When reading the job seekers board do you get discouraged at
Posted By: sm on 2006-03-17
In Reply to:
the amount of times the post has been viewed? Sometimes, even though it was posted today, it has over 200 views already. Is everyone just looking or are all those MTs applying? How does one stand a chance....
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I meant to say Job-Seekers Board, not Company Board.
No mssg.
go to the job seekers board and about --sm
a third down that page, there is an ad that begins with *body aches and pains* posted by National Telecommuting Service. Read that, as it concerns people with disabilities and doing medical transcription. Hope this helps you out. good luck
Please see the ads on the Job Seekers board. NM
Goldbird
Per the ad on the job seekers board, there are rad
However, I applied for rad in the past and was offered clinic. I applied again for a rad position with the current ad and I have answered the questionnaire again, so my fingers are crossed.
The job seekers board...
Sure is loaded with garbage lately.
What is with these companies demanding 5+ years experience and then offering 7 cents/line, or wages of $7 to $15 an hour? Yikes! I hope people aren't taking these jobs.
The companies should be ashamed of themselves for expecting experienced MT's to settle for such crap wages. 
go to the job seekers board on the left
hand side of this page. Editing would be considered a position in the "QA" field. There are lots of these positions open.
How do I respond to ads on the job seekers board?
This might seem like a silly question but do I just send my resume using the 'apply now' button or can I and should I also send a cover letter with it? Does it need to be in plain text? Thanks
Yes, but go to the Job Seekers board at the top left of your screen.
The Job Seekers board shows jobs that are available. You can
post your resume securely in the Resume Bank. If you do not want to give a lot of detailed information, you can post with the name Available MT or something of that nature and in the body give a brief description of your experience. When you enter your email address it is not visible to potential employers, but they can send you an email. Only when you reply will they know your email address. It's a great way to put yourself out there without COMPLETELY putting yourself out there. If an employer is looking for someone with your skills and experience, they will contact you. Good Luck!
Job ads go on the Job Seekers board only, that is why post was removed.
/
go to Job Seekers board, ther is a link to add a resume-nm
//
After reading all the horror stories on this board - sm
about the flaky way so many MTSO's operate, I think only the newest of the newbies would interview for a position without also interviewing ABOUT the position. It's a 2-way street, you know. If an MT is asking you questions up front, rather than waiting to find out AFTER hiring on with you that the job's not a good fit, that would waste time and money for both of you. It sounds like she looks before she leaps, and that she has a good head on her shoulders. She's obviously interviewing for more than one position, and doesn't want to go any further until she's also checked with a few more job possibilities. Judging by what you wrote in your post, my guess is she's experienced, and doesn't want to get the runaround at a poorly-run or fly-by-night operation.
You could start by reading other posts re: laptops on this board.
Click on "See Related Messages" in your OP.
If you will spend some time reading the company board
you'll see that the industry is more volitile than ever. Work is being offshored to India and other countries and the garbage is left for the US MT. Companies are going to VR. Pay is low, you can expect to make 9 to 10 cpl average as an employee, maybe up to 11 cpl as an independent contractor. A lot of companies cannot provide steady work and insurance is very expensive.
I would not recommend leaving your job to pursue MT full-time. Most companies want the experience to be current, within the last 2 years, so you could potentially have some issues with being 3 years out.
I would suggest trying it part-time to get a feel for how things are before you decide.
This was posted earlier today on the Gab Board and now I am reading this statement from this Pakista
MTSTARS.COM DOMAIN NAME HAS BEEN HIJACKED!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted By: Sheri Steadman Administrator (see details inside) On: 2008-02-27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE
The mtstars.com domain name has been hijacked, so this website will probably go down and then come back up with old information (not current posts). We are setting up at mtstars.net and taking legal action to regain the mtstars.com domain. Please do not post at this site further as the domain has been taken over by an offshore entity.
Thank you for your loyalty over the years, but know that we are not gone. We plan to have mtstars.net up and running very soon ...
