Sadly, most people think it's easy.
Posted By: mt on 2008-03-13
In Reply to: I get asked how to become an MT a lot. . - sm
Oh, maybe I should do that. My house would always be clean, and I'd be able to do anything I wanted with my kids. How do I sign up?
Yeah....don't ya just wanna choke 'em!!
My hubby used to say I got to go relax and type....until I made him sit at the computer and said now type that note. He worked on it for 20 minutes and got 2 lines done...of course asking me 4 different times on words. I said, good job honey...you'll make 50 cents an hour.
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Not easy out here in Cali. Some people
into a 1-bedroom apt, or do the roommate-thing. I'm lucky enough to still live alone, but am also in a very old place that I've been in for almost 2 decades, and the paint is literally peeling off the walls. Even though we earn PTO, I haven't used it because I can't afford to go anywhere. My sis gave me some money to take a short vacation, and I spent it on food. At least I live near town so I can walk or bike to the market, and not use gas to get there. I've also been buying clothes at Goodwill, and/or accepting a friend's teenger's castoffs. Balanced diet? Fugetaboutit! I eat whatever's on sale, and friends sometimes give me their leftover food. Anyway, if something doesn't change for the better in the world of MT - (and SOON!) I could probably make more money and have better bennies working at Starbuck's. Plenty of job opportunities, there, seeing as how there's one on every street corner downtown. ;D
You are absolutely right! It is not as easy as people think (sm)
I had the same attitude when I was younger before becoming depressed myself. I did finally go and get help with mine and life is so much better and easier when you are not tired and achy from depression.
Many people say they fail the test even though it seems easy. nm
s
Think of it as job security for you -- when you QA people pick out the ^easy^ reports and transcrib
for the MT's who should have been transcribing those reports, what do you expect? QALady, you seem to be another QA person who puts herself on a pedestal ! I would sugget you get out of QA and transcribe if you hate your job that much !
Sadly, I agree. nm
.
Sadly, nothing gets cig smell out of anything. It
always sneaks back. I have been burned 3 times out of 4 on E-Bay with MT stuff. I am a huge buyer and seller, and its the only area I've not been happy with, so I'd rather buy new now than risk it. Hopefully it will work. One thing I have tried is sealing whatever it is up in a bag for as long as possible, or as frequently as possible, with a Outdoor Fresh Scent Bounce or two in the sealed bag with the item. Over time the Bounces absorb some of the cig smell. But it would be a hassle undoing a C-phone every day and bagging it. Sorry - that smell makes me sick, too, and I used to smoke! Good luck.
You are, sadly, correct
Makes you wonder if this is how the peaceful, loving Muslims feel about the crazy nut jobs in their religion. I just hate it that they are claiming to be doing all of this on the basis of Christianity.
I hate it that they get the airtime, but better that than to protest at the funerals.
This is so very sadly true
No matter what is posted, if it's positive in nature, at least one poster has to come along and try to rain all over that person's parade. This site could be so wonderful and a great tool IF everyone just showed one iota of respect for one another, some common decency, without resorting to name calling, personal insults, etc. I'm a positive person as well and am very content with my career and my personal life. I never let this site bring me down, but I do find myself feeling very sorry for the posters on here who obviously go out of there way to antagonize and insult other posters. It's clear that something vital is missing from their lives if snarking at other posters makes them feel validated.
It's quite sad, actually.
I sadly put my books into my bookcase sm
and went totally electronic. I can find surgical stuff so much faster online rather than going through the books. I'm more confident and faster doing OPS now than ever before since I don't leaf through the books, just search online, and of course I double check everything. I have the electronic drug reference but rarely use it since my internet is open all day long.
Sadly, while you are not wanting to spread the name...
...Some other unsuspecting MT is signing a contract with these folks.
Believe me, I felt the SAME exact way as you back when I was fooled by D&L. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for over a month, and actually believed payment would be sent to me. I didn't talk badly about them, well not until PA Dept of Labor decided there was nothing they could do for me as an IC. Here it is, 1 year later, and I still haven't been paid...either have 20+ others who were all just suddenly *let go.*
The only loyalty you should ever have in this business is to yourself, your pocket and to a fellow struggling MT. Don't be scared to let others know the name of a company to avoid.
