not taking sides here but some people are
Posted By: jlo on 2008-03-06
In Reply to: Why take early retirement if you cant afford it? - I dont expect to be told how to bend the rules.
forced to take early retirement in order to keep their pensions, 401K, etc because BIG BUSINESSES are cutting older/more experienced/or employees with lots of time with the company in order to hire younger/less experienced (I.e. CHEAPER) employees which saves lots of $$$ for the company.
I just hope you never have to be in a situation where you are forced to retire but cannot afford it.
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No, don't take any. I think WAY TOO MANY people are taking these drugs than really ought to.
c
People in USA are taking your job by working
x
I am taking it that you live in my area..and people just don't get it here..
I know this is going to probably upset a lot of people on here, but at this point I have to take up for doxie. I believe she must live in the same area as me, and it is very, very rural..a place where you can barely make enough to survive.
Doxie, I have been an IC for many, many years and love working this way. If you would like to talk about it, please feel free to get in touch with me. I understand what it is like to have to live here and make a decent wage...and I can even tell you how to go about being an IC..which is what your original question was. :)
What they did was they went right ahead and hired a lot of new people for the accounts never taking
into consideration the fact that people were on vacation and totally overloaded the accounts so that is the mentality of the people in Amherst. That is what you are dealing with up there. They need to be replaced by MQ and get people in there that know what they are doing and the only way to do that is get Corporate involved.
Look at both sides.
You will hear about declining wages, outsourcing, etc. But lower on this page, you see many making between 13 at the lowest, up to $25 per hour, and working at home, no transportion expenses with 3 dollar a gallon gas where I live, traffic, car wear and tear, lunches out, ordering in, office gossip, politics, dress codes, dry cleaners, and so forth.
I have done this job for 25 years now and it is the only job I have done. I absolutely love it. I still make a good living. Just be careful with the employer that you go with. Some pay better than others and are more honest.
As with everything, every story has two sides. sm
Of course, Teri is not able to tell hers. But others were. I think Teri's family was treated abdominably, as well. I do not think he is genuine and I do not think what he did, he did from love. Putting myself in Teri's family's place, I can't say that I think I would have reacted any differently. I'm not sure why Michael chose to resurface. Most of the furor had died down.
Frustrating on both sides
You are absolutely correct about the hyphens - if the linked words form an adjective followed by a noun, they are hyphenated. I know it's frustrating to have undereducated QA people, and as a QA person, it's equally frustrating to have people who absolutely never hyphenate, put a comma after every 2 words (or none at all), etc. I really really hate when MTs start a sentence with "patient comes in......" when the doctor clearly states "THE patient....".....that drives me insane! I had a report the other night where I had to add "the" 27 times! It's amazing how many people do not understand proper punctuation usage, adjectives, verbs, etc. I certainly wish I had more like you who know where they go!
Here is a thought because I try to see all sides. Maybe
its not you, you dont know this? Also, maybe the email is to cover their butts, as no one can say they were not warned of this issue. Just a thought. No picking on you at all. I too have wondered the same as you a time or 2 about broad emails on certain issues with my company.
I have been on both sides and recently sm
I had a team and their QA to oversee. The "recruiter" would hire anyone she knew who could type. This was a teaching hospital, very large, very difficult and a challenge to those of us with plenty of experience. I could not fire an MT and if I told the MT manager that this so and so could not do the job, I was told to TEACH HER to do it and in the mean time, fix her reports.
I did have some MTs who wanted to learn, had had a bit of experience, and were anxious to progress. I spent a lot of time on them because they took to suggestions and they worked hard. The ones who not MTs, hadn't studied and were clueless, I had the option of assigning them very little work, which is what I did and I did out of self-preservation. There are only 24 hrs in a day and I was working 20 of them!
