I am feeling so stressed by changes at my company, holidays, friends dying,
Posted By: Not a good day on 2006-11-14
In Reply to:
not sure where to turn next. I really feel like I need to dump my whole situation and start from the beginning by doing a job where I am around people during the day instead of the curt phone calls from the office, and not having enough time to even talk or go out of the house to do anything. Why can't these companies have a little time to just say hello, thanks for a good job, or just something nice once in a while. Everything in the communication is negative, negative, and more negative. Team leaders are the pits, too. It is jusd do more, do more; they don't care if you are sick, and it means nothing to them to pile on more stress and more demands so they look good. They want you to work every day of the week, but they sure do take their days off, don't they.
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Many of us on the Company board are very disillusioned and feeling unwanted of late. nm
s
Friends, really miss Friends :-(
Joey just isn't the same for me 
I'm stressed out
My periods have gotten longer and longer cycles this year (just turned 30), Since March about 5 weeks and now it's 7 weeks this month and no period yet. I'm freakin out. I took two pg tests and they were negative. I don't know what's wrong, unless it's the stress. I would say I've gained maybe 10 pounds this year also.
Yes and I get them almost every day. I think too when I am stressed which is a lot I think that
might make them worse.
stressed out
I'm stressing and fretting over a whole bunch of little things. I'm so tired and feel like I just need to hibernate for a month.
But as I "watch" the news as I work and see the devastation and how thousands of lives have just been turned upside-down, my little stressors and problems seem so insignificant.
Last year I was affected by 2 of the 4 hurricanes that hit Florida, going without power for about 2 days in each of them. It was pretty miserable. At least I had a house. These poor people who evacuated don't even know if they have a place to call home anymore, nor do they even know when they might find out.
...just feeling guilty about my insignificant pity party and figured writing about it would help. Thanks for listening.
Stressed out!
Can anyone recommend a company who has true IC status? I work for a small company as an IC, and although I work a regular schedule 95% of the time, there are times when I cannot and yet I'm still expected to produce the same amount of work each day. This is really stressing me out. I have to work around my son's school schedule and my husband's work schedule and if that changes I have to make it up by working into the night when I'd just assume to forfeit the money. Does true IC status even exist? I got into this business thinking I would have a little more flexibility in a job. I've been an IC now for three years and so far it all seems the same. Thanks for any suggestions (and for letting me vent).
re: Stressed out
I was an IC for a small service in California (bought by the Q). Here's how I did it. We provided a calendar for the month on the days we were available and how many lines/minutes we would take. We didn't have to do it at a certain time, but understood by our signed contracts and our account specifics what kind of turn-around-time the account needed, 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour, etc. based on work type. We were then asked to never take more than 10 minutes at a time (at that time it was re-record or by C-phone - in 2000), but once we reached our agreed on minutes/lines, we could stop or keep going if we wished. The reason for not taking more than 10 minutes at a time was if an emergency happened and you couldn't work then there wasn't more than a couple of jobs to get help with. If we knew before our agreed-upon hours/days that we weren't going to be able to work it was our responsibility to let the service know. If we were available on other days to make up lines or in a pinch, we also had that option, too.
If an account was swamped, the service would send out an e-mail and ask if anyone was interested in helping out. They ALWAYS thanked us and treated us like we were more than just someone at a computer. In fact when I obtained my CMT, the owner of the service is the first person I called other than my mama! If I started running out of work on my main account, then they would always find another for me to work on. I never had less than 98% QA, and in fact most of the time had 100%! I'm not perfect, I'm a perfectionist! hee hee.
Anyway, I feel if you agree by contract to take work on, then it is your responsibility to do that work. If you are unable to do the work, then don't take it! If you do not fulfill your obligations, then ultimately it is patient who does not receive their necessary care.
you may just be too stressed
or nervous to absorb everything new well. relax. Its not simple. it's maybe too simple. took me longer than i thought it would to really adapt well, but when it kicks in, you really start flying. Give yourself time and push the expectations aside. You'll do fine!