Good luck dealing with PA courts/magistrates/Dept of Labor, etc. I hope you get your pay.
You are sadly mistaken about what that means.
"Freedom of Speech" guarantees that on public property you, as an individual, may speak out against the government without fear of retaliation for it.
It doesn't mean you can say anything you want about any person or entity and be covered.
Of course the woman could be sued.
Hey ladies, I am a midwife and an MT. However, the money comes from MT sadly. sm
I do midwifery on the side as i love it but i have to keep my 2 MT jobs to keep the bills flowing. I am an LM, CPM so i do not do hospital deliveries. I do homebirth/ birth center deliveries so the pay is less than CNMs would make but a lot of the CNMs these days do all the crap work from the MDs. Best thing with MT is it works around my MW schedule. Love it!! I average about 20-30K on midwifery delivering about 15-20 babies a year. I personally know one that delivers 3-4 a month and averages about 75K but i choose not to be that busy with midwifery til my kids get older as i still need family time. I don't see where to put email in here but if anyone wants info from me, would be happy to share.
Retta is inclined to agree, sadly...
Our MTng days of you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours are over. Now watch out for that knife blade, I am sorry to say...
Sadly, I agree that more and more jobs are going to go to 3rd world countries. However, that is not
:+
You don't get bonuses for doing it. It's just mixed in with the regular stuff, sadly. nm
s
St. Agnes High School, Rochester, NY, sadly no longer exists
Hail to St. Agnes High, we sing to thee, school days are bright and fair, our hearts fill with glee to know (something, something, and then best line) white speaks of purity, womanhood's jewel (etc., etc.)
The above poster is right. Sadly, I've been on Escription for four years and my line counts
were going down. Apparently, the hospital decided we were being overpaid so they manipulated the way were paid i.e. footers, headers etc. They could change it to whatever they wanted and the MTSO did nothing as they wanted to keep the contract. So we had to suck up and take the reduction, along with the fact that all of our work was/is being sent to India so it's slim pickens most days unless you want the crappy accounts. I would ask a lot of questions, but as a whole, Escription accounts and the companies who have it rarely like to pay a decent livable cpl. JMO
The easy answer, taking all the easy work and
x
if you live among trashy people, low income people, people w/o goals or direction,
content to just get by, you by default become a part of a group. "people" have decided to group trailer people as trash. that is because there are enough people in that group to earn the title and even if you aren't trash, you are categorized by others. did i think i was trash in lower class neighborhood surrounded by people who drank and fought all weekend? no but i knew i wasn't staying and did not try to pretend that all the fools in the neighborhood were just nice folks who ended up where they were because high horse snobs deemed their neighborhood low class. people for the most part live exactly where they belong because they don't want to educate themselves, they don't mind "trash" around them and they don't want to be bothered trying just a bit hard to extract themselves from that world. they justify everything to themselves i guess saying everyone who doesn't like their lifestyle is a snob and the comedians (Jeff Foxworthy/Chris Rock, etc) who make fun of them are just ill-informed.
As for me, I fought hard to get out and don't even want to look back. It amazes me people stay for generations.
Well, Word is easy to buy and easy to install. Word 97 works great. Cheap. SM
I still would not work anywhere I could not use a spell checker with grammar checker and a Steadman's Medical Spell Checker.
IF they want people to TRANSCRIBE MEDICAL REPORTS, then I guess they better get the programs they need.
It's like probably 110% easier to buy and install Word 97 than to try to program their own programming. And, yes, I do mean Microsoft Word 97. Why? Because you can install it unlimited times, in case you need to install the operating system again. And it has a few features that Microsoft, in its un-wisdom, took away in Word 2000 and 20003 and 2007. So, yes, I'd go with Word 97 for its cheapness and it works better than the later versions. Just my opinion, with 20 years experience being an MT. So what if they "don't have it" on their computer? It's easy to get.
Easy easy money they are!
I don't mind seeing those puppies filter in at all. Same for H&Ps. They are always different though, so can't really pop in the same pre-formatted autotext, but it's usually WHAMMO 2-3 pages at a time. Give them a shot...you may just be pleasantly surprised!
Drugs! Lots of drugs! Sadly, you're probably like
most of us and don't have time to go to the doctor! Oh well! Feel better soon! You are not alone!
