OT: Changing face of veterinary medicine (sm)
Posted By: catlover on 2006-02-07
In Reply to:
Is it only me or has veterinary medicine changed quite a bit over the years to resemble care of humans? I have cats and absolutely love them but I'm becoming torn between necessary care, preventive care, and just down-right UN-necessary care. I remember back when animals went to the vet for shots and only when they got sick. If they were sick, diagnosis and prognosis dictated the next level of care. And in most cases back then there were no options other than to let nature take its course if something serious/chronic was found.
I'm now noticing that every time I take one of the cats to the vet's, the doc wants to do "baseline" blood work at least once a year and now wants to see my ten-year-old cat on a twice-yearly basis. My kitty is healthy as a horse and has had no health problems for ten years. Why all of a sudden does he need expensive BASELINE lab work and xrays as well as needing to be seen twice a year and have his teeth cleaned twice a year (not cheap)? It sounds like I'm complaining about the money end versus taking care of my kitty, and I suppose in a sense I am, because this adds up to a whole lot over the course of time. The doc mentioned the reasons for the lab work (diabetes, thyroid problems, anemia, cancer, etc.) I'm torn between having the work done and what I would do if anything chronic showed up on the tests. I love my kitty but don't know if spending lots of money on chronic meds/therapy would be an option when I would have to weigh other expenses against them.
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Jen, seriously, the face of MT is changing. sm
Get that degree. Trust me on this. Yes, it's nice sitting home in jammies with the kids. I did it a lot of years, but I made way more money then than now. Things are changing drastically and fast in this field. Get the degree.
Help! Have face-to-face interview for at-home hospital job tomorrow and ....SM
I want to ask the most comprehensive questions I can so as to make the best decision possible. I work for a small national right now, pretty happy but would like better benefits, especially more affordable and better insurance. I already know this hospitals pays .09 cpl and .11 if you do more than 1200 lines per day. It's been so long since I've been interviewed in person. I need you guys to help me make a list of questions to ask so that I can just get it all down on paper and make sure I'm not missing anything. I know they use ChartScript and Lanier and that they provide the computer. What else exactly should I ask?
I came across my best friend online, but I have yet to meet her face to face sm
I have known her for several years. We talk a couple of times a day. I have never seen her face to face, but I could not live without her love and support and she feels the same.
I have given my number out several times recently. I have yet to come across a serial killer. They are all MTs. Without exception, they have all been wonderful. In three cases, we are all working on friendship. In one case, I think we will be close in time. We are very similar in many ways and I just think she is wonderful.
I have dated on line and we were together as a couple in person for a year. It was a great experience.
Give notice face to face and (sm)
briefly explain the circumstances. In the same conversation ask if it's ok to use the company as a reference and possibly provide a "To Whom It May Concern" letter of recommendation. Then follow up with a brief letter. A good reference goes a long way, even as an IC!
Have a face-to-face talk with your son!
Tell your son you love him and care for him, but you are just not happy about his soon to be wife/lesbian calling his mother/soon-to-be mother-in-law these nasty things. Tell your son that if he wants any part of his family then he needs to talk to his girlfriend and tell her that she needs to respect his mother or things will sure be hell down the long road. You know how it is when you do not get along with in-laws. Sounds like your son had a lot of communicating to do or you may not respect him anymore.
face to face demeanor is always different...sm
guess they figure if you can't see 'em, they can be themselves.
I know their demeanor is different face to face,
but if they treat the medical record with such little regard, I really wonder what kind of ethics they have regarding the medical care given to their patients.
Need veterinary help
I have a very old blind and deaf black lab who lays on the floor next to my computer. She's a love but she has horrific gas constantly. Does anyone know of something to help this old girl out. She eats IAMs kibble-style food twice a day and does not eat table scraps. She gets zero exercise these days.
Veterinary MTs?!
Is anyone out there a veterinary MT? I just read an interesting article about veterinary medical transcription. How fun would that be for us that are animal lovers? I did not know such a job existed.
Here is the article:
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?cc=98501&zz=0#AnchorPostComment
Veterinary Transcriptionists??
Does anyone transcribe for a vet? How did you get in to this area of transcription? It sounds like it would be interesting. Maybe they just have their secretaries transcribe. Thoughts on this.
Thanks!
Has anyone ever done veterinary transcription? sm
I was talking to one of the veterinarians I take my oldest dog to. It's a small specialty clinic, and we've been going there for almost 2 years now, not long after they first opened up.
