I remember doing secretarial work on those old typewriters. I can't imagine MT w/o technology.
Posted By: MQMT on 2005-08-10
In Reply to: The boomer babes. sm - DixieDew
Every year technology makes my job easier. Google, internet dictation, spell checks, expanders. I can't remember the last time I opened a reference book. Direct deposit. Banking on line. I can't remember the last time I was actually inside a bank. Love the technology for MTs and payment process.
I do remember standing in line to get check cashed on Friday at lunch when I was a secretary in medical office. Ughh. I do remember having to get all dressed up to sit in an office w/o windows, too hot in the winter and too cold in the summer, to type and file. Ughhh. I remember lines of traffic going into town to get to work and then trying to find a place to park close to the building. Ughh.
Lovin the new things/gadgets to make my life easier and don't look back with any regrets for the "good old days"
Just one thing though. I wish we were paid according to 2005 cost of living standards.  What's up with that?
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- The boomer babes. sm - DixieDew
- I remember doing secretarial work on those old typewriters. I can't imagine MT w/o technology. - MQMT
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Typewriters (let us remember) sm
I know we are in a "throw away" society and some others would like to "throw us" away as well, but bear with us while we reminisce. We did not have "cut and paste" nor did we have the ability to spellcheck, use word expanders, etc., etc. We had to use carbon paper for copies and when we made a mistake, we had to use an "eraser" on all copies and not smudge or make a hole in the copy. If the error was not "fixable" via this method and made the document "look sloppy" we had to tear up the whole thing and do it over again. We had red or blue dictation "records", red, blue or brown "belts" and there was no dictating over these, we would mark the dictated portion "done" with a marker and it was reused at the blank spot until full. Then came white "correction tape" which would only take care of the top copy; the others had to be erased. At one service I worked for, we were allowed only one small 2"x4" strip for the day and had to sign for it. Then came "white out" and we had to buy our own bottle. So please, give us credit for paving the way for technology, it is sooo much better than before. If you think that's bad, before my time they used to use a round cylinder which was "scraped" of the dictation and reused. At one time, IBM came out with a "poker chip" for dictation - that went the way of the Edsel automobile. How we did it, I do not know. There were actually manual typewriters, no electricity. At one client's she told me she typed autopsy reports by sitting in the autopsy room with a manual typewriter while the doctor dictated directly to her what his findings were.
The next time you work with a senior transcriptionist, tell her you're proud of her for sticking with her profession and tell her you don't know how she did it in the "Days of Yore" and you'll put a smile on his or her face. We like to be appreciated, we spent a lot of time in the trenches with the troops and we were willing to change. Long live medical transcriptionists! We are from BC (before computers) and lasted this long!
If you doubt progressive technology, remember
We've gone from typing in WP51 from cassette tapes, looking up words in a library of books rather than on Google, printing our own work and delivering it by courier to transcribing dictation directly into EMRs via internet-based software that was recorded on palm pilots. The extent of technology that we've seen in such a short time to me is amazing and scary at the same time. I also would like to think that there will be a long-term demand for editors (I am one), but common sense tells me to start thinking about a different avenue.
People don't tell because they like having enough work, I imagine - also, sm
Josie Blowsie over there may not make the same line rate I make. That's subbing, of course. I don't tell what I charge my local contracts because I don't want to be underbid.
can't imagine doing good work at home
(no buddy-help) without MT training, and getting good QA scores. There's too bloody-much detail anymore, ie, all the BOS rules, on top of account specifics, terminology, accents, etc... I have seen a couple people pick up the terminology and do well with only on-the-job training in the hospital setting, but that seems rather rare.
Yeah, could you imagine if we made a work at home commercial
that was truthful? Instead of the serenely peaceful scene with the children playing quietly at your feet while you made $50,000 a year, there would be toys flying everywhere, kids jumping on the furniture, the dog yacking on the carpet, neighbors banging on the door, the phone ringing off the hook, laundy piled up to the ceiling, and a husband whining about something or another.
Before typewriters...
Why, I remember when we had to sit in the doctor's office with just a pen and paper while he dictated - it wuz great when typewriters were invented!
Typewriters - and we had to share the Selectric so SM
we wouldn't fuss.
20 years ago, MTs worked at the site, using typewriters.
Those who moved with the times and learned to use technology kept their jobs. The description of MT is changing and we need to be ready to change with it.
