I am lucky for the most part, my only hard ones are in the Trauma ER unit, where it's crazy but t
Posted By: Laura E. on 2005-07-15
In Reply to: What are your favorite dictators? - Just for fun...
just love to dictate while on the spot there, talk about noise. But the name spellers are the worst, as suggested below that will spell "Smith" but not "Teona" (1 I had earlier). I do several divisions that are supposed to supply patient lists (but tend not too), but I guess they get their jollys seeing how bad I can butcher the names. 
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The easy part is making the decision to leave, the hard part is
actually doing it. Been in your shoes and it took me a year and a half to leave after I had made the decision to do so. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself and my girls. I had family and friends and a counselor telling me what needed to be done and I knew what needed to be done but until I had the courage on my own to do it I stayed. One day, we had an argument and he spit in my face and that was the last straw for me. Even though it is something that I will NEVER forget, that day is also a day I will never forget because it is the day that I took my kids and left. I am a single mom of 2 and have been single and supporting us for 5 years now. I have been healing ever since and still am to this day. You can do this. I know that if I hadn't have left and I would have stayed one of us would be dead by now or both.
Actually more than being lucky, your hard work
paid off. This was what I posted about. You, like me, had on the job training for about a year and it was hard and I really worked hard to get the transcription part right while striving to make production. I worked some on Selectric, even though clanked did not mind at all. This was not a job I took in order just to work from home. It was done because I loved the medical field and never had a clue some day I would be working at home but that was yearsssss down the road. We were a training hospital and some nights I would go home almost in tears, really hard but I really did not think all the others in the room smarter than me and that was my incentive. It paid off big time. My speed has always been about 140 while helps and even now after all these years look forward to each day. I do not work full time any more but hey, I deserve some extra time to myself now. I have earned it!
Part was cut off. Deleted it from the hard drive. I would
like to get this working so I can test with other places. If not, I dont know what to do. I have an Infinity foot pedal and it works fine on DQS so I dont want to go out and buy foot pedals not knowing what to buy and if it will work. Hopefully this tech guy will have an answer since he works for the company I am testing for.
I had a lot of childhood trauma too...
I first started school, first grade. I'm of mixed race, looked different than the other kids, and I was picked on for it a lot, verbally and also physically and sexually assaulted by a group of boys. I'm an only child, so I internalized everything and do not know how to turn to others because of how I see the world as 'hostile.' I also grew up in a very bad neighborhood with a single mother who was never home, or who partied and I saw a lot of violence with her or others. I was alone alot and someone was shot on our back porch, I didnt see it happen, but I was coming home when the news cameras were there, and the police, and there was tons of blood, and me, mom and grandma cleaned it up.
At a young age, you don't process trauma like you do as an adult, so you're left with the aftermath. My adrenalin kicked in, I was terrified, and now as an adult, I have panic attacks out of no where and i'm fearful that people are going to hurt me, attack me or mentally abuse me in some way. In my mind I know this doesnt make sense, but my body just kicks into that adrenalin mode when i'm in a similar situation that I was when I was a kid, and it just happens.
The brain is very powerful, and with my slowly changing it, the panic has lessened and I view people a little more differently. But its a constant training. You know how you learned the ABC song when you were a kid, by repitition? Try forgetting it, you can't. Thats how powerful the brain is, train it to remember positive reinforcements just by thinking them over and over and it won't forget and you can look forward to a more peaceful future.
Good luck, it takes a lot of work but it will change you for the better! 
I love ER--don't get it much though anymore--do trauma ER though - sm
from time to time, a bit more depressing and harder than just regular ER, or at least it has been in my experience though it is relatively easy for me now that I have done it enough. If I could find a job just doing ER I would be very happy, they are generally easy to do, basically H&Ps, and always something different going on. I do a lot of MVAs, stabbings, gunshot wounds, etc. now with Trauma ER, all local to where I live too so some hit a little too close to home, but always interesting. Good luck.
Working full time at home with small children is hard but part time works great
is almost impossible. You will either have to work when your spouse is home or for only a few hours during the day and then more when they are asleep. I work part time at home and my kids (2&5 now) have done very, very well. They are great kids, very well behaved, don't get into much. I stop working to check on them/give them some attention every hour or so while I work (5 hours each afternoon or so) and they get all my attention in the morning and at night. It has worked out beautifully for us.
