I'll bite....
Posted By: another MT on 2008-01-23
In Reply to: MT Student Has Question - Jessica
1. How long have you worked as a medical transcriptionist?
18 years
2. What certification have you received?
Just medical secretarial certificate and Microsoft applications though a local hospital that offered classes on-site.
3. What attracted you to pursuing a career in medical transcription?
The money. It paid more than the unit clerks at the hospital.
4. What type of environment do you work in (i.e. from home, physician’s office, hospital, other).
Home currently. Hospital for 17 years (benefits were not that great and hourly pay was awful.)
5. What do you think are the most important skills a medical Transcriptionist should have?
Speed of typing. Good ears. Able to stay in an office chair for lengthy periods of time.
6. Did some skills come naturally to you, while others required more practice?
It all came pretty natural once the money started rolling in.
7. In addition to transcribing medical reports, do you engage in other forms of business writing while on the job (such as memos, proposals, or progress reports, etc.) to clients, coworkers, or supervisors? Please explain.
All of the above. I have my own clients. I have written plenty of e-mails.
8. What do you think is the most difficult aspect of medical transcription?
Transcribing a specialty I am not familiar with or am not particularly fond of, but one's gotta do what one's gotta do.
9. What do you find to be the easiest aspect of medical transcription?
Cashing my check at the bank.
10. As a medical transcriptionist, do you often need to collaborate with others to ensure that all the information in your reports is correct?
Hardly ever. After 18 years, I pretty much got it down pat.
This is not really meant to be funny; just another honest opinion from a fairly young MT that's been around a long time in this business! 
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Okay, I'll bite because I'm curious too - sm
I work 8 hours a day, sometimes a little less, do an average of 2000 lines per day. Depending on how many days in the pay period, 20000 to 22000+ lines per pay period.
Don't know what is above average tho.
ok, i'll bite, where do you live that you need
x
I'll bite. You did install on your new computer,
right? Because that alone is a monster problem....
OK, I'll bite -what on earth does the East Coast have to do with it?
Please enlighten me! 
Okay, I'll bite and respond but I hope it isn't over your head
Here is what I did. I've had ST for years. I got the updated Stedman's ST. I don't know if you have the comuter skills to do this and this is why I am concerned you still think it's over your head or I'm not trying to help.
All the words in ST are also in the spellcheck. If you use ST, the words on put on your document from Smartype are spelled correctly AUTOMATICALLY. The Stedman's ST was overhauled in 2004 and has all the medications and surgical terms up until then. Now, if you want those words in your own spellcheck without buying their spellcheck, you can add the ST words into your dictionary in two ways.
The first is as you type and spell check at the end of each report.
The second is to convert the ST program into a text file (please go to productivity board for help doing this if you don't know how). Once it is in a text document, run your spellcheck on the entire document and add all the words at one time to your own spellcheck. This may take 2 full days of doing nothing else as the text file is huge. Also, you would need to take out any abbreviated forms first (anything where xxx=xxxxxxxx) so you don't add abbreviated words to your spellcheck. That takes another day's work.
Now, to update from 2004 to today, go to prescribing reference, register and copy all the new medications from the last 2 years onto a blank document, run spellcheck and add those to your spellcheck.
Now go to the Stedman's web site and sign up for the 30-day free trial and letter by letter copy their surgical word list onto a blank document. Run spellcheck to add those words to your spellcheck.
So now ask yourself, if it takes me 5 days to get a spellcheck I didn't have to pay for, how much income did I lose, how much time not getting a job did I lose and was it worth saving a few bucks?
Your choice. I've been around the block a time or two and know that trying to cut corners on how you earn your money isn't smart in this business.
VR has taken a bite, but
a really good radiology MT can save the radiologist a lot of time, especially if the MT works in-house. Both radiology jobs I've had, a good bit of the quality control I have done has been making sure orders were correct and figuring out left/right discrepancies, etc. I can only imagine how many errors go out if the MT doesn't have the paperwork in front of her to check for tech and radiologist errors. I fix problems all day long, and VR can't do that.
I probably shouldn't bite, but (sm)
Almost $30,000 (including July SE bonus).
Medquist.
Shift differential.
Incentive bonus (over 17,000 lines/pp) met 50% of pay periods.
Quarterly bonus for SEs (at least $500 per quarter).
Work 40 hours per week, sometimes more if I work an occasional weekend.
Two kids at home, over 17, but neither drive (boo me).
No husband or boyfriend.
I have as much of a life as I want.
Bite your tongue!!!!!! LOL. nm
.
Spider bite?
