Hearing actual dictation files versus professionally read ones was a major plus

• Opening new school for MTs - Texas MT
  • Having instructers answer questions quickly is a BIG plus. - Lauren nm
    • Oops, meant instructOrs. - Lauren NM
  • Why reinvent the wheel? M-TEC & Andrews do a superb job producing job-ready MTs. - An MTSO
    • That was kind of a ridiculous statement! nm - MT
    • Competition is the american way. Can you imagine only having 3 or 4 colleges available to attend? - Lauren nm
  • Hearing actual dictation files versus professionally read ones was a major plus - at my MT school. nm

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I am a new MT in an MT internship.  I'm beginning to think I will never advance from it.  What in the world can I do when I type what I hear (and it both makes sense and is verified when I Google or check medical references)  and receive feedback from QA saying the speaker said something else?  I have advanced to the point that most of all my reports are (as they say) "clean."  Surely I'm capable.  I keep hearing that I am close to turnover to paid status.  I just have this one issue that the QA person sometimes hears something differently.  QA is always the boss, I can't really argue since their word is final and they get really snotty if I prove my point on anything.

Please don't get me wrong.  I do understand QA expertise and value their feedback.  I am working predominently with voice recognition and having to edit out a lot of wacky words and make corrections to read what the dictator actually said.  I've had my hearing tested.  I have a new computer with great speakers.  I have several ways to control sound quality, speed and volume.  What else can I do about this?  If I could predict when QA and I would hear a word differently, I would just leave a blank.  That would cover me fine.

I just want to move on to get my first MT position.  I'll even work for peanuts if I have to in that first job. I know I'm a newbie and can't know everything, but I am a nurse and do know more of what I'm hearing than QA seems to think sometimes.  Where is all this helpful QA I heard about in nursing school?  I hope I'll find that one day. 

And why does QA have to be so nasty?  If I were trying to help someone, I wouldn't be belittling.  I am almost convinced this school I am interning wtih does not intend to move anyone forward to paid status because they always pull the rug at the end and deliver such snippy feedback.  Feedback is either "Good job" or something snippy.

Any kind thoughts out there to help me?  Thank you.

Purchased a 'gently' used cassette player and I can only hear through one earphone.  Is this normal?  I am use to listening through speakers on my computer via online dictation, so I was just curious.  Thanks for the replies.

I am working on a familiar dictator, non esl, who has a funny manner of speaking but I had gotten used to it.  I am getting soo many blanks with him right now.  About 5-10 times more than I ever do with him.  I am considering throwing in the towel tonight and sleeping on it to see if it is my headache that feels suspiciously like it is going to blow up into a migraine. I have had this headache off and on most of the past 2 days and an Aleve tonight did not kill it. 

I am just wondering if it could be affecting the fine tuning of my hearing that allows me to discern the unclear parts. 

Regardless, I am going to go back to it for a bit and then stop.  The throbbing is now bilateral.

not just book work, you've really had the basics you need. There are lots of different preferences out there. The big issue will be hearing what is said and putting it down accurately. So much has to be learned on the job depending on your specialty and who you work for.

If I were you, I would focus on getting the right tools - basic reference books, an expander, wave pedal, etc. Be sure you have a good resume and cover letter/email, then locate the companies that hire newbies and begin your search! Once you get your foot in the door, you can get off and running.

Dear M.Ts.

I am in need of M.T. Wave files to improve my skill.  If any body is willing may mail me.

Hi,

I have word 2007 and when I recieve files to transcribe I can not open the files so I can transcribe the Doctor's report.  I have heard there is something you can do to word 2007 so you can open the files to transcribe and then send the files back to the Transcription company. Can anyone tell me the steps to take to do so?  I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks,

MT

I recently started working for another company and the computer tech is EXTREMELY knowledgeable when it comes to platforms and such.  I was informed that Vista is basically another version of Windows ME which, most people know, was a HORRID version of Windows and Microsoft is planning on coming out with yet another operating system early next year. 

I have also done internet research and there are posts regarding the fact that you can partition your hard drive to where you can have both XP and Vista running on the computer, however, in my opinion, that is best handled by an expert and not something that anyone should attempt on their own without extensive computer knowledge. 

Right now, I would say your best bet would be to try to find a computer with XP on it as far as a laptop, or if you can hold out, stick with the dinosaur for a bit longer.  Also, it may help to get registry fix programs etc, many of which are free and extremely good programs and might help to optimize the older computer in terms of speed, etc.

What defines someone to be an acute care MT as to a multi-specialty MT.  What is the difference?  Sorry if this is a dumb question..

Thanks!

I have been an MT for 16 years.  Twice I've taken time off (over a year at a time), because of being burned out. 

Working as an MT at home is much better than working at Wal-Mart, or any other retail-type job.  I have much more flexibility in the hours I work.  I can be at home with my children, so that I can take care of their needs.  I've never had to have babysitters for my kids.  Now that they're all in school, it is easier, and I can still schedule my work time around their hours.  How in the world would working at Wal-Mart be better than that??  And even though the amount of pay I've been offered recently is less than my best job 5 years ago, I am still making 3 times as much as a Wal-Mart employee! 

