Since the poster below didn't really answer your questions, I'll try...

• No Experience jobs/Deciding to go 2 school. - Layla
  • Since the poster below didn't really answer your questions, I'll try... - Dazey
  • At this time I think it's a risky - Me

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I've been an IC for about 6 years now and always worked part-time with a 24-hour TAT.  Recently, because my husband was laid off, I took a "full-time" job as an IC but they required an eight hour day, Tues-Sat, minimum 1200 lines/day, which I did verbally and in email agree to.  Because I'm an IC they haven't asked that I set a specific schedule other than which days, though they wanted it known when I'll work for the most part and want to me work in four hour chunks.  My question is, how much freedom do you think I have as an IC in this framework, re hours per day/how many hours at a time?  I usually get in about 1500 lines a day in 8 hours, which by the sounds of the emails I get addressed to everyone where they're not happy with production, seems a pretty good line count with them.  I don't always want to work in four-hour chunks, though usually do, just don't want to "have" to.  The only contract I actually signed was for rate of pay.  I know technically they can't tell me when to work in the day, but based on what I had agreed to, how much room do I have to maneuver?  Also, what about time off?  With my other companies I've always just given plenty of notice and never had a problem getting the time off that I wanted.  I have a feeling though that I'm the only IC that works for them or one of few because there's definitely an "employee" kind of feel with things like scheduled "mandatory" conference calls, etc.  Any thoughts appreciated.

Did you have a learning curve with this keyboard?  I was reading about it yesterday.  I understand the home, page up, page down, etc. keys are on the left-hand side of the keyboard.  That would make for some serious re-learning on my part!  How have you coped?  Thanks to both of you in advance

How did you get your accounts and what line rate did you start with? Also do you pick up and drop off? Who do you speak with (Doctor or office manager) when you have a question about dictation?  What is your normal TAT?

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Pounded the pavement 12 years ago, introduced myself in medical buildings/offices that I chose to walk into, handing them my business card, spending a few minutes with them, giving a resume if requested, showed a little of my personality, asked for their business cards, followed up with them with a phone call.  I did this once a week, a different medical building in my area(s).  I started charging at 12 CPL.....never upped them until this year.  They so appreciated that.  I pick up and deliver and also supply plain white paper if they request the work be printed on that versus their letterhead.  I also never charge for just one word on a line, no matter how long that one word might be, and I give them free 5-line headers as it's only 2 Keystrokes for me.  (Most docs like to see something for *free*).  I spoke originally directly with the doctors and some of them I still do talk with them, but many times I just deal with the office staff.  I rarely have to call though.

Hope that helps and good luck to you. 

Let me first tell you about my background.  I've been an MT for 15 years and QA for 7 years.  I have also worked as a supervisor of a MT department in a large inner city hospital.  I went to a business college and enrolled in their newly established MT program and it was awful.  I paid nearly $5000 for my "education" in 1992.  Fortunately, I lucked out and was able to get a p.r.n. MT position with a local hospital and one of the instructors at my school worked at the hospital.  She became my mentor at school and on the job.  I learned more on the job than I did from the school.  I started out making $7.86 an hour!  It seems like peanuts now, but I took it and ran with it.  Best thing I ever did.  I am a firm believer that every newly graduated MT simply MUST work in an office for at least the first year.  You learn so much from other, more experienced MTs.  You develop a trained ear by having someone else with experience listen and tell you what you should be hearing. 

I owe my career to Martha, Jane, Sherri, and Helen.  They are all retired now, but they were MTs back when they used typewriters and recording belts!  They were my mentors in the beginning and everything they taught me is still with me today!

what type of school is nec.? Personally, I feel that you can take a medical terminology course, anatomy and physiology I and II, and English at your local community college and that is a good start.  I don't feel like any of the online schools out there really prepare anyone for the real world of transcription and their tuition is outrageous!  You can go to a community college for half of what you pay some of those "business" or "career" colleges.

is school required? Those courses I listed should be required.

what is an apprenticeship? can i work as an apprentice and get paid? I think an apprenticeship is an excellent idea.  After you completed the necessary course work, on-the-job experience is the next step in the learning process and an essential step.  As far as being paid, there are companies out there that pay a minimal line rate (usually 5 or 6 cpl) to newbie MTs who are still learning.  Even if you don't get paid, it's still excellent training and education.

can i work at home straight out of school or do i have to work at an office or hospital first?  Unfortunately, you can work from home right out of school, but I don't recommend it.  Like I said above, there is a gigantic learning curve the first year or two out of school.  And even after 15 years on the job, there is still a little bit of a learning curve.  For at least the first year, you need to be in an office with other experienced MTs.

