You're the one that sounds angry. I've made sure
Posted By: I never have to degrade myself on 2005-10-01
In Reply to:
If you need to stoop to that level to live, apparently the one who's made a wrong turn on the pathway of life is you.
People get angry about the prospect that they failed in life. Time to reevaluate, regroup and see why you feel so angry and take it personally when people make statements such as mine.
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I've been known to cuss when I'm angry...
doesn't mean I'm a bad person. Just like making an occasional grammatical or typographical error in a casual online conversation doesn't mean I'm not good at my job.
An MT who continually and consistently makes mistakes, refuses to learn from feedback, and simply doesn't care enough to open a book is NOT good at what he/she does and is bringing the entire profession down.
Because they're angry and frustrated too
I say definitely change careers, but take a step up not a step back to square one and having to work with 16-year-olds.
People have to set goals and standards for themselves or they will be griping and offending indefinitely, while never getting anywhere.
It sounds to me like you have already made--sm
your decision and would like to discontinue the hospital job, which if I were in your shoes, I would too.
First off, the computer problems stem from the server that your hospital is using. They just do not have the capacity to handle remote operations, which is their problem and unless they choose to upgrade, is not likely to change any.
Secondly, I have never been a big fan of mandatory overtime. If they are so backed up, that says a lot for them not having enough transcriptionists to do the job and putting stresses on the ones they have is not going to fix the problem. They are trying to save themselves money and putting it on your shoulders to deal with.
Third, if you are so unhappy there and feel much more pleased with your at home job with the small MTSO, then personally, I would leave the hospital and go for the MTSO. It sounds like the added stress is not worth the extra pay for you. Sometimes peace of mind means much more than the extra dollar. You will get by. Follow your heart.
I've made that before...
Drizzle the cake mix, I use German chocolate cake mix, with cream cheese and a box of powdered sugar, melted together, and the cake cracks and the cream cheese mixture mixes in the middle...oh my goodness...to die for!!! 
I've made in the $50s and $60s for nationals.
I know 5 MTs, good personal friends, who make considerably more than I do...all on production...all at the top 2 nationals.
I've always wondered what made them do away with the ART? SM
Back when I was starting out as an MT, I worked with an older woman who was an ART and told me if I ever wanted to earn those credentials, she would mentor me. That's all you had to do was sort of do an apprenticeship with a mentor and then you could take the test.
Now, if you want your RHIT, you HAVE to complete a RHIT education program. That's one of the hesitations for me in trying for my RHIT. I'm not sure I want to commit to full-time school!
You can take the CCS exam for coding without a formal education just as long as you have work experience in HIM and transcription counts.
Okay, that's it, you've made my "funny" list.
You can't be serious! Ooooooooh Iccccccky. Used to love sardines as a kid. They make me GAG now. I can deal with the crackers though. 
I've made a decision to leave MT...
And to pursue my RN degree...I've had quite enough of being treated as a 2nd class worker...enough!!! I'm tired of paying for xxxx doctor's mistakes. I'm tired of being "talked" to by "supervisors and QA" who know even less than I do. And basically, I'm tired of making squat for wages while I work my fingers to the bone...
So, anyone done this transition before? I'm sure there are some out there who have and have been quite successful at it. If so, I'd love some words of encouragement. Unfortunately, I'm stuck doing this junk until I'm done with school, which will probably be a few years... ...but hey, I've done it this long, what's a few more, huh?
Cuz you've never made a typing error?
you always type without an error?
I've been at it for 30+ years. 'Back in the day', I too made
about $42,000/year (gross). But the accounts keep getting crappier, and the pay keeps going lower. Meanwhile, I saw gas a $4.10/gallon on the interstate Sunday evening, and I'm slowly becoming a forced vegetarian because I can no longer afford to buy meat or fish.
Meanwhile, the suits at the big hospitals that whine about a 1-cpl increase in the cost of MT have six-(and some seven)-figure incomes.
Okay, Amanda, you've made your point..sm
How about giving it a break and get on something else? Other would like to be heard, too!
You're okay making LESS than you made 10-20 years ago?