Can point in a direction but takes reading, re-reading sm
Goggle.com and enter various phrases to get articles and companies. I use a free doanload of ExpressScribe, yep, it is free. They have a number of various software things on their site to read and perhaps one will fit. The express Scribe is a piece of sotware to download, it is very simple and I like simple. You can listen and transcribe various voice file formats. You can use a wav pedal one is called a serial pedall and I think it is 9 pin and plugs in the back of PC and also another pedal I think a 15 pin wav pedal and goes in the USB port in front. However, you can also use it without a pedal and it works fine. You use a couple of key to stop, pause, rewind, I forget the key. There are a lot of pedals so don't just jump in. On this site you may benefit from emailing the company after reading and rereading, even if you don't understand. .
_______________
http://nch.com.au/
Express scribe site above Copy and paste into address bar in your browser.
Need help can email darleneh1111@earthlink.net
An error reading or a negative reading? (nm)
nm
NEW MT GETTING DISCOURAGED
I have completed my transcription course with an "A". I have had med term, A&P, study of diseases..... I have been a medical records coordinator for 5 years. It is very discouraging looking for work as an MT with no experience (on the job). If anyone knows of anyone who is willing to give me a chance, I live in orange county, California and am looking for PT work from home.
I AM SO DISCOURAGED!
 Well all...I am so discouraged. I am in the middle of my schooling with Career Step. It's not the course...I am very happy with it. I have done a lot of research on the field of MT before deciding to make the career move from teaching to MT. Lately, all I hear is that it seems EVERY national company outsources and EVERY national company either has too much "running out of work phases" or doesn't pay at all, or doesn't pay on time...sooooooo many negative things I am hearing. I want to try to work from home, but I need to make a living. Is it really too much to ask that I have work and am treated fairly as an employee? I am getting very scared and don't know which companies to look to for employment. I know there's a lot of archived information, but I guess what I'm looking for is someone to tell me it ain't all bad! Thanks in advance. Becky
Don't be discouraged
I have been an MT for over 20 years. I raised my kids being an MT, worked from home. They loved it. Also have worked in-house. Working from home is much better. I have always made more than my husband. Always made good money. Don't beieve everything negative on these boards.
Is anyone else as discouraged?
I've busted my butt for eight years and I've paid my dues. When I started, the lady that trained me told me that 16 cents a line was not unheard of. Now, I'm lucky that my client will pay me 12 cents a line and the lady that trained me? She wanted me to take over one of her clients and would only pay me 6 cents a line. The most that other companies will pay seems to be 8 cents a line. To me, that is a great disservice, especially for those that have twice the years and more invested in this profession.
Is it time to go to another profession? The lack of respect is starting to get to me...
Don't get discouraged and don't
believe every post here. Just keep working on it. Aim for quality over quantity, and the speed will come. But don't feel discouraged by those stating they have huge line counts. Some are just falsehoods. I depends on your accounts and the program you are on, your company, how they count the lines, etc. I don't believe half of what is stated.
Don't be discouraged
We all had to start somewhere. Right now it is more important for you to get experience. You are making the right decision to move out of the company that provides you no feedback and conflicting advice from the managers. You will not be able to learn and grow in that environment. 6.5 cpl is not a bad starting rate for under a year of experience. I wouldn't do the editing at 2 cpl, though. Editing takes longer, is more difficult and some reports can tie you up for hours doing research, listening and relistening. 2 cpl is way too low for the time and work involved. I would look to one of the large nationals that hire newbie MTs as that is where you will get the best feedback and mentoring. Try Spheris and Precyse. I know they both have excellent QA departments and are good with feedback. Once you get some experience, your line rate will increase. But, more importantly, you can become and IC (independent contractor). This means that you can ask for the line rates you see posted here. You will never get line rates this high working for the national MT companies, but you will get the experience you need to become and IC, thus making these line rates. Just hang in there, take it as the learning experience it is and learn all you can. Use all of your reference materials and look up everything you are not absolutely certain of. Make notes for yourself. This is the best way to learn and retain what you learned. The money will come in time. Just don't get too discouraged in the beginnings. Like I said, we all started right where you are today.
