Is a C-phone a good investment?nm
Posted By: Jody on 2007-06-21
In Reply to:
nm
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A C-phone is a special phone (see inside)
that you can plug a headset into and a footpedal into, and then dial into a system and get the dictation over the telephone line, instead of over the internet.
A bad investment
They don't help you or answer emails, they don't let you take time off if you have to, and they don't help you get a job when you are done--they hand you a piece of paper with company names on it who don't hire grads. Waste of money.
It's not a hobby, huge investment for a little "extra" money. See msg
If you can find a job working as an MT without training, I'd like to hear about it. Even MTs who take the cheaper courses have a difficult time getting hired, when there are excellent training programs turning out well-trained MTs (Andrews School and M-TEC).
If a foreign doctor with a strong accent who speaks very quickly is dictating in a noisy ER, would you know whether he is saying perineal, peritoneal, or peroneal? You need to totally understand what he is talking about in order to know if you have the correct word, and a spellchecker won't help.
Would you catch it if a doctor accidentally dictated a medication in mg instead of mcg?
Most people have no clue how complicated the medical language is, made more difficult by fast-speaking foreign doctors (or mumbling, slurring Americans) dictating in noisy places who don't really care if you understand what they are saying or not (but the person paying you certainly cares!)
c-phone
what is a c-phone, how does this work, how necessary is it to purchase one??
C-phone
Thanks for the response. Phyllis
as far as the C-phone is concerned...sm
the MTSO doesn't always get to pick the method of voice files. The hospital does. So if it's a place that uses the Dictaphone C-phone, ya gotta get if you want the job. I do a PT account that uses a C-phone and I've made scads and scads of easy money. Best account I ever had. Pays gross lines and blank lines! American dictators. They call us and apologize if they slur a word that we can't hear. I would cry if I found out I passed up that baby because of a lousy 400 bucks. But I think she said if you didn't want to pay the 400 bucks, she wasn't offended - just don't apply.
phone interview
I am having my first phone interview today with a company. Can someone please tell me what I should expect from this? Thanks.
Phone interviews
I am a recent graduate from At Home Professions, and I have a couple of phone interviews coming up. I already passed their online tests. Can anyone give me any advice on phone interviews. What kind of questions do they ask? What information should I be prepared with? Any help or advice would be appreciated Thanks.
Phone interviews
I've had phone interviews where they just asked me questions about which hours/days I wanted to work and to review my resume.
Then, I've also had phone interviews after passing the online exam that asked me to move away from my PC and reference books, get pen and paper, and then rattled off about 40 questions ranging from medication usage, meanings of medical terms, expanded abbreviations, body parts, spelling tricky medications and longgggg medical words, etc.
I'll never forget when I was asked to tell the recruiter what EGD stood for and also to spell it!
I told her, first off that is a word that most docs can't even say, no less spell and you want me to attempt it? lol Recruiter laughed, and laughed again when I told her I spell it by typing *egd and watch it magically appear on my screen. lol
Just relax during your phone interview(s) and don't be afraid to tell them you are a bit nervous if you feel that way.
The more you interview with different companies, the better you will get at it.
Good luck to you!
DSL operates over the phone line
The presence or absence of satellite service is irrelevant.
C-Phone/Dial-in Dictation?
Can someone explain to me how a C-phone works. Currently, I am working for a company that uses the WinScribe dictation platform via the internet. Prior to this, I had only transcribed via microcassette tapes. I look forward to an answer as I am clueless about this. Phyllis
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.
BCB PC-Dart C-Phone information
Does anyone know anything about this transcription system or know where I can find the company on the web? Thank you in advance for any help.
God Bless.
Can she get a cell phone signal where she is at.
I also cannot get DSL or cable, but I do get a strong cell signal where I am at so I got wireless broadband through my cell phone provider. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile all offer internet service and you do not have to already have a phone through them. I went with Sprint as they offer the fastest speeds in my area.