Do any of you think that offshoring is going to turn into one awful mess at some point, and MT work will come back home, because I do. This is like an accident waiting to happen, with records going out of the country. It's bad enough that medical records are being stolen here out of the backs of cars and from curbside dumping of computers, but just one unethical MTSO in another country who has access to records and can hold a US company hostage could pull the rug out from under the offshoring system. The same is true of other aspects of what's happening here. When some hospital is sued because of sloppy physician records that the Dr. entered into an EHR, and investigations start happening, we could see some tightening up of what is going on. Things have been pretty slack for a couple of years. That could change as fast as a CEO is put in the slammer for scamming investors.
Northern Counties Secretarial Services - MN
Anybody ever work for Northern Counties Secretarial Services in Minnesota in the 90s? Used to be what seemed like a great company, but in the end, they did a few really good MTs dirty.
Associate's Degree in Medical Secretarial Science - sm
2-year program with emphasis on transcription. Terrific - wouldn't have learned it any other way. Taught me to be a good MT - not these quick-fix on-line programs where everyone things they can early a huge salary as soon as they are done.
I can't remember the last time I ran out of work...sm
don't understand why people say that so much. Must be a regional thing. Well, I am sorry for the ones who run out of work and I am praying that things pick up across the board! 
all that PLUS, when I started 13 years ago, electric typewriters were still used (smile!) no message
xx
Back to school....or secretarial jobs??? Selling on Ebay??? Not sure myself....sm
I've been pondering all of the above, back to school and ebay seem to me to be better than back to the clerical/secretarial pool. I'd like to get into working with kids or with people in general. I'd like to work with disabled children, specifically children with speech problems, occupational therapy, speech therapy, applied behavioral analysis, something like that. I know this job will not be here for the rest of my working life, time to start planning now I guess.
If I remember correctly, I got it to work with a few glitches. SM
I think I was able to get it to play and rewind, but no fast forward. It's been several years since I used Express Scribe so I can't remember exactly, but I do think I got it to work.
Assciate in Arts, medical secretarial curriculum. 2 years with courses in sm
anatomy and physiology, biology, clinical biology (taking and processing lab tests--drawing blood on each other!!), filing, skills on all types of office machines, English composition, accounting, psychology, economics, medical terminology/transcription, and, of course, typing. In the second year we did internships at local city hospitals.
I went into transcription after working as a medical secretary for 7 years in a very large clinic.
Apply for a medical secretarial position, which almost always includes transcription in the job desc
Yep, it is new technology. Anywhere you can
get cell phone signal, you can get service. I am sure it will get better.
What a world to live in these days. I didnt want to spend the whole summer indoors, so I got it.
It is just combersome (however you spell that word) to lug around foot pedal, headphones, etc. lol
Not to mention the books if you need one, but it gets me out for a couple of hours a day with the kids.
ASP technology
i would recommend looking into an ASP if you are not great with computers. They make things pretty easy and do all the "tech" work for you. We use Medikin, I would say check it out ... and GOOD LUCK! :)
Technology
I used to fear for our profession...rumors of voice recognition technology, then decided to embrace it, not fight it. Times will always change. I jumped on the bandwagon, and am speaking reports, not typing them, and am up to almost 500 lines/hour. We can either spend all our time worrying, or we can use our God-given intelligence to make changes work for us.
No it isn't the same. Technology
seems to have stolen some of the personal touches.
B. S. in Medical Technology
I worked in a hospital laboratory for 33 years and retired in 2001. I found out about a year later that my husband was losing his medical insurance after he retired on disability and so I had to go back to work. I had dabbled with transcription in the pathology department and so I decided to make it my second career and I just love it. I get to work from home and don't have to deal with the office politics and all the bureaucratic red tape that comes with working at a hospital.
Color me happy!!!!
Ellen S.
I am not laughing at the technology.
At this point, at least to my understanding, the health insurance industry and Joint Commission require detailed documentation,especially the insurance companies who love to quibble on what they'll pay. When the detailed documentation is no longer being required and standard text and check off systems are used, the docs have no way to cover their butts. Let a few of them be sued for malpractice because they have no detailed proof of exact treatment, and we'll see just how wonderful this mobile system works. The insurance companies will be in an uproar over the judgements they are paying out.
