Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Are you kidding and hoping htagt MTing will go back to manual typewriters again?...nm

Posted By: lara on 2009-09-18
In Reply to: Well, duh - gourdpainter

nm


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

What does manual typewriters have to do
x
I'd rather go all the way back to Selectric typewriters
Believe it or not, I actually produced more work on a Selectric (with 7 doctors I KNEW, not with 400 I didn't), than I ever have or ever will on a PC.
She went back to MTing for OSi
nm.. RH
Yep.. they are both back to just MTing as well as one of the trainers
nm
She's hoping to come back to a

In a perfect world, we'll all just find new jobs while she's gone.  If enough people quit, there might actually be an opening or 2, thus justifying all this continuous recruiting.


Yeah, I feel like she left us twisting in the wind.  Is it REALLY a virtue to never lie to us by refusing to tell us anything at all?  No WAY does she not know what's going on.  The majority of the team may have had faith in her before she left - lets see how they feel by the time she comes back!


On the old typewriters, my mother could type over 100 WPM with 100% accuracy -
She was always very proud of the fact that she never had to use correction fluid or paper or ribbon or whatever they used back then. She had been typing so long and was such a perfectionist. I am not quite as accurate since I have the computer to do so much correcting for me, but I am still pretty darn fast, and then my daughter won every speed/accuracy keyboard competition the whole time she was in middle school.

It definitely can be done...
Why don't you ask for a VR manual &
Learn something new every day!
Great manual! One should never say never, about anything......nm
nm
Great manual! ......nm
nm
I was 15 on a manual in high school....sm

And that was in 1964 - learned to type real well in that class on a manual......but I began MT'g with tapes and privately I still pick up tapes from 4 surgeons twice weekly, but I transcribe those tapes on the computer *lol*....


Good thing about the web is that most of us now find all we need to know today online and rarely reference our books anymore......I like that!!  Saves some time....time is money!! 


No, it is a manual time sheet (sm)

Bonus is paid on total for pay period, not hourly bonus. I never put potty breaks on it, just my lunch break, cause that's longer.


Found Answer in the Manual
Should've looked there first, but love the forum here.

I hope I live to see the day that our industry turns completely back to the way it should be - without somebody else making money off of our skills, training, and experience.
Keystrokes manual says 32-1/2 for "adjusted FT" (sm)
which looks like it qualifies for insurance. I think in acutal practice they go by the lines, though, as we don't clock in. It looks like that level is 10,000 lines per period and full time 15,000 (which is odd, I was told 12,000. I may need to ask about that!)
It is true - I looked at my manual

Manual states PTO hours are to be used for vacation, illness, family or personal matters, periods of low work volume and computer downtime.  Employees are required to use these PTO hours to ensure a good personal balance between leisure-time, periods of low work volume, and those unexpected absences that affect everyone from time to time.


So yeah, they DO expect us to take PTO for OOW, per the manual.


You are still wrong, I'm sorry; that manual is from 2005 sm
All the managers sent out information saying it was at their discretion. Instead of posting here, why don't you just ask your manager if it is true?
In the manual it says we're expected
Its not a matter of can we use it, its we must use it.  The company expects and demands it, which I think its utterly unfair since they deliberately overhire.  They won't let us have the option of taking it unpaid - my supervisor recently reminded us of that.  Therefore, if you have a vacation scheduled for next month, and you can't get your time in this month, kiss your vacation plans goodbye - you just spent your vacation chained to your desk hoping for work!
Webmedx's new policy manual?

Thoughts?


Is there an ExText manual available online?
nm
No, I was referring to the Webmedx Policy Manual. sm
Check the back where it lists privacy rules regarding the platform. I think what you posted crossed the line. Just a tip. You know, the bosses read these boards, too.
Dictaphone C-phone model 0422 manual sm
Does anyone have this user's guide/manual in pdf format they are willing to share?  I went to the Nuance site, but I just do not have the Moolah to buy a manual right now as I am just starting a new job after being without a job for 4 months.  Thanks
Worked for an MT service that had a mistake on the cover of Employee Manual (sm)
That is bad. 
you fill out a manual report and email to payroll at end of pay period.
x
Pick a relatively short report and do a manual count of characters

including spaces if your company counts them.  Then divide the total by 65 or whatever your lines are defined as. If there is a discrepancy between your manual count and their systematic count, you have a problem. 


I did this recenty on ExText and find I am getting shorted about 1-2 lines per report. 


