What a day--NOT-venting

Why do doctors, NPs, PAs, etc. decide to dictate without being prepared? I did a 14 minute report with 7 minutes of dead space while the dictator looked through the records to decide what they wanted to say.

This isn't the first time it has happened. Last week, EVERY dictator did it. Of course, the reports weren't 14 minutes long, more like 5-7 minutes, but it gets frustrating.

Do they just pick up a report and sign on the line? Why can't they look at the reports FIRST, then sign on? 

I don't mind if they have a 30 second (yeah,right) pause to chose the right word, but holy bananas, sometimes it just drags on and on. Then there are the doctors that answer phone calls, doctors who talk to the nurses, PAs who can't find a report that they need for lab data or vital signs, and on and on and on.

I think part of their training should be a chapter on HOW TO DICTATE.

Thanks for letting me vent.

• What a day--NOT-venting - Getting older
  • BAD Dictators - ohio mt
  • If only you were getting paid by the minute instead of cpl! nm - Cee
    • I Used to get paid by the minute and - Getting older

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You are right in the way you feel.   It hurts.  I know, it happened with my mom.  There was no real money, but it was more in the way she treats me and my child versus my other sisters and their children.  I have to take care of her needs because they refuse, but she always seems to lean toward them when wanting to give them something or do something for someone.  I finally broke down and told her exactly how I felt and what I thought.  Although it didn't change anything, I have limited my contact with her.  It made me feel better to let her know how wrong she was.

Things like this happen because companies/people do not have to be accountable for their actions anymore.  I wonder how these big companies would feel if it were the employer who made decisions like that (put the shoe on the other foot, so to speak)? 

I am with you on this--those people who will be displaced (to include you and your family) are going to have a struggle when it comes to finding other employment.

Doesn't make much sense to me anymore...

I have had this same ESL female for the last 90 minutes.  She obviously doesn't want to disturb anyone because she is talking so quietly.  I have the ear pieces of my head set shoved so hard in my ears they almost meet in the middle, which also means I can hear her clicking her hard candy against her teeth really well.

Okay, venting over!  Have a good one! 

I need to vent !!!!!  I am currently a full time student, work a full time job, and I am pregnant.  Why do people say stuff behind your back and go to your manager!!! Why can't people in today's world just say things to your face !!!!  You see I work a customer service job at an airport and I wait on people all day and if someone does not like you than they try to get you fired or a customer does not like you then they try to get you fired.  I am ready to dig a hole and stay in it and stop working !!!! IF ONLY I COULD AFFORD IT !!!!

Does anyone ever wonder why we even get out of bed in the morning and why we even try to get along with all of the back stabbers in this world !!!!!!!!!

Hopefully my MT career will be a better experience !!!!

If these hospitals are so picky about turnaround time...These docs come in on Saturday night and dictate 50 charts from the last 6 months that they haven't done, every report is 15-20 minutes long, and by cracky, they had better be typed and on the chart within 48 hours, or the transcription company gets a fine.

OK.  I feel better now.

I'm so disgusted and discouraged.  I've had three interviews in the last week, about three more in the last month, and ALL of the recruiters I spoke with had absolutely NO clue.  After listening to their canned speech about their company, they invite my questions.  My main concerns are the platform, how a line is defined (with or without spaces), headers and footers included, progam compatible with Expander that I have (IT or Shorthand), do they take out MY state taxes, (some don't), how is PTO paid, and a few more, but for each interview, but the time I got to this point in my list of questions, I'm totally disgusted because the recruiters cannot or won't answer my questions.(They are good about skirting the major points of things).  They have to contact someone else, who is not available at this time, etc...and will get back to me - yea, right.  WHAT is wrong with these people?  Can't they answer simple questions?  I don't feel that my list of questions is that outrageous, do you?  Am I out of line for even asking these things?   I've been burned too many times to agree to a job without asking these, and quite a few more questions, but can't get past first base with these recruiters.  Are they so far removed from the actual transcription aspect of their companies that they can't find these things out beforehand and be ready for an appplicant's basic questions?  The recruiter makes the first impression for a company, and if they are so far out in left field, what is the rest of the company like?   ANYONE else have this experience?

This doctor is particularly annoying in that while she is looking for information, she repeats the last word she just said.  Add to that her nasally voice and I am ready to rip my hair out!

Lab reports revealed that...that...that...that...that...

The patient....patient.....patient.....patient.....patient also had....had....had...had

period....period....period.....period.

Stop the madness!!!    (Okay, I'm done. Back to work.)

