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I am a relative newbie of 9 years but - sm

Posted By: I agree on 2009-04-02
In Reply to: I have something to say here sm - In the know

I am good at what I do, have worked just about every specialty, can hit the ground running with whatever is thrown my way, very strong office background, take pride in my work. Currently training another MT supposedly with more experience than I and so far I am less than dazzled by her abilities. She is making some really dumb mistakes, i.e. types in the word period sometimes in sentences, new paragraph, stuff like that, cannot research worth a hoot, or just won't take the time (too lazy maybe?), and cannot fill out the template correctly that I use for this particulare account. Totally waste of my time as my training pay is a joke too. If things don't improve soon though she will be off that particular account which will be her loss at it is very easy and steady work too boot.


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relative newbie, but no complaints here

I started out brand spanking new in October 2007 working at home.   I hadn't even finished my on line program yet, but I needed to pay the mortgage.  I got very lucky to find a company fairly quickly that would hire newbies.  Pay sucked, but I knew that going in.  I didn't know how bad it sucked at the time - I was just ecstatic to have a job.


I knew then and I know now that I'm never going to get rich in this profession.  I knew at the very beginning that I was not going to make a lot of money right away.  I didn't.  I was lucky if I averaged $5 an hour.  I also knew that I had to stick with it and get my experience in with a company that was willing to work with me and then I could move on to another, better paying job when I was a little more comfortable.  I did a lot of research about this going in and if there was a company or an on line school that promised a lot of money right off the bat, I skipped right by that one.  I'm sensible enough to know that's a load of horse hockey.


I love what I do.  For the most part I enjoy the posters on this forum.  Even the Negative Nancys.  That just makes me work that much harder to do well so I can prove to myself that it can be done and I haven't made a mistake in learning how to do this.


As to starting a separate positive only forum/board. It can be done.  It's fairly easy, as a matter of fact - and free.   It would be separate from MT Stars, which means this thread and/or message is probably going to get poofed. 


I'm happy to set it up, though, if y'all are serious.  Feel free to e mail me.


Not a newbie, but 25 years now
doing this.  I have seen wages dropping and make a lot less than I did 15 years ago.  It is sad to see wages falling, but that seems to be the case with these big nationals.
not a newbie...been at this for over five years. nm
nm
4 years ago when I was a newbie I was hired at - sm
.06 at 2 jobs, and .07 at another. I now make .09 at the one I started at .07. I no longer have the others, but on 1 of them I bumped up to .07 after a year which unfortunately was the cap (very small MTSO).
I haven't be a newbie for 10 years
I am a slow typer, I am only paid 7 cpl, and have 20 different doctors on a daily basis.  I am feeling like maybe I have wasted the last 10 years as an MT.  I hear so many talk about their perfect accounts, making $100+ a day only working 8 hrs a day, and I the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I am home for my kids when they get home from school.  Where are those good accounts, good platforms, and good paying MT jobs that we experienced MTs deserve? 
I have had cell phone for 2 years, newbie but
yesterday had 2 text messages (I do not do those myself) from my cell carrier. Never before had I gotten the first thing like this.
relative

I was just trying to be a little understanding if I had a relative that was out of work or a teenager that was doing it, it might be understandable but someone that does is weekly like I said it is only fair to be reported.   We all hate it when someone takes our jobs for "less pay" and that is what some of these people are doing it when they do it this way.   They take the jobs from the law abiding, tax paying people who want to make a decent living and pay their taxes.   It cannot be okay in one situation and not in another.  We all want a "good deal" but when it happes to us we are the first to cry about it.


 


 


OK, I need help with THIS relative...

My nephew David (10 years younger) is Born Again and spends every Christmas going from relative to relative (as well as my Big Sister's friends) telling them how to avoid eternal damnation (he REALLY goes to town about all the drinking). He told me last year that I was risking it by not being married at 47 and should marry ANYONE right away to avoid "The Fire" as he puts it. His Christmas card to me this year said I needed to "repent or die" - whatever happened to "Happy Holidays"? My sisters and I spend most of the day trying desperately to avoid him but he still manages to plant himself next to us and detail where we are failing "Him" in our lives and how we can "get right with God", etc. Honestly, between my Big Sister's drunken friends and "David" its like walking thru a minefield! How should I graciously deal with this guy?


