I did it years ago (1995) for about 9 months - sm
Posted By: on 2007-08-12
In Reply to: Anyone been on COBRA - siren
had quit, moved and gotten married, and new job did not have insurance. Got on my husband's insurance once we were married and dropped the COBRA. I think it is only good fo 18 months. I think I was paying $150 a month for it; I was 30 and it was just me on the policy. Hope this helps.
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3 years, 9 months - nm
x
4 years 4 months (on the 18th). :o) NM
d
I meant hospital for 8 years (not months)...going on 15th year.
x
1995-1996. nm
x
I started in 1995
Wasn't even done with schooling yet, but picked up a doctor for $.12 a line, clinic work.
Then went to a hospital in house to get more experience at ? wages (don't remember) and at the same time, picked up my second account for ENT employee w/o benefits for $200 a month (yeah, that's cheap) but it gave me experience.
Family member got sick, had to quit the hospital after 4 months, but they asked me to be the guinea pig for on-line transcribing. It worked and they kept me for 9-1/2 years at $3500 a month (no line rate, MINUTE rate- their choice). I also worked for the ENT service for 5 years and my own doc... well I'm still with him. He forced me to up my rates (yeah, that's right). He yelled at me for not charging more. He is now charged $16.5/65 cpl and he is happy. Huh? Where do you find a doctor like that?
I tried to quit the hospital to go with a national service but the hospital wanted me to stay, so I still worked for them part time for another 2 years. Then I had it with everybody and quit all of them except my own doc. It's been 15 years with him and I don't intend to give him up.
Have I been lucky? You bet!!! I have to say, for all those that don't want to work in house, there are lots of opportunities to go on your own. I got the ENT job and could have had a job with urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology and/or physical therapy had I not been only one person.
I could have stayed an IC but needed medical insurance, so went with the national service. Private medical insurance was absolutely kiling me.
I started in 1995
Wasn't even done with schooling yet, but picked up a doctor for $.12 a line, clinic work.
Then went to a hospital in house to get more experience at ? wages (don't remember) and at the same time, picked up my second account for ENT employee w/o benefits for $200 a month (yeah, that's cheap) but it gave me experience.
Family member got sick, had to quit the hospital after 4 months, but they asked me to be the guinea pig for on-line transcribing. It worked and they kept me for 9-1/2 years at $3500 a month (no line rate, MINUTE rate- their choice). I also worked for the ENT service for 5 years and my own doc... well I'm still with him. He forced me to up my rates (yeah, that's right). He yelled at me for not charging more. He is now charged $16.5/65 cpl and he is happy. Huh? Where do you find a doctor like that?
I tried to quit the hospital to go with a national service but the hospital wanted me to stay, so I still worked for them part time for another 2 years. Then I had it with everybody and quit all of them except my own doc. It's been 15 years with him and I don't intend to give him up.
Have I been lucky? You bet!!! I have to say, for all those that don't want to work in house, there are lots of opportunities to go on your own. I got the ENT job and could have had a job with urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology and/or physical therapy had I not been only one person. FYI, when a doctor needs a Transcriptionist to do their work, they look to hospital MTs first. All my co-workers at the hospital had jobs on the side.
I could have stayed an IC but needed medical insurance, so went with the national service. Private medical insurance was absolutely kiling me.
I used to do books until 1995.
At that time, I charged $3 a page. I had no trouble getting that amount, and most books would be around 200-300 pages. I was a lot faster back then and could crank out a book in a couple days.
After I would type it, I would have the author check everything out and would make changes for an editing charge. If the error was mine, then no charge, but if he wanted changes, I charged editing.
There is a bit of a difference with books (unless it changed now). You would have to follow a manuscript style of writing so the book could go straight to the publishing company without the publishing company setting it up, which would cost the author more bucks.
I had worked for a publishing company that generated university textbooks back in the late 80s and that was really profitable. On those books, I was paid by the character! Sadly, my computer crashed and had to give it up. Computers back then ran around $2500 and there weren't too many gurus around to fix them. It was buy another one or do without. I had to do without since I had young'uns at that time and just couldn't spare the cash.
Hope this helps....and, BTW, if I could get back into this type of work again, I'd jump in really quick, especially the textbooks. You also get "a college education" for free. 
