One thing I've learned in life is it's impossible to
Posted By: get women to stick together and on 2008-01-16
In Reply to: The only way - Need a change
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.
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I've been doing this doc for many years, so I've learned how to function with him. sm
I can tell what's a stutter, what's another word, what's just an "uh." Years of experience will get you through a lot.
Wouldn't want to do his charts all day, of course, but a few per day aren't bad. I haven't had to send his to review in a long time, but they do take a little longer to shuffle through.
From what I've learned from...
doing psych reports, people rarely have MPD unless they've been abused horribly. First off, I wouldn't blame this poor child. Her life has obviously been unstable and erratic, no thanks to her parents. I type it time and time again.... Kids are brought in and labeled with all sorts of conditions, ADHD, oppositional defiance disorder, OCD, you name it. And WITHOUT FAIL when the doctor gets down to the social history, the child comes from some sort of broken erratic unstable home. The parents don't create a nurturing environment for their child, parade boyfriends and girlfriends in and out of their lives, and then the poor child is labeled with a dozen diagnoses. Sounds to me like this poor child has been abused, which isn't very far fetched if a mother is recycling boyfriends. I'd contact a local psychiatrist and start from there. I wouldn't take one person's word that the child wasn't abused. Even if she is lying, she's doing it for some reason.
Yes, several times. I've learned to listen to them. (s/m)
A very long time ago, I once had a dream that my dog got hit by a car - the exact time, place, etc. And exactly one week later, to the day, place and hour, she got hit & killed by a car.
Another time I was driving on the freeway, and suddenly in my mind got a very clear picture of a pickup truck on fire. Yet there was no truck on fire where I was, and no smoke or anything. About 10 miles up there road, I came around a bend and there was a truck exactly like the one I'd seen in my "mind-flash", and it was on fire.
Go figure, but yes, I definitely DO go with my hunches and premonitions.
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.
Previous posters are 100% correct. Here's what I've learned...
There have been a lot of very good points brought out here, and I encourage you to consider the advice that has been offered and think this over very, very carefully before making a decision.
I've been in this business since 1996. I went to school (with 3 small children at home), studied at 4 a.m., maintained another full-time job, earned a 4.0, was lucky enough to get a part-time job in MT before I even graduated. I excelled at MT, loved the work and have worked my way up to the top. It has been a lucrative career for me and I've had the chance to stay at home with my kids while they were young (and I still work at home and enjoy being here for my junior high and high school age kids.)
HOWEVER, times have changed. I'm an MT instructor at a local college. We made the decision to drop the MT program because we simply cannot place new grads. I don't care how smart you are, how good your grades are, how much potential you have or how motivated you are--it's very, very difficult, if not impossible, to get a job working at home as a new grad. (Finding a job in a clinic is a little easier, but still difficult.)
If you are one of the few who are lucky enough to find a job working at home as a new grad, you will make next to nothing for at least the first year. New grads are NOT prepared to meet production quotas, they still need mentoring, and they still have a tremendous amount to learn. Most jobs, especially working at home jobs, are production based. As a new grad you will spend most of your time researching, and your production will be minimal; therefore, so will your salary. In addition, most work-at-home jobs have production quotas. Meeting a quota when you are still in the learning phase leads to a tremendous amount of pressure, which in turn, leads to frustration and is not conducive to learning and retaining information.
My first boss (the one who hired me as a new grad) gave me some words of wisdom that I haven't forgotten. She said that transcribing at home with small children NEVER works under any circumstance. Either the work will suffer or the parenting will suffer. I, of course, thought I would be the exception. (My kids were age 2, 4, and 9 at the time.) She had 25 years of experience as an MT and as an MTSO owner, and she was absolutely right. I learned quickly that I could be successful working PART-TIME with small children, but trying to do it full-time defeated the purpose. When you are transcribing, you may be physically "at home," but if you are doing a good job, your mind is tuned in to your work, not your kids. Constant interruptions lead to low production, errors, and huge frustration. I found that I could work a few hours in the early morning before they woke up, fit in a few hours throughout the day and finish up late at night after they were in bed. I was in a position at that time not to need a full-time income, so this was a nice compromise, and it prepared me for full-time work later on when they were all in school. I consider that period of time an extension of my training.
