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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

nursing shortage includes nurses for instructors...sm

Posted By: MT to RN on 2005-12-26
In Reply to: Nursing has created their own shortage - me

you can't teach nursing classes without nurses to teach the classes - that's part of the shortage and part of the reason why the shortage continues. Also more nurses are going for the bachelor's degree (4 years vs. 2 years) and that is extending the time before they are out in the work force.


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Nursing has created their own shortage
by severely restricting the availability of classes for students and refusing to make the class time available in the evenings, weekends, etc.

They also created their own shortage by making so many of the jobs papershuffling jobs rather than hands on care, and many of those jobs could easily be filled by a trained technician rather than an RN.

I do not feel sorry for nurses.
same way in nursing - men in nursing make more on average than women in nursing and quickly
move into management. Just what we needed.
Gack! Is nursing your idea or his? Nursing is highly demanding and long hours.

I'd check with a college counselor/advisor on programs they have for women over 30 to return to academia and enter new careers.  Then I'd ask to take some career tests to see what your interests are and what you'd be be suited for.  Also, there is scholarship money available for women over 30.  Ask about it.  


Since I've already raised my kids, I'd also like to state that jr. high and high school are the years our kids need us at home the most.  Those are the years they can get into the most trouble if left to themselves.  If he's already 9, why not just enter college part-time to finish in about 6 to 7 years?  But definitely go talk to a college counselor.


Your instructors really should have told you (sm)
that ANYTHING in the medical field can be difficult to get into if you're a felon. I think I'd be upset with them right now rather than the companies that are turning you down.

People in the medical field are exposed to more personal info than most are, and hence the requirements are stricter. I can imagine it would be extremely frustrating for you after you've "done your time," however. It sounds like some have given you very good advice about contacting an attorney. Will you take it?
I would never have... too many horror stories from friends/instructors that did! nm
s
One of my instructors referred our class to them a few years back.
I used them for FTP on a paid account (I think it was only like 20 bucks or so a year) and it worked great until a company I signed on with provided their own FTP servers.
That's almost as bad as having nurses do it!
n
MT Bashing by nurses

I found this on a nurse's blog - they were talking about MT mistakes they found in charts...


Nurse #1:
I tried to get a job as a medical Transcriptionist for extra money, and no one would hire me because my 15 years experience of direct patient care does not qualify me to be a transcriptionist. Oh really? Or, I guess I mean, Owe Reilly?


Nurse #2:


I have no idea why they wouldn't let you work as a transcriptionist - what sort of special training would you need that you wouldn't already have?! It might be a good way to make ends meet if there came a point where a nurse couldn't stand up for so long anymore. It doesn't seem like it would take much in the way of critical thinking skills...


We don't use critical thinking skills?  Darn, then maybe I should look into the career opportunities at Burger King...


 


Her experience includes
She has SOME experience with transcribing psychological reports, but she does require terminology training in order to do other fields of medicine. I am a prior instructor of MT so I know how to do an OJT and create an excellent candidate. She is studying her textbook concurrently. It IS hard to find paid internships but I think it is an excellent way to learn, at the elbow of someone else. Thanks for your valuable input everyone!
The nurses do all that, except maybe the scalpels.
x
Thank God for some nurses who DO dictate...
for the docs who are horrible dictators. I do progress notes for an ICN nursery almost nightly. Thank GOD for those nurses. There are 2 docs right from the old country who can't string a sentence together in English though good docs they may be. We're talking 7-8 page very detailed reports on some of these babies. The other night, one of these gals dictated the first part, God love her, and actually handed the phone to the doc to give his 2 cents worth, awful dictator. Hey, the best thing some of these docs can do is let their PAC's do the dictating!!!
And Why?? Because nurses are presented
x
any previous nurses MTing now?

Hi there, I have been an MT for 4 1/2 years now, and I enjoy it for the most part, but I've really been thinking of finishing my BSN degree.  I had started college as a nursing major back in 1988, but dropped out after two years of completion of the prerequisite classes.  I have always had an interest in the medical field so MT'ing has been interesting, but I've really been wanting to finish up my nursing degree though, I have always regretted not finishing it.  Especially when I do the operative eports I really would like to be in the operating room working.  So, anyway, I have put my application in for the BSN program again and waiting to see if I get readmitted.  Are there are any former nurses out there who are MT'ing on this board, or perhaps any nurses doing MT'ing too who have any opinions?  Or are there any other fellow MT's going to nursing school on here and have any input about it?  If you are a previous nurse who is now a MT how come, and vice versa, if there are any MT's who are presently in nursing school please let me know how it is going for you. 


