We used to get all sorts of unique things from QT (sm)
Posted By: QT'r on 2006-05-23
In Reply to: QTers - did y'all get anything for MT Week? nm - Ex-QT -missing it!
The enthusiam isn't there anymore. Still a good company.
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I have seen all sorts of things used to pad sm
I worked for an MTSO who obviously had no clue what she was doing. They paid me by the gross line, 5 cents for 72 characters across. I know, this was not great then, however...they would have me tab down 15 blank lines for every report so that the letterhead had room and I got paid 5 cents a line for each of those 15 lines! This place still owes me money. I know I didn't put extra lines at the end of the report, but I could have.
Not everyone is scrupulous about 2 spaces after colons or periods, or strictly one space between words. I try and I know sometimes I inadvertently add a space. I consider this careless padding that can add up if we all do it.
I worked for a place where gal A had the contract and subbed out gal B who subbed out to a bunch of us including gal C. Gal C subbed out to other MTs and didn't edit a word that came back or anything. We all had to rerecord. They would rerecord, guestimate how many lines for how long the dictation was, not type a word, but submit an invoice on up the line for work that was never done. Unbelievably, it took nearly 4 months for anyone to catch on! Needless to say, we all lost out on that account in the end.
A lot of us, self included, use "normals" for notes or procedures (I do OPs) that we transcribe daily and are almost identical. I have about 200 such canned dictations on my computer for accounts I have done for 3 yrs. I will NOT just drop it in and not listen to the entire report, but I know those who do. My thought is, if this doctor can read from a script every time he/she dictates, then I can type up that script once and read with him/her for evermore and a day. Padding? In the strictest sense probably, but we don't make enough money to pass up working smart for working hard.
You have to ask yourself how people get so greedy...
30+ years here too and all sorts of....sm
aches and pains, but.....I'm thinking at this age, we would have all kinds of aches and pains anyway! The only one I really blame on transcribing is my hands. As I understand it, you have to not be able to work to get disability, not just unable to transcribe. It's sure worth a try though if really suffering. I have a female relative who got disability in her mid 50's and sure seemed capable of working to me.
a poll of sorts
How many of you have looked at your medical record? The office notes, the OP notes, the physician calls...
and how many people do you know that have done that as well.
My answer - I asked for mine about 5 years ago. My dermatologist -just this year (all handwritten... LOL) and my kids. I know of no one else.
They are calling me on all sorts of mistakes
formating, headings (they say things like "use your best judgement" and then say you did it wrong), abbreviations, for some rules they follow AAMT and some they dont. I feel like I will never get it right.
How unique and to have it made FOR you!
.
What you describe is not unique to MT
I've worked in manufacturing (production control & customer service) for many years and realized that EVERY company, EVERY manager can do a better job at motivating and communicating with their employees. However, many managers do not know what to do or how to. They have their own managerial style and they “apply” that to everyone they supervise. A good manager will figure out each person working for them and determine what novitiates that person. Some like to be praised in public. Others want a private encouraging word. Each person is different and has different expectations. The grass is not always greener on the other side. I’ve learned that too many times in my career! BTW, I am considering enrolling in an MT course and read this board and others for information to help make my decision. This was a topic I just HAD to chime in on because this is true of ALL companies… Wal-Mart, GE, Walgreen’s, Ford, Kroger etc. Looking at the big picture, doesn’t it all boil down to how good are you at relationships and making them work?????
We are one of a kind, very unique, not just
anyone can do our jobs. No matter what your situation, children, caring for aging parents, raising animals, raising crops, tending to another at-home business at the samee time, we are definitely jugglers, no matter how you slice it. Sometimes I get on this board and think, ahhh, I know I have been there, done that, and seen it all, but I really haven't. Hayseed, I think you are a riot! There are so many others as well with just great informative posts that I'm glad they took the time out of their day to share, whether it be a funny or just to vent because it gives you a place to call "the water cooler" when no one else can really truly relate! Thanks coerts, friends, and fellow MTs for all of your input. I always new good things happen in numbers! Here's to ya'...  Back to the  now!