I never went to school for training.  I am just an excellent speller with good typing and grammar skills, and I learn quickly.  I worked at my college health center for one year because of the above skills.  I didn't work after that for a time.  Three years later, I started sending out resumes to a bunch of local MTSOs and, after several months, one asked me to come test.  My persistence paid off.  I did very well on the testing and was hired.  I struggled those first couple of years.  Because I worked hard to learn new specialties, the MTSO was always asking me to take on a new one.  I probably worked a lot of hours for low pay as I learned each new specialty (I guess you COULD say I paid for my training! Lol!), and I shed a LOT of tears as I worked in the wee hours of the morning (because I didn't work until after my kids were in bed).  However, I am grateful to her for that experience.  I did eventually move on into acute care and did fine because of the opportunities she gave me. 

I still think MT is a good opportunity for people who just want to be able to be home with their kids and/or have a flexible schedule that allows them to run a forgotten lunch to school, go to a child's afterschool game, etc.  How many workplace jobs offer that??  It's still worth it to me!

I posted this on the main board but thought maybe some of you might be able to give me some advice too. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am totally new to medical transcription and have a question. In doing transcription digitally, what are the most common sound file formats? I am about to take a test (both written & verbal) for a company and they sent me my test files as .wav files. The files are hard to understand at best  (the guy sounds like he's talking into a tin can ) and I am wondering why they didn't send them to me in a clearer form such as MP3. I am about to ask this same question to the person sending me the test but I thought I'd ask it here too. Is the .wav format the most common form of sound file for MT's? And if so, what's the best program to listen to these files in? I have Windows Media player, Real Player and WinAmp on my computer. Are there programs that MT's use to better hear these files? I hate to sound like a total dummy here but I'm new to this and when I went to school several years ago for MT, we only did tapes--not digital! If anyone can give me some info here, I'd really appreciate it!

Best,

RT

I need help. I am a recent graduate and I would like to know what websites offer free sample voice files where I can practice.  Thanks

in express scribe or some program like that.  Word 2007 is used only for typing the actual files you're listening too, it has nothing to do with opening .wav files or anything other than text files.

What if the MD is dictating, you are a 1/4 of the way through, he is interrupted by a colleague, then comes back starting with the beginning again (prepped & draped, etc)then seems to go in a totally different direction and subject then where he left off?  Do you continue to type what he is saying, even though it makes no sense to the first part of the report? Do you make a note of it for the editor?  Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, VERY NEW MT...

Hello,

I'm stumped on a sentence in a discharge summary I am working on. As part of the Laboratory Data section, the doctor says:

Chest x-ray showed no TECUTE PROCESSED. Well, at least it sounds like tecute processed but that obviously doesn't make sense! Any ideas?

I was hoping that someone could give me some advise for difficult doctors that dictate with a very strong acient!! I need help!! Any advise would be great!

Thank you!

Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone else was having problems with the level of dictation available to transcribe. I work for Eagle's Landing and I'm finding that the dictation is very sporadic. When I first started it wasn't that way but ever since Hurricane Katrina the dictation has been low. Right after Hurricane Katrina there would be days with no dictation because the docs were gone to New Orleans to help out. Now the doctors are back but there is still the same problem. I am actually going to be set up on a second account so that should help me but I'm not sure when they are going to do that for me. I've heard that we are getting several new clients soon so maybe that will help. What I've started doing basically is actually keeping up with the amount of work per hour (low, medium, high volume, comp issues, etc)on an excel spreadsheet for each day of the week, I'm going to continue doing that for each week of the month, so eventually I will have several months I can look over and see if this is a chronic problem or an acute problem. I'm really hoping that this is just a temporary slow period of time. I think my frustration has also been compounded by the fact that I've had computer problems myself, the system at Eagle's Landing goes down sometimes for maintanence, and just being a new MT.

I really do plan to stick it out but I don't believe that the service would be honest with me if this is a problem that is going to be ongoing so I feel I need to keep my own records. Right now I'm living at home with my mom but eventually, in a year or so, I want to be able to move out and support myself so I need to see if this job has some stability. I understand there will be less stability than other jobs because that is how this industry is but I need enough stability to know that I can support myself atleast. As I said before in one of my earlier posts, I only started 3 months ago,(back in July) so I definitely know that the early frustrations just take time and experience to work through so I do plan on sticking it out. I guess my concern with lack of dictation is that it is something I cannot control, my speed is something I can control, I can work really hard and get better at that, but this is something I cannot. The problems with the sporadic dictation I would say have been going on since the middle of August, it does not seem like very long but it seems like forever when I'm trying to build up my speed and when I'm new at this. Anyway, I would appreciate some feedback on this from new MTs and more experienced MTs. Oh, also another thing I've noticed just from reading this message board and others is that a lot of MTs keep up with their line counts on a spread sheet. What I tend to do is watch my production based on the number of minutes I type. Should I be looking more at line count than minutes and also keeping track of that more closely? I have noticed that I do not follow my life count as diligently as others. And finally I want to thank everyone for the input I've already gotten from this board, it has been very helpful to me, and I have definitely taken the advice to heart and used it.

I'm looking for free practice dictation in oncology/hematology. I'm coming up with nothing on Google. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I've got a job lined up, but I need more practice before I start. TIA for help!