I am making in 2005 what I earned in 1995
Like you and so many others, I have watched my wages as both an IC and an employee go down, down, down. I worked for a company owned by an MT. She paid very good wages but sold the company to an Indian company, who got rid of all the Americans except for a few who would accept very low pay. It's funny...clients want 100% accuracy but they don't want to pay for it. They agree that they can't just randomly pluck people off the street to do MT, that they have to hire experienced or trained people. But they don't want to pay us for our experience or our training. I am doing my last MT job. I have my bachelor degree almost completed and I'm outta here. The lack of respect for MTs, from employers, other MTs, from offshore companies, from clients, from AAMT, is so disheartening.
In 1995 I was making 12 cpl for a small, rural
Changes were gradual. First, we were allowed to start working at home at 12 cpl, instead of the hourly wage. We still were employees and had the same benefits. This saved the hospital money in overhead and we were all happy. Then they started using outsourcing services for holidays and weekends. Gradually, the whole MT dept was phased out and we had the option of going with the service handling the hospital transcription or finding another job. The service kept us at this rate of pay for a short time and then gradually started implementing "incentive bonuses" and lowering the line rate of pay. It evolved over the years to what it is today. Starting line rates were lower and incentive bonuses done away with. Health insurance is contingent on production, but their platforms crash regularly (as do many, many others) and we either have to work extra to make up the loss or just eat the financial loss altogether. The services overhire to make sure that their TAT is met, which means unstable availability of work, which in turn affects production, in turn affecting benefits.
The logic today behind all the changes is the "lack of experienced MTs in the U.S.", thus the need to hire people outside the country, who have even LESS experience with the English language and slang medical terms, at half the price of hiring American MTs. The MT field in general has to be able to compete and so must lower their rates to keep clients from going offshore at half price. And now with the advent of VR, the MTSOs using it try to justify the cut in line rate to the fact that we're no longer "typing", we're "just editing." It's been a gradual evolution, but not in a positive direction.
And in all of this, AAMT has not come to the aid of the transcriptionist. It has furthered the promotion of offshoring and has developed ways to enhance the MTs adjustment to VR instead of enhancing the MTs value and amount of worked involved in VR. When the AAMT doesn't step up for the very ones it says it represents, why would the ones using the services respect, understand, or value the MT either?
Spinning, flashing graphics are so 1995. Yuck. - nm
I have an ollllld Ortho word book circa 1995
that actually isn't too bad! I just got back into ortho and I need to update, but most of the basic anatomy terms don't really change, so I would think 2005 would work fine for you.
if you feel like that after 12 years, and I feel like that after six months
what hope is there?
$32K/part time 6 months/full time 6 months
I have kept my child home with me half the year, but when pre-K started I began working full time. Helps to only have a main account and one backup account for the 2nd year now, so my abbreviation program rocks and rolls when I focus.
My 1995 edition (called the 1st edition by most)
is 519 pages long.
Maybe you're thinking of AAMT's old gold Style Guide for Medical Transcription? (though my 1985 edition of that is only 70 pages long)
I have been doing VR for 6-7 months.
The system has not improved in that time and it is much more time consuming to edit VR than to transcribe. I believe the companies are selling VR to the doctors saying it will eventually be perfected and dictation will be done cheaper and quicker. Right now that is definitely not the case at this point in time. On the other hand, VR for banking and other services seems to be working well. I do believe it's the future of transcription but for now it leaves a lot to be desired and is very, very tedious and kind of nerve wracking if you are used to transcribing. 
On the other hand, for someone who cannot transcribe but has medical terminology course, you may be able to make some money on VR and I suspect that is exactly what companies have in mind when they push VR. Eventually all MTs will be replaced by MEs (medical editors) at a lower line rate. I have seen as low as 4 cpl posted for editing so for someone who wants to work at home, I guess that's good enough especially if you can't transcribe all that well utilizing expanders, etc.
I have been there 5 months and have never (sm)
been happier. They are great!!