Has anyone every been bit by a spider? Isn't an ER doctor suppose to be able to identify a poison spider. I got bit yesterday on the left thumb. I would not have worried about it if was anywhere else or the fact that I was alone with no wheels. My husband had just left to go to a ball game.I called him to tell him that I had just been bitten (He hates spiders, he had been bitten by one and spent two weeks on crutches). He comes home to take me to the emergency room along with the dazed spider. The doctor could not tell what kind of spider it was. My husband had looked it up on the net and it seemed to be a brown recluse. The ER doctor said there was really nothing to do except give me a Benadryl (I never take medicine or go to the doctor) and antibiotics to take if I see an infection starting and kept me for 30 minutes in case of a reaction. In the meantime, my husband (a science teacher) goes to his classroom (school is next to the hospital) to put the spider under the microscope and do more research on the spider. As it turns out, the spider was not a brown recluse but a brown house spider often mistaken for one. The only way to tell the difference is the number of eyes. LOL. Anyway, I felt so foolish and because taking the Benadryl was out like a light the rest of the afternoon and evening. Wasted the rest of my day.
DSM-IV is about to bite the dust and the DSM-V is on its way. sm
And shame on you anyway. What psychologists do, how they do it, what they call it and how they diagnose is not always consistent with medical diagnoses. The ugly word "retardation" is only one example of this.
I'd like to see you find a doctor and a psychologist who can agree on the differences between situational depression, major depression and recurrent depression, and how they should best be treated. An MD wants drug therapy. A PhD wants psychotherapy. When you have a certain type of hammer, everything looks like your special kind of nail.
I am finished with my shift and I come in for a visit, but I am not on here all day complaining about doctors or bashing my fellow MTs. Glad YOU don't have a job that takes your time and attention because YOU could not be on here all day to stir the pot.
I would probably bite the bullet this ...sm
time BUT I would make it clear that next time I would not. I would tell them that they have to let you know which patients have already been done. You have no way of knowing.
Too bad we can't have that sound bite..the CB teacher one! LOL
.
Dogs don't usually bite because of a health problem. sm
Most dogs bite out of fear. Dogs also bite because they are establishing/maintaining their place in the family pack. These are the two most common reasons dogs bite. I would never trust a dog that you have raised.
If I was a dog over there, I would bite way more than 360 people. Dogs are smart and they know they
s
Yes, they bite..and scream like children. CREEPY!!! EEWWW!! LOL
..
Bethany Hamilton..surfer girl who lost her arm to shark bite. nm
x
It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
s
I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
.
No. It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get, and it's unnecessary
s
You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
When I broke my ankle, I was just grateful it wasn't the hands. Without our hands we'd be totally screwed.
I broke my right ankle slipping on ice and was lucky to have gloves on because the palm of the glove was totally torn up and my hand was okay.
Good luck and be sure to do your exercises when it is time.
It'll happen. You'll find your fit.
You might have to kiss a few frogs first, though.
Oh she'll spice it up alright, she'll be
placing hidden cameras in the other ladies' dressing rooms! LOL!
continue your goal; he'll/they'll get used to it/over it
nm
I'll vent and I'll sign my name sm
I have two IC contracts right now. I recently went back to a job I had quit earlier in the year to work for the other company I am still working for.
The newer job has 80% ESLs. I transcribe OP notes primarily and I can fill in other work types as the opportunity arises. I am frustrated with this particular situation. After 6 months, I am making less money and working longer hours. I am past the learning curve and I should be doing better, at least in the number of hours I am spending doing the job. We have run out of work for 24 hrs at a time at least 5 or 6 times since December 1, and in November it was more than that. I have a friend who worked for this company as well and she was having similar difficulties. The only thing that we can figure is that they are shorting us line count some way, because after 6 months at it, it should be easier/faster/more money, but it is less and less every single pay period. It is not a nice thing to accuse a company of doing, but it SEEMS that way to us. I am fed up with being expected to type every single OP note that comes in 24/7 and meeting the 6 hr TAT for them on weekends, evenings, holidays, wee hours of the morning...
I took back a job I held for 2-1/2 yrs. The team leader has changed and this gal thinks that I should be on call 24/7 for whenever she has work. I might have some at 7 a.m., or perhaps not until 6 p.m. or later. I can't plan my personal life and between these two IC situations, I find that I am not eating on a daily basis, not showering on a daily basis and not sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have lost weight and I don't feel very well. I woke up today with a rip roaring head cold (my first in nearly 8 yrs) and it has already moved to bronchitis and I am expecting pneumonia by the weekend because I develop it very easily. I already have deep pain in my back.
Yes, I should call in sick tomorrow, but I really can't take the fallout. The job I took back I am covering for another gal who wanted vacation over the holidays and if I have to call in sick, the team leader will call me and pitch a fit about how this is my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, I did say I would do it, and I will do it, despite being quite ill. In the past, when I worked for this company, they would not allow me to call in sick for a "cold" without a doctor's note. I worked through many illnesses with them and only called in sick when I developed West Nile Fever and while I was sick for over a month, I only called for my last 12 reports one day when I could no longer see the computer screen because my head hurt.
