Paid for looking things up
Posted By: ewh on 2005-07-29
In Reply to: Old MT can't adjust to National sm - Letting off steam!
Since we all get paid by what we do, like piece work, when we have to stop to look up stuff, because the doctor is not clear or pronounces the medication wrong or spells it wrong (so many times!), or we have to search for an address, lab value that you know was dictated incorrectly, so you need to double check before you send the hospital a note, etc., we should get paid for down time. LIke, maybe $15.00-$25.00/pay period for time lost looking up things but nooooooooo. Over the years it did not bother me to stop and research things as I was learning along the way but now, it irks me. Recently MQ sent out a questionnaire and darn it, I should have submitted the suggestion. Oh well, its Friday and Im tired. Sorry for the rant. :o)
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
For QA consulting I'm paid per hour; QA instructing (college) paid salary, QA editing paid per li
I am an IC and work for two different MTSOs as well as instruct at a business college.
Bad things? what bad things? people's being petty and small?
x
if mt paid 9, editor paid 4 or 5...how can company charge 14 and make it..sm
I know the going rate in our area is 14 cents per line. As MTs most companies here pay us 8 or 9 cents a line. Now add in the Editor rate at 4 or 5 per line..you are paying OUT more than you can charge a line. How would companies stay in biz?
Unless all work is sent by the company overseas at pennies per line, this would not pay for a company.
just curious how this works out
But how much are the US EDs gonna be paid? Typically this work is paid at 2-3 cpl. nm
:+
You don't get paid an hourly rate you get paid by line - sm
so because of how you are paid (not an hourly rate) you don't get OT, especially if you are an IC.
I would move on. I think it is so unfair not to be paid for spaces! I think we should get paid
per keystroke, but that'll never happen. I just think that these national companies are going to keep finding ways to cheat us. I found a job working for a hospital as an employee, paid hourly plus incentive, and they let us expand everything! Somebody's gonna have to kill me to make me give up this job. I will never go back to the national's again.
I feel for you though. I know that for us MTs those good jobs are few and far between and some have little choice but to work for the nationals. I just happened to luck into the job I have now. I just applied at the right time.
Good luck to you whatever you decide.
If those companies paid a fair wage, and paid more
all came out equal, people wouldn't feel the need to try to make up the deficit by going for the good stuff. I actually prefer the harder, juicier reports. But I can't make a living doing only that, because the pay is not commensurate with the difficulty. So even though I prefer not to, sometimes I have to pick up some of the easier, more boring 'line-o-matic' reports just to make ends meet. Tell your MTSO to make it work their while, and MTs will stop taking all the easy work away that you obviously would prefer to keep for yourself.
You wont show UE being paid because it is employer paid -
the employee will never have to pay this.
What you "should" be paid and what you "are" paid
sadly are two very different things. Good luck on demanding more..because someone else will just come along and take it for what they offer and they know it. 
10$ late if invoice is not paid within 10 days. At day 15 work stops until invoice is paid. Hardly
xx
You can't make things worse and could make things better.
The skinny woman may be ill. The guy might not know the dog is a nuisance. Who knows? Maybe it is not as forbidding as it seems and maybe they just need to be asked in a nice way.
I do a lot of the same things you do...
I also go water the plants - sometimes just being out in the sunshine for 20 minutes or so wakes me up and gets me going again.
I also do the online thing for my kids: Gap, Old Navy and Abercrombie Kids. I occasionally look at Sephora for me. 
And yes, exercise does help. I either take a run first thing in the a.m. or around 1:00. The morning gives me a totally different spin on the day - I feel better in general the whole day and much more positive. If I wake up too late for that, I end up going around 1:00, as I find that around that time I start wandering mentally anyway. I used to feel guilty for taking the hour or so away but realized if I added up all the minutes I spend staring at the screen (waiting for the words to type themselves) it would be more than an hour. So I try to use my time wisely and for myself by exercising and feel more focused and positive afterwards. This is a habit I'm still creating. I've been doing this a while now and I still some days have to convince myself it's okay and the hour is going to help me, not hurt me. After I'm done I'm always glad I went.
Thanks for posting this question - you gave me some good ideas.
There are a few things you can do. Don't
answer phones, let machine pick up. Turn ringer off on cell phone. Stay off boards, turn tv down or off. I don't know about others but I need a little background noise so I keep tv on a volume where I can hear it but not truly understand what is going on. I keep it on the music channel just so I hear something in the background. Don't think about the dirty dishes, laundry or 100 other things needed to be done in the house.
If you need a drink, get one before you start, same goes for a snack. I get a bowl of something to snack on before I start working such as pretzels, carrot sticks, m&m, etc. I bought an oven timer to keep on my desk. I set it for 3 to 4 hours and then take a little break when it goes off. When I first sign on I can work for 4+ hours w/o getting up.
