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I have been an MT for 6 years doing only medical record transcription.  I would like some feedback from individuals who currently do radiology transcription.  Would it be difficult for me to learn if I've only done acute care?  I see that many comment on this board reflect that a lot of people prefer radiology. What is it that you like about it? Is it easier than acute care?

Also, what is a good internet site to get sample reports?

Hi, MT's!

I'm trying to make a decision about my job, and thought maybe your input would help me put it into perspective.   I'm thinking about changing my MT job.  I have gone over a long list of the pros & cons, and still am up in the air about it, and hope to make the most informed decision possible.  Here's the situation:

I have transcribed since 1975.  I have been at my current job for roughly 29 years.  Still, I am a long, long way from retirement, if ever.  Most likely the earliest that could happen is 2025, but I'll believe it when and if it happens!   I have always worked in-house, initially for services, then for a hospital, and for the last 29 I've been at a multispecialty clinic.  20 or more years ago or more, it was a decent place to work, but that has all changed and now it's very stressful.  We get blamed for every mistake the doctors make, management communicates with us very little, and what they pay us has not even begun to keep up with the cost of living.   Still, on the plus side, my commute isn't too bad, I enjoy the variety of specialties to type, and I have the most seniority.  Although our pay isn't so great, we do have paid time off and fairly decent healthcare, though it must be at our own clinic.  We have a 401K retirement savings account through work.  Our pay is by the hour, with no overtime offered, so we have no opportunities to increase our earnings.  I've been saving to buy a condo, but at this rate it's always out of reach.

I have had my eye on a national service lately that seems to be much better than most of what you see offering jobs out there.  I have a couple friends who work at home for this service, and they recommend it very highly.  The service pays on production, and when I tally my daily work that I'm currently doing and convert it to the service's way of paying the best I can, it at least SEEMS like I could make a lot more money.  The service also has a 401K, health insurance, and paid time off.  The hours are very flexible, which for me is a huge plus.  As long as you do a set minimum amount of lines per pay period, it's all good as far as they're concerned.

Lately I've been so stressed and unhappy in my current job situation that I'm almost ready to take a cut in pay, if that's what it takes, to be able to work at home, where I can control my environment (heat, air-conditioning, light brightness, office ergonomics, etc.)  Working at home for a national would also free me up to be able to move to a less expensive area.  That would help if the pay WAS less, but if the pay was equal to or more than I'm making now, then I could be socking a lot more of it away towards a down payment on a first home.  And if I finally did get to buy that home, being able to take short, "meaningful" breaks from typing (instead of pigging out at the candy-machine) would make it possible to take care of that home, as well. 

As it stands now, my list of "pros" for taking the at-home job is quite a bit longer than the "cons".  And just the opposite for my current job.  My biggest concern is the longevity of either position.  I am reasonably sure that bit by bit, MT work in the US is going to diminish.  The question is, which one is likely to fold first?  Our clinic already sends extra work out to a service, rather than pay us overtime to do it.  Over the years our MT Dept. has shrunk considerably.  The more it shrinks, the more work gets sent out.  Although we are told otherwise, my gut feeling tells me that it will continue in this manner until the department is eventually closed, and all the work gets sent out.

But, when I read all the message boards here, and people working for MT services talk about how much of their company's work is being sent to India, or being partially transcribed with VR, I have to wonder how much longer "live" MTs are going to be around in the service venue, as well.  And I don't think being an Editor wouldn't be an option for me, either.  Not only would I be bored to tears, but instead of paying more than MT, which it should be, it appears to pay quite a bit less. 

So, if you knew you weren't going to be retiring in the next 5-10 years, and you wanted to continue being an MT (it's the only thing I know how to do), do you think there is more security in staying with a long-term employer that not only very callous towards its employees, but is slowly but surely whittling away at their transcription department?  Or would you take the "unknown road", and go with what is currently a very viable and successful national company that would let you work at home, but may already be offshoring extra work?  (I haven't been able to find out if they actually do or not.)  I don't relish the idea of having to "start over" as a new employee, but the idea of having less stress and more freedom also appeals to me quite a bit. 

If you were in my shoes, how would you base your decision? 

Thanks in advance for any ideas you can throw my way!

Can someone tell me what the going pay rate is per page for x-ray reports?  Thank you

Anyone out there use the Safetype keyboard?  I'm having some trouble with my wrists and forearms.  Ergonomic curved keyboards help somewhat, but not enough.  I still have a lot of discomfort.  Was looking into the Safetype, but wanted some opinions first from someone who has used it.  Thanks!

My apologies if posting on wrong forum, but I am beginning to get paranoid and am wondering if I'm not doing something correctly.  When I respond to an ad on MT Stars, I click on the "Apply now" button, fill out the boxes appropriately with MY email address, etc., and then click "Submit."  It tells me it has sent the message to the "Desired recipient" (employer).  Am I doing this correctly?  I have applied for so many positions, am an experienced radiology MT with 30 years' experience, and am having a hard time accepting the fact that absolutely no one is responding to my applications. I've tried Keystrokes (needed 15 MTs for rad) and others.  I check every hour to see what new ads are posted and respond within that time frame.  I know it can take a couple of weeks or longer to hear anything, but when I hear that others hear back the next day I have to wonder if I'm just not performing the application process correctly.  Any feedback would be appreciated.  I'm getting worried and cannot find work.  Thanks.

