Wasn't bashing you Nana!

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I am not very old, but have been doing this a long, long time. I worked on a typewriter with carbon paper. Strolling down memory lane! What a joy! I'm sure you found out like I did that the world of computers has made life easier to a degree; however, like you I am from the old school where I still pull out my Stedman's even though Google is just a keystroke or two away from me. I guess I just feel better seeing it in black and white on paper. I have had to learn to dwell amongst this wonderful cyber world! I love this board, and I liked your post. Well put! We need you Nana! Keep up the good work! The new MTs coming into this field are the wave to our future, and I feel they deserve a chance. We were all new once. A lot of us were fortunate enough to work on-site for a long time before diving into the shark tank from home! LOL - This helped me so much! I am still learning each and every day even after this long time and I am loving every minute of it. MT or BUST!

Can I get more advice from you on that first way you do it - when I talk to my boss Monday?

Please write to me if you have anything more you can share about it. I'm working for a walk-in clinic with about 5 centers and they are going a little crazy at the moment trying to figure out how to do all this.

I was just trying to vent with colleagues over some of my frustrations. I didn't call her names, nor did I suggest that she is a bad person in any way. My only complaint with her is that she never admits she is wrong and never says I am sorry. But that was yesterday and this is today. I have vented and I'm fine. I really didn't mean to stir up such a hornet's nest. I have no ill will or whatever. I just sometimes feel that there is a lot of talk about professionalism, but sometimes it is just talk.

I never worked for Signal, but I love MDI, and I do not think, as some have suggested, that she goes around deliberately overhiring, nor do I think she is nuts. She may be a bit eccentric, but we all are, I suppose, in our own way. If nothing else, she is a good businesswoman, and that just wouldn't make sense to deliberately cause so many MTs to be miserable with no work. I have to assume there is some kind of plan in the works. I do believe she cares about the MTs and making sure there is enough work.

I wish this thread would be deleted -- it was just a frustrated plea for a sympathetic "ear," but now has turned into some meanspirited bashing, which I never wanted.

My apologies to all for being a part of it in any way

I wanted to move this discussion back to the top so I started a new thread. She asked if I share any websites or information with the MTs I QA and my answer is, I do.

For instance, when looking up a doctor's name, did any of the MTs here know that most states have a state department for professional licensing where you can look up MDs, DOs, physical therapists, nurses (both LPNs and RNs), etc? So in addition to using the AMA, website which is great because you can do a sound alike search, you can also go to each state's licensing website. I should add that no one ever told me this when I was an MT. I just discovered it on my own because I cared enough about the work I put out to make sure I exhausted every resource possible.

Another nifty, self-taught, trick of the trade... I have the website for every facility for every account I work on in my favorites. A lot of times a facility will have a doctor finder on their website. In addition, they may say the name of a ward or department that you might be able to reference on the website. Not to mention, it helps to know where the facility is located for future reference such as when a dictator mentions a place of employment in a patient's social history. If you know where your facility is located, then you can look at the yellow pages online for that area.

I always share any great terminology or drug websites I come across. There's a great website that will list most every hospital in any particular state and a link to that hospital's website. All I had to do to find that website was do a Google search for "hospitals in Arizona or California or Texas" (whatever state you need) and I found theagapecenter.com website.

No one person ever sat me down as an MT and gave me a step by step on how to use my reference books or the internet. I taught myself because I CARED. That's the problem with a lot of the MTs I QA. They don't care. The say the MTSOs only care about the bottom line, well the MTs only care about the bottom line too and the end result is poor quality and subsequently loss of American jobs.

But so what?!?! I'm just a dragon lady and most QA people are just big meanies anyway. MTs can keep blaming everybody else for their low wages and offshoring, but it's time to step up and take some responsibility.

I enjoy belonging to AAMT because they keep me informed about what is going on in the industry. I live in a rather rural area and we do have a small component chapter in our area which I also like, as it helps me stay connected with people in this profession in my particular area (networking). Our meetings are not held on Saturdays, so the other poster who said that may have experienced that, but not in my area.

I do enjoy going to the symposiums--they are not that expensive and I learn a great deal as well as network with other people in my state. That is priceless, in my opinion.

I also like being involved with a professional association, as I take my profession seriously and want to associate myself with the professional association, and AAMT is it in that regard. If there were other choices, I might feel differently.