PS:  I'm beginning 2 think my family is dysfunctional.


has anyone had to cut out a toxic relative or best
Mine is my mother.  She is an extremely angry woman, and I honestly think, her seeing me happy, makes her dislike me even more.  When I go to visit, which is not often anymore, she sarcastically says "yay look whos here" and does not have anything nice to say to me.  She is usually drunk or on drugs so she falls asleep when I try to talk to her, and she criticizes my every decision and points out the things about myself that I hate.  One thing, is that i'm not good with people, and she has to remind me of this on a daily basis, like when I tell her i'm going to start school or take classes she will say "but youre not good with people, I bet youre nervous" or snide remarks to that effect.  She criticizes how I look, how I do my hair, what I wear, just about everything.  When I leave there, for the next couple of days, I feel very angry, my self esteem feels as low as it did when I was a kid, and i'm just sick.  I know she is my "mother" but its affecting me so much that I think I would have a better life if I distanced myself and not let her be so involved where it would affect me.  Wondering if anyone had to make this painful decision with someone close to them.  I'm changing and she is stuck in this bitter hate the world phase, where she has always been. 
A relative of mine used to be.....
an innkeeper for Holiday Inn, so he was the boss, but the stories he told about some of the stuff they would find in hotel rooms.  SICK!  I generally don't consider myself or anybody else too good for an honest day's work, but I think cleaning hotel rooms would be just too gross.  But that's me.
Can you take your router to relative's house to
x
Was visiting a relative in the hospital...
back in the day when hospitals had job postings on big bulletin boards anyone could read. I was 19 and had no idea what a medical Transcriptionist was or did but by the description figured I might have a chance, so put in for that job and two others. (I was going to college part time at that point, had attended a business/trade co-op type high school (you went to school year round junior-senior years, working 2 weeks, schooling 2 weeks, and they had placed me at GM in labor relations as a secretary from age 16-18 - now THAT's where I should have stayed, in the offices at Delco/GM), but then again, that's all gone now, so who knows how that would have panned out).

Anyway, I got hired for a full-time second shift lab secretary/clerk position at the hospital instead of the transcriptionist job, learned a lot of useful info in the lab, also took transcription courses at the local community college part time. So the next time a medical transcriptionist job came up on that bulletin board, I got the job and stayed at the hospital a total of 18 years.

Hospital's gone, high school's gone, and like I said, Delco's gone, nothing but big grassy fields here in Ohio now. Nothing lasts, does it? But I count all those as good days and feel fortunate I got to experience all that.
Yep, had a distant relative going through some depressed times and did just that
x
A relative, employee at home, told me she
x
well it's really down to the nitty gritty pay issue. everything is relative pressure-wise
I mean if you get paid enough for the pressure it makes it a little more worthwhile than the feast or famine world of the MT. You know what I mean?
E-mail says I have been left 1/4 million bucks by distant relative. Do you think this is a scam?
I could really use the money.
The girl was 13, the rapist a distant relative they took in. Give money, give food and your time, b
you don't put your family at risk by taking in strangers. That's just plain foolish. There were over 3300 registered sex offenders in NO. Where are they now. In your community? Perhaps in your house? Good luck.
Fair is fair -- relative or not, 1 house or 100.
She's earning income and the only fair, right, just, ethical and LEGAL behavior is to report it wholly.


To SAD NEWBIE

i glanced at the main responses to your post, not all of them.  But i disagree to an extent with what you've been told.  I have 30 yr experience, for however much weight you want to ascribe to that.


You've heard that practice makes perfect.  That is not really true.  Practicing things CORRECTLY "makes perfect".  You can do something over and over and over, but if it's done wrong, you are not improving your game.


Depending on how much the paycheck is an issue, you may wish to find another job before quitting this one.  But the longer you do things wrong, the more disservice you are doing to yourself.  It's also hard to break established habits.