I have two jobs right now and QA at one I know very well, having worked with her for years. She only sends back a corrected a report in its entirety. The blanks she filled in are changed to a red font. I can see it, I can learn and I keep every one of her reports in a special folder in my email. I am trying to learn 3 doctors who chased away several other MTs on this account. One has a speech impediment and talks very very fast, one has an accent and talks too fast in the face of it and the third is a speed dictator who doesn't think that words need to be pronounced to be understood. The rest of the physicians don't present a problem. It has been difficult because I have had these 3 doctors about twice each and not enough to tackle the learning curve YET. In any case, this QA is patient and she never ever offers personal comments of a derogatory nature.
The other company I work for, I think that QA is nonexistent, other than when they are throwing their weight around. I had one particular report, an I&D of a sebaceous cyst. The doctor followed with this "cheesy material" which is what I transcribed. They called me on the phone to tell me that the doctor "never would have said that" and I said I'd stake my reputation as an MT that he did! She said, well...you're still wrong. Ummm no, I am not. That is lack of experience, knowledge or even a decent ear. No wonder we are on the verge of losing the account, yet again.
Now, I worked for a company where the QA person treated everyone like they were about 2 yrs old. I had her call me names like $toopid, moronic, an imbecile and whenever she used a word of 3 syllables, told me to look it up since I was not bright enough to understand what she was talking about. The owner, when I complained, said that is just how she is, but that she is so good at what she does... I said look, she represents your company and what you stand for. If this is all you have to offer, I am leaving, and I did.
SOME QA gals seem to have a chip on their shoulders. I am of the opinion that those who can do this job, do it and those who are knowledgeable, but can't do the job, do QA. I know several QA people who have CTS and can't type anymore, so they QA and I think that is a bit different.
It is widely understood that the very best MTs are not QA people, they are still MTs. I could not, would not take a 50% or better pay cut to be a QA person. I am far too fast and too capable for that. Neither company I work for presently would ever put me on QA because I am extremely valuable as an MT. Transcribing is my stock and trade and I can't see giving that up for anyone.
Remember as well, there are reasons that we work at home, and I am talking psychological reasons. I can't stand office politics and I don't like people. I am told I don't play well with others, and this is a correct assessment. Others have their issues too, and some of these issues creep up with QAs who seem to need some therapy and help dealing with people. This seems to attract people with a decided need to be the biggest fish in the smallest pond and throw their fins about to get attention.
I suspect we will see stories like these more and more on both sides soon
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071228/ap_on_re_as/japan_ambulance_death
So nice to hear both sides of
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR OPINIONS! BOTH SIDES MATTER TO NEWBIES!
Christy
you talk out of both sides of your mouth--sm
on one hand you say compassion is another term for "enabling," and lending a helping hand to someone emotionally is only making them a victim. Now you say you have compassion and sympathy for others. yeah right.
good communication; trust on both sides; and --sm
not doing everything possible under the sun to cut the transcriptionists line counts at every turn. I get REALLY irritated with that. I need to make a living too.
I am sitting here splitting my sides after reading your
comedy post. I absolutely love those dirty jokes and can hardly wait until my better half gets home to read to him. He will love also. Thanks for a perfect end to this otherwise dull day.
You're still missing the point. She needs to hear ALL sides.
Like I said somewhere way down below somewhere, many of us have done it successfully, but TIMES HAVE CHANGED. She needs to hear ALL sides, and she needs to know what she will be up against if she decides to pursue MT training.
I fully support stay-at-home moms. I was one myself. Still at home most of the time with pre-teens and a college student. I'm thankful every day that I did not have to put them in daycare. I applaude those who make that decision and make it work. My kids are well adjusted, secure, and all-around good kids. I will never regret my decision to go to school to be an MT so I could "work from home."
BUT IT DOESN'T WORK WELL FOR EVERYONE. The OP needs to hear the good along with the not-so-good.
