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sorry - power failure - cut off my post!

Posted By: MTness on 2005-09-28
In Reply to: Picking battles - MTness

SORROY - OWER FAILURE CUT OFF THE END OF MY POST!

Don't worry about the little things - she has good parents that are concerned about her. Just make the love, trust and open communication the priority!


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To FAILURE: SM
I tried to give some hints and tips above...I'm happy to help with more if I can.

Please don't let this smart-mouthed poster above get to you.

Those who want to know how to increase their line counts absolutely should be asking and we should be sharing all the information we can on it.
you are not a failure

i dont have normals either.  I cant remember them enough to be fast with them.  however, i do use my autocorrect in word for words.  Like wo without, ht for hypothyroidism, hyt for hypertension, bid for b.i.d., etc.  Amazingly this really saves you a lot of time.  words that any one says or words that you misspell a lot and want to fix while typing or have to fix spell checking.  This is one way I have become faster. 


Also, I found that if I do 10 reports at a time I am faster.  I download 10 reports and I type straight through.  Not stopping for ANYTHING.  Then I either download 4 more and say to myself you can sit through 4 more or I will take a quick break.  But I try to make myself sit there as long as i can without stopping at all.  I MAKE myself do it for at least 10.  Before I know it, I have 20, 30 reports done and 3 or 4 hours has gone by! 


Above all, once you reach your 1000, don't stop with your groove.  If you reach 1000 in 4 hours and work an 8 hour shift, dont stop.  Keep going and pulling 10 and sitting as long as you can.  You then will have done around 2000 in your workday!


I'm a failure!!!


What is going on???  Is this really happening??  I failed the MT test.  I don't understand.  I have been a Transcriptionist for 7 years.  I wanted to work from home again after taking a few years off.  I took a job at a hospital making extraordinary money just a year ago.  They didn't have a problem with me.  At first I thought it was because I have been away, but I don't think a year can make that much difference.  HELP!!   


No - you are not a failure -
I feel the same way about my company.  I worked at a 600+ bed facility and never had as many different dictators as the place I work for now.  I can't make line count either and getting tired of it.  - I'm tired of working on my days off trying to learn more and when I learn that ----- they ZAP me with something else. 
CMT failure sm
I am so sorry you had this experience. You sound like you have an unforgiving back and like myself, probably will have trouble in this profession down the road. I was a CMT for 18 years. I am now part-time only and can't afford it, but when I was a CMT it was a small town and no credence was given to the certification; in fact, they were afraid I would ask for more money. I did have the certificate on my wall though and was proud that I exceeded my necessary credits each time I recertified. Don't pay attention to the insults, just ask if you can take it again, although I doubt it. Be proud that you tried and you did well! Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, don't let them get you down!
I would never classify anyone a failure or
call myself a failure. As for me, I can do at least 2,000 in 6 hours because I have done this same account for 10 years, and I have normals. I may have to change a few words but mostly its all normals.
You're not a failure.
I agree with the poster who said to use lots of phrases. I never ever tell how many lines I transcribe because people don't believe I can do that much in one day or they say I must have worked 24 hours a day. Some even accuse me of cherrypicking. I've never done that and never will. You have to take the good with the bad in this industry. I earn every line I transcribe.

I've been doing my accounts for a very long time and have transcribed everything from the simple docs to the mumbling ESLs.

Use the expanders for phrases. TPWG the patient was given. TPIG the patient is given. TPWS The patient was started on. Set it so you don't have to use your shift key to capitalize things like copd. Type in smaller case and it automatically capitalizes for you.

I used to put post-it notes on the front of my computer of macros I recently made so I would remember what they are. It would help get in my memory faster.

Another thing I do for every hospital or clinic that I work with -I see if they have a website and print out the copy of their physician list. Saves me a lot of time from looking up physician names. I print it up 2 or 3 times a year because most of them keep their lists up to date.

Hope some of this helps!
REVIEWS FOR FAILURE
The things being taken off on for the review is pathetic too. "During this hospitalization" being marked wrong because the reviewer states the dictation said "during this hospital stay", etc. and so on. These so called reviews are jokes. We are educationed professionals and don't appreciate slave driver tactics.
If he's a failure, what's that make all of US?
more sour grapes
dog liver failure
Mine died from Deramaxx too. She developed liver failure and had a horrible death at home in my husband's arms. When I heard about the Vioxx recall I immediately called my vet, concerned about Deramaxx, and they assured me it was fine. She was dead a month later. We blame ourselves because we had also given her Revolution, prevention for heartworms and fleas, and she became lethargic and vomiting four 2 days after that, which probably weakened her liver further.
Failure to pay and your options
If you are currently an Independent contractor, you are a business. You are hired as a business to conduct work for a MTSO. I strongly urge everyone to be sure that any contract they sign with a company includes a date of expected pay. Also, when hired, note that late payment of services, after a reasonable amount of time for posting, will be cause for a late fee or interest. Be sure to save e-mail or correspondence. The fact that a company notes when payment of your invoice will be ill give them a set time with a reasonable amount of time for postage to get to you.