BS in Medical Technology
I worked as a medical technologist (lab tech) in a hospital laboratory for 30+ years before retiring in 2001. I was interested in transcription as a second career so I volunteered to cover the pathology secretary's days off just for the experience.......and here I am and love it. The pay is only half what I made in the lab but there is much less stress and I love working at home. Obviously, my many years in the medical field helped tremendously with terminology but there was still a tremendous amount to learn; it's a continuous learning process.
Right-it has nothing to do with keeping up with technology... sm
if it means compatibility with a company platform.
technology smarter than you think
An advert for *TAKE THIS MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION COURSE AND START A NEW CAREER!* was sifted into my junk email box.
could mass producers be using technology? (sm)
A friend once told me (a man, of course - haha) I should be using VR personally, for my own work at a national company. I considered it, but did not have the time (or money) to invest; however, I have noticed a couple of posts on here regarding such. Something about the dragon- dragone, not sure what it is called, but I do think there are individuals using the technology, as employees. I mean, why not really...
If MTs are using it personally, if it were to catch on, couldn't that cut out the work force significantly? What if companies supplied us with it, wow, we would just be editing all day long, how hard could that be? Lines would be gobbled up.
Not that I am accusing this person of doing that, but if she is, it would definitely explain how there are people making huge bucks in the MT world.
Perhaps that is what it will come down to...weeding out about 1/2 of us ??
50, A.S. in Medical Records Technology.
Of course now that course would be called HIM. Transcription was included. My first job was in a physician's office and consisted of mostly transcription. High school courses were heavy in typing. I do not know that I could contribute to a rebuttle. The company that I just left had mostly older employees. This company just closed. Now I am an IC with about the same pay. I do not believe that there are as many young people entering the profession. Part of that is because it is hard work, and no longer pays well in proportion to other jobs they can train for. Also, who wants to spend money and time training for a job that may be outsourced at any time? The only young people I know going into this profession are doing it because they want to work at home. This once was a good profession to enter, but now things really seem to be going sour.
It's called technology and progress.
Things change. It's been happening since the beginning of time.
Does anyone suppose that with all the advances in technology that
there might be some more companies willing to take those MT's who only have satellite in the future? There are so few now. Really limits a person's options. Wadyathink? MTSO's - any response??
A.S. in Medical Record Technology
This included a course in Medical Transcription. Went to work in a physician's office. My job title was medical records, but the main component of the job was transcription. This led to later full-time transcription job.
Anyone have exp with Vscript platform by MT Medcore Technology?
I just left EMDAT Inscribe and don't want a repeat of a horrible platform. Thanks for ANY information!
Technology has made it so much easier for dishonest people to
take advantage of others. On the internet you can be Miss America, you can be a millionaire, you can be a movie star, you can be anything you want to tell people you are and these services are a breeding ground for people like this.
No thanks.
I'll size people up in person, at face value like anyone should who has nothing to hide.
Normal people don't have to resort to hiding themselves behind a monitor.
It's better sound for one thing. C-phones are just old dinosaur technology.
x
We have evolve with the technology. MT will simply become ME (medical editors).
What doctor's don't know is that speech recognition still requires A LOT of editing from a Transcriptionist in order for their report to be chart-ready. If we let reports go as they are straight out of the SR software... it just isn't going to happen.
I do strictly SR editing and there is a ton of editing that has to be done to each and every report. There will still be plenty of work, it just depends on how adaptable we can become. Of course, we will have to fight for a decent wage because the natural instinct of management is to want to pay us less, because in their minds we aren't working as hard if we don't have to type every single character in a report. Nevermind the knowledge base we have... but that's a discussion for the future.
Babies looking for attention.They have the technology of the Woodroow Wilson administration.
They'll get some kind of concession and go back and try to think of another way to get money out of us. Happens all the time.
common sense dictates you read the writing on the wall. technology has made you obsolete.
and the government has seen to it that american workers are no longer necessary and allows business to outsource many middle income jobs.
Imagine that!!
My DH just got a promotion at work. It is a pretty big promotion. He sat down and talked to me and told me how happy he is to have me at home working, because he feels he is where he is because I pick up so much of the slack with the kids, etc. and he gets to focus on his career. For a while I was considering getting out of the business (major burnout), but now I'm here to stay!!! He told me now that he is making more, not to worry about working so hard -- take some more time off for myself!!! Am I lucky or what!!!!
Imagine that.....
You are blessed with a great fella! And, indeed, you are a lucky lady. Something tells me that you deserve this, however. :) Enjoy!
Imagine this...
