I started MT to gain skills to eventually work....sm
Posted By: Marie on 2006-01-24
In Reply to: "Where does one go..." - sm
outside my home. I was working another small business from home too and had been home for 13 years total. My MT skills got me a job as a secretary for the Army. My first position didn't pay a lot, but it was still about $3.50 more an hour than I could find anywhere else locally. In August 2006, with promotions etc., I will have had total increases in salary of 45% in two years. My next move is to start taking some college courses (which my employer will pay for) and applying for positions with a more defined career field. Having a hard time figuring out which field, as I have a lot of options/opportunity.
Working from home served a huge purpose, but since DH is also self-employed, my current job adds a lot of security to our family in terms of health/life insurance, retirement, paid vacations, etc. I added up the cost of all my paid benefits vs. paying out of pocket as an independent contractor, and they were worth another 35 - 40% of my salary, which will increase once I start taking college classes.
If you are not looking in the medical field, gear your resume towards your other skills. MTs have a myriad of skills (research, computer, organizational, listening, following instructions, bookkeeping). If you are an independent contractor, you are more than an MT, you are a small business owner, which puts a host of additional skills on your plate. Get creative and look at some on-line resumes in different fields, you will probably be surprised how many skills you have.
When I decided to look for a job, I researched all the highest paying companies/opportunities within the distance I was willing to travel and only applied to those companies. It took about a year and a few interviews, but I eventually got exactly what I was looking for. I still get calls from some of the places I interviewed/applied offering jobs.
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the hospital I work for already has started to implement this and lessen our work
I see it every single day... they are going to EMR... meaning the doctors simply use a template already in the computer and check boxes or something... The doctor's office i GO TO actually does this too. This is why it creates tech jobs to create those templates and takes AWAY MT jobs because the doctor is no longer dictating, they are just pushing little buttons or checking boxes straight into the computer.
Personally I still think that is more time than the doc wants to take but whatever, i dont see how generic charts are good, what happened to detailed information...
But this is definitely how i see it going along. Maybe not everywhere, but plenty of places are going to go to this, it's all about saving money now isn't it???
My people skills are just fine. I just want to hire people who want to work.
I've not been ugly, I've asked questions, legitimate ones. Please tell me what is wrong with that. This site is not just for MTs, it is for QA Editors, Supervisors, Service Owners, there's even sections for Billers, Coders, and Nurses.
Tell you what the place I work for started
I work for a national doing a hospital here in my town. The hospital told the dictators no more cell phone calls just because of what you are talking about. I remember when they were allowed to use and all the cutting out so big gaps left. It will work if someone in charge puts that in force.
I started work for 1 company this past
year that was really out in the sticks. They had dial-up because they were not close to anything and that was a company!! What I dislike so much about having my DSL is here in Atlanta with Bellsouth you have to have a land phone if you have the DSL. I am hoping with the take over of Bellsouth with AT&T maybe they will give you the fast access without the land. I spend sooo much on something I rarely use but went with another provider here in town and not satisfied with the service so back to MA Bell. I have to have the fastest. I really don’t want to try any others as that switch was sorta nighmarish!!
Yep, I had to work today, didn't get dinner started until 1:30
So just got done with dinner at 5 pm!! But just thankful to have a job at home where I got to spend the day with my daughter, rather than if I would have had to go out to work today, like some people did! Maybe someday I will get the holiday off, but this is second best!
would you mind sharing how to get started with this type of work
typing insurance claims? Thanks
I started on Acute care, then went to clinic work, - sm
and then back again. I found clinic work to be more challenging, plus it often included radiology. I think it's more a matter of just getting familiar with each institution's way of doing things, along with new doctors, and getting familiar with a few new terms (which don't we all do every single day, anyway?) than it is one being easier or harder than the other.
I started with 310 minutes of work on Friday night- sm
talk about being tied to the computer all weekend. Have 131 minutes for Monday's work, fun, so have a busy day ahead! I was basically off the last week in December so it is nice to make up for lost wages.
