This would make a good Seinfeld routine.
Posted By: MT4ever on 2008-10-14
In Reply to: QA -- WHEN DID IT START? WHO INVENTED IT, ETC?? - Alice
Of course probably only MTs would understand the jokes. Somebody needs to write a book about MTs and what they go through. It really would be touching and funny, and a bit tragic, I think. It could be marketed in the Stedmen's line of books or something. It could have cartoons. This title where did QA come from? This makes me want to be all creative. Of course, this MT is full of talk, but not a whole lot of action. LOL.
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They should make a series similar to seinfeld, only it would be an MT. Nahh. LOL
nm
the guy on seinfeld?
Is that who you mean?? Well, okay, I love everything about Seinfeld..A NY show which totally showed NY for what it beautifully is..So, okay, he was cool..I would not toss him out of bed on a cold night.. 
On Seinfeld, Pigman was a patient
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That's what I think - reminds me of the Seinfeld where Elaine was dating one
She kept calling him a doctor, and Jerry told her he wasn't even an M.D.
Funny! Reminds me of the Pigman in Seinfeld.
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The key to doing this is you have to have a routine and follow it. (sm)
What might work for one person may not work for the next, but f you make it YOUR routine it will become a regular part of your day. For me (and I've been at this for a long, long time) my best hours are in the early morning. I get up, shower, get dressed, put the coffee on, take care of whatever needs taken care of so it won't interfere with your day (feed the cat, let the dog out, whatever you would normally do if you had to leave your house for the day and go out and work). Then sit and work for 2 hours, take a short break, work another 2 hours, break for lunch, and so on until your work day is finished. It also helps if you keep your work area clean so you can have a fresh desk to start off with. NO TV. Don't answer the phone while you're working to take personal calls. Do that on your break. These are just some ideas that work for me.
My exercise routine
Walk to the fridge, open door (works arms), lift food (good strength training, lifting weights), put in mouth, close door, walk back to desk while lifting cup of coffee to lips. I gave my legs and arms a good workout, also my mouth. Transcription is hard. But I know if I keep up my exercise routine, I will be buff.
That is pretty routine for them to want
I have had both office accounts and surgery center accounts that requested that I send them that information. I'd rather not have to do it, but sometimes you just have to do what comes with the territory.
I have them for routine procedures for
the same doc -- T&A, cholecystectomies, appy's, and a lot of my orthopedic doctors. I also have them for ROS and PE exams. I just leave jump markers for values, right/left, and things like that.
I think getting back into a structured routine
may be difficult and then there is the office politics. At least you can do your time and come home and leave work at work.
What is your best at-home work routine?
I'm curious what hours you work, how long and often do you take breaks. What schedule allows you to be most productive? e.g., frequent short breaks, less frequent longer ones, split shifts, etc.
Oh honey, sounds like my daily routine.
You just gotta push through. I've noticed that as my kids get older, it has gotten somewhat better. I have a 9 and 11 year old and they have gotten to the point of seeing after themselves while I'm working. They were 3 and 5 when I started and it was really tough. Now If they make a mess, they clean it up themselves. Unless the house is on fire, someone is dying, etc. they are to leave me alone when the headset is on. I have had to really draw the line with them. It didn't happen overnight, it took quite a while for them to understand. Fortunately my husband understands all this and has really helped me work with them on this issue.
Friends and family on the other hand haven't been so easy to train. I screen my calls with caller ID and let the machine get the ones I don't have time to deal with. My machine has a message stating that "I am working at the moment and am unable to answer your call. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible." I have also had a put a sign on my front door stating "Please Do Not Disturb. I am currently working and unable to visit at this time. Please come back after 4:00 p.m., I will be available then." I had to do this because people just couldn't seem to get it. Just because I was at home, they thought they could just drop in. I even have some to still ring the doorbell because they think that sign isn't for them. But you know what...I feel that is very rude and disrespectful of them. They can sit out there all day for all I care because until I'm finished working, I won't answer.
Your not alone in all of this. I believe this is what most of us who work at home go through. Eventually it will get better but you must put some rules into place for everyone and enforce them. I know with very young children it is hard for them to understand this but if you begin now helping them understand, then it will get easier as they grow. Also, if you have older children that can help with the younger ones, give them an incentive to help you out. You've just got to be creative with it and find what works for you.
Hope this helps!
