I had stamps years ago and (sm)
Posted By: Lori on 2006-01-02
In Reply to: I went to Subway today and didn't get my stamps. sm - omt
had to dump them and get a "card" instead. The next time I tried to use the card, I was told they only used stamps. The next time I tried to use the card at the store I got it at, I was told they no longer honored them. I gave up!
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Food stamps?
I am not saying that you should stay in any job that is not financially viable - food stamps is something that I would not encourage. I am only saying that I read alot of these blogs and it just seems that sometimes people forget that in any profession, this one or another, there are pros ands cons. I worked in a medical office and with an insurance company prior to medical transcription, and I would do this any day, benefits or not. I also have several nurse friends that make less than I do, with a 4-year degree. And their schedules are ridiculous. I am only saying I make great money, and have the flexibility that I desire.
Again, I am not encouraging anyone to stay in a profession where food stamps is the only option!!! Besides it would be hard to type if you didn't have a house for a computer and I imagine if you are on food stamps, DSL cable line is out as well!!! (LOL)
NE-MT
do you provide food stamps?
Hmmmm...they stopped with the stamps here
x
Stamps go up tomorrow to 39cents. nm
s
Time Code Stamps
Hello All,
For any of you who have had to time code transcripts:
Would it be helpful to have an MS Word application that prints an automated time code stamp? I ask because a programmer friend of mine and I have discussed writing a program to do this, and I'm wondering how useful it would be to you all.
This is how we envision it working: First, you complete the transcript. Then you open the Time Code Stamper in Word, and start going through the audio again. Suppose you want to put a stamp every 15 seconds. When you press a certain keystroke combination (ctrl-shift-f1, for instance), the program inserts a time code stamp in the format you specify. Then you fast-forward the audio to the next 30-second increment. When you find the correct place in the transcript for the next time stamp, you put you cursor on the spot and execute the Time Code Stamper program again. It will automatically increment the time by 30 seconds (or whatever increment you specify) and print the stamp. If you make a mistake, you can click on the menu and manually set the correct time.
I tested this out once with a very simple version of the program, placing time codes in a transcript every 15 seconds, and I was able to complete the whole document in about a quarter of the audio time (e.g., 5 minutes to complete 20 minutes of audio). The few errors I made I was able to fix very quickly and move on.
Like I said, we haven’t actually built a full version of this program yet, I just wanted to get some feedback from the people who could actually be using it. We’re thinking of selling it for $29 or so. What do you think?
If this particular program would not be helpful for you, do you all have any requests for Word formatting programs that would help you? We’re trying to think of different widgets that would be of use to transcriptionists.
Thanks,
Dan Edge
i.am.dan.edge@gmail.com
Are you sure you have to have kids to get food stamps? (sm)
I am not sure of that. I do think you should contact United Way and local churches and see if you can get some help. At the very least you need food and you should be able to get that from a church somewhere. It doesn't matter if you are of that religion or not and it does not matter if you have children or not. The church is there to help everyone without judgement.
I went to Subway today and didn't get my stamps. sm
I could not believe it. I asked if I could have my Subway stamps and the clerk said they no longer give them out.
Why? Because somebody sold a whole roll of the stamps on ebay.
Former employee? Gee ya think?
I knew I should not have bought that roll of 37-cent stamps!
This is all my fault.
Most families struggle. This is when you make too much for food stamps, but need help and sm
besides, volunteering in your community is a GOOD THING. You can volunteer, pay for the box and give to a family who is in need. Many, many people did that. An older person who is on a fixed income and who can't get food stamps would likely welcome a box on a monthly basis. This time of year, all the food banks around the country are in need because it is not a holiday, so few give and the need is greater every month. It doesn't have to be for your family.
If you call qualifying for food stamps & section 8 housing
As for working at home, it may be more comfortable, but not when your butt is planted in the same chair at your desk for 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the rest of the world goes on without you. Not a perk, in my book.
It is because, stamps, cost of checks, envelops, staff time
.
Food stamps, WIC, food banks, churches, family...
There are many answers to that problem.