If, payment is not made, within that reasonable amount of time, and conversations give you the assumption that they will not be paid (especially if it is said we did not get money etc) then it is theft of services. Contact your DA, and the DA of the MTSO. Think of it this way, if you were any other professional, late fees get tacked on if YOU DO NOT PAY, so pass it on. Put it in your correspondence and stick to it. You are an independent contractor supporting your business.

Now, for all of those who think they are an independent contractor but have any of the following terms, you may be considered an employee through the US Labor Board - including scheduled hours of work.

These factors are used to determine if an individual is classified as an Independent Contractor:

* Is the worker required to follow INSTRUCTIONS?
* Does the firm provide training to accomplish the work?
* Is the worker REGULARLY employed at the firm?
* Is the work performed personally by the worker?
* Does the firm DIRECTLY pay the worker's assistants?
* Is there a continuing ongoing work relationship?
* Are there a set number of work HOURS?
* Is the worker engaged full time by the firm?
* Does the worker work on the firm's premises?
* Does the worker work according to a SCHEDULE set by the firm?
* Is the worker required to submit regular reports to the firm?
* Is the worker paid based on time rather than by project?
* Is the worker REIMBURSED for his/her expenses?
* Does the firm furnish the tools and/or materials?
* Does the worker have a vested INTEREST in performing the services?
* Can the worker realize a profit or suffer a loss?
* Does the worker work for more than one firm at a time?
* Does the worker make his services available to the general public?
* Does the firm have the right to DISCHARGE the worker without incurring a legal liability for non-performance under the contract?
* Does the worker have the right to TERMINATE the relationship without incurring a legal liability for non-performance under the contract?


Depending on your responses, you could be an employee or IC - check with your Labor Board BEFORE a problem pops up.
As a professional, we all must protect ourselves and information is key.

I hope those who have problems get them cleared up sooner rather than later.

You're not a failure! Those tests are brutal!

With 17 years of MT I thought I had it made. I was sooooo frustrated with the testing. I just barely made it and when I got an email that said "congratulations, you passed the test," I was in tears. Probably in tears because I didn't have to take the horrid thing again.


You'll do fine. Test somewhere else. Good luck to ya!


You're not a failure for wanting to quit.
If it isn't working for you, for whatever reason, it doesn't make you a failure.

Individuals cannot be failures. Failure is a process, an action. You are a person.

You know, typically it is considered professional to give a working notice of 2 weeks. What about offering a 2-week notice with an altered schedule?

Generally, employees who do not give a 2-week notice are considered ineligible for rehire - an important question when others may call them for past employment information. Usually all that is asked/given are dates of employment, compensation, and whether the employee is eligible for rehire.


Yeah, most MT's I know have an MBA - you must be a failure in your fictitious field then
LMAO

nice try though


vent on failure in patient care

My husband took my son to see the doc for a tetanus shot after he stepped on a nail.  I'm always transcribing and couldn't go there myself.  After coming home from the doctor's office, my son and husband tell me that his foot was never even looked at by even a nurse, let alone the doctor.  My son got the tetanus shot, and the paperwork said "do not give if a fever is present."  Woops, they didn't even take his temperature.  Rather than looking at his foot to determine if it was infected, they just asked my son if it was infected.  I called the office totally irate, and they reduced the charges from $88 to $7.  Wow, didn't expect that.  It's a crying shame that we're a society so hung up on paperwork and billing (HIPAA, etc.) that a doctor or nurse would not even take the time to actually look at a patient's wound.  What's really ironic is that very day I transcribed a report where the doctor states the patient shouldn't self-medicate with vitamins and supplements.  So, we're not smart enough to determine what vitamins and supplements to take, but we are expected to determine whether or not we have an infection?   