As far as MT being an "at-home career," I've been an at-home MT, in-office MT, at-home editor, in-office editor, QA manager, QA consultant, and a college MT instructor. There are many avenues in this career; not all of them are at home, and there are advantages and disadvantages to all situations. I've seen it from a lot of different perspectives. My personal experience with MT has been great. But I've seen (and have personally known) many whose experiences weren't so grand. I've also had students who were talented, motivated and truly gifted for the profession of MT who spent thousands upon thousands of dollars, not to mention the hours of work, to earn a certificate with the hopes of working from home immediately after graduation so they could stay at home with their young kids who were suddenly faced with the harsh reality that the jobs were going to India, and most, if not all, MTSOs require 2 years of experience and won't even consider a new grad. As I stated previously, there ARE exceptions to this, but there are FEW exceptions. That's a fact that needs no debate. Granted, motivation, hard work and perseverance do pay off, and the motivation to stay at home with one's baby is the strongest motivation I can think of.
But still--again--stick to the original question and lighten up on those who don't see the world as you see it. There are many, many perspectives and she will benefit from hearing all of them.
GIVE YOUR ROOMS A LIFE OF THEIR OWN--TO REFLECT ALL SIDES OF YOU
Just as a side note, I "created" moods out of my rooms. Guests call my living room "the happy room" because it is colorful and cheerul (right down to the orange border). My dining room they call "the serious room". I gave it an exotic theme.
When redorating, think of a theme, and they apply all color and shapes and sizes according to that theme. My them for the living is "60's", I even bought some black light posters. I made my own pillow covers, seat covers and curtains, sewing them by hand. I used ribbon for the curtain looks and this same ribbon (yellow and orange) I used to hang all of my pictures.
This room has absolutely no color match to the next room which is the dining room. So the other person said you should tie in your rooms, that was out with the 80's. CREATE moods in your rooms. Give your room a life and style and character of its own. Your home can be as diverse as you are. Why not show all sides of you throughout your home. It is fun and it is a place you can LIVE in!!!
Puhleeze! MTSO's lie out both sides of their mouths when trying to hire an MT! SM
I should feel bad because I found out that they had been blowing smoke up my, err... blowing smoke after I received the equipment?
There are many, MANY factors contributing to falling line rates these days. Let's see, there is the outsourcing overseas to India and Pakistan paying those poor people 2 cpl to type our work! Then there are the uneducated, careless American MTs who produce poor quality work and don't have a clue or even care! Then there are the fly-by-night MT schools who promise $50,000 a year or better working from home when you finish their program, effectively turning medical transcription into a get rick quick scheme and producing some of the most under qualified MTs out there which brings us back full circle to the uneducated, careless American MT. It's a viscious circle.
So get off your high horse and get back to work. I don't feel guilty about screwing an MTSO that is already sticking it to someone else even as we speak!
if you live among trashy people, low income people, people w/o goals or direction,
content to just get by, you by default become a part of a group. "people" have decided to group trailer people as trash. that is because there are enough people in that group to earn the title and even if you aren't trash, you are categorized by others. did i think i was trash in lower class neighborhood surrounded by people who drank and fought all weekend? no but i knew i wasn't staying and did not try to pretend that all the fools in the neighborhood were just nice folks who ended up where they were because high horse snobs deemed their neighborhood low class. people for the most part live exactly where they belong because they don't want to educate themselves, they don't mind "trash" around them and they don't want to be bothered trying just a bit hard to extract themselves from that world. they justify everything to themselves i guess saying everyone who doesn't like their lifestyle is a snob and the comedians (Jeff Foxworthy/Chris Rock, etc) who make fun of them are just ill-informed.
As for me, I fought hard to get out and don't even want to look back. It amazes me people stay for generations.
so many people was wishy-washy nowadays...love to see people make
a stand for what they believe in...
it is kind of wierd those statements have to be made in the first place but guess we are an ever-transitioning country and are still young. so many different beliefs yet not much tolerance.
I found your post respectful, and right on as to how you feel. it does not seem that difficult to sift through to read and respond to messages someone might not care for...
Just remember that it is not the people on this board who short changed their people and ONLY after
caught did they (after they were suied) make an effort to look good by sending out these checks. Now, think about this--had they done this many years ago when they short changed everyone, that would have been honest. Does it not bother you that only after they know they are under the gun that they are doing this to try and make themselves look good?
