Accreditation matters. It helps to avoid scams, but not always. sm
Posted By: yes on 2006-09-15
In Reply to: Does Accreditation matter? - tooMUCHinfo
Pick a good school. It is extremely difficult to get hired immediately, even when graduating from an accredited school. It is a hard row to hoe. Most companies require at least 2, usually 5 years of time on the job. They just don't have time to train new MTs.
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if a new headset doesn't help, plug directly into CPU and avoid speakers and see if that helps.
;
Does Accreditation matter?
I currently work at an on-site technical school and have recently decided to make a career change from my general office position. Upon the start of my searching for on-line schools, I was told by many coworkers to make sure the the school was accreditted by the DETC. Are the "top three schools" accreditted by this body, or any other sort of board of education, other than just being affiliated to AAMT? Does this matter? Is it just as easy/difficult to find an on-site job as it is a home-based job with these "top three schools?" Alot of questions, I know. But I am so excited to start learning transcription, but all the choices out there are slowing down my process.
Agreed -- Bear is pretty much THE authority on accreditation and distance learning (NM)
nm
MT scams
I too am in the same boat as you. I have been doing this for over a year now, mind you it was part-time. Before I started with them I went to college and became a Office administrative assistant/medical. I wanted to do transcribing and thought it would be good to do it from home on my days off work. I work at a drug store as well. Well, needless to say I have not yet passed a test. The last one I did, I had one letter wrong. Anyway, I went into the BBB site to check up on them and they are not even a member. I emailed my trainer last night and so far I have heard nothing in response to that letter. I showed her what BBB had to say about the company. I am not even sure if my foot pedal will be universal if I should apply for another transcription job. If you know of the article or what is was called in the Parents magazine please let me know. I want to have as much ammunition to show this company. I guess before you complete the course you have to pay them something. This is one thing that they forgot to tell me. MMMMMMMMM Well, if you can get back to me on this I would appreciate it as I am in the same boat as you.
Patty
There are a lot of scams on Craiglist. If you
see a post for a "free" anything and it also has img after the post instead of pick it is 99.99% a scam and I wouldn't even open the post.
It is a good site to get your feet wet if you are considering E-bay. CL hasn't quite caught on in a lot of places yet, but with e-bay prices keep going up and people tired of pay outrageous shipping, I'm sure it will get bigger quickly.
Kristen Pineda scams
Kristen has been operating on a Rick Pineda ebay account. Someone has to stop her, she has bilked myself and anther gentleman out of money also. The local police know her well. She must think she is to smart for anyone to figure out how to stop her. The Oklahoma Attorney General may have to jump in and get involved and lets get her in jail where she belongs.
Lets start here:
Oklahoma
US v. Lansford
On January 19, 2000, Christine Lansford was indicted in the United States District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, on 14 counts of mail fraud for allegedly offering Beanie Babies on Internet auction web sites, accepting payment and failing to deliver the goods. Lansford allegedly used numerous aliases to perpetrate her scheme.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Fort Worth Division, and prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Contact:
Joe Heaton, Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Oklahoma, 405/553-8772
Work At-Home Scams
Sorry, I put this on the Biller and Coder Board by accident.
Has anybody clicked on the add that comes up on the top of this page from time to time that asks you if you want to make major money working part time at home. I clicked on it and it said something about Rebate Processor Positions. I figure it is another scam and I should not have clicked on it, but I am getting sick of making pennies per line for the past 10 years doing medical transcription and getting no where. Anyway, I was just curious if anybody knows anything about this potential scam??  Thanks!
Heavens to Murgatroyd! Offshore scams? Who'da thunk it?
All my illusions have been shattered.
And this matters?
And you're miffed her E-mails are horrendous? Big deal! She's paying you; you're not paying her.
Where exactly DO you get off? 