Unique situation
I have two part-time jobs, one for doctors I worked for before in another setting - now I am doing their overflow work. The second part-time job is with a local MTSO. It is the only account they have with my specialty.
No, I don't think I could do autopsies, although I love watching "Dr. G., Medical Examiner" on Discovery Health. I close my eyes during the gross parts, though.
I think it is unique - not offensive at all nm
x
I am not sure, I have a unique situation, but sm
My problem was no mortgage and being an IC. In October of 2007 I filed my taxes for 2006 (had an extension) and I got sucked for $7500 and then another $400 for penalties. In April of 2008, I got sucked for another $7600 and another $350 in penalties. There went my new car. There went paying off a debt I have been years working on. So, no I don't know how you do it and pay your taxes!
In 2008, I went to work as an employee. They will pay part of my taxes, they pay a fair portion of my health insurance premium, I have PTO and everything else. I was thrilled to work for only one place, till my tax accountant told me that in my circumstance, I would not be able to deduct any of my expenses because I can't itemize my taxes! He told me to work at least PT as an IC. I did for a time Jan-March and then quit. By May 1,2008 I knew I had to look for something. I ended up going back to work for the place I had quit in December 2007 to work for my employer. It turns out it is a 6-hour day on top of my 8-hour day. That was not the agreement, but it is the reality. I will be able to file as an employee and a Schedule C as an IC. I'll have my cake and eat it too.
I am saving 1/3 of after tax income, but I have very little free time and only one day off a week, if I have that much. I will meet my goals for a newer vehicle and paying off my debt next year, and that is great, but I will have had very little fun otherwise. I don't even have time to grocery shop most months, but I'd have money if I could get there. I am known for being a total workaholic and it is true.
The only thing I can tell you about making it all work is to scale down, down, DOWN! I went from a 2400 sq ft house in a large city, to an 1100 sq ft mobile home in a small town that has DSL. I bought the mobile home outright for a paltry $3K and while I don't own the land, my rent for that is only $75 (hence my tax problems). Where I live, it is so rural that the nearest Walmart is 60 miles each way, but it is best that Walmart and I should be parted that way. I get there perhaps 3 times a year, which is plenty. I eat at home. I make my clothing. I clean my own home. I do my own laundry. I pinch every penny I can figure out how to pinch, and then I pinch it harder. I gave away much of my furniture in this move and replaced it with second hand furniture that fits my new smaller home. The house was a real fixer upper and I have almost completed it...on a shoestring doing most of the work myself (but not this year). I grew up poor, I was poor when I was married and raised my kids poor. I am no longer poor, by the standards of where I live I am quite well off, but you would never know this by how I live. I run around in comfy sweats that are old, that is why they are so comfy! I live in a tin can and in a dirty little town full of wonderful people. I happen to be in love with my tin can which I have transformed into a very cozy, inviting home where guests love to visit...for tea in cups and saucers from the thrift store.
It is hard to make more money. I knew my energy limits and what I could and could not do. I made a conscious decision to work the money equation from BOTH sides...spend far less and make as much more as I felt I could. The end result has been better than I had anticipated.
As for getting out of MT, we are all pretty well in the same boat if we have been doing this for a long time. You might try a job center through where you live. Have them help you brush up your face to face interview skills, and see about how to present yourself as professional and capable. We have all been out of the fix your hair and makeup, actually get dressed and leave the house mode for a long time. I know if I were going out the door to work, I would need to follow this advice myself. I need some fine tuning, possibly so do you.
So stay in or get out, that is up to you. I thought I would give you why I have stayed in and how I did it.
Since that would be unique to each company, I don't know how anybody here would even have a clue.
s
Maybe my hospital is unique, but they require their MTs to be fairly
x
I think each case is unique. I had a "no changer" and he changed (sm)
We went for counseling and boy did things change!!!! We now listen to each other. We talk more than we ever have. We do things as a couple, for each other. We learned to openly appreciate each other for little things. We learned to love each other in ways that we never did before.