I used to work for MQ and I used to like what I did. I never can say I really liked the people that I worked with, but I really think they had some of the best accounts that I have ever come across in the MT industry. I loved working the major teaching hospitals that I did, but that certainly does not mean that I enjoyed being cheated out of pay.
So chill already. People have been cheated, were lied to, and only AFTER they got caught have they tried to return some of the money they robbed us of (as well as cheated their clients).
We all have reasons not to be happy with this company and you go off on us because we are complaining of things like small refund checks of a penny or a few cents or a few hundred dollars and NO WAY to even check to find out if this is correct?
I am sorry you are unhappy all of us thinking that there is still a dead rat in the cellar, but there is still a dead rat in the cellar and nothing will bring the dead rat back.
I would hold no love for a company that I know willingly cheated the very people who helped THEM make money out of their hard-earned money.
Go take a deep breath and think about that.
My people skills are just fine. I just want to hire people who want to work.
I've not been ugly, I've asked questions, legitimate ones. Please tell me what is wrong with that. This site is not just for MTs, it is for QA Editors, Supervisors, Service Owners, there's even sections for Billers, Coders, and Nurses.
rude people? I would take good pay over polite people any day
Besides that they have never been rude to me and I have been here for almost 2 years. What do you consider a bad account?
I know my account is a little tough, but I am used to it. I am tough!
Rude people? I hardly think so. They are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. sm
Not just management, but QA as well. No one is rude. They are a very understanding staff. There is one account that is hard but all it takes is getting used to it. Once you are used to it, it is no harder than any other ESL account that you would do anyplace else. I have heard all these things about TH from the archives and I have yet to come across rudeness or any kind of thing that I have read about in the archives. I would definitely pursue them if I were you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
2 people to do that amount of work, is she nuts? More like 20+ people - nm
x
LOL Thank you for taking that well -- I think
after I posted that I realized it might have sounded uptight. LOLOLOL
I just meant it to be a little more information than what the other person was giving -- which really gives an unfair picture!
Thanks!
Why are they taking anything? nm
:]
Yes, I will be taking him to the Dr.
tomorrow. He still has a couple more warts on his foot that the burning didn't seem to do anything to. I'm sure the doc will want to go ahead and remove them now. As for his toe, I'm sure it will have to heal before they can do anything to treat the wart..if it still remains. I want to make sure that the wound that was caused gets the proper treatment as I am quite concerned about infection at this point. Thank you for your advice. He's a real winner, eh?
I am taking out 20% of my pay
This is my first year being an IC. My accountant told me this should be enough based on what my husband's salary is. I will find out at the end of the year if I need to take more, less or the same. Good Luck.
What are you taking
Whatever it is, I want to ask my doctor about getting some. Its hard to be optimistic when you have to work so darn hard to make a living. I currently work two of these jobs just to make one decent living. Companies make it awfully hard to make more than 15.00/hr. I can't make it on that.
Could you try just taking on one to see how you like it?
Maybe do the part time vet so the work load wouldn't be too bad right away. I think it sounds like a great change of pace!
When I was still taking my course...
we only had one computer so I did all my practice reports on that one. I had made up a few shortcuts in word and one was *be* for barium enema. Didn't give it a thought until I was reading a paper my son had written and gotten back from the teacher and the phrase *barium enema* caught my eye. No remarks from the teacher, so I don't know if she caught it or not. BTW, the paper was on torture in the Middle Ages, so maybe the whole thing wasn't so far fetched!
not taking job seriously
I guess we all must have that problem. You know what is bad? When your husband doesn't even take your job seriously. My husband makes me feel like this isn't a real job. I am called lazy on a regular basis because all I do is sit at a computer and type all the time. That isn't work according to him. Well I told him you sit there for hours and type and see if you don't get tired. Plus not only do I do the MT work but all the housework because my husband thinks my job is so easy that he shouldn't have to help with anything. So tell me how some of your husbands take your job?
who's taking over?