I can tell you, 75% GAIN weight. But you might need them for a while anyway.
x
Gain knowledge sm
I think I addressed this before, you cannot get enough knowledge to put in your bank. If they are willing to pay you, soak it in like a sponge. It's hard, I wanted to quit so many times but I went from "duh" to "diva" by blood, sweat and tears. It's worth it, hang in!! Knowledge is power.
What goes around DOES eventually - sm
come around, and I think we MT's need to help it a bit more then we have been in the past. Regardless of who wins this year's election, and who our elected officials are next year, WE need to start lobbying and pushing for reform in a messed-up healthcare system that allows patient reports to be sent out of the United States. And we need to push for a change from the current policy of REWARDING hospitals, MTSO's, insurance companies, etc. for offshoring what should be strictly AMERICAN work.
They say "the pen is mightier than the sword", and who better to write letters and emails, newspaper editorials, blogs, letters to the editors of newspapers, etc. than MTs, who have a superior command of the written word, and who know firsthand what's really going on in the medical world, and how it hurts us, and ALL American patients.
Been at home for over a year now and I switched to night shift. I work for a national. Started out
working the night shift and sleeping in shifts during the day. My kids are way older but that doesn't mean they don't interrupt me. Besides, there the phone issue, more interruptions, the dogs bothered me a lot, too. Love them dearly but, oh so spoiled. It was taking me 10 hours to do what I can do in 8 on nights, plus I manage to get more sleep, if you can believe that. I still get supper on the table, vacuum, laundry, etc. So far it is working pretty good, so I think I will put in for permanent night hours for awhile. No sense in working 10 when I can work 8.
Do it, you have nothing to lose and lots to gain -sm
Years ago I started a Paralegal certificate program in Annapolis, was 4 or so courses into it, then we moved to Richmond, VA and I started to go to University of Richmond for their Paralegal program....I took 4 classes there but then "dropped out" right after my second child was born....that was 6 years ago. I had every intention to go back 2 years ago but then my mom got sick and life when down hill from there. Things are finally normalizing now and I (again) plan to go back in the Fall, have to budget it in as it is over $900 for 1 class, I have 18 more classes to take, this will be one expensive certificate but it is an excellent school (private hence the high cost). I have extensive office administration experience so this can only enhance my current abilities and I look forward to working in the law field one day. So IF I keep at it at 3 classes a year, I will finally be done in 6 years. At that point my kids will be 12 and 14, and I will be 47. I plan on doing it though I will be an old lady (LOL), so age is relative. I do not feel old even though I am 40, remember "Life is a state of mind".....quote from "Being There" (I think I am remembering that correctly).
time to get gain control again
Hayseed, I feel for you. It's not worth it, no matter what you are paid or the benefits. Sounds like THEY are in control of your life, not you and you resent it, as you should. My advice would be to get control of the situation again if you are able to (work something out with them) or move on. This is just not worth it. It really isn't. Not worth your health, the sacrifice of your peace of mind. Your body and emotions are rebelling big time. You deserve better. You know it and that's probably part of the anger you are feeling. You're no newbie who must endure just to get experience. Think about a change for the sake of your own health.
Gain 100 pounds! That's pretty sad that anyone
would want to LET themselves go like that!
I hope you're kidding, but in some ways, I do know that transcriptionists sure do gain A TON OF WEIGHT!
weight gain and depression!!! nm
x
You're right...I eventually was able to do it...
after reading a thread on Productivity Talk. 'She' wouldn't even really talk to me about it..."just send the $25." I felt she could have at least been a bit more helpful, but she really wasn't at all. The conversion instructions didn't work when I followed them. That as over 3 years ago. Maybe they are better now, but I just don't care for how SpeedType works. Period. I would resell it to someone, but I don't think they would thank me.
What I see makes me think US MT will eventually
sda
Eventually the India MTs will not need
I think eventually all companies will be doing
almost 100% VR and we will definitely be taken advantage of then, getting paid 3 cpl. I will not work for that and that's why I want out of transcription ASAP!
not out to stir the pot or gain brownie points
Okay, I'll tell. I work for an MTSO that is known for its standard of hiring only the best of the best MTs. The only feedback I get is for the exceptionally good work I do and the raises it earns.