They are all very caring, highly professional people there. They value quality over quantity, and they really go above and beyond in their care and in spending time with each patient and owner. (I've actually joked that if I need surgery, I want to go there. LOL) Because of that, they don't see a large number of patients and plan to keep it that way, but their business is definitely thriving.
There are 2 full-time vets there, and 1 who is part-time. Their problem is that they are drowning in paperwork. They're all very meticulous and detail oriented, so they don't just scribble something down on a chart or dash off a letter or home care instructions and call it good. They like to document everything thoroughly, but it's becoming very time consuming for them.
They tried a speech recognition program, but it was terrible. They know I do MT, so we started talking. They're interested in whether I might want to do their reports and letters, *if* they were to start dictating this stuff (we were just talking, nothing has been decided).
The thing is, I've spent the last 10 years working for a national (the infamous, pay-cutting "Q" as a matter of fact), so I'm not at all set up to just jump right in. I have no idea what I would charge, whether I would work there or at home, what the work volume would be, what software I would use, whether I'd be an employee or IC, etc. And, of course, there are some differences between human vs. veterinary medicine.
I don't know. My head is kind of spinning right now. I think it would be such interesting work that I would love. It could be such a great opportunity, but I feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of all of it. Any thoughts, advice, recommendations...?
How does one get into being a veterinary assistant/tech? sm
Are there schools to go to or does the vet train you?
Veterinary/Ophthamology position--sm
I sent an e-mail regarding this post asking if it were legit as it seems to be posted quite frequently and the general feeling on this board is that this company 'tests' with current work needing typed. See company board under original response for her post.
She responded by sayng "My ad is very detailed because I am particular about whom I hire, as anyone who works for me carries my company name and work ethics. If you feel there are too many requirements and that the pay is "ridiculously low," then why would you want the job? I have worked in this business now since 1989, and I can assure you that the pay is more than reasonable."
Have you tried the Drs. Foster and Smith veterinary website?
Great site!
I hope your doggie's feeling better soon.
There's a difference between a tech and a veterinary assistant
The main difference is that a tech is certified and has a bachelor's degree or beyond. My son worked as a vet tech while in college because he was a biology major and the vet he worked with found it easy to train him.
A veterinary assistant is more often trained by the vet since it's not so involved. They do vital signs, dispense meds, set up the room for the next patient, etc.
The difference between a vet tech and a veterinary assistant is comparable to the difference between an RN and a nurses' aide.
Either way, it's a very rewarding and gratifying way to make a living.
What is the deal with this veterinary ophthalmology IC job offer. I see that one a lot. Is this al
Has anybody here worked there before? 
MT and medicine in general
The greedy guts smelled the ability to MAKE A PROFIT in the field of medicine
and "there went the neighborhood."
It used to be a sign of respect to be a doctor - now they just work for the company store and are running out the door with the nurses at quitting time - throwing any patient they may be seeing to the winds. One even told me to hurry up and make up my mind because she had to go pick up her kids at daycare!
And so has medical transcription - some guy in a tie said QUANTITY OF LINES COULD = MUCHO PROFIT...
Of course those people don't care if a few people die along the way because of errors. - well not at least until it's their leg that's amputated by mistake.
Going into medicine. I have 2 MT friends
who are already in medical school. One MT I worked with at a large hospital is now an anesthesiologist making about $300K a year. Hahaha Should I hope to do so well. Hahaha
Know 1 who is a psychotherapist now. Know 1 who got her MBA and works in government contracting and 1 who got his MS and works for JCAHO.
Lots of things to do out there! It's much easier to decide what you want to do now that you're experienced in life and know what the real investments and rewards are. I'd go on to commercial flight school if I weren't going into medicine. I have a private license. Would LOVE to be Lear certified! Would love to fly a medical helicopter. You can get funding for those flight programs, too! Not a traditional classroom setup. If I don't get into med school, I may be doing that! Hahaha
Internal Medicine
 Are they hiring at all right now? Let me know. Am interested in part-time, evenings and weekends.
Unfortunately after paying $140.00 for the medicine (30 days) sm
after two weeks I broke out in hives and had to stop taking it.
"The Language of Medicine" sm
is a very good book and very thorough. I would recommend it highly.
Rehab medicine will include PT, OT, sm
speech therapy, etc.
MT is usually for medicine. Nursing is a different discipline.