I, too, was very discouraged with IT but
after a few months (yes, I'm slower at learning new things lately), I found myself finally getting the hang of it. I started using the program only 2 hours a day. Certainly frustrating as I couldn't "find" the suggestions, but then decided the heck with it and started using it constantly. Even when I wasn't working, I would practice with it.
I "rearranged" all my phrase shorts to something I was comfortable with, added new ones constantly with the first letter of each word, and read up on all the tips and tricks I could find to "understand" the program better. As I got used to the program, I would change an abbreviation I previously used to the first letter of each word.
I also keep my suggestion window at 9 lines, and try to keep my abbreviations to no more than 9 lines; i.e., if there were 13 bp shorts, I would change 3 of them to something else.
My lines were low at first, but after a few months, I started doing 200 lph. I'm still not the fastest IT user, but I'm happy with it and don't know how I survived without it.
Getting discouraged..
I didn't know where else to turn, than to others who might have been in my shoes at one time or another. I am a recent graduated from a community college for Medical Transcribing. I got into the field after seeing all the MT jobs from internet searches. I started the classes, graduated and was ready and excited. I put my resume on every MT website I could find, even before I graduated. I got offers here and there from FocusIinfomatics, and another "no-name" companies who offered services of an intership with a job placement at the end. Neither one worked out, I dusted off my shoulders, moved on and joined forums and emailed my resume till I couldn't type anymore.
Basically this all leads up today. I am a "newbie". I am aware most people require 2+ years of experience, but isn't there someone out there who will let me put my foot in the door before they shut it? Before my "internship" no longer responded to me, she let me know I had either no errors, or only one or two minor ones. I got excited thinking, I'm going to get a job offer then, but nothing. So I am just a little discouraged. I don't want to be anyones free work anymore. I know if given the chance I can prove myself to MT Companies out there.
If anyone has adivce or two cents, good or bad, i'm ready to hear it. If I am not on this box looking for a job, im researching everything MT. So please fellow MT's let me know that others use to be in the same spot as me and there might be people willing to take on a "newbie"
Discouraged Darling.
Discouraged
Please don't be discouraged. You have to keep trying. The teacher I had in medical transcription school told us that they have to hire someone. I tried and it took me four years from the time I finished the course, but today I can honestly say I have 2 prive accounts and I am doing fairly well for myself. I graduated in 1992 and in 1996 someone finally gave me a chance. I wish you the best.
don't be discouraged
I made the decision to become a medical Transcriptionist after years of working in the financial corporate world. I went to a business college that offered the MT program, as well as court reporting, medical assisting, etc...I would recommend obtaining your education that way. It took about 9 months.
I have been consistently employed for 15 years now. When one job goes, another pops up just like that.
I was fortunate to have had employment in our local county hospital, and I did that for 5 years. I have also worked with tapes at local doctors offices as an IC. The possibilies really are endless.
One question - do you type?
Because if you already have that skill - you are well on your way...
There's an ad for VR on Job Seekers $12-15
per hour. Am I the only one who thinks that's joke? I can make a lot more transcribing. 