The problem is that yes, many MTs lack work ethic. They don't take their responsibility seriously. This is not a work as you please career, not even for an IC. I can see the MTSO's point of view, I truly can. Like finding experienced, reliable and capable MTs, for the MTs who are these things, finding a company will treat you like a human being is equally difficult. I sit here, feeling lousy and like I am an utter slave labor with no consideration whatsoever. I know that my work needs to be done, but when I am this sick it is better that someone else do it for the sake of the work, for accuracy and for speed of getting it out. I know that I am needed, but to be the MT these companies need me to be, I also need to look after my own health.
I will also mention that when I have asked for vacation, I have been approved for the time, but the MTSO queues up my work and calls me then I am not on the system getting it done. I have told them I had been approved for time off, but the MTSO didn't schedule anyone to cover for me and I am told to get on work, vacation or no, if I want to keep my job.
Thus, I work 24/7/365 and have for years. I work sick, I work when I am in pain (I have an AI disorder), I work exhausted from staying up all night covering for others who are allowed to call in sick and have vacations when I can't have either. I work having no health insurance and not being able to afford the $125 a month to buy some with a high copay so I can see a doctor. I work without breaks for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I sometimes come close to having an accident because if I leave my desk to go to the little girls' room I get nasty calls about where I am at and what I am doing.
Many MTs are mistreated, and I am one of them.
Tell him you'll give him your macros if he'll give you his Lexus, his ski cabin, and (nm)
;p
Control. I'll still get OT though. And you'll
still sit and complain!
I'll join you on that one, I'll be 58
@@@@
You'll be sorry when you get as old as me
Tendinitis in the foot from the foot pedal. I was told barefoot makes it worse. Now I type with shoes (ugh)
okay, thanks, I'll do that
d
Thanks! I'll try that. nm
.
They'll let your a** go before they let you run the co.
It's not your job to run it nor make changes.
Perhaps that is why all the new hires are getting MORE money and BETTER incentive and more VALUABLE benefits packages than those belly-aching, whining, sour-puss employees already there.
They know who the good employees are so they give them raises.
Sounds like they're trying to run your rat's a** out!! LMAOOOOO
I'll tell you what I do SM
I have had occasion where these people would call me trying to get me to upgrade my services, etc. If I can't understand them I just tell them I can't understand them and they should learn English before calling people on the phone or don't bother calling. If the same company keeps calling with the same people, I just hang up on them. I have also written e-mails to the companies who hired them, complaining about the lack of English language skills. I don't care what Americanized name they use, if they can't speak English, I don't want to be bothered.
Thanks so much. I'll try that.
I'll take you sm
for a supervisor any day! :) You've got it together girlfriend!
I'll 2nd that!
x
I'll be there soon
I have to do a 100% report right now, but will be in after that. Thanks for the info
At first. You'll get there.
The way I had to look at it was that if I worked fulltime outside the home and paid daycare, I'd only be bringing in xx amount of money per month. However, by working at home, anything I made over that $xx per month was like a bonus.
we'll believe you
do you think you could tone down your assumptions/nastiness then about ppl combing their hair, being fat, stupid etc. we would enjoy hearing your opinions w/o the name calling in them
thank you
I'll second that!!!!! :)
God Bless
We'll see.
x
Well, I'll try again...
This Franky Boy or whatever must be pretty demented to turn a post about that into something perverted.
Anyway, I was asking for help from people who have quit smoking. My biggest problem is that having a cigarette was my way of breaking from the computer for a few minutes or my reward for reaching a certain number of lines. I am wondering if anyone has any creative ideas about what I can do now to take a little break as my production seems to suffer if I don't leave the computer at all.
Think that's what I'll have to end up doing, as I know that's
the ultimate ending for it all, just so upset & mad as to why they're really doing it. Can't trust anyone in mgmt anymore, it seems.
I'll go here to buy
a sense of humor if you'll go there to buy 'maturity'. Deal???
You'll be sorry
I'll tell you why.
Because intense testing is required, companies should post their pay scales so we can make an informed decision before going through the rigamarole only to find out they won't pay squat. Not posting pay scales only serves to waste valuable time for both applicant and testing company.
I like that...I'll try it.
thks
I'll believe it when I see it
I would say 3-5 years is a big stretch. not just because of ESLs but so many regular English speaking docs who talk 900 miles an hour. I believe it will happen some day, but in the meantime I think being the best Transcriptionist you can be now will only help you when it does. there will be jobs for transcriptionists although some may be in an editing capacity, and the best transcriptionists now will be the ones who keep working. so be the best!! 
What you Think is what you'll get.