No one has the right to steal and writing a dishonorable check is stealing. It is called "theft of property".
My tax dollars support government programs to prevent people from going hungry and to provide for women, infants, and children. I make donations to food banks and churches, etc., for those who just need help as well.
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.
Pack years = packs smoked per day x years of smoking - sm
25 pack-years = 25 years of 1 pack a day, or 12-1/2 years of 2 packs a day.
I don't think pack-years applies to someone who smokes only cigars. But I don't know for sure.
I worked for Cbay for 3 years. I was also part of their lay off back many years ago. sm
Even though I got stuck in a lay off era, I still love the company. They paid well then. The people were nice (exception of 1 person) and if I had the opportunity I would go back again. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how u look at it), I have a great paying job right now, so I am not looking for a change. I do know that at one time, they asked management to accept late paychecks, but never sure of the reason why. My check was never late.
I know it used to be 5-10 years back, but the laws changed within the last 2 years. They can only g
x
6 years legal then switched to medical 17+ years ago. sm
I don't mind doing legal and will do it now from time to time, but be prepared to be totally bored out of your mind.
At least that's the way I feel. I love to transcribe, learned legal in college, went on to get my paralegal degree, etc., etc., but I did temp work when the kids were younger, which was about 90% medical and I would never go back to legal except for once in a while.
Booooooring.
Only 3 years away from reaching total years for retirement
but if I had to do this and raise a family, would feel exactly like you do. The pay is terrible compared to what I used to make. I work 32 hours a week, hope to be able to continue even after full retirement age. I have worked on VR now and unless places get to where they really do not care about how their reports look, think they will need MTs. I very seldom do a report and it is 100%, just cannot remember 1 like that and most take a lot more editing. Working now because want to, not have to anymore, thank goodness!!
I dumped my ex 20 years ago, but got lucky 13 years ago
It would take me all night and pages and pages to describe what a bad person my ex-husband was. After six years of putting up with his OCD, verbal abuse and alcohol, I left him the house, took the kids (5 and 1) and didn't look back. That was 20 years ago.
I wasn't looking to get married again, but I did. After 13 years I only complain when hubby doesn't see things my way. :)
My older kids, who were 5 and 1 when I left, are married and have kids of their own now. My husband gets the Father's Day cards. Their "real" father sits alone in the perfect little house I left behind and let him have and he drinks himself into oblivion every night because nobody is "perfect" enough, including his kids and his grandkids that he never sees.
Sad, but true. So glad I smartened up and got out of there when I did.
We have been supporting other countries for years and years now.
What is the big deal. Look at your clothes, cars, items in your house. You will see mostly China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan etc., etc. We have not supported our own people like we should have for years now!!!!
Only 2 in 13 years for me. First Edix for 8 and now Webmedx for nearly 5 years. nm
.
When I trained, back years and years ago
We did not have spell checking nor the internet (Google for instantaneous help). OMG, how did we do it? We used Correcting Selectrics with the lift-off tape to correct errors- you only had dictionaries, both English and medical, to look up things so yes we did have to learn to spell all those big longgggggggggg words.
MT: 24 years. Same company: 11 years same co. after buyout.
x
Grammar Question: 9 years' ago or 9 years ago? *sm*
 I have a terrible time trying to remember this rule! HELP!
Worked inhouse for years and years
Inhouse transcription from 1973 to approximately 1992 and we had no downtime for answering the phones and when the physicians came into the room (or others) needing some assistance, just part of the job. I did not feel bad about doing it then and I dont see why you would either. You don’t realize that probably you are making right now more than if you are outsourced, right? You have hourly salary plus incentive. Guess how many of us have that now? Probably inevitable about outsourcing so I would say just enjoy while you can. The pay our here now sinks further and further. I make, for instance, 4 cents a line for voice recognition and 8 for straight. Now, more complaining?
19 years old...married 26 years. nm
n
they've been doing this for years and years (nm)
IMHO
People have been saying that for years and years - SM
however, I am working fewer hours and making more money. I think maybe the answer here is working as an IC for a one-owner company. MTSO was an MT for many years and she knows the secret to making lots of $ is putting your MTs doing what they do best and leaving them alone.
