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My doctor (neurosurgeon) thinks I need carpal tunnel surgery.  I went to him for back pain and during neuro checks, he said my thumbs were "dead."  He is sending me for an EMG.  The only thing I have noticed is that I wake up in the night with "numb wrists."  I don't have any finger/hand symptoms at all.  I have always knocked on wood when anybody said "carpal tunnel." 

Has anybody out there had carpal tunnel surgery? And how did it turn out?  BTW, I am 51 and have been an MT since 1984. 

Recently, my computer started running very slow when it comes to saving documents.  It only happens when I am in my work program, which is only a basic word document.  It is a continual document, which holds about 50 files.  Any suggestions??

  I have tried to post this twice before , but was given some lame reasons about me mentioning a certain company or 2 - This company has a site of their own on this forum, so I am guessing that is the reason why!

To all you newbies -  good luck - you're going to need it!!!!  Back in the middle 90s I was making almost $50,000 a year MTing, just my normal hours a day.  For the past  couple of years I have been lucky to make $20,000 a year, doing twice as much work, of course.  I guess when you have foreigners who will type the stuff for 4 cents a line, why do they need us?  This used to be a great profession to get into.  All of the business colleges had courses in it - which I took 2 years of, plus worked in an office for 2 years before staying home with my babies.

I guess it served it's purpose when I needed it, but if you are looking for an MT job - Please be very cautious!!!!  They will promise one thing and deliver another.  Try doing 5 different hospitals, all with at least 500 docs, who, of course, all  want something done different/specifal just for them, and you may get these docs to transcribe, oh lets see, maybe once a year - but God forbid you for get that E-mail from 6 months ago that Dr. So and So wants his dictation done in a different format!

This profession has really becme ridiculous, and gets worse and worse by the day!  I am collecting unemployment now, which is not much less than I was making transcribing, and I am planning on going back to college to obtain a real degree with a REAL job!  Good luck to everyone who hangs in there!!! REALLY!  I hope you prosper!

Now, I know there are going to be MTs out there who claim to type 3000 lines a day and make 15 cents a line - Bullcrap!!!!  I can type ANY speciality and after all these years I haven't met one person who could type faster than myself!!!!

Now, I'm sure this will probably be deleted because MTing is the bread and butter of this web site, but just in case, if there is anyone out thre thinking about transcription as a position, think again!!  Wendy

I'm hoping someone will be able to advise me about some good questions to ask of the HR person of a hospital in my hometown; it's really hard for me to be objective about this decision because I want so much to leave the city where I'm living right now.  I go back and forth trying to decide if I should even try this. First of all, this job was advertised as "per diem" -- forgive my ignorance, but would that be the same as a contract position?  I had trouble once before making a living doing at-home MTing as an IC and paying my own health and life insurance, as I'm 100% supporting myself.  It was certainly a shock after employee status--but I was so burned out at that inhouse job--transcription force cut in half, pay reduced, phasing out dictation in favor of computer templates! I took a chance even though I had an unrealistic belief in my own abilities, I'm afraid, and tried IC for a national company.  I'm not working at all right now and am currently living on my savings. 

I feel like something, anything would be better than nothing.  Some foot/ankle problems also, related to standing at the last clerical job I tried, so a lot of even part-time jobs are out of the question at the present.

I do have some family at home and this hospital has a very good reputation as a good place to work, good (happy) employees...but, of course, don't want to move and still risk getting in an impossible position again!  Please let me know of some good questions to ask during the "assessment" and interview Friday AM (tomorrow)!  Sorry; realize this is rambling--many thanks--

Hi:

To anyone who has taken the CMT exam, I was wondering how many years of experience one would need in order to pass this test.  I have been transcribing a little over 2 years.  I have transcribed mainly multispecialty clinic.  During the first year of transcribing, I had about 6 months experience with doing ER transcription as well.  I know that money wise, the cpl rate of pay doesn't go up that much, but I would like to at least show that I am serious about my profession by taking the test. 

Thank you in advance for any response or information.

Paulette

Hi,

Does anyone know how to create shortcuts or word expansions in microsoft word?  Thanks so much!!!

It's amazing to me how many parents push their kids to the extreme with extracurricular activities.   I saw a cousin this weekend and her 2nd grader is taking 4 dance lessons (4-1/2 hours a week), an acting class (1 hour)  is in some special gifted program that meets 1 hour after school each week and is in the church kid's choir on Wednesdays.   This means this 7-year-old has 7-1/2 hours of extracurricular activities scheduled.  

I told her that my 6-year-old chooses 1 activity to participate in outside of church kids choir (meets on Sunday) and that's all she does. 

What about your kids if you have them?  If you have your child scheduled in a lot of things aren't you worried that they will burn out?  I've recently read stories that a lot of kids that are overscheduled are getting depressed and I can see why.

most other people in that we know how to WRITE.  A friend of mine used to call it "The Power of the Pen", and it's true.  Even when you don't get the exact response you wanted when you write a letter, the fact that you were concerned enough to do it at all does NOT go unnoticed.  It raises questions in the minds of those to whom they were written.  And we have to KEEP AT IT.  Some of those with thicker skins (and skulls!) need to be reminded again and again that this country has a big problem with other countries profiting from our generosity, so-called "political correctness", and their general perception of our overall naivete.  With enough talking, blogging, letter-writting, petitioning, and educating of the American public, it might be possible to bring offshoring of American work to the forefront of the next election.  People need to be made aware that NO job is safe. 

It's sickening that big US firms are taxed to the MAX when it comes to offshoring.  What a huge windfall for THEM.  Instead, those of us that they are screwing are expected to pay the taxes that support our country's infrastructure.

