Biggest thing ESLs do is put accent on the wrong syllable.
Posted By: Deb on 2008-06-05
In Reply to: It helps if you look at ESL/accents (sm) - midwestMT
Like "sub SEE quent lee" instead of the way most people say it, "sub see QUENT lee"
Because of the pronunciation of "diabetes" my doctor says the patient is "dia BEET ic" instead of diabetic.
Remembering this can often help you figure out a word - and you'll probably laugh when you do!
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strong accent
What helps me is coming back to that part of the report later and listening again. You will be amazed at what you pick up when you take a break and try again later.
It can really help to say it out loud in the doc's accent! Really! Some things just pop out at yo
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I just bought a laptop Dell E1505. Your biggest obstacle is the foot pedal as it's a 9-pin serial
port and NO newer computers have them anymore, especially laptops. Also, Escription is not compatible with Windows Vista which also most newer computers come with. I needed a laptop with Windows XP so I went onto Dell and they can "customize" one for you with the XP on it or you can do what I did and 400 dollars cheaper and get it from Ebay. The only thing I noticed was that the new one I got on ebay didnt have Word on it and I had to purchase Word 2003 for that as Word 2007 also is not compatible. Over the last 3 years, I have tried multiple adapters to get the foot pedal to work and finally used one that Escription recommends ..the Dynex DB9 model. I also got it on Ebay for $10 or they can be bought at like Best Buy but they are around $35 I think. There are a few obstacles with Escription and laptops etc.but since I like to travel, I finally got it worked out. I also plug in another keyboard as the laptop one is hard to type on and I like my ergonometer one. Good luck
ESLs
ESLs are probably the most difficult dictators we must deal with as MTs aside from mush mouths or those who like to dictate while eating or using the bathroom! Unfortunately, there is no fool-proof way to "get them" it takes a lot of patience. I have found that sometimes speeding up the dictation just a tad can help...sometimes. And, sometimes repeating what they say in the same accent can help you get it. It may sound silly, but actually saying it out loud can help. I really wish that ESL docs would have an English speaking doctor do their dictation for them, but that is never going to happen. You just have to try to keep your sanity and not tear out all your hair. Just know that eventually you will become more proficient at doing ESLs, but there are always going to be those that are just really difficult that you can't understand. I usually have a number...say 10 times. If I back up and listen to the same word or phrase 10 times and I can't get it, it gets a blank and I move on and let QA have it. Good luck!
As to the ESLs, nope, you can't. They're everywhere, especially as
v
Even if you so happened to start out with no ESLs,
That can change overnight. The fact is that more likely than not in this business you are going to have to get used to them. :-(
You have to retrain your ears for ESLs and it takes
some time. If you tend to have the same ones regularly it really helps. What I do is, if I have blanks I just mark a blank and continue the report. When I finish the report I go back and relisten and I am usually able to get the blanks because I have figured out the accent. If you get QA back make copies of the reports for future reference. If you have a couple of reports by the same doctor and don't have to send them in immediately, sometimes you can pick up something in one report you didn't in another and you can go back and fill in. Getting up for a short break does help, also taking a deep breath and closing your eyes while you replay the dictation helps. I have dictators that I just cringe when I see them come up, but I just take a deep breath and just jump in. If I have the right frame of mind I find that even the difficult ones tend to go better. If I'm tired and frustrated I chose another dictator that isn't so bad and come back to the bad ones. I download via internet so I know who I have and I can do them in any order - I'm not cherrypicking.
I have had new ESL dictators and I swear they aren't speaking English and it can take me a couple of sentences to figure anything out and then I go back to the beginning and I can do it better then.
No ESLs on my account, but they're not hiring.
If the test file has such difficult ESLs, you don't want to work there anyway! It would be
s
Don't know TTS, but if the program has errors due to lots of ESLs, sloppy docs, etc. you'll ha
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Nothing wrong in it.
