Oh one more thing..if your traveling and staying at hotels, plan ahead. I learned the hard way.
Posted By: TravelingMT on 2007-06-23
In Reply to: Thank you everyone. So, I will....sm - Share
A hotel that states they have "internet access" does not necessarily have it in your room. A lot of them have what they call a "business" center where they have like a community computer to share with other guests or to have access on your laptop you need to sit in that room. I dont know about you but I dont feel like dragging out all of my equipment and sitting in a lobby somewhere to work. Double check that they have internet access available in your room.. and be forewarned that most chart for wireless internet access like maybe $10-12 for a 24-hour period. We just got back from Vegas, and to me, it was worth that fee for a whole 24 hours. I got the most work I could out of it.
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I didn't originally plan on it. At the time I learned about - sm
MT, my sister had just started doing MT for a local hospital, and was learning on the job. I was a temp. office worker at the time, couldn't really find anything that was a good fit. My sis thought I'd be good at MT, and I came to visit her at work one day and she let me listen to and try to transcribe some tapes that she was already finished with. I liked it, so went to night school to learn medical terminology. I was offered a job at a transcription company (using mag-card typewriters back then, which were the 'latest thing') and have been doing MT ever since.
Yep, learned that the hard way, but then when I
told them I was looking things changed and now I'm down from about 95% ESL to about 60% and for the most part they aren't horrible.
Learned the hard way
I am one of those editors who can't just let a blank go unless I have spent at least 10 minutes trying to research it. Of course, if the dictation is just not clear, then a blank is the way to go. I found at my last job, though, that I was spending too much time on correcting grammar - quite a stickler for that - but the company wanted a much quicker turnaround, even if the report looked like it was typed by a third grader (my opinion) lol.
I've owned cheaper chairs and learned the hard way.
The old saying that you get what you pay for is true when it comes to these cheap chairs! My back always hurt and I was having to buy a new chair at least yearly. You do the math; I've already had the $1000 chair five years and I quit having the backaches five years ago. This chair is no where close to wearing out and will last me at least another five years, probably more. So, if you think that spending $200 every year on a cheap chair is worth it, you go right ahead; I didn't hear anything but thanks for the OP for my suggestion.
One thing I've learned in life is it's impossible to
stand up for themselves. Maybe only 1 in 100 will even try. Sad to say, but we've brought a lot of this onto ourselves.
I hate to admit this, but the one good thing I learned Focus Infomatics
was the Escription platform. Trust me, that is the only good to come of it. I think even if you get a few months under your belt, you'd be better off for it.
If I boil mine ahead of time, I go ahead and peel off the shell after they have (sm)
been sitting in a pan of cold water for about 30 minutes.
It is a hard thing.....
But I started my son out in life by telling him I would support him in anything he did and any decision he made as long as it was good, was lega and didn't hurt anyone else!! I feel you must trust you son in this. Perhaps something happened that he is not yet willing to share with you. Putting pressure on him now regarding that scholarship could be a very bad thing. Sounds to me like you have raised a good and responsible son. I don't think you should question him too strongly? I know, money may be short and it may be his only way into a good college but what is more important?
It is a hard thing; we parents only want the best but so often we tend to see the end of the "dream", (is it our dream or your child's dream?), without seeing all the ramifications that the child endures. Trust in your son. Of course, speak with him occasionally, try to find out what may have happened to cause this change....I would think something apparently did happen. You may never know....he might not even be able to pin point it himself. Again, trust in the fact that you have raised a good son and that he will do well in whatever he endeavors. Let him lead his life; just keep the reins tight enough that he does not stray.
I only say these things because I've been through it.....teenagers are a real challenge, (the terrible 2's are nothing!!). They are growing into men and/or women and becoming the people that they will be forever. Please give him the chance to find himself and to be the person HE wants to be. Don't cry, take pride, you are a good mom and he is a good son.
That's one thing that is hard......