Believe me, my DH came from living at home with momma into our marriage and he expected me to take the place of his mom. That worked for a little while until I grew tired of being his maid and his bedroom companion.
What makes this story so unique is that she disappeared while vacationing and has not been seen sinc
I read that this story is so unique which is why it is getting so much coverage, and her parentes are talking to the media which a lot of grieving familes won't/don't do. Think about Jessica Lunsford's dad and how much you saw him on the news talking all the time to try to help his case. Which is what Beth Holloway Twitty is doing.
I truly think that if this Holloway gal was black and her parents were willing to talk to the media and give interviews all the time, I'm sure there would be coverage.
It's not about a rich white thing. Get over that. I am Hispanic and I don't even believe that. If you had a family member disappear and you were willing to talk to the media and had a good "story" you would get coverage. Trust me.
Is it your shift or work type that makes your job unique? Autopsies maybe? nm
s
Kim Komando has all sorts of recommendations on her website...www.komando.com. nm
nm
Bad things? what bad things? people's being petty and small?
x
You can't make things worse and could make things better.
The skinny woman may be ill. The guy might not know the dog is a nuisance. Who knows? Maybe it is not as forbidding as it seems and maybe they just need to be asked in a nice way.
I do a lot of the same things you do...
I also go water the plants - sometimes just being out in the sunshine for 20 minutes or so wakes me up and gets me going again.
I also do the online thing for my kids: Gap, Old Navy and Abercrombie Kids. I occasionally look at Sephora for me. 
And yes, exercise does help. I either take a run first thing in the a.m. or around 1:00. The morning gives me a totally different spin on the day - I feel better in general the whole day and much more positive. If I wake up too late for that, I end up going around 1:00, as I find that around that time I start wandering mentally anyway. I used to feel guilty for taking the hour or so away but realized if I added up all the minutes I spend staring at the screen (waiting for the words to type themselves) it would be more than an hour. So I try to use my time wisely and for myself by exercising and feel more focused and positive afterwards. This is a habit I'm still creating. I've been doing this a while now and I still some days have to convince myself it's okay and the hour is going to help me, not hurt me. After I'm done I'm always glad I went.
Thanks for posting this question - you gave me some good ideas.
There are a few things you can do. Don't
answer phones, let machine pick up. Turn ringer off on cell phone. Stay off boards, turn tv down or off. I don't know about others but I need a little background noise so I keep tv on a volume where I can hear it but not truly understand what is going on. I keep it on the music channel just so I hear something in the background. Don't think about the dirty dishes, laundry or 100 other things needed to be done in the house.
If you need a drink, get one before you start, same goes for a snack. I get a bowl of something to snack on before I start working such as pretzels, carrot sticks, m&m, etc. I bought an oven timer to keep on my desk. I set it for 3 to 4 hours and then take a little break when it goes off. When I first sign on I can work for 4+ hours w/o getting up.
Make macros of phrases. The phrases are the key. If you're forever typing something over and over and saying "I should make a macro for it," don't say it, do it. Closed head injury precautions are set as "chip-" in shorthand. I also do a lot of consults and at the end they have their own little "thank you for allowing me to participate" statement. I use the docs last name with a T at the end of it for the word thank you such as "SmithT" because not all the thank you statements are the same. WDI is written discharge instructions, wci wound care instructions. Macro your labs and headings so you don't have to keep typing them. If the word or abbr. needs to capitalized make a macro. igg comes out as IgG. The less you hit your shift key, it's saving a key stroke. 05m comes out as 0.5% Marcaine, etc. Make something you can remember. I'm at the point now where I've done the same accounts for years and hardly make macros, maybe 1 or 2 a day. If I make a macro today I write it in a notebook sitting right in front of me. It's a quick reminder for me.
Hope some of this helps.