I wonder if that is what the Native People said when the white man came and took over their country.
Taking job no
So if we announce the name, dozens of people apply to our company. Our company overhires (mine does). Then we are all fighting for work, there's not enough to go around, and I can't make money there any more. We are sabotaging ourselves when we announce where the work is.
I did not say they were taking MTs to
I said they only hire QA from within the company. Therefore, QA candidates are hired to work MT then promoted once their skills are proven. Just because you have years of Quality Assurance experience with one company or even multiple companies, it does not automatically make you a good QA person. It could just mean that you are the best they could find at time that they had a position to fill.
I have seen people that held QA positions at nationals make atrocious mistakes because they had no concept of context or proper grammar or were lacking research skills.
Our QA department is exemplary with virtually no turnover, and I believe it is because they evaluate the knowledge of the prospective candidate through practical experience prior to placing them in a QA position.
Certain people getting raises, certain people not. Guess who is?
Say what you will about unions, the good and the bad. But, one thing they did ensure is a raise, good benefits and that you would have a job in the morning.
You're taking this way, way too personally.
If you don't like it, ignore it. People always criticize the mother. Hey, at least she's not some bug-eyed  psycho broad lying to the authorities about being kidnapped by Hispanics.
Thank you for taking the time....
to share such good tips with all of us. 
Do it anyway. I have not had a break either, but am taking off 18-23 - sm
my mental health is more important than $. Going up to my dad's for a few days to celebrate Jen's last chemo (8/17), have her rest by the pool at his house, visit the Herr's plant, go to Dutch Wonderland, Philly zoo, etc. Just me and my 2 girls to have a little fun together...and for me to see my dad and my friends up in PA. Shouldn't be doing it money-wise, but tough, I know I deserve it and my kids too. We couldn't take a formal vacation due to Jen's chemo and some restrictions, so this is the next best thing. -- If you feel you can't take 5+ days off then do 2-3 and go out and do something. It will make you feel better.
Thank you for taking the time to do that!
That is hilarious. These girls go into so much detail in their posts. I could read their stuff all night instead of watching TV. I don't know how they make this stuff up. This is great!
thanks for taking the time
For these tips. I really need to buckle down and get my lines up, there IS money to be made but being at home and having the pain makes me slack lately.  But if you're doing as much as you are, then it makes me think its possible. Thanks again! have a good night
Try taking Fish oil
Try taking fish oil but make sure it molecularly distilled to get all the impurities out of it like mercury. That really does a lot for depression and anxiety and try to cut caffeine and sugar out of your diet. I notice a huge difference with it. It's hard to believe but its true.
You'd be better off just taking most of the "stuff" to
Goodwill or similar store and taking a tax deduction. I spent 2 days sorting, cleaning, and pricing items, had name brand children's clothes in like new condition and I made a total of $6.00. If I paid myself minimum wage for my time I came about about $100.00 in the whole, plus my DH and children helped some. I have one box that I allow myself for e-bay items, the rest I take to a charity resale store and take a tax credit. I don't have to sort, price, and it is gone, gone, gone and I feel so much better. We still have so much clutter in my house and it makes it much harder to clean. I don't let anyone in my house and I have put off having some repairs done because I have such much clutter. I'm getting there and not adding to the clutter, but I'm not at the point yet that I can make a definitive decision about some items. I have several boxes that I label, a trash box, a pieces box for all those game pieces and legos in hopes of trying to complete them, a charity box, a keep box, and the I can't decide box. I still have way too much stuff that goes in the keep box and the I can't decide box. I do sort through them again eventually and narrow stuff down, but still can't find a place for some of the things/paperwork and end up throwing them back in the box until next go round.
I don't do Flylady because I don't have time for all those e-mails and I can't work with shoes on, but I do feel much better when my bed is made and my sink is shiny. Once a week I have everyone take 15 minutes and go through their rooms with a trash bag, but my DH is the absolute worst and he puts everything in a bag and sticks it in the closest, under the bed, on the bookcase, etc. and never gets rid of anything. We have VHS movies that he taped junk off TV that is nearly 20 years old. He has restaurant receipts that are probably 5 years old. He wants me to just throw all my stuff away, but he isn't willing to throw anything away.
