Yea but that was on an typewriter
Posted By: Patti on 2006-10-05
In Reply to: In 1983, before going to school for MT, - yeah
That was on a typewriter and you were lucky if you could get 60 lines per hour and when you made a mistake in a letter you had to rip it out and start over or if the doctor changed his mind and no count of the previous lines. With the computer came the capability of macro's, auto text, etc. and our lines per hour jumped to 300 per hour. You have to compare all the facts. That is why I count more of what I make per hour than what I make per cpl. If I make my $$ per hour that I want, I keep my cpl the same. Just me. Have done it both ways and to me am happy with my cpl now versus what it was when I was doing it on a selectric.
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yes typewriter
My terminology came from nursing school and then from experience. I don't believe there were MT schools back then.
In the past, on a typewriter, Courier 10 meant
12 characters per inch. Is it not the same for word processing programs?
Yeah, some days I do too, until I remember the typewriter.
Then I quit cussing my computer! lol
I worked with typewriter and carbon paper, too, but
No way would I work that way on production pay. That would be like paycheck suicide. There are far too many jobs out there with the proper tools to work anywhere with that antiquated of a system. Sorry, not spoiled, just wise. Since line rates are on the decline, you have to learn how to work smarter in this business so you can maximize your line counts per hour, thereby maximizing your income per hour. Otherwise, you'll just eek by.
And I get it that it CAN be done, but I don't get why anyone would WANT to do it if it's production pay. Hourly, maybe, but production, heck no. Not when I can work somewhere else using all the production tools and making a lot more money.
Word can't do this, but you can download typewriter sounds. sm
You'll get lots of hits if you Google "typewriter sounds."
The old clunkity clunk electric typewriter days
Way back when, I didn't even know it was "transcription." I did some transcribing as a secretary at a clinic with 8-10 docs. Office manager showed me how to use "a tape player that you operate with a footpedal." (never heard the words "transcriber" or "transcription"). Only had a Dorland's Med. Dictionary and IBM Selectric. Wasn't until several years later at first actual medical transcription job, realized previously had already been doing medical transcription, "typing" the doctors' chart notes and letters (plus answering phones, sorting/distributing the doctors' mail & journals, bookkeeping/accounts payable, payroll, etc.) for ridiculously low file-clerk type pay for what was really an administrative assistant type job.
You wanted a laugh though: One time, in a hospital transcription dept., me & the other ladies were in the breakroom, giggling about something in the newspaper, someone made a great joke about whatever the subject was, & we were laughing so hard, the security guard came running down the hall and into our breakroom to see what was going on (he thought he heard screaming!) When he saw us all cracking up, he just shook his head, laughed, & told us to get back to work!
ROFL - Manual typewriter and belt back in 1973! Old geezard here :)
x
Started in-house at a hospital, medical records department, on a typewriter in
1983, earning $6.00/hour, eventually moving up after 7 years to $10.00/hour. All hospital work was then outsourced to a national service in 1986 (beginning of our downfall), went to work for the service and made $2.10/page. Service was bought out by another service, rate changed to $1.90/page. Rates changed again to $0.08/cpl. After many years of experience in all services, found my first account in 1992, charged $.09/cpl/gross lines but blank lines not counted. Business has grown steadily through the years through word of mouth. Now charging $.16/cpl or $25.00/hour or $6.00/page, and having to turn down work at this point. If you have the experience and are detail-oriented, you can find your own accounts eventually like I did. But you have to pay your dues first and be able to transcribe all ESLs accurately. If you learn how to transcribe ESLs well, those doctors are the ones to target for work. I do work an ungodly number of hours, only because I am trying to save at a faster pace for retirement because of all the uncertainty in this line of work.
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