 


Thanks! Maybe I'll remove the caps from Failure!! I do use all expanders
almost exactly as you have described!  Its my account that specifically wants verbatim and NO canned text.  They must "know" about that, and want to make sure they get their pennies worth out of the MTs!! 
Your first boss really sealed your fate! You had failure handed to you at the start!
How on earth can you even believe that?? There are thousands of MTs who have worked, and full time, with small children at home.  Boy, talk about an encouraging post! Doom and gloom for sure! The continued negativity of the MTs on this forum is astonishing.  You don't have to spend thousands and thousands of $$ to get an education, and if she's a single Mom, she'll probably qualify for complete financial aid! And the company board the last week has been full of posts from newbie grads who are getting jobs across the board, and good ones! This business is constantly ebbing and flowing, changing, but always is a lucrative career! Come on! And the person below, fg, who is negative 24/7 calls it dog meat??? I'd like to see any comparable career where I work the minimal hours I do and make fantastic $$. And, gee, me, a lowly self-educated CMT! Doom and gloom is yours if you choose it.  From your own post, your first boss set the tone for you, and you accepted it.  Think POSITIVE!
I power nap too!
I doze for about 10-15 minutes, but usually only when I didn't get enough sleep the night before. Usually, a cup of coffee and a quick break and I'm good to go again.
power nap
Finally got the hang of it and can fall asleep pretty quickly, but now I don't get up with the alarm, cause I know it's going to stop soon, so I sleep through it, or at least wait for it to stop.  No discipline?  Suggestions?
I was over it right away...he is still in power

so you think that shrub has the power to

change Islams into Christians?  That is just not going to happen, no more than you could change me into a Muslim!  No, he needed to go after Bin Laden, a friend of the shrub family, as you may or may not remember. Do you know that he stole away a bunch of Saudi Arabians out of the US the night of 9/11 or 9/12?  His buddies.  He had to go after somebody and was not going to be Bin Laden, so he thought, and he thought right, that the religious rightwing would accept getting Saddam out of the way. Now professing to want to bring Christianity and freedom to the Muslim world.  OMG, if that is not megalomania, I don't know what is!  


girl power
high five
power of attorney
by QA mgr says im supposed to capitalize but i dont agree (so i dont, hehe)
And that's cool...more power to ya!!
And you are quite fortunate to have found what you love to do!  Take care!
Yup, real power comes

.. when you do the "right thing", even tho you want to pile all his stuff up, douse with gasoline, and throw the match!  Revenge can be sweet in the moment, whether in words or actions, but the regret lasts a looooong time, and it gives him something to throw back at you and your kids.  This way, you can be proud to hold your head up and just keep movin' on......


Car power supply.
I use a power converter that you can buy at Wal-Mart for about $35. I keep it in the car all the time.
I take a 10-minute power nap (sm)

When I find myself to the point of not being able to focus, I set my timer for 10 minutes and sleep on the couch. I usually can finish my shift, but I sometimes have to take a little nap again later. I work 5 hours during the day and my last 3 hours from 9 to midnight. Sometimes, I also step outside when it's cold. I hate being cold, so that really wakes me up. No amount of caffeine will wake me up. I am almost to the point of finding just a part-time job during the day because it is hard to be productive at night when all I want to do is crawl into bed. Good luck!


You might need a power boosted USB hub sm
That is, if the one you are using is not. I had this problem with the standard USB hub. IT fella on one of my jobs suggested a buy a USB hub that plugs in, so it has a power boost. No more problems for me. Oh and it was not pricey, I think I paid $20 with shipping and the shipping was half that amount (YIKES).
Power naps.
x
It's a power issue..
The power to make you miserable if they have to pay for your services. ;-)
Power Chart

Is anyone familiar with this platform? Is it compatible with MS Word and Instant Text?


Thanks.


They are predicting 3-5 days with no power. SM

We live 65 miles from Galveston. We shouldn't flood. If the hurricane reaches a 5, which is a good possibility, it will be about a 3 when it reaches us. We have a new roof and no big trees around us. We are cleaning out the garage to put the car in and the dogs. We are wedging the garage door and the windows. We are also putting boards up over the back patio sliding glass door. The living room is the middle of the house, but we have that patio door there. We have no inner closets or anything. It is only about a 1600 SF house. That is why I would worry about a tornadoe. We don't have any renter's insurance or flood insurance. If we stay, we could at least move stuff to higher ground if water started coming in. They freeways are already filling up, and I have to work. I wish there was some way to get my kids to their grandma in Dallas and stay here myself with my husband. They are only 4 and 6, so flying by themselves is out of the question.  I am just going to see what tomorrow brings and then go from there. If it gets to a 5 though, we are going to have to leave.


Capitalize Power or Attorney or not?