As for CS, I graduated 2 years ago and have never had an issue finding a job. I had 3 job offers within a week of graduating. I don't know if I was lucky or what. I have heard many CS grads lately complaining that they can't find jobs. I wonder if the marketplace is just becoming saturated with new grads and so it is more competitive than when I graduated.
Good luck to your SIL. Hope it works out for her.
I have a phone interview with Medivoxx next Tuesday.
Any info on what to expect during this phone interview is much appreciated. Do you feel that there is a good chance for hire since I made it to this point with them?? Thanks!
Yes, but make sure your cell phone contract allows
xx
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.
It's rare to get the 2nd phone line reimbursed, so need to think about that cost, too. nm
s
Do not post names, e-mail addresses or phone numbers. (NM)
x
Got to transcriptiongear.com and then click on Transcribe Equipment. The C-phone is down the list a
s
You need a second phone line for Cphone. It's an automatic dialer with a footpedal
s
it is a type of internet connection faster than dialup but still uses a phone line
but you can use your phone and be online at the same time.
Thanks! Turns out they forgot to send me the info containing the phone number to call!! Got it now.
Thanks again.
Good. The lab book was a good choice.
Be sure you look through each book when you get it. Put tabs on sections you will want to refer to quickly. I know my lab book (not Stedman's) has all kinds of extra sections. I think my next purchase would be the cardiac book. Then neuro or OB-GYN after that, depending on which you are getting more of in your work.
that's good to know
At least there's a little hope for me
Good for you!! - nm
.
Good for you!
.
I know a good MT when I see one - regardless of
credentials, school or references. One run through the grammar screening knocks most of 'em right out of the ballpark...
good for you, 10/cpl is good
/
That is good
That is great to hear that someone else was exactly where I am now. Where did you land your first job, not the MTSO, the other one?
I do not think I am TOO GOOD.
companies that pay these low wages are taking advantage of new MTs that don't know their value yet. The MTs that received this offer had all spent thousands of dollars and a lot of time learning to become an MT. I just don't know why anyone would sell themselves short for 5 cpl ($10 an hour is generous by the way as most new MTs won't get to 200 lph). As I said, there are companies out there that pay better. If you are trying to help, steer the newbies to these companies, not the companies that have a reputation for not respecting their MTs. If you take the time, do your research, and graduate from a good school, you should have no problem finding a good job. I had 4 offers before I even got my final score. My first company paid 7 cpl and after 6 months, I took on my own client making just about double that.
good to know!! Thank you!
good to know!! Thank you!
Good For You!
My late Mother did the same thing. We didn't do homeschooling, but she did it all and did it exceptionally well. She was brilliant but never acted like it. She was a taxi to more than the 6 kids in our family. She taught piano, voice, directed the church choir, wrote plays (we were in them), was busy in RNC fund-raising, and on and on.
We just called her "Mother."
So good luck to you. It really warms my heart to hear stories like yours. As for the MT thing, it sounds like you could teach yourself. That's what I did.
Good luck!
Appy anywhere and everywhere. There are a lot of companies who say they require at least 2 years experience, but you would be surprised at how many will give someone who has just graduated a chance. If you pass their test they will hire you, 2 years or not. I know from experience. I graduated last year and I applied to every ad that had a 2 year minimum, before I graduated. I got hired 1 week before I graduated, and I have been working ever since. Good Luck!
Nothing is good for a newbie.
Ya, I think I won't take the job because it may be a little difficult. That's real smart.
I have not heard anything good about it.
If you are looking for a quality MT education, the gold standard training comes from Andrews and M-Tec. Some graduates of Career Step have had good luck in finding and keeping employment also. The top schools turn out job-ready MTs. Employers are eager to hire them. The cheaper schools do not turn out graduates that employers are eager to hire.
What do you consider a good living?
I'm thinking of work from my house instead of the office, changing careers.
a good living
Sounds like you are quite successful. Please share with me what is involved in actually earning this level of income. Have you been at it for a long time? How many hours/week do you work? Thanks. I'm strongly considering MT but I hear such variables on the pay.
good point
Knowing that pay=production can be a great motivator, especially if you are working for a company that provides consistent work flow and good HR relations.
