I was a nurse and became an MT...
Posted By: See msg on 2005-11-07
In Reply to: You don't need to check out those schools. I am a certified - Michigan MT
without attending a formal MT school, however, I had a mentor who was a small MTSO. She gave me the tapes (the 80s) and I muddled my way through it. But it was not office notes, it was hospital work. Big big difference. And, it took me 2 yrs to be up to snuff with all the accents, dictation styles, and vast range of hospital reports. It was by no means a "snap."
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Actually, I was never a nurse.
However, I was a certified lifeguard (among other things) before I got into MT. I do well enough at it that I quit my fulltime federal job to stay home with my kids. They fly around the house while I type.
<img src=http://www.mopspace.com/flying%20monkey.jpg">
Does this look like Ask-A-Nurse? These are MTs here, and
lots of them aren't even good at that, let alone doing triage over the Internet for your son.
I have a nurse
that says "just put" before every sentence...I've considered typing "just put" LOL.
I also have another doctor that says "At the present time" every other sentence.
Oh and then there is one that likes to be cute and say 78-year-young patient
but the most annoying thing to me of all are the doctors that dictate half a report and then start over at some random spot for absolutely no reason but say everything differently so you have to retype the whole freaking report!
If they could hear the garbage we make into nice pretty finished documents they would definitely pay more! I guarantee they don't ever listen back and see what they are saying!
Oh one more...
the doc i'm typing right now leaves words out. "Attempted (to) contact Dr. SoandSo (he) could not (be) reached."
*sigh*
how old is too old to become a nurse...sm
I have been contemplating my life and was thinking about going back to school to become a nurse, but I will be 48 this year and I was wondering at what point a person is getting too old to go into nursing due to the physical strains. Just curious. 
Nurse....
In my bio class (prereq for nursing) there is a woman who is 50. I don't think you're ever too old. Another thing, not all nursing jobs are physically demanding. It just depends on where you choose work.
why not ask a nurse or two?
x
Registered Nurse or registered nurse
I think I am just tired. The patient is a Registered Nurse. Should that be capitalized?
School nurse
I was really stupid about them. My child was complaining that something was in his head, and I actually took him to school nurse, she said he did not have them. By the time I actually caught on, we had a terrible infestation, and I have been obsessed with them ever since. Even going to the beauty shop, the hairdresser will pick up the same hairbrush she has used on everyone and use it on you. I am hypersensitive to them after the infestation we had. Probably not smart to treat beforehand, but gosh, we had a horrible time several years back, you could not even find that stuff (Nix) in the stores, they were sold out.
I did MT before becoming a nurse, return afterwards. sm
Hated nursing. It wasn't all that I thought it would be. I found I could make more being an MT and with a heckuva lot less stress and backbreaking labor.
First you think we're Ask-A-Nurse...
then you blame some of those who actually did try to help you. Hello? What an idiot. Truly.
With the help from a mother who is a nurse. nm
x
If MT got me 50k, I wouldn't need to be a nurse. lol sm
But I am about a quarter away from an AAS in HIM but am dropping and moving to nursing. I'll have to do all the science prereqs, which are the hardest, so it will still take me about 3 years too for a 4-yr degree.
CNA is not a nurse and should in no shape or
form be performing anything other than assisting patient with ADLS, doing vitals, etc. I can't believe a reputable medical facility would allow her to perform such duties without proper education/certification and this needs to be brought to the attention of management. If indeed this is true she is a major liability. If the facility accepts Medicaid/Medicare they would lose their license, not to mention possible lawsuits.
Oh and by the way, being a nurse in no way qualifies you to be and MT. SM
That was my point.
Nurse practitioner
Does anyone have a good website to find Nurse Practitioner addresses?
TIA
Stacy
Work as a nurse? Ugh, ugh, UGH! sm
You have to really be a "people person" to want to be a nurse, wipe old people's butts and clean bedpans and patient vomit. (AND have to deal with the doctors in PERSON.) I give total credit to anyone in that profession, but it's just not for me. And still, school-wise, there is a lot of remedial math, science and biology I'd have to take before I'd ever even be considered for nursing school. I guess that's the price I pay for being an English/Art major. I had MANY office jobs, plus a small business of my own, before I ever even went to night school to learn MT. I got so tired of dealing with callous, power-hungry management people, back-stabbing co-workers, reviews, meetings, politics, dress requirements, pantyhose, unmanageable hair, you-name-it. Working with words and voice-recordings was my cup of tea, and back in "The Day", we were valued (as human beings, not just extensions of machinery) by our employers. Sometimes "progress" isn't as good a thing over the long haul as it looks initially.
That is when you either call for a nurse to come in and
help explain, ask for another physician, or leave. There is no reason for a physician to be working in the U.S. and not be able to understand the citizens that he is trying to help. In that situation the manager or someone would be notified, whether I decided to stick around.
nurse anestis
Anyone know what a "nurse anestis" is? Not sure that is the correct spelling . . . thanks!
Nurse anesthesiologist is
The one that stays with the patient's once the anesthesiologist puts them under..They for the most part monitor and advise if there is a problem...
