My son recommended it a few years ago
Posted By: Olive on 2009-05-17
In Reply to: foxfire - spitfire
and that's all I use. Maybe you would find this interesting.
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Yes, you can. However, it's recommended you have at least 2 years, preferably many more. nm
x
25+ years ago, I'd have recommended it highly - sm
-- as it was recommended to me. It was an excellent fit for about 10-12 years, but then when managed healthcare came on scene, it not only ruined medical care as we once knew it, but also our livelihoods. Wish I'd followed my OTHER friend's advice, and become a court reporter. She's still working, still not outsourced to India, and she makes good money -- working about 3-4 days a week. Put her kids through college, etc.
Woulda', coulda', SHOULDA!
:(
What is recommended to study for CMT?
xx
Exp. not required, but recommended.
Actually, AAMT has restructured the CMT exam, and MTs are no longer required to have 2 years of experience to sit for the exam. However, they strongly recommended to have at least 2 years of experience in the acute arena.
Check out the AAMT web site - they are working on a new certification exam that is geared more towards those new to the field and new graduates. I believe this is the RMT credential already discussed here. According to the web site, those eligible are recent graduates, MTs with less than 2 years' acute experience, and MTs working in single- or multi-specialty clinics.
Hope that helps....
Theresa Leppert, RHIT, CMT
Someone on this board recommended the...
Microsoft Comfort Curve keyboard. I bought it last week and love it.
I have also had a problem with RSI. I went to a chiropractor and he fixed the problem. I had a disk compression at C5-6, and it was causing my hands to hurt.
I found that using an ergonomic keyboard, making sure that I sat with correct posture, getting chiropractic adjustments, and doing yoga and stretching all helped a great deal.
Recommended Programs
I have a bachelors degree in Biology and one in Medical Technology. Right now I am working for a hematology instrumentation manufacturing company. Getting tired of the rat race and with the change of being "let go" at anytime (seeing a lot of people that started with me go) I am looking for something to back me up an hopefully work from home. How do you guys recommend one gets started as an MT? I went into the AAMT website and saw three educational programs recommended, M-Tec, Andrews, and Career Step. Are these good places to start? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Recommended Programs
Thanks for all the inputs, with everything I have heard, it seems that becoming an MT is a really bad idea.
I thought HP was the best recommended on here.
Do you recommend a different brand then?
My PT recommended changing the height sm
and the position of the chair a few times a day, getting up and walking around q hour, etc. Sitting for prolonged periods as we do causes us to "freeze" and get into trouble with aches and pains. It really does help to move around a bit.
My doctor recommended against exercises. Said just use it.
.
Avast also recommended by Consumer Reports.
x
Go through the posts on the New MT board to see what programs are recommended. nm
n
Search the new MT boards. 3 places recommended that
s
I recommended it and I stand by taht recommendation (sm)
The previous version (2002) still has some valuable information and the newest version, 2008, came out at the end of April/first part of May. Not sure if you can get it on amazon.com but you can get it from their publisher rayve (google it or the book title) or you might be able to find it on half.com.
I got the 2002 version on interlibrary loan from my local library, read it cover to cover TWICE and it was a wealth of information!!!! I strongly recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting out on their own. :)
SoftFlex gloves come highly recommended
And a lumbar support too!!
Sealy Posturpedic chair recommended down this page under
s
Someone on MTD recommended a keyboard off of eBay that had the word "Ice" in its name. Haven&#
.
onesuite.com was recommended to me. Have not checked into yet but 2.5 cents sounds good.
//
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.
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