I'm a fairly new MT and have done all my MT-ing so far with C-phones.  I am being switched to a Winscribe system.  My question is this:  Will the MTSO be able to monitor how fast or slow I'm transcribing?  I'm not trying to get away with anything.  It's just that I've read horror stories from some MTs on certain platforms where the MTSO can see (and calls) whenever they're "off the system" (bathroom breaks, looking up a word, legitimate coffee-breaks) etc.  I work as an IC and have a window in which to get my work done rather than a set number of hours.  What I'm wondering is if the MTSO, with this new system, will now be able to "see" if I'm not typing every single minute.  TIA

I really do appreciate it. 

DixieKaye

There are so many individual factors that can be good or bad for one person and not another.  You'll see good and bad on every single company out there, because you just can't please everyone!  But, what I do to try to keep it in perspective is just try to avoid the companies which you see the most "bad" comments about.

That may not be really accurate though, now that I think about it, because I worked for Spheris for many years and I was very happy with them.  And, you know, I'm sure, that Spheris gets slammed big-time on this board.  So, to each his own, I suppose!

Because where we live, it is a very cold climate and I'm not crazy about having to take a doggie outside to go to the bathroom.  I've had other dogs in my life who never went outside either, and they just used their little potty pads to do their business.  It may sound 'gross' to some, but if they are small dogs like my min-dach is, they don't "go" very much, so as soon as they do, you just throw away the potty pad and put out another and you're done and you never had to leave your house.  I realize it sounds a bit "lazy" on my part.

Another reason would be that I have had inside dogs before who did go out into the yard and then brought FLEAS back into my house.  That was a nightmare not to mention expensive. I realize there is medicine you can give your dog to keep them from getting fleas, but it is expensive and I'm not crazy about the chemical part of the medicine.

Then, another reason why I don't really want my dog to go outside.....Dachsunds are known to love to dig outdoors in the dirt/grass.  Yuck.

I just want him to stay in the house with me and never go outside! :)

Who posted that about keeping her family in our prayers on the board?  I realize her family let the poster know.   I am asking WHO posted the message to this board, I asked was it ADMIN..

xx

Is that because you've been fired yourself?

I just recently went back to work in the office at a local hospital. We type in both Meditech and Cerner, depending on what you are typing, i.e. Medical Records reports versus Radiology.  We are currently typing blindly in Meditech, meaning we do not have access to our line counts and must depend on management to give us our totals.  In Cerner, we are able to run a line count report and print out a hard copy of our line counts at the end of the day.

We are finding that 800 lines in Cerner equals about 500 lines in Meditech.  We are not paid per line nor do we have an incentive plan, but we have a new HIM Director who would like to institute an incentive plan and the administrator over our department has laid down the law and decreed that all transcriptionists not making minimum in the department will be written up.  Problem is according to Meditech line totals that we have been given, that would be about half the department.

The transcription supervisor has taken our concerns to the new director who told the MT Supervisor to hold off on writing people and has taken home all the line counts from the last month and she is going over them with a fine tooth comb this weekend.

I am not a very trusting soul by nature, so I am doing a little research on my own.  I've been in this business for about 15 years.  I started out in a hospital and have worked for a few services at home and am now back in the hospital setting.  So I know a few things about line count and I consider myself to be pretty well informed on trends and technology in the industry.   I would like to walk into our next department meeting armed with as much knowledge as possible.  So I have come up with some questions that I would like some fellow MTs to answer, give opinions, and maybe even direct me to websites or individuals who could give me a better understanding of Meditech and Cerner.  Here are my questions:

1. Is it possible for an MT to have access to her line count in Meditech or is strictly a management function?  Any MTs that work in Meditech on this board, do you currently have access to your line counts and if so, how do you check them?  Is it an option on the main menu after you log into Meditech?


2. How is a line defined in Meditech?  (i.e. 65 cpl, with spaces, without spaces)


3. How is a line defined in Cerner?


4. What abbreviation Expanders work with both Meditech and Cerner?


5. Examples of incentive plans (if anyone would like to share that with me that would be great, if not I completely understand).


6. Measuring productivity by minutes of dictation versus typed lines.




1. What would be the minimum minutes required for an 8-hour day?


2. How would one structure an incentive program based on minutes?

I was thinking of presenting the idea that we keep track of productivity using minutes instead of lines since there is such a discrepancy in Meditech.  I also worry that if an incentive plan is put into place and we are still typing blind into Meditech, what's to keep management from shaving off a few lines here and there?

Feel free to email me or post here any responses.  Either is fine.  I really appreciate any input, comments, or just plain old supportive posts would be nice too! 

I guess that is a small pleasure for those of you who have lowered your expectations for the company you work for. 

Bet you're married to a fat bald guy too.