She's entitled to fire off horrendous E-mails every hour on the hour if she wants to, and under the circumstances, she should - they don't have to be correct with every 'I" dotted and every "T" crossed, but the work she's paying you guys to do needs to be correct to the "T," so be thankful she was gracious enough to give those who do a substandard job notice and that she just didn't up and clean house.
And this matters?
And you're miffed her E-mails are horrendous? Big deal! She's paying you; you're not paying her.
Where exactly DO you get off?
She's entitled to fire off horrendous E-mails every hour on the hour if she wants to, and under the circumstances, she should - they don't have to be correct with every 'I" dotted and every "T" crossed, but the work she's paying you guys to do needs to be correct to the "T," so be thankful she was gracious enough to give those who do a substandard job notice and that she just didn't up and clean house.
actually, I don't think it really matters where...
you are, everybody is vulnerable to anything happening anywhere these days. These types of things have been going on for years, who knows exactly where.
Well, it matters to me!
nm
It matters not where we were. Only if we remember.
Imagine.
I don't think the experience matters as much as...
the ability to see an opportunity and make it work. As an MTSO you will need to be able to find a way to have transcription done and delivered, accurately and in a timely fashion. So you will have to have something in place in case you get sick or go on vacation, or your computer goes down. You will have to choose a file transfer system. You will have to have QA in place. You will have to have the ability to walk into a physician's office, know what data you need to make a proposal, then go home and put something together that has every step covered. You will need to anticipate problems and be ready to solve them (trouble shooting is a must). You will have to have an idea of what is going on in your field, what the going rate is, and how to use variables to your advantage. By that I mean, as above, things like don't print for the doctors! You don't get paid for any line you print, just the ones you type! Let the office secretary do that. She is paid by the hour, not you.
You will have to be ready to get the work done, no matter what, with no excuses and no compromising quality. And you will have to be resourceful and flexible to deal with things that come up.
That being said, it's a bunch of fun to run your own business 
I'm sorry. I did not mean to make matters
I'm afraid that I am confused by your situation . . . the sound card is necessary for any computer to play any sound, as far as I know, but I do not work in/on any platform and am not familiar with any of them. I download files from an FTP site and then play them in either the free Express Scribe software that I mentioned or the Olympus software that I purchased. I figured you had a .wav or .dss file that you were needing to play.
And the platform matters
You can do more lines in long Word documents than you can individual reports on a platform (IMHO of course)
In neuro, it matters a lot...
It affects how they interpret the results of tests - not just lab tests, but reflexes, maneuvers, etc. Every neurologist and neurosurgeon will indicate this in their consults and HPs.
They are listed in BOS, as if that matters.
x
Ability to get job is what matters most
Yes,Andrews and M-Tec are more expensive than a CC, but if you want to work from home, the companies that are looking to hire you don't know if your CC program is adequate. Some are, some aren't, and there are lots of them around the country. The companies know that if you successfully completed Andrews or M-TEC, you are likely to succeed. There are so many posts on these boards from newbies who can't find jobs, yet M-TEC and Andrews grads get hired. I was hired fresh out of school by a large national, worked there 3 years, and was just hired by a smaller MTSO. Getting both jobs was a breeze. I have never had to test for a job. Both companies told me they hired me because I am an M-TEC grad, and they did not feel testing was necessary.
geography matters too!
I think where you live/work plays a lot into that. I live in a very large metropolitan area and our pay in-house is higher than that for sure. If you check AHIMA's salary survey for 2007, the median salary for MTs nationwide is about $36,000, which is roughly $18 per hour. Again, this will depend on your area. When I taught MT a couple of years ago we told our students not to consider anything under $13 to $14, and that was for our new grads. With experience here you would be starting at a minimum of $16 or $17 per hour.