I'm not. No, every "job" doesn't work itself DOWN the ladder of success. I'm working to earn a living, I'm working to have goals, to better myself and my way of life. I would never settle for a job that keeps paying less and less. Sorry, but I disagree with you but to each his own.
you're welcome. You made a wise choice--sm
but also realize that our words are not just for us, they are for everyone reading this, who may be in the same situation and who do not have the courage to make a change in their lives. What we say to each other may just give someone else the courage to live a good decent life, without the need for drugs or alcohol, or someone in our lives who uses them. I am happy for you. I am happy for me. We are free. Good luck to you.
so far no one has posted they've made 100 grand a year. nm
xxxx
I've never made a negative comment about newbies.
I always try to help out whenever I can. It's not easy to work from home. The matchbook schools and scam ads have people believing they can do something that is a bit more complicated than just taking a correspondence course and immediately knowing everything you need to be successful in this career field.
Believe me, I was desperate to work from home, too, because daycare costs were phenomenal. I started out transcribing TV shows for a media company at first. Then I did worker's comp and insurance letters for a small MTSO on the east coast at $.05 per line. They liked my work and transitioned me to clinic SOAP notes. As for working in-house doing transcription, I worked in an office for ONE WEEK before they allowed me to go home. If I can do it, so can you. It may take some searching, but persistence pays off. That's being proactive. Venting here on the boards and accusing people of things they didn't do are being reactive.
You've made my point with your inspid argument
And clearly if all you are doing is "correcting doctors spelling" you are not a transcriptionist..not sure what you are doing. I stand by my demand for appropriate compensation. Ya'll be happy being categorized as typists and making your $8.00 to 11.00 an hour. Unbelievable you would justify this...simply unbelievable.
I absolutely agree with you. You've made it grammatically correct
hope this all comes through.
Your change is much better than the one suggested below which totally changes the sentence and would not be correct in my opinion.
OMG, I never made the connection but I think you're right - sugar = big line counts = $$$$$ Than
I just left after 16 years of marriage. Hardest decision I've ever made, but something that I ha
My husband doesn't want to work. Never has and probably never will and it took me 16 years to figure out that nothing was ever going to change. He has been in and out of college over the years with a number of different majors and when he is on the verge of actually finishing something, he up and quits, because I believe he doesn't want to actually go out and get a job. He loves the going to school part, the studying, etc., but the actual finishing and putting his education to work, that's too overwhelming.
For years I made excuses for him, supported him, and actually believed that as he got older he would mature and finally find his way. He's 42 now and runs off every day with one of his unemployed friends to play frisbee golf or go hiking or water skiing or fishing while I'm sitting at home at my desk typing until my nose bleeds!
I was one of those women afraid of being by myself. I recently had a major depressive snap where I cried nonstop for three weeks. I found a great doctor who became a great friend and she helped me find the right medicine to get my head clear and then she helped me realize that I don't have to be afraid of anything. I was already supporting myself and my kids without anyone elses' help. What was so frightening about leaving my husband behind?
So quietly I made my plans to leave. I let my husband know that I was going to move back home to the area where all my family still lives when school let out this summer. He didn't believe me because I had said it all before. So I just made sure he knew I was thinking about it again. Then May came along and miracously a job opened up at the hospital in the small community I wanted to move back to. This hospital never has openings because they virtually have no employee turnover whatsoever. Everyone's been there at least 5 or more years. I took it as a sign and made my move. Within two days of submitting my resume, I had an interview set up. Without even waiting to see if I had the job, I packed up my kids and our stuff and told my husband "I'm going. I love you, but if you want to be with me you need to get a job and actually be my partner not one of my kids." And I left.
I got the job, thankfully. I've been here a month and I know without a doubt that it was the best thing I've done in a long time for me and my kids. My teenage son had built up a lot of resentment towards his father and their was a lot of anger and tension between the two of them before we moved. Now, my son is happier than I've seen him in years. He's more social, made a lot of friends, and even has a girlfriend now. My daughter misses her dad, but she has always been remarkably wise for her young age and is very open about saying how calm everything is up here.