Sure! It took me 3 months to get (sm)
good at MT (no formal training, just science background); like you, I sort of fell into it -- was getting divorced and leaving grad school, needed a job, had done transcription at temp jobs, so saw an ad and jumped -- made a grand total of $300 the first month, 10x that after 3 months. There is only one other job I've ever had that kept me as interested as MT -- working as a paralegal doing insurance defense work. I love the challenge of researching a new piece of equipment, I love hearing people's stories, and I adore working at home and avoiding all the politics and other garbage of a worksite. I love working all night when the work is plentiful and breaking my days up how I like. What's not to like?
I like it. I have used it for a few months
and it is very easy to get used to. The only thing I don't like is it doesn't spell check your work until the end, I'd prefer to have it checked as I go along, like in MS Word.
About 2 1/2 months here
My biggest problem is in the evenings. I am so sick that all I want to do is lay down and sleep until it passes. I work two jobs, so I am having the difficulties you are talking about. I am moody, too. This is my first experience with this while being an MT, so I'm right there with you on not knowing what to do. Good luck!
At the very least 6 months
It is absolutely overwhelming in the beginning. Worked in-office and tried to quit my first day after a half hour! How lucky I was to have a patient supervisor and kind co-workers. (Plus good references that actually showed sample reports--so helpful to see what the ''finished product'' should look like.) I hated my former job so I just kept coming back, reading everything available, and taking terminology classes. Maybe I was a ''slow study'' but after around 10 months, things started to make sense.
As a new MT myself, not quite 6 months
on the job yet, I take any and all feedback with a grain of salt. The tone of the e-mail does not bother me as long as useful information is being given. I did not graduate from one of the top 3 schools either, so I appreciate the opportunity to work and learn at the same time. Feedback often makes you feel degraded and dumb to a degree, but let us face it, we are. We are ignorant to the world of MTing. We do not know everything. We learn daily. Once you begin implementing the advice given you will probably find that critical e-mail will lessen. Also, trainers often do not have the time or resources to be "sweet" to everyone they train. Their primary responsibility is to make you the best MT you can possibly be. Learn, grow, and do not take it all to heart. Good luck.
I did for 6 months sm
a loooonnnnngggg time ago when my kids were tiny. I started out pouring the models but had to leave due to babysitter issues. There is very good money to be made there. Based on production but I believe they pay by the hour. Go for it. Not any more boring than MT can be at times. Around here if you can paint the porcelain teeth, the pay is close to $20 an hour.
about 7 months
they have been using it on my account.
it really depends on the voice.
I just learned that "lungs are clear to sedation"
and parentheses do not know if they want to be princesses or impressions.
took over 2 months for me
I worked for them last year. It took over two months for them to get it together and then I finally had typing to do. They do not go by their contract. In it, it says you would have so many (50 maybe?) typings before they got out out of training (which has less pay of course) and it was over 200 and then it was only after I asked about it when they moved me to an actual account. After that, I worked for about 3 months and every time I would be put on an account and start making decent money, they would switch me to another account and I'd have to start all over getting used to....thus not making money. I finally resigned and explained why and the owner sent me an email, saying she didn't bother to read my email....but she didn't understand what the problem was....duh...if you had read the email, you might understand. It was a mess and not worth my time at all. There were actually hours where I could have made more money at McDonald's. Oh, and when they fax you back any corrections, they charge for fax time......even when they're having problems with their fax...they charge you the time!!!....they charged me nearly 1/2 hour once because they were having problems with the fax and they were faxing MY work.....just not worth it to me....I'm sticking to my own accounts.
Gee, my 'E' is okay after a few months, it's my
a,c.v.b.k.l. and the period that are worn on this new keyboard.
I wish I would have known about the clear nail polish before I started using this. I would have tried it. I have gone through 3 keyboards in as many years and my first keyboard keys were worn down to nothing.
2 months before they pay you?
I would explain that to them, that this is not ONE month, but it is TWO months before you will see a dime for work done, and that you have MTs that depend on paychecks much more often than that. Ask them if there can't be some kind of negotiation. I really don't see how they are even requesting that set up. NO one pays just every 2 months. If I paid my bills only every two months, I'd be sitting in the dark, for sure. I wish you the best on figuring this out. It's an awful situation for you.
when I was very new, about 2 months ago actually
the doc said to avoid NSAIDs and I typed incense!
58, AHP/self-taught, trained at hospital 5 years, now with 2 of my own accounts for 10 years, employ
Also worn out 2 keyboards in 4 years. I will never retire. DH will come home some day from work and I'll be slumped over my keyboard. I put in 14 hours a day 7 days a week.
