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Don't feel bad. For the first time in 2 years,

Posted By: Backwards typist on 2008-09-07
In Reply to: What a week! - Lolabug

I didn't get my lines or hours. Work has been low lately. I've usually been way above the required production.


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  • What a week! - Lolabug
    • Don't feel bad. For the first time in 2 years, - Backwards typist

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if you feel like that after 12 years, and I feel like that after six months
what hope is there?
I only have 4+ years but I feel some of it is
dependent on the MT tools like spell checkers, electronic dictionaries, etc. Also, you may learn to do everything the first year and hire on with some company that has a limited amount of specialties or no variety in the type of report you type. Or maybe you are totally correct in some cases. Just thought I'd offer another perspective.

byyye:)

I have been an MT for 15 years. I feel burned out, SM
and was wondering how others deal with it. I can't seem to get my momentum back.
Dummy, don't feel bad. I've been doing this for 16 years
NM
I feel your pain. I have 30 years experience,
MT and QA, but have found it takes so long to go thru the whole testing process before even speaking to a human - while I love working at home and online, its one drawback to me - having to apply amongst apparently thousands of others, and you are just an email address for most of the process. Very tiring. And the testing? Horrible! There are some programs that help you hook up your foot pedal - Express Scribe? But still its so awkward. I easily transcribe 300 LPH without a sweat, but on testing? Its so not user friendly. I would apply at so many companies, but just get overwhelmed at the thought. At least I'm just looking for part-time work, though, so it is easier to put it off.  Hang in there! And I know what you mean about not hearing from them. I have always tested perfectly, and often don't hear from the companies for months - other times, I will have an offer within 2 minutes. Just depends on the companies, but to hear nothing is so disheartening and unprofessional.
Thank you for your answer! That helped me a lot. I have been an MT for 4 years and feel i should ma
n
Thanks, just trying to get a feel if it is worth my time or not.
Some platforms are money makers, and others are not. This one may not be.
No, I do not feel that way, but I understand. A few years ago, I was feeling similar, but
when I look at what I make an hour ($30-40) who is going to pay me that without a Masters? I have it pretty darn good and will see it through until retirement - about 30 years from now (hopefully if I live that long) LOL.

You just need to find a good paying company or hospital and you will feel much better. The healthcare industry is here to stay, whether it be VR or offshoring. Most hospitals are bringing MT back in house. Not all hospitals agree with offshoring out of the country. There is a big world out there - go get em. Don't be discouraged.


I feel like I work all the time too and my kids- sm
are always asking me if I have to work (usually I do). Lately though I have started trying to go to bed by 10 and get up at 3, work from 3am-6:30am, get them off to school, then I have all day from 8-3:30 available to work. Then be free for them after school and work again after they go to bed if necessary. I am still not disciplined enough though and work more than I should, i.e. surf the internet, come here, etc. Waste time in other words. So if I can "stay" on my butt and work consistently I can average 16 minutes of dictation an hour, which is good for me. All I can say is try to set up a schedule adn stick to it. I keep meaning to write one up, but have not as yet myself (did this for college and hung it on my wall), so maybe your post will inspire me. Good luck.
Bravo! I guarantee you will feel better in time
NM
I feel your pain! This is the time of year sm
when I take advantage of my Netflix subscription, having movies delivered to my home. Also, there is PLENTY of great entertaining, informative stuff on the "cable" channels (I have a dish). I'm hooked on HGTV and DIY. The Food channel makes me way too hungry so I avoid that one. You can take a "mini vacation" just by watching the Travel Channel. Even the Weather Channel has some interesting shows.
Don't feel ill - it look me a very long time to find it and you can too.
Search, search and search some more. You will be surprised what you can find. It takes time, but those accounts are out there. How do you think MTSO and large MT companies get accounts? A little research and many phone calls.


want to take the time to mention how hopeful I feel...

reading a lot of the posts regarding the AHDI issue I see so many impressive, educated, eloquent posts that I am feeling confident again that our profession can be saved from being swallowed up like so many other professions that have fallen away.  We need more people like you to stand up for the little guy (no offense intended). 


i feel disbelief/wonder. been at it a long time
x
You have some issues...if you feel YOUR time is being wasted then don't reply
GEESH!
anyone feel weird working at home all the time?
Who smiles at everyone way too much and tries too hard to make conversation? 
that is pretty much how I feel, just wondered if I was wasting time. nm
.
Do you ever feel as though this job takes over your life and you have to work all the time in case
there wont be work and you just keeping working and you cant get away from it and it gets to be no fun anymore. I am having a problem with that. Is it from working at home or just getting obsessed or what. I hate this. I feel like I am losing my life to it.
Fill in the blank time! Today I feel ______ (for me it's good)...sm
Good work day so far, kids will be home from school in a couple of hours and the weather is nice outside. 
I have used this one for 5 years. It may be time for a new one

