It depends on what type of General Transcription
Posted By: LinK on 2008-05-28
In Reply to: Hi I'm a newbie. Has anyone done general transcription? - rosetta
Focus groups can be hard because there are multiple speakers, speakings talking over one another, background noise, etc. Some is just one person speaking which can be very easy. I once did a motivational speaker. The pay is usually by audio hour. The best thing I like about general transcription is that a lot of companies don't have production requirments. There are a couple companies that if they have work for you, they'll ask you if you can do it and if you can't that's fine. I guess it's whether you like that type of work better than MT. Also, when doing focus groups some are specialized and there's another whole type of terminology to learn which can be just has hard.
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Have you tried general transcription?
x
General Transcription
I go to a great site that has all the information you need on general transcription jobs. I'm not sure if I can post it here. You can email me if you'd like.
General Transcription
GT may be easier to break into. I worked for a large insurance company and did recorded statements (sometimes at work and sometimes at home). They were easy and fun, I thought. But then, I did medical transcribing when no one else wanted to do it -- a lot of people did not know what it was. And I loved it -- dictabelts, IBM Selectric, and all types of acute care --
H&P's, Discharge Summaries, Labor and Delivery Records, Pathology Reports, X-ray Reports, you name it.
If you love challenge -- you'll fit right in with whatever type.
Hi I'm a newbie. Has anyone done general transcription?
If so, I am curious how it compares to medical transcription. Is is easier? Thanks.
It depends on what type of work (sm)
you intend to do. I would personally choose Multispecialty. You will learn the most there as far as variety and that will be a good base for you moving forward. Radiology is also good, but if you go that route you will limit yourself in terms of what jobs you can apply for. So, it might possibly be easier now for testing purposes, but it could cost you later on. 
General question regarding transcribing
I have been doing a lot of tests lately trying to land myself a steady job. At the moment I only do overflow and fill in and haven't worked in over a week. I have noticed that when given a test file you are not told if it is a H&P, Discharge, Consult, etc. How do you know how to set it up? What I have been doing is just typing until I can tell what it is and then setting it up with headings and such. If I land a job than doing it this way would be time consuming. Any suggestions? Thank you.
General critique on communication style
Perfect practice makes perfect.
I read postings from new or student MTs and I am appalled at the errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and the like. When the old pro's use contractions or abbreviations, I presume they are doing it for the purpose of saving time. When newbies (a contraction of a sort)do so, I wonder if they are aware of the impression they are making. Why not practice doing it right?
If I were looking at this site for someone to hire, and I did so several months ago, I would not touch a lot of you, because either you do not have good communication skills, do not care, or do not take the time to make your postings look good. This, obviously, does not apply to everyone.
Transcription is not like instant messaging. I know what im means, but I do not want to see it from a transcriptionist, unless that Transcriptionist is instant messaging.
Just a suggestion, if you are a new transcriptionist, or aspiring to become a transcriptionist, practice doing it well. Read your posting to see if it looks good and is grammatically correct. Again, perfect practice makes perfect.
If I am totally off base with the above, I know lots of you out there will tell me.
I guess most of us weren't responding to that...just commenting in general. sm
...especially regarding the comments of the comment on the comment....ya know?
that is rude of you to type that.
I'm sure that is why you did not post a screen name. Worried people may start screening your typos too.
If you don't absolutely know it, don't type it.
Blank it. Don't just type what you hear. Know what you are typing.
average MT can type 200 LPH...but...nm
With these new online programs, post DOS programs where we really cleaned up, that has dropped for some to between 130-175 LPH....A great MT should be able (pre online programs I do believe, my opinion only) to type nearly 2000 lines in an 8-hour period or 10-hour period. If I could do that on DOS programs, anyone could, and privately I still work on a faithful DOS program and for 10 years.
Decades of typing pre MT work helped and then 25 years of doing MT work is what makes some of us pros.
Go to rxlist.com and type in what
it sounds like to you. They will have a list come up with any drugs that s/l what you typed in and it lists what they are for and generic names if appropriate. If you can't hear but the ending of a drug - for example "illin" is all you can make out type in *illin and it will list all drugs with that ending and maybe you can figure out the rest that way. If ever in question never guess on meds.
A lot of times new drugs may not be on rxlist, in which case you have to google, but be sure you have a reliable source as there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on google.
I have Quick Look on my computer and it is very helpful. There are so many drugs, some you will have frequently and some that you may have once a year or so, and then new drugs are added all the time.
You'll get better with practice, but you'll have to do a lot of looking up in the meantime.
When I go to the drugstore I walk up and down the aisles and look at products on the shelf. At the pharmacy if I am able to see meds from the counter I look at the names. New meds usually have ads in magazines and on TV and I make notes about them.
Check out the All Type ad
They may consider you.
diabetes mellitus (cap or not?) type 2.