Ot maybe this is the first time in six months that the
account has been out of work because ALL medical providers are slow this time of year.
All you need to do is stay there for 3-6 months to get the
We all start out in really crappy jobs, but stay there because it looks good on the resume for a better company. My first place I worked with, I had to work with a guy who had no idea what he was doing, would type just about anything he wanted just to get paid (at that time 7 bucks an hour was big bucks) and when i'd correct him, because it would look bad on me too (there were only two of us per shift in the small room connected to the ER), he'd flip me off behind my back and make faces. It was complete nonsense, but it got me into a better company.
I complained over 6 months ago about J. sm
I was using my computer but i believe it boils down to J doesn't have a clue what he is doing. somethings he couldn't figure out and i knew exactly how to do them. i think they got him off the street holding a work for food sign maybe. he likes for you to use company computer because he doesn't know crap about fixing yours. loved the company other than J and the hatefulness/stupidness that came along with him.
Thnx, been 4 months sm
She has been here once in that time and she just started crying all over again until hubby felt bad for HER and started taking her side and I have just had it. He is a big one on the few house rules we have DUE TO HIS MOTHER being so lax and not responsible, so rules are rules apparently except when his mother is involved.
We have been over this issue the past 15 years (since first child) as she is the one who always trys to break any discipline just becuase she happens to be there. Sorry, they knew you coming and if they decided to get in trouble that is their doing and letting things slide all the time just becuase she is around made a mess of things and I am just full of it and decided if this is not a big deal for her...it should be for my husband and until the two of them realize how serious her actions were they will not be left with her for any reason as I have no clue what serious is to her if that was not. I could see if she did not know that the kids were to tell us anything that is/might be an issue first hand, but she has been in on that rule for many years, so it was not new or something I just decided to get upset about...standing rule so that we can discuss and find alternative solutions for next time, etc. depending on if an issue at all or something that might come up down the road again.
If you asked that 2 months ago
I would have told you MQ whom I was happily with for years and years but now I sorrowfully have to say, NOT HERE!
I spoke with them a few months ago SM
and they said they are getting a pool of resumes together to fill positions AS THEY BECOME OPEN. So there is really no "position" there, they are just getting a bunch of them together to go to if they need to.
We've been using ours for two months now.
No more $20 gas bills like in the summertime.
I agree, at least 3 months. My
accounts I have been on for 5 years, well I fly and the money really does pour in. Good luck.
Three months sounds about right. nm
:)
I had that for a couple of months and it has
recently gone away. I tried pillows, sitting up straighter, etc. Nothing seemed to help. It was to the point I could only sit for about an hour at a time. I didn't realize it until I saw your post, but I'm not hurting anymore. I haven't been as stressed lately and I wonder if that was causing it. I tend to manifest stress with a physical ailment, used to be migraines, then back spasms when major sudden stress.
not very long, only nine months...
we have a sliding scale and all of that...but you have to do 1200 lines to get .055, can you believe that?
As of about a couple months ago, we are to
not spell out any number at all. I hate that because it looks ridiculous.
I went through the same thing for 6 months
It was so good to have an apartment with a door I could lock that only I had the key to. I guess the upside to transcription is that if you do become homeless, you can still keep your job.
A couple of months???
Gheesh! They're nickle and diming her to death for the love of Pete, and you want her to do them a favor and give them two months' notice? Heck! Why not give them a couple of years' notice so they can continue to take further advantage of her???
29 w/2 kids 5 and 10 months
was going for nursing but decided to stay home with my baby
We lost 29 lbs on it in 2 months but...
Hubby got the gout after that, so had to go off it so we could find out what kind of foods would trigger his attacks. That was 2 years ago and we gained all our weight back. We missed the meals. We were really into the full meal salads, etc., satisfying and weren't really into sweets or deserts before starting. Never missed potatos, either (except french fries...my weakness).
He also has a heart problem and finally asked his doctor what foods to avoid...Lo and behold....everything we're eating now. When asked what foods to eat...you guessed it...everything on the Atkin's Diet. So, 2 years later, we're anxious to get back to it. ...but a modified version.