Well first of all I think you are so stressed...
that you are not reading these replies thoroughly...everyone on here just gave you advice yet you don't want to hear it...like another poster said, take a deep breath and hang in there...right now you are new and everything seems horrible but it does get better if you hang in there...good luck!!
MT dying
I have been working as an MT since 1992. I started at $7.50 an hour - no incentive - just a flat $7.50 an hour - that company was gobbled up by another bigger company - and the gobbling has continued on. I went to work for a smaller MTSO and at one point was making $80 an hour transcribing a very easy radiology account that was mainly normal reports - everything was a template and the template was the whole report. I now make no where near that - and have trouble getting up to $18 or $20 an hour. I am thinking of going back to school to becomeo a pharmacy tech - besides - it gets depressing working at home all the time and never having interaction with co-workers, etc. The school is just a thought at the moment. I definitely would not encourage anyone to go into MTing at this point in the game - not with voice recognition and outsourcing to other countries.
Sounds like you are stressed and trying
to not be so rushed in the morning. I've done it on occasion, but it does make the bread harder and drier.
Anyone else stressed out by Thanksgiving?
It seems like there is always SOME sort of drama going on in my family whenever we get together - we're somewhat dysfunctional, LOL. I always find myself dreading the holidays and I hate that - I should be looking forward to being with my fam (mainly my four sisters). They seem to always be in a state of crisis or jealousy whenever I see them. ARGH. Anyone relate?
I don't think I'm stressed now, just not having much fun, kwim? I'm really sm
a social services kind of gal at heart, so while this is somewhat in line with it, it's not directly involved enough to really be satisfying for me. I've got friends who are teachers though, so I know what you're saying!
Dear Stressed:
I hear ya! Believe me it seems to be the going deal. Notice how not many hire Monday through Friday any longer. Always includes a weekend day now too. Everything we wanted to be able to work at home is being taken away. Bout ready to look elsewhere. Pay sucks and is only getting worse.
MT Dying profession
I don't agree with you. I'm betting that MT is good for MAYBE 5 more years. Maybe. Thinking they won't perfect VR is only fooling ourselves....they will. I wouldn't recommend MT to anyone looking to enter the field. Money better spent on something with a better future but what that would be, I don't know. Seems everything that can possibly be offshored is being offshored. Maybe we should move to China Then we can be sure to have jobs seeing nearly everything in the U.S. comes from there anyway. Or maybe, the way things are going we had all better learn to like rice, cuz that's probably all we'll be eating before long.
Regarding MT being a dying profession...
I have actually read in numerous places that MT is a job with future opportunity, in light of the baby boomers beginning to get old and sick. That's going to supply us with a lot of medical reports for a very long time. As for voice recognition taking over...I'll believe it when I see it. I know an MR who does VR and I've seen the gobbledegook that it comes up with. Eventually all these companies will realize that they were sold a bill of goods by these VR vendors, but because they've invested so much in this technology, they're going to stick with it until the bitter end. Just my opinion of course. Finally, outsourcing. I'm pretty confident that something will happen that will put the kybosh on sending private medical records off to Calcutta for transcription. I think that practice will also stop eventually. I could be totally wrong and maybe I'll have to put away my rose colored glasses, but for now, that's my prediction.
MT Dying Profession
Sad when you work for a company that you thought was great and all of a sudden the work is yanked away and you sit with nothing yet you see the company advertising multiple times. When you look at what many posters say, that seems to be one major problem with this profession. The companies have no loyalty to transcriptionists. The best places to work are small local services, if you can find them. I don't recommend to anyone who asks me that they get into this profession. I used to, but not any more.