I worked in a teaching/major trauma hospital
when I was doing radiology and we had scads of standards.
If it rains hard, the wind blows hard and there are trees
nearby, it snows heavily it will mess up the signal. The speed is not constant, sometimes as slow as dial-up, but at least still connected. Many companies will not allow satellite.
I hate those but I hate trauma notes on children even more sm
I used to work for a large hospital that saw a lot of children for various horrible things.
The very last one I did was a 12yo boy who had hung himself while his mother was at work. She thought he was in school. The doctor cried, I cried (as I usually did) and I just couldn't handle that anymore. That was the longest report I swear. Short in lines but the length was almost an hour. The doc didn't pause the machine, she cried, horrible gut wrenching sobs, and I did too, right along with her.
IC MT to Unit Secretary - sm
Do you like to answer the phone? Do you like to file? Do you like to have people order you around? Are you neat and organized? Can you do three or four things at once? If yes, then go for it. The hours 7 pm to 7 am may not be as busy as when I worked during the day, but your hospital may well be busier, depending on what type of unit you're on. I learned a tremendous amount working as a unit secretary, one thing being I didn't want to be around people anymore, the pubic being the most obnoxious of them all. An doctors in person can be very arrogant too; a lot different than on the other end of the line. Don't know how you will do those hours with small children, but good luck to you.
IC to unit secretary
You brought up some excellent points! Since you have done both US and MT, you definitely would say that you prefer the MT over the unit secretary?
Thanks for your input!!
Need transcriber unit
You need a transcribing unit that has a pedal that comes with it. Your digital pedal will not work. Depends on size of tape -- micro, mini or standard.
Unit Coordinator
That was my first job in a hospital, although I had worked as an insurance examiner for an ins. company and had medical terminology. It was actually a job I loved. I answered the phone at the unit desk, called for missing reports needed for the patient to go to surgery. When I did it I transferred all the doctors orders onto a cardex and filled out the necessary lab/x-ray/PT, etc. requistion slips. I filed the lab slips and x-ray reports on the chart when they came to the floor. When a patient coded I had to respond and take notes of when CPR was started, all meds given, who responded, time ended. If the nurses were all busy I often answered call lights and relayed the patient's needs to the nurse caring for that patient. I loved it because at the time my boys were little and I worked part-time 3-11. I only needed a baby sitter for two hours till DH got home and I got full benefits for my entire family at no cost. So besides the small check I was bringing in I was furnishing my family's medical coverage. Every job now wants you to be certified in ACLS (Advanced Cardia Life Support) they want you to often times be able to monitor patients if they are in CCU or ICU (that is be able to tell when something out of the norm is showing up on the monitor). I wore scrubs, so no work clothes expense. If the pay works for you go for it...it is totally different from MT and often times there are opportunities for advancement to other positions once you get your foot in the door. I loved it, it was a great job. Just be aware it is a 7-day a week position, so not every weekend off and you will work holidays, Christmas was always the worst but at least it was 3-11 so I had Christmas morning and early dinner with my family.
TENS UNIT
I have used in the past all day.
So, you think it is okay for hard-working MTs to earn 7-8 cpl for their hard work?? nm
:{
Could also be life support unit. nm
I agree with Former Unit Secretary sm
Great job, learned a hell of lot, meds,diseases, etc., but I worked days and weekends, notoriously busy,busy,busy, and saw a lot that I just didn't like. Staff personalities are really much worse behind the nursing station than they are on the floor, believe me. Got tired of getting reamed by doctors who thought I was the nurse just because I answered the phone. I never had as much problem with IBS as I did then. If anything went wrong, a med order, lab order, whatnot, it fell on my shoulders. You need a tough skin to work days, nights might be easier, who knows. My skin thinned out faster with that job than 13 years of prednisone usage did. Good luck
Anyone work with a Lanier VTI unit?
Just started today for a new service. I have plugged in the Lanier VTI unit and have checked the connections; they all seem to be correct. I can dial in to the hospital system and access a report, but the foot pedal won't work. My MTSO is calling in a technician but I hope it's not something silly I'm overlooking. Any suggestions?
Lanier is a digital unit
There is a screen on the front of the unit letting you know the job information, number of minutes, dictator, etc. The unit itself utilizes a phone line. The dictators call the server and record their dictation. You access their dictation through the Lanier.