I do very well as an MT and make well over $11.50 an hour, but I do think it is hard to justify how someone living in a lower cost of living state can do VERY well and someone living in a more expensive state can barely live off of their wages, when pay standards would be higher there. One more thing that is frustrating in this industry is the lack of raises like EVER in my experience! I have been doing this for about 6 years, I was a nurse previously and I make well over what I could make on any nursing job, BUT I have never gotten a raise with being with the same company this long. The "idea" is you get faster, therefore you increase your OWN pay, but I think I pretty much type as fast as I ever will now without some added bionic capabilities and the company I have been with for 6 years, I have had the same account, so I can almost tell you what the dictator is going to say before it comes out of their mouth. I do make good money, but the way the cost of living continues to rise, in a few more years I will be making average money, since there is no cost of living raises.
That is a hard thing to comment on
I don't know the answer either that will make everyone happy.
You're confusing the new QA plan with the new pay plan. New pay plan is still completely under wr
Shhhhhhhhhhh....
Another thing that's hard to fight these days...
Try to find a kid whose parents actually have standards about what kinds of movies or television channels their kids can watch? Honest to Pete, I've seen 6-year-olds in R rated movies, on a regular basis. I try to tell my 11-year-old that she may not see certain PG-13 movies (which are sometimes worse than the R rated stuff) and all I hear is about how all her friends can see anything they want. We don't allow MTV, South Park, any of that garbage. They don't need it. Kids are getting so hardened by all the smut and low-class entertainment out there and I just refuse to condone it. We have kids next door whose mother listens to Eminem in the car with them and lets her 8yo watch things like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And don't get me started on the cell phones. No properly supervised 10-yo NEEDS a cell phone. I got my oldest one last year when she turned 16 and began to drive. But I'm hearing about how half the 6th grade already has one. Why?
The hard time was the past thing.
Hi, I have just joined Spheris Hyderabad. Two months for settling down is what they give you and after that it is your regular type-type-type. There are nooooooooo problems with this new Spheris Clarity (R) platform. With this, things are just moving smooooooooothly.
Change is hard, it be the worst thing or an opportunity sm
It is all about attitude.
I have done a fair amount of switching in my time. I have one of my IC situations for 3 yrs, the other for 6 months. I am giving up on the 6-month arrangement for a full time, with benefits and using my favorite expander, actual job. This is all just in time for the new year and I am excited about it.
I won't lie to you, a new job with new software, new voices, new management, new people to work with, new specialties...it is stressful and there will be a learning curve. Sometimes the learning curve is too steep, the platform a dinosaur and all the voices seem to speak Greek and not Latin like they are supposed to, and you move on again. I am convinced the right fit exists for each of us.
You also need to know that most of the situations out there currently pay you about 2 weeks after you do the work, they do offer direct deposit and other nice things. Having not had a rubber check in the past 5 yrs, I can tell you it is nice not to worry about that either.
Best of luck to you. You are not alone, come back and tell us how you are getting on.
What a terrible thing to call a hard-working MT.
Disgusting name to call someone who has worked very hard, probably gone to college to learn this, invested a lot of time and money, perhaps worked in a hospital, certainly worked very hard, to be called a slob!
Usually the hotels I go to have
thin plastic cups inside plastic sleeves. We throw out what we use. When we are in a suite that has a kitchenette, we always at least rinse the dishes and coffee cups before using. I just assume the cleaning people are in a hurry and don't wash their hands between tasks. That's why I also bring my own towels - they clean a toilet and then put out towels - ewww! Plus they smell like they weren't dried thoroughly - that fishy smell, you know. I just can't dry my hair and face on them, so I pack my own. The last place we stayed had a washer and drier, and we were there 1 week, so I washed some towels. Too bad there was no heat for the drier! It just tumbled with cold air. My dad said it was likely the plug wasn't wired right for a drier.
Yuck. The drier is where a lot of germs get killed.
Hotels
I used to manage a hotel with guest access. Guests have the ability to use individual passwords that change on a 24 hour basis and their own equipment, connection cards, etc. and not the hotel property. Not sure that every hotel operates the same way but I know the one that I worked for was a very secure connection, probably more so than any home connection.