Many things are said here...sometimes...
people get a bit testy. But, guess what? We are all adults, aren't we? Long ago I learned to not take offense to things, remarks, opinions, whatever - as most often taking offense only drags you down personally. Why let things get to you?
MQLover has every right to express her opinion. Is she the only one who ever slams back when she gets slammed? Hardly. That is a natural reaction. It's a defense mechanism. We don't all feel kissy/huggie all the time, and we especially don't when we express our thoughts and get smacked for them.
If someone's post irritate or bother you, why not just skip them? There's a heck of a lot more to life than getting upset of bb posts.
The things I do.
% of utilities, -phone, water, electric-mileage, internet, interest on auto payment, repair to car, cleaning equipment for office, repairs to office, cell phone, equipment-foot pedals, soft ware, supplies, paper, pens, etc. I have often wondered if I could claim my PJs as uniform expense.
But apart from those things R they OK?
two things
Gas heater in the living room and an additional small heater for my hands, if they get cold.
I found it was less costly to install a gas heater than use the fireplace.
Thanks! I'm always trying to think of new things and though....
I thought this might be different to brake up the monotony! Thanks again!
Well there have been quite a few things
here and there, but I have always put off calling them cause they spend 10 minutes getting the spelling of my name right. I am like, "you can call me whatever you want to call me, just answer my question!"
The problem I am having now is that my internet will not allow me to access my bank site, but my cable company helped me with this problem. Since we went back and did a system restore and it still didn't fix the problem, they suggested that I am probably going to have to reinstal internet explorer. I left my CD at my Dad's though, so I will have to wait to try it and see if it works.
I am just wondering if I run into a problem again and I called if they would switch me to a US representative if I insisted. I remember awhile back someone posted that they did that with a credit card company or something. I think I am going to try it though.
That's if you want to be any of those things.
Really, why choose a career field solely based on potential income? Does money buy happiness? Doctors and nurses work very long hours. LPNs make $12 an hour, RNs $18 and up. Attorneys, well, who would want to be an attorney? Accountants here make $12 an hour to start out with a 5-year degree and CPA.
Have you tried these things? (sm)
Writing for the paper and making extra bucks by doing MT?
Maybe go back for your Master's and teach journalism in smaller colleges?
Possibly freelance for web sites? Check out elance.com and other freelancer sites. Lots need writing. Work that experience! Do you have a portfolio to show off?
Good luck :)
two things you can do
1. Run Disk Cleanup - click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup.
2. If you use Internet Explorer, click on Tools | Internet Options. Click on the buttons that say Delete Cooks and Delete Files.
Close your browser, restart it, and that should resolve your problem.
Well, with the way things are going,
I think I would be happy to get anything. Many companies are doing away with gifts completely due to the economy.
I'm not willing to pay for something that will only tell me things I already know.
I know to use an Expander and templates/normals. I know to expand phrases, words, reports, etc. I know to stay away from the boards, let the machine get the phone, and treat this like a REAL job, but it's really hard to concentrate when there's nothing but garbage dictation on the system. I can see somebody else already took all the work from my primary, so I'm stuck with the lousy ESL secondary that I hate and won't make any money on. I can never make any money working for any national. They bounce you around so much that you never have the same dictators from day to day and can't keep account specs straight.
are doing these things....NM
x
Some of us can do 2 things at once, and well! nm
nm
They are okay though there were some things I did not like - sm
though it may not bother others. Need to have AIM on while you work so they can IM you....they can monitor you this way too, unless you know how to turn off that feature. Alway felt to me like Big Brother was watching. Did not like primary account, lots of short reports (I like them long with good line counts, not these dinky 10 lines things that take you 10 minutes to crank out); loved my 2nd and 3rd though, but rarely got to see them. Were considered an employee, nice, don't have to worry about taxes. Had to give a schedule and stick to it (granted you are an employee so you must do that), but flexible. Have to work 1 weekend day too. Get lots of faxes, sometimes too much. People are nice enough though, never had trouble with QA. Like I said just a few things rubbed me the wrong way, good enough place though. Good luck.
