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my work/child care issue

Posted By: newbi on 2006-04-16
In Reply to: MT Moms w/small kids - Fairly New MT

I was having the same issue. I was having my 3-year-old daughter go to my sister's to save money and one morning, she refused to get out of the van. What I did was change my hours from 4-8 AM and 2-6 PM. These hours work perfect for me. She gets up around 7 and I will take 10 minutes to get her breakfast. She knows that when I am done working, I will get her dressed, etc. My line count DOUBLED when I changed to this. She is getting so much more attention from me, my house isn't trashed and if I go to bed at 9, i get 7 hours of sleep. Getting up that early stinks, but it is working absolutely perfect in every other aspect. My son and husband get home around 3 and 3:30, so she only has to occupy herself or watch cartoons for about 1-2 hours.

I'm sure you will find something that will work for you and your family.


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Apply for child care assistance and put the kids in daycare.
You can't juggle all that. Either that or have the father watch his own kids for a while so you can work.
What program is not teaching the difference between acute care and clinic work?
I have seen quite a few questions about this lately and was just wondering.
I only wish I had the legal ability to put child in

DC.  I have been keeping my GC every other weekend for 2-1/2 years and that changes and gets added to depending on my "kid's" need to "still be a kid."  I'm the only stable, learning, unconditional love environment for that child but I'm really being taken advantage of.  I've changed my schedule 3 times since October and now my "kid" took a new job without talking to me about it first.  The "kid" gives me less than 12 hours notice and thinks it's like the old days when my flexibility was limitless.  I'm an employee now with a strict schedule and a supe who calls if I'm not on the system when I should be.  They understand if I can let them know in advance but if someone runs late picking up my GC, I don't have advance knowledge of that.  I thought I was done raising kids!


Sorry for the self pity trip but I understand your situation and how it pulls at your heart.  Hope things go well for your family. 


I'm in shock. She brought the child over to me
and it was her idea. wow. Don't know what I will do tomorrow but I will figure it out. Such a sweet little child...I'll always be her grandmom and won't push her mom away because she will need to go back once my kid has grown a bit more.
This issue
I have to just say that there are times when my children like to watch TV and we ONLY watch things that are geared towards learning and school readiness. I do like to work during that time. I really don't think that the original poster is trying to say that the TV is her babysitter. She just knows that it helps give you a little bit of extra time to get a little bit of work done. My children are two and three also. They have lots of special time with Mommy and Daddy, but they know I work during their favorite shows. We are in playgroups twice a week and they spend time twice a week with thier granddad. He loves that one on one and it is very affordable, obviously!! Your kids can watch TV, but just make sure they are doing lots of other stimulating and social things. It really takes time to do what is best for YOUR family. Please do not let anyone tell you the right way to parent your own children. We get along just fine with an hour or so of TV a day. Sometimes more depending on how the day is going. I have polite, sweet, cheery, social, adorable, loving children and on some days Barney is their best friend. So what!!There comes a point when you have relax, spend time with the kids and work when it is convenient. Until my kids are in school full time, we are taking things as they come and I found a flexible company to do that. Good luck.
I have the same issue

I have new headphones too so I don't think it's a headphone issue here.  Unfortunately, the tape quality is so poor I don't think hearing from both sides will make much of a difference - at least for me anyway.  I just deal with it.  :)


 


I don't know if it would be an issue if you

lived overseas.  Many ads say no offshore MTs, but I don't know how they feel about an American that was overseas and if that would an issue for you or not. 


 


Some input on the AHP issue
I am an MTSO. I hire MTs. I have learned through bitter experience that applicants who received their training through PCDI or AHP do not have sufficient skills to perform at a level I consider acceptable, so I no longer even bother to test them. It is a waste of their time and mine. I am not aware of any MTSOs in my area who look favorably on applicants "trained" by AHP or PCDI.

You will hear from a few people who say they became employed with substandard training. They were not hired by me or by anyone I know in the MT business.

