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Probably make in the low teens at first, unless you get lucky with great dictators. nm

Posted By: Little Helper on 2005-09-09
In Reply to: line count - RNsusan

b


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    • Probably make in the low teens at first, unless you get lucky with great dictators. nm - Little Helper

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Getting lucky w/a great account figures in greatly. You'll be
s
Take it. You're lucky. Make sure you don't get stuck doing other secretarial stuff, tho'
s
I have to disagree. I think it's a great field and I make

You got lucky. See the tons of posts here of others who weren't so lucky. nm
x
Teens versus adults
All of this thread reminds me very much of the conversations that happened between my teenagers and my husband and I.

They insisted they were adults, they had the maturity, they knew what they were getting into, they were right, etc. My husband and I knew better; we were adults who had already been teenagers and been there, done that.

Were we hateful and rude by not giving them full rein and encouraging them to act like adults when they weren't? NO!

We did the responsible thing: We told them as fairly and truthfully as possible that while it might seem they know what they are talking about, their insistence about it showed their immaturity. It would not be fair of us, as parents, to not be up front with them, etc.

And so the story goes here. We have young ones in this profession and those who have matured in it. We simply know because we have worked for years in this industry, seeing the ups and downs of it, worked inhouse and worked at home, and already raised our children. We already know what you're facing and what you WILL face.

Lisa, however, is that teen and so are you, Dreamer, who is insistent that she knows everything already. She makes demands and thinks her way is the only way. Not so. Not so at all.


ESL dictators

I'm sure they are, but certainly there must be entry level positions that would not require ESL transcribing. I would hope to gain some on the job experience first. Just out of curiosity, I was offered a job but the contract that they wanted me to sign seemed way out of line. I'm wondering if this is customary?


Difficult dictators
Ask for one week of dictation of nothing but this one dictator.  I guarantee you after a full week of listening and getting used to the "cadence" of this particular person, you will begin to know what is being said.  ESLs oftentimes have limited vocabulary in English and you will find them using the same phrasing throughout the PE, for example, which they reel off very quickly and then will slow down for pertinent findings.  We have a few difficult dictators and have found the only way for someone to train is to do that one dictator for at least one week and no one else.  Once that occurs, you will be requesting that dictator (believe it or not) and will spin through the transcription.  I have seen it happen with at least 6 MTs already.  I hope this helps.
As far as fast dictators,
you should be able to slow it down with your program. If not, you'll just have to do a lot of stopping and starting.
ESL dictators are everywhere in the MT world.
If you can't do them, you are going to be severely limited.
Fast talking dictators
What do you guys do when you get a dictator who rattles off words so fast you have no idea what they are saying?  I have tried to slow down the dication but it still doesn't help.  I can barely make out a word this guy is saying.  Half of my typed document is blank spaces and I don't want to turn it in to QA this way.
Unfortunately, if you can't understand the dictators, you're not going to be able to do the wo
That's the reason for testing in the first place.
Easy or not will depend totally on the type of dictators
s
Guess what, it's not just the testing. MANY doctors are terrible dictators.
Sometimes the dictation they use for the test is from the actual doctors they are hiring MTs for. If you can't do it on the test, you can't do it, period.
I got lucky, too
I started 3 months out of community college training. I worked at home part time for a large, local medical group. My supervisor and most of my coworkers were always willing to listen, over the phone via the pc speakers, to a difficult place in a dictation. I have been there just over 3 years now and am very happy with them.
I actually have applied to a large nat'l for part time and/or prn work hoping to gain even more experience.

Guess I got lucky!

I worked with a great group of people who were more than happy to answer a quick question if they could, and after a while it went both ways.  I really didn't understand the competitiveness until I worked for a national inhouse when they had an office here in town.  What a rude awakening. 


You are very lucky, with 4+ years exp, I get .09 cpl - nm
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You got lucky, but it's RARE to be
able to get a job with a "cheap school" education. Many places upon hearing what type of education you have will not even let you take their employment test - and you probably would not be able to pass it even if you did. So you would end up starting all over again, spending more money for a GOOD, reputable school. Just ask the many, many people who have posted here and other places, moaning that they got excellent scores at the "cheap" school, but now cannot find a job.
I guess I was lucky
I graduated in June from At-Home Professions. I had a job a few weeks before I was finished. Now four months later I am done training and making 10-cents a line! I had a mentor until last week and now I am completely on my own working for a hospital in California in Neurology. I guess I was just lucky...keep on trying. I could not afford the "top three" schools. I feel that my school was adequate, it gave me a start and I've had to work really hard, but it has been well worth it-I am making awesome money, work about 4 hours a day and get to stay home with my 2 boys.  Find someone to mentor you-the best thing I ever did.
So you got lucky. Doesn't mean everyone will. nm
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You are very rare and lucky indeed. NM
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If you are lucky you can expect 6 cpl. nm
 
....No $40s here, but I'm lucky to only work PT. nm
s
call me lucky then, nm
nm
I'd thank my lucky stars...
... that I found out before signing on to work that they are not professional. This did not happen to me, but if it did, I'd take it as a signal to run as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

Unless, of course, they notify you that the phones are out, or the power is out, or something... there's always a way, even if it's calling from their own personal cell phone; unless, of course, their computer is down and they don't have your phone number anywhere else.... I suppose it's possible, but any other excuse short of medical emergency on their part is very, very doubtful....