This is all said assuming you are sure you are being steered in the wrong direction, ie, these directions go against good MT training and/or against the BOS in important ways. 


I have no doubt that some companies hire poor or inexperienced QA personnel, contrary to another posters comment. 


My suggestion is to look for another job.  It may take a little time and be a little frustrating, but what you gain by starting off with good QA and building a good foundation, cannot be found in the situation you describe.  Part of the good foundation is on-the-job experience.


Believe in yourself, make sure your premise is correct, and then do what is right for the long-term.   e/m me if you wish.


Sad newbie
I totally agree. I've been doing this for 20 years.

I once had a QA person reconstruct a sentence so that it read 'index' instead of indices.

At the hospital I started at, I worked nights. The day girls left all the ESL dictators for me. I sat there, by myself, and cried. I didn't realize it at the time, but they did me a huge favor.

Two years later, I was working at a different hospital, transcribing x-ray for a an ESL radiologist. He came in to tell me he was leaving and that he would call me in a couple hours in case I had any questions. When he left, a girl from medical records approached me and asked who he was and what language he was speaking!

FYI: Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of interacting with physicians one on one. Their biggest complaint is transcriptionists who don't give them what they say. Of course, I always chuckled to myself because they probably weren't aware that I changed their grammar or reconstructed their sentences to read better! Some of them want what they want and they don't care what the AAMT says.

Hang in there, love. Do look for another job and keep looking until you find a place that recognizes your potential and will help you. Best of luck to you!

You must be a newbie
They've been doing it for years and most people who have been in this business for a while are aware of that fact.  Neither MQ nor Spheris care about American MTs.  They are money-hungry corporate giants with only one thing on the agenda....$$$ keep all the money for the management who know nothing about transcription, let the people who actually DO the work and earn the money, work in the sweat shops for peanuts.  These big corporations suck!  They suck the life, ambition and money right out of you!  I have been around a long time and worked for both at one time....much to my dismay....They are both traitors to the American MT.
Newbie
I am a newbie and I make .05 cents a line. Not proud of it, but I am in a training program. It only averages to be about $150/week.
Welcome Newbie...
Every once in a while we get somebody on here who is a troll.  Just comes on and makes inflammatory remarks to get trouble brewing.  She is equally nasty to everyone.  You can see that a good many of us are quiet upset by her behavior.  Do not let her frighten you away from this site.  We really do give each other a lot of encouragement when needed and are respectful of each other for the most part.  Please don't let this one person make you think this is how we all are.  She will settle down soon and you will get to "talk" to some really nice folks.  This too shall pass.  Welcome to the site.  It's nice to have fresh ideas.
when i was a newbie...
i had the hardest time and it wasnt that my (1) trainer didnt give me feedback, but it was that every other month, she changed the way she corrected. hey, im still with the company. now i also work for another company part time and they have so many mentors/editors and they are all different. so here i go again. i really suck in op reports and just when i was about to give up, my part time job decided to move me over to other worktypes but ops. i get them every now and then and its okay. point is, a lot of things can happen to overwhelm you especially as a newbie. we're still going through it. you want it that bad, you hang on.
not a newbie thank you

It is not rigors, it is boogers...as in "green boogers..."


And no, not a newbie by far...10+ years!


How Does a Newbie Get Help?
How exactly is a new MT supposed to get experience when no one wants us. Will anyone take on an at-home MT Newbie????? Please help. Advice welcomed.
newbie
I have recently finished my exam from an MT school and am awaiting my results.  My question is:  Should I start applying now for jobs or wait for the results?  I have to have a job of some form by the end of May.  I was thinking maybe trying to get a part-time job now to get the feel for it and maybe by May I would be comfortable enough for full-time.  I saw where some places would only allow you to apply every six months so that kinda scared me.  Any information would be very helpful to me as you all have more experience.  Thanks!
Just said possible not for newbie

Re-read my post.  Said it is possible.  Also said that I am older and have older docs.  Have also done EMR.  There is a need -- just need to find your niche.  As I deposit my checks I will remember "It is possible" though not everyone believes.