Thanks for your input.
Good point!
Peggy, what excellent advice! I had not heard it put that way, and after thinking about it, I know you're right! thanks for opening my eyes to think "bigger".... better to be excellent, and more "employable", than to be somewhat limiting. I do plan to study in such a way as to be excellent! That's just the way I'm "built"! :) thanks again for your post.... -Anne (amh) :)
This is a good start for you (sm)
In light of the fact that you are new, this is an excellent rate of pay with a reasonable (generous, really) production requirement, even though you may not be able to meet it at first.
Add 20-25% to it for the benefits and you'll be making more on the lines of $13.08. As an on-site employee you will not have to pay self-employment tax or overhead.
When people scoff at this rate of pay, remember that everyone starting out in a new career field starts at the bottom. You have to work your way up. As an MT, your value lies in your ability to produce quantity work while maintaining high quality. Newbies aren't able to produce much while maintaining quality.
The incentive pay makes this better, and if it has good benefits, then you're doing well.
The most important thing about this job is that it will give you experience. You NEED that experience. If you can get it while being paid hourly, so much the better.
Unless someone scoffing at this can produce a job for you which pays better, do not listen to them.
If you do not have a job and you need a job, you are in no position to be turning one down because it doesn't pay top dollar. Take this job and do your best with it.
Yes, this is still a good field!
Hey Porr - Welcome! First of all, you have come one of the most negative MT sites on the internet. If you are easily discouraged or depressed, I would advise you NOT to come to this site. I have been an MT for over 30 years and every time I come to this board, I leave so dejected, I wonder if I have wasted my life doing MT. I have finally realized that this board drags me down, so I don't come here very often. The people who do come on here legitimately, come to relieve their frustrations, get advice, vent about work situations, etc.... we are not all this stressed out all the time  But there are a lot of really good people on here, too, and you can get a lot of valuable knowledge, you just have to learn who the "trolls" are and ignore them (easier said than done at times!) The MT world is undergoing a lot of changes these days. A lot of work is being sent offshore and now they have the voice recognition platform that they are working on. The nationals make you feel very unappreciated, but I have worked for doctors, hospitals, clinics and had my own service for a while, and there are a lot of people out there who will appreciate your skills, just not the large nationals. Stay away from them until you are more seasoned, then, if you feel like tackling one of them, I say go for it. They have their negatives, but you will gain valuable knowledge and you will be able to get a job just about anywhere with one of the nationals on your resume.
This is a great field, just keep your nose to the grindstone and stay away from negative websites (). Do not let the comments you read here sway you one way or the other. I find this to be a personally rewarding field to work in. I hope that you do, too! Hang in there and don't give up!
Good luck!
You can't give up hope if this is the field you want to work in. I had been doing my job for 17 years and needed something new. I did a lot of research and liked the opportunites that being an MT provided. I'm sure it would not be for everybody, but I love what I do and have great docs to transcribe for. Plus, perhaps more important, it is an ongoing learning process. I like to stay challenged and this job certainly does that. Good luck to you!!
Good point..lol
nm
another good response!!!
nm
Good schools??
How do you determine what is a good reputable school and which one is a waste of money & time?
Thank you!
The Good Schools
Andrews and M-Tec. Career Step is also considered to be a good school. Andrews and M-Tec are the gold standard, the Harvard and Yale, of MT training. Their graduates have no difficulty finding work because employers know those schools turn out job-ready MTs.
It has good advice.
Good luck!
Is this a good field to go into?
Does this line of work have a future? Is it a good field to go into? I welcome your opinions.
Good News
Finally, some good news for a change!!
That is pretty good.
That is a lot better than what I am making. I am making only 3.0 cents per line independent contractor status, which is ridiculous. This should be a crime to pay an MT this low of a rate. I am currently in the process of looking for a new job.
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