All the sudden last week, when my jobs come up on my screen, the font looks like courier new.    But the font window says it is in Times New Roman (which is what it is supposed to be).  I suppose all my jobs are uploading in the right font, but it is wierd that all the sudden they look wrong on my screen.  When I change the background color, then the font looks like it is supposed to. 

Anyone else have this happen?  Is there something I should do?

Thanks!

QWERTY ergo sum...I type, therefore I misspell.

I cannot claim the credit for this, but I thought everybody could use a little humor today. 

Hello out there - Starting position who has DQS program.

I find it to be very poor.  (In fact those who know the Meditech program - I prefer Meditech over DQS anyday)     

I have a lot of issues with the program; however, will just ask two questions, please.  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

1.  Does anyone have advice as to the quality of dictation.  I am not referring to the physicians quality, but the inability of the DQS program to have more than 4 selections for speed, which are terrible.

Is it me or is this par for the program?  1-2 speed hash marks are draggy, 3-4 is distorted.  There is not a happy medium for clear dictation but at a rate you can type quickly and accurately.

2.  Also minutes - never measured my work in minutes how many minutes a day approximately to produce 1500 lines a day ??

35+ years transcription experience - this is the worst program ever.  Hey that is just my opinion, I could be wrong (5000 lb gorilla).

It doesn't work for me to be a fulltime employee for a big national.  However, it doesn't work to be an IC for a small MTSO either.  The obvious middle of the road would be SE for a medium sized company.  However, it seems like that just takes the bad from employee and combines it with the bad from IC.  I wonder if I'll ever find a good place to work.  I should just bag MT entirely.  I know I'm not the best MT or employee.  I'm not perfect.  There are a lot better MTs out there.  I'm not all that bad either.  Maybe I could make a living posting stupid auctions on ebay. 

I was thinking about getting a 10.2" screen "netbook" or laptop for use with basically Word and the internet concurrently.  I wondered if it was feasible to use as a backup for doing transcription.  And, I'm not sure what the difference is between a netbook and a laptop.  Basically I'm wondering if a "netbook" could handle the applications necessary to do transcription, i.e., needing to have Word open, internet open, wavplayer open, and abbreviation open all at the same time.  Anyone have experience with this?  Thanks.

on ebay. I was looking for a standard cassette transcriber with foot pedal and power supply and had no luck except for very expensive ones. I tell you, having patience sure paid off.  I've looked everyday, several times a day for the past week and sure enough, there was a buy it now transcriber just posted several hours ago for....get this, $15.99 plus shipping! WOW. The seller has good feedback selling other transcription supplies and apparently had 5 machines she was trying to unload, all used, and they've all gone (except for one that is on auction). Anyhow, I'm just so pleased, I had to share.

I'm reading a new plan that my company is probably going to switch to.  I just hired on and was going to sign up for COBRA so I wouldn't have a lapse in coverage for my pre-existing conditions etc.  Here is what this new plan says "This exclusion period may be reduced by the number of days of your prior creditable coverage.  The plan is not required to take into account any days of creditable coverage that precede a break in coverage of 63 days or more." 

So, can you please interpret what this is telling me?  If I get insurance from my new company prior to 63 days after the end of my previous insurance are my pre-existing conditions covered?  I was on insurance from the previous company for close to two years.

Thanks!!!

Do they have SE and employee status or just employee? TIA!

I check the Craigslist website quite often, and on a whim I clicked on India and then jobs.  SO MANY POSTINGS FOR JOBS AVAILABLE FOR U.S. BASED COMPANIES - customer service, call centers, computer techs, and yes even MTs.  There was even one posting a few weeks ago from a "company" that would set you up with a U.S. based physical address, phone number, fax number so that you could have your business "based" in the U.S., obviously to actually be in another country and get the U.S. tax break.  Sickening

I just took a job with Amphion and was wondering if anyone else uses shorthand instead of EXText?  I like shorthand better and was wondering if it is okay to put it on my work computer? 

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hello everyone.. I don't know where to start and I'm just taking a quick break from my work
sorry if this is long, i want to get the best answer and help so i'm gonna give some background (and i dont bother usually with capitalization in my friendly emails, but i assure you it is not how i type my work).. .LOL

Anyways, I am 25 years old, have been doing transcription for seven years (my mom taught me when I was in high school). I love my job and work for two places. One is a hospital so I don't know how negotiable that pay rate is. The other one is a doctor's office.

Urology. I started with them September 11, 2001. (crazy, sad, i know)... I started at 12 cents a line.(the hospital pays me 10 cents) They are located in California, where I used to live. Two years ago, they got a new office manager (i was pretty close with the first one). Well this office manager happened to be someone I had previously worked with, who had screwed over my mom and I because they sent their work to India without EVER telling us until two days before hand (even though we told her to just tell us when it was going to happen). Well that practice eventually broke up... and what luck I had, she is now AGAIN my office manager. Well a year ago I decided I was going to move away and I bought everything for the office that they needed to go digital (we were doing tapes before). Now I live in Nevada and do their work over the internet, returning their work within 24 hours.