 


I am a newbie too..
Sometimes MTs are rude only because they are frustrated. Other times it is part of their personal make-up. Try not to get frustrated. Learn all that there is to learn at your current place of employment. Continue to assist others as you are able. Character is grown by your enviornment around you and your ability to ignore, to the best of your ability, people who aggravate you. I have encountered many positive, seasoned MTs on this board. They are out there. Good luck to you.
Newbie
I am a newbie as well and I am one of the lucky ones. I tested at one place and got the position right away. I have been working since May 2006 and I love it. I only worked in-house for about 5 months and now I am working at home. I didn't have to work in-house, just had to for internet reasons...didn't have it yet :) All I have to say is that you have to ask a lot of questions in this field and that is what QA is for..they get paid for helping me out so I don't care if they get mad at me or not..go ahead and send me a rude e-mail, I could care less...I believe that this has been so easy for me because I worked extremely hard to get where I am (took course through Career Step and graduated with high honors) and prayed every night...and still do! Just keep positive and pray for everything...God will answer!
Even when I was a newbie there would be no way
Would not have even considered it for experience or not. That person is probably making plenty on that, and if she is not, she needs to work out her rates better if she wants to subcontract.
Newbie to MT
Congratulations to all that love and are successful at being an MT.  Have wanted to do this for a long time but it's harder than it looks.  I just don't have enough experience to get anywhere even with the training.  I've spent so much $$$ and after feeling like a moron taking a pre-employment test today I can say it's time to throw in the towel.  I am disappointed and embarrassed all at the same time. I don't know how you all have done it.  Envious in Ohio. 
Newbie
I did not get the job I was hoping for. No training prepares you for things like "Get more experience under your belt and give us a call in the future." I had a difficult time with an ESL document. It's a blow to my self esteem.
Newbie to MT
Please, please hang in there if you truly want this. None of us had it easy in the very beginning. I failed tests too. I'm sure we all have. I know of a special board for newbies/students and recent grads. Email me and I will give you the website.
Newbie to MT
I also wanted to say . . . and this is the honest truth -I can honestly, honestly say I have learned more as a working MT than I learned in MT school. School is great for the knowledge of terms, but you actually learn more by doing -- at least I felt that way. I have come to learn a ton of terms that were never covered in my MT books. When I come upon a new word I write in down in my notebook for the future. I have a notebook for each speciality. I also create a binder with samples for each doctor I work for. For me, things seem to stick in my head if I write them down. When you test if you come upon something you do not know -- look it up and jot down the answer for the future. :)
I'm not a newbie
nor am I "settling", and I did make up a name just as legit as yours! I'm just being realistic, that's all. I don't think you are though.
Another newbie
I make 6.5 to start and am having a heck of a time making my line counts. I am still making minimum wage after 3 months, although I do work acute care and transcribe for over 100 docs. It is easier to start out doing clinic work with less docs. But I would not accept a position at 4 cpl unless it was a SR position.
Newbie
Newbie here, work in Neurology I'm a MT, CMA and Manager at my clinic and have worked in the same clinic for over 12 yrs and was thinking of doing home transcription. My husband works nights and I'm home alone in a quiet house from 7:00 pm until 6:00 am.
How do I get started? Any help would be greatly welcomed.
need help!! newbie!

could someone give me some tips/inside info on how i can get into this field on a part time basis? i have 9+ years of medical coding/billing experience - 4 yrs. specializing in OB/GYN and over 5 yrs. PT/OT and Orthopaedics. is it possible to get hired on experience alone and no classes or certification?


thanks!