Just Modify your resume and save it. It will get posted.
:))
Again you are wrong.
It is not a LAW. You are taking one kernel of truth and trying to make an argument. If you change the patient's name, to "The patient is a 35-year-old baker" and you live in a small town, you would also have to remove this, as it is PHI/PMI You are trying to protect your surgeon and he agrees with you, but you may want to get educated to what actually is PHI/PMI if you are going to try to hold yourself up as an expert. You don't have a clue about what you are talking about.
wrong
What do their techs in India have to do with anything? They might not be American, but they are extremely intelligent and do a terrific job. As for there not always being a lot of work, that all depends on the hospitals doing the dictating. I work on 4 different accounts for them and have enough to do.
You can't go wrong with either
school. They are both excellent, and give you assistance finding employment after you graduate. Good luck to you!
What's wrong with that?
Most of us are working at home. We don't have co-workers to talk to, so what's wrrong with coming here and getting a little contact. It's nice to be able to communicate with someone else, and it doesn't always have to be about transcription. We do have other interests and a life outside of transcription. It's just nice to share with other people about that and to find out what their life and interests outside of transcription are.
I don't know, you must be doing something wrong.
Because that doesn't sound right at all. I make that in 40 hours a week.
What is wrong with being a MT?
What is wrong with a MT profession?
Either one of those 2 & she can't go wrong!
x
Yes, you can't go wrong with either M-TEC or Andrews.
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Wrong answer!!
This means they are interested enough that they would recommend me to apply at their sister company. They WANT to interview me. Got the call today.
Don't know what is so wrong with preschool
Many many kids go to preschool for 1 or 2 years before kindergarten, regardless of the work status of their primary caregiver. I don't see what is all so wrong about preschool. I went to 2 years of montessori preschool in the 70s and loved it! Did I need it? No. Did I enjoy myself and make friends? Yes.
My kids will be going to AM preschool next year (K3 and K4), and will whether I am working or not.
Even stay at home moms need a break. Why would work at home moms need any different? I was going on 7 years of SAHM when I started back to work. Between being new at MTing and burnt out on spending all of my time with the kids, often with no relief (dh is away a lot and we have no family near) for weeks at a time, care for part of the day while I work is pretty much necessary to my sanity. As it is, I am having a really hard time adjusting to working so many hours and still trying to keep up everything else I used to do.
There are going to be some people out there who think kindergarten and up are just state-sponsored daycare (I have family members who refer to public education as this), so this argument about when you work and where your kids are when you do it can go on until the kids are 18.
I honestly think it is best that we all acknowledge that what each of us is doing is best for our UNIQUE situation and not to judge someone else's choices. Some people say things a certain way to justify their choice precisely because they are afraid of being attacked. If someone said that they put their child in daycare at 8 wks because they wanted to return to work and did not want to be a stay at home mom, they would probably be run up the pole. So, by giving reasons, correct or not, why it would benefit the baby, the person is trying to avoid someone telling them how horrible a parent they are for the choice they made.
I'm not even going to couch my words - if I tried to work around my 2 preschool aged kids, it would be a very bad thing. They are much better off being entertained and cared for by someone else while I work than they are being yelled at by me because I am frustrated trying to work with them around, along with me being exhausted staying up late at night trying to get all of my hours in.
I'm no earth mother and I know it. It would be a horrible experience for everyone if I tried to get in 38 hours per week with my kids at home while I did it. I did not become a MT to stay at home. I did it because I want to work in health care and this is better paying than any medical office job I can get right now, with the added benefit of being able to be a little flexible with my schedule. I suppose someone who views the primary advantage of this job as being able to stay at home might see things a little differently.