Like another poster said, I do not want to rain on your parade, but tuition is not cheap. (I'm STILL paying off a student loan.) Additionally, MT is not an "easy" curriculum to learn, and it takes a certain skill set and personality type in order to excel and succeed. You will invest a lot of time, money, and effort just in the process of completing your training. It may or may not be worth it in the long run. Career college admissions reps are paid on a commission basis; therefore, they don't always give you the "rest of the story." Those of us who have posted here today are trying to give you "the rest of the story," and our intention is not to discourage you but rather to give you an accurate picture of what MT is truly like, not what the admissions counselor might have told you.
If you do decide to go forward, go with your eyes wide open. I would also encourage you to find a mentor who can advise you along the way.
At one time I would have let it slide, but now I've learned I can't afford it or
nm
Oh one more thing..if your traveling and staying at hotels, plan ahead. I learned the hard way.
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.
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.
not QA here but same thing in my life....sm
I don't think we are alone, per se.....I still like the work but I'm only doing about 150 LPH (and privately I do 300-400 but not online, in a DOS program). I just want to get to and hover around 200+ LPH and some days it DOES happen, but rarely. I also tend to lately omit prepositions, not just for MQ but privately also, and have to re-read all my reports, catching my own errors, but definitely slows me up. Also, the client profiles change.....one has to keep rechecking those because they DO and/or WILL change...just happened recently for my accts.
Must be I'm getting old....*lol*....but I choose to live in the land of denial about the latter.... However, quality is my #1 thought.....I strive for perfection (with BAD dictators...lots of blanks  ) but w/ESL....well, you all know.......
I can believe it - I've never had a resume in my life, and I'm 59.
nm
I've lived in CA my whole life,
and I was offered several jobs. Yes, the cost of living is sky-high here, and I couldn't make it on what I'm being paid by the national I work for if I didn't still have one local account who pays me an obscene amount of money and is happy to do so because I do good work. (It ain't bragging if you can do it. Didn't Babe Ruth say that?) When my supervisor who lives in South Carolina found out what I'm paying for rent, she said shucks, girl, you gotta come out here, and I said no way, they wouldn't let me past the state line 'cause I can't talk like they do!
But seriously... this is home, and I really can't envision living anywhere else. My supervisor has been hesitant to authorize overtime for me because of the hoops the employer has to jump through, but in practical fact it has been never been actually necessary for me to work OT.
I've never been fired by anyone in my entire life.
I hate MQ and I'm happy to tell everyone why. However, every MT is different and every MTSO is different. What works for me may not work for someone else. I found my fit elsewhere.
And we've discussed this before on this board. Life is not that
simple for me. If I leave the state, I leave my elderly parents that I care for and I leave my minor children because they legally cannot cross state lines without their father's permission. He's not going to OK that. Besides, I'm happy doing MT. Who ever said I was not happy doing MT? It works great with all the family I have to care for. I just wish I hadn't wasted time and money going to college, especially when the job market in my state got oversaturated with other college grads.
I don't know! I've heard people live longer with a healthy sex life.
n
My sink is the only thing I've sm
been able to keep clean. I just can't get back on track. I do MT out of the house 35 hours and do MT part time from home. I really have trouble with piles of papers. I was just reading Flylady's answer to that, keep no paper, so I will have to work on that.
Just wondering how many many MTs follow flylady. Thanks for answering.
By the way, flybabies are followers of flylady.net a really good system to get organized (when you apply it Ü). Sm is see message and NM is no message so you don't waste time opening an empty post.
one thing you've all missed here . . .
. . . WHOM I refer . . .
sorry, I just can't resist correcting Enlgish grammar.
might I also iterate that sentence structure may only be altered when your account is NOT verbatim.
You've done the smartest thing by
reaching out for help here. I encourage you to continue to do so. Make ample use of the word "no" to any unreasonable demands, and even if you just feel like it sometimes. Finally, please don't buy into the holiday hype and BS the retailers try to feed you. Blessings to you and your family.
That is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen.
I can't imagine doing transcription with one of those.
One more thing, I've been in MT and QA long enough to know that just
feel like you had no trouble with the terminology, doesn't mean you didn't have trouble.
I have come across many MTs who believe they know what they are doing and really don't.
I've had exactly the same thing happen, where (sm)
the doc jumped around in the report, asking you to insert things here and there, and just ASSUMING that you had the correct template and/or adequate samples in front of you, and that you could read their minds.
That's the silliest thing I've...
ever seen in my life. They've got to be kidding. Just my opinion. Anxious to hear others.
Never learned it? Hah! I learned it and still didn't like it.
It was helpful for me, Sheesh. I've done the right thing and
I sincerely hope that others will as well.
It doesn't matter whether or not we agree but the language used and the intent demonstrated. That is what I was talking about.