Are they perfect? Heck, no! But, the members do elect the people who make the decisions and therefore I feel my voice does get heard. Do they always do what I want? No, but no organization would, as everyone has different opinions.

I think it is a personal choice. I've been in MT for 25+ years and a member of AAMT for the past 12. I make a very good wage, and yes, I do get compensated for my CMT, though I understand many do not. I am proud to be a member and plan to keep up my membership as long as I feel my needs are being met which is networking, continuing education, etc.

I found this on a nurse's blog - they were talking about MT mistakes they found in charts...

Nurse #1:
I tried to get a job as a medical Transcriptionist for extra money, and no one would hire me because my 15 years experience of direct patient care does not qualify me to be a transcriptionist. Oh really? Or, I guess I mean, Owe Reilly?

I have no idea why they wouldn't let you work as a transcriptionist - what sort of special training would you need that you wouldn't already have?! It might be a good way to make ends meet if there came a point where a nurse couldn't stand up for so long anymore. It doesn't seem like it would take much in the way of critical thinking skills...

We don't use critical thinking skills? Darn, then maybe I should look into the career opportunities at Burger King...

I do my part by being very lenient with the MTs when reviewing work -- i.e., I don't count off for using cc versus mL or for typing Alzheimer's instead of Alzheimer, etc. The dangerous abbreviations list is for written notes and orders on the patient's chart.

The flip side of me being lenient is when another QA person counts off for things I've been lenient on, then the MT throws a fit and says "well one QA says one thing and another QA says another."

So, there is a need for a standardized set of rules across the board that all companies should adhere to. I'm just not sure AAMT or whatever they are called now are the people for the job. It should be a committee made up of MTs and dictators.

And what I love the most - if Frank himself called one of them, or actually walked up to them in an office, they'd fall all over him, gushing about how great he is to work for! Guaranteed! Its just so "catty" to claw his eyes out on an anonymous message board and giggle, giggle, giggle. I'd be saying the same thing to their faces as well, except I'd probably be their supervisor and would be canning their catty behinds.

I would check out the posts made by MQMT under "Straw that broke the camel's back". Maybe I'm seeing double....who knows anymore at this stage of the game!! Have a good day.

By the way, I did have a complete burnout on MTing after about 30 years so took a two year break; Glad I'm back now but the break was a "good thing"!!

I think you have been had and I am sorry for it. This is NOT what you signed up for and I think you have been taken advantage of. Please cut your losses and look for a real job.

I would love to tell you that no company ever charges a "setup fee" but that is not strictly true. I know that I have been asked to buy a pedal or Docushuttle before. I have been asked to upgrade to XP Pro, but I declined that job offer. There is still one major national who expects you to pay for transportation to their New Jersey facility and pay for your lodging. They reimberse you for part of this if you stay at least 6 months. I personally would not do that.

All companies are in this for the money (so are we) and that means they get you set up to MAKE money, as much and as quickly as you can.

I was just elaborating on the positive aspects which give us freedom of choice. I agree with you 100% about the negative aspects. That's why I've been "happily divorced" for 8 years.

I just made an observation that you hadn't responded yet. And I was working myself, so I was trying to be brief. Like I told Endiqua, it's not that I, myself, don't believe you or anyone else who is earning really good $$$ at MT. I don't really care if other MTs believe you or not. That's their problem. I do believe it can be done, but I want to know how I can do it, too. Honestly, I appreciate the advice and sharing of experiences. I'm not trying to come across as snotty or trollish.

My last (?

?maybe?) question for you is how long you have been on your particular accounts, and are they low, mid or high level accounts? I worked for both MQ and S, but I left for greener pastures because they kept bouncing me from difficult ESL account to another within a week of the last one.

I made more in the past year doing MT than every other year combined since I started several years ago. I'm not working a part-time job as backup any more either. I've also tripled my expander stats in the past month. I could be satisfied with that, but I believe the potential is there to do so much more.

System seemed nice at first but quickly turned out it wasn't. Someone else I know told me hers kept locking up on her. You don't have access to your Word entries and if you don't have a compatible shortcut expander, you have to start all over again in theirs. That stinks.

I found my QA to be very, very picky, over the top, ridiculous things. I don't think they want people to work for them because it seems you can't do anything right and I'm one who has been in this business a LONG time and no one ever complained about my work before.

I was very disappointed as I had heard good things about MDI-MD. Just goes to show what is right for one MT is not for another.