MTing could not have said it any better!
Sorry everyone, I have been busy today. MTing could not have described the company any better. Also to add to that, to get a raise they do evaluations on your work and always tag you for stupid things such as missing a semicolon which enables your pay raise. A semicolon honestly does not interfere with patient care. Everyone is human and nobody is perfect!
MTing
The hospital I worked at outsourced our department and went with them. Quality was a nightmare and they are not renewing the contract.
mting
Hello, I am Karen, are ya'll working?  I need something to keep my busy, and it needs to be steady.  Where is the work?  Help....
MTing

Excellent, excellent post.  Your references to the psychological studies is right on target.  There is no reason why medical transcription should be any different than other professions as far as what ambitious, serious workers want in a job.  We have every right, and it only makes common sense, to seek the job where we have the most to gain and are the most satisfied.  Isn't that what everyone else does when interviewing with and/or deciding to stay/leave a company or profession? 


Unfortunately, due to the nature of transcription, it is not always apparent at the beginning how well a particular job will suit our needs or how truthful the service has been with us.  I've been stung twice in 3 years.  In such a situation, to not look for something better is not only stupid for the MT but does not pay off for the service either if they have an unhappy MT who, as this poster has said, will not perform at his/her best.  It has to be a good match both ways for it to work to each party's benefit.  That's the nature of this profession.


 


 


MTing
I'm in love with it too. I've only been with them for almost a year but they've been great for me. I do OP notes and really get good lines. TT is by far the best co. I've ever worked for. They are so employee oriented and have a great leadership team in place. Couldn't ask for better on anything. Looking for another great year.
MTing

Found this as their website.  Some Co info and you can take a test/apply on line.  read through it quick and sounded good.  You could always check with Dept of Labor, Texas Work Force, Better Business Bureau to start with.  I have never been a very trusting person and not getting any easier to trust people now-a-days. 


I've googled medquist v. (as in lawsuit) in the past and you get all kinds of stuff, so that's not a good sign.   


http://www.mtsoftexas.com/  Good luck. 


MTing
Not only is asking ICs to work set schedules not right, it is ILLEGAL. Whoever is asking for this needs to take a good look at the US Tax Code and labor laws as well. Call them on it if this ever happens in an actual situation.
Busy MTing
My sentiments exactly. One has to look out for themselves because God knows these companies donot look out for you Wouldn't you like to know how much the company actually gets per line plus they make all these promises to get an acccount on board and to get an MT to work there.
Busy MTing.
You are absolutely correct dear. It's no one business if you work for 10 companies. that is your perogative. More power to dear. I am on your side all athe way.
State of US MTing
...poop, or xxxx before the moderator gets hold of this... it has become all a game, a XXXXXXX game. NOBODY WANTS TO TELL THE TRUTH... Corporate poop heads are all sending what ever they can to India and playing games with US MTs. Just look at IT jobs in other web sites... this is all XXXXXXXt.
state of MTing
.. yes, I agree. BUT, there are other factors involved today. The time is RIPE for corporate greed. Under the current presidential administration, CORPORATIONS RULE. Their exploitation of workers is at an all time high. Mark my words, in the coming year or so, we will be seeing many demonstrations from all sectors of workers and industries. President Bush has not a clue as to what his directives has done to the average working American. Please, I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I truly believe that Bush is so far removed and protected from the average American, that he has no idea how many jobs are discarded to third world countries because of his polices. We are truly at a unique point in the American history. America is changing rapidly. Mting and outsourcing is not unique - there are so many other fields affected by the current administration's policies. Not until the damage is done, will our goverment ask, Duh, what happened?
The state of MTing
Your post is well received as both a former owner and a transcriptionist. But this is not the whole picture of the state of MTing today. What you are experiencing and what the transcriptionists are experiencing is something like a star that is burning out and sputtering.

Deep down inside we all know that medical transcription as we know it is changing dramatically, changing because of technology and other sources available at much cheaper labor costs. This profession has no job enrichment. There are few real opportunities that offer true advancement with better pay. There is no security, not that we feel we must be entitled to it, little benefit or perks, and the pay psychologically does not attract the personality who is motivated to advance, and is ambitious. This is not a value judgment about anyone who performs transcription. It is a stark fact in the industry, and your post reflects the true position and frustration felt in the industry. Any business behavioral professional will tell you when there is no job enrichment or motivation, or incentive, workers will perform below their level. The industry pay scale has been directly impacted by the healthcare corporations and globalization. Now, please, do not misunderstand what I am saying. Each and every one of us should have the ethics to perform a job well done, and give our best no matter what pay we get. But studies and analysis of job performance will show you time and time again that when there is low pay, no raises, lack of incentive, and no future in a job, one begins to see the problems you are describing exactly. The expectations to uphold the privacy, confidentiality, accurateness, have an extremely extensive knowledge of medical language, and continue education in the field, does not match the low pay any more. So you see, you get transcriptionists that are anxious, always looking for better pay, even if it's a quarter of a cent more, and the focus goes toward that penny. Businesses struggle to stay afloat with operational costs and payroll, and more and more trying to attract good transcriptionists.