I fully realize that there will be people who cannot leave a good thing alone. I feel sorry for those individuals. They apparently have no peace, no satisfaction, and no friendliness in their lives. They only know how to destroy, or to attempt to.
I'm going to demonstrate what I want back from others - positivity, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance - whether or not I receive that from you or anyone else. If you do not return to me the same as I have offered, then that is between you and your own soul. :)
I appreciate your point of view; I just don't share it.
I hope everyone has a good evening tonight and a productive day tomorrow! I can't believe summer is almost over with and school starts back soon. Rather funny to me, my son has griped all summer about nothing to do (despite a part-time job, camping trips, Disneyland trip, youth events, etc.) and now that school is coming back around he feels "stressed" because there's not enough time to do all he wants to do! Hahahaha
There's one thing that I've seen stop many many people....
A heart attack or cancer. My father-in-law SWORE he could not quit not matter what, but had a coronary and that was his last cigarette. My own father quit cold turkey after 3+ packs a day when he began coughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. I've also known people who had a cancer scare and were able to quit. If nothing else, FEAR will do it. Unfortunately, waiting for the fear might be too late for many.
Yep, sure do. They've sucked up to the Trinidad thing, just like some other
companies we know. They use a platform and it's a system where they use common MTs, and those common MTs are in Trinidad. It APPEARS as though they don't outsource offshore, but in reality, they do.
I've done the same thing, Snow Bunny - sm
I get a copy of MY MEDICAL records no matter where I go and check the transcription, and I will absolutely positively make corrections on them and return them to the doc/office/hospital in person and let them know that if I were looking for a lawsuit and money, this is where I would start, with my medical records! I then ask for a corrected medical report.
funny thing...this is my spare I've never used. sm
I just pulled it off the shelf to let a friend borrow it. I figured it may just be dusty...?
I've had this problem and the only thing that worked for me....sm
was to slow down turnaround. They called within a couple of days. Told them I had to take on extra work to meet my own bills by paying customers which slowed down their turnaround. I had my check the next day. Don't know how they managed that, but they did. Since then, there have been a couple of times that it was a week or so late, but not like they used to do. I honestly think as long as they can get away with it, they will. I wonder how long they would last if their paychecks were 2-3 weeks late. Really irks me.
We've had that CD burner thing happen too
We build our own systems instead of getting prepackaged ones so sometimes it is absolutely agonizing trying to get everything to work together. I have a CD-ROM (not burner) that I've had for probably ten years and when all else fails and I just need access to a CD, I use it. It's still chugging along.
I've always been curious about the satellite thing...
We are considering moving from the city to the sticks in the very near future, and I'm finding a lot of areas we can ONLY get satellite for high speed internet.
I have seen a few job ads that say no satellite, but why is that? I really know nothing about that service so there is probably an easy answer, I just don't know what it is.
It would be good to know if that will be a major problem before we move out there and I find myself out of a job. ;)
This is the funniest thing I've heard in all my
make 3 cpl... if you are really a physician, please stick to that, you'll make more money seeing one patient than we can edit reports in 12 hours! Furthermore, the jobs even that are classified as IC make you stick to a schedule! So, there's no coming and going between patients, okay?!
I mean this OP is joking right?????????????
That's the craziest f@$^@#(ng thing I've ever heard
I've worked for a hospital at home and they don't all have those restrictions. If I didn't know better, I'd swear is was one of those situations where they're looking for a reason to be able to offshore- can't find anybody to do the job. No noise, music, TV? How do you work at home and eliminate those things?
That is THE most dangerous thing I think I've ever heard. You don't understand it?!
I've been doing the same thing with my Smartype LOL was hoping there was a program
xx
Cuz i've been a word geek reading 1000 wpm since age 8. This MT thing keeps
guess if I couldn't be a doctor, MT is the closest I could come without investing $100K.
Oh, my. That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.
AHDI: Solving the world's problems, one foreign MT at a time.
ROLFMAO
Amen, and I will add one more thing. If I had a penny for all the times I've heard, "just a ty
well, maybe I wouldn't be rich, but I could buy a months' worth of groceries! LOL
Honestly that is the most intelligent thing I've heard from an MT co. in a long time. Completely
You have to be able to retain knowledge.
You have to know how to reserach effectively.
You have to be able to use deductive reasoning.
You have to have confidence in your decisions and not constantly "need assurance."
You have to be able to separate sounds in your head that are both internal and from multiple external forces.