1st time 22 (6 yrs). 2nd time 33 and 13 years.
Still going strong! 
26 years is a looongg time to be
doing this job, and every weekend at least one day.  Had about the same experience with my DH, me working all the time trying to get line counts while he would go weekends to the lake to go fishing....  I had about all I could take, and for a couple of weeks, at times, I would sit at my computer, trying to type while crying....stress of the job, financial stress, and him gone fishing and having a good time.  Well, it just so happened that he heard me crying, not because I wanted him to (he has hearing difficulties) but he just happened to come into the room when I was sobbing and typing, having a real hard time with this job, getting knots in my stomach.  He asked me what was wrong, and this time I told him exactly what was wrong, how I was feeling, what this job was doing to me, and he came to a decision that it didn't matter if I worked or not, he didn't want me getting physically ill.  That did it for us.... I don't know if that will work for you, the crying part, but it got my DH's attention.  Sometimes you just have to come out and tell him, or do something, that lets him know you will NOT go it alone anymore.  Years ago someone asked me if I was tired of being a doormat....wonder if you are feeling that way?  You were not put on this earth to keep everyone happy..... I'm still trying to learn that but you MUST say something...  After awhile, you won't be able to hide it ...you will either get sick, or you will just blow up.  Stress has some nasty side-effects. Hope this helps.  God Bless.
IC 12 years, took 2 vacations in that time

It is very_difficult to get time off for vacation when you work for yourself and cut out middle people......I do exactly that and I haven't had a vacation since 2005 and before that during 9/11/01.  The offices may understand and allow you 2 weeks but then you have to play *catch-up* when you return, trying to bring them all current.


It's a trade-off for sure, unless you have friends that can cover your vacation time and who you trust with the work. 


 


14 years at the time I took the test.
But if you have the CMT review guide and study it, take the little tests at the end of the chapters, you WILL pass.  just don't be nervous.  They give you something like 4 hours and I was out of there in a little over an hour.  You don't need to get a 100%, just pass it.  And before anyone starts ragging on how it's not worth it blah blah blah, I did it for ME.  I spent my own money to prove to MYSELF that I am not as stupid as all my supervisors who don't know s*it from shinola about MT imply that I am.  And I got a personalized license plate but I suppose the morons down here think I am affiliated with a cement company. 
Do you need to have 2 years full time experience or just 2 years' experience? nm
..
Ooops, transferred the 25 years old to your age at the time.
df
I had one for 3 years and it worked fine the whole time.

On vacation for the first time in 2+ years - YAHOO!

Actually, I have not worked as a full time MT for nine years
and that's the problem. Is there hope for me to get back in to MT even though I've been out of it for so long. I did work part-time from home from the lab for about two years after that.
Shelley
Why would you allow this to go on for five years? You should have stopped it a long time ago. nm
nm
Good things take time. (this is addressed to OP, BTW) My first 15 years or sm
so of MT was without the benefit of using an expander. When Expanders became the norm, I was reluctant to try, thinking that it would be more cumbersome than by not using it at all. Was I surprised and pleased I had ventured into the Expander world.

Since you're at home you can add entries on your free time, even if you do 5 or 10 at a time, when there is no pressure on you. Start out with expanders for "the patient," "-year-old," the names of your doctors, anything that is repetitious. You will be surprised how much time this will save you. My initial expander, PRD, actually calculated saved Keystrokes and productivity. Back then I was saving 30%!

The expander is especially helpful for those crazy terms that are hyphenated or have camel caps, those that I always had to look up to check myself. Create your brief form by just using straight lowercase, for instance, duoneb for Duo-Neb (or d-n).

Speed will come, don't worry. Good luck to you!

(Posted in the wrong place--I always do that!) This is in response to OP.


why subject little angels to the willey years ahead of time
The hairy thing might scare her. At that age, they are fugly.

