Starting over you have a lot of good advice below on..sm
Posted By: 2teens on 2006-01-29
In Reply to: Bawling my eyes out. - Starting over.
your situation. I must say I do feel for you and wish you all the best. Take care of yourself and those children first. That is most important and I will most certainly be thinking about you and saying a prayer or two. Take your time and do whatever you have to in order to make a safe and happy life for yourself and those children. Bless you and wishing you happiness.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
- Bawling my eyes out. - Starting over.
- Starting over you have a lot of good advice below on..sm - 2teens
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
just starting--can you offer me advice
I am looking into MT as a "job change". What can you all tell me? I have read that M-Tech or Andrews is the best way to go. Do I HAVE to have formal training? How beneficial is it? Do they help me get jobs? I have no idea what all questions to ask. I live in St. Louis, and have heard of Allied Business School here. Any advice greatly appreciated! Deidre
Need advice on starting my own business
 I have been struggling for the past year to get my paycheck. I am so fed up with having to constantly hound the "company" that I work for that I might as well get my own accounts if I have to do so much footwork. I would love any advice on how to start up my own accounts. I'd love to receive all my files off the internet. Any advice...... Please.
Advice on starting up own accounts.... sm msg
I have my biz cards ready to go. I have my letter partially ready to go, with sticky notes that I’ve designed as a promotional giveaway to insert into my packets. I need some advice/suggestions for startup. If I get ‘that’ call and the customer wants digital rather than tapes, who pays for the handhelds? Do you all use an FTP site for return of documents, or some other way? What wav player do you suggest or use that works for you? I’ve tried GearPlayer, the trial download, which is very nice. I have had a lot of trouble with Express Scribe, so that is out. The audio skips and is just overall very bad. I have never had good luck with Express Scribe.
I need some advice on starting my own small side business. sm
First of all, I have worked for several nationals in the past few years, and equipment has always been provided. I currently have a f/t position with a national that I use my own personal computer for, they just put their software on it. I had what I needed already, as far as foot pedal, Expander program, etc.
I have just been sort of rolling ideas around in my head about possibly starting up something small perhaps on a p.r.n. basis just to bring in a little extra income. As I am still just mulling this around in my mind, my questions are: How do I go about getting started? Do I try to purchase equipment first, or start out using tapes? I am worried about spending the money and not having any takers, so I am thinking, I should send out some sort of letters first; but, without having the equipment already, how do I tell them I plan on doing their transcription. Maybe mention tapes first, and tell them I have plans to go digital after I get up and running? These are all just things I wonder about. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to email me with any advice.
I have been an MT for 16+ years, but as I said, I have always had all of the stuff provided for me and just don't know how to start.
Thanks in Advance!
starting out that is really good , I started out at 5.5 c
You really cant go by the line count. Is this company going to give you a set amount of minutes to transcribe or are you able to pull what you want whenver you need it. That has a big part to play in how many lines you get.
Also is this clinic or acute. Clinic normally has shorter reports (but not always) and acute can be pages and pages or very short.
I think I was getting anywhere from 600 to 1000 a day first starting out, but it has been so long ago it is hard to tell.
Good post. I was starting to wonder if possibly - sm
the Grammar Police are, as you said, simply trying to divert the focus of this thread to grammar, spelling & punctuation on this board, when most of us agree it's not important in this type of venue. (hee... maybe we should go on a "punctuation strike", and eliminate it altogether?) Anyway, you are right about doing research, and coming up with a compelling letter and petition. I think much of what has been written here in this forum could be put into it, and the compilation would be pretty powerful.
MT2B, it's a good average sort of starting point. SM
Not at all bad, not fast.
More finger-speed will come with practice. Your next step is to buy the best word Expander you can find--recommend either ShortHand or InstantText, both avery well thought of by their users--and start with an initial goal of doubling that speed to 140, then improving from there.
An MT is paid by the line produced, and imagine how many more lines you will be able to churn out when you can type "hyd25mpb" and have "hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg p.o. b.i.d." type out for you. Plan on starting with abbreviations not for medical words, though, but for the common nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs used thousands of times a day in every document. Like "t" for "the" and "v" for "that," and so on. If an extremely common word's more than 1 letter long, consider if you shouldn't be shortening it. I shorten "he". Seriously--it's a tap of the D on my keyboard.
Strongly recommend a book like Saving Keystrokes by Diana Rolland and the website productivitytalk.com. Best wishes.
Starting pay is 6 cents a line, fairly good account stability.
I had lots of ESLs. Benefits are okay. They have a new, stricter QA policy in place with new compensation, hard to get a 98 or above as it is by the BOS. It was okay, but couldn't make any decent money. Need to be a super high producer.
Very good advice! NM
..
Good advice! nm
x
this is very good advice
Embarrassment and nips it in the bud. When this first started I was so dumbfounded that I didn't know what to do or say, but I find myself not going over there at all and unhappy so I need to take control. Hopefully it won't happen since big mouth brought it to his attention, but if it does, I will force myself to quickly say something within moms earshot. Thanks for the advice.