So there's my story. I would never encourage anyone to divorce or leave their husband, and I haven't actually taken the step to file for divorce yet myself. But sometimes separation is liberating and therapeutic. It has been for me. I can't remember the last time I felt so peaceful.
Sounds to me like you've already
decided. No job is secure. Hospitals have lay-offs all the time. If you lose your job to EMR, you can always find another one. Are benefits an issue? If not, I'd definitely go back to transcribing.
Sounds just like my vet, except we're beyond
bloodwork and into ultrasounds. Two years ago I had a cat that the ultimate diagnosis was FIP by process of elimination. She had a CT scan, a spinal tap, an ultrasound and all kinds of blood work for a total of over $4,000.00. I have a dog with Cushings and I haven't kept track of her expenses, but I'm sure we're close to $5,000.00 over the last 3 years. She is currently on $300.00 worth of medicine a month and that will probably be increased another $100./mo. I have finally gotten to the point where I tell the vet no about a lot of things because one test we do is $425.00 and HAS to be done twice a year, but it was done in mid December and the results were borderline and so she wanted to repeat again in January because the medication for the test is only good for 6 months and she didn't want to waste it. I felt like 1 month wasn't going to show anything significant and our money would be better spent on her medications.
I think more people are looking at pets as family members and not pets - I know we do. We have 5 vets in our practice and when I see one particular one she always tells us we need to schedule a teeth cleaning. I think they cost about $250.00 and your pets has to have anesthesia.
It sounds like you've done your research, and your
grammar, English, and spelling skills are better than most MT wannabes. LOL You could do your schooling, then work parttime for a while. That's what I did for the first several years. I worked two hours before the kids got up, another two hours during naptime, then finish up after DH or my older kid got home to watch the little one for an hour. It was slow going for a while there until my typing speed got faster and my terminology increased, but it beat paying daycare.
Wow! Sounds like you've been through a lot this year!!! sm
I can't imagine going through all of that......Yes, taking breaks, getting up and walking around does wonders for our body. What I like to do is get up for about 10-15 minutes per 3 reports. I try not to do more than 3 reports without getting up and walking around and I've bee doing this at home for almost 8 years and I have never had problems of back, neck, shoulders. I think that is why!
Even as an employee, I truly believe that MQ will be flexible with all of us. The minute they start taking away vacation times and not letting me off once in a while after I've consistently worked my schedule is the day I give my notice.
Nice talking with you both!
well, sounds like you're trying to sell something
Sounds like you're in the clear!
I don't think so. It sounds like you've never worked for a national.
Nationals DO check references. That's the job of the HR department. They DO run credit reports when you accept a job, and they tell you so on the piece of paper you have to sign giving them permission to do so. They DO prosecute and report to collections against people who don't return equipment. They DO keep deposits on unreturned equipment. They DO get the equipment super cheap anyways in bulk deals through major technology suppliers. Equipment, losses, and shipping are all tax deductible anyway. They DO use QA so that lazy or inexperienced MTs aren't sending garbage straight through to the clients. Most national MTs don't have any contact whatsoever with the clients. In addition, the majority will let you use your own equipment or charge rental fees so it's not coming out of their pocket.
Sounds shady to me not to know what you're paying for.
Report to the Better Business Bureau.
No wonder you're upset! That bail sounds awfully low - sm
It sounds like he's a friend of the judge or something.
And your story illustrates the trouble with Megan's Law. It is well-intentioned, as far as it goes, but AFAIK there is no law anywhere that says _you_ must be notified when you move into a neighborhood where a child molester is living. When my daughter was 12, we moved into a house next door to a molester. He never touched her but he used to put candy in our mailbox with weird little notes attached!
Sounds like you're suffering more from job boredom than anything else.
.
It all sounds pretty okay, as long as you're not - sm
being paid by the line, but by the hour. (I assume you're currently paid per hour as an inhouse employee, right?) If you can still make your previous inhouse salary, rather than the paltry cents-per-line most at-homes make, you should be sitting pretty.