I don't think it is the "national" part of services that hurts. I think the low wages can be gauged by the number of suits in the company. More suits = less $.
And why pay QA? Just hire people experienced/good enough to do the work correctly the first time.
I have been doing Radiology only the last two years after several years (sm)
of acute care. I love it and find it easier although not as interesting as acute care. I was told by those who hired me that a good medical Transcriptionist will be able to do Radiology even with no experience in it. There are some specialized terms but easy to learn. I would never go back to acute care unless there were very good dictators and good sound quality.
30 (!) years; OTJ (don't think there were schools 30 years ago) nm
:)
Years ago it was 7 years. Not certain as to status now.
10 years here, too, and making 8.4....same as i was 5 years ago. nm
f
Shame on me.. Am I the only one with 4+ in 2 years, but with my last one 2 years.
Lots of little "stints" in between, just trying to keep my head above water.
24 years MT, 7.5 years with the same hospital nm.
x
22 years, same company 10 years nm
nm
32 years, longest was 28 years at same co. (nm)
*
28 years, 9 years at 1 hospital..sm
9 years at one hospital, 8 years with 2 services, then went out on my own (11 years ago) and got a bunch of surgeons and I moonlight on weekends for a national (9 years with national).
If I knew what I know today, with how the MT business has gone down $$-wise for us over 20+ years, if I had my druthers and could start over again, I would have stayed with CODING/BILLING instead of MT work (though I love MT work) as billing/coding is still lucrative in this country....
just my 3 cents
32 years, 18 years at hospital...
7 at Medquist, 7 at Spheris. Starting at Transtech Medical tomorrow.
Do you need to have 2 years full time experience or just 2 years' experience? nm
..
49 years old/self taught/daughter 20 years old/self taught. I'm a CMT, and daughter is studying t
take the test soon.
I know I'm old - 30+ years as well
but I do remember specifically being told "double". Maybe there is something to the reason being that they used to "talk good."
I'm going on 35 years of doing this
and I try to keep my goals realistic dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, etc. I don't like to see a minimum of 200 lines/hour; occasionally can reach nearly 300 lph but depends on the dictators. Seems the account I do now mostly has dictators from India, the ones I dislike the most. I love Russians, Japanese, Germans, French, etc., etc., but for some reason I find the Indian accent very difficult!!!!
I, like you, do not use expanders or "normals" etc., mostly because I'm from the old school and I type every word. I'm sure if I used some of the crutches I could easily reach 275 to 350 lines/hour, maybe more who knows! I keep telling myself one day I'll relearn how to do all that but right now, I don't care....when the time is right I'll know. Mainly I just keep trying not to stress myself out too much. I've put in my time and paid my dues and do a great job. I'm not a young chick anymore and don't expct myself to produce these huge line counts, but believe me, I know I could if that was my wish!!! Don't worry.....Be happy!
My Dad is gone now 10 years....
The last present he brought for me was an anniversary clock which I placed on my fireplace mantel in the center....Well that's Dad's spot because whenever I move that clock to any other spot it stops working, but the moment I place it in "the spot" it works immediately. My youngest daughter was almost 2 when my Dad died. After his death she would wake up and tell me "Grandpop was here last night"....I know my Dad comes around many times.
18 years.
nm
As an MT for 25+ years
I wouldn't recommend this profession in this day of voice recognition being on the horizon. Most of us who are doing MT are 40+ years old and there's a reason for that. Most community colleges and junior colleges no longer teach this skill. There's a reason for that. It's soon to be a thing of the past, whether one chooses to accept that fact or not, it is.
Second, this is a great job for awhile. But if you notice that over time people start to get nutzo when they've been out of social circulation too long and start to get a mean, angry edge to them. This is not a healthy way to live, sitting by yourself all day with no contact with the outside world except over the anonymous internet.
This is a great part-time job if you want or need to earn some extra income, but if you're thinking of going to school and have the time and means to do so, I suggest earning a bachelor's degree, which will open your options to many, many different possibilities rather than winding up limiting yourself to being a one-trick pony in a dying field.