Tell papa not to take ANY chances that could screw up her delicate psyche. If he continues, make an appt with a therapist and get an expert's advice.
Wonder if you scrub them too hard. I wear my soft ones for 2 years at a time! nm
s
I've used my laptop to MT for about 5 years, full-time. Couldn't
I love being portable, plus I have a small working space. It's great transcribing on the deck (or at the beach) on nice days. Have never had any technical issues; there's always some sort of adapter thingie that's available for whatever comes up.
Actually it's years to ears. I can spell just fine, just don't take the time to proofread eve
post as I'm busy transcribing at the same time.  Sorry to say my priorities are such that you guys here don't rank perfect posts.  Now, if you guys want to pay per post....  
Just experiencing acute care dictation, for the first time in years
the dictation seems lacking of a change in the tone of the dictation, inflections put on syllabyls or sentence structure are both missing. It makes the job boring with the sighs and "ummmm"s of which there are many, loss of train of thought. In my day, the doctor's dictated with some emotion which helped to enjoy the job even more, in fact, that is my fav part, typing a good job for the person dictating - that has always been my goal. It is very depressing since I see another 10 or so years in this field unless I sprout a new talent that can pay the bills.
Stayed at Vistana time share resort and it was EXCELLENT 5-6 years ago.
I don't know what kind of prices you are going to get at the height of the season but phone Vistana and see what a weekly rate is. They do have shuttle service and lots of activities within the resort itself. There are lots of time shares that have been built since then so check into time share rental. Vistana had two bedrooms and sleeping room in the living area plus kitchen. Whirlpool bath in master. Tennis, swimming, etc. Great place to stay, highly recommend.

PS: I went in the late summer and price for a week was approximately $700.
hate daylight savings time, LOVED living in AZ for 2 years!
used to whatever time you are on, some government says, "EVERYBODY CHANGE AGAIN!"
I feel people who feel like this post
needs to a) either be a stay at home mother and not work or b) realize that she is no queen bee and I could care less about a degree. What company out here that you know of compensates for having a degree? Means nothing to them. Your working and being there when they assign/need/require/whatever is what you should do IF YOU WANT A JOB in this field, otherwise get out and do something else or become that babysitter.
Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....

I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.

You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.

Good luck to you!!
No need to feel badly for me - feel badly for an adult who has no control of his/her own life!
I hope these people didn't produce any daughters! Bad, bad example!
58, AHP/self-taught, trained at hospital 5 years, now with 2 of my own accounts for 10 years, employ
Also worn out 2 keyboards in 4 years. I will never retire. DH will come home some day from work and I'll be slumped over my keyboard. I put in 14 hours a day 7 days a week.
Pack years = packs smoked per day x years of smoking - sm
25 pack-years = 25 years of 1 pack a day, or 12-1/2 years of 2 packs a day.

I don't think pack-years applies to someone who smokes only cigars. But I don't know for sure.
I worked for Cbay for 3 years. I was also part of their lay off back many years ago. sm
Even though I got stuck in a lay off era, I still love the company. They paid well then. The people were nice (exception of 1 person) and if I had the opportunity I would go back again. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how u look at it), I have a great paying job right now, so I am not looking for a change. I do know that at one time, they asked management to accept late paychecks, but never sure of the reason why. My check was never late.
I know it used to be 5-10 years back, but the laws changed within the last 2 years. They can only g
x
6 years legal then switched to medical 17+ years ago. sm

I don't mind doing legal and will do it now from time to time, but be prepared to be totally bored out of your mind.


At least that's the way I feel.  I love to transcribe, learned legal in college, went on to get my paralegal degree, etc., etc., but I did temp work when the kids were younger, which was about 90% medical and I would never go back to legal except for once in a while.


Booooooring.


 


 


Only 3 years away from reaching total years for retirement
but if I had to do this and raise a family, would feel exactly like you do. The pay is terrible compared to what I used to make. I work 32 hours a week, hope to be able to continue even after full retirement age. I have worked on VR now and unless places get to where they really do not care about how their reports look, think they will need MTs. I very seldom do a report and it is 100%, just cannot remember 1 like that and most take a lot more editing. Working now because want to, not have to anymore, thank goodness!!
Not anymore. For some time now, I've been working 32 hours and am considered full time to receive
p
Working full time at home with small children is hard but part time works great
is almost impossible. You will either have to work when your spouse is home or for only a few hours during the day and then more when they are asleep. I work part time at home and my kids (2&5 now) have done very, very well. They are great kids, very well behaved, don't get into much. I stop working to check on them/give them some attention every hour or so while I work (5 hours each afternoon or so) and they get all my attention in the morning and at night. It has worked out beautifully for us.
Yeah, our choc. lab does that from time to time - makes it interesting!- nm
x
Cannot legally require you to commit time to them as an employee and then not pay you for that time.
x