I think I smell either VR on the easy stuff, or offshoring of the easy stuff.
d
so many people was wishy-washy nowadays...love to see people make
a stand for what they believe in...
it is kind of wierd those statements have to be made in the first place but guess we are an ever-transitioning country and are still young. so many different beliefs yet not much tolerance.
I found your post respectful, and right on as to how you feel. it does not seem that difficult to sift through to read and respond to messages someone might not care for...
Just remember that it is not the people on this board who short changed their people and ONLY after
caught did they (after they were suied) make an effort to look good by sending out these checks. Now, think about this--had they done this many years ago when they short changed everyone, that would have been honest. Does it not bother you that only after they know they are under the gun that they are doing this to try and make themselves look good?
I used to work for MQ and I used to like what I did. I never can say I really liked the people that I worked with, but I really think they had some of the best accounts that I have ever come across in the MT industry. I loved working the major teaching hospitals that I did, but that certainly does not mean that I enjoyed being cheated out of pay.
So chill already. People have been cheated, were lied to, and only AFTER they got caught have they tried to return some of the money they robbed us of (as well as cheated their clients).
We all have reasons not to be happy with this company and you go off on us because we are complaining of things like small refund checks of a penny or a few cents or a few hundred dollars and NO WAY to even check to find out if this is correct?
I am sorry you are unhappy all of us thinking that there is still a dead rat in the cellar, but there is still a dead rat in the cellar and nothing will bring the dead rat back.
I would hold no love for a company that I know willingly cheated the very people who helped THEM make money out of their hard-earned money.
Go take a deep breath and think about that.
My people skills are just fine. I just want to hire people who want to work.
I've not been ugly, I've asked questions, legitimate ones. Please tell me what is wrong with that. This site is not just for MTs, it is for QA Editors, Supervisors, Service Owners, there's even sections for Billers, Coders, and Nurses.
rude people? I would take good pay over polite people any day
Besides that they have never been rude to me and I have been here for almost 2 years. What do you consider a bad account?
I know my account is a little tough, but I am used to it. I am tough!
Rude people? I hardly think so. They are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. sm
Not just management, but QA as well. No one is rude. They are a very understanding staff. There is one account that is hard but all it takes is getting used to it. Once you are used to it, it is no harder than any other ESL account that you would do anyplace else. I have heard all these things about TH from the archives and I have yet to come across rudeness or any kind of thing that I have read about in the archives. I would definitely pursue them if I were you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
2 people to do that amount of work, is she nuts? More like 20+ people - nm
x
Certain people getting raises, certain people not. Guess who is?
Say what you will about unions, the good and the bad. But, one thing they did ensure is a raise, good benefits and that you would have a job in the morning.
it's all easy to say when it's not you
If the mom wasn't in Aruba throwing a fit and crying on TV, we would all speculate about why she wasn't there and why she doesn't care. Either way, whatever she did, there would be someone there complaining about how she was doing it.
I would say until it is your daughter or son, maybe we should just keep our mouths shut and not pass judgment on them.
Also, I don't care what kind of bad decision or how drunk the young girl was, wrong though it may be, that doesn't mean she deserves to be murdered or raped. It makes me sick that we are always so eager to jump on the victim and the family at times like this.
We are doing it now - it's not so easy for my DH
He began the process of buying a new business in April. It was supposed to be completed by July 15, but there have been so many delays and things getting dragged out, it still isn't done. At first he was very excited about spending the some time home with the kids this summer, but I can definitely see for the last month or so he's gotten very depressed, sleeping more, not getting motivated, doesn't want to do anything with the kids anymore. I think men in general need to be productive (at least the good ones do), and unfortunately, raising kids doesn't offer a lot of immediate gratification. It's fun for a little while, but they eventually need more. I can't want for him to be gone so I can be "mom" again.
