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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Tips on job searching

Posted By: Caitlin on 2008-12-17
In Reply to:

I have been doing MT for a little over 6 years.  I have experience in several different specialties.  I currently work in an ENT office and am looking for part time work to do at home.  My only problem is that I never went to school and am not certified which makes it difficult to find a job.  I have only had on-the-job training but I feel that I am very good at what I do and have learned quickly in my experience as an MT.  Does anyone have any tips on how or where to find a job? 


 


Thanks




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I didn't mean internet searching, I meant searching my directories for filenames. nm
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Searching, searching, name of ortho book w/stripe

I know I wrote it down twice off this site and cannot find it.  The ortho/neurology? book with the stripe on the cover?


Thanks in advance!


searching
There is none.  So "searching for the ideal" can stop searching.
always searching for pts name, etc.
On DQS, Im forever scanning the demographics screen, doing a search cause the doctors either leave the screen blank without pts name, MR#, billing number, DOB, etc., or they put in the wrong information.  So, I have to decipher what name the doctor is trying to say and/or spell and then search for it.
Searching ---
do you use the search box to the right of the *post a new message* box?  That should bring up the subject/term/whatever you are looking for.
searching for the ideal..

I am soooo very anxious right now.  I have cried all morning and cannot seem to console myself or come up with a solution.  I have been doing transcription for over 12 years and have been home for the last four.  Through those four years, though I love being at home, I have come up with generally zip as far as contentment in my job goes.  I have been an employee status, as well as an independent contractor.  I have worked for places that seemed 'ideal' until 3 months or so were up, then they'd switch accounts on me (starting out on great accounts and leaving me struggling with a bunch of crud nobody in their right minds would want to do), dealing with owners or supervisors who lay out the 'heavy hand' and do nothing but tell you what you DO WRONG (one who comes to mind nearly gave me a nervous collapse--never could please her and who'd want to the way she treated you, sarcastic, mightier than thou approach).. ugh!  I have done basic four hospital transcription, clinic transcription, ER transcription, and I just am not finding 'THE BEST' place to be.  I don't know.. maybe I'm SUPER BURNED OUT.  I never make enough money, don't have benefits, and I'm getting to the point where I feel I'm just finished with this 'career.'  If I find a place where I make a decent amount of cash, I either have to put up with an idiot for a manager/ boss/ supervisor/owner or hideous dictation.  If I go to a place that seems good as far as dictation/accounts go, and the management is decent, I wind up making next to nothing in pay.  Most places I've experienced give you a come-on to begin with, give you a decent account and after two to three months, they switch you to the crap work.  Still, they give you no pay raises for even attempting to do these reports, not like they would anyway.  I think I have worked for at least six different companies since being at home in the last four years.  I am sick of making no money, not enjoying my job anymore and dealing with all the crap nobody else wants to do.  Sorry, I had to vent.. I'm ready to give up and find a job that actually PAYS in more ways than one. 


  


searching and not getting paid

I agree..Most of my doctors dont put in the right ID number or the correct name. In the past, I have searched and searched to my loss of minutes..Heck, we already lose minutes when we have to look up words or medications that are not stated correctly..We dont get paid for research time..so recently I have decided to leave blanks when I never would before.To be fair, trans companies should pay for down time when we are researching information..


I can't decide if I should be job searching or not.
I like many aspects of my job, but I dislike certain aspects about it, too.  The thing is that this has been my best MT job ever.  That's not something you just throw away.  I know there's no perfect job out there, but I wonder if I could make more money with a better platform and an unlimited workload.
try searching the archives

This has been discussed several times in the last few months.  You should be able to find some answers there.


You can get it by searching google and going
to their homepage. It has contact #'s and maybe email.
Yes, and I'd rather keep searching and be happy
Than stay in a job that made me miserable. Even some of the posts on the job seeker's board project major attitude (one recent posting in particular sticks out in my mind), as if the poster is doing us a *favor* by allowing us to apply.

