I know when I was just starting, I was leaving whole phrases blank! sm

• MT Frustrated - Tiffiny
  • Huh - Misha
    • Huh...What! - New MT
  • What school did you attend? - nm
    • School - Tiffiny
      • No it's not a "great school." - See message
        • Expectations for a new MT - SM
          • Expectations - Cindy
        • School - Tiffiny
          • Per your own words, you're having a hard time. - See Message
            • School - Tiffiny
  • I hear ya... - newmtalso
    • A good book for phrases is the Medical Phrase Index. $$$ but well worth it when first starting - out. nm Early Morning Oldie
  • I know when I was just starting, I was leaving whole phrases blank! sm - JoV
    • Thanks - Tiffiny
  • If you don't absolutely know it, don't type it. - ...
  • Agree with below, leave blanks, don't guess - OP Queen
    • Reports - Tiffiny
      • The newbies working on clinic accounts for me..... s.m. - An MTSO
  • Tough to say, but (sm) - me

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I once was in your position. After Andrews, I also kept my outside job for several months while taking on a PT MT job. When I reached the same $ amount doing transcription PT as my FT outside job, I went FT at home. Yes, you still may be slower at first, but you will have the motivation (and more time) to keep increasing those line counts. Pretty soon you'll wonder why you didn't make the switch sooner. :)

Good luck to you!

Hi, I'm a newbie to this board and hope someone can help me.My experience has been working from home for a clinic, but driving back and forth picking up/dropping off micro cassettes and using them in a regular transcriber at home. They used word perfect 5.1 (yes, I said 5.1, remember the blue screen from 15 years ago?) and I save all my work on a 3-1/2" floppy and that's how I have done it for the past 5-1/2 years. Well, now they are downsizing, bringing all transc. inhouse for the secretaries to do so here I am looking for a job. Since I have only done one speciality, I am limited, however, I am a super fast learner and pick up on things very quickly. My question - I have been doing a lot of reading and searching job lists. I don't know which is the best equip to get. I have taken a test for one company that worked fine with an olympus foot pedal and worked on any program on my computer (itunes, Express scribe, jukebox, dss, windows media, and quicktime player) but I tried to take another test through startstop/gearplayer (vox file). I couldn't get that one to play. In your exp. should I have two foot pedals? I'm afraid I will get hired and not be prepared. Also, is it possible to get used to the hot keys on express scribe (which I downloaded free already) and not even use a pedal? I'm sure I will have more questions later, just didn't want to wear out my welcome on my first post as I know this is a long one. Thank you so much for spending your valuable time on this!

Sherrie

blanks since that seems to be more of an issue.   The speed will come with practice.   My very first day I did about 670 lines, no macros, no previous MT experience, no MT education, and I nearly flunked typing in school.   I have been at this for nearly 20 years and I can routinely do 300 lph and sometimes closer to 400 lph, but not consistently, and those are proofed client ready lines.

I'm assuming you are working at home and if you aren't this won't apply, but if you are on-line many times throughout the day, work on only getting on-line to check your e-mails.  If you can wait to send work in, write down all your questions and get on-line at the end of the day to investigate.   If you are allowing yourself to be distracted by TV or household chores, make yourself work 2 hours before getting up.  You can set a timer if you need to.  Personally I find my biggest time waster is the internet. I get on to look something up and 30 minutes later I get off and I never looked up what it was I got on for, but checked e-mails again and answered them, surfed my regular sites, etc.

After you have gotten better about filling in blanks then work on your speed.   I set the speed of my dictation up a bit and increase it a notch every few months. 

If you get corrected files back from QA save them.  Print them out and put them in a notebook by doctor.   When I started my current position I had lots of experience, just not with ESL dictators and I had lots of them.  I was overwhelmed because I had several blanks in almost every report and and I can usually go months at a time with no blanks.   When I had the corrected reports to look at I was able to decipher what they were saying and couldn't believe that I didn't hear it the first go round. 

Just to let everyone out there know, this book is wonderful. It's very similar to the Medical Phrase Index by PMIC. It's by Stedman's so you know it's reputable and catered just for the MT. I wanted to inform those interested in purchasing it, I found it on amazon.com. It retails for $66 but there are several sellers selling the newest version for $8 (includes shipping). New, not used as well.  Sellers are best1bookbuyusa (who I purchased mine through) and dabearbooks and sweethomeliquid2. I hope this information benefits someone. Whenver I find a good deal, I have to pass it on.