Actually... on my start date with TRS, the very first thing was supposed to be a phone call from the tech guy, to get the computer set up. When he did not call at the designated time, I e-mailed the recruiter (who was my only contact person up to that point), and in about 10 minutes, the tech guy DID call, apologizing abjectly--but he had an MT whose computer system was COMPLETELY down and he was trying to get her back up and running, and was it okay with me if he called me back in half an hour or so, because she really needed to get her work done, and again he was really really sorry, but it was an unavoidable delay. Of course it was okay, and we went on from there; everybody else called me EXACTLY when they were supposed to--trainer, supervisor, HR person.

I suppose I'd wait and see if they bother to contact you at all, and then see what kind of a lame (or maybe not so lame) excuse they offer; and take all that into consideration if they offer you a job. And listen to your gut; because if you can't trust your own instincts, who CAN you trust??
PMS-ing --- you're one lucky newbie!!!
May I know what company are you working with? Thanks.
Took me 10 years to get to 9 cpl. You're the lucky one! :) nm
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better thank YOUR lucky stars. You won't see that pay scale ever again.
x
Let us know when you find a job. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones. nm
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Even some of us most experienced MTs don't make that. Make your
s
I was lucky if I made $1 an hour my first week! sm
It was horrible! After a month, I am now up to $8 an hour.(I know that is still not much!) I would look up every single drug and doublecheck the dosages. Now, I am familar with many of them and it feels good not to have to look them all up. It is great that your company thinks you are doing good work!
Most people lucky enough to be paid hourly worked on-site first.
Otherwise those jobs are very rare.
aren't we lucky this site has you to correct our spelling/grammar usage.
maybe you should consider editing.
Great way to put it

Thanks so much for your response.  That helped a lot! 


I think I am just scared and need to get over it. 


Hopefully some day soon I will be stopping by your pub as a Module 1 student. 


great
yeah, some positive messages for newbies/students!
LOL! Thanks. I did wonder a bit. Have a great
.
great
Awesome, great to hear before I waste my money! Thanks!
I know it's not great, but...
it's a start. I don't expect to become a millionaire overnight, but I didn't expect that when I took the course. I didn't say that the MTSO was sainted, and done nothing wrong. I also won't be dissappointed if my check only adverages about 400.00 a week. I don't have to pay for gas, I get to stay home with my kids, and most of all, I get the experience that I need to find a better job. And to be totally honest, since my husband is dying and can't work, and I have two small children to take care of, right now, anything is better than nothing. I know that all of you are just trying to let me know that I probably will not make as much starting out, and not to get my hopes up. I really appreciate that, but you have to understand my situation to be able to understand why I'm so excited.

I have 0 experience. This is the first company that gave me a chance. I also have an associates degree in business. As soon as I learn the ropes, and get a little experience, I plan on opening my own company. With a little hard work, I can make this job work for a while, and I am willing to do that. No one starts out at the top. I just have to be excited because right now, it's all I've got to keep from giving up all together. Please let me enjoy my happiness for a moment at least. I don't get much of it.

Everyday, I watch my husband die a little, I watch my children grow up without a father, and until now, the four of us lived off of 700.00 a month. Now, maybe I can afford to by them a bag of m&m's if they ask for it.
great
I will definately check out that website. I'm assuming it is adhi.com? And yes spell check is not a bad idea. Is there anything bad about putting medical terms that I commonly have trouble with into my user word list? My school said that spell check is a no-no but it has saved my butt a time or 2.
that is a great question
One I have been wondering myself.
Thanks for the great advice! nm

Great idea!
Thanks for the tip!
I went to a not-so-great MT school. However,
I supplemented my weak areas with other materials and was able to pass MT employment tests before even graduating my course. I did the SUM tapes for practice dictation, read every sample report I could find, and independent study for pharmacy and A&P.
Great information.
I will definitely keep that in mind.
Wow, great comeback!
nm
That's a great idea! Let's do.
Best idea I've heard all day.
I am doing just great without having gone to any MT school.

I'm sure all are great, but I chose CS.
I also posted my answer on the main board for you, but here it is again.

I am also working right now typing acute care. I was hired before I graduated, so now I'm trying to finish the course in my spare time. Andrews and M-Tec are great schools, I am sure, and any school you choose would be a good choice. Good luck!


Great way of explaining it.
I was trying to not sound so....  ya' know.  I just didn't want her to think that you needed some sort of special phone line.  However, some companies that use C-phone may require you carry a long-distance plan, but they may reimburse you.  Happy C-phoning.  I kind of liked it when I used it, but I no longer do. 
great post... nm
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Great Post!
Couldn't have said it better mahself!
great advice!
I just wanted to say I've been transcribing 10 years and I think this is FANTASTIC advice!