I have a scenario at work that I would love to solicit opinions on & see if anyone is on the same page as me.   I am a Transcriptionist with 25+ years experience and considered quite good, and I currently am the sole transcriptionist for a very high volume cardiology practice.    A co-worker of mine, who is over the billing dept, has a daughter who is taking an at-home transcription course (At-Home Professions), has not finished it, and in her own words "is not doing too bad at it". Whatever that means.   My coworker has been trying to push her daughter off on me for a long time, but I've always side-stepped the issue because the girl is not qualified.   Well, last Friday I was off work having a cervical nerve root injection, and she chose this time to bring her daughter to the office and pitch her to our administrator, who, by the way, is a jerk for one thing and knows nothing about transcription either.  He hired her on the spot as a part-time prn transcriptionist and I knew nothing about it until I got to work Monday morning and there she was.  I am livid at the both of them.  For one, my coworker had no business taking it upon herself to decide who should be hired to help ME, and the administrator should have never, in my opinion, hired her without at least getting my input.  The cardiologist and I have a very good relationship; in fact, he worked on me for 3 months, convincing me to come work for him, and I know he is very happy with me, and my inclination is to go to him and tell him exactly what went down.   I've been told I will incur the wrath of the administrator if I go over his head and directly to the doc, but that would be pointless because he's part of the problem!  I'm probably going to have to have surgery (and I'd also like to have a vacation this summer) so I know I need help, but I'm actually in the process of trying to solicit help from a pool of qualified people, transcriptionists from our local hospitals who might be interested in filling in for me from time to time.  I want to know that whoever sits in my chair while I'm out will be able to handle it, and this girl has NO experience whatsoever - she didn't even know how to address a cover letter yesterday.  I know that no mattter who I get, I will have to show them the ropes, show them our system, etc., and that's fine, but I do NOT have the time to train someone from the ground up, which is basically what I would be doing.  Cardiology, in my opinion, is too hard a specialty to start off with, and our volume is so massive that I can barely keep my head above water myself, and I'm fast.  I simply do not have time to train anyone.  I'm so offended over this.   Should I go to the doc or just let things ride and let her work speak for itself?  I'm not sure the most diplomatic way to handle this, though I'm leaning toward talking to the doctor.  What would you guys do?  All opinions will be appreciated and considered, and thanks for taking the time.   

Anybody out there working today, LABOR DAY? Expected to work the holiday, and guess what, no work! And then when it trickles in, of course the crummy junk bottom of the bucket type which add up to no lines, and getting lots of comments from QA (who is looking for something to do, no doubt).

How about we don't work a holiday, and everyone comes to work Tuesday with stuff to type, everyone makes money?

Bad idea of course, we have to remember the TATs.

Sorry to be so crabby, but thanks for listening to he vent.

I have an ESL who speaks very fast, but when I slow him down, he sounds like a very drunk ESL.  He tends to speak rather softly until the last 3 or 4 words of his dicatation, when he actually speaks into whatever he dictates into and I can hear those few words very well.  This guy has been a pebble in my shoe for far too long!

Ok, venting over.  Ignore the crazy lady.  

I am SO irritated.  Would you be irritated, too?  Just looking for some input, here. 

I am an independent contractor.  When I was hired, I made it very clear to the potential employer that I work on a 24-hour turnaround, less if told in advance that I am needed, but that I do not sit at my computer all day from 8-5.  I get my work done whether I work 8-3 or 10 PM until 4 AM.  (I work from home with children, and I do MT rather than use my degrees so that I can be with them.  This is why that was made VERY clear before I accepted the position.  I am not just sitting there waiting for work to come in.) If it comes in by 7 PM on Monday, it is back by 8 AM on Tuesday. That's my contract.

These are some things that have happened:

1.  The MTSO got mad at me one day because she emailed me in the morning telling me about some STAT jobs she needed done RIGHT AWAY.  Well, I had turned in my work from the previous day the night before, and I had signed up to be a chaperone on my child's field trip that morning. I was not on my computer until the afternoon.  That is what she understood when she hired me.

However, when I got on to work that afternoon, I had these angry emails from her wondering where her STAT work was.  When I told her why it was not done, she told me that I was EXPECTED to check my email every morning before I "go anywhere". I told her that would not have mattered, because even if I had checked my email, I would not have done the STAT work until I got back because of my obligation to my previously made plans.  That made her mad.  Frankly, my opinion is "tough noogies". My contract is my contract, and if I have no other obligations I will be happy to do STAT work.  But no, I am not going to put my child second to do a favor for her.  It's like the poster says, "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."  She's mad.

2.  I have a 99% accuracy rate. I consistently work weekends when the MTSO is behind.  I am an outstanding MT.  I work when I am sick, when my kids are sick, no matter what... I work.  Well, one day the workers in the street cut a cable, which took out my internet connection and my DSL phone. I did the transcription using my home phone line, which cost me an arm and a leg in LD charges, but I then had no way to securely email the files.  I let the MTSO know the problem and scrambled around calling until I found a friend not in my neighborhood who had Winzip and who had time to let me come to her house, use her Winzip and computer,and send my files.  My work was 3 hours late.  MTSO told me, "It's in your contract. It's not my problem what technical issues you have.  I need your work ON TIME.  Read your contract!"