What are the things that keep MTs
I'm putting together a list of things that make it hard for MT to get decent line count. Can anyone give me their opinion? TIA!
Could mean a lot of things......sm
Could mean that the QA department is backed up and your report just hasn't come up for review yet. Does your QA department have a higher level to which more difficult reports are sent for yet another listen? It could be that it has been held up in this way. I know how frustrating it must be for you not to have your feedback yet. I hope you get it soon. :-)
Here are some things.....
If you own your home, you can deduct taxes, mortgage interest, DSL or internet service, electricity, heating bills, anything you bought for your job, i.e, pencils, pens, a new chair, a new desk, highlighters, etc., and anything else that is related solely to your business at home.
Don't forget you can also deduct anything you donated. Every few weeks I "clean house" and donate all my goodies to Salvation Army. But make sure you get a receipt.
Several things...
For me personally, I was drwan to transcription for several reasons. I love the field of medicine and I love to learn something new every day. Those were the main things at first. Now, I love to be home for my children and am happy this job that I already love helps me do that!
getting things done
I have found David Allen's GTD approach very useful in organizing life, time, and goals. You can do a search for "getting things done" on google.
As if 1 of those things isn't bad enough.
Yikes.
I never go to any of these things...sm
that way I'm not stuck with buying stuff I don't want/need/pay too much for.
Thank you both - these are exactly the things (sm)
I was talking about! This will be VERY helpful. Have a good day :)
These are some things I do
Boy, I hear you on how time consuming and tiring it can be to get ready to go! We don't have any kids but we have three small dogs (which are like kids to us).
We camp almost every other week-end, May through September, and I try to do as much as I can during the week to get things ready, a little each day that I can.
Also, I have bought as many things as possible to leave in the camper so I don't have to take things from the house to the RV/back and forth. I try to stock the cupboards with foods that can be left there for the season. This year I also bought us underwear that stays in the RV all summer. When we come home from camping, I wash it and back it goes to the RV. (Then in the fall, it will come in the house and we can throw out old underwear and buy new again the next year for the RV.) We also leave warm clothes in the camper all season as they are usually part of our "winter clothes" anyway.
We also keep our RV electrical plugged in all season so I can leave many things in the refridge and freezer, without using up our propane to run the fridge. We have an outside outlet on our house so we can do this.
While we are camping, I make a list of things I note we will need to buy for the next camping trip; otherwise, I would never remember what I needed. I also have made a "Camping Checklist" of things I need to remember to take each time and things I need to do before we leave. That really helps me a lot.
HTH some. Have fun camping! We will be going on "vacation" (five days) in our RV next week and we can hardly wait. Even each week-end away is like a mini-vacation for us.
Several things:
1. Separate accounts. Get a credit card in your business name to run all business purchases through. That will simplify things immensely. Get a business checking account (you can choose Jane Smith DBA - doing business as -Transcription Services Limited if you are not incorporated).
2. The first year that you are an IC, do not worry about quarterly payments. You do need to withhold enough from your paychecks to be ready to pay your regular taxes as well as an additional 7.5% self employment tax come April next year. Put all of this in your business account. The second year, 2007, - as long as you pay 100% of what your taxes were in the previous year, you will not incur any fines. So if you paid $8500 between your husband and you in your taxes this year, next year divide the $8500 by 4, to get $2125. Watch your husband's withholding and every quarter, take what has been withheld from him and add whatever it takes to make $2125 from yours. I.e. he has $2000 withheld, your quarterly payment should be $150 - allowing a little extra.
I agree it is worth it to find a good CPA that will help you get organized and give you deadlines for filing, as well as help you find deductions that you are entitled to take. But after that, easy enough to do on your own if you do your own taxes anyway.
