very little to NO WORK available. This is consistent.
Now, at 7 and 8 cents a line and barely squeezing out any work between three DIFFERENT companies (even though they KNOW I am available to do any and all work they have), I am just about as bad off as I was before finding these jobs.
I know nothing else and have no college education, BUT I do know my job backwards and forwards, research skills, terminology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology and everything else that goes with being a good, experienced MT.
Do you think I am getting paid for this experience? No. Times are bad right now, but they've been bad for me for many, many months. I just don't know what I'm going to do anymore. I rue the day I went to school for this godawful so-called profession.
Every day wake up, raring to go, hopeful there will be SOME kind of work available, at least to make $80 or $100 a day, AT LEAST.
But every day I end up stressing out, worrying, continuously being broken down because even though I'm a hard worker and a darn good MT, I am treated like low-class scum by my creditors because all my bills are late & I can't pick up the phone anymore due to bill collectors on my back. Believe me, I paid all my bills on time every time when the work was abundant and I WANT to pay my bills, but good intentions don't pay the bills. Neither does little to no work at a lame 7 or 8 cents a line.
I also have little food in the fridge or pantry, and things are beginning to be shut off left and right.
I don't know...
It's just extremely frustrating and stressful. I can't live like this anymore but have no way out.
There is a balance though, people who are too social
People who tend to spend a lot of time alone seem to be a little sad. Just mix it up a little and find your balance. For me, if i'm around people too much, I feel absolutely drained, but if i'm totally isolated, I feel trapped and sad. So I socialize a couple times a week by taking classes, seeing family members, talking to neighbors, meeting up with a friend, and thats enough. Just not everyday, maybe not even every two days!
Balance Ball chair. Has anyone tried?
I found this in a catalogue: http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/95-1004
I have a balance ball, and now and then I sit on it at my desk. It really does feel great, but the problem is keeping it steady. It's large and I have a hard time keeping myself at a comfy distance from the keyboard. I was thinking of getting this chair as a "supplemental" chair. I don't think it would work for 8 hours a day, but I think it would help alleviate some pressure and strain for periods during my work sessions.
And, this may be TMI - but this past summer I had a breast reduction. (Best thing I've ever done for myself!) The change in my body has definitely affected my posture and has alleviated pain in my back and shoulders. But I really need to strengthen my back and obliques more. I thought this chair might help with that.
Has anyone used this type of chair, or even used a balance ball at their desks? What do you think?
balance...sm (long message)
just wanted to encourage you. i suffer from burnout too (30+ years in this industry would burn out anyone!) =) ...but I have found ways to overcome it.
i would suggest that you NOT change companies. often when we're really stressed, making major changes is the LAST thing we should do.
for me, i find if i lower my MT expectations and quit being as perfectionistic as i want to be, i decrease the stress load. if you have the ESL from h*ll leave the allowed amounts of blanks or let QA deal with them and move on! you have nothing to prove to these difficult dictators...i try not to take it personally that they don't give a rip that they make our job nearly impossible....
i also need to keep my work life and home/personal/creative/school/community/family roles in balance. i work 2 jobs (1 MT, 1 not, go to school--online, and am a single mom raising 2 kids--older now) IT CAN BE DONE! And burnout can be BEAT!
if you need some moral support let me know--i'll give you my email addy.
ALSO, as far as the CTS, for YEARS I've had to wear typing gloves...best ones I've found are "MouseMitts" http://www.mousemitt.com/wrist.html
i have no affiliation with them...just passing on a good product that's saved me from having to have surgery...
hang in there...there is a creative solution to your burnout...
now, back to MT work for me!!!
=)
Any advice on finding balance... sm
with working as an MT, the ebb and flow of the business of IC working from a pool, being a mother of a 10 year-old and a wife. How do you find the time for a well balanced family and work life? Finding time to be with your growing children, teaching them values, finding time for your relationship with spouse so that all of your family are happy, working as and MT at home. I find I work way too long although I am still in the learning phase of my company just starting full time. I find my daughter is growing up and I barely have time for her or for my husband. I want to provide a happy home and I want my daughter to learn values. She is having trouble at school and at home with her attitude.
Due to finanancial difficulties we had to move in with my mother-in-law and father-in-law and it really is not the best situation but could not be helped. I am slow as an MT. I just have a hard time finding a good balance for my family and working. I wondered how some of you out there do it and are happy with your work life and family life raising children and finding time for a well-balanced relationship with your spouse. My huband is trying to find a job now working as a cook in a hospital. He just has to wait for the hiring manager to contact him.
I appreciate any advice.
Does satellite internet work to type into Meditech?
I can't get cable or DSL, and wonder if satellite will work.
I have a sinking feeling that the work to type will be unintelligible
so I probably won't be staying.
Will see what they will put into writing. They don't ever seem to find the ink to do that. And with cut after cut and twists and turns I can't afford any more assling around. I need to make a living.
But I have a feeling that the only dictation we will find is the terrible guys and the editing they have already said will be reduced 20% or something to that effect.
Well, I'm not ready to do a steady diet of pulling my hair out over some creep, and I'm not sure I can live on any more reduction in pay.
Does Flash Type work in CScribe or ExpresScribe?
could it be used in the MTtest windows? That would be great.
Do all companies now use a full template for each work type? (sm)
What I mean by this is: Is it becoming the norm for the company to fill in every single heading that might possibly be dictated by the physician and use that as the template for the report? I have typed for two different companies that do this and I find it very, very cumbersome. In one company I was told to modify each heading and delete those not used. In the other company we were to leave the templates as is and just fill in the appropriate information where it is supposed to go. This can be extremely time consuming as the docs don't always dictate in the same order as the company-supplied headings. Nor do they dictate the same way in all cases. As an example - Company supplies heading - family member history. Doctor dictates - family history. In one company we take out the word medical. I feel this eats up line counts because we spend more time jumping up and down looking for these headings and then modifying them when it would just be quicker to type them. I'm wondering if this is just another way to cut down on the MT's pay because most of us have all these headers as expansions anyway. Any thoughts?
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