How about my paycheck, which is CONSISTENTLY late because the MTSO doesn't get paid by the doctors on time?  I hear things like, "I can't pay you if I don't get paid." How about next time I say, "It's not my problem what financial inflow problems you have.  I need my paycheck ON TIME. Go take out a business loan using your phone system as collateral so that you have some operating capital, I don't care, but I need my check. The pay dates are in my contract. READ your OWN contract!" 

3.  Last thing I need to rant about today....  She called me one Friday saying that one of her MTs quit (shocking) and she needed help on another account.  I went into the account. No templates, no samples, totally flying blind.  I struggled through dictation for an hour with this doctor in a specialty I have no experience in at all, he has an accent I've not had to work on in years, it's totally new to me. In the meantime, my own accounts are stacking up.  I emailed her and basically said, very professionally, that I'd be happy to keep working on this other account, but my own are stacking up. Would she like me to put in my regular amount of hours on this account and then catch up on my regular accounts next week, would she like me to do my regular accounts first and then put whatever time I have left to the new account, etc.  She said that I needed to do the new account and then catch my accounts up over the weekend!

I told her that I was not available to work that weekend, so what would she like me to do as far as the options I had given her previously.  She was mad.  She said that for the good of the company, we all have to sacrifice, she will be working all weekend as well, etc.  Excuse me. The "good of the company"?  I have no benefits.  I have no 401K. I have no vested interest in the business besides the fact that I make a per line rate.  Sure, if she loses her business, I would lose my job... I would also have another one very quickly given my resume.  If SHE has to work all weekend so that the docs don't get mad, she should.  It's HER business.  What part of that is hard for her to understand?  Sure, if she had asked me ahead of time and said, "I really need your help. Do you have any time this weekend to work on this account?", she would have had a different response from me. But to tell me, "You have all weekend to catch up..."  I DON'T think so.  I am not a robot, I am a person with a husband and four children.  I told her I could give her three hours on the weekend put toward any account she chooses, but that no, I would not be working until it was all caught up. She was mad.

Needless to say, I am looking for another job.  But what is wrong with this woman?

I needed to vent.  If you've made it this far, thank you for listening!

Sure, sometimes we just want to vent.  We get it off our chest, get a little validation, then we feel better.

But some folks just don't get over it.  There's plenty of them at on-site jobs as well.  Complaining becomes a way of life.  We've all met them, they search diligently for what's wrong with any and every situation.  They are full of dire predictions when anyone else is happy, when anything changes, when they get out of bed in the morning.

On this board, I've seen many people unable to let go once they get it off their chest.  They make sure to bash a company they worked for a few years back every time its name comes up.  If anyone tries to give them a suggestion to improve a problem, they shoot it down in the nastiest way.  These people claim to have tried "everything" and sneer at anyone who keeps trying, and they never admit they are venting for venting's sake.

I think the point the OP was making is valid, because there are many chronic complainers here.  They are very unhappy in general, and they refuse to be proactive and try to change all the wrongs they see.  Its hard to give them any sympathy when all they want to do is argue and be very hateful to anyone that doesn't agree that everything is awful and nothing can be done about it.

I have just about had it!  I mean I have over 14 years experience as Transcriptionist and all I can get is crappy pay rates, which now I am okay but could be better....And I am tired of getting crappy accounts!  Whenever I ask to switch over to a different account, they tell me no.  And these companies want PERFECTION, even though noone is perfect, for peanuts!  I have seen places where they want you to work set hours even though you are an IC.  What is up with that?  Plus these places never off any good benefits, if any.  What are we supposed to do.  I am ready to go to a retail job or fast food. Somewhere where I can get out of the house, do my job and not have to worry about it all day long - not have to worry if I get an 9 hour shift worth of VERY BAD dictators.  I bet I could surprise myself at how many hamburgers I could flip in an hour because I sure am tired of seeing how much crappy doctors I can type in an hour.

Does anyone else feel this frustrated?  What happened to this profession?

I just have to vent about companies that keep track of your actual "typing time" and then say you are not putting in your 40 hours.  I always come up short and not by just a few hours.  They have said I worked only 60 hours when I worked 80.  But they say "their system is not wrong."

For one thing when you look up old reports or do research on-line or if you walk to the fridge, that shouldnt count as "not working" as long as you are getting your line rate.  Also something is wrong because I dont take that much time looking up things.

Also how can they get by with making you work 40 hours when you are paid "production?"  This is wrong.  Either pay me by the hour or leave me alone!!