I certainly cannot comment on your companies contract. I am only commenting on my own experience and knowledge. As far as what the OP wants to do with the info. that's up to her.
working from hotels
Has anyone ever done their job from a hotel room but NOT using tapes, using a regular phone? I may have to trave to my sisters and it is cross country. Rather than not work for the entire week, i was thinking of packing my lap top and Dictaphone Cphone and taking it with me. I figured i could work at night then sleep and then drive. BUT not sure if you can use a say phone card for the time by dialing into it with the dictahone OR not. Dont have any way to re=record the work and have the tapes sent to ME to be able to do it that way.
Any suggestions? Unfortunately I have not won the lottery so I do not have means to be able to just not work at all and am trying desparately to be there for her AND still support me.
Any help appreciated....
Doro C
Does anyone remember the site that has hotels/motels that are
dd
google.com dog-friendly hotels then the state
Start wtih hotels.com and see where it takes you. nm
s
Never learned it? Hah! I learned it and still didn't like it.
I am talking about the QA plan I dont know what the new pay plan is.
:
If it rains hard, the wind blows hard and there are trees
nearby, it snows heavily it will mess up the signal. The speed is not constant, sometimes as slow as dial-up, but at least still connected. Many companies will not allow satellite.
So, you think it is okay for hard-working MTs to earn 7-8 cpl for their hard work?? nm
:{
Not me. I'm staying. NM
..
Staying with IC definitely. Thanks.
I make 700.00 a week 4 days a week at my IC job. I turned the job down. Thanks again.
Traveling MT
If I was a single person, I would most definitely take the position. This would be an opportunity to save lots of money since most of your expenses are paid and you really would not need to maintain an apartment at your home town.
traveling
I work for K-Force now. I also hear Precyse travels but not sure, am looking for another company that does.
traveling MTs
My hubby retired recently, and we travel in our RV. I have a laptop, foot pedal, headphones, and an external keyboard. When in our truck, I just set up a TV tray in the back seat and use the keyboard on the laptop. For Internet access, I have an air card from Verizon. With few exceptions, this has worked quite well for the past 9 months of cross-country travel.
Traveling
I have searched and have not found the answer to my question, so I apologize if this has been discussed before. I live in Florida and as hurricane season approaches, I am trying to figure out what to do if I need to leave town. I work for a company that requires an internet connection, unlimited long distance and a C-phone to dial in to the hospitals. I know that hotels usually offer wireless internet connections, but what about the phone line/connection? It would have to be something that offered unlimited long distance (as the hospitals are in different states) that could be used anywhere (not just my home). Would something like Vonage work? Or does Verizon have something? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Traveling MT- I need you!
nm
For those of you doing MT while traveling...
what about internet security? How do you make sure your work is secure? If you are using some other wifi connection when out and about, do you feel it's private? I am trying to figure out the basics. I'm clueless about this laptop thing but it sounds very versatile.
traveling
I went to San Antonio a couple of months ago for 2 weeks. I rented a laptop from Rent-A-Center, had the company install their software, and took it with me. I worked at the local library the first weekend because they had wireless, but then my father-in-law just went to the cable company and got me a modem for the 2 weeks I was there so I could work at his house. I would do it again though, even with going to the library. It was great to be able to go visit family and friends and not have to lose work either.
The traveling MT...
I have seen some posts about MTs who travel while they work. I would like to try working in the car but my husband is afraid I will get motion sickness. I am prone to motion sickness on curved roads and cannot read in the car. Does anyone else have a problem with this or find that they don't have a problem with typing? It seems like it would be different then reading a book or newspaper especially if I know we have a straight highway drive.
Traveling MT
If you have been a CMT for 20 years, how come you spell a lot as alot? ALOT is not a word!!!!
STAYING AWAY FROM TRANS.
A. I strongly discouraged anyone I meet who has signed up for any kind of program at the community colleges or elsewhere who wants to learn transcription. It's really distressing to see people pay their hard earned money for training in a field that is virtually in the toilet. I find myself making 1/2 of what I was making 10 years ago as an MT with no benefits and 50% more grief.
In staying with this man for as long as you have,
having his children, and allowing him to verbally and emotionally abuse those children, you're setting the example to your children that this is how a relationship works. Now that your 16 y.o. daughter is reaching the age where she will begin dating, she has learned from home life that men call women names and expect women to clean up after them. She's going to wind up in some lousy dysfunctional relationships herself. Where is her bioDad? I'll bet he wouldn't be happy to hear from her how stepfather dearest treats her. Is he a positive role model in her life? Probably not, or he wouldn't be your ex. Teach her to have respect for herself and never tolerate mistreatment.