Where I am, using Winscribe, the supervisor on duty routine gives updates (sm)
with who is working on a particular account, how many jobs there are, if any have been kicked back (she/he can tell as they are out of sequence, obviously taken into someones local queue and then returned to the pool. The name of those working at any given time is announced, this lets us know if someone comes on board during unscheduled hours without clocking in.
It is great for me as I follow the rules. We are not to take jobs into the local queue (cherrypicking) and we are not to work outside of scheduled hours unless it is granted and there is ample work for the person coming on board so they do not take away from the regularly scheduled MTs. I love my job!
Be cautious...great bait and switch routine, you can do much better...
they also outsource overseas (a percentage). you will do well if you have low self-esteem. everyone great until you get thrown to supervisor...hehe, you'll see.
my opinion, my experience.
that's my routine to a T, 'cept I walk the dog instead of doing catbox duty. :) nm
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I actually do make good $, but....
I don't care for VR. When you are a fast and accurate Transcriptionist you are already topped out when you start editing. My QA averages 99% and the institution I work for is REALLY strict with QAs. We have an average of 10-12 per year and they look at 20+ reports each time. I would rather do straight transcription, but I have good benefits so I suck it up and work. I fear eventually our work will go completely to an outside agency and our dept will be eliminated, saving the institution $$ for not having to pay salaries, insurance, etc. It also depends on what VR system; we use eScription.
I make between $14 and $20 but good accts. sm
Been at it for almost 20 years too. Lots of templates, shortcuts, etc. Depends on who I'm transcribing. With some ESLs I would only make about $7 an hour if I had to do them all day. My average is right around $17. With some of my local work (on tapes) my templates are so huge, and I'm so used to what they are going to say, I've made $23. But that's onlywith certain dictators. It all varies and some dictators are sooooooo bad, you just lose money.
For example, if I had the $23 dollar an hour guy from my local and then did the $7 ESL from my national and combined 8 hours of work for both, I'm down to $15 an hour. If I get stupid dicators all day from both sides, sometimes I can only average $12. I guess it's the luck of the draw, if you know what I mean.
That's definitely good money. I wish I could make that much.
I'm making about $1,400 a MONTH working 25-30 hours per week. ESLs, run out of work often, lousy platform. What's the point any more? I definitely need to pick up some local accounts and never work for another national.
Oh man....that is NOT good...how do you make any money?
You make some good points.
.
Four. And they make very good money.
But I get your point. But you asked!
Oh, but I make really good money
so I did not understand where this was coming from. You see, I have no children at home, only 2 of us, no bills, I only work part because that is all I want but still bring home about $1500.00 every 2 weeks, so no need to feel sorry. I said I type fast.
you make some good points
Your post is encouraging. Maybe we need to study these people you mention and learn the ropes from them.
Yes, I've seen the pictures of the MTs in India. Reminds me of typing class in high school. And that's what I'm saying, just like you -- how long can this last? You question how long before they get carpal tunnel. Great point! How long before they get burned out? You can't work people like that, not at this job where you have to listen so intently and be so absolutely correct. Transcribing a difficult dictation is akin to doing a hard math problem. The brain can only take so much at a time. Couple that with trying to understand a dictator whose language is not your primary one and speaks in slang or idioms you never heard. If they work the overseas MTs like that, there's going to come a point where something has to give. The quality of their work might suffer, even the good ones, due to burnout. Will the American companies still want them? How desperate are they for our work? Desperate enough to endure those conditions? Do they have other choices? We see them as the foe, and yet as you say, we are turning into that kind of situation with many of our companies but we do have other options, fortunately for those who want to pursue another career.
The medical record must endure. There must be good MTs. You can't work people to burnout either here or overseas. In this country, you need to make the job inviting in order to keep the workforce up. Lowering salaries here is not how to do that. Running sweatshops there is not how to do it either. Something has to give at some point. Then maybe people will take us seriously again and this job will be what so many of us want and need it to be.
You're right about the middle class. Something has to happen -- this is affecting too many jobs, too many sectors of society.
Good for you, too bad you won't make anymore than you already do,
your own self satisfaction. Jamie
it asked what you think is good, not what you make
nm
You make a good point
Keeping track was doable but you have to keep track. I still am not making that much hourly counting lines though. I'd better invest in some new tools.
AHDI is just trying to make MT look good, so
Good for you. Did it make you feel better?