That's easy enough to do when you get the
same dicators on a routine basis. I type for a very large hospital with many outside facilities and rarely do I get the same dictators on a regular basis. Therefore, my paycheck is considerably less than cherry-pickers. What these people do is listen to a few minutes of the report and, if they don't like what they hear, they send it back. Also, of note, these are not necessarily the mumblers, ESL, or speed talkers. Many of these are reports that have a problem, i.e., wrong MR# so I have to enter all of the demo info (not paid for), wrong report type so I have to change it and make a note to send to the hospital, no date of service given with again a note to the hospital, etc. All time-consuming, frustrating, and cutting into my paycheck.
very easy. I have my 2 as well as
my parents next door networked, a total of 4. make sure to have your network password protected.
that's an easy one
Worked for an owner-operated MT company and the owner was an alcoholic. She expected no less than 18 hour days 7 days a week and if you asked for even ONE day off per week, she would start cursing and carrying on and saying she would give the accounts away. Then when she got really drunk, she'd start messaging all this personal stuff about her husband and former husbands and their sex life and all that. She was this astrology nut who hired on the basis of the "signs" of the transcriptionists and if she would call to curse you out about something (even if it didn't pertain to you) she would say it was the person's "aura" that was bad for the company. Yup there are real nuts out there.
That's easy. sm
I have been a fry cook, nurse's aid, farm worker, receptionist, clerk in a U-Totem. I kind of enjoyed all of them. My worst job was waiting tables. It's grueling work, for little pay and you have to rely on your tips to get you through. It's more demanding physically than most people can imagine and you never get to sit down. Plus, you deal with attitudes all day long. Never again.
That's an easy one...
Congratulations!! You are now qualified to do most every job in medical records, except for the supervisory roles. We, MTs, would make awesome coders!! We are also qualified to do positions in medical offices, receptionist, coder, referrals, etc. Start putting out your resume!! You'll see!! And, by the way, when the Transcriptionist is on vacation, you are the automatic fill-in. More money!!!
Not easy, but this is what we do. . sm
Four kids. Birthdays are 2 in mid September, 1 end of October and 1 two weeks before Christmas! We now have a new grandson who is just a month old, so we can just add on to the pre-Christmas insanity for next year as I'm sure he won't expect much this Christmas. :)
My poor hubby's birthday is 2 weeks after Christmas. We usually just make him a card or something. :) Nothing until my birthday in May, but I get the homemade cards too. Must make mental note to buy construction paper. :)
I never bought BIG for my kids at Christmas. I spend about $500 total. I make a lot of stuff too. My parents are gone. His parents just want school pics of the kids.
I guess I'm lucky. Our whole family from grandparents right down to my youngest don't see Christmas as "I want, I want." They know that Christmas is about giving and that presents should come from the heart. I still have every badly glued Christmas ornament that my kids ever made me hanging on the tree every year.
Every year, no matter how much or how little money we have, we always pick a name off from one of the local "giving trees" to buy a gift for a child from a needy family. Usually these requests are for socks or boots or something, but we always include an age appropriate toy or book or game.
We donate food items to the Christmas food drive and would never even dream of walking by a Salvation Army Christmas donation kettle without putting in at least a dollar or two. 
These furniture ads that scream, "WOULDN'T DAD LOVE A NEW FLAT SCREEN TV FOR CHRISTMAS?" make me ill.
Re: Not easy...
<<we always pick a name off from one of the local "giving trees" to buy a gift for a child from a needy family. Usually these requests are for socks or boots or something, but we always include an age appropriate toy or book or game.>>
I'd like to share my story about those 'giving trees.' Last year, I was going through a divorce. My ex decided to stop paying child support, dump all our bills on me and leave the state. I was also sick and racked up several thousand dollars in medical bills. The school counselor put my kid's names on the giving tree at Wal-Mart. My kids got really, really nice gifts, and it was wonderful. Those gifts meant the world to my kids. It really made them feel great that a stranger cared to give them something when we were going through so much. This year I've pretty much gotten back on my feet financially and things are much better. We were at Wal-Mart last week, and my kids saw the giving tree. They both decided to spend their birthday money that they have been saving on a child from the giving tree. They each spent $40. My daughter, who is 10, said that she thinks the most important present she is going to give every year is to the giving tree. It was really hard going through my divorce and the financial difficulties, but I think it taught my kids a really important lesson that they couldn't have learned any other way.
Not easy 50K
I can't say it was an easy 58.5K this year but I did it. It was 50K for me as I paid 8.5 to my subs who work 5 to 6 hours per week for me. That is all they want to work. But I did it and hoping to go above 60 next year, we will see.
UR very welcome - nobody said it was easy biz.NM
xx
something easy!