X
Well, after all the doctors are only "Practicing" Medicine, right? nm
.
Perhaps, but there will also be no incentive to go into medicine for US docs, SM
when they get out of med school they have debt, will have to set up a practice, pay their staff, etc. What is the incentive if you can earn a limited income.
I say let the free market decide.
I don’t think he would just out of the blue suggest the medicine
Probably you made mention of having had the cervical cancer and that is where the dialogue started, right? As far as the x-ray, think that is being overplayed with that and fertility. Loads of children, females included, have x-rays when younger and do not lose their ability to have children. You sound like you are stressed out, mentioning this and that, xrays, miscarriages, sterility, etc., etc.
My wonderful MD is having to leave medicine sm
Because she can't afford to practice!!! The compensation for primary care docs SUX. The Blues owe her about $60K she can't collect on care she has already provided. The year I was her MT, her practice paid me $3000, it paid her $2500 FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. She literally didn't take home a paycheck all year and took the $2500 at the end when she didn't have to pay it out. In the end, that money went to pay a lawyer to try to collect from the Blues.
I have a very complicated medical history and still have many significant problems. The idea of changing doctors right now makes me sick. I won't have any more choice about that than my doctor has about leaving the profession. She is a wonderful doctor and has cared for me for 20 years. I am sick over this.
Muscle relaxants could help also. I am on migraine medicine too but...
if it is caused by your muscles trapping the occipital nerve, injections would help, both diagnostically and therapeutically. They would then know how to proceed with your next step in treatment. The stimulator was a miracle until the lead wires moved. If the injections do not help, it rules out one type of headache and on to the next. I use Cafergot for my migraines with aura (a whole different headache altogether), but that has been discontinued now. I really wish you luck!
Food/medicine caught in throat
This very thing happened to me while eating pizza one day - I ended up in the ER because I could not get it out or to go down. The ER doc ordered a chest x-ray (do not know why) and then sent me home with some Prilosec saying that I had esophagitis. It was a rainy day - two dogs chased my car home and I was afraid to get out - plus I had my sister's four children that week, besides my own two. I took a Prilosec and then had to have my husband rush to the pharmacy for some Benadryl - I was allergic to the dye - then, and I don't recommend this, I got a long-handled teaspoon - bent it and stuck it down my throat - retrieving the pizza dough. I still had esophagitis because my throat was now inflamed from the pizza and the spoon handle - I put the chewed up dough in a ziploc and returned it to the ER for an explanation - of course they thought I was crazy - but you do what you have to do. I have found that many doctors are either incompetent or on drugs (cocaine, meth, and others that they either sniff or smoke). That is why there is such a high malpractice rate (but that's another story). In fact, I see a doctor now who is a drug-abuser - but he prescribes what me or my family needs when we go to see him and we get well - but boy is he high - nice, though. That's my take on the ibuprofen in your throat.
We come in contact daily with much more true medicine sm
medical problems, diagnoses, treatment, that nurses do. I question my nurse practitioner, constantly, about why she is prescribing certain medications for me. She seems to have a lot less knowledge of these medications than I do. (btw, she resents it).
It is JCAHO. The most misspelled acronym in medicine! nm
x
Nope. Many years working at the School of Medicine. SM
An MS4 is a med student till June graduation. He's "Mister So-and-So" then in June when he graduates, he's "Doctor So-and-So."
A 4th year resident is something else entirely. He is an R4 (or that's what they call them here). HE is an MD. The MS4 is not an MD.
Normal x-rays, CT scans, nuclear medicine
scans, nuclear medicine procedures and tests, etc. Anything procedure associated with radiology, which can include op reports dictated by the radiology interventionists.
Kids certainly not the reason for me, I loved the field of medicine
I had started working in hospital settings about 10 years before I ever knew about transcribing. Working at a hospital in another section my boss told me since I typed fast she had a friend who worked in MTing at the hospital, they had an opening and you could make extra money the more you typed, the more you could make. Being as my speed was 130-140, thought perfect job for me. I think loving the actual work rather than just doing to stay home is the main reason I have done as long as I have, no burn out for this person.
Oh good grief! No way. The only Dixie I know of is a forensic medicine person...
not a former bank manager. Maybe there are 2 of them.
Egg on Face...