If this trend continues the way it has for the past 10+ years or so, there will be no need for another country to take ours over militarily.  We'll all simply be BOUGHT.

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. 

The poster has been banned access.  If you see ads that I miss, please post the link to the post under this message -- it is much quicker this way today.

Thank you for all your help and Happy Thanksgiving!

Moderator

will allow you to chose gross lines BUT also let you say that no line can be longer than a set amount of characters?  So in other words if my clients lines are set so long and small  that 95 char are on each line but my contract reads a line shall be no more than 65 characters, the software can pick up both gross lines over 5 characters and gross lines no longer than 65 characters??? 

Am I being clear?  Anyone know of invoicing/counting software that can do that?

Thank you.

Maybe because it is an internet based platform, we lose track of how much we actually surf the net, come to this board or maybe chat or shop on line.  When we were on Medrite, it was just straight typing without the internet distractions, that could be a possibility why we are noticing our lines diminishing.

transcribes reports from handwritten progress notes from a physician?  In other words, he no longer dictates, just fills out a template created to his liking", and then the Transcriptionist puts the letter together?  E-mail me please if so....  TIA 

Does anyone know if Voice Recognition software can be used with Emdat Inscribe.  The office is closed and I am way behind in my typing.  I know that it does type on the screen, but I also know that they have had issues with copy and past (although that is not what this would be) before and I did not want to use it if that would cause the same type of problem.

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone out there knows how to get the expanded toolbar in Editscript in the work queue????

Thanks :)

nm

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can give me some info on an Abbreviate software program or which is best.  Is it feasible to make my own on autotext or should I invest in a program.  Or do I have to also make my own on the software program?  Thanks so much.

I got put on a new account today with some hearing-impaired provider who has a language all their own.  I'm not going to be PC either about this, when I say crap like that should be handwritten.  I just wasted an entire hour and made about 10 lines trying to decipher it and I can feel my neck veins pulsating....all so some newbie can take over the accounts I was quite adept at, spent many hours creating normals for, and actually made a paycheck on.

Grrrr.....I'm gonna go play squeaky wheel now because I'm genuinely peeved and that rarely happens!

There are too many emails, documents, and files.  I can't find what I need when I need it due to the sheer volume of it all.  I can't remember any of it either because there are hundreds of pages of it and it's not organized the way I would do things.  It's all so different than anywhere else I've worked.  It's as if I'm unlearning 10 years of grammar and style training.  The dictation sounds like psh, spht, sp, snarf, spt because the sound quality blows.  It's taking hours longer than the schedule I agreed to.  I don't even have time to deal with my personal and family responsibilities!  I'm exhausted and stressed out.  I don't want to quit, but I don't want to deal with all of this.

Hi,

I have found an useful site for people search:

http://gums-people-search.ws/

my ShortHand would type only the first letter of an expansion and then take all the letters away!  I checked and the Type It button is grayed out!  I have restarted the computer and looked on the Shorthand Help menu but can find nothing that applies.  Can anyone please help me ASAP?  I am lost without it!  TIA

Does anyone else find it odd that the very select few of highly paid MTs, (making between 12 - 17 cpl)  are bold enough to write a post stating outright how much they make and how much they are worth.  But when questioned over and over about who these companies are that pay so well, no one volunteers even one name.

This bothers me for two reasons. 

1)  We're in a recession and many of your fellow MTs are struggling to feed their families and would benefit greatly from the same opportunity. 

2)  None of you are making these insane line rates and likely are just bored out of your mind because you are actually unemployed, which would explain why you have so much time to come here and fabricate things to post about.

No offense to anyone, but I find it incredibly frustrating to read your posts just to have my questions to you blatantly ignored.  If you aren't bold enough to answer, just have the common courtesy to say so.   I hope I'm dead wrong, but whether I am or not, the result is the same because none of you have the nads to speak up and give us some names!  If you aren't going to share information and make a difference, why bother?

It sounds like so many MTs are taking pay cuf after pay cut and making near minumum wage. I am still able to make approximately 40,000 a year. I work approximately 30-35 hours a week and take a few weeks vacation time without pay each year. I am able to average about 300 lph. I am IC so pay my own taxes, etc. with this salary, but am I the only one? I am happy with this salary in exchange for flexibility, etc.

I just want to hear if others are pulling this off also or if I am just in a very lucky position and might have to be careful in the future should my situation every change? I did work for a large MTSO as an employee a few years ago and was able to make the same. Now working for a smaller company as an IC...Am i just getting lucky???

I am wondering if any of you know anything about insurance through AARP membership?  I have just been terminated from my place of employment after 15 years of service as the lead transcriptionists/supervisor for an in-house transcription department for a mental health facility.  My place of employment is outsourcing all of the transcription to a service to save money (not having to pay us benefits, etc.) 

My husband and I own our own business as well, so basically  my husband is self-employed.  I have always provided the insurance benefits, having this through my place of employment.  Well, now guess what no benefits!  The service that took over wants to hire me as well as the other four transcriptionists, which is cool, because we know these docs and therapists like the back of our hands. 

Here's my situation, my insurance benefits that I have now are done on 08/31/07.  The new benefits with the service will not be in effect for 90 days after beginning employment with the service, if that is what I decide to do.  Their insurance benefits are higher, and the deductible is higher than what I pay now, and of course with a service, these benefits are a privilege really, not a benefit, because it is based on production, etc. to keep the benefits.  COBRA is going to cost me $1,200.00 a month for the 90-days of coverage in between jobs.  This is outrageous.  I have been looking into other options as well. 

My husband is 51 years old, do you think we could get insurance coverage cheaper through AARP.  Any info would be greatly appreciated.