I don't think it matters if IC or employee
If it is an assigned account, the Transcriptionist assigned to those docs gets all that docs dictations. You get to learn the docs verbalizations, whether ESL or not, and eventually can pretty much anticipate what is to be said next. The account manager does not just assign certain dictations, but all of the dictations from one doc. In other words, you are assigned doctors, not just dictations. To me, that is the fairest way to do anything. I hate these "pools" of work where just anybody can log on and learn the system and how to get around it, and only do the "good jobs." It only breeds selfishness, anger, and resentment. Trust me, the work does not get done any faster, and quality is out the window because everybody is rushing, trying to get more work before someone else takes it all. Again, just my opinion.
Idk if it matters, but I use version 8....
It is at the top next to Tools, Edit, File, etc., just like it is in Word. I just Click on "Stedmans", then click "Enable" and its up. Same as I do in Word.
If there's any question on my knowledge in these matters,
I am a college educated and certified computer technician who has been in the technology field for 20 years now. FWIW, Atomic Clock Sync has rave reviews from PC Magazine, but merely synchronizing your computer clock doesn't fix the underlying problem. If the battery on your computer's motherboard goes completely dead, your CMOS settings will go byebye, which is a royal PITA to fix.
http://www.decosystech.com/Techsupport/Batteries.htm
Instant Text matters
Is Instant Text better than the others and how much of a difference does it make in my production from what I have been using? amj
that one only works with mono, if it matters
nm
I don't think it matters. They're not always truthful.
I asked several questions that they answered in an unhonest way. For instance, I asked if they were flexible with the hours or rigid. They said flexible. Right from the start were threatening emails about WORKING YOUR SCHEDULED HOURS! I think you get much better information on these boards than you do from a recruiter.
All this talk about size-matters!
I'm an 18-inch gal myself. I adore my little flat panel...if only for the fact that it doesn't take up hardly any space on my already dinky desk here. My husband is a freak and has 2 flat panels next to each other and is always doing weird things with them. They have come down so much in price these past few years it's not even funny. I highly recommend scoring one!
Any way to avoid it?
My parents both lost hearing with age and I have seen how isolating it is.
Is there any way to avoid that with this job? I try to keep my volume down, but they way the dictators speak, I can't help but crank the volume quite a bit.
Did enough rock & roll blasting when I was young!
Any ideas?
Here's one to avoid -
My BF picked this up to try it for his laptop. It worked great for the first few days (long enough to get past the 'money back' offer), and then it suddenly began disconnecting him up to 12 to 15 times in a 4 hour period. I'm not sure about the legalities of using these types of devices to transcribe medical reports so I never tried it, but he said it was one of the most frustrating internet situations he'd ever been through.
If you've got Cricket stations in your area and they're offering their "unlimited" broad-band service for $40/month, I'd suggest applying that $40 toward a reliable service.
Here's one to avoid -
My BF picked this up to try it for his laptop. It worked great for the first few days (long enough to get past the 'money back' offer), and then it suddenly began disconnecting him up to 12 to 15 times in a 4 hour period. I'm not sure about the legalities of using these types of devices to transcribe medical reports so I never tried it, but he said it was one of the most frustrating internet situations he'd ever been through.
If you've got Cricket stations in your area and they're offering their "unlimited" broad-band service for $40/month, I'd suggest applying that $40 toward a reliable service.
It's not the name that matters. It is who you associate with a name that makes it beautiful
:+
I wore one, but by all means DO WHAT YOU WANT! Your comfort is what matters.:-) nm
x
It can be fun if you avoid the aggravation which I try to do - sm
Yes, it does bring out the worst in people...we got up to get ice cream after my 5 & 7 y/o had finished their lunch, left out drinks and my 1 bag purchase on the table, came back after maybe 5 minutes to find 2 ladies had helped themselves to our table, I was pretty pissed, but just gathered up our stuff (only 2 seats left for 3 people) and said we needed to find a place to sit, neither lady batted an eyelid or said a word. Kids asked why we didn't stay, I said I feared I wouldn't be too polite if we had stuck around since I was ticked. So we sat at the steps of the little stage area in the food court area and they had their ice cream that way. So that was the only wrinkle in the day basically. Kids had fun, we never dealt anything too horrendous, and I got a couple things accomplished without having to deal with the hardcore nut cases.
avoid refunds
Why would you want a refund? If you're getting a refund that just means you overpaid your taxes the previous year; in effect you gave the government an interest-free loan of YOUR MONEY.