Some of these can be taught, some are innate, some take years to develop, some either you got it or you don't.
It's nearly impossible to get by even on
This biz stinks more every single day.
Life is life....the haven't bonded the same as if it were a 2-year-old!
nm
Not impossible more improbable.
I didn't say it was impossible. Just not the norm and harder to prove. As in this case.
they are already impossible to reach
18,000 lines and your rate increases by half cent, whoopee. MQ is a complete joke, a bunch of greedy, phony liars. This whole business is in the toilet and i'm just sorry I didn't start school for a dif career sooner to be out of it NOW. I'm gradually having to cut down on spending because my rate of pay is not up with the times, severe hand pain day after day, condescending technicians and supervisors. I feel trapped.
hahahaha - yup, it's impossible!!!!
x
Appreciate your thoughts, but all of this is impossible.
For so many reasons. As one poster stated, these boards only reach about 10% of the MTs (very small number). I, among others, have written numerous letters. Heck, I even wrote to Obama, my congressman, major news papers, news programs, news magazines, etc. It does not do any good. I filed a complaint with the Employment Comission and Labor Board on the working requirements and procedures (that got me laid off).
Another very important thing to consider here is that not all MTs are unhappy. I was for a very long time, but I am quite happy with my working conditions and pay at this time (even though I do not expect it to last due to the industry evolvement). There are also more MTs than not who can not afford to do what you say is a good idea (strike or whatever). Some will lose their jobs as I did and even if they did not, they simply cannot afford to go without pay for any length of time. How effective would all of this be if only a couple of people from different companies did this? We all work for different companies, and again, they are not ALL bad, even though there are not many of those left. There is also the consquence of them replacing us with near-newbies at even lower wages, increasing the company profits, and further damaging the industry.
Our only hope was the AHDI and they stabbed us in the back. More offshoring is being done to cover the tax/cost implications currently in motion, again further damaging the industry. I just have to believe that it will evolve to its worst, and then swing back our way. Wishful thinking, I know but that's all I've got.
1000 lines a day, impossible? sm
this is not unrealistic. On a good day, I can easily do 16-1700 lines! A mere 1000 lines per day is NOT an unachievable goal, even for a newbie or semi-newbie. My company requires 1200 lines a day, which I believe is about average! 
I too felt like it was an impossible career
Now 8 years later, I'm glad I stuck with it. Before working at home, I worked for two years at a local hospital and that really helped me build my work experience and really helped when I went out on my own. By working at the hospital, I became familiar with the local docs and eventually got my own accounts with them. I had to let those accounts go because I moved, and now I am working for a small MTSO for the timebeing. I had no problem getting this job. I had applied to many different places and was overwhelmed with job offers. If you stick with it, it gets easier. You've invested time and money into this, have patience and see it through.
I have an idea. Let the MTSO do impossible
his business. Instead of expecting me to do him for 1/2 of what he is paying, let her do him.
Then it's impossible to comment on the QA's note. sm
There are, of course, situations where it's pretty obvious that an individual guessed at a term rather than either looking it up or leaving a blank.
For instance, when the MT uses a term that has no logical relationship to the subject being discussed, that's a pretty good clue that she did not look up the definition of the word.
I'm not saying that's what happened in your case; I don't know enough to say. What I would suggest is that you decide on one of two courses of action:
a. Let it ride. It's doubtful that the QA intended to insult you, although "please check the definition of terms that you're not sure of" might have been more diplomatic (or would you have liked that any better?).
b. Talk it over with the QA calmly. Let her know that you thought her comment was offensive and presumed something that wasn't true.
Either way, I'm sure you're already aware that it's always better to leave a blank than to use the wrong term - whether by "mistake" or by "guessing". I know that all of us take great pride in completing our work accurately and it just kills us to have to leave blanks (a wonderful attitude, by the way!), but sometimes its just unavoidable - and if you've done your reasonable best to resolve a blank without success you've done your job. Leave the blank and get a second set of ears on it. After all, the doc might have used a term that doesn't even belong there in the first place.
I hope you're able to resolve this conflict with your QA or get past it. I know how these things take approximately 63.795% out of the joy of your work! :D
LOL! Know just how you feel. They are near impossible to grow in SoFla.
aa
Yes its true. They seem to be setting impossible limits for everyone lately and you have to wonder
if they just want people to quit.
The best place to get experience is in a hospital. I think it is near impossible
to work from home without the valuable experience of working onsite with others around to listen and train.
The schools all hype everyone up on working at home, but it is not that easy!
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