Make macros of phrases. The phrases are the key. If you're forever typing something over and over and saying "I should make a macro for it," don't say it, do it. Closed head injury precautions are set as "chip-" in shorthand. I also do a lot of consults and at the end they have their own little "thank you for allowing me to participate" statement. I use the docs last name with a T at the end of it for the word thank you such as "SmithT" because not all the thank you statements are the same. WDI is written discharge instructions, wci wound care instructions. Macro your labs and headings so you don't have to keep typing them. If the word or abbr. needs to capitalized make a macro. igg comes out as IgG. The less you hit your shift key, it's saving a key stroke. 05m comes out as 0.5% Marcaine, etc. Make something you can remember. I'm at the point now where I've done the same accounts for years and hardly make macros, maybe 1 or 2 a day. If I make a macro today I write it in a notebook sitting right in front of me. It's a quick reminder for me.
Hope some of this helps.
Many things are said here...sometimes...
people get a bit testy. But, guess what? We are all adults, aren't we? Long ago I learned to not take offense to things, remarks, opinions, whatever - as most often taking offense only drags you down personally. Why let things get to you?
MQLover has every right to express her opinion. Is she the only one who ever slams back when she gets slammed? Hardly. That is a natural reaction. It's a defense mechanism. We don't all feel kissy/huggie all the time, and we especially don't when we express our thoughts and get smacked for them.
If someone's post irritate or bother you, why not just skip them? There's a heck of a lot more to life than getting upset of bb posts.
The things I do.
% of utilities, -phone, water, electric-mileage, internet, interest on auto payment, repair to car, cleaning equipment for office, repairs to office, cell phone, equipment-foot pedals, soft ware, supplies, paper, pens, etc. I have often wondered if I could claim my PJs as uniform expense.
But apart from those things R they OK?
two things
Gas heater in the living room and an additional small heater for my hands, if they get cold.
I found it was less costly to install a gas heater than use the fireplace.
Thanks! I'm always trying to think of new things and though....
I thought this might be different to brake up the monotony! Thanks again!
Well there have been quite a few things
here and there, but I have always put off calling them cause they spend 10 minutes getting the spelling of my name right. I am like, "you can call me whatever you want to call me, just answer my question!"
The problem I am having now is that my internet will not allow me to access my bank site, but my cable company helped me with this problem. Since we went back and did a system restore and it still didn't fix the problem, they suggested that I am probably going to have to reinstal internet explorer. I left my CD at my Dad's though, so I will have to wait to try it and see if it works.
I am just wondering if I run into a problem again and I called if they would switch me to a US representative if I insisted. I remember awhile back someone posted that they did that with a credit card company or something. I think I am going to try it though.
That's if you want to be any of those things.
Really, why choose a career field solely based on potential income? Does money buy happiness? Doctors and nurses work very long hours. LPNs make $12 an hour, RNs $18 and up. Attorneys, well, who would want to be an attorney? Accountants here make $12 an hour to start out with a 5-year degree and CPA.
Have you tried these things? (sm)
Writing for the paper and making extra bucks by doing MT?
Maybe go back for your Master's and teach journalism in smaller colleges?
Possibly freelance for web sites? Check out elance.com and other freelancer sites. Lots need writing. Work that experience! Do you have a portfolio to show off?
Good luck :)
two things you can do
1. Run Disk Cleanup - click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup.
2. If you use Internet Explorer, click on Tools | Internet Options. Click on the buttons that say Delete Cooks and Delete Files.
Close your browser, restart it, and that should resolve your problem.
Well, with the way things are going,
I think I would be happy to get anything. Many companies are doing away with gifts completely due to the economy.
I'm not willing to pay for something that will only tell me things I already know.
I know to use an Expander and templates/normals. I know to expand phrases, words, reports, etc. I know to stay away from the boards, let the machine get the phone, and treat this like a REAL job, but it's really hard to concentrate when there's nothing but garbage dictation on the system. I can see somebody else already took all the work from my primary, so I'm stuck with the lousy ESL secondary that I hate and won't make any money on. I can never make any money working for any national. They bounce you around so much that you never have the same dictators from day to day and can't keep account specs straight.
are doing these things....NM
x
Some of us can do 2 things at once, and well! nm
nm
They are okay though there were some things I did not like - sm
though it may not bother others. Need to have AIM on while you work so they can IM you....they can monitor you this way too, unless you know how to turn off that feature. Alway felt to me like Big Brother was watching. Did not like primary account, lots of short reports (I like them long with good line counts, not these dinky 10 lines things that take you 10 minutes to crank out); loved my 2nd and 3rd though, but rarely got to see them. Were considered an employee, nice, don't have to worry about taxes. Had to give a schedule and stick to it (granted you are an employee so you must do that), but flexible. Have to work 1 weekend day too. Get lots of faxes, sometimes too much. People are nice enough though, never had trouble with QA. Like I said just a few things rubbed me the wrong way, good enough place though. Good luck.