The thing I hear and understand about comparsion to Transcriptionist in India is the disturbing message American transcriptionists get from those that control the pay scale. As Americans workers, we have standards and protection for the American worker - labor laws, a livable wage, ethics,and we have gotten used to that. When you hear a business owner flagrantly make statements about how the poor little Indian transcriptionist will be grateful to work long hours for very little pay, work weekends,holidays, make her job her life, something about that pitted against our standard becomes disturbing. Since we are not yet at the economic level of India, you will continue to see revolving door workers. You might say the etiquette is becoming that of workers who can get a job at Seven-Eleven or MacDonalds - sure you can get a job there, those jobs are plentiful, and pay almost as much as transcription does today. These are just the cold hard facts. Perhaps if industry owners would try something different - instead of going through 3000 resumes to get a good handful transcriptionists who possess both the work ethic and the quality, start off at an agreeable pay with guaranteed raises based on consistency and rotate weekends. More companies should learn that rotating weekends works better than consistently looking for permanent weekend schedules. Transcriptionists need to have a balance of work and life outside the computer.
Change and MTing

This is no longer the once respected career where one is paid for their knowledge and many years of experience.  I urge everyone to pay very close attention to who they are voting for in the presidential race and what they stand for.  Back the candidate who says no more tax breaks for businesses that are sending our jobs overseas.  It not only applies to our jobs but those throughout the country.  How many times do you call a customer service line and get someone on the line you cannot even understand??? This is an outrage!!! While people here in the US struggle to find jobs or see their $$$ go down and still have to work under sweatshop conditions.  Bottom line, back the person who is going to help us the most at risk for losing our job to some offshore company.  Companies will say they will never do it.  Believe me, if its going to increase their bottom line they will do it.  Most of all do vote, every single vote can make a difference.


how long have you been MTing?

Sometimes it can take a while to work up your counts.  But as other posters below have said, if you've been at this for a while, I'd look into how the company is paying you - what constitutes a line, spaces included, expansions included, normals included, etc.  If you feel they're not paying you correctly, you may want to address that with them.  I would definitely suggest a change in employers before giving up the whole industry.  You might have just gone with a sneaky company.


There are companies out there that pay for ADT info, you just have to seek them out.


Believe like you want but my MTing money is
not all that I have, receive a trust fund each month plus retirement money. Sorry you seem so bent out of shape about the possibility of having to do VR.
Not a newbie, but I have been away from MTing for a year...sm
and I was never the fastest typer in the West to begin with. Plus I cant find a job doing anything outside my home either!!! It is really scary trying to get a job anywhere these days. I like Allegiant's flexibility and line count requirements. I think I can do them...
not to but in but MTing put herself out there stating she was perfect...
and had 100% quality. No one is going to just take your word for it with a comment like that. I am not even in QA and thought the exact same thing when I read the post - I could not help but notice the errors.
Best platform ever used in 20 years of MTing. NM
xx
Yep, I make as much MTing now as I would on disability.
Guess what I am going to take since I qualify?
so glad to hear that MTing has been sm
brought down to a profession of chump change by the newbies.
so glad to hear that MTing has been sm
brought down to a profession of chump change! You do the profession proud. NOT!
VR is more difficult than straight MTing
because there are no expanders, no templates, no macros and that brings you down. You MTs who so desparately stick to the OLD methods, are impotent without your Expanders and your grammar and spelling is questionable when it comes to correcting the whole document!
VR is ok, but the payment is pitiful. Hopefully this will be corrected in the future. VR is here to stay, believe it or not!

YOU are the ignorant one, always were and always will be, the future will show you!
VR and straight need the same MTing knowledge...sm
the manual skills differ, but not necessarily always.

You can download to an MT who has never done VR a VR document for editing and she will be able to do it. NO SOPECIAL trainin g is necessary.

When I tested for companies, when VR was introduced, they tested me on editing VR, I had never done it before and I passed.

Basically every MT can do it, bringing up the speed that is the challenge.
good point, keep MTing
at least some, and you can still take those tax deductions as well as keep your skills up.
meant hourly rates for MTing, not QA.
Thanks
If money's an issue, you're better off MTing.
Most QAs do it because they MT'd until their hands gave out & can no longer MT.
I really get the idea you would love MTing go out of business
Lots of your postings go in the same vein. My work on VR is darn near perfect but it still will throw in some crazies ever so often that has not done before and continue on with that for awhile. My hospital allows for the patient's name in a report. Eight months ago the names were almost always right, now never so we have to change those. Eight months ago when doing preop diagnoses you had the first diagnosis under the preop and now it is out by the side so then you have to move that down and put #2 and #3 under those. It can do things today that you may not have had last year. The ones that were problems last year cleared up this year. I do not worry about a machine putting me out of business, hey if that happens I might be like others and just retire, right?
Typing is the LAST thing MTing is about, it's about KNOWLEDGE..nm
nm