Very good advice
nm
Need some good advice, please
I'm looking for an Internet-based software for my home MT service, one that can be accessed from any web browser, can e-sign, auto fax, let the docs' referring physicians go to the site, log in and read their patients' reports, and offer a complete accounting of lines charged on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc., basis. Also software that will allow the doctors to search transcripts by any criteria; i.e, patient name, their date of office visit, names of meds prescribed, and the like. Also, one that could also be integrated into EMR without any problem in the future.
Does anyone have any good ideas?
Also, any idea of the intitial outlay and the per-line charge the vendor would charge on the average?
Finally, I'd be very interested in reading about the type of software you currently use and if you and your clients are happy with it.
Thank you much.
Britta in Las Vegas
Good advice!
I don't exactly time myself on how long I try before leaving a blank but I would say I never spend more than 3 minutes either. I would think though that 3 minutes would certainly be enough time for anyone to spend, more than that would be a waste of time IMO.
This is such good advice! Thank you.
I am on the Climara patch - low dose. Sleep deprivation was making it very difficult to get through the work day and so, I really had no choice. I promised myself yearsd ago I would not be sad due to aging and really, I had a wonderful time as a young woman. The physical symptoms, though, I never expected to be so difficult. It is like being slapped up side the head with a 2 x 4 when you least expect it.
That's good advice. I like that. :) (nm)
x
Good advice
And exactly what the OP apparently wants someone else to do for her and spoonfeed her the results. She declared she didn't have the "patience" to read all the posts, so it is unlikely that she will follow your advice.
Need some good advice, please...
There's a very large insurance company here in Boston that wants me to handle their transcription - very little medical terminology, and the typing would be pretty darn simple. The head of the company seems like a really nice, down-to-earth guy; the work will be plentiful; and there would also be an opportunity to get in with other branches of the company as well doing their offices' transcription.
I know as an IC we are to set the rates, and I normally charge on a per-line basis; however, they are adamant about paying a per-page charge - currently pay $2.50 per page now to a service they detest.
What do you feel is a fair per-page rate to charge them? I really want to be fair, but I use an Internet-based platform that charges me 1.5 cents 65 cpl.
Any and all suggestions are welcome, and thank you so very much! 
good advice
I'll just keeping trudging along. Learning and living.
That's some good advice
there.
all good advice
You have already gotten some good advice and I agree with all of it. You should not make a hasty and impulsive decision about your marriage, certainly. But as one who spent 15 years in an emotionally and eventually physically abusive marriage because I went to a church that "didn't believe" in divorce, let me just say, if you do eventually make a rational decision to go, don't let what others think even be part of the decision. I still get lots of criticism and judgment from so-called Christians about my decision, but my children and I have never been any better off than we are now.
always such GOOD advice!
...they will pay your average pay for term of contract.....
Okay, Patti -- fess up. What's your web site or fan club address?
Administrator -- We need to give Patti her own board!!!
That was good advice
This post offered some great advice! I'd do that until I was sure I liked my new company better. Also, the advice someone else gave about searching the company board for positive and negative comments about the new company was good. You may feel a little bit overworked for a short while, but it shouldn't take you too long to know if you like your new job. Best to you!
that's good advice, too
I would stay at the current job, take the paid maternity leave (making sure, as the last poster said, that you can quit after it with no repercussions) and find something during your leave that you can take your time to work into.
All 4 of my kids were born with me working at home, and that includes the middle 2 being twins. It worked for me. Some babies are very easy to work with and others are very hard. I guess you can't really know until they are born. I switched companies when I was 4 months pregnant with my last one and I was worried about that, but it did give me time to get used to the new company before adding the baby and getting used to two new things at once, so think about that, too.
Does anyone know any good advice on how to
get rid of Office 97 when installing Editscript? If Editscript finds traces of Office 97, it won't install. I have talked with Escription and they gave me links to download Office registry removal and that didn't work. Thanks
Good advice
A very nice, generous, and helpful post. Great advice about going over the nasty supervisor's head--nobody should have to be verbally demeaned on the job--no matter how many years a supervisor has. (Congrats on in-house & good luck)
That's good advice. Thanks.
no message.
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
No insight but good advice....sm
.... get to a doctor now! Better safe than sorry.
Good advice. I'm new to this area, and still sm
don't have enough phone books. The nearest Wal-Mart is 15 miles away, so I'm kinda limited as to resources. I will check to see if there is a bike store in the next "big town" (20 miles away). Thanks!!
Very good advice from 'Been there done that.'
I think this advice is great. Maintain your professionalism and integrity. You are worth 14 cents a line. I also live in the Northeast and charge 13 cents a line for a psych account, which is very easy, but if I were doing family practice, I would probably charge 15 cents per line, as that is what the other MTs in my local area charge. Good, quality, dependable service is hard to find. I think they will be back. Get out there and market yourself and find another account. You’ll be fine.