Your still have to have software with the handheld unit
that allows upload to FTP. Without that, FTPVoyager is useless. Make sure you buy handheld units that have the software capability to upload to FTP otherwise you'll be stuck.
If you find that handheld units with the upload software is out of your price range, consider the EZ-Voice solution.
Good luck!
Long-term skilled unit?
ss
Whether or not to leave IC MT job for unit secretary job at hospital???
HELP, PLEASE!!! I am currently an IC, which I have been for eight years, and I recently applied for a nursing unit secretary position at the local hospital. I interviewed and who would have guessed it, they offered me the job. The position is third shift, 7pm to 7am three nights a week. I do have little kids to think of when considering this. My ultimate goal is to go to nursing school and I am thinking that working in the hospital will be good experience. I don't know if it will be easier to go to nursing school while working as an MT or as a unit secretary. I am having a hard time deciding what to do. I don't know if I would be better off staying put even though I have no motivation to sit down and type or should I take this chance to do something new. Like with any new job I am afraid that I won't like it but I don't particularly care for this current job. What do you think would be the better move? I know you can't make my decision for me but some input on what you would do in my situation would be helpful. Any advice is truly appreciated.
Thanks!! 
MT goes unit secretary ... check out my story!
Ive been an MT for 13 years. I was an IC for 10 years, and a FTE for a local hospital for the last 3 years. I came back from vacation in June to discover my lovely boss was interviewing companies to outsource the MT department. He lied to us - told us not to worry - and then a month later our union received the '60 day notice' letter and we were out on our assess. I took a job as a unit secretary - and a $5 an HOUR paycut along with it, working 3-11 and alternate weekends. Am I crazy to do this. Well yes and no. I'm keeping my awesome union benefits, building toward being vested in 2 more years, and just landed an IC MT job doing guess what: MY OLD JOB. The company that outsourced us hired me. I plan to rake in the bucks in the AM and do the b.s. job at night. 3-11 is half the work as a day job - plus you get the shift differential. Wish me luck ! Joanne
Probably medical records or unit secretary
In my area the pay is about 50 cents less an hour than MT seems like a gravy job compared to this.
There is a small microphone on the front of the unit
If you look on the front panel beneath the volume slider, below the button labeled 21, you will see a very tiny hole. It is a microphone hole. I have used the stick from a Q-tip to fill it in and it lessened the hum quite a bit. I left the swab tip hanging out as an extra buffer. Looky weird but it worked!
Try this and see if it works, but unplug and replug the unit first
Programming Dictaphone unit:
1. Press the "Program Key" key (far left button under the display screen) and you will see the word "Keys".
2. Press the "Keys" key (same far left button under the display screen).
3. Press the first button on the left vertical row of black buttons (remember this marked button as it has been programmed for the display), and put in the following: # * 1 8 (to program the display).
4. Then press the "select" key (look on the right hand side of the phone keyboard itself and press "x" where it says "Dictate" aka the multiplication sign), and the display window should clear.
5. Lift receiver to get original display back and hang the receiver back down. You are done programming.
To get a job, dial the hospital phone number, enter your ID#, and press 6. You will hear the prompt say "at start". To get the demographics, press the "programmed key" (or the button you programmed on the vertical row) twice. You should hear four rapid tones and it will start giving you the demographics. If you miss any part of the demographics, you can press the "programmed key" again twice, and it will start the demographics again. Every time, you sign off a job and get a new job, you will have to press the "programmed key" twice again for the demographics.
The code to program the display button on the Dictaphone is # * 1 8. If for some reason, your Dictaphone will not give you a dial tone or seems locked, trying reprogramming the Dictaphone as above.
What model is the unit? I used one a long time ago..sm
However, the doctors called into it to dictate. There was a hard drive with it that was connected to phone line. I would log in on the machine and pick up the jobs to transcribe. Is it similar to that? Or is this something else? There is also a Philips call-in station that hooks to phone line, but that's only for the docs to call and dictate.
How are you using the Philips to get work from your friend, that's what I don't understand? Does the friend have the same system? Just trying to figure out the setup and how to be more helpful. I know I once tried to use the Philips call-in to re-record dictation from a microcassette and it wouldn't recognize it and just timed out. It would only accept an actual voice, and that was using landline phone, so I think they do have certain parameters set up. It might be that the Vonage isn't compatible. Maybe you could call a Philips tech support person and ask. There's a tech number in the manual and on their website.