Is the word "type" capped?
thanks
type 2 is correct, no caps
x
What type of education did you get? What did you study?
??
Please don't type in all caps, it comes across as yelling. (SM)
You might get more responses if you downplay the tone a bit by that one simple change.
Goldbird
Their website looks like a school of some type. sm
Were you offered a job, or are they trying to sell you a training course in MT? If the latter, I wouldn't take it. I don't see anything on their website about hiring transcriptionists.
I'm like you, type, then go back and relisten. I used to just
read but kept falling asleep. I just turn the speed up several notches and relisten and it isn't so bad. I actually am sometimes able to get a blank with the speed up that I couldn't when I played it several times at regular speed.
what type of reports are you typing?
I do alot of psyche and some of my reports range from 150-450 lines per report. So when you look at it like that it is not bad. On the other had if you are doing radiology that would be totally different. Again some of mines average from 15-30 lines. That is with a 65 character line.
Freedom Type? Information?
Does anybody know anything about Freedom Type? Is it a good place to work, pay well, give newbies a chance, etc.? Let me know. Thanks.
Type, obviously, not taype, but at least it's just a TYPO. nm
x
no the word type after diabetes mellitus....nm
/
A specialty usually refers to the type of dictation
For example, cardiology, neurology, GI, hem/onc..... I have seen where some MTs just transcribe ER or just OPs, so I guess that application you filled out is strictly acute care and are looking for actually your preference amongst those particular choices.
LMAO, thanks everyone for your comments, maybe we type too fast and are not looking at the screen,LO
Or maybe we just like to irritate the ol MT's with spelling mistakes. LOL
Easy or not will depend totally on the type of dictators
s
First of all, there are so many variables...work type, formatting, platform, etc. SM
It is possible to make that kind of money, but I would not expect that for a long, long time. Making money depends macros, focus, work type, pay for lph, not having to look things up (for me its drugs), stuff like that, but most of all be persistent. I have never made $40,000, but I know people who do.
Short for waveform.....type of sound file.
xx
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.
Just type what you hear. Lots of things are repeated in differnent notes.
s
Usually the type of software - eScription, ExText, ChartScript, Crescendo, Fusion,
s
It depends...SM
I have some very good dictators who dictate in quiet areas, but I have others who dictate from their cell phones, which is horrible. I also have one who dictates from the cafeteria in a children's residential center with kids screaming and hitting things in the background. The good news, however, is that after you have done those dictators several times, you begin to understand them even when the sound quality isn't that great. Don't get discouraged. You eventually develop an ear for it and can learn to block out the background noise. Good luck!
It depends on whether
you need to hone your typing skills or not. Knowing your word processor helps a lot. I worked with MSWord for years prior to changing careers. However, my first two employers needed Word Perfect knowledge. Not much difference there. Aside from your typing skills, work on listening skill, too. For me, the toughest was learning the medical terms for each area but you'll get the hang of it.
It depends...
I have made, starting out hourly, about $8 an hour (8 years ago), then started at another hospital 5 years ago, started at 12 something an hour, then we got incentive pay and with incentive sometimes made up to $16 an hour. If you have high line counts you can make 20+ per hour. But of course also depends on how they calculate a line count......good luck!
It really depends
on the company you work for. If you are just looking for a pedal to do practice work or test files, I recommend an Infinity pedal. I got mine brand new on ebay for about $20.00. It's a 15-pin serial port pedal and works great with Express Scribe. But each company has different requirements, so if you haven't gotten a job yet, just remember that you may have to purchase another pedal to meet their requirements (that will work with their software).
depends who else wants the job
if experienced people are getting 7, you probably won't have a chance.
It depends on why you want to do MT...
There are lots of changes in the field right now. Many are just trying to hold on until retirement. Some believe jobs will always be there. It is a good job if you want to work from home. It is not a good job if you hope to become rich or if you are not self-motivated. Think about it and decide if it is for you or not.
Depends.
Some doctors will never be voice recognized because they are terrible dictators. If you get onto an established account, then you will have less typing but you will never have 100% editing.
Depends on the MT - 1.5 hr to 3, 4,
It varies with the MT and with the dictator. Very experienced MTs might take only 1.5 hours. Others might take 2-3 hours. New MTs might take more, and student MTs might take . . . days.
If there is a lot of material in the 1 hour's worth of dictation, then it will take longer. If there is a lot of dead air, it might be possible to transcribe it in an hour flat.
Depends on if you want a job or not.
If you need to work at home and want to get a job right out of school, there are only two reliable choices, Andrews or MTec.
Read the archives. Look at the numbers of people who complain about not being able to get a job after graduating. It's not because there are no jobs -- jobs in MT go begging. It's not because they're stupid, either. It's because only two schools teach MT effectively enough to virtually guarantee you a job. They cost more for a reason--they have hgh-quality programs with instructors.