I'm willing to compromise. Is there a company that only includes(sm)
basic patient info in the headers and footers and does not include all of the headings as a template?  What I've found is that these two companies have gone from originally just basic patient info in the header footer (which I don't expect to get paid for) to basically making the entire report a template and we're just basically filling in the blanks and hunting and pecking for the headings.  This, I feel, is just not right.  The excuse being used is that "it saves us from having to type that information."  It would actually be quicker for us to type it - even without an Expander - than to be doing it this way. 
The very WORST MTs I have ever done QA for were nurses for 20 plus years!
Mind you, this was after they graduated from one of the *Big 3* schools to boot. I know most MTs can type circles around them. They were asleep at the wheel most of the time!
Ours is "diagnostic data" and includes it all.NM
s
I have one (USB) I am selling for $85 (this includes shipping)
when I bought it I was told to get USB. I don't even know if it comes in PS/2 or not. It does not matter what your keyboard it as far as I know. My keyboard is a wireless with an transmitter plugged in at the PS/2 port. Ask the MTSO which you should buy and you should have your answer if you are worried. But if you want mine I take PayPal and M.O. --- it is basically brand new, used for about 2 hours, have original box too. But is is a IN-PI-USB. See my note on the Classified's page.
Probably because she needs a job, it's paying, includes benefits.

l


Read the manual again on how to use Includes.
My single words on the phrases side are in a separate glossary.
And just how many MTs transcribe NURSES' notes?
Nurses document about 2 sentences, so their work is amenable to point-and-click.

Physicians who typically scribble very short notes don't dictate anyway, so you're not losing anything by them using point-and-click.

The ones who dictate do so because their notes are too long to write. It's just about as annoying to point-and-click them in an EMR as it is to type them out by hand, so most physicians who value their time do not wish to waste it fooling with computers. At our facility, they continue to dictate.

Hospital dictation is not usually suitable for point-and-click. It's too long and some physicians are able to dictate at the speed of light, so they would lose too much time writing it themselves.

I'll share one reason some doctors do want to do it themselves: the quality of the transcribed reports they get back is so bad they can't stand it. They figure if it looks terrible and is crammed full of nonsense, they might as well do it themselves. At least, it'll make sense.


There are no dictators, physicians, nurses, PAs or the like
who don’t dictate on the VR I use, wish I did not have the crap dictators as you call them but they are not left out on my end. I really, really hate it now when I do get a straight report to type I am so happy with the VR I do. I think before long most big places will go that route, little ones not so much as I think VR costs quite a bit.
Thanks! Do you have a spellcheck that includes drug updates?

If your doctor includes your SS# as do many of the doctors I do, you better worry. I don't want
:+
Then again you could end up w/one that nurses q2h like mine did! Lucky to get a shower in even. nm
s
Was nurses aid, then aide in ICU, then ward clerk, then
MORE medical terms cuz halo the docs were professors, and they let me play PA under their supervision, then w/comp supervisor, then pregnant, then had to find a PMs job and landed in transcription dept as trainee. If I could meet their requirements, I stuck. If not, I was fired. I stuck.
The docs and nurses enter from keyboard themselves. sm
It is VERY irritating. They spend all their time looking at the keyboard and screen and not at you, the patient. Worse yet, when you go back the next time, you find they entered wrong information.
That price s/l it includes the software. I bought a pedal

just a few months ago for $70.00 that is  brand new.  It is an Infinity pedal that has been configured to be used with VXP.   It is also referred to as DVI, same software just different name.   I have been using it for 5 years and have had 3 foot pedals, none of which cost more than $70.00. 


If the test includes what a child SHOULD know, then there's no problem with testing for it.
s
remember when nurses wore the little hats...hahaha
nm
Do you think nurses and front office professionals look sloppy?
I don't like to go around looking "sloppy all day" either, but is it really practical to work comfortably in nylons and suit jackets when I am sitting and typing all day? No thanks -- I can't work well that way!

I refuse to wear sweats or jammies because I want my work to reflect my professionalism and I think the way I feel about myself reflects that -- hence, scrubs, which medical professionals wear. I am a medical professional and I don't think there is anything sloppy about wearing tasteful, professional, and comfortable scrubs.

Do you think that front office people, nurses, and doctors look "sloppy all day" by wearing scrubs?
Time to confront them and ask what the future plan is and if it includes you. nm
s
No, just a shortage of US MTs who will
s
depends if includes headers, spaces, one or the other, character line, etc.
nm
No shortage out by Akron, OH
s
lol they eat dog too, i think they were just having a shortage of dog at the restaurant so....
they had to do a roundup. Next, they will report the feline virus is out of control and do a roundup on them as well and that's all I have to comment on this post. Take care all!
Finish the course. I think there will be a shortage sm
in the future of all medical personnel from MT to MD. Looking at the whole picture, those of us from the baby boomer age are pushing 50 and as families, many of us had 3 or fewer children or none at all. So, in my opinion, that leaves a much smaller volume medical personnel to care for the aging in the future. So, finish that course so you can type my reports when I need them.
There is supposed to be a shortage
of American MTs I am reading in a large national information management magazine, and also according to our own gov. and our national association.  So why are wages falling if we are so desperately needed?  After 20 years, I am also seeking to get out.  I am at the height of my career in MT and find this is a losing profession.  They took a survey and were surprised in the article that wages have gone down.  They said a reason might because so many MTs work at home and so are part-time.  What a bunch of "you-know-what.!"  Wages are dropping because we do not get paid what we used to be paid.  I am making less now than 10 years ago.  I was recently offered an IC job for 7 CPL!   That was starting wages 15 years ago for FT.  Now they want to pay that for experienced and IC to boot, so you have higher percentage of taxes.  I have even seen 6 CPL.  These companies are trying to outbid each other by charging less and less, so they pay their MTs less and less.  They also must cover those big salaries and bonuses for the CEOs.
is there a shortage of American MTs?
nm
There is not a shortage. A lot of work
is being sent out of the country.
And the MTSOs say there's a shortage of
But yet they can't understand why.  Go figure. 
Apply for a medical secretarial position, which almost always includes transcription in the job desc