Oh, and we have figured out which foods trigger his gout...FINALLY. It's any dark green leafy vegetable, spinach (our favorite) and even mixed baby greens, and green beans! Never would have believed it but we tried several times to include those in our diet and they trigger attacks every time...go figure.
I have been QAing for about 18 months (sm)
and I average about 500 lines per hour - BUT - it's mostly clinic work, easy docs, same MTs, and super, SUPER slick software. I also use a foot pedal and move through document with a mouse. I sometimes read from the bottom up and group my docs and do all one doctor at one time if possible. I also do my more difficult doctors in the morning and the easy ones in the late afternoon or evening - if I have this option. I keep notes on common errors certain MTs make. I also don't struggle with blanks - I figure the MT has given it her best effort so I listen 2-3 more times and then just leave it if I cannot figure it out. It took me almost a year to get to this point but it was well worth it. Best of luck to you!
I had my daughter's done when she was 9 months old....sm
Doctor said fine anytime but would be best to wait until after 6 mns when they get their 2nd tetanus just incase someone's equipment wasn't completely sterile so that's what I did. Don't see why that's too young; I think it is definitely a personal opinion and I wanted my daughter's done. If she ever grows up and doesn't like them she can let them grow up. No big deal.
My daughter had hers done when she was about 6 months...sm
I would do it over again at that age in a heartbeat. She cried no worse getting that done than getting shots and I know she would never do it now (she's 10), so I feel my husband and I made the best choice for her.
I had a problem just a few months ago. sm
My entire family of 4 were sick with enlarged lymph nodes, cough, stuffy head, etc. The cough and stuffy head would go away with cold medicine, but the docs actually thought I have lymphoma or lung cancer from huge lymph nodes on CT of the chest.
Long story short, we had a dehumidifier attached to our heating/air conditioning system that was not working and had been out of service for some time. I called my brother, who is an HVAC mechanic, and he came, disconnected the nonworking dehumidifier, cleaned all of the rust, mold and everything else that was in our ducts, installed new duct where the dehumidifier was and guess what?!!! 3 months later on a followup CT scan, my enlarged lymph nodes, were gone!! My son's enlarged groin and axillary lymph nodes were gone. It was the old dehumidifier harboring all of the pollutants, carcinogens, and everything else making us sick.
If you have hot air heat or a central system, have it checked pronto!
Could imagine being told you may have lung cancer or lymphoma, and your 15 year old son has lymphoma or Hodgkin's, and all the time it was my heating and air conditioning system! What a relief that was!
We love ours too..have had about 8 months now...sm
and we sleep much better. Wouldn't trade it for the world!
I am not currently pregnant, but my son is 13 months old....sm
My production dropped the first part of my pregnancy because I was so sick/tired, picked back up the middle only to fall again the last from being tired. I took two 30 minute naps during the day (my lunch and then my 2 breaks combined). I fixed what I wanted to eat and ate while I was working. Your production will fall, but the main priority is the baby. I also had 2 jobs and both employers were understanding. I knew from a money standpoint I would have to return back to work soon after the birth. When I became pregnant I had every intention of saving enough money I could be off for 6 or 12 weeks, but then my production dropped and so did my money. I had him on a Tuesday, got out of the hospital on Friday and was back at work Saturday. It is hard to deal with a drop in production when your pregnant, but remember it will be over shortly. Keep your baby first in your thoughts and it will make it easier to get through. Good luck to you.
Currently 6.5 months pregnant....sm
I am really, really tired at this point. I have a 2-1/2 year-old that goes to the babysitter for 4-5 hours a day Monday-Thursday and home with me on Friday. I get started at 6 a.m. when I am most functional and my production is the highest and work until 9 a.m. After dropping my daughter off at the babysitter I get back to work for about 4-5 hours. I find myself having to take naps during the day whereas I did not with my daughter.
I try to work extra when I can to help make up for my decrease in production. Also, we both are in the bed at night by 8:30 p.m. just relaxing and watching television; therefore, I feel much more refreshed in the morning.
I thought I went back early with my daughter at 3 weeks, but you have me beat. I do plan on going back at 5 weeks after having this baby, but we will see. Not sure how I will manage with a newborn. By the way, I also work 2 jobs, but I find myself doing very little production on my second job if I work at all on most days, just cannot get it done.
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