Nope, I'd rather make a little less somewhere else where I enjoy the work and I'm happy.

Congrats on cutting your ties with the not-so-nice person, and best wishes for you to find something GRAND in the very near future!

*CHEERS*
Try searching the archives. Some of us get tired of

answering the same old questions for people who can't be bothered to research what we said about that exact topic only last week.  Besides, only the people making big bucks answer the polls.  You don't see any of the newbies who are only earning $7 an hour admitting to it.


I bet it is from a Pakistani MT searching for work
that pays 3 cents per line!
I don't know, I found quite a few of these stories on searching.....
Here's another:

http://blog.imperfectparent.com/tag/oregon/
Instead of searching for a true unlimited

plan (I don't think they exist), when I needed ULD, I used Qwest on 2 phone lines and split the time between the two lines. 


Searching in WP 5.1 documents through Windows XP
 I have changed word processing programs from DOS-based to Windows-based programs, but still need to access the old WP 5.1 documents. I am having trouble searching the documents through Windows, i.e., searching for a person's name, etc. inside the document.  Do you have any suggestions? 
Searching WP 5.1 files in Windows
I do not have WP 5.1 on my XP computer, if that is what you meant.
Tried that, which is why I said I've been searching for info

Searching for digital dictation

Hi,


I'm looking for some advice and direction.  I am looking for possible options for a digital dictation/transcription system for a multioffice practice on a Citrix network environment with remote transcriptionists.  Several years ago I worked for a web based transcription service that used Chartnet, but that was several years ago.  I don't 'really remember any big issues, but I don't need the payroll, production aspect of a system.  I am looking more for tracking, in having control of knowing incoming and outgoing jobs with a system.   Our practice is integrating with EMR; however, several of our physicians continue to choose to dictate and I am looking to other transcriptionists to possibly point me in the direction of software that they have used so I can research and try to find a product that will fit our practice - we are still on micro tapes. I am looking for a system that of course would be Transcriptionist friendly, but also afford me the ability to manipulate the jobs, i.e. assigning easily, producing reports and software that has good tracking abilities and of utmost importance, excellent sound quality for the player.  As a transcriptionist, I personally would look for a system that I will not spend a lot of time in the download function and the complete function.  It isn't real effective to me if the time uploadinging and downloading per job takes longer than actually transcribing the jobs.  We have a large quantity of work.  Key to me is having control of my work, meaning the physicians being able to identify dictation with a patient number and my being able to track jobs downloaded.  Forgive my rambling!!  I would appreciate anyone responding to me with any suggestions or telling me of your experience with software.     


Thank you in advance - I know that the first place I needed to go with this transcription question was to the experts - folks that use these systems and are familiar. 


I consider job searching in the MT field a crap shoot
You can never tell which would be better than another until you try it. Too many bait and switchers out there.
I was searching for a Kaiser facility and the article came up (sm)

I don't know if I would call it better, but different sites come up.


It doesn't mention what they plan to do about identity theft and their 3 years is now up.  Anybody work for this Kaiser facility?


In fact, upon further searching, I see very few negative posts
x
Maybe searching internet and newspaper archives - sm
for any kind of stories related to identity theft resulting from offshore medical (or other) records is a start. Another angle would be to look for info. from editors on specific instances (Pt. privacy respected, of course!) where offshored or even US bargain-basement transcription came back with errors that could have caused injury or legal action.
Searching for Internet satellite service
This company looks they offer good service in our area according to their add but I have never heard of them before.  Any news would be appreciated.
find referrals or start searching

