I usually update the drug book every other year as I
Posted By: me on 2007-12-04
In Reply to: How often should one replace reference books?..sm - NEWMT
use it so often and there are new drugs all the time. Equipment books I update about the same as there is always new equipment coming out. Other books I don't update as often, depends on how much I use a particular specialty.
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Yes, the Rad book is good, as is the Ortho & Rehab words. A drug book helps or one on CD. Book mark
,
Sted's Ortho/Rehab Words, a lab word book, and at least 1 drug book. nm
s
Drug book
Stedmans Medical Dictionary is a good start. The drug books I use are Saunders and Quick Look Drug Book. The Quick Look is good for beginning as it has a lot of information in the appendix section and drugs listed by disease process in the back. The AAMT Book of Style is a "must have" as some companies require you to follow the guidelines in this book; this book you can study now and it will help you be a little ahead down the road when you start testing for jobs and working. Stedman's word books are good (each book for a different specialty), but you may want to hold off on getting any of these until you know what specialty you will be working in when you graduate. I do hospital acute care and so have the complete library of Stedman's word books.
I don't know how far you are in your schooling, but testing for different companies is the best way to know what you do not know and what to study.
I wish you luck in your schooling and hope it is a rewarding experience for you,
DJ
Which drug book do you prefer? NM
x
New Saunders 2008 Drug Book
Just received it in the mail yesterday. I get a new one every year and sell the old one either to coworkers or on Ebay.
The new Quick Look Drug Book and the Saunders Pharm Words come
d
Quick Look Drug Book great for this as it has conditions/diagnoses in back with meds
s
Even an "open book" tests requires you to look in your own book, not just as the guy next to y
x
daycare update
Thanks for all your input on this subject. I have pulled my daughter out of daycare and will now be splitting my hours between EARLY morning and late afternoon. My daughter will now have my attention during the day and I can work (for the most part) without interruption.
She is only little once and I do not want to have regrets later on.
update on MRecord RUN
Just an update. I RAN really fast after being sent the wrong manuals, account specs, and software! I reviewed these for almost 2 weeks before they apologized for any inconvenience it may cause, and then they sent me the right ones! LOL Not my idea of fun! There are others that have been having problems with the same thing! I gave them my resignation letter before I ever transcribed for them!
I am going to celebrate the fact that I didn't get too far with these guys! 
Still waiting for Spheris to call since I went through their STT!
Thanks for all the advice!
Sha
Yes, since the 2008s are coming out now. Update them every
s
update on my newbie's response!! too funny!! sm
I sent her a reply telling her I was sorry, but I didn't think she had what it takes to be an MT, as it is very detail oriented job. She told me, I'm sorry, but I did not type that. I had my son respond for me, because I was getting ready for work. I did not know I was being tested via email. then she ripped into me with For your information, I wasn't applying for the job, I was requesting information to see if I would even be interested. I'm sorry that you are on your high horse, and need to be pushed off!!! Wow...very mean! I happen to work for a living and graduated with a great GPA for a very reputable MT school, you don't even know me women so don't judge me!!!!
Omigosh, I laughed till I cried 
Any update on those refunds from Proficient Transcription?
Just curious...
$600/year!! I would LOVE to pay 600/year -
I end up paying in $2000+/year EVEN WITH MY DEDUCTIONS, and I deduct anything and everything!! My accountant keeps telling me to buy a house or have a baby and then I wouldn't pay in so much.
You may not even need to buy a drug reference CD...sm
There are lots of drug reference websites that are free and will be more up-to-date than the CD that will go out-of-date.