MAKE GOOD $$ AT THE MOMENT BUT I WANT OUT
Have just landed a great job. Good $$. No nights, weekends, or holidays. How long do you think that is going to last? Look at the trend 6 months ago, now, and 6 months from now - or a year from now. The face of the MT business is changing. No one is secure and one thing is for sure - we can not all stay. I have a good client in a specialty I love now. I guarantee you, this client is going to obtain a cheaper source than me in the next 12-18 months. I am at the age where I need steady, secure, decent paying work. When this one goes, I am hanging up my headphones too. Hope to get my social security figure up first though.
I used to make really good money.
Anywhere from $28-50 per hour. Same few dictators, lots of templates and Expander usage, pay averaged out to be $.12 per line. I only wanted to work part-time, but the company would have worked me full-time. One particular doctor was so easy, I could do 400+ lph for him. He only had maybe an hour of work per day. Voice recognition has my job now. I've been unemployed for the past six months. But 537 lph consistently? I don't know about that. It would have to be the same pool of dictators and the MT's expander stats would have to be HIGH!
Better yet, if it's REALLY good, make an expansion for it. sm
Especially with op notes ... once you get a feel for a dictator's normal patter, whether that be an operative procedure, ROS, PE section, closing, or whatever, make a shortcut/expansion for it ...
I do the same thing for letter addresses, since the same addressees seem to keep popping up over and over (i.e., docsmitha would bring up all of the Smiths I have saved with a first name starting with an A) -- saves a lot of time in the long run.
Wow, getting far afield from the original question here; I must need that first cup of coffee.
I would please like to know how you make good money at it.
Would you care to share your cents-per-line and lines-per-hour with us? Roughly?
It would help alleviate the anxiety about it for some of us if we can hear from the horse's mouth (no insult intended) how this can be a good living for us. Especially when there are so many things to slow us down like ESLs and poor dictators and bad sound.
Thank you.
not true, I make good $$$ and manage to come
nm
It is "speed" and yes, it will make you very moody, not in a good way either! nm
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Elvis? LOL! Did he ever make a good movie?
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You can make more than that per line, but at 125 lph, not a good living. Have to do at least 300 lp
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Is it possible to make good money working for someone else?
.
I think that is all attitude. I make very good money at MT.
Lisa, you make a very good point. sm
I guess I should have been a little more specific. If ALL MTs were to go on "strike" and not accept the low wages these MTSO's are offering, they eventually would HAVE to offer a decent wage we can live on. But, the other side of the coin is, if the MTS WOULD STRIKE, then the MTSO's would no doubt just hire those non-U.S. MTs anyway, because that is the reason in the first place they are paying so little. The U.S. MTs have no support, that's for sure. (and I apologize for the misspelling of a word in my previous post.)
or make sure its a good google source.
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Because MTs in the US become the "editors" to fix their work and make them look good. nm
;
I can make good money without overtime
I posted below but when I saw your post and it said crap- I type mostly VR and I work 8 hour days 4 days a week. I make at least $160.00 per day- add that up if I worked full 40 hour week or lordy if I worked overtime like years gone by. I get paid no more because of my years of doing this- work for national- the pay is low but I am fast. I just wanted to make about the same as when I worked in the office and set my goals accordingly.
I do VR, love it, make good money at it
and I have no idea why people who do not do, have not done, don’t plan on doing talk so much against it.
You will make it just fine. Good Luck my prayers are with you. nm
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It is worth it though. I couldn't make a good living without.
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Depending on who you work for.... you can make good money
I usually average between $15-25 an hour doing VR. That is enough for me. I think it helps if you have companies that pay for footers, headers, spaces etc.. Good luck.
Really? I make a good living transcribing tapes.
Just because it's not the way you want to receive your work does not mean it is worthy of contempt. As far as I'm concerned, practitioners who are reluctant to give up their familiar dictation methods are less likely to give in to the blandishments of VR or EMR salespeople.
You are free to work your way, and I am free to work as I see fit. If that makes you cringe, well, I guess that's just your problem. It doesn't bother me at all. Cringe away.
Good grief. You'd make an employment decision
Honey, you need to get a grip!
Good advice, but make sure to check 1 thing
When I did this a few years ago, my company had a policy that stated if I did not return after my leave, I could be responsible for any benefits received during the leave. Make sure to check with your human resources on that. I ended up coming back to work out a 2-week notice, which wasn't bad.
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