I don't know anyone who gets massages, so I have to go through the search process (yellow pages). Try one, if that doesn't work, try another.  One who works on athletes is a good bet.  When I call and talk to them, I tell them exactly what my problem is and what I'm wanting -- very deep tissue, therapeutic massage to work out the adhesions in the arms and lots of upper back/shoulder work. Ones who have been around awhile have worked on many with this exact problem.  Unfortunately, not all of them will work for YOU, so it's a matter of trying one for a few months, then evaluating how you feel. If you're not better by then, move on.  I just left one who I was SURE would help because of her style (rolfing), alas the arms got worse.  I have one now who does exactly what I need.  imho, gadgets and pills may relieve some pain, but they don't straighten out the muscles that's causing the problem.  (btdt) If you can't go the professional route, get a shiatsu massager thingie, and dig that into your arms, shoulders, upper back and neck.  They're all connected.  The tingling I get in my little and ring fingers is relieved by working out the back of my shoulder. (I can't do my own massage well enough myself to maintain, but it's good for spot treatments.)  The massage is painful, but it's worth it to keep my profession, and lifestyle, alive for me.


 


Anyone having probs searching for docs on ExText?
Is anyone else having this problem lately? In ExText, when I search for a physician's name by using the Cntrl-A function, it is extremely slow, and about half the time, the search seems to freeze, and then I get a message that the connection has been lost. I click on "Retry", am connected, and physicians' names are displayed. The whole process is as slow as molasses, and occasionally, I get completely kicked out of the system, or everything freezes up solid. This has been happening for about 2 to 3 days.
I meant file searching on my computers, too. nm

A good site for searching medical abbreviations.

Check the link below.  A really cool site to search for medical abbreviations.


I'm thrilled! After much, much searching on VRBO.com I finally found a 2 br condo in the heart of

                           Destin, FL, for 7 days!!! I've been searching and searching, but to no avail.  These condo owners crack me up! I would either get NO response or a "Sorry, week not available. Try another week." Or the famous, "Yes, it is available." And then I respond to that and never hear from them again! I guess they decide they don't want to rent to us.  I always sign my emails with a very professional-looking signature such as, Jane Doe, Medical Editor, MQ Corp....and then my phone number! LOL  Makes me look so much smarter!! And it's true!!


 


Anyways, I am so happy for myself and my family...7 days on the Gulf of Mexico. I work on a laptop so I don't plan on taking any time off since I've already gone away this year to Disneyworld. Plus, they have wireless access.


www.majesticsuncondos.com


Check them out and make sure to stop by if in the area!!


Thanks for the tips.
By the way, aren't little girls the best?
Thanks for the tips - you were right!
It was great. Cool air, all Ops reports, clear dictators. I realize now the other people on my accounts are getting started at 5:00 am and beating me to all the work. Little did I know!

I only worked for about 2 hours last night because it was a spur of the moment thing and I hadn't napped. I worry about the quality of my work when I'm tired, so I'm going to take a long snooze this afternoon and start work at about 9.

In the 2 hours I worked, I got 390 lines, which is excellent for me with no templates/normals. Woohoo! I'll be able to hit my line count for the day in about half the time it takes me during the day.

Thanks all!
My tips
From someone who goes twice a year. Definetely plan to go Super Bowel Weekend,you will have ZERO wait on rides and just run from ride to ride, it is great. Also the first two weeks in December are okay. The summer and spring break are disgusting, it will put you in such a bad mood after one day. Check out the website Mousesavers.com. They have so much information there about everything Disney. When we go for one night with two kids and Florida resident discount we spend at at $500 for hotel, food, etc, etc. We also get in the Disney mood and think that are made of money so do spend more than needed. I would say go to disney site Disneyworld.com and figure out your ticket prices and hotel and then add $60 for each person per day. That is $20 per meal with a little extra left over from each meal for drinks, snacks, etc. That will be the top amount you need, but it gives you somewhere to start. We try to eat breakfast in hotel, pop tarts, PB&J and then only have to pay for lunch and dinner. Or eat breakfast, skip lunch and eat early dinner. If you need any more tips let me know, I have learned a lot over the years of going.
btw thanks for the tips
You're right, sitting around waiting for the perfect job won't happen.  Something about MT'ing made me feel so comfortable and cozy, now not so much.  I'm in the beginning stages of stepping out and finding another career before the boat sails.  I guess having a few ideas is a start.
Thanks everyone for your tips. I really appreciate all the help!!
Hopefully, I can become an ESL specialist:)
I used to cut the tips off
Where I used to work as they seemed to turn the heat waaaay down at night and on the weekends when there was no one else but me in the bldg. working! I had bought those cheap less than a buck stretchy kind and cut the finger tips off and that worked well for me.
thanks for all the tips !