I just think the OP is conflicted...trying to "set" us all straight while s/he studies to move out of this profession and still projects that the rest of us should care about it - as if anyone who has been in this business has not kept up with the changes; where it used to be, where it is now and where it is heading.
I do my part through the work I produce. My work ethic would hold true whether I produce reports or greet people at Wal-Mart. I have nothing to prove or need the attention as it seems the OP does.
Again, this is a waste of bandwidth.
What percentage productivity gain do you get with InstanText?
Am thinking of switching. I currently get 400% productivity with SH8 (it types 3 characters for every 1 I type). Can anyone out there get similar figures with InstanText?
Why is this being allowed to happen, isn't it eventually
If American workers are forced out of their jobs so foreigners can work for cheap, making the owners of these companies richer, what happens to consumption? The avg American is too poor to consume much, driving other American businesses into the ground. Soon it will be a monopoly, there will be no middle class, just poverty and the filthy rich making money off foreigners.
Hey, it's called CAPITALISM....Something will eventually run WM out too.
THere was a uproar years ago when supermarkets came into being, then the department stores... Who the heck shops in Mom N' Pop stores anymore? And who can afford the inflated prices. Capitalism is the best system, no matter how much you don't like it.
I notice that too. QA will eventually catch up to them.
dd
Look at it this way, he will probably need it for more than 1 class eventually; or my daughter
needed Word which at the time I did not have, so our alternative was for her to stay after school and use their computers as I could not afford the program then.
don't laugh: it WILL be called that eventually s/m
and if not, it's not like everyone wouldn't know the difference. Scary!
Eventually, VR will be the industry standard.
The way I see it, the options are:
A. Learn it now; find a platform and a company where you can make decent money.
B. Keep job hopping for the next few years as straight transcription is phased out bit by bit, company by company.
C. Find another profession.
Eventually, the straight transcription will only be available when creating speech models for new dictators.
Not many. A lot of Indians use Canada as a crutch to gain US business and
for processing. You'd probably do better at MTGab since it is a Canadian MT site.
No, the problem was HER and then don’t use the kids as a crutch to gain sympathy.
Some of us are not into the reasons she listed for her plight or lack of as we heard from her. I have no sympathy to her, for her, towards her, nothing. I am sure others feel exactly the same as I do. This person trying to get over on you, me and any others she can. What a deadbeat.
Bleach works but disintegrates it eventually.
dd
Also, any action you eventually may take will have to happen in her state - not yours. nm
x
My goal is to eventually add commentary and humor/satire/etc...sm
I'm not talented in all those areas and hope to attract other MTs who are. There's no money in it at this point, unfortunately.
Jay
That's a Shame, Becka, I hope you can eventually collect your pay! (EOM)
.
Does hormone replacement (specifically low dose Prempro) cause you to gain weight? nm
nm
What type of doctor specializes in helping people gain weight?
I'm kind of baffled on what my mother should do, and I'm hoping that someone out there has typed a report on something like this.
My mom weighs 78 pounds and cannot gain weight through diet. She has seen several doctors, and they are not sure what she should do. Is there a type of doctor that specializes in this?
Her history is that she had a severe H. pylori infection. When I was a kid it was so severe that her stomach ulcers hemorrhaged and she went into a coma for a while. By the time H. pylori became an actual diagnosable condition, the infection had eaten away most of her stomach. She went on antibiotics finally, but by that time she had to have the majority of her stomach, some of her intestines, and her gallbladder removed.
She now eats quite a bit, but everything runs right through her. She can't gain weight no matter how much she consumes. She has tried all the protein drinks and even tried eating large quantities of trail mix with no results. She can't gain weight no matter what she tries.
She has seen several doctors and a dietician. None have have offered any real solutions and all have questioned whether she is anorexic and just hiding it.
Does anyone know of a clinic or hospital that specializes in this? Are there any types of treatment for this?
it does get easier and eventually things make sense to you even when you can't understand -
I was doing a Irish doctor, I could understand the medical terms pretty well, it was the easier, more normal words, I had trouble with. Because of the lilting and very fast way he said it "three arteries and a vein" nearly drove me insane.
people skills
I beg to differ. I agree with the OP - your post was rude and condescending. I see no evidence of people skills in anything you wrote or in the "tone" of your post.