What are the things that keep MTs
I'm putting together a list of things that make it hard for MT to get decent line count. Can anyone give me their opinion? TIA!
Could mean a lot of things......sm
Could mean that the QA department is backed up and your report just hasn't come up for review yet. Does your QA department have a higher level to which more difficult reports are sent for yet another listen? It could be that it has been held up in this way. I know how frustrating it must be for you not to have your feedback yet. I hope you get it soon. :-)
Here are some things.....
If you own your home, you can deduct taxes, mortgage interest, DSL or internet service, electricity, heating bills, anything you bought for your job, i.e, pencils, pens, a new chair, a new desk, highlighters, etc., and anything else that is related solely to your business at home.
Don't forget you can also deduct anything you donated. Every few weeks I "clean house" and donate all my goodies to Salvation Army. But make sure you get a receipt.
Several things...
For me personally, I was drwan to transcription for several reasons. I love the field of medicine and I love to learn something new every day. Those were the main things at first. Now, I love to be home for my children and am happy this job that I already love helps me do that!
getting things done
I have found David Allen's GTD approach very useful in organizing life, time, and goals. You can do a search for "getting things done" on google.
As if 1 of those things isn't bad enough.
Yikes.
I never go to any of these things...sm
that way I'm not stuck with buying stuff I don't want/need/pay too much for.
Thank you both - these are exactly the things (sm)
I was talking about! This will be VERY helpful. Have a good day :)
These are some things I do
Boy, I hear you on how time consuming and tiring it can be to get ready to go! We don't have any kids but we have three small dogs (which are like kids to us).
We camp almost every other week-end, May through September, and I try to do as much as I can during the week to get things ready, a little each day that I can.
Also, I have bought as many things as possible to leave in the camper so I don't have to take things from the house to the RV/back and forth. I try to stock the cupboards with foods that can be left there for the season. This year I also bought us underwear that stays in the RV all summer. When we come home from camping, I wash it and back it goes to the RV. (Then in the fall, it will come in the house and we can throw out old underwear and buy new again the next year for the RV.) We also leave warm clothes in the camper all season as they are usually part of our "winter clothes" anyway.
We also keep our RV electrical plugged in all season so I can leave many things in the refridge and freezer, without using up our propane to run the fridge. We have an outside outlet on our house so we can do this.
While we are camping, I make a list of things I note we will need to buy for the next camping trip; otherwise, I would never remember what I needed. I also have made a "Camping Checklist" of things I need to remember to take each time and things I need to do before we leave. That really helps me a lot.
HTH some. Have fun camping! We will be going on "vacation" (five days) in our RV next week and we can hardly wait. Even each week-end away is like a mini-vacation for us.
Several things:
1. Separate accounts. Get a credit card in your business name to run all business purchases through. That will simplify things immensely. Get a business checking account (you can choose Jane Smith DBA - doing business as -Transcription Services Limited if you are not incorporated).
2. The first year that you are an IC, do not worry about quarterly payments. You do need to withhold enough from your paychecks to be ready to pay your regular taxes as well as an additional 7.5% self employment tax come April next year. Put all of this in your business account. The second year, 2007, - as long as you pay 100% of what your taxes were in the previous year, you will not incur any fines. So if you paid $8500 between your husband and you in your taxes this year, next year divide the $8500 by 4, to get $2125. Watch your husband's withholding and every quarter, take what has been withheld from him and add whatever it takes to make $2125 from yours. I.e. he has $2000 withheld, your quarterly payment should be $150 - allowing a little extra.
I agree it is worth it to find a good CPA that will help you get organized and give you deadlines for filing, as well as help you find deductions that you are entitled to take. But after that, easy enough to do on your own if you do your own taxes anyway.
I have two things (sm)
Watching my two-year-old son sing and dance, and my five-year-old daughter getting 100% on her sight words (reading) at school four weeks in a row. And she's only been in school for four weeks. My kids make me happy and proud!
Here's other things I do to them....sm
1. Ask them if they need you to spell everything you want to say for them.
2. Ask them if they'll be voting Republican, Democrat or Independent in the next election and to explain the pros/cons of each candidate. I love to hear them stammar on that one!
3. If it's a male, ask him if he makes his wife walk behind them and treat them like a second class citizen or if she is allowed freedom like we have in America.
4. Tell them you'll listen to their sales pitch if they'll agree to listen to yours - then start reading the Sunday ads to them.
Several things
Semester is half over!
Just 27 hours left to graduate!