Double check and be sure the inhouse people have to maintain the same line count as you! There is no reason why at-homes should be 'penalized' with higher line counts than in-house people, especially if you're doing the same work, using the same equipment, etc.
If you're paid per-line, and it's not as much as you'd be making per-hour inhouse, what could happen is that you'll find yourself working longer hours for less money, which isn't fair. It's hard to maintain quality work when you're depressed about what you're making, or about never being able to leave the house!
Depending on your hospital's software, they may be able to clock you in and out. I worked at a place where they could see the time you started a report, and the time you sent it, but that wasn't always accurate if you were halfway through a report and then got up to use the restroom, and then had to wait in line for a stall, etc.
Even if you can't get worker's comp for getting hurt at home (though if you got something like carpal tunnel, you might be able to dispute that!), you would probably still be able to get Disability.
For the most part, it sounds like a deal that would work. You're better off being at at-home employee of an inhouse MT department than you are working for a large national. You probably already have better benefits, too.
And, at some point in the future, if you decide working at home isn't for you, you probably would have the option of going back inhouse without much change in anything, but if you left and worked elsewhere, it would not only be harder to come back if you wanted to, but they'd probably add insult to it all by offering you a lower 'starting' wage.
Good luck, and let us know how it all works out!
trying hitting your Refresh button, maybe? (sounds like you're seeing an old
nm
Sounds like you're on the right track with Weight Watchers (sm)
Do they offer counseling too? I know of two people who did Weight Watchers and they were very successful. Seems like a good, healthy program. I am not overweight myself but my sister is and, like you, has struggled with her weight her whole life. So I know at least second-hand the struggle you're going through. I think maybe if Weight Watchers doesn't offer counseling that it might be a good idea to talk to someone about your feelings and help you sort through them. Best of luck to you and try not to be too hard on yourself. Your son and your husband love you for who you are.
Get Momma's recipe while you're at it. Sounds great! nm
you OVERPAID your taxes by almost $4K? Sounds like YOU're the one who needs a better accountant.
x
Why? It sounds like you're assuming the generated reports contain...sm
incorrect or fabricated information. Such would not be the case in these situations.
It sounds like you've got a key stroke in your macro that retrieves from your clipboard.
I would delete the macro and start again. Be very deliberate and slow so you are aware of every keystroke in the macro. That's what I've had to do in the past. Sometimes I will even just one finger it so I can watch every key I hit. It's a pain, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
You're doing better than I am and I've been doing this
for 22 years. My point is burn out. I can't make my rear sit for more than an hour at a time. Some days I won't check my e-mail or get on my personal computer at all until lunch time and I find those days I do much better. As you get more comfortable with IT you'll be more productive.
Well your statement sounds equally closed-minded to the one you're arguing with
Where one person prefers to live and why is their own business and no reason to diss someone else's personal choice.
I've done what you're talking about
You will need a laptop (of course) and a USB broadband connection card. You can get one of those from pretty much every cell phone provider out there: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, USCellular, etc. Cricket is the only one that offers no-contract service without charging an arm and a leg. Verizon's daily rate is $15/24 hours. Cricket's monthly rate is $40. The rest of the monthly rates are usually around $60 but include a 2-year contract. Unfortunately, Cricket is not available nationwide, just certain metropolitan areas, so it would depend on where you're traveling whether Cricket would work or not for you. Verizon and AT&T cover MOST of the USA, but at higher prices.
Anyway, you can also recharge your laptop through your car's cigarette lighter. You would need an adapter that would cost about $30 from Wal-Mart. Doing it that way requires that you idle your car (or drive around) for however long it takes to fully charge your laptop.
For length of typing time, you might want to buy a 6-cell or 8-cell laptop battery instead of the 4-cell that laptops often come with. That will extend your battery life from 2 hours to perhaps 4-5 hours, depending on your laptop size. Those little netbooks for $350 sometimes come with a 6-cell battery and claim to last 5-6 hours on a single charge. The keyboards on those are tiny though - you'll probably want to hook up a USB keyboard if you go that route.