And the other poster is right, you don't need to buy the most expensive books. You can find them on e-bay or in the Classified section of this site.
drug books
Being a newbie my drug book that I purchased last year seem now to be old. How does everyone update their drug books?
book for MT
Go find "The Language of Medicine" and go through it chapter by chapter. It has a CD with it and do all of the tests, each worksheet, etc. That will give you a good start. I have been in the business for 17 years, and have taught from the bottom up, and have also taught MTs who had a solid MT certificate. I can say with all certainty that this is not an easy business by any means, but it is worth it. The first years I did MT work, we were paid hourly and I made decent money. Seventeen years later, I make great money, but without those years behind me and knowing every discipline of medicine, every tool used in surgery, every disease known to man, every laboratory value and study, ad nauseum, I would not be making the money I do at this point. If you are good and persistent, it is easy to make anywhere from $25 to $40 an hour in this field (with a good shortcut program, I prefer ShortHand 8). I have taught nurses, chiropractors, anyone with a medical background, and those were the people who needed the most help, not the ones who had gone to actual MT school, although they needed help too. With the ESL dictators, if you don't know the procedures, etc., being a fast typist with a basic medical background will not be of any help. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but honestly, do the schooling before you attempt this career and expect to be placed. Otherwise, try transcriptionmatchmaker.com and see what she can do for you.
Gastro book
I began transcribing for a gastroenterologist and I have to look up every other word. Does anyone know of a really helpful gastro terminology book?
 Thanks for any help.
gastro book
You need to get a GI/GU book from Stedmans, www.stedmans.com. I believe they are the best.
Has anyone read this book....?
Hello all-
I had gone to the AAMT site (now AHDI) and found the e-book entitled Getting Your Foot in the Door: Two Years' Experience Not Required. Before I purchase it, I wonder if any one has read it and if it had any good tips for an MT that does not have the 2 yrs that is spoken about so much.
Thanks in advance. 
Another good book is
Grammar and Writing Skills for the Health Care Professional. You can get a used copy on Amazon for around $10 shipped. The Gregg Manual is also good ad you can find that used on Amazon for around $7 shipped. Good luck and don't get to discouraged, you'll learn over time what is acceptable in the "real world" of transcription.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0766812596/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1220570885&sr=8-6
Which lab word book do you prefer?
Which lab word book do you prefer the Sloane one or Stedman's?
medical phrase book
What is the best medical phrase index, Stedman's, Vera Pyle, or Lorenzini.
which is best medical term book
Thanks much for the input.
in addition to the phone book
Go get 2 Rolodex's. They are cheap at any office supply store. Use one for medications and one for medical terms that are new to you. Also for a pharmaceutical book, the Monthly Prescribing Reference is free on line. Just Google it under that name and download it into your system. It will give you weekly updates to the drugs that are either being taken off the market or being put on the market. It's the drug book physicians use and far superior to any book that has to be renewed year after year.
BOS stands for book of style. They
want you to use the BOS guidelines for transcribing. There isn't a template, but using things like daily instead of q.d., etc.
That is a book that is part with the CareerStep Course.
You would only need it if you are a text student. Otherwise, it is a unit in the online course.
Grammar Text Book
Hey sm, just looked for that book on Amazon and there are quite a few different Little Brown Handbooks, could you tell me the ISBN#, author and edition? Thanks.
It is a year old. n/m
n/m
Good pathology book recommendation?
Can anyone recommend an easy to use pathology book? Needto brush up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
buy...couldn't resist! :) LOL...great book though. NM
d
It was quite awhile ago...maybe about a year or so.
nm
How to ask for a raise? 7 cpl for one year now...
Are raises given?
To make 40K per year,
You have to make roughly $20./hr for a 40-hour week (if my math skills are any good!). To do that, you need to either make a higher line rate, or produce more lines per hour. That means doubling either your lines per day or your cents per line.
I would venture a guess that most folks making 40K a year do NOT work for nationals, but have their own accounts which tend to pay more per line, which ups the $ per hour. Of course, with that comes a whole new set of headaches and probably more incidental hours (billing, delivering, bookkeeping...time spent maintaining an account in addition to transcribing hours.)
Unfortunately, by the time we see ads everywhere for big money opportunities (transcription, selling on ebay, raising alpacas, etc.) the prime time to get involved has probably already passed, and then folks who respond are stuck with disillusionment and bills for starting costs/prep.