....on Job Seekers since Wed. nm
s
Discouraged, but not a loser
Don't be so hard on yourself. Yeah, I know, I know, you're going to tell me I'm not in your shoes and you have bills to pay. I know what you are going through. I am going through it too. I am 56 years old, had a wonderful and stressful career in medical transcription. I owned my own business, had many good accounts, only to have it end like this. I saw the writing on the wall 15 years ago, but froze in fear and did nothing about it. Fifteen years ago my inner voice told me to do something about it, but I kept on going wasting my time in this field because I felt, well, maybe I can make it to retirement. NOT. I lost all of my accounts last year to India, and get this, a hospital I had an account with, decided not to dictate any more - just like that - they just dictate the H&Ps'. That's it. That's how my career ended. I was shocked and very depressed. After 6 months of depression and gaining weight, I decided to carve out the rest of my life. I am going to junior college for the first time in my life. Give yourself a pat on the back - you already have your associates degree. I have to work through that before I can go into a bachelor's program. The only thing I have is a house, a nice house. If I have to, I will sell my beautiful expensive house to pay the rest of my way through school. I'm ready to do that if I have to. I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I plan to go to law school. It is never too late. Keep looking for financing for school. There are ways to get through this. If you have talents in any areas, explore that. Sometimes it will take having to do 2 or 3 different things t make a living. I am working part time for a transcription company, doing pet sitting, and who knows? maybe I will do something else to keep me going. I am lucky though in that I have a husband who is paying our bills for now. I pay for my school and expenses with the money I make part time. DON'T GIVE UP - keep exploring your options. It's going to be about creativity from here on out at this point in life. My prayers and thoughts positive to you.
Discouraged and disgusted
I have a training course, a 3-month internship, and 4 months employment into this line of work and I here I am only making 2-5 cpl. I apply for jobs, but they won't even let me test. Why is this profession so hard to break in to? It seems so incredibly impersonal and these human resource people seem so curt and rude, like you're not a real person. Today I feel like I've made a huge and costly mistake getting into this business. Anyone out there considering it should think twice!
DONT be discouraged
plenty of experienced MTs have difficulty with ESLs. Don't let your self esteem suffer. Keep testing, keep trying.
Don't be discouraged - what type of prn did you do? (sm)
Were you transcribing for your doctors? If you were, then that is experience and you don't need to take a course. Was the work you were doing involving extensive medical terminology? Here's how I got into the field: I was taking pre-nursing classes and working as a secretary. I decided I did not want to do hands-on patient work, so in addition to the anatomy and physiology classes I had taken, I took a medical terminology class for one semester. After that I went and tested at a company that hired transcriptionists to work on-site for three months training and then they could work at home.
Also, I don't think what you are looking for is unreasonable at all, nor do I think you have bad reasons for seeking out transcription. If you were someone with zero medical experience just thinking being a Transcriptionist was a free ride, I would agree with some of the above posters, however, I don't see that as your attitude at all and I think you can do it!
What happened to all the job seekers--sm
postings. there is nothing after January 11, 2008 and I know there were some yesterday. Does anyone know if there is a problem of some type?
thanks in advance.
Hey-When someone is discouraged, sick, and down and out-you don't have to come on with a smart re
Posted a note on the job seekers sm
I posted a job on the job seekers board for an in-office position and got an email from someone saying that was a work at home board. Anybody know where I can post an in-office position?
Medware's ad in job seekers, Is all of that true?
x
Very good post - was getting discouraged as a member myself.
x
Thanks for your reply. I really get discouraged trying to keep my line count up.
nm
Have you seen: Internship offers 3cpl on Job Seekers Bd?
Even as an intern, that should be considered criminal. I don't understand what some companies are thinking when they do that sort of thing.
Just a thought.
BTW, lots of jobs avail thru the job seekers
More reading
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9287641/site/newsweek/
"I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren't just abandoned during the hurricane," Sen. Barack Obama said last week on the floor of the Senate. "They were abandoned long ago—to murder and mayhem in the streets, to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a pervasive sense of hopelessness."
Well, from what I'm reading, it's best to have
a real contrast between color of skin and color of hair. It sounds like your daughter was maybe dark skinned? That's difficult because the hair will be dark, too.
I have very fair skin and very dark hair and have read that is good. I've also read that if the laser isn't set high enough it's not permanent.
Unfortunately, this isn't some hormonal thing that just came along. I'm almost 40 and have been waxing, plucking and bleaching since I was a teenager. Probably spent many times over what laser would cost.
I will. I would much rather be here and reading
some very entertaining and sometimes informative posts than deal with rudeness at another site:) Good to be here!