For the sake of privacy, you WILL want to get some form of USB broadband through a cell phone carrier if you're traveling. Free WiFi just isn't secure enough for HIPAA compliance. When I'm working with my USB card while traveling, I also turn off the wireless signal on my laptop, so that others on whatever wireless network is available do not have the option of trying to view my computer contents. Also, I set my settings as private as I can to prevent sharing of files across networks, but I do that at home too.
If you're going to be typing in front of other people, you'll also want to get a 3M privacy screen for your laptop's screen. That prevents people from viewing your screen from a side angle, and means that if you're in front of your screen then you're the only one who can see its contents.
All I've seen about OSI over there is that they're pond scum
Must be another cheerleader. I find it hard to believe, but I'm going to check it out. Kind of like a train wreck.
You're welcome, hope it works for you! I've used
Instant Text, but only briefly. It seems to be "bug-y" on my system. I usually have at least two or three documents open in Word at a time and when I switch back and forth using F6, IT screws up my being able to switch between documents easily, also when using IE I don't like the adjustments I have to make with my mouse to get the screen back to how I need it to be when Instant Text. I started with PRD+ for DOS a long, long time ago, used it for years until I switch to Shortcut for DOS, then made the switch to Windows and started with ShortCut for Windows. I used that program for about nine months before finding Shorthand. I really liked Shortcut but it has it's limitations with coding. I love ShortHand the most of the three programs mentioned. It's easy to use, I can duplicate easily, a really nice feature that I wish IT had. I also tried SmartType. It wasn't user friendly, or at least I couldn't figure it out! I think it may have been bug-y with my system or something. Anyway, long story short, I love Shorthand, it's easy to use but one can do rather complex things using it. Oh, and that little box that follows around on the screen showing what my short will be when I expand it is a great feature!
You're smarter than I was as a newbie! I've - sm
gotten myself into some terrible job situations in the past by jumping on board too hastily.
I think the person applying for the job in that original post probably wasn't that good at timing her questions. Even so, we do have every right to ask about them, just as they do to ask about us.
I hope you're right! I've heard...
from many MTSOs that MTs will always be needed. The problem is low rate of pay. It's nearly impossible to make a decent living now and the rates are only going lower.
Just five years ago, I was working in-house at a hospital getting 12.00/hour along with an excellent incentive plan + beanies! The hospital went with EMR (electronic medical record). With that, many MTs were out of a job. Jobs like those are nearly impossible to find now.
After the in-house job, I got lucky when I found a great at-home job. I started out at 15 cpl + beanies. Now, MTs are lucky to get 7 to 8 cpl w/o beanies.
I do hope that things get better for MTs soon. However, the way things are now, I know that there is no way I can continue working as an MT, as I barely make enough to pay my bills.
Good Luck!
I've heard with Dell if you tell them you're a business,
you'll get someone from the US. I already have two HPs but tried it anyway. I used to say home or home office but said I use it for business and still got someone from India but he spoke very, very good English compared to some I've spoken to in the past.
Heavens, now you're popping in about NOT having kids. You've sure been quiet for a while!
If you read the whole thread and all my comments, I said that MTing is a big career choice for women in their childbearing years when they want to work at home. We ALL know that, though some of us want to refuse that reality. It always has been the #1 career choice for women who want to work and be home with their kids. Period. Of course, there are a lot of other women who choose the career or fall into it for different reasons. Its like the #1 job new moms or wanna-be moms look into. You all sure blast them when they post on here with a few innocent Qs on how to get into the industry. You don't have kids by choice - good for you! You and I have crossed paths many, many times before. Its a great choice for you, and I totally respect it. At least you aren't having kids and dumping them in day care centers! That I just do NOT get, and never will, especially when you could have them home with you - at least the choice is there. And as for moms not being able to control their kids, you will NEVER be able to control them when you just ship them out. No one ever seems to post an argument on that one. Yeah, I couldn't control little Johnny and Sara. They never wanted to just entertain themselves, or play with each other. All they did was fight and scream and demand MY attention, so...off they went to day care, and now its SO much better when they're home. They get along beautifully now, and just LOVE each other, and no more fighting...Nope, the only peace is the 8, or 10, or 12 hours a day that they are absent from their home. Sooo sad. And the poor day care workers and teachers - they get to deal with the disastrous kids whose own mothers can't stand them underfoot, but at least they get paid $$ for it!! Maybe I'm in the wrong profession.