Do acct coordinators have the power to....
knock you off the server so you lose whatever work is downloaded to you and, if so, is this pretty standard practice when they want the work to go to their favorites instead???
I do that, too. I don't like to shower first to power clean
the house because then you get all sweaty with cleaning chemicals all over.
LOL. MT's don't kill people. Not that much power! nm
x
No problems as long as I have power!...
I use a small local satellite service and occasionally they may be working on it and it disappears for 10-20 minutes, but it isn't often.  I find it surprisingly stable, unless of course we're having another one of our too-frequent power outages this winter!  But it don't matter about satellite if I don't have my computer!     I do though keep a dial-up account as backup so if I need to send files when the satellite is down I can -- but that all depends on your platform and method of sending, I suppose.  Good luck!  (BTW, as far as use goes, satellite is as faster or faster than cable/DSL, and its great!)
Do you mean the power plug in adapter? nm
nm
You're right - it IS all a big power struggle. sm
But others in this country who've gotten the short end of the stick have made themselves heard on The Hill. Look at all the illegal aliens, who now call themselves "Immigrants", and fight for "Immigrant Rights". They've almost got themselves driver's licenses and HMO coverage in my state.

Look at Cesar Chavez, who got migrant farm workers better pay & working conditions. Before he came along, that was certainly an "invisible" job.

And look at this country's huge media interest in sweatshop conditions in other countries. What about sweatshop conditions in our OWN country? AND Indian MTs, for that matter... have you ever seen the photos of them - sitting shoulder to shoulder, with the boss walking around all day looking over their shoulders? (In a pic I saw once, it looked like the guy should've had a whip and a chair....) I wonder how often they get to take breaks, and what happens to them when they get carpal tunnel. Bet they don't have any bennies. And because MTSOs in India can get away with that, as well as the low pay, because in India ANY job is a good one, then the same conditions have been seeping into the U.S. for years. You're right about being mindful of who we vote into office. I think this next election is going to be a major turning point in the direction of our country, as well as the living standards of its people, and hopefully the right decision will be made and there will be a chance of turning things around. It can't all be done at once, but even if it's one step at a time, if it's in the right direction, maybe this profession can be saved, along with this country's middle class. The middle class is the one that has always carried this country economically, and if it disappears, then heavens to Betsy - the Rich and Big Business might actually have to pay their fair share of the taxes. THAT would sure be a first, wouldn't it?
Oh - so that means that in power outages

which is one reason that I wanted the lap top, the only way it would work is with air card, correct? Because no power to the router, no internet.  So that means I need to leave my house and go where there is power.


P.S.  Can you just come to my house and give me in-service training!    Sure wish I had someone around that could - I would pay them hourly!  Feel like I need to write you a check now!


Stupid question..What happens if your power goes out? sm
If you should loose your power, with a landline you will always have a phone. but if you loose your power, your computer does not work. That was one of the reasons I was leery of VoIP and I still am.
Yes, but I power nap for 10 min (set a clock) and freel great.
h
Did anyone notice? Wilma knocked power out in
Florida and all the cheerleader and nastygram posts about most of the companies stopped.  Wonder what part of the country they start? 
The auesome power of prayer at work
once again! Sorta puts all our little gripes in perspective.
Not all QA people are power-trip freaks (sm)
I work in QA and would probably welcome an email from an MT who said they really tried but that there were numerous blanks in a report they just sent to me. I frequently did exchange emails with helpful hints and tips to the MTs until we were given a quota to reach, then I had to cut down on the "extra" feedback and just send the basics. I hated it because I like the personal touch with feedback.

Some QA staff do end up with their job as a power trip; I was just never that way. I remember what it was like waiting on feedback and cringeing at some of the remarks I would see. I vowed not to do that to fellow co-workers.
Pray for your company to whatever power you revere. nm
:
Power can make people crazy.
She sounds like a manager who caused me to leave my last job. She also was terrible at details too, but what a mess she turned out to be, starting all the rumors. Ridiculous.
I have an HP and the power jack broke in less than a year
I had to buy a battery charger and an extra battery and run it off batteries. Seems to be a problem with HP. Don't want to get it repaired because local guys will not guarantee motherboard won't get damaged and it is cheaper at this point to buy a new one than send out.
Sometimes just unplug power from router, wait
x
Sounds like she is on power trip. Stand your
x
It's ABSOLUTELY a power-thing, & it's easy for them to
They manage MT because they can't get a management job anywhere else. MT is notorious for not screening most of the whackos they put in management positions. At medical centers, they often 'promote' inept, mentally unstable employees into MT management as a way of 'getting rid' of them, since most MT departments are out of sight in a basement, or off-site. So then the inept are in control of MT, and in order to make themselves look good (and qualify for that next raise -- the one WE don't ever get --) they feel they have to make those around them look bad.