I'm leaving this field within the next week - hopefully forever. I have accepted a position that's totally unrelated to MT and want to start building a resume in a profession that has a future. I've also completed my bachelor's degree, at age 48.
I'm not going to paint myself into a corner and wonder what hit me five years from now when this profession no longer exists. I respectfully suggest that you take that into consideration as well.
Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do, but so allow yourself as many options as you can and don't lose touch with the outside world.
I was a MT for 15 years before going....sm
into a supervisory role. My current day consists of such things as:
Teaching new physicians at hospitals/clinics how to dictate and the information we need to provide a complete medical record for them.
Keeping up with information to assist clients and employees with current 5 different platforms as well as staying aware of changes these platforms foresee coming in the future. Yes, I'm always learning new things.
Answer questions about various accounts that arise. Some of these answers are by the MTs who don't look at the written information we give them on an account but the majority of the questions are "one time" incident items for an account.
Answer questions about turn around times, process stat requests, vacation requests, schedule changes, questions about bills and all sorts of other things during the day from clients as well as employees.
Answer inquiries and provide insight to senior management about things going on with a current client, which of course means I'm talking to the current clients frequently to ensure there aren't any problems not being resolved as well as looking for future additional business with the client.
I also transcribe when needed, usually averaging transcribing between 1000-5000 lines a month while filling in for the accounts having peaks or MTs out for various reasons (including, like Dano said, the one whose grandmother has died 6 times.). I currently have 1 employee who has I presume about 8 grandmothers in nursing homes on feeding tubes in 8 different states and of course all of these grandmothers happen to develop "potentially life-ending" medical crises 1-2 days before a holiday. I do "wonder" how this employee is going to handle it when all 8 of these grandmothers do die if they die at the same time!
I do love what I do, even when I get a phone call from a hospital waking me at 2:30 a.m. stating that the entire hospital computer system is down for maintenance and they forgot to tell me it was scheduled previously and that is why our transcriptionists can't get in to work).
About 20 years
Used to raise a lot of animals but not many anymore, kind of winding down, ya know? I used to organize an annual rare breed animal and pet expo in Tennessee. Most animal people are just really nice folks and it's a pleasure just chatting with them. I have a lot to say about the posts regarding animal cruelty and PETA but that appears to be a good conversation to stay out of.
I did for years and so did DH
I was a foot carrier, my brother was a foot carrier, and DH he was a motor carrier and route manager. (In fact, that's how we met.) He also delivered for another paper later on as a motor route. I actually do miss the smell of newsprint and the route. I'd do it again except we live in a very rural area now.
Ten years ago....
you could make good money working at home as an IC for a service. I made a bundle working part-time with 3 little kids. Then they just slowly and incrementally (it's still going on I gather) stripped you of more and more money. I bet I would make less than half of what I used to make had I kept working for the national. I am now making over 30,000 a year working less than 40 hrs a week, but I am home based for a local hospital. I am a regular employee, have full benefits, paid time off, 403b plan, retirement plan, the whole thing. No, I don't have the same flexibility as I work a set shift, but at least I feel good about what I do and feel that I am fairly compensated and actually receive a raise every year. I hope the pendulum swings back to more hospitals having their own department and they get away from trying to save a buck using a national service.
not in 19 years
Never crashed and burned. Consistently up to 2000+ since 1998. At one time worked two jobs and was going to grad school. Still doing about 1800. Corp America taught me to concentrate and multitask. I add macros while I am typing. Tinrnobu=there is no reason to not believe us. I work about 5 to 7 hours a day. M-T and Friday nights 10-2. Deal with it, boo.
I was 32 when I did that - and that was five years ago - sm
it was cocktail waitressing, and I was thankful that I had my looks/shape then to get the job. It was after 9/11 and the payscale dropped significantly in NYC and it became cut throat for getting any kind work, including transcription! Transcription pay dropped from $20-25/hour down to $10 (YES, $10/hour) up to $15/hour.
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