I've no intention of switching over just cuz they're a "money maker"
I'd rather do consults and clinic notes which I enjoy. To some of us, it's not ALL about the money.
I'd rather make a little less and enjoy what I do. *Shrug* Maybe that's just me, though. Someone else can have my seat on the OPs bandwagon, lol!!!
i made $15/hr before and didn't stay long because i made so much more on production. sm
that was with full benes too. i wouldn't do it for less than $20, but i think even with $20, i'd want benes. are you in-house?
I'm very angry but
My mother would not side with me. I know this for a fact, thats why I keep the responses to myself. She pretends like she doesnt see it, she is one of those moms in denial about everything. I'm also afraid she will feel threatened, I don't want that. Also, the family member I told has a big mouth, and I think some of it may have leaked out because the last time I went over there, I went swimming and I had a towel wrapped around me. Exact words from my stepfather "Why are you all covered up, do you think there's a pervert here or something?" And he's become very hostile lately. The whole thing is a mess. Its sad because my stepfather and I were close in a normal way at one time. Its like I lost that.
Very Angry MT
If you are new and have a year and under why do these companies not respect that fact and try to teach you and make you better instead they just get rid of you over one report that went bad... Are we just garbage? Just because you do not have to look at a person in the face does not give them the right to do these things, Now let me say it was the account not the company that fired me...
To Angry
I am sorry this happened to you, but I think there could be many reasons and no, this was not fair the way it happened to you given the history you just gave. However...these things do happen. Let me tell you, a couple of years ago I decided to go back to working inhouse. There was a doctor there no one could understand, even the more experienced struggled. He had a certain MT for many years, but when new management came on board this MT was let go. Anyway this doctor simply would not allow anyone else to do his work without finding something wrong. He wanted his old MT back. They found someone to do the work for him but he was very, very picky. Maybe this is what happened to you. It could be anything. You will bounce back from this and go on to find something else even better. However, I am just wondering why didn't they have a backup account for you.
Best wishes.
To Angry sm
Since I have never seen your work I would not presume to pass judgment on it. *IF* your work consistently had gross errors and you were never informed, that says enough about the company you worked for. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, a company that would ask ANYONE to work free for "months" as you said in a previous post is beyond despicable. It might be possible this is how they are making their money, the profit margin for free work would be pretty good but I would expect they wouldn't last long.
On the otherhand, I've had more years experience than I care to say, so let me tell you I KNOW how bad the baddest ESLs can be. This actually happened to me: I worked for a company about 10 years ago when tapes were sent to us at home by UPS. I consistently got this one ESL who was so bad I said that God Himself couldn't understand him. I called the office more than once saying I hated sending the reports directly to the hospital because they looked exactly like swiss cheese. I was told to "just do the best you can and don't worry about it." Well, one day I got a tape of his dictation and the tape itself was bad, so that work looked more like the whole block of swiss cheese with huge chunks where the tape was nothing but a stretching sound, thus, large chunks of blanks. I called the office and again was told to "do the best I could" and send it on to the hospital. Well, the next day I got some more of his tapes and the first thing he said was, "ah dunawa **** ado MA tie." I translated this to mean, "I don't want **** to do my typing." I immediately called the office and I admit I was pretty distraught, even considering how bad he was. Know what I was told? "The hospital knows how bad he is, their MTs refuse to do him which is why they send him to us and you're the only MT we have who can do him. Don't worry about it, just send the tapes back and we'll tell them we're not going to do him anymore." WHAT???? Why the heck didn't they tell the hospital that way before I pulled all my hair out??!! And this was a large national that has since been gobbled up by MQ.
Don't give up. Ask an experienced MT to review your work and give you some honest, constructive feedback and then do what it takes. If you have to pay someone to mentor you for awhile it's a small price to pay for the education you'll get. Hang in there.
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