Handheld unit software question. sm
Is there a software for the Olympus WS-100 and other units with USB ports that copy from the unit to FTP or designated site for file transfer, store a copy onto computer, and then delete from unit?
If so, please advise. Thanks.
Hospital Unit Coordinator/Clerk
Anyone know what this kind of job would be like? One of the local hospitals has a few of these positions open in various departments. I'm wondering if it's a high pressure/low pay kind of thing, if only because they seem to be hiring from the outside. When I worked for a bank many years ago, they hired "outsiders" only for the crap jobs. I'm tired of MT and want to explore my options.
TENS unit inquiry minds want to know:
Just wondering if anyone has a personal experience using a TENS unit they could share. How long do you use yours for, if you find relief that you forgot you could have, etc. As a chronic low back pain sufferer, I’m looking forward to getting mine on Tuesday!
Thanks
P.S. The temperamental Sony unit was a bargain at $100! Ouch!
Anybody want to sell me a bridge?
Maybe you local Cancer Society unit would have suggestions? nm
s
Which hand-held unit is simplest for doctors? sm
Need a handheld unit, but need to know of simplest one for doctors to use. Also, is there a program that uploads the dictation as soon as you connect the unit that sends it automatically? Thanks.
Also plan on getting a cooling unit to park laptop on
they run anywhere from $30 to $100 depending on features. Worth it definitely to run a laptop for 6 hours or more to keep the unit cool.
Take at home transcription job or unit secretary job at hospital?
I've been an MT for 12 years and have worked at home doing MT for 10 years. Recently got replaced by EMR so had to find work elsewhere. I took a job at a local hospital as a unit secretary working 3-11 now I have been offered a job with a national transcription company. I'm not sure if I should go back to transcribing since the line count/money making potential has me worried. I've been assured that I will never run out of work but I'm worried that I will actually be working longer than the 8 hour shift in order to make the amount of money I need. I would love to be back home with my kids typing again as I miss not seeing them as much as I used to and they want me to be home. I am just not sure if I should stay in a job at the hospital which has a guaranteed amount of money per pay period since I'm being paid by the hour and not by the line where my paycheck can vary. Any thoughts/suggestions/opinions, recommendations out there? Any and all would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!!
This happened to me once. I had bought a Lanier transcribe unit from someone advertising over on SM
MT Daily. I sent her a money order for $500. She sent me one email after she received the money order saying she had sent the Lanier and of course I never received it and she didn't answer my emails for a week. Then she finally emailed again saying she had asked her daughter to send, but she hadn't and that she was going to ship the next day. Still I didn't receive it. At that point, she stopped answering my emails and eventually blocked me from being able to send me emails. I had her mailing address and phone number. Of course, she screened her calls and never answered the phone.
One thing people should know about MT's, we do our homework. I immediately researched what my legal options were and here is what I did:
1. I contacted the adminstrator of the website on which the original classified add appeared. They attempted to contact her to no avail.
2. I contacted the police departments in both her city and mine and filed a fraud report.
3. I then contacted the Attorney General's off in both her state and mine and immediately filed a report with each office. I was told that the claim would be investigated, but more than likely nothing would not come of one complaint, BUT if they received more than one complaint regarding fraudulent practices by the same business or individual, then they could file charges.
In the end, she made the mistake of forwarding one of those chain emails to everyone in her address book and mistakenly sent it to me. So, I had the email addresses of her business associates, co-workers, employers, friends, family. I promptly sent an email to everyone of them telling them exactly what she did to me and that they should be very careful in dealing with her.
I got several angry emails for people asking me not to include them in my email war. I apologized to those people and took them of the mailing list. However, three of the email contacts emailed me back and said they had bought stuff from her and never received the equipment. And finally, I received a very angry email from the perpetrator's other daughter. Apparently, her mother was freaked out about the fact that I had reported her to the police and the attorney general's office and I also let her know that I had made three other contacts ready to file with the attorney general's office which would probably get my case more notice. The daughter Western Unioned me my money within 24 hours.
Casey, I say break out the big guns and start shooting. That's what I did and it worked for me. You probably have the person's mailing address, so you know where he/she lives or at least what city and state he/she lives in. I wonder if we dealt with the same person? Is this person from Texas?
a phone/transcription unit with foot pedal and earphone...
dials to hospital dictation system for reports to transcribe.