Lynn 
Good advice Mandi...thanks...nm
nm
Good advice Dreamweaver! When my
computer starting "biting the dust" about a month or 2 ago, I panicked and bought a new one with Vista. I had to wait until Express Scribe was updated, which was about 2 weeks or so, one of the companies I worked for had to do a fix, and I just startes with a new company on Tuesday, and I was just on the phone with the IT guy for about 30 minutes with him doing a fix for Vista! I have a cousin and a friend who can rebuild computers, but I though buying a brand new one was a better idea HAHA
This is good advice. I had the same question - sm
last year when I changed jobs. Found out that a pre-existing condition could have made new insurance more expensive, or even harder to get. So painful as it was financially, I got COBRA. As it turned out, I'm glad I did, because during that waiting period I got a really bad ear infection - so bad that I was basically deaf. It took a long time and lots of antibiotics to clear up, but I couldn't have afforded the care without COBRA, and might have damaged my hearing, which is not a good thing for an MT to lose!
Very good advice, RadMT! nm
x
That is very good advice - and less likely to get you in trouble!
After all, that's what the QA people are there for. If we didn't make mistakes and leave blanks, they'd be working at Wal-Mart.
Well, you should. She gave you good advice.
If you don't like the contract, move on and find one you do like. Like Patti, as a business owner, I've heard a lot of things and if you don't put even the smallest things in writing, there's going to be someone out there who will take advantage of trust. Sorry if you don't like it, but that's what it's come to--and not just in the MT business. Check your next loan contract, service contract or sales agreement.
Thanks for all the replies...VERY good advice...NM
.
Call Jacy. She gives good advice,
:+
Hey, that's good advice! Listen to Kate!
Seriously, that's sound advice for anybody! Good on ya, Kate! Have a great Saturday!
Ditto here. Good advice. I sit here and DING. . .
I need a bag of salt and vinegar chips and something chocolate and a Coke so I go and I get them and I eat and drink them and then I'm fine.
I normally don't even care about that stuff, but when that junk food alarm goes off, I feed it because I guess I need it? I'm not overweight except for that one week a month. 
Good advice but some people refuse to
split "amicably." I know for a fact in my case it would be a blame game and a huge mess. Been there many times and resorted to other ways of handling it. I wonder if what you suggested would still work for me?
Not the OP but helped by your advice.
Thanks,
me
Good advice. I wish more service IT people (sm)
that I have met were more helpful. They should realize that faster PCs = happier and more productive MTs = more $$$ for company and maybe an increase in his own pay! KWIM?
Good advice...thanks! I'll save my $$ (NM)
.
I feel lost---is this as good as it gets? Need advice PLEASE
I have been doing MT now for almost 3 years. Previously to being hired, I had never done MT before, but I had worked in a hospital system and public health for a total of about 19 years and I had a Bachelors Degree to boot, so I was hired. I worked for a medical clinic that housed about 100 doctors of varying specialties.
The QA person never helped me, nor did I get training--I was pretty much on my own.
Reports were pretty simple, so I was able to get by without anyone helping me. However, the boss was a horrible woman, a supervisor of medical records who was ALWAYS firing people for any little infraction. If she didn't like you, you had even more problems.
She didn't like me, so she made my life hard. I was short 100 measly lines of a goal she set and she made my life h-e-l-l. She constantly wrote me up about it, even those I was sooo close, but other people that she liked, didn't have to have to meet goals.
Anyhow, I got fed up and quit. I got hired at a hospital in acute care--a friend who worked there got me in. This time, I had feedback. Unfortunately, acute care is something I had no experience with and now my issues are QA.
You get "dinged" for any mistake and I can't pass QA! I've been there for 5 months, but I'm scared I am going to get fired. NEVER have I ever had to worry so much about my performance or getting written up and/or fired.
I've been having nightmares I am going to get fired. I dread opening up any emails I get from QA--a fellow employee checks mine and she is VERY anal and dings me for everything. I feel like they think I'm not "getting it" and I believe they are circling the wagons to get me fired.
I feel so dumb when I get my QA feedback. How could this be? I know I'm NOT dumb and can do this job. Certainly someone who made the Dean's List at an acredited school, has enough intelligence to excel at this, right?
I'm just ready to give up. I'm scared to quit, as the job market and economy is pretty poor, but with my work experience and education, I've never had a problem getting hired. MT has been the WORST choice ever for me. I have a small child, so I thought this would be a good fit for me, but it's been a disaster. Is this the way it's going to be? Am I expecting too much of myself too soon?
I just feel like there isn't any learning curve anymore. I feel so all alone, I can't talk to my co-workers about it, because they never share their QA scores or line counts. I'm so freaking frustrated and stressed about this. Any advice on my situation? Is this the way of life for an MT? Thanks
Starting job using Olympus Player/pedal - does this have a good player with slow down speeds - I do
Until now I have always used company software with player included. I hate to spend money and find out the player is mickey mouse!!
Thanks- you may e-mail me if you prefer.
Thank you for taking the time to post this good advice. NM
nm
Need some good advice on a GREAT vacuum cleaner...sm
We vacuum at least twice daily because we bought carpet that tracks like you would not believe. We bought a Eureka bagless vacuum cleaner about 4 months ago and it is the pits! Does not pick up, you have to REALLY clean it every time...who knows what the real problem is...I would not mind paying good money for a GOOD vacuum cleaner that does not lose suction...Any ideas?
|