Just my $0.02.
In testing I don't see an issue either way, but in
real dictation q.d. should always be daily.  Putting q.d. after a medication is where there was an issue that caused it to be changed to daily to start with. 
ANYONE will hire grads. That's not the issue...
poster was trying to say a graduate of the top 3 is equivalent in the job market to someone with 2 years experience.
This same issue was on the WAHM site. sm
Someone also commented that Hillary had said the same thing. I put that some companies have decided to bring there stuff back home anyways. Saw it on the evening news one night. Don't ask when since I have a hard time remembering which day of the week it is these days. So hopefully whatever happens with the presidential election they will see that this is very important to offer more jobs to the US citizens that so desperately need to work.
Just my 2 cents.

Jenn
One issue not addressed by "Threats to MT"...
When people are discussing the future of the MT occupation, most of the talk about threats revolves around outsourcing, EMRs, and VR technology. One thing I HAVEN'T seen mentioned is the potential effect any significant reforms in the US health care system would have on those employed in these kinds of positions. If we change the way health care works in this country, it isn't inconceivable that jobs like MT and coding would be dramatically impacted. Has anyone done any thinking about this? Granted, reforms - if they happen - are not likely to take place anytime terribly soon, but it still seems like a reasonable topic for discussion, particularly since the government is now actively discussing this as a priority measure.

Thoughts?
They'll need your SS# to issue your 1099 at the end of the year.
nm
All I can tell you is I have been watching this issue very closely for the past 5 years...

and have seen a definite trend afoot. Let me say I have over 20 years experience in health care and MT. I also own a transcription service. I spend a lot of time networking with other people in this field. This is what I see.


1) Nearly all the major transcription services have gone to Voice Recognition platforms.(See Company Board) When they did this, they chopped the wages in half, with the idea that you should be able to produce twice as much edited work as transcribed work. However, this penalizes the fast experienced transcriptionist. It was nothing to be able to make $30-$40 an hour if you were good. As an editor, you make approximately $12. It is very difficult to increase production as an Editor - there are just not many tricks.  In addition, they also have gone offshore, nearly 100% of the big companies. We are not talking small change here. We are talking about a major shift.


2) A significant number of medical offices are switching to electronic medical record systems (EMR) which often have a computerized charting component that would replace medical transcription. We definitely are seeing FREQUENT posts about people losing accounts to EMR.


3) Every year, the physicians coming out of medical school are more and more comfortable with technology.  They live and breath with their laptops. They pay their bills on-line, they get their music on line, they find houses, cars and dates on line. They can type faster than I can. They will certainly be even less resistant to technology.


4) The AAMT which could have been the unified voice among MT's to deal with these challenges, has sold out for getting more members overseas - an untapped market to buy books, training, and equipment. $Cha-Ching$! And they ditched us.


So, say you have 150,000 jobs in an industry and 1/3 are lost to off shore and 1/3 are lost to voice recognition and EMR. What kind of competition do you think is going to be left among the remaining 1/3?   Do you think you, as a newbie, are going to be able to compete? Do you think wages are going to go UP if there are more than enough transcriptionists, all competing for the same job?


So you can be scared and upset and deny it's happening...or you can adapt...Me? I enrolled in nursing school. When MT collapses, which I believe it is on the verge of, I will be ready.


 