Anyway, off the soapbox now. You go, go quickly, and never look back. Get out of there!
I am staying at the Stratosphere
for the first time in May. We had booked the Stardust, but its being torn down to build a new hotel :( Stardust was our favorite. I have also stayed at Fitzgerald's downtown a couple years ago and it was really reasonable and nice, no complaints, but it is downtown.
Those situations different than STAYING in bad
Robbery or scamming are an in and out situation that you have little control over. Staying in a bad job is usually a long term situation that you CAN control. It is hard to change jobs. However, the longer you put off starting the process, the longer you are allowing yourself to stay in a bad situation. It is sad to think you would give someone else such control over your life that you let yourself be abused. And the only one that can change something like that is YOU. The buck stops with you when it comes to who has control of your life.
Staying in MT for the "perks" - sm
Is not a good enough reason to do this job. period, end of story.
The money is out there, but you have to look for it and you really have to want it. You are looking for "everything" and you cannot have it - it's just not possible or reasonable. You have to like the job to make it worth your while or to push yourself to achieve what you are looking for. Chances are, you are probably make good money doing editing at 5cpl, but its your lack of desire that takes you so long to get the job done thus driving down your hourly wage. You're in love with staying home and getting a paycheck and not the job.
If you do not like your job, your performance is going to suffer no matter what field you are in and when your performance suffers, so does your wage especially in a production based job like this.
Traveling Hubby
I, too, have a traveling husband with so much responsibility in his job for the past 20+ years. Often I have had to be put on the back burner with a small child so that he could progress to the successful executive he is today. Things have never been about me, and I have had to accept this. I must say it was much more difficult when my child was young. When he is free, we have to remember to schedule nice things together and get those in his DayTimer before life marches on by us both.
traveling with a laptop
I put a pillow on my lap and the keyboard on top of that. It only took a few minutes to get used to and works great for me.
Traveling Transcriptionist
How can they expect you to be a traveling Transcriptionist and go cold turkey into a facility and maintain a line count of 1500 lines?
Traveling transcriptionist job
I would love a job like this. Where do you apply for it. Also, do you have to do ops to get the job?
Re: traveling transcription
It sounds pretty good and it's a way to see some of the US that you might not otherwise be able to, but I couldn't leave my kids. You also have no way of knowing how much work you'll be given, so make sure you are able to meet your goals and have an out if it gets to be overwhelming. Would you be traveling alone or with another MT, for example? There are several things to consider. I personally am a hometown girl, but if you like to travel, why not?
Are there any traveling transcriptionists out there and do you like it.nm
x
laptop while traveling
What about to send and receive your work via internet services. I would think a wireless/high speed internet would be needed, first of all; but then will that work at all motels that advertise high speed internet services? Any other tips regarding this will be appreciated. I am in the thinking stages of this right now, so want to get the details worked out before spending a lot more money. TIA
Here's how I work while traveling...sm
If we're staying at a hotel, I stay only at one where there is a secured high speed internet available. They'll be happy to tell you if the connections are secured or not if you ask. How you know is this... if it's secured you'll have to enter passwords to enter their system. If they're not secured, you'd just plug in your cord and go for it.
If we're staying with relatives then I stay only with those that have the high speed internet connectivity available through a secured connection.
If neither of the above are available then I use my PeoplePC dial up account to work from. While it's not as fast as DSL/cable it connects well enough to let me work.
I take my keyboard and mouse and plug them into the laptop so that I do not have to depend on the laptop keyboard... which drives me nuts to type much on! Of course the foot pedal goes along as well.
Happy traveling!
Traveling teacher
Where in MT, you can E-mail me
q for those traveling with laptop --
if you use a rolling case, have you had any problems with the laptop that could have resulted from being a bumpy ride? my brother said never to put a laptop in a rolling case, but if i travel by air, i'd practially have to to bring all my essentials along...(and not stoe it)
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