I do apologize - I guess I was in my "MT Mode" and not my "Human Being Mode" when I posted that - all I could think about was OSi, the MT company. Sorry about that and hope things work out!
we have to face that MT is not the
same as it used to be. Five years ago or so you would have been able to get what you stated but now it is nearly impossible unless you obtain your own account. I have been doing this for 16 years and I have seen that the MT pay keeps on declining. I am looking into another profession. It has just become too stressful to try to make a decent living on the pay any more and just tired of the whole thing with offshoring, etc. Take care
The face
My word, if I had a face like that I would sell eye liner or something. Maybe they mean some people type with their looks? Hmm. I really think it is an unprofessional ad.
Let's face it
Things are going to change. We don't know to what degree, but I'm pretty sure jobs will be cut and consensed, so you can bet many of us will feel it in some way.
I think our whole society is going to go through a major restructure; there's just no way around it.
Obviously not for his face, but maybe his hands?
x
We might as well face it, we are being taken over by other countries, thanks to our
government. You have got to read this article at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080604/ap_on_re_us/domestic_workers_rights;_ylt=AuYJ4gKnmseAW_rqGopWh.FH2ocA
Domestic workers sue, lobby, organize for workplace rights -THESE ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PEOPLE!
I just want to crawl in a hole and DIE! I am so worried for my children. Soon, the US of A will be owned, run and operated by other countries totally!
UNBELIEVABLE!
I did the face lift and did for myself only
I had huge bags under my eyes and my jouls were drooping. I did it once and then about 10 years later and both times thrilled with the outcome. I have yet to have anyone say they hate it, oh no in fact most of the girls I graduated with totally taken with how, what, when and the price. I also had other things done as in tummy tuck and that again was what I wanted. I please myself and my husband is also pleased with his new lady. I am thinking this year possibly finding out more about the thread lift. I do want to enhance some but not a total face lift this year. I say goody for anyone who wants to improve on their looks or how they feel about their own self.
I’m a sucker for a furry face. I currently
have 2 Maltese, 2 Pugs, 1 Lhasa, 1 Yorkie/Chinese Crested mix (we think), 1 Rott/Pit mix and getting another Maltese from the animal shelter this week.
I am sorry you have this situation to face. It makes
me so upset that this can happen with vets and their costs. I won't even go into that tirade of mine....I actually had to put down my best friend as I did NOT have the $$ even remotely for this barrage of testing just to even guess why she was seizing at 15 years old. I know, she was old, but the vet estimated something near $5K to $10K for a "complete work up". At her age, I declined. Its so weird the timing of your post. Just yesterday my sweet husband was able to give me a modest diamond ring and wedding band - we've been together for 30+ years; however, I had to sell my original set off to pay for emergencies about 3 years ago.I acted like it didn't bother me, but it did. You know - I put on a brave face for the kids and him. And he did, too. It wasn't the diamond or the $$ - it just had so much sentimental value and was symbolic. At any rate, we shopped around for 2 days, as we had no time, and after going to 3 or 4 jewelers and being insulted - most offered $100 to $200 to - take it off our hands - the 5th small jeweler was honest and kind and fair and gave us, I think, $2,000 for the set. It saved us from disaster, so do try a few more jewelers. Keep the faith. And the point of my story? Tides changed for us, and now 3 years down the road, my husband surprised me with a new set - again, not expensive, but its worth a million $$ to me. I think you are a wonderful person to do this for your dear dog. Lots of folks wouldn't even consider it. You will be blessed for it, for sure. Hope your pooch gets well, and hope you get top $$ for your ring.
No, but I have a few on my face - wondering what to do about them - any ideas? nm
x
I went twice for hair removal on face....nm
Let's face it. The worse he can say is a simple
x
What a slap in the face to our profession! nm
5
A slap in the face to our profession....as if
xx
She's not mental, it's just that she's right about many things people can't face up to...
Most of what she says is true. It's been far more documented as fact and the truth than the information the administration has given and still gives.
As far as soldiers.....read optruth.org. There are many soldiers who do not agree with this war or how this administration has handled it and they need to be listened to.
Re: Happy face post...I couldn't have said it better myself....sm
I've been an MT for over 25 years, the past 6 as an IC. I work completely independently. I have no communication with my accounts other than to submit my lines or receive an occasional email regarding changes or additions to account specific instructions. You can blast me for this, but with the exception of those who are new in the field, a good MT should be confident enough with her knowledge and skills to not want or need anyone's pat on the back. If you can't do a good job without a baby sitter, perhaps you should consider another line of work.
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