tips
Do you have one of those old-fashioned grocery stores in your area that still take your groceries out to your car?  Like a Piggly Wiggly for instance?  Do you tip the baggers that take your groceries out?  I seriously had never gave it a thought until a friend of mine went to one of those grocery stores with me and she said that she does.  I've never noticed anyone doing that.  I tip my beautician, at the car wash, and for a manicure/pedicure, but it had honestly never crossed my mind until she said that she did that.  Now everytime I go I'm looking around to see if anyone else does and I still can't figure out if they are or not. 
Tips sm
Wouldn't it be nice if we got a "tip" for every time we saved someone by taking extra time with their dictation? Just a dream, of course! I too give my hairdresser a $20 tip for full highlight, etc., but I find now for just a cut alone to give her $5 is enough as it doesn't take that long. Perhaps I'm cheap, but I think the prices are so riduculous unless you go to SuperCuts, etc., that it's figured into the price. A hairdresser once told me he paid $3.00 for a $45.00 perm solution, of course, no one gets "perms" anymore, but there's a big markup. I try to go according to how long the stylist spends on me, if she gives me extra time and attention, I go higher. Sometimes some of them put on an "act" for you if they're not busy. You have to know the circumstances. My "regular" hairdresser pays for her space, so she has to make her rent and pay a babysitter. I like her, so I'm willing to spend more.
A few other tips, sm
A local noon TV show gave similar tips that have appeared here, but here are a few more:
Keep your money with you, i.e. wear a fanny pack rather than having it in a box or something.
Sometimes people ask to use your bathroom. Don't let them in your house, let them know of a store or gas station nearby with restroom facilities.
If it is a hot day and you have access to a child who is old enough, have them sell ice-cold lemonade. People will buy. Or, just keep a pitcher of ice cold water and paper cups, just to help them cool off.
Set a time and cut prices in half the last couple of hours on the second day, if you really want to sell your stuff.
If you don't want to move the unsold stuff back into the house, consider donating it to Good Will, Salvation Army, etc. Just pack it in your car and drive it over.

Have fun!
Thanks for those tips. (sm)
Those are really some great ideas.

My youngest has 2 more years until he is off to Kindergarten. As much as I hate to wish away the years where my kids are concerned, I know that things will be much easier for me when I have a "full" day to be able to devote to work with no interruptions. Then I will just have to worry about family and friends interruptions, which should be easier to handle!

I did sit down with my daughter yesterday and told her that I was desperate for some help this summer, oferring a small raise in her weekly allowance if she would give me a hand with the boys. She has been spending her days running around way too much. She agreed, so we will see how that goes.

It definitely is not easy to work at home when you have children. I can't even count the number of times I have thought to myself that I need to start looking for an in-house job. Then I remind myself of the benefits of being home for my kids. I think they do outweight the disadvantages in the long run.
Thank you everyone for your tips!
x
Any tips

I am looking to get back into the field after a 12 year break to raise my kids.  Any advice on how to get my foot in the door or who might hire me?  I have over 10 years experience in out-patient radiology.


Thanks.


Thanks for the tips!
nm
My tips here...
"With my tapes, I could type the entire day's dictation for the day in one word document."

Why can't you do that now? I type all my files in one Word document, them chop them up into separate files when done proofreading.

"It takes much longer to download the file, create the new documents, save, and upload than it does to type it."

Well, how long did it take you to get in the car and drive to get your tapes and return them?

I'm not sure what your problem is. I can tell you how I do it....maybe that will help.