I live in the NE and let me tell you, there is NO shortage of trees.
cc
gas shortage/leaving for ohio in the am
Here in Brunswick stations closed at 6 pm and not open until Friday and can get only 5 gallons then. Trucker said Atlanta was getting $5 a gal and now Atlanta is completely out of gas. I am leaving for Ohio in the am and concerned if this shortage is just here or all the way up. Any info would be appreciated.
There's a shortage of US MT's because the skill is becoming obsolete

Schools don't even encourage anyone to get into this field anymore because they don't want to have someone take a course and then be out of work in a few years when this skill goes the same direction that shorthand did several decades back.


Like someone said on the Company board, education is the key.  Don't allow yourself to be a one-trick pony and learn how to do something else while you can.


What a shortage of medical transcriptionists

Whoever says that needs to take a look at the job board and the posting that has over 1,000 views.


There are no transcriptionists looking for jobs either.


What holiday shortage? None this year
nm
About "US qualified MT shortage" and s/m
claiming that MTs won't work nights and weekends, I don't know about you, but at my job, God forbid I have a technical issue that's not between 8 AM and 5 PM.  It's the office staff that won't work nights and weekends, not the MTs.
Unfortunately, this company has no shortage of workers.
I know they hired a few new grads after I turned down their offer. As long as someone will work for that, they have no incentive to raise rates. Companies now don't seem to care about experience and quality, only concerned with the $$$. They didn't care that I can transcribe 2000 lines a day with 99% accuracy. They would rather stick to their cpl and hire new grads. Well, good luck to them.
Scarry!!! Docs and nurses entering drugs and dosages into online charts. (sm)

Most of my docs cannot spell medical terms.  They can't pronounce or spell drugs.  The nurses are for the most part useless - no ARNP I ever asked could help me with a medical term.


I just spoke to my HMO.  They are now offering personal Online-charts showing


visits, tests, immunizations, etc. of what you personally had done.


I asked EXACTLY HOW DOES THIS INFO GET INTO THE SYSTEM, at what point?


The woman said:  It is input by the doc and the nurses.


I shuttered!


There goes the end of quality health care as we used to know it!


 


Is there a shortage of experienced MTs here in the USA? Am I blind and deaf? sm
I was talking to a prospective employer today.  First off, it is a start-up company in US.  They already have a base in the Philippines. Well, that turned right off; however, we continued the conversation.  My question to this person was this.....so, if you were to get contracts for MT here in the US, are you willing to just hire US MTs?  Answer...Well there is such a shortage of good quality MTs here in the US and we would like to have the work done in the Philippines.  My next question, and if the contract specifically states all work is to stay in the USA, what then?  Well, then we would hire only US based MTs. 

Finally, I had to stop him in his tracks....I told him I emphatically disagree.  There is not a shortage of US MTs.  The problem is that you or any other Internationally based company is not willing to pay the US MTs what they are worth.  You want cheap labor, and you won't get that in the US.  Our MTs here in the USA produce such a high quality patient record and you have to be willing to compensate for that.  If you are interested in USA contracts but want to use cheap labor with no concern for quality, than I am not the person for this position.


 


I am so furious right now as I mull over the conversation......am I just blind or is there really a shortage here in the US of quality-driven MTs.



I am an MT myself as well as QA Specialist and I just do not agree with this mentality.  I think they use this excuse to justify their wanting to offshore.  I see through the smoke screen; however, I guess I just need to hear it from my fellow MTs. 



What are your thoughts on this issue of not enough trained and experienced MTs here in the USA?  Personally, I don't agree. 


This was an executive-type position with an awesome benefit package and salary; however, I turned down any opportunities with this company.  I will not encourage or support giving our MT jobs to the Philippines, India or anywhere but the USA.



 


The real shortage is good MTSOs
First of all, congratulations to you for having the guts to stick up for your convictions.  I am really proud of you for telling them like it is.  There is no shortage of good MTs, there is, however, a shortage of good MTSOs and national MT companies.  Fortunately, we have boards like this one to tell us who those are, the ones who pay peanuts, the ones with inferior equipment/platforms, and the ones who outsource their work overseas and think the foreign MTs are "far superior" to the American MTs.  Most of us experienced MTs who have been in this business for any length of time, would not work for them.  The ones who cry that "there are no more good American MTs" are the ones who are outsourcing overseas or otherwise abusing their employees - that is why they have such a hard time attracting "Good MTs."  They need to look in the mirror to see the reasons why!