If Google it - might find a picture of one.
Unit secretary will help somewhat with terms, meds, and learning the flow of the shift, but it won&#
s
Thats just crazy!
Makes no sense! Wonder how these types of people are running the HR depts?!! I am fortunate enough to have three offices that I IC for. So, you moved because of the pay situation?? Hope your in a great position now!
-DAWN-
That's crazy!!
Are you serious? I can't believe they would cut our pay. The more you produce, the more the pay should be. They are getting paid per line from their clients. I'm sure they are not getting less from their clients because of DQS. If that happens, I'm quitting. I barely make enough now!!! How much was the cut, if you don't mind me asking? 
Wow - now I know I'm not going crazy!
I had never had this happen so didn't know what to think of it. Sheesh! Is the US outsourcing EVERYTHING now??? ARGH.
Are you crazy?
nm
Crazy Day
I don't post too much here, but I just have to vent. I went to pick up my daughter from school today. While I was waiting in my car, a woman backed into me. The damange didn't look to bad, but the lady won't get out of her car, so I called the police.
She was so drunk, she could barely walk. She had a baby in the car, about 18 months old, and was picking up her 2 sons. The police took her away in handcuffs, the breathalizer was over 0.13 and still rising!!
I was so upset about getting hit, but started thinking, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Our school parking lot (grades 3-6) is so crazy after school, I started worrying about how many kids she could have hit in the parking lot if she hadn't hit me first.
Now, I like a drink or 2 myself, but come on, it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon in the school parking lot. I always worry about getting hit by a drunk driver, but I thougt I was safe at school.
crazy day
Oh my - how sad is that!
Yep . . . I must be crazy :(
I have been on the account for 1 day so far :( Obviously I don't expect to get 1400 right now, but I am hoping within the next few months I can work my way up to that. My Expander is my own. I have about 100 entries right now, but that is only after 1 day of work. I do plan on adding more, but just haven't gotten there yet. I have been transcribing for a total of 4 years now, but brand new to this account.
No, you are not crazy! sm
Although you may be expecting too much of yourself too soon in your MT career.
I have been in over 12 yrs. I have my own Expander with 20,000+ short cuts in it (if you email me, you can have a copy of it). I know this expander like the back of my hand after using it for about 10 yrs. I make about 1800 lines or so a day, less if I am tired like I have been lately :(.
It IS doable, but I don't believe you have enough expansions to maximize your skills and time.
Crazy, huh?
I know that is simply ridiculous. I admit 3 years ago I was naive enough to believe you could make over 40,000.00 a year, I am sure there are people who do, but I certainly don't. I do enjoy my job, but I wish something could be done about the misleading advertisements which are placed luring in unsuspecting people. Because honestly, if I had known, I would have most likely gone for a profession such as court reporting where there is a wider range of different branches that can be quite lucrative.
going crazy!!!!
I would consider myself to be a new MT. I have only been doing this for 2 years now and you know what, I enjoy doing this, but for some reason, I am just not getting some of it. I look things up, I do not reach my goal everyday because I stop to look things up, I run my reports through word to double check the spelling of things, and I still seem to have numerous mistakes and it is very irritating. I am trying very hard, reading, re-reading. I just do not know what I am doing wrong. I am at a loss. I honestly do not know what to do. I am in tears just about everyday because I get soo frustrated that I still make mistakes. I use macros so I do not have to type the same report over and over. If anyone has any advise what so ever, please, someone throw me a bone. I will try anything. I love being home with my children, but at the rate I am going, not making any money, I do not have a choice but to look for another job. Do not really want to do that. HELP!!!!
What's up with the CMT part A and part B exams?
I thought it was all one test. How can a half a test last 6-1/2 hours? If anyone knows, please share your info! Thanks!
crazy idea
 I am not sure what would trigger anyone to think washing a keyboard in the dishwasher would work. I know from others who have had accidents by spilling a cup of coffee, water, soda etc it shorts out the keyboard so what would make anyone think washing it in a dishwasher is smarter? I cannot believe someone would try such an insane thing. Oh my. Those who have tried and ruined a keyboard obviously like to waste money on having to buy a new keyboard.
Because gas is going up like crazy, supposedly going up
30 cents/gallon tomorrow and will continue a steep climb. There are talks of rationing too as production has been severely cut due to Katrina.
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