MT dying profession
I totally agree, Dano. They have absolutely no loyalty to MTs OR QA for that matter - we are nothing to them. I don't feel like a respected professional who is rewarded for her expertise and hard work anymore; I feel like a factory worker in an assembly line (no disrespect to those who work in factories, BTW)who just has to pump out the work as soon as possible - it's all about numbers to them. That's why in addition to working in this field, which I have been doing for 10 years (and would have quit by now if I could!), I am going back to college to get my degree in dental hygiene. I can't wait to get out of here. Used to make good money - no more. Used to be respected -no more. They only want cheap labor. Anyone looking to get into this profession - don't be fooled by the lies - do something else!
Is transcription really dying?
I have another question for all of you...is transcription really dying out?  I haven't seen that where I'm located, we are pretty much in high demand. I didn't even go to school and I got a job in-house at our hospital starting at over $13.00 an hour. But, now that I am reading all of these posts I'm starting to wonder what the chances are of me being able to continue this profession, esspecially since we are thinking of moving to a big city in the near future. I am really considering going into coding school starting in September so my husband and I will both get our degree at the same time. I'm just wondering if I should get out while I'm ahead. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Not dying, just growing!
First of all, HIPAA does not require EMR for all records by 2009. If that were the case, you would have known about it several years ago, because most physicians do not use EMR and have no plans to use EMR at this point. Most HOSPITALS don't use them, either. Even if they wanted to, there aren't that many viable products they could use!
He may be thinking of other HIPAA requirements which have affected his practice and which he doesn't like. HIPAA did require some privacy and security things which he no doubt found irritating. He now has a need to transmit his claims electronically, which probably annoys him.
I would guess that the concept of paying an MT annoys him, too, so he took it out on you by terrorizing you during your recent visit.
Second, nothing about an EMR means you can't dictate and transcribe.
If you're currently doing only small-office dictation, you might want to expand your capabilities so that you can do hospital acute care. I think that job prospects have been better there since internet-based voice file transfers became possible. There are a lot of jobs available with national services and even with large employers who will let you work from home.
MT is a dying profession??
Hmm...
I don't think it is dying, I think it is changing sm
There will always be a need for a hand typed medical narrative. Having said that, how much need is anyone's guess. FOR NOW, many companies are moving towards at least some VR. I have watched my company ramp it up and now ramp it down again. Why? The quality isn't there and part of that is the MEs who are doing them.
Being an ME usually only appeals to someone who can't actually type the report with any speed and accuracy (not a real MT in my book) or an MT who can longer tolerate the wear and tear on her hands (a real MT). The pay is less, which might not be a problem IF the software didn't require so darn much editing! Either the software needs to be a LOT better or we need to be paid more, if they want to the best quality, so that real MTs are doing the ME thang.
What I see happening, even now, is that companies who will hire a traditional, old-fashioned typing MT want the very best they can get at the best price they can get her. It is and will be increasingly a buyers market for our services. It will edge out any MT who is marginal...in speed, in accuracy, in attitude, in work ethic. That is to say, those of us who can stay glued to our desks and produce 99.5% or better accuracy AND do it with speed, will still be around for quite a while yet. The tolerance that some companies for not showing up on time, not getting your minimums, not producing very good work, is decreasing. I see this as a trend.
Less work? Not for some of us. No work, as in we don't need the chaff of this industry? You bet, and it is happening already.
The truly top-notch MT will always be needed. Do you have any idea how very few of us there are? I have not talked to a company who has more than 1 or 2 of us that they consider the cream of their crop. If you want to stay, look at what you need to improve, be it work ethic, speed, accuracy or scope of knowledge. If you don't, you'll be in one of the first groups out of this business.
Yes :( I'm totally stressed out in my own home. (nt)
Your posting sounds stressed out
Because you were on 1 subject, then another, then another. I find it very strange that a child would go in for an x-ray and a physician would just start talking to them about a shot for cervical cancer. Just does not make any sense to me at all. You did not go for that visit. When going to a physician now days I can hardly state the reason I came in the first place, they hardly have time to spend with you and then to be completely off the subject? Hmmmmm
Anyone else dying for school to start? (sm)
Grandchildren had been going to the LatchKey summer program, but they closed for the last 2 weeks before school starts to get the schools ready. So guess what? You got it. Memaw is trying to type with children. I have to totally admire those of you that do this on a regular basis. My hat is off to you.