ME Too! Reading, PA.
nm.
I can't believe what I'm reading sm
here. One suggestion, since you must have had it so good before, is to go right back to the other place you were working before you took the 3 years off. They're not in business anymore? They've been sold? The MTSO got out of the business? Welcome to 2009. Do it or get out of the field.
Even 3 years ago we were doing 2, 4, up to 8 different accounts to get the required lines we needed. Three years ago I was still required to do at least 1200 lines per day. Three years ago, an MT with a well-rounded work history could do what you are saying.
If you have been there as long as you say, you are doing something wrong to make $6 an hour. At that rate, you are typing about 75 lines per hour at 8 cpl. You need to kick it up quite a bit if you intend to stay in the field, because the service will fire you if you don't get faster.
Am I reading this right?
It seems like you are trying to say that it's OKAY for people to trash newbies:
I quote here, without quotation marks, because I refuse to give up my beloved Firefox browser in order to regain punctuation marks, but you said:
Stop attacking one another and stop trying to bully individual posters or opinions. This means trying to police others' posts for grammar, spelling. It also means to stop trying to personally address others' posting styles or personalities by calling them out.
END QUOTE...
It seems like you're taking the side of people like MT30+ here, like you're saying that it's okay for her and others to put newbies down and tell them repeatedly how they're whiners, complainers, and slackers because they expect a reasonable work environment and reasonable expectations from their employers.
Am I missing something here?
Everything in the paragraph I quoted sounds good until you get to the last sentence:
QUOTE: It also means to stop trying to personally address others' posting styles or personalities by calling them out. END QUOTE.
The only people personally addressing other people's posting styles on this forum are the ones who keep calling the newbies whiners, slackers, etc. When we who are trying to keep this an encouraging forum protest this treatment of newbies and others, we're STILL not calling names - we're trying to create a POSITIVE environment. Sometimes creating a POSITIVE environment, much like childrearing, requires that we point out what is being done wrong, but with the end goal in mind of DOING IT RIGHT.
I'm sure that didn't come out the way I intended, but please please please, take a stand for the GOOD! Thank you!
Just reading it was USB - sm
As suggested below there has to be more than one, I have 4 on the back and 2 on the front. Maybe under a panel so they are hidden? Some Dells have panels on the front that open up to reveal 2 USB ports usually. Otherwise I suggest you get an external powered USB port. I have a powered external Dynex 7 USB port as well as I have lots of USB stuff plugged in...only have 3 spare ports out of all 13 I have. Just make sure it is powered, meaning it runs off of electricity (power cord), not your computer, less of a draw on your computer then. Mine has a power cord plugged into wall outlet, and then a cord from the Dynex is plugged into one of the USB ports on the computer, and I have 4 things plugged into the Dynex. Works great. Was not about to play multiple plugs with all my stuff, printer, memory card, external hard drive, picture transfer device, not sure what else, lots of stuff though.
OOOOPS sorry for not reading sm
carefully. With all those problems with SS, I'm afraid I'd be looking at SS in my rear view mirror. :)
Possible disaster. I can't believe what I'm reading.
Lots and lots of sites on the internet with good coverage. I've been following it all evening. They are saying it if doesn't weaken significantly it could be one of the greatest natural disasters in this country in this century. 60-80 percent of the homes could be washed away, 1000s killed, 30 foot high water in the city if the levees give way and there is a 70 percent chance that could happen. This is from the Associated Press and a meteorological website - I am not making it up.
The reason you are reading so many (sm)
bad things is because some of these services are bad! I have lost a lot of income at times because of these services. They promise the world and don't deliver. There are some MTs that by chance fall into a good job with good accounts working for another service, but I wasn't one of them. I always got the worst dictators and quit working for other services. If you do not need a full-time job and can get by on a few hundred a week, maybe working for a service would be a good job. Otherwise you might be very disappointed.
I think you should start looking for your own accounts now so you don't have to work for another service. Good luck. 
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