Here's the review: http://www.stedmans.com/product.cfm/366/224

2005 Stedman's Medical Terms and Phrases: A Complete Guide to Medical Language.  HUGE.  Over 1785 pages.  Hardcover.  I purchased this just a few months ago, I just didn't use it as much as I thought I would. No writing, no damage.  Bought from Stedman's for $69.99 plus tax and shipping; I paid over $75 in total.  I will sell it for $60 including shipping parcel post with delivery confirmation. 

PayPal (cash only, no CC or debit), checks (hold until cleared), and money orders (preferred).  Email me for pictures if you are interested.   

Hi Guys ~

I have started another at-home business and am planning to get out of the MT field in the next six months to a year, and so I am getting rid of any of the references I no longer use.  The last one I have available is the Stedman's Medical Terms and Phrases.  I LOVED this reference when I was still in school and brand new, but after using it just a handful of times I am now familiar with my accounts and no longer need it.  Perhaps a newbie could use it.  This is how it works:

It is the most current edition, which is the 2004.  It is approximately 2000 pages,
hardcover, tabbed for easy looking up. Here is how it works, in case
you are not familiar with it:

The book is excellent for things like when the dingaling of a doctor is eating
Cheetos while dictating and says something that sounds like,
"chron-CRUNCH nonsuppurative CRUNCH CRUNCH -ructive CRUNCH
cholang-CRUNCH".  Well, you got the "nonsuppurative" part and then a
bunch of half coherent stuff.  So you use the one word you got out of
the bunch.  When you look up the one word you got, nonsuppurative, you
look down the list of phrases under that word and you come up with
"chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis". AH-HAH!

That's how it worked for me when I was a student and when I was new and was shuttled around from one account to the next as I was needed. I have been placed on my permanent accounts for so long that I know what my docs are going to say before they say it.  Therefore, I spent $70 for this book plus the ridiculous shipping that Stedman's charged me, plus tax, so the book cost me over $80 new thinking I would use it all the time... But I have rarely used it. If you have any marble-mouth doctors or any ESLs or if you are new to MT or if you work on multiple and/or
changing accounts ... This would be an incredible resource to
consider.  It is in perfect condition. 

Email for pictures.  Price is $45.00 plus $5.00 for
media mail with delivery confirmation (this book weighs a ton, so actual shipping cost is over $6.00, but I will do for $5)  for a total of $50.00.

Thanks! 

Does anyone know what the MT starting pay is for Webmedx, Accustat Carolinas,  Accusribe and Transolutions?  Also, could you give me your feelings about these companies?  I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly.  I need to make a change, but am looking to avoid going from the frying pan directly into the fire.  So, I am asking here in an effort to get some honest information from those of you who would know from your experience. 

Thanks a lot for any info you can provide.  Feel free to send me an email if you would prefer.  Thanks again.

Starting out as an IC is probably a good thing.  Most companies want their employees to type 100 to 150 lines per hour average.  I know that does not sound like a lot, but when I was new I had to stop a lot to look things up.  I still have a hard time getting in 150 lines per hour and I have been at this for over 3 years.  (I probably should have learned how to touch type before I started!)  I started out with a company called MedQuist.  They hired me right out of school.  It is a good company to work for, but they require 100 to 150 lines per hour for benefits.  I know that most companies won't even consider hiring anyone with less than 2 years at least, some require 5 or more years expierence. 

I am an IC now and I am a bit concerned about taxes also.  I was told by my accountant that you can deduct a percentage (based on the size of your home office) of your bills, possibly taxes, and even mortgage.  Save all receipts!!!!  To be sure, please talk to an accountant.  Tax laws are different in every state. 

Good Luck 

Thats what i heard but about what will that come out to per hour if I am working from home?

Hi.. I'm so new, that in fact, I just signed up for an MT course at Career step.

Now, after reading this, i'm quite concerned that I will never have work when i'm done with this.

We live in a small rural community but there are a lot of doctors and one hospital.
I would like to stay home and work.. is there really money.

I see people talking about the money is not very good that they are making.

I only need to make 25,000 a year- can that be done?  With outsourcing?

Thanks for your help.

for this field, go to the Main Board and read the post from "I AM DONE" - I didn't type it, but it's a pretty good summary of what an MTs career ends up to be.

Everyone starting on this new account I was hired for need a Boomerang foot pedal so my recruiter sent them out.  I told her that since I work on my laptop I needed a USB but she never responded.  When I opened the package it has a 15-pin port.  I did a search and it seems that is what is available.  Is there an adapter so I may fix this problem.  Otherwise, I'm not sure what can be done except letting them know I won't be able to take the position.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Career Step grads - what was your starting wage? What were you offered in cents per line? How many offers did you get? How long did it take you to find work?

Thanks  : )   -MKJ