She is wrong--- you cannot even take the CMT exam -sm
until you have 2 years experience first of all, and yes it is through AAMT - they use an independent company that has offices all over the U.S. to give the test. No community college can offer it either, and it costs a lot more than $150 to take; AAMT member can take it for less, and non-members pay a bit more (~$300 or so), not sure of the exact prices but you can go to the AAMT website and they lay it all out, requirements, prices, etc. This is the ONLY CMT exam in existence. All you get in a course is a "certificate" for completing the MT course you took, it is NOT the same thing. You need to straighten your friend out, any company will know she is lying (however unintentionally) about being a CMT if she has no job experience.
Of course you would not list your name as you know you are wrong. sm
If you are going to make such a bold statement that you see as truth why didnt you list your name? Of course you listed as anon. I am the MTSO for Proficient Transcription and have been in business for over 10 years. The start up cost associated covers the cost of the foot pedal which, by the way, is $79 alone. I dont think it is too much to ask for a MTSO to have a little bit of insurance when it comes to hiring a newbie. Why would anyone invest the money in the foot pedal for a newbie if this is their first position if the MTSO has no guarantee of their work? I am helping out and doing something not a lot of companies do and that is to give a newbie a chance. If that is perceived as a scam then so be it. My MTs receive work daily and are paid competitively for it. You have no idea what it is like to try and run a transcription business and unless you do then please keep your defaming comments to yourself. This kind of banter is what scares away MTSOs from hiring anyone without experience. I was given a great chance to get into this business without dropping thousands of dollars into schooling and all I was doing was trying to help someone else do the same. This girl was talking about purchasing hundreds of dollars in books and paying the same for schooling and I was offering on the job training but I cant afford to do that at my own expense of all the equipment. I dont understand what is so hard to understand about that.
This is wrong! Do NOT hyphenate
When it's used as a verb, it's follow up - 2 words. When it's used as an adjective or noun, it's followup - 1 word. You really shouldn't hyphenate it at all unless the client prefers it hyphenated when used as an ajective, but absolutely do NOT hyphenate when using as a verb. It's all in the BOS.
wrong school?
I completed the medical transcription program at Penn Foster in January 07. I am not having any luck finding a job now. Has anyone else been to this school, if so did you have luck finding a job??
I think you take my remarks the wrong way.
Sorry to get your panties in a bunch! LOL
You can't go wrong with either one, both are excellent. NM
x
You're wrong
This is VOICE RECOGNITION work so you really should learn to read. (let me know if you don't know what voice recognition means.) I have been in the transcription business for a very long time and absolutely know your type which is why I declined to put our company's name. We are actually offering a fantastic internship which many people are required to do. Personally I absolutely love to help people get into the transcription business and love to train as I know how hard it can be to get your foot in the door. However, I absolutely detest people who have no idea what they are talking about make it seem like everyone is out to do something that is shady or unethical.
Wrong, you CAN get a job with education.
You CAN get a job with just an MT education, if the education prepared you well enough. I know slews of MTs who did this. Certification in MT isn't necessary, either.
You CAN get a job with just coding education, but certifications help. I did it. I know someone who just a few months ago got a really nice inpatient coding job with no experience at all. She completed school, got 2 certifications, and was hired after testing successfully with a hospital.
In fact, I work with about 15 coders who got their jobs straight out of school with no experience.
If you are well-prepared and are able to present yourself appropriately, you CAN get a job straight out of school.
you got it down pat.....the only other thing I would ask is...
I might ask how may doctors are in the pool you will be typing for. The less the better. That way you can get some normals down. If you type for a few hundred, the chances of seeing the same doc twice in one day is rare. You can ask "what constitutes a line". That will answer your question with regard to characters per line, spaces, etc. Don't forget to ask what work types you will be typing, and will you have a primary and secondary account; that way in case your primary runs out of work you would like a secondary as a backup. Good luck.
I don't think its a bad thing
I think it is hard to gain respect anywhere when you are **new**, unfortunately. There are some people that take the word newbie to the extreme and make it seem like it is a bad thing and like you will never amount to anything, but for the most part I think that most MTs don't mean anything ignorant when they say the term.