Also, your reply had nothing to do with her post. She was sharing good news about a hiring phase going on right now. Too bad you are so miserable that you cannot even recognize when one human being is sharing good news with others.
From what I have seen and experienced with MTSOs in the last 2 years (28 years in this business), there are many owners, managers and supervisors with no clue about how to deal with their employees.
SO, maybe you are the one who needs to find another business.
Looking to upgrade skills, though sm
just for personal reasons, as I'm still working, etc. I see Medword has a 9 specialty CD set for $269, and of course there is the SUM Advanced package but that's $840. My goal is to be more employable by just broadening my skills as I've only been doing ER and clinic for years (going on 10); however, I'm certainly not made of money! ;) Do you think the Medword one would be okay or a waste of money? I've heard great things about the SUM program but do you think it's really necessary?
Thanks for your thoughts!
I hope your MT skills
This is where your skills really come into play.
It will drive you mad if you let it. Sometimes even the doctor is unfamiliar with the med especially specialists. I have found that on an occasional basis. 
$$ should have nothing to do with your skills and conscientiousness. (sm)
you sound like one of the ones who is relatively new to the field (within the last 10 years) who pumps out reports, doesn't spell correctly, and doesn't like being corrected. Am I right?
Gap in spelling skills, too.
I have noted that misspelled words are everywhere; spelling skills are apparently no longer valued (and I'm talking people with advanced degrees with atrocious spelling and grammar). I need to go to the dentist and get some teeth fixed from clenching my jaws so tightly whenever a doctor says things like "he itched himself".
not too sure of skills, need advice
Just wondering if any of you have experienced a lot of "knocks" starting out in transcription. I took an at-home course in 98 and finally got hired in 2000 and trained in office for 8 months. I worked at home for about 3 months then my husband divorced me. I continued to work in the medical field for the next 4 years, doing work in a hospital that included med term and typing with 98% accuracy or actual transcription. My problem is when I find a job my feedback is that I am leaving little words out, or not paying close enought attention to detail. What can I do to improve this? the only thing I can think of is just keep practicing but I can't keep an actual transcripton job long enough! What do I do? 
Looking to strengthen skills...
I have been in the field for 7 years with the same account (IM and Family Practice.) Looking to strengthen my skills. The areas I feel I need improvement in are grammer, proofing (something I have done very little of), and a stronger understanding of terminology. If you have any advice on where to go from here. I do not need a full transcription course, but does anyone offer a "refresher" and/or practice dictation in different specialties. Thanks so much!!
What if you were an LPN with not so hot typing skills?
Would that duty still be required of you? Sounds like you are not that busy as an LPN. Small office? This was not in your original job description? I would ask about a pay increase along with the duty increase.
thanks...just knowing there are others, same age bracket, skills, etc...does help...
like you, I LOVE this job, and actually chose it - not the other way around. Fortunately, it has not cost me anything, really, like the other poster mentioned; but I too am scared.
It is always upsetting when you life changes because of things out of your control...at our age, we are from the times when people had one job until they retired. I know that is history, but man, this way is ridiculous. Flying from job to job, no continuity, no structure. What good can come of this anyway.
like the other poster mentioned, who cares about us anyway, really. the rich only care about getting richer, and that crap about giving the tax cuts to the rich and they will 'share it' - what a bunch of fools we have been.
thanks for sharing!
Advice on expanding my skills..
If I want to specialize in Orthopedic or Cardiology or some other specialty, what is the best way to do this? I currently only do ER.
Would I have to enroll in an on-line school or can I just use practice tapes?
Any advice is appreciated!!
Need fast skills update
Need books/tapes to upgrade skills to do acute care work. Any advice on materials I can purchase. Going back to school is not an option right now.
Test your typing skills
http://www.arcadespot.net/play-1126.html
If your DD has previous skills she can post
resume on the on-line sites like monster.com. There are few jobs that are legit. If they require $$ upfront you can bet they are a scam.
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