You guys are actually taking this???????
nm
Decision on taking a job
I took 3 documents in Word and the program calculated the amount of characters with spaces and without spaces. I divided the character counts by 65 to get a line count. I then multiplied the line count with spaces by 8 cents per line and the one without spaces by 9 cents per line. In all 3 cases, you are better off taking the job at the lower rate counting spaces.
Example: 1 document 4339 characters without spaces, 5179 with spaces. Divide each by 65 comes out to be 67 lines without spaces, 80 lines with spaces.
65 lines x 9 cents = $6.03
80 lines x 8 cents = $6.40
The others came out with a discrepancy of 78 cents and $2.16.
I did other size documents and none of them came out where you were getting a better deal by being paid the higher line rate with no spaces.
I hope this helps.
Question about taking HRT. sm
I had a TVH/BSO in Sept and was put on a HRT patch. I now do not have insurance for 90 days and am going to have to discontinue the patch until I get my insurance back. It was a $40 co-pay when I did have insurance, and there's no telling what it will be without coverage. Can anyone tell me what effects this will have on me? Will I just maybe get hot flashes? I'm thinking that will be all, or maybe mood swings, and it won't hurt me just for this temporary basis.
Along the same lines, the doctor really did not discuss this with me at all, and I'm confused about what I read. Does the HRT protect me against osteoporosis and heart disease, or does it contribute to it?
Thanks all!
Well then, you will be an IC. Are they taking away your benefits? nm
x
Sometimes - and taking a class
Maybe a computer class a little more advance than you are used to or a pick up one of the classes meant for LPNs or RNs (maybe just to sit in), a lecture from someone in the field, etc.
not *taking up for her* quote - just....sm
stating facts, she is 19 and she is an adult and it is her body and ultimately her decision. Those 4 things happen to be factual (reality). Can you not face reality?
Nobody is *taking up for her* as you so stated......
taking the bad with the good sm
I see a lot of posts complaining about hospitals with many specialties and many different dictators and not wanting to do ESLs etc. I have got to voice my opinion about this.
While most folks don't like to do ESLs/bad dictators (myself included) it is a PART of the job! If you have many different departments/specialties/ESLs you are probably doing a teaching hospital. If you are doing a large teaching hospital usually that is the "bread and butter" of the company that you work for. Being in this business for so many years, I hear MTs, new and long time MTs, complain about their accounts. When I get complaints about large teaching hospitals, if possible I take that person off that account, BUT I also warn them that while I can NEVER guarantee the workload it makes it harder when folks don't want to do certain accounts or certain dictators. It is a part of the job. Most of the ti these same people are the ones who are screaming first if the work is slow.
After almost 30 years, there are dictators I despise just like anybody else, but I take the good with the bad. My opinon is that any MT should make it their plan to learn how to do every type of MT, not just certain kinds of reports or dictators. It saddens me when I hear folks who do not know how to do operative reports or some other kind of dictation and don't want to learn. You will never be a successful MT or feel completely comfortable if you are not willing to learn everything you can. Besides if you are willing to learn everything and can do any type of transcription you make yourself a more valuable MT! To do that it takes years of experience.
MT is a continuous learning experience. No one EVER knows EVERYTHING about this profession as medicine changes at an unbelievable rate. MTs should be continuously learning. In my opinion, a good MT always wants to be learning.
This is my opinion and I hope I didn't get anyone ticked off.
Taking on newbies.
The company I worked for took on newbies who had completed an MT course or had experience in an associated field. They were hired on at a slightly lower rate. Some were raised up in about a month when they proved to be good transcriptionists, and went on to become excellent employees. Some realized very soon that they could not cut it, and usually quit on their own. They were given only as much work as they could complete, and only were let go if their quality was awful and they did not improve over a few weeks time. It can be done and is often very much worth the money and time spent.
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