Everyone has to start somewhere--and those transcriptionists who are constantly putting down the newbie need to remember however many years ago when they were first starting out. I'm sure they still make mistakes now (whether they are willing to admit to it or not is a different story).
I have been a Transcriptionist for only 2 years and I still consider myself a newbie. I am constantly learning new things every day. I don't think I will EVER put myself so high up that I will forget how rough my start was.
first thing I would do
(I'm saying this gently)
is make sure I know the difference between advice and advise...
Thing is..
It was not an error, it was her personal opinion on what he/she does on the report. Not in any way an error, nothing about it in the BOS. Just something that she prefers. And as you know, most QA go about things differently. I just wish she would have left it be, because even though it didn't count off, it is still marked now because she decided to correct it to fit her style. I am not mad at QA because they do their job, but I don't expect them to try to make everyone do it exactly as they do when it is not an error.
For one thing...
This is a job, plain and simple. Why should you be able to pick and choose your accounts? You receive work to complete and companies expect that work to get done. I'm speculating they did just the opposite to knock you down a notch because they are, after all, paying you.
Secondly, the whole "kids come first" thing is very condescending. We know that. Do you think the mothers here or in the world, even, WANT to work 40+ hours a week instead of spending time with their kids? These days, both parents need to work in a lot of cases and tons of the mothers don't get to work from home and don't just work a few hours a week.
The best thing to do is
contact your school for a list of who hires their graduates. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find entry-level positions with companies if your program is not well-known nationally or does not a have an reputation for graduates that can hit the ground running.
If you are unable to obtain job placement assistance from your program, the alternative is find companies who allow testing without an invitation. There are some out there that will let you test as part of the initial application process.
I really think I made the wrong choice
All I keep hearing about is how hard it is to land a job in this profession. No one wants to go to school and then find out there are no jobs available. I have almost given up on finishing my school for fear of there being nothing at the end of the rainbow for me. I was naive in thinking that I could just work from home immediately and have no cares in the world. Oh well, live and learn - right? I guess I better just go back to college and get a degree in something else.
I emailed this person and you are wrong
Out of curiosity, I emailed this person. He is not trying to sell anyone anything. He has his own resume writing business (hence his email address) and he also does transcription. He had a lot of good ideas. I do agreee with you about sending professional letters though. Flyers seem cheap and impersonal. But I really think you should have gotten your facts straight before posting this reply.
You're wrong, there was nuttin' in there about only new MT's...sm
this is a discussion board. The first post, if you remember, was something like an "open letter to newbies." That means it went to all newbies not just one. And I think the questions were **hypothetical**? I mean, come on, do you think someone is going to sit there and really think about "why would I apply for a job when I don't have the equipment?...hmmmm." I think the MTSO was just frustrated at having to weed through some poor applicants. Too bad. If people really want to be MT's as badly as they post on this forum, you would think they would put a little more effort into the application?
oops....sorry....wrong board
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Nothing wrong with preschool. I think what the poster was saying is...
That there is a difference between preschool (two or three hours a day two or three days a week) is not daycare (six to twelve hours a day monday through Friday). There is nothing wrong with preschool. I am also someone who agrees that daycare is a necessity for some parents, it certainly does not have to be for the creative MT!
I also agree with the poster who wrote that people are kidding themselves by using "daycare" and "preschool" interchangeably because one sounds better. My daughter goes to preschool at our church two days a week for two hours. Daycare kids go in the morning and are picked up after six hours or so. There is a huge difference. One is primarily for "social skills" (preschool)and one is a place for the kids to go while Mom and Dad work (daycare).
As a former teacher who did work in daycare in college, I agree with "No Way, No How". I would not put my child in daycare unless I HAD to, and that would never, ever be if I were at home!
Yes, that is correct...sorry if I worded it wrong.