You still skirted the issue. Please answer the questions so you may have more newbies. Otherwise,
??
I could care less what school you went to...
but as a medical transcription service owner, I am astonished at the amount of new MT's that want the same pay as experienced MT's. Why would I hire someone who has absolutely no experience with working at home, researching words, working with a software program -- all things I have to teach them -- when I can just hire someone who has been doing it for years for 6-7 cents per line. Yea, I know, I know, y'all are going to tell me stories about how you got a job that paid 8 cpl when you were fresh out of school...all I know is I see all the time people on this board crying that they can't find a job anywhere they look. All I know is I worked for peanuts so I could get the experience, then the jobs were whereever and whatever I wanted.
Is this acute care?
My first MT job was as a secretary/transcriptionist at a doctor's office. I don't know how many lines I typed back in those days, but I remember training on acute care at the next job. I probably typed 400 lines my first day, but my mentor pushed me to keep making progress. If you are doing acute care, maybe they can start you on one particular work type to help you get your rhythm going, but they will be doing you a big favor if they agree to it. The other MTs will probably complain if they notice it. Maybe there is a particular work type nobody likes, like sleep studies, EEGs, EKGs, etc. At least it would give you a break from all the drug names, and the shorter reports don't seem so daunting to some newbies.
Acute care
  Sorry this question is so basic, but in classifides, what exactly does Acute Care experience mean?
Acute care is also known as the Big 4, which is
H&Ps
Consults,
OP notes,
Discharge summaries.

Sometimes ads will say acute care without OP notes, other times it will say heavy OP notes, other times just a mix. Acute care is extremely varied, covering dozens of specialties and hundreds of different dictators. Clinic work is usually easier just because there is more repetition of dictators and usually fewer specialties to learn. Besides these types there is radiology, pathology, and now and then you may see ER notes.



Acute Care?
I read a lot about "acute care". What exactly is this and why is so desired as a job?

Since I am still researching this career I'd like to know some of the basic job possibilities.

What is meant by the "Basic 4"?

Thanks to all!
Acute Care

I am a new Transcriptionist and have been looking for a company that will hire me right out of school.  I see alot of postings for ACUTE CARE.  What exactly is acute care, and why are there so many postings for it?


Thanks!


Acute care...

All right...I'm gonna do it, ask a very dumb question.  What kind of transcribing is "acute care"?  Is that by any chance transcribing for an emergency room at a hospital?  I see it all the time and have never really known what it applies to.


Acute care
Acute care is the basic 4; History and Physicals, Consultations, Discharge Summaries, Operative Reports, and usually Emergency Room reports thrown in the mix. Acute care is hospital work as opposed to clinic work where you type only office visits. Much more knowledge and experience needed to do Acute care.
ACUTE Care versus other.

What defines someone to be an acute care MT as to a multi-specialty MT.  What is the difference?  Sorry if this is a dumb question..


Thanks!


 


is it acute care or one specialty sm
progress notes? Progress notes are progress notes.
Not acute care but psychiatry
It is not acute care but psychiatry filse
Acute care understanding
What exactly is Acute Care??
Acute care is usually gonna be
your basic 4 worktypes. H&P's, Operative Reports, Consultations, and Discharge Summaries. Normally what you would transcribe in a hospital setting or working for a national that does transcription for a hospital.
Is this post for real? Take care of your
or napping.
What does acute care involve?
I have only typed clinic notes for an orthopedic surgeon. I have noticed that there are a lot of jobs for acute care and was just wondering.
What does acute care involve?
Basically, specialities you would encounter in a hospital setting, including surgical, procedures (i.e., cardiac catheterization, GI, GU, EEG, etc.), endocrine, neurology, hematology/oncology, internal medicine, etc. To name a few report types, discharge summaries, clinic notes, history & physical examinations, psychiatry, etc.
I started at 6.5 cpl for acute care.
I had 3 offers (2 of them before I even received my final exam scores):  One for 6 cpl no spaces, one for 5.5 cpl for straight transcription and 2.5 cpl for VR editing, and 6.5 cpl for acute care.  I took the 6.5 cpl since it was the highest cpl, but found that the account was awful.  It was mostly ESLs (probably more than 90%).  I could work a whole 8-hour shift without a single EFL (English as a first language) and most of the docs were new residents that had no idea how to dictate a report.  It was awful.  I had times where I could get 200-220 lph so I knew I could do the lines with decent doctors, but most days all I had were ESL residents and my average was more like 120 lph, so I didn't even make minimum wage.  I worked there for 6 months just to get the acute care experience and then began hunting for a better job.  I now work for a clinic that pays me 13.5 cpl and also for an MTSO that pays 7 cpl, but it took me several months of testing and turning down offers as I was not going to work for less than 7 cpl and did not want to work weekends. 
6.5 cpl for acute care and then to 7.5 within 6 months - NM
xx
What is considered acute care?
I know it is definately a newbie question, but what exactly is considered acute care versus clinical?  Can you give me some examples?  Thanks!!!
Sounds like my DH, doesn't care that he - sm
is leaving behind a wife and 2 kids(me and our children)---and I presume you have at least 1 child from your name. I hope you had life insurance already in place since no one will undoubtly touch him now. ---Good luck in your new job.
I'm not sure employers care, I would make sure

