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EXACTLY! Constructive input is always welcome;

Posted By: constant little put-downs are NOT. on 2008-01-02
In Reply to: I have been on both sides and recently sm - Lyndia

nm


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Constructive
No one likes being corrected, even in a nice way, especially if doing the same thing the same way for years. Us QAs out here are just like you, employed by a company, we are not the almighty rulers of the world. We are employed to do a job which is not easy and many feelings get hurt along the way. Many MTs just want to be left alone to do their work even if it is incorrect. Thats not an option these days, the work must be correct and quality is mandatory, not an option.
Can anyone please tell me what constructive
I have been following the discussion below about impolite QA and some of you have mentioned receiving constructive feedback from QA and/or mentors. Would someone please tell me what this constructive feedback looks like? Where I work they just fill in the blanks, but I never receive any comments. I often ask questions but receive no response. What am I missing? I hope for some sort of feedback from the QA people and/or my manager but it never happens. Maybe I have been spared the rudeness that some of you experience because they never comment. Which companies offer feedback, tips, constructive criticism? What does the feedback/mentoring look like? Thank you for your responses and help.
If you have nothing constructive to say, then
xx
The answers have been constructive. sm

What I don't understand is why you think they're not. People are stating the truth--the employer calls the shots, not the employee. Just because the truth isn't as comfortably "warm and fuzzy" as you want it to be, doesn't make it less true. It seems that this point is missed very frequently on this board and to try to convince this person that it is the employee who decides the working terms is both cruel and non-constructive. (There are so many cliches that I could use right now I'm not even going to start.)


There have been several posters who lament the loss of jobs to overseas competition but instead of laying blame at the feet of workers who want to call the shots, they instead try to blame the people who are hungry for jobs and are willing to work at getting and keeping jobs that are "too demanding", "too demaning", "not family-friendly" for US workers. Employers are also to blame when their biggest concern is the bottom line and not upholding the society that allowed them to become employers in the first place.


A very good book to read for more on this subject is The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It is a long book but if you're really interested in understanding what is going on in the world today and being prepared for the reality of tomorrow, it's worth the read. Of course, it also requires a mind willing to see the problems that both workers and employers have created.


Constructive feedback is ...

providing commentary and suggestions on improving the MT's work process (i.e. 'hearing' ESL's better or maybe a more refined search process, etc.) in a professionally worded fashion.  Most times when an MT leaves a minefield of blanks in a report it's because he/she because of their lack of experience wasn't able to 'hear' what the dictator was saying. 


A true QA person of excellence can recall their own journey on the road of transcription, remember that type of frustration and lack of experience, and translate solutions and suggestions to the MT in a manner that the MT can draw upon that experience and going forward incorporate the QA's suggestions into their work process, correcting any deficiencies they may have in putting out a quality document without a lot of blanks.  


In the case of where you work, sometimes constructive feedback is as simple as just filling in the blanks.  You can use the document that's been returned to you as a sample for training your ear to better hear what that particular dictator is saying when you get him/her again.  In this way, you continue to improve and are more autonomous in the work that you do. 


I hope this helps. 


First of all, you did not come here looking for constructive advice. SM

You came here to whine and moan about QA and you wanted people to pat you on your head and said "poor little MT, you were right."  When you didn't get that, you started throwing a tantrum and telling everyone what big 'ol meanies they are.


By your own admission, you have been an MT for three years.  You are in no way qualified to tell QA or the QA supervisor that you like or dislike changes made, account specs, or anything of the sort.  Your job is to type according to the account specs and according to whatever other BOS rules QA imposes.  Like it or not, this is the job!  MTs are called upon to be flexible.  Personally, I abhor the BOS, but I like money, I need money to live and feed my kids, so if my employer says do by the BOS book, then that's what I'm gonna do.


I going to go out on a limb here and guess that since you said some of the mistakes you made were "stupid mistakes" you shouldn't have made, then you probably look inexperienced to QA and aren't going to be taken seriously when you complain.  When you've become a seasoned MT who makes very few mistakes and then want to complain, you might be taken a bit more seriously.