newbie also
I graduated from our Community College in May, and I have gotten no help with job placement. I to am on my own. I worked very hard, got straight A's, can pass tests, but as soon as the company finds out I got my training from a community college, I don't hear from them again. I'm as lost as naive 1.
Newbie
I have to make a comment on this particular post. Of course newbies are willing to work for peanuts, hello, at this point I am willing to take anything! Where are we supposed to start? All you hear is how nuts we are if we think we are going to be making anything more than minimum wage and then we get slammed because we are willing to take the low-paying jobs, good grief this is the craziest thing I have ever heard! I have been looking for a job for over 2 months and all I have been offered is 3 cents a line! I am seriously thinking of taking it just for the experience...if I were a seasoned, experienced MT I would try giving the newbies some insight and uplifting advice..so far I have to say that hasn't really happened for me here. thanks for letting me vent
newbie
As a newbie, I am getting really depressed reading these posts. What a bleak outlook and I haven't even begun to work yet, and who knows maybe I never will. I have put in so much time into this and when I read these posts, I just wonder if it was at all worth it???
newbie
Just wanted to know if there are any services that will hire anyone without experience.  Just completed a course at the local community college and itching to get started.
newbie

 You sound like a very conscientious person.  An inhouse position in a small hospital may be the best thing for you to start out with.  I worked in two such hospitals as a newbie.  My first supervisor helped me tremendously, although at the beginning I thought she was nit picking me to death.  I still think of her often and praise her training.  As far as big MTSO's, profit is the bottom line.  They are there to make money.


Doctors really couldn't care less if you can understand them or not - they are in a hurry, they want it done right now, and you/we are supposed to "know" what they want.  I worked as a pharmacy tech before MT'ing and one doc from the Phillipines hung up on me when I refused to calibrate an antibiotic!!  Like I was a pharmacist - sure I was, making $6.00 an hour - NOT. 


Trust your instincts, keep putting out quality work and keep looking for that right fit.  You'll find it, but probably not in a large MTSO.  GOOD LUCK!! 




 


 


newbie
Well a lot of the companies advertise for 2 years exp in acute care. You are only 6 months shy of that. You almost aren't a newbie anymore. I am a newbie with only 7 months exp so you got me beat. I think Medquist and Spheris both hire newbies sometimes though. I don't work for them. The lady who happened to hire me as a newbie passed away and the company who took over normally doesn't hire newbies but kept me on anyway.
newbie
Im sorry if this is for workers already doing this career but someone told me in a chatroom that they paid 5 thousand for some software like 6 years ago and makes like 30 bucks an hr from home doing this.  Can anyone tell me if thats possible and how i can get started in this career.  Can you invest money like that and work from home from the start ?
Far from a newbie
I am stating a fact about VOR. My company has just about completed transfer over to VOR, which would put me in an editing position. I'm not afraid of hard work, have been doing this for 10 years, and editing is easier than transcribing by far. I don't watch TV for a reason, I work.
Newbie with a job :-)

It is so good to see people speaking positively about the job hunting world for a newbie!  I just got my first job 2 weeks ago, and have continued testing, and got a better paying job just 2 hours ago.  I was beginning to think that I made a HUGE mistake getting into this field, but I knew that I really enjoyed it, so I kept up hope, and it paid off. 


I know that I won't be making a HUGE salary, but I am so grateful to the people out there that look at potential instead of experience.  I have faith in the newbies that are willing to put hard work into this field.  I know that some people got into this to "have an easy job working from home", and that's not the case for me, and it does not seem to be the case of the post above mine.


I have two small children, I am 25, my husband does construction, and we are a hard working very happy family, and I am happy I decided to get into the field.


I have nothing but respect for all of you seasoned, experienced MTs that have paved the way for us, and I hope you know that we do aspire to be as seasoned and experienced as you.


 



Newbie MTs
It truly takes dedication, hard work and perseverence to make it as an MT. There are so many hurdles to overcome. The list goes on forever. You can do the job all your life, 10, 20 or 30+ years and still find it challenging and nerve wracking. There is no school out there that takes the place of hands-on mentoring in a hospital or clinic setting with caring and patient professionals.
newbie
Could you maybe let us know, so we will not apply there, as I am just starting out also? Also, you said you had 2 years' experience, so how is that considered new?
How do you know I am a newbie?!
A LOT of people here post with the name: mt! So YOU back off you nasty thing! You don't even know who is posting from one post to the next! Get a life you loser!