Just my humble (and maybe a bit pessimistic) opinion.
You don't even have to buy the upgrades every year, just
add to it. I only update every other year.
transcriptionist with 1 year's exp
I think Spheris has a program to do that.
Happy New Year Everyone!
I hope everyone has a very excellent 2009, with all good things!
Love the idea on using a phone book A-Z for writing down
I have almost 4 year experience now and may branch out on my own next year I think, or at least try. Love the idea of using the phone book, can't believe I never thought of it. Thanks for the tip.
I made 7.75 with MedQuist my first year.
I started out with Medquist making 7.75 based on my all-around experience and test scores I was told. That was PTE.
I went on to make 8 as an employee, and I work a second IC job making 16, 13 to start, 16 after 90 days.
putting 3-year-old in daycare
I have finally relented and put my baby in daycare. I can't do it anymore. I am so stressed out about splitting my time between her and work that both are suffering from it. Not to mention my house. The husband is worried becuase this is now an added expense to our already tight budget, but as I explained to him, now I can focus on my line count and I won't be getting up every two minutes to tend to her. Any of you been in the same situation? I'd like to hear about it, good or bad.
first year as IC, you don't have to make payments...sm
you could pay all of 2006 taxes by April 15, 2007. But in 2007, the IRS will send you forms that you use to pay quarterly. You pay 100% of last year's taxes in 4 equal payments and then make up the difference when you do your taxes. For example, you started as an IC in 2006. Your taxes were $2000. You pay $2000 by April 15 2007 and you also pay your first quarterly payment of $500 (1/4 of $2000) by April 15. I also would suggest you make all your payments in the current year - don't pay the last quarter by January 15 when it is due because it screws up your bookkeeping and state and feds handle it different. Pay your last quarter tax by December 31.
after a year mine went up to 7cpl.
I am at 2 yrs now and making 7.5 at one plaace and 8.5 at my other
In the first 6 months of this year. I'm not new to this, though, so I moved on. nm
s
Just waiting till the end of the year (sm)
Like I said, I'm not certain if I am going to be sent a quarterly tax invoice or not, but I figure better safe than sorry!
This is also a bad time of year to be job hunting.
This is the slow season for MTs and companies don't tend to hire much from December to February. Don't give in yet if this is really what you want. But I agree with other poster, you might have better luck with a local MTSO that is familar with your community college's program. Good luck if you decide to pursue this further! It would be a shame to give up so quickly after completing the course.
First of all, a lot of companies will waive the 2 year
-You graduated from a program they know provides a quality education.
-You test well enough during the application process.
-You have a well-written resume and cover letter and follow the application instructions to the letter.
Many companies hire new grads on regular intervals, but they do not advertise this because they will be inundated by applications, many of them from people with absolutely no training at all. It takes time and resources to train a brand new MT so they may only hire new grads a few times a year.
Speak with your school's post-graduate assistance program and get some leads for MTSOs that hire their grads. Check out your school's student forum and see where other graduates are getting hired. Find companies that will let you test as part of the application process (instead of applying and waiting for an invitation to test). There is a thread below with a list of companies that have been mentioned in the past as hiring newbies. Also, check locally and be on the lookout for smaller services to apply with.
Good luck.
I've been working for over a year now,
and I don't even know what my typing speed is anymore. It would be hard for me to take a typing test because I am so used to using my expander. I am really surprised you are finding most companies want a certain speed. I did not encounter that when I was applying.
Anyone signing a 2-year contract on either
end would be crazy. You can't guarantee work for 2 years and there is no way I would tie myself to a situation for 2 years.
Tessier's Surg. Word Book & Davis' Med Abbrev. nm
nm
Ignore the two-year clause and apply anyhow!
If you let that hold you back, you will never find work. There are plenty of new grads working and getting hired everyday. If you wimp out, you'll get nothing.
I heard that were going review resumes after the New year.
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