My question is, I think I deserve a raise, and I have no idea how to go about it. I have been with them for five years, obviously the cost of living has risen, including health care. By the way, I receive no benefits from either the hospital or the office.

Is this reasonable, and does anyone have any suggestions or pointers? I still feel pretty young and vulnerable because I have never been in a position to ask for a raise. Since I am an independent contractor, I suppose it wouldn't be asking, rather than just telling... but I want it to be more appropriate than that.

And I'm basically wondering what others are making as independent contractors, i know companies don't pay as much, but they also offer benefits...

Thanks for taking the time... back to work for me.

Emily

First of all, let me explain that I work not from dictation but a handwritten template that I fill in--typewritten "transcription" in turn.   The physician fills out the form while in the treatment room, circles correct choice from a list, etc.; sometimes the nurse does this.  I've been instructed for the third time to "type as written" when I've questioned meds or inconsistencies.  This goes against my training and principles (if that sounds sanctimonious, so be it)--when I can't reference things. I've had as much as half with questions and blanks where information was simply skipped. I don't have the patient charts to consult--just a stack of forms.  I have respect for the doctor professionally; her patients, many of whom have been coming to her for years, seem to love her.  Never had this experience before, either with transcription or as a secretary.  Most of the time my supervisors have been happy that I caught errors.  Please let me say these aren't nitpicky things--it is misspelled drugs like Demedex rather than Demadex!

The last time I said I wouldn't put my initials on the reports I questioned and was told I must put my initials "to tell who to return work to," even though I'm the only one doing transcription.  Furthermore, the office manager told me the doctor takes ultimate responsibility because it's her signature on the notes.  I'm going to comply while looking for other work, because this is one of many things we just don't see eye-to-eye on!  What do you all think?  How to deal with this?  TIA!

I hit something by mistake and now my Word document shows a little black square box at the beginning of each line; actually not every single line, but wherever I have hit "Enter" to start a new line, to the left of that new line there is a small square box on the screen. Any help to get rid of those?  Thanks.

I work at a mental health clinic as a transcriptionist/records person.  A coworker asked if I would be interested in making some extra cash by typing some documents for him and his buddies that are in college.  I am interested but have no idea WHAT TO CHARGE? 1 cent per word?  i have no idea please help.

-Gina

I'm lost as to why doctors can not just speak more clearly. I know it is possible, I have many doctors who do it. I am only 25, and I am going to be gray by the time I am 30.

Oh, I just had to come here and vent. So, thanks in advance for listening!

I have had 1 employee job and 2 IC jobs since Christmas-time and have been bait and switched up and down in all 3!  Applied for certain types of work type, certain types of benefits (the employee job), and got zip.  Then, went IC and again, applied for certain work types, certain accounts, hired and promised the world, and then never ever got the work types, instead got all the ESL and all the resident's ESL discharge summaries and that is it. 

What is the deal? These places think that when we don't get the benefits promised, the paycheck promised, the work promised (I will do all work types mind you and am very flexible, just hired for certain kinds of work and then only put on the very worst ESL discharges at all jobs), we will be broken down because we are afraid of not having a job, or not having the ability to get another?

I am truly burnt out at this. I worked for years at one hospital, and when they cut incentive and sent work to outsource, since I have been in the world of MTSOs, bait and switch up and down. And this includes the very well thought of and highly rated companies here from last fall (you probably can guess the ones).

Of course, perhaps they think the MT needs to be quiet and be happy to have a job (which by the way, all 3 ran out of work and slim pickings recently) since everything is going to India.  Is this some kind of scare tactic? Shut up and put up? Really. I am interviewing as an employee again, and hoping to stay because I just cannot take this bait and switch, no promises kept, demeaning treatment anymore... Thanks again for listening, and hope there are people on here who do not have the same sob story, who actually get the pay, benefits and work types they were hired for and promised! Have a nice day.

I am looking at moving back to working from home, I am currently 'in-house' working for a hospital clinic but I need more flexibility for my children's schedules.

I have a decent lead on an IC position, but I am trying to figure out if I can find/afford health care.  I really only need catastrophic type care and plan to pay for my own routine care.

Does anyone know of a decent insurance company??

Thanks VT_MT

Is anyone out there familiar with DR-PACS integrated dictation system?   Powerscribe tells me it is run by Powerscribe (or uses their SDK?)

can someone tell me where I can download autotext software.  I understand it is free word expander.  I searched the internet and found rapid text and phrase something (cant remember).  Which is the better one or are they both the same.

How ridiculous.  Go to this website.  Click on the sample to play dictation just as you would hear it --- YEAH RIGHT.  Listen to it!  It's insane!!!  As if real dictators dictate like that and someone with little or no experience could trust that all dictation is just like that.  Then they charge $15 to help you find out if MT is right for you.  SCAM.  I want everyone to write in and tell them how unrealistic those samples are.  RIDICULOUS.

http://trymt.com/mt/dictationA.html