 I just can't get into heavy duty cooking. I think it will be chicken fajita salads, have the chicken thawing that is already southwestern spiced! Hubby will eat about anything, lucky for me!
It is easy enough
 At first it was a little difficult but once you get a routine established it is okay. My daugter is 3 months and we have it so I nurse her more in the morning before I start to type and she sleeps for a food 4-5 hour stretch. It will just take a little time. Be patient, it will all work out.
Too easy...
You do control K, then control B, and type in Physical Exam how you want it to be, and then controk K again and unbold. I had this problem not long ago, and someone on here helped me, so will pass it on.
Very easy
to use. Microsoft word based. I loved it when I worked with it.
Not easy
I don't blame you. For 20 years as an MT, I thought "boy I'd like to work in administration, that's gotta be easy." Boy oh boy was I wrong!! I had one person I just had to let go who claimed to have been head of QA for a larger company and honest to goodness, my new grad does better work. I simply told her that her work did not match her resume and the proofing time was too extensive for her to continue working for us. After she called me every name in the book, she said it was my fault for not paying her enough! I could have paid her 20 cpl and the work still wouldn't have been good. We hear the moaning about how we don't reply to emails...that's another issue. I put in my ads exactly what I expect to see in the email and what I want in the subject line and maybe 1 out of 20 will follow the instructions. I give out a detailed information package on the accounts and they don't read them. I had one CMT who said she had never followed specifics and wasn't about to now, that she knew what she was doing. I had one hired on Monday and on Wednesday she asked for a week's vacation. I get them who sign up for a specific number of lines then don't bother, a good portion "forget" to send in their work. I had one lady hired who lived only 6 blocks from another MT and she didn't work for 3 days claiming they had severe storm damage and no power. I had one say her father was going to be sick in July so she needed time off. It's really sad because the good people get worked to death while we constantly try to fill in the gaps and keep the accounts going. If we are too easy going, people don't work at all. If we try and toughen up, then I'm a you-know-what. Salaries just aren't going to go much higher, if at all higher, because the work is leaving and it's leaving fast. I get no less than 4 emails when I post an ad, emails from foreign companies offering to do the work for 3-8 cpl. At 3 cpl, it would be cheaper for us to send it out and then have it totally read through, but we are trying like h*** to keep the work here.
They are so easy and you don't get
PAs and NPs dictating them.
Definitely not easy
It is hard enough to *train* our own family to respect the fact that we are WORKING, so of course it is practically impossible to get visitors to understand. I would definitely think about a different location. If that isn't possible then maybe just a different location when the in-laws are visiting. Short term fix for that week or 2 anyway.
Good luck!
Easy
Hi...I use a very simple method with my two accounts. I use Olympus digital recorders. Two of my docs are using the old ones, the DS330, and one is using the newer one, the DS2. Of the two, I prefer the DS2. I provided the recorders for the docs.
Anyway, the recorders come with software that you install on your computer. It is very simple to use. The docs dictate into the recorder just like they would a taper recorder, but there is no tape inside, it's all digital. Then they just connect the recorder to a computer with a USB cable and the work is transferred into the computer via the software program, DSS Player. After the voice file is transferred into their computer, they can then attach the voice file to an email and send it to you to transcribe.
I don't know, maybe others have better methods, but this has worked just fine for me and my docs are happy. I've never had a problem. I used to pick up tapes and deliver work too and this is sooooo much better. I hope I explained it well, because I'm having one of those days where I don't know if I'm coming or going, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck.
No one said it would be easy.
But, you can make the best of it. I have been there, done that, and still doing it! Whether you work on-site, off-site, in your basement, or on your roof, when you are a mother/wife/caregiver, you will have obstacles! Bottom line. Any others agree? I mean my daughter was sick the last two days! Oh my, I still got my work done, gave hugs, kisses, ran to the store for soup, Motrin, etc. She's 6-years-old for goodness sakes. If you have enough fire in ya' to work at home, then know that NOT all of your expectations will be met, and just go with it. No one on this board has the magical answer. I think Minnie is just trying to express that why work at home, and then say you are not meeting your line count and expect someone here to fix that for you. Lower your expectations a little, geez. Thanks for listening! Kimberly will find her way. Maybe she was just feeling like she needed some support. Well, you've got it. There are so many others here doing the exact same thing.
I like it. Very easy to use.
nm
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