/
Sorry you are wrong --you can have spouse overwithold
If you have joint income the IRS does not care where the tax comes from (either partner), as long as it is paid. You can take out a loan to pay your taxes or pay by Visa. They just want their money. I have done this for 18 years and I do know what I am talking about. When I was married I always had my husband over withold and so we never paid quarterly taxes. After you do your schedule C to see what your "NET" income is after deductions you add that onto your husband's should you be married and then you pay your taxes on that plus if you owe for social security taxes. If he holds enough out to pay for your SS tax, that is also fine. All they want is for the bottom line of taxes to be paid. If you don't believe me go to an accountant as I have suggested to get you started. Also if you have held out too much, they will refund to you even though the money was held from his checks and not yours. This is no different than if you were both employees working and filing a joint return, you are basically your own employer, hence "independent contractor". You lump all income into one pot and pay the taxes. We even had to pay before but the penalty we had to pay was so little it was not worth it to me to do quarterly. At the end of the year the IRS just wants their fair share or unfair share shall we say. Again that is why I suggest when starting out you get information from the "experts" as it is money well spent. Good luck. Patti
You represent all that is wrong in the MT industry
I'm sorry, but it's true. And MTs wonder why we get no respect these days..... 
Andrews link is wrong
The link that you posted for Andrews takes me to a site called Career Step. Are they the same? According to what I looked up they are not. Why is the link going to the wrong site????
Thanks
Researching a wrong link
Being able to research is very important for an MT. It is never too early to begin. Try to find the Andrews website yourself by entering various keywords. On this site you can also do research. A lot of information about the top 3 schools can be found here. If you still have questions after gathering information, then you can approach the schools directly. Also go to the AHDI website where you will find information about schools. After doing all the above, then come back and ask specific questions so that we can give you specific answers. Being an MT is a hard job and constant learning.
But you're not going to be any better off if you have the WRONG equipment. nm
x
I am wondering the same thing! nm
It's a style thing (nm)
x
One thing I have learned...
It seems that most people in this business are perfectionists, to say the least. Even when someone is rude, there is something to learn by the answers that they give. I take it with a grain of salt, because there are people like that in every business.
I have never heard of an MT having to do such a thing.
That is definately not your responsibility or your job description. I would be bringing the issue up with someone to get it taken care of.
The OP didn't say anything about any thing other than TV
As I stated before, I work when my little one watches certain programs; however, there are bigger issues here just as you brought up. What I got from the original poster was exactly what those fly-by-night get-rich-quick while you stay at home with your kids try to sell newbies and don't prepare a new MT for the REALITY of working from home, especially with small children. Had the original poster said "in addition to having puzzle time, block building time, playing in the sand time, what good programs will help?" I would have felt differently but that is NOT how the original post was worded.
I'm lucky because I have learning centers set up. I don't rely on extensive TV to get my work done. Plus I'm not a newbie with unrealistic expectations and a huge learning curve to face while there are 2 little ones vying for my attention. It is certainly possible to have kids stay home and work, but to rely heavily on TV IMHO is wrong thinking for the future of our children. I take advantage of mother's day out as I am single with a child who was dropped on my door by a mom who didn't want to play mommy anymore. I have a child with no social skills, who doesn't know what home cooked food is, who never before had a regular schedule, didn't know another child her own age...I could go on and on.
My point is that having a variety of activities, interactions, settings is much better for a child than relying on hours of TV (the OP mentioned morning shows plus wanted more suggestions for other times, which indicates wanting to have the TV babysitting them). If you don't see it that way, read the OP again.
My child can go outside and play on my patio and I can watch and talk to her from my desk. How could a newbie who needs no distraction do something like that. TV. My child can ride around the house, collecting pretend mail while singing and I'll join in while waiting for the doctor to flip through the chart. How will a newbie handle that? TV.
I think you and I are arriving at the same endpoint, but interpreting the OP with different POVs. You never addressed the OP's obvious lack of insight about ENTERING the MT at home world with stay-at-home children. I did.
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