You are in charge of let's say 50 MTs... and they all want to chit chat. I don't think that would make a very productive supervisor.
Does it bother you when you are working and someone, either in your home on on the phone, wants to chit chat?
With all the changes and consolidating offices, I'm sure the supervisors have more than their share of stressors. Just look at the supervisor turnovers we all speak of. They need to do their jobs as efficiently as possible and being chummy with MTs is counterproductive to that end.
I'm not saying they should shrug off any pertinent MT problem that has to do with work by any means, but if work-related conversation evolves into anything else, I can see why the supervisor would want to get off the phone.
I've had about 4 supervisors since being with MQ, 3 within the last 6 months, and I correspond by email mainly. I find that much more efficient, but when I return their calls, they are very helpful and nice. I am a talker so I avoid the phone at all costs because that would totally take away from work time or fun time ;-)
And I'm just wondering... what kind of favors?
I can't imagine
They generally schedule 1 patient every 15 minutes to make up for those who don't show. With outsourcing they still have to dictate so I don't see how that would let them see more.
I can't imagine...sm
My highest day ever was 2600 lines and I couldn't sleep that night, my hands were so painful. I rarely do more than 2100 lines in a day because my hands just can't handle more than that.
I do yoga and work out by walking three miles daily, and if it weren't for that, I don't think I could do this for a living because its murder on the hands. And I'm only 42 years old.
I dont know how you do it. Kudos to you!
CB
Yes, it is, but I imagine you could
Bayou Blast - {Emeril's Creole Seasoning}
Recipe By : Emeril Lagasse
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Condiments
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 tablespoon Paprika
2 tablespoons Salt
2 tablespoons Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Black pepper
1 tablespoon Onion powder
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Dried oregano
1 tablespoon Dried thyme
Combine all of the above ingredients thoroughly.
This recipe yields 2/3 cup of Emeril's famous "Bayou Blast" Creole
seasoning.
Recipe Source:
ESSENCE OF EMERIL with Emeril Lagasse
From the TV FOOD NETWORK - Essence Recipes Link
Downloaded from their Web-Site - http://www.foodtv.com
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine Taylor's reaction if (when, fingers crossed) he wins? He seems to appreciate everything so much. Vote, vote, vote!!!!
I cannot imagine
I cannot imagine my reports still having to be checked after two months, I have never gone more than two DAYS before being released from QA. Are you SURE you are not making legit errors? If you truly believe that your reports are 100% accurate, then I agree with the previous poster - you need to look elsewhere for employment.
Imagine that....
Someone has a job that consists of constanly making changes. I guess that requires a Master of Arts in Changology degree.
I would imagine she would like to
inserts a period, spaces appropriately, and capitalizes the first letter of the next sentence.
If you are not familiar with VBE, the easiest way to create a your new macro will probably be to type a few sentences without punctuation in a Word doc. Place your typing cursor at the end of the first sentence. Go to create new macro, name it, and assign the shortcut keys you would like to use. The macro recorder should then show on your screen.
Insert a period at the end of the first sentence and space the appropriate number of spaces. Then capitalize the first letter of the next sentence. Turn off the macro recorder. Go to the end of the next sentence and try the assigned shortcut keys.
I would imagine most do...
If they require you to do these during your normal work hours so you are losing money to attend the training/conference, etc. Heck even if you do it outside of work hours, you are giving up your free time to do it and thus should be paid IMO.
I was curious to see if most of the companies do pay, as mine doesn't and it really steams me.
I just imagine myself as a bag lady nm.
x
Just imagine-- no worries
I would love to wake up every morning and have no worries about gas prices going up even higher, whether or not I can afford my utility bill, whether or not I as a single woman will be able to find someone to help me with heavy work and things I can't do by myself, etc. No matter what state of chaos the world is in, they just go on about their daily routine, just like they always have. They also help each other-- what a novel idea. Their lifestyle is sounding better all the time-- a big plus for me is that I already have a horse.
Same here!! They get so nutz on here. Could you imagine
what it would like to put all these same women in the same room? It could go one of 2 ways..sweet as pie to one another OR .......AAAH!! Oops i think i splt thgs rihgt up three!! LOL
I just can't imagine what these people are going through.
I watched a CNN clip on the net this morning and can't stop crying. I'm going to try to pull it together and work a bit extra today so that I can have extra $$ to send to the Red Cross and I'm going to pray a lot.
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