My husband had a nurse tell him
she tips her hat to his wife doing MT. She could not do it. She thought she could, but when she sat down, she gave up in about 5 minutes. She stated that she didn't know how I understood what the doctors are saying; they talk so fast. Yes, we are highly underpaid for the skill set we have as MTs. I also had a physician tell his resident students that he was mentoring that they should transcribe for about a year before they have finished medical school and they might just learn something. LOL
I didn't go to school to be an MT. I was, however, a nurse before
turning transcriptionist. I got my first transcription job because I did know the terminology and could pass the typing test. Synthroid can be transcribed in mg form as long as the dosage is typed correctly (0.025 or whatever the dosage might be). If I am typing a verbatim report, that is how I type it, verbatim within the realm of the BOS. If the doctor decides to swap from system to system in a physical exam, then I type it as he dictates and if there is some major problem that makes absolutely no sense I do send it to QA. After all, that is what verbatim means. Transcribe exactly as dictated. I do agree that an education is wonderful. However, the job can be done and done well, I might add, if you have some form of medical background and take the time to learn to do the job correctly. Sorry for my rant, too. Also a sore subject with me.
Nurse, get that doctor a scooter! Right away!
nm
The older men want either someone to support them or a nurse or
z
Hmm. Every doc, nurse, attorney, accountant
I know is making WAY good money and none are working at McD's!!! LOL
Agree with this! Only become a nurse if YOU want to do it. It's a tough job. nm
s
Funny guy....scary nurse...nm
nm
In a dictation, the nurse overheard
the doc dictating and asked why he was talking so fast, that she was right there and couldn't understand him. His reply, "They like it when you talk fast!" Where in the world did he get that idea?! 
While a nurse might have a head start
on medical terminology, there is so much more to being a successful MT. Most companies will not accept nursing experience in lieu of actual MT experience, either. I'd suggest to your friend she enroll in a good MT school.
Actually, I can't understand WHY a nurse would want to make the switch. These days, pay is going down, down, down for MTs and the pay could never compete with nursing pay.
Nurse anesthetist - google it.
x
My mom's neighbor is a Filipino nurse. She's
really sweet, but she has to go over & ask my mom what she should do when her kids get sick or hurt, etc. And she's a neonatal ICU RN with a degree from the Phillippines -- tell me that's not SCARY.
Becoming a nurse requires education and certification.
MT does NOT. A flying monkey could become an MT with a little training. Some people make it sound as if we're doing brain surgery here. Honestly, we are glorified typists. Anyone who thinks it's more than that is just trying to feel better about being a medical typist. I get slammed all the time for this opinion, but the harsh reality of it is that this is NOT a difficult field to get into IF you have the proper skills. Don't slam someone for being a nurse and wanting to transition to MT. She has more education and certification in the medical field than we do. As long as she has good grammar, spelling, research, and typing skills, SHE WILL DO GREAT!!!! Why do people have to be so egotistical and negative on these boards? We ought to encourage newbies getting into the field instead of telling them it's too difficult or they aren't qualified. Hey, let's just alienate all the newbies and send the work overseas to people who don't have EFL skills.
Say what you will, but I did "walk into" this after being a nurse and I have not fallen flat o
face. In fact, I have been an MT for about seven years now (not a long time, but long enough to realize that I haven't fallen flat on my face). I enjoy my job and I do it very well. Not everybody can do this, but I can and my nursing helped me tremendously. 
I worked as a nurse in a nursing home before
getting into transcription. I do not ever remember a case where medications were placed on the MAR (medication administration record) based on a transcribed report. Ours were based on handwritten orders from the transferring facility. There were times when phone calls had to be made in order to clarify or get an order for a correct dosage based on the handwritten orders. EVERYONE involved in patient care has to strive for excellence, from the doctor to the nursing assistant.
I have a gum chewing nurse practitioner, yuck.
this is totally disgusting at 4:30 in the morning. I wish she had to listen to herself for a few minutes.
Doncha love those nurse dictators
who take 18 minutes to dictate 2-1/2 pages?? Dang. boom.gif
My best friend has been a nurse for years but I would not have her transcribe for me...
Believe it or not, we do more than "just type." Working the equipment and software is just a small part of it.
And I can become a nurse without training because I have experience in Band-Aid applications!! nm
Because you're a nurse you also feel qualified to be an M.D. too? (Wink)
Was a nurse for Hospice. Very special work! It will change you.nm
c
The average starting nurse only makes something like 33K. I didn't have my own
accounts. Sure you can go on later and probably make 50K or more, but you can do that in the MT world, too, in management or whatever. Nursing just wasn't for me. It was a lot of passing medications. Just when you finished a shift of doing meds, it was time for the next round. Physically demanding, too. All in all, just wasn't worth it to me. I didn't enjoy it. Some do. I was glad to find out early that I wasn't one of them!
I won't be in the MT world forever, though. It's a nice thing to fall back on from time to time. What's funny was all the nurses I met who asked me about MT work. Several others wanted out, too. The annoying thing, though, is all the ones who think because they're nurses and know some medical terminology they're ready to do MT. That'll drive you nuts!
I feel your pain. The nurse practitioner I transcribe..sm
Just dictated 37 minutes worth of dictation. It was only 4 pages long, took me 2 hours, and only came out to 189 lines. It feels like I already have a pen in my temple!
I disagree, I would leave the room and ask a nurse to be present...sm
I think it would be uncomfotable for your daughter or son (for a son even more!) when they are over the age of 14 for you to be present at their intimate exams!
Ask your children, unless you turn away your face and then you don't see anything anyways.
Give them their privacy!
They are not babies anymore!
My nurse said most patients make calls with their cell, no problem
x
Lots of cases where babies in NICU got sick from the nurse's nails. nt
Will be a nurse-practitioner...but I'll keep my MTSO as long as it stays alive...
nm
hehe I was able to nurse and type at the same time. It's all a matter of the chair and keyboard
x
RMAs/CMAs usally work in physician offices as the office nurse.
x
It is enough with ESLs but lordy, lordy this nurse practioner is saying
'she hurted" all over her joints. Oh I am about to toss it. Trying to work some over and I hear this. I could scream.
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