Life's going good. Anything wrong is something I can get a handle on.
Feel blessed. My family is safe and well. It's beautiful weather. I have all I need and most of what I want.
I'm silly that way, I guess. :)
Things you don't know
Unlike you, I volunteered for yesterday and today, but did not volunteer to stay up all night Wednesday with a preschooler begging me to take away her tummy pain, and also deal with her illness as I tried to work yesterday.
I did not "plan" a "big" family gathering...they invited themselves over (all 3 of them), which I was grateful to do YESTERDAY when my load was to have been lighter. It was in my mind a show of appreciation for the 2 nights I have had without having to work or be the sole responsible person for this child in a year (they kept her while I was in the hospital from a stress-related GI illness).
I am grateful this child is in my life as she was literally dropped off on my door step unanounced one day because her parents wanted to be teenagers. But the stress of court dates, proving paternity so the parents can "get a fresh start" by walking away from the child they produced, the therapy sessions to help her cope with why they abandoned her, the state agencies that provided minimal assistance to kinship care providers but mandated appointments that cut into my pay to attend....
Right now vanity is a luxury I cannot afford and perhaps, yes, I kind of resent it for other people TODAY. I did not resent it yesterday and shall not resent it tomorrow (even though I am on mandatory stat coverage for the entire weekend with no pay for it).
I am stressed and I vented about vanity. Now, I will take the child I did not give birth to and essentially take my toys and go home. Thanks for the support! Merry Christmas, too!
Some things to consider...sm
For me, IC versus employee boiled down to benefits (PTO, sick days, insurance, etc.) versus the greater flexibility in my schedule. As an IC, I generally made more on the paycheck, but that was before taxes, which can become a nightmare if you're not careful. When I got to thinking about, really the only thing I was actually giving up was the greater flexibility in my schedule. I discovered that when I factored in the benefits package, which included holidays and other things in addition to those mentioned above, I felt like I was actually making at least as much if not more in terms of monetary compensation. Also, where I am at now allows a 1-hour window on either side of my shift start time, so I can start an hour earlier or an hour later than I am scheduled to without having to notify anyone about it. That actually helps quite a bit, but if you can stomach converting to a more structured shift schedule, I think the addition of benefits to your regular pay can make it very much worth your while, especially if you don't already have health insurance benefits through your spouse's employment. Another aspect that can generate considerable peach of mind is if your benefit package includes disability. If anything ever happens to prevent me from being able to continue working, my salary is covered. For me, all of these things were significant enough to move me to change. I spent the better part of 15 years as an IC, so I thought about it long and hard. Now I have the "V" word back in my vocabulary for the first time in a long time, and it's nice to be getting paid while I'm on "v"acation. Those are the main considerations that went into my decision process.
I hope those thoughts help, and I wish you the best.
I do those very things
I tell them I want consistent work, list the type of work I don't like (only 2 types), and I make it very clear what I'm looking for and of course all of them say they have JUST that. My main thing is consistent work, I want to work my shift and be done, not be on here 24/7 trying to get my hours.
What the pay IS, vs. what it SHOULD BE, are 2 different things! (sm)
It also depends on where you live, the difficulty of the work, etc. I'm at about 9.5 cpl. In Ky. that's good pay, but in NY or CA it's poverty-line.
ear things
Which ones to get?
A few things...
I have a couple of websites--actually several--that are content based websites, so I have ads on them which make me a little money. I also make felt playsets for children, and locally I sell mosaic birdbaths, and will soon start selling potting benches. I designed one for myself, built it for cheap, and it turned out well. I also sell on Ebay. I feel if I put as much time and passion into what I love as I was putting into MTing, then certainly I will be able to make a living. It includes advertising all that I do and really putting the hours into it.
Lynn
With God, all things are possible..
xx
There are so many things to do
Hi - I have worked at home for 9 years. I did start to feel that way once my kids started school, but there are things you can do. For example, I found a walking buddy through Exercisefriends dot com and started walking every day. Also, there are other people who work from home - post on Craigslist or something like that and find other work-at-homers to meet for lunch. Allow yourself a lunch break. Initiate social outings with friends - like organize a girls night out that you initiate.
Look things up and
That is what I did when I started. Constantly looked things up. Sure it slows you down in typing but you come out looking better and you learn tons more this way. Also do not make up words or guess. Look up the word and if not found then leave a blank. That's the way to do it. Try to educate yourself. I edit and I see wrong words or made up spellings for drugs when I know they can be looked up easily.
Two things.
If you're using Express Scribe, there are hot keys on the F keys to stop, start, rewind, etc. Also, have you tried to change the default in Express Scribe (or whatever program you're using) to something different that will recognize your foot pedal?
I think we all want things to be better but some
doing something about it.
|