My monitor is slowly dying...sm
I have a Dell computer and monitor, but my monitor appears to be on its last leg. I'm already looking for its replacement but instead of ordering another Dell, does anyone know of any other brands that are compatible or not compatible with Dell? I'd really rather not pay the shipping from Dell, but I do remember when I originally purchased the computer my printer was not compatible. Thanks for your help.
So, if you were dying in the bed and needed a STAT
You wouldn't mind that the person behind the document only cared about the money? You wouldn't care they put a post on this board like "why does anybody do this?"
Patient would feel slapped in the face.
That would be dying you slapped in the face.
I am really shocked and saddened to see who we serve is forgotten for the sake of money. Yes, we have to survive, and we do well. I have 3 jobs, am exhausted, but proud to say I am behind the document to help a very sick child or dying person, or recovering person, or person who was saved from suicide. I guess the idea of self rather than others is prominent around here, but not where I come from. After 27 years in the business I am proud to say I work behind the scenes and give the best I can for the patient, the doc, the nurse, my boss, the patient's family and so forth. After all, I would expect the same for me and my little boy.
I feel like that a lot. I get stressed out a lot and life just seems to overwhelm me.
Sometimes I feel like running away or something. I had two friends pass away during this time of year, plus I lost a baby right before Christmas. It seems like DH and I argue more this time of the year and the kids act up more. The finances stink, and there's so much pressure because of the holidays. No matter what plans we make for the holidays, somebody always has their nose out of joint over it. We don't have enough money for Christmas this year either. I've been trying to take on extra work. I didn't even see the kids all weekend because I was working.
Anyway, when I feel like this, it helps to vent even if it's just to my computer. I keep a password protected Word document for a diary. I listen to soothing music, take a long bath, bake something or read a book. I walk around the house and make a To Do list of everything that's adding to my stress, then I try to tackle one thing per day. Baby steps. If you try to do it all at once, it will overwhelm you. Sometimes I bribe my kids to help with the housework. They have daily chores, but we all pitch in together and get the "big chore list" done, then we can watch a movie together, play a board game, or eat at McDonald's.
What are you doing to take care of yourself? You need a little pampering, too. If I lived near you, I'd stop by and help you with your housework or watch your kids so you could nap. I'd bring you a gift bag full of bubble bath, stinky candles, herbal teas and chocolate. You sound like you could use a {{{{hug}}}}. Take care of yourself.
Haven't seen it. There was this one poster, "mt," who was stressed out
I just read some of the posts from the end of September, and boy oh boy, was she ever stressed out about her QA situation. She was so stressed out that she was out-and-out arguing with folks who were simply trying to offer her some good advice for what she was going through. She was on a rampage. She responded to those helpful posters with exclamation points and wtf's and @!% many times.
Now *that* was nasty, IMO, although she was stressed. I'm sure that after she calmed down and read that thread of hers a day or two later, she could probably have seen how disagreeable and unreasonable she was being to those who were only trying to help. A lot of displaced anger there, if you ask me.
Anyway, I think this board is very helpful (I found a GREAT job because of this board), and I certainly don't mind helpful advice nor do I mind disagreements and debates, as long as they're kept on an adult level and aren't lowered to the "wtf" (and other #@!) level....
I like this board just the way it is. My opinion.
Not on my budget. I usually can find something on if I am dying to watch T.V.
(NM)
Call, please. The rest of us are dying to find out something. nm
.
The main problem with this field is it is dying
And there isn't anything that we (as MTs) can do about that.
how did you give up cigarettes, I am dying to quit.
nm
Is medical coding a dying profession like MT?
My income is in the crapper and keeps getting worse and worse. I love working at home, been doing it for over a decade, so looking into something I can do at home. So what about medical coding? Offshore problems? Technology advances pushing out the "real person" coder? Any disadvantages? Worth learning and getting into at this point?