What You Think is What You'll Get
By Victoria Johnson -- GHF's Motivational Fitness Expert
Your mental images manifest in your physical world. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
1. How can you become lean, fit and healthy if all you think about is gaining weight and eating your favorite unhealthy food?
2. How can you possibly be successful if all you think about is failing or losing?
3. How can you possibly make more money if you focus on being in debt?
4. How can you possibly get a better job if your energy is spent thinking about how much you hate your current one?
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" James Allen
When I was obese, most of my mental brain energy was spent thinking about food. I would read those women's magazines that had food advertisements in the first 20 pages. I would stand in line at the supermarket waiting to buy my high-fat, sugar-loaded items and salivate over the artistically designed foods in those beautiful gourmet magazines. When I watched television, I would sit completely still during every food commercial drooling all the while my mind was ingesting the images.
I became what I ingested, thought about and studied. I became a storehouse of excessive calories. I became what I thought about... fat! If I was ever to experience a change, I had to change. I had to methodically change:
My Mental Fuel (Fuel is energy) what you give energy to grows!
My Mental Images (instant brief snap shots of yourself)
My Thoughts (meditations of images)
My Mental Pictures (complete life like scenes of yourself)
My Choices (decisions) and ultimately My Actions (every physical movement)
You see, in life, everything counts. Therefore you must count everything.
Sow a thought, reap an action...
Reap an action, sow a habit...
Sow that habit, reap a destination!
You are where you are, right now at this moment, because of your consistent thoughts, images, and actions, which is the composite of your habits.
From this day forward, if you want to change your future, you must change your Mental Fuel.
In order to achieve your ideal body, your ideal state of thinking, your optimum level of health and performance in all areas of your life you must change your mental diet. You must get rid of all negative, self defeating and destructive material, conversations, unnecessary relationships, images in your home and workplace.
Replace negative thoughts with empowering images by changing what you read, what you watch on TV and the Internet. Change the music you listen to. If you're depressed and you want to get to a higher more invigorating state, don't listen to sad "poor me" drippy songs. Put on some high energy moving and grooving music. Put on what I call great memory music. You know, the music you played when everything in your life was awesome. Let your mind take you back there to that place. Soon you will feel powerful again.
"esreveR" your order of thinking. (Reverse Type)
You do this by asking yourself empowering questions. You are a unique individual. You have your own picture of success. If you don't... GET ONE!
Find some quiet space and start asking and answering these questions. Print out this page and write out your answers in detail.
* What does my ultimate picture of success look like?
* What can I do to feel successful today?
* What can I read, study, ingest that signifies success to me?
* What do I need to do to be successful?
* Who can (really) help me achieve my success?
* What are the first three things I am going to change to start my success process?
1._______________________________________ 2._______________________________________ 3._______________________________________ 4._______________________________________ 5._______________________________________ 6._______________________________________
Never look back at your past mistakes. That's why they call it the past! You know what didn't work, you know where your strength is. Call upon it. Develop your own success program. Each of us have our own ideal image of success!
Start now. Go out a buy a magazine that reflect your destiny and only look in that direction. Forget your past, believe me, everyone is tired of hearing about it. Look to your future see your reaching, see your journey. We are all on a journey through this life... Maybe we will meet along the way. I hope I see you at the top!
Victoria is a world-renowned keynote speaker, ranked as one of the top four "Superstars of Self-Esteem", and has twice been runner-up for IDEA's Business Person of the Year. She is the star and producer of 23 dance fitness videos and her own television show, "Victoria's Body Shoppe". She has written several books on personal development, nutrition, and exercise and is a contributing writer for a wide variety of publications, including Shape, Elle, Vogue, Black Enterprise, Rolling Stone, Longevity, and USA Today. Visit Victoria's website today at
http://www.victoriajohnson.com/
Okay, we'll try this again......
1950-2200 lines daily
Paid for spaces, headers, footers, 65 character line.
Large metropolitan teaching hospital. A couple thousand dictators including attendings and residents, but I do mostly Op reports, so that narrows things down some, I'd say to probably less than 500 dictators, with a couple hundred regulars.
Quite a large number of ESL, not sure exactly, but definitely over 50%.
Word superimposed in their platform. No Expanders allowed other than Auto Correct.
Demos are supposed to enter automatically, but about 50% of the time research needs to be done to find correct patient #, but no manually entering of patient name.
Verbatim account
I think you'll like VR
I have been doing VR on the eScription platform for over 3 years, and have made more money than just straight typing on all of the 3 accounts I have been on. Plus, it saves your hands/wrists from wear and tear. I would give it a try, if I were you, and judge for yourself, but that's my 2 cents. I am curious what company and platform you have received an offer from/on, if you care to share. Best of luck.
I'll say!
sounds like you already have a "dream job!" Count your blessings!
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