National services will test and hire their grads without hesitation, and those grads invariably get up to speed quickly and make it past the 2-3 month point of employment.
I think that depends on the company
I think some companies but a time frame on when you can test again if you do not do well the first time. Good luck
Depends on how fast you are...sm
I would hazard a guess that a beginning MT, working on a new account alone at home, with unfamiliar words, having to re-listen, research, might make...mmm $4 an hour? That's why experience is so valuable.
depends upon the company
The company I'm an IC with is located in CA but I live in TN. Since I've had a problem with my sleep for *years,* it was an ideal situation in terms of what accounts to put me on. I'm in charge of H&Ps on three specific accounts. They need the reports by 6 a.m. their time, which is 8 a.m. my time. No problem. It's rare for me to sleep until 4:45 a.m. Usually, I'll get up around 2:30 to 3 p.m. I just go back to sleep for a few hours when the morning rush is done. My work day ends by 4 p.m. my time, which is 2 p.m. their time.
depends on the hospital
There is hospital near me who will take on beginning MT's who have typing and medical terminology skills. They work with you for up to a year before you go on your own. They pay about $11.75 an hour to start. But, then there is another hospital that requires years of experience. You need to check with you local hospitals to see what their requirements are.
depends on how much schooling they go for
After high school, go into the armed forces or live at home for a while with mom and dad.
Same to be said for most 2-year associates degree.
After BS degree, probably can find something to sustain independent living. Absolutely after a masters. Pick of your field with a PhD.
That is today's reality. Don't just wait for your kids to finish high school. I would recommend (and probably get kicked around for saying so) taking the kids to Belgium to finish schooling is much better and if they finish in the top percentiles, their college education is also free. Belgium kids routinely score 40% higher than their US equivalents on the very (repeat very) same tests. My nephew's presence in the US Marines was welcomed after he finished his education there. Knowing 3-4 languages fluenty in our global economy is nothing to sneeze at. If you really wants you kids to succeed and don't want to leave the US, then teach them different languages to speak and the earlier in life it is started, the easier for them to learn. Translation is going to be a necessity for doing most things in another 10 years.
It depends on the training...
that the new MT has. With proper training, it wouldn't be a problem. If you are trying to do the job without the proper training, it is much more difficult.
It depends on a LOT of things.
Have you systematically inundated companies with your resume? And what's your resume like? Is it EXCELLENT? Does it show the employer all the specialties you've learned? Does it show other experience that might be helpful, such as working at home in a home business (many employers wonder how you will handle being at home) or general transcription, etc.? Are you keeping HIGHLY accurate records of all the places you've applied to and following up with thank you notes even with the places that won't hire you? Have you reapplied after not hearing from them in a couple of weeks? Have you networked on different chat groups with other MTs? Have you placed your resume on any of the sites that take MT resumes (including this one)? What exactly have you done? We need more information!
Just depends on who you talk to
When you select a school, be sure to enroll in a program that can offer you some job support or a program like Career Step's Spheris Training Track, which can lead directly to employment. Maybe other schools have something similar. Just be really clear about what your school will provide you with when you start your job search. Some schools don't offer any support whatsoever. There are companies who hire beginners. New grads get jobs every single day. I haven't graduated yet, but I know that though sometimes it takes a while to get that first job, almost everyone at my school who has wanted a job upon graduation has found one within a couple of months, and high honors grads usually get multiple offers.
Buy Olympus DS-2. Then it depends if
you want it to be completely automated or the front desk have to drop and drag. If you want it automated, go to DocShuttle's web site and look at their DocShuttle Administrator, Dictator and Client. If you will be the only transcriptionist, then look at their Eshuttle Email program, same site. Otherwise, you can set up an FTP site and then use a free ftp software, like ftpsurfer. The front desk can drop and drag the files up to the ftp site.
Email me if you have any more specific questions... but it sounds like Eshuttle would do it.
Not a rumor ... it depends ...
If you are an employee at a company that offers benefits, then you get them. If you are an independent contractor or subcontractor, you don't.
So if you need health insurance or other benefits, you have to be an employee and work for a company that supplies benefits.
Depends on a lot of things
Depends on how long you have been working as an IC, do you have a husband that works and has taxes withheld, what deductions you have as an IC, combined income, etc. My best adcive is that if this is your first year as an IC, to go to an account with your last year's taxes, your husband's (if you are married) last pay check stub, a report of what you have made year to date and what your expenses have been and get some advice. Do not wait until after the first of the year when they are so busy. But for the first year talk to an accountant, pay $50 to $100 for some advice. They are not as busy right now and it could be cheaper than if you wait until the first of the year. Or else, get a copy of Turbo tax and try to do your taxes even it if is based on last year's program and that will tell you what you need. If you are married and have trouble putting aside money, I suggest you have your husband up his withholding, it is easier that way. E-mail me with questions and I will try and answer for you. Patti
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