Been dealing with banks all morning and majorly stressed.
Have you ever had a credit card and all the phone numbers they give you do not allow you to talk to a live person, but get an automated system, that is not capable of doing what you need? Have you ever had a late charge because it took the bank 3 days to post an on-line payment? I'm going to have to write a letter I guess and when the next statement comes I'm paying it off and cancelling, though I'm not sure how I'll do that - have to write another letter.
Can you use a debit card on-line just like you can a credit card. I know most places only accept 3 major credit cards and didn't know if I entered a Visa debit # if that would be the same. I prefer Paypal cause I keep a little stash for on-line purchase, though most places don't take Paypal at least not yet. I just know I've got to get rid of the credit cards - much too stressful.
Our school has good scores but my kids have never been stressed
Probably depends on the teachers and the corporate culture at your school.
Poor baby! I feel stressed just reading your thread. SM
I doubt anyone realizes going in just how very long it's going to take to become competent (after all, only nuts would apply), and the very long hard haul to even decent earnings is gruelling enough on its own.
Then to have to deal with all that! If you can't fix it (try) and decide you can't live with it, don't quit the industry--take the experience you've already invested in and look for a small operation to train further with, either local or on-line. I started with a small office owned and run by two sisters, lovely sweet women who made the amazing experience of struggling to get good enough to bring in minimum wage (!) endurable. Best wishes!
Over 100. Burnt my bare feet on concrete. Plants are dying.
dd
Dogs dying from 'miracle drug'. Heads up, doggie owners
Marketed as a miracle drug for man's best friend, Rimadyl is one of the most popular painkillers available for dogs. And it's killing dogs by the thousands.
Vince Sharkey was faced with the decision every pet owner dreads, whether to euthanize his beloved dog King Billy.
Arthritis and deteriorating bones made it too painful for the 8-year-old golden retriever to walk.
His veterinarian recommended putting the dog down.
"He had so much life in him. I said, 'I just can't do that'."
Then Sharkey discovered Rimadyl, a prescription anti-inflammatory drug heavily marketed to owners of older dogs. Sharkey says Rimadyl saved his dog's life.
"Before I had him on the Rimadyl he was not even able to walk. He would drag his back half of his body. The moment we got him on Rimadyl, he was back to being his normal self again.
But Lynne Bradburn tells a very different story.
Her Saint Bernard, Honor, was just 22 months old when he died after taking Rimadyl for a sprained knee.
"He'd been sitting in my lap. And he looked up at me, and he died," Bradburn said.
Honor died after taking just four doses of the drug.
"They tell you it's as safe as aspirin. But it's not. And yes, I'm angry. And I will always be angry," Bradburn said.
The FDA reports some 12,516 complaints about Rimadyl dating back to 1997, including more than 2,300 cases where the dog died or had to be euthanized. The largest number of cases involve liver or kidney failure or internal bleeding.
Rimadyl's manufacturer, Pfizer, maintains the drug is safe, saying some 10 million dogs have taken over a billion doses of the drug, with less than 1 percent of them experiencing any negative side effects.
"There are side effects just as there are benefits with all medicines, with all medical procedures and certainly with Rimadyl. The good news about Rimadyl is that for the overwhelming majority of those 10 million dogs, plus, it has provided safe and effective pain relief," said Pfizer spokesman Robert Fauteux.
But the FDA approved Rimadyl after it was tested on just 549 dogs, raising the question, were the rest of the dogs that took the drug acting as guinea pigs?
Retired veterinarian turned attorney Paul Mabrey says a drug for humans would never be allowed on the market with such a small sample.
In response to continued concerns about the drug, Pfizer sent a letter to veterinarians across the country warning them that some side effects may "occur without warning" and, in rare situations may result in "hospitalization or even death."
Still, veterinarians continue prescribing Rimadyl more than any other drug in its class. But they're careful to warn dog owners looking for a miracle cure.