I have two things (sm)
Watching my two-year-old son sing and dance, and my five-year-old daughter getting 100% on her sight words (reading) at school four weeks in a row. And she's only been in school for four weeks. My kids make me happy and proud!
Here's other things I do to them....sm
1. Ask them if they need you to spell everything you want to say for them.
2. Ask them if they'll be voting Republican, Democrat or Independent in the next election and to explain the pros/cons of each candidate. I love to hear them stammar on that one!
3. If it's a male, ask him if he makes his wife walk behind them and treat them like a second class citizen or if she is allowed freedom like we have in America.
4. Tell them you'll listen to their sales pitch if they'll agree to listen to yours - then start reading the Sunday ads to them.
Several things
Semester is half over!
Just 27 hours left to graduate!
Life's going good. Anything wrong is something I can get a handle on.
Feel blessed. My family is safe and well. It's beautiful weather. I have all I need and most of what I want.
I'm silly that way, I guess. :)
Things you don't know
Unlike you, I volunteered for yesterday and today, but did not volunteer to stay up all night Wednesday with a preschooler begging me to take away her tummy pain, and also deal with her illness as I tried to work yesterday.
I did not "plan" a "big" family gathering...they invited themselves over (all 3 of them), which I was grateful to do YESTERDAY when my load was to have been lighter. It was in my mind a show of appreciation for the 2 nights I have had without having to work or be the sole responsible person for this child in a year (they kept her while I was in the hospital from a stress-related GI illness).
I am grateful this child is in my life as she was literally dropped off on my door step unanounced one day because her parents wanted to be teenagers. But the stress of court dates, proving paternity so the parents can "get a fresh start" by walking away from the child they produced, the therapy sessions to help her cope with why they abandoned her, the state agencies that provided minimal assistance to kinship care providers but mandated appointments that cut into my pay to attend....
Right now vanity is a luxury I cannot afford and perhaps, yes, I kind of resent it for other people TODAY. I did not resent it yesterday and shall not resent it tomorrow (even though I am on mandatory stat coverage for the entire weekend with no pay for it).
I am stressed and I vented about vanity. Now, I will take the child I did not give birth to and essentially take my toys and go home. Thanks for the support! Merry Christmas, too!
Some things to consider...sm
For me, IC versus employee boiled down to benefits (PTO, sick days, insurance, etc.) versus the greater flexibility in my schedule. As an IC, I generally made more on the paycheck, but that was before taxes, which can become a nightmare if you're not careful. When I got to thinking about, really the only thing I was actually giving up was the greater flexibility in my schedule. I discovered that when I factored in the benefits package, which included holidays and other things in addition to those mentioned above, I felt like I was actually making at least as much if not more in terms of monetary compensation. Also, where I am at now allows a 1-hour window on either side of my shift start time, so I can start an hour earlier or an hour later than I am scheduled to without having to notify anyone about it. That actually helps quite a bit, but if you can stomach converting to a more structured shift schedule, I think the addition of benefits to your regular pay can make it very much worth your while, especially if you don't already have health insurance benefits through your spouse's employment. Another aspect that can generate considerable peach of mind is if your benefit package includes disability. If anything ever happens to prevent me from being able to continue working, my salary is covered. For me, all of these things were significant enough to move me to change. I spent the better part of 15 years as an IC, so I thought about it long and hard. Now I have the "V" word back in my vocabulary for the first time in a long time, and it's nice to be getting paid while I'm on "v"acation. Those are the main considerations that went into my decision process.
I hope those thoughts help, and I wish you the best.
I do those very things
I tell them I want consistent work, list the type of work I don't like (only 2 types), and I make it very clear what I'm looking for and of course all of them say they have JUST that. My main thing is consistent work, I want to work my shift and be done, not be on here 24/7 trying to get my hours.
What the pay IS, vs. what it SHOULD BE, are 2 different things! (sm)
It also depends on where you live, the difficulty of the work, etc. I'm at about 9.5 cpl. In Ky. that's good pay, but in NY or CA it's poverty-line.
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