Ideally you should set up your withholding so that you end up having to pay some extra taxes when you file your return (but not so much as to trigger a penalty). That way you get to hold on to your money as long as possible and can at least earn some interest by keeping it in a CD or money market account.
Do not avoid them. They are willing to work with you
because they want you to make your payment.
Read all the letters they send you some mortgage companies will point you in the right direction like using a third party to help you get caught up.
I never thought I would get hit with foreclosure but it happened to me and luckily as the poster below, my family was able to bail me out.
I still owe my family thousands because they tacked legal fees on top of what I owed and the mortgage company not only wanted what was late but also two month's mortgage in advance all in one lump sum!
Good luck...
Just want to avoid the same mistake...nm
x
None. I try to avoid caffeine.
nm
Yes, have done my own...avoid going to docs where I know...sm
the MT. I would not want anyone I know doing mine.
I would like to know to, so I can avoid applying
there. 3 cpl is awful.
Is endocrinology too hard for a for a newbie to start in? I went to M-TEC if that matters.
.
I do have kids. They can have pop and chips, but I try to avoid it.
And Iecture them on the value of healthy food. LOL My diet used to be horrible until it caught up with me with my last pregnancy. I was frequently hypoglycemic and had high blood sugar. Then I had two irregular EKGs before a surgery. I've basically been scared into becoming healthier.
I definitely think its best to avoid relatives this year.
I'll join you for a toast on Thanksgiving? The idea of being alone during the holidays still sucks, but its a change from the strain of being with relatives, and a first. Might be kinda nice I guess.
Avoid Focus Infomatics!
I worked for Focus for a couple of months, and I absolutely hated it! They offshore their QA and tech support to India, and you can never understand a work they are saying when they call you to train you on their software, which is the worst program that I have ever transcribed in. It was always freezing up, losing connection to the VPN, and it cost me so much money because I kept losing work that I had done. Their tech support would take forever to respond when I IM'd them, and they were hardly ever very helpful at all. It is also true that they deduct pay for mistakes. I now work full-time for Cymed, and I am so much happier!
The only way I've found to avoid this is to.....
have three part-time jobs. I used to have one full time and two part time, but just recently went to three part time.
I NEVER run out of work now, but always have in the past six years in the business. This works for me, but took almost a year to balance the three so I'm not working a ton of hours.
You said THAT right! Most people avoid her type
nm
Do y'all think the size of the font matters in line counts?
If your font is smaller takes more characters to make a line? I just wondered this today.
I try to avoid it, but I'm a pretty good diagnostician.
Most of the time I'm right, but I hate to do it, cause they invariably will say, "then what should I do?" - at which point I have to tell them, "go to the doctor. I'm not a doctor, I'm a diagnostician."
No, just want to cut to the chase and avoid tne empty posts. nm
:+
How to avoid hiring an American (video)
Cut and paste this link into your brower and click on the video to play it. It's kinda long but worth it....just dang is all I gotta say about that.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/16421
In all due respect, I have more pressing matters to worry about them my dietary supplement freedoms.
I gathered from scanning that long article that they are looking for some regulatory commission on ingredients, along with cautionary labels, etc. I am ALL FOR THAT, as I am one of the many humans who is very allergic/sensitive/intolerant to herbal remedies, vitamins, and "dietary supplements" - wrong stuff and I could die. So I'm not concerned - sounds safer for me.
I've developed a bit of social phobia, now I avoid
 I listen to social anxiety tapes, Dr. Richards, because i'm finding I want to be around people now, just have forgotten how. When i'm in a conversation, even with people i've known forever, where attention is focused on me I feel this fight or flight feeling, get nervous and turn red, just uncomfortable with socializing. Getting better though.
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