"There's a lot of people that want the medication not fully aware of everything that's entailed with that but we make sure to do everything we can to educate before they go on the medication," said Dr. Deborah Feltz, a the Elliott Bay Animal Hospital.
It's a warning echoed by those who know first hand what happens when a miracle drug proves imperfect.
Holidays
As an IC, can the company require you to work Thanksgiving and Christmas, I though IC set their own schedule?
Holidays
You would rather ruin their holiday than to tell what this man has done, I don't understand. Do you really want your mother married to a man like this? Your excused for putting your head in the sand and ignoring this situation I cannot comprehend. If you had daughters and their stepfather was doing this to them would you not want to know?
Alone on the holidays
I spend most of my holidays alone. Since I'm divorced, and kids are grown and married they have to divide time between Mom, Dad, and in-laws (some in-laws are married, some are divorced). It just makes it all easier. I have Christmas with my kids a week before, or a week after, the important thing is we ALL respect each other's space.
I won't say its always easy being alone, but its ok. Sometimes I have the big "dinner" with my best friends family, sometimes not. Several times, I've thought about cooking the whole meal and inviting a homeless family or something, but so far, haven't done that (visitors traumatize my dogs, they rule the roost here).
One way or another, Thanksgiving and Christmas are about giving thanks in my book, we don't all have to sit in one room for that to happen. Also, its a good time to reflect and get to watch what you want on TV!!
One way or the other, I hope you (and anyone else who's alone for the holidays) find happiness and peace.
If you want turkey/ham and the fixin's, give me a call!! LOL
To alone for the holidays
If you mean COMPLETELY alone, there are probably some things you could do - and I don't mean transcribing!!! Does your area have a meal for the homeless where you could volunteer? What about at a nursing home, or maybe a childrens' hospital, or a hospice. Check and see if you could bring baked goods, and spend time with people who don't have a choice about being alone. Giving of yourself will make you feel great!
Holidays
Every business has rules about working holidays. If you are an employee, you have to follow the rules to keep the peace. Face it - we are medical workers, and hospitals and some offices like urgent cares stay open. I have put in many holiday hours myself, but usually the manager was flexible and could allow a few people to work 4 hours on either Christmas or Thanksgiving. You take turns. Now I work for an outpatient radiology office, and we close for holidays. With my sister in town, I was able to take off Wed, Thurs, Fri, and then the office was closed on Monday for Christmas. It's my first ever real Christmas vacation from work since 1983.
Holidays...
I've worked many of them for years and still do; in fact, now I volunteer for it. I'm second shift, which makes it easier all the way around, and it's and no big deal. I just get through my shift and tell myself it's just another night, which, frankly, it is. I know I'm truly not missing out on much of anything at this stage of my life and frankly, for holidays like xmass, I actually welcome having to go home and work my shift to get away from family, ha-ha. For my sake, the relatives fix it so we can all have a meal together, then I just go on home. Those nights are usually slow, but you do get through them.
Me too. Plus, sometimes those holidays are
very interesting. Unfortunately for the people who are sick or the accidents that happen, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are the ones where the trauma notes and regular notes seem more interesting. Anyway, for me, it is a good way to get away and tune out the loudness and extremeness of the holiday. Too much food, too much noise. Put the head phones on and either veg (waiting for reports) or type and make money.
Anyone getting "Hung For The Holidays?"
U know, by American Idol's bad singer William Hung?
me too! as if the holidays aren't
stressfull enough, throw in the slap in the face thing called a pay check to ice the cake! I'm looking for other avenues to take....
Happy holidays to you all! :)
nm
Over-commercialized like the other holidays. sm
A lot of guys hate to shop and feel pressured into doing so. Don't know what to buy, etc. Then, there are always other women who brag about what they got just to stress out everyone else. If he buys a card, fine. If not, big deal.
What other companies actually pay for holidays?
It seems that Keystrokes or Webmedx does, or is it someone else.
I do know that are some who pay for holidays. Can someone help out on this question, please.
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