I download all my digital files at once, then start transcribing them all in one Word document.

If you can't download them all at once, download the first one and transcribe it while you're downloading the second one, etc.




Thanks for tips
Thank you for the tips.

I just recenty started to use the Expander more for the basic parts of the sentence. It seems as time goes on, more things occur to me. I will check out the links posted too (thanks!).

I need to come up with a good system for labs. I can see that is slowing me down ... and vitals. I am very slow on the number row.

Anyway, I appreciate the ideas posted and will welcome any others that you all might think of.

Here are a few tips (sm)
Have your own "word list" (I use Lil Red Notebook) so once you look up a word and verify it, it will be faster to find it next time.

Also get a good Expander and learn how to use it, not just for individual words but for whole phrases (and even paragraphs) depending on what kind of work you are doing.

Stedman's medical spellchecker.

Try to just work during work hours, and surf only when you are not supposed to be working. This is the hardest thing for me! Sometimes even when looking things up online I get distracted, following links and reading things I don't really need to read when I've already found my answer.

Good luck to you. I have heard nothing but good things about an M-Tec education!
Thank you for all your tips
I am going to look into everyone's suggestions.  I take it IT means Instant Text?  How do you separate your dictionaries with doctors?
VR tips

I work on Edit Script and the average pay for most companies seems to be .04 cpl.  I get .0425.  Your production really depends on the account you have, the dicator and you learining the shortcut keys.  I still have a hard time not using the mouse!  But on the other hand, I am not a stong typist, so I prefer VR over typing.  If I had to do straight typing I probably would not make it in this business, so VR is the way for me.  I had to switch companies because my first one had difficult dictators and I was not making much money.  Things are better now, but still a work in progress.  One suggestion I will make is that you use the Escription forum for productivity tips and also there is a link that will tell you of your progress if you log into it.  The system can read your skills as you use it and give you a report on your progress.  It will tell you if you are using the mouse too much, etc.  It really is a great system with a lot of great tools for MTs.


Hang in there---Sue


Tips for you ... sm
I travel quite a bit with this work. Here's my suggestions:

1. Great laptop
2. AT&T Wireless Internet card
3. AVG security package
4. Bank account with a large national bank .. NO DEBIT CARDS. Use credit card for everything then pay as soon as it appears on your online statement. NO interest is paid. If you pay with a debit card, you have no consumer protection plus your funds could be wiped out. With a credit card, you have a barrier, can dispute the payment, recover lost/stolen funds, get warranties on purchases, etc.

Enjoy.

Tips
Will you please share some tips on what you do to maintain your income level, i.e., the type of Expander you use, how you stay focused, whatever it is that keeps you at the top?  I would very much appreciate it.  Thank you. 
Tips

I definitely would not say I'm at the top.  I get distracted like many with surfing, chatting, etc during my work time.  Honestly, if my work ethic was more strict, I could make another 20-30,000 a year. 


I use IT as my expander.  I am not an Expander queen.  I use them and add all the time but I'm not obsessed with it - but it definitely saves me time and worth every penny 10 fold.  I use my Stedman's Elec Dictionary - another total must have for this job. 


You're going to make more money if you know your specialty and your doctors.  I try to get work where I can do the same doctors regularly.  I would not take a position where there is a huge pool of doctors.  I make the money on my single doctor accounts where I can get regulars and build up speed the fastest.  Even accounts with 4 to 5 doctors you can easily build up speed on. 


Don't settle for cr*p jobs.  As I said earlier, there are better paying companies out there.  Makes me extremely irritated to see companies posting for slave wages wanting so much experience and basically offering nothing in return but the chance to make $5 an hour.  I won't even test until I know what the rate will be.  And honestly, the best companies have the shortest or no test. 


Keystrokes and MDI may look good compared to most bigger companies, but I personally wouldn't work for them.  There are better places, but you have to be willing to do some research and go beyond what everyone else does.