to pick a training program on the AHDI list ...


http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm


Has anyone used the AIM program for learning acute care? Can
s
Allied doesn't care if you learn anything OR if you get a job. They just want their $$. nm
x
Acute care would be a history and physical or
A clinical report would be what a physician dictates from his office when he sees patients.  Sometimes, it gets sketchy with outpatient surgery clinics.  Acute care is usually work dictated from a hospital setting and clinical work is dictated from a physician's office, which could be a cardiologist, urologist, etc. 
Acute care is also called basic 4, which is

H&Ps, discharges, Ops, and consults.  Clinic can vary from a doctor's office to an in-hospital clinic.  The in-hospital clinic might be a little more technical than an office and the format may/may not be similar. 


In my experience clinical is not a lot of medical terminology and the drugs tend to be the same ones over and over again.  I liked doing clinic work in that I knew what sickness was going around and what the recommended course of treatment was.  With clinical dictation you also tend to have the same doctors every time so you get to know them and can make lots of normals, which will have you producing more lines.  It can get boring though to have the same person over and over. 


The line rate is usually higher for acute care too. 


 


what is the difference between clinic and acute care reports?

----


Would the open positions be for acute care or clinic? FT or PT? Thx! nm
s
Care to reread your post. How does crow taste?
 
I did 10 years ago and have worked at home doing acute care ever since! sm
They prepare you for the real world of working from home.  It is worth every penny! 
try to stick to ACUTE care. You don't want to find yourself 'stuck' in one area.

Acute care is considered hospital transcription - discharges, history/physicals, consults, and op
s
I've seen awful work from "experienced MTs and good work from new graduates
I've seen awful work from "experienced MTs and good work from new graduates.

Training and education really does make a difference. Some people just have 15 or 20 years of very bad experience. They may be fortunate that one employer was willing to hire and keep them, but if that one closed, they would be in trouble. It all depends on the person. some new graduates are a better bet then some experienced MTs. I would prefer to find an experienced MT with great skills and a teachable attitude, but many experienced MTs know everything and are only willing to do things the way they've always done them.
most psych work is included in multispecialty hospital work..sm
contracted to a medical transcription service that requires multispecialty experience because of the hospital work. Unfortunately, very rarely can a medical Transcriptionist these days be given only one specialty when working for a service or hospital. We have to be well versed in multi specialties. The Turn Around Time on demands have increased, and thus the service or hospital gives the MT many different types of work. Learn as many specialties and gain as much experience in different specialties, which in turn will make you a more valuable MT and more apt to gain employment.
Just be sure not to pay for work. There is an MTSO below who apparently charges to work for them (sm
It might be tempting when you're getting desperate for work to pay someone so you can work for them, but don't do it. You can buy software and a foot pedal on your own, so don't let them fool you. If you are approached via e-mail from this site by an MTSO saying they have work for you, please read the posts below before making any decisions.
Can you share where you work that the work is plentiful? nm
s
Work for MTs
I was hired before I even graduated or had begun job hunting by a large transcription company. It was the easiest job I have ever gotten. I was hired because I attended a top-notch school (M-TEC) and did well in the program. There are plenty of jobs for well trained MTs, even new ones.