I have 20 years under my belt.  My last QA score (which happened to be yesterday) was 99.5% and that is my consistent score.  If one day I get a QA score say below 98%, then I may question it diplomatically.  I probably have more experience than the QA person proofing my work, but being condescending is not the way to go.  Here you are 3 years experience and you are condescending and go above your QA's head to her boss.  Good thing you're starting a new job, sounds like you're going to need it.


That's my 2 cents.


Constructive remarks in message
I have a couple of constructive things to say.  First take it to a blog where you can whine to someone who cares.  Where you can all wallow in your self-pity while your bills add up and your kids starve and nothing changes the situation.  Next, get another job.  Stay at MQ if you must, but get another job, be it MT or whatever, that will pay your bills while you whine. Third, get some ambition and help yourselves.  Whining to each other will accomplish nothing. Why would I be MQ management when I am offering suggestions to help your plight.  I am sure MQ management is very happy with the way things are.  They have you whiners that are still there for them to scrape their feet on and not doing a thing about your situation.
LOL. I told you, it's a pet peeve. It was constructive
Personally, I don't like to have errors in any of my writing, personal MB or not, and I would rather have someone tell me on a MB than make a fool of myself elsewhere. To each his/her own.

FWIW, I was not proofreading, just reading. After seeing it the incorrect way umpteen times, I felt compelled to mention it.
Take constructive criticism and LEARN...
I worked for this company and the only reason I quit was I needed a job where i worked 4 hours and that was it.  I absolutely LOVED my job with them.  They were encouraging yet at the same time made me aware of what I needed to correct, as quality is of utmost importance in medical dictation.  I made notes and reviewed the corrections sent back to me in order to undo my errors.  The Editor (Rose) taught me so much by giving me these corrections cause it has helped me become a better MT.  It is so important in this field to be accurate and have good grammar and spelling skills.  Maybe this field isnt for you, but definitely even look into getting perhaps a used grammar/english textbook or the AMMT Book of Style to review, as that might be less expensive than going back to school.  I have talked to other MTs who have been in this field for 35 years and said they STILL learn something new every single day.  Keep an open mind on this job and learn all you can.  In the long run you will be a better MT for it.
Yes, thanks for a thoughtful and constructive comment. SM
Much too rare on this board. I'm shocked by how many people still don't use Expanders and use them very extensively. People need to understand and accept that today's much higher standard of production is set by those who do.
Yeah...let's not try to do anything constructive because everybody is contributing to the problem
I think most of us hear this all the time...let somebody else clean up the mess.
THAT is when constructive feedback helps, not being a jerk about it.
QA should remember how it felt to be MT and struggling to get it right.
I have found no matter how constructive my feedback is... SM

most MTs either don't read it or read and immediately send it to the recycle bin literally and figuratively.  So when I send feedback, it is basically a list of their errors, my corrections, and quoting chapter and verse from the BOS if necessary. 


Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing MTs gripe.  I used to try to educate and mentor MTs, but it is a thankless job.  Someone below said that QA people try to insinuate their egos, but in my experience it is the MTs ego that is getting in the way.  So many MTs think they are "excellent MTs" and so many of them are not.  At one point, I decided to keep a running log of unacceptable errors that even the most remedial MT should not be making and start posting it here because I'm so sick of MTs posting that QA is unreasonable or big meanies.


So here is a very unacceptable mistake I've seen this morning and I've only been on the clock for an hour...


"pressure ulcer on the left heal"


Of course, when I sent feedback to this MT, she emailed me saying "ha ha, oh it's just a typo."  Problem was she did it repeatedly throughout the entire report -- not just once but every instance the dictator talked about the left heel ulcer, she typed "left heal ulcer."


Now, MTs, tell me that I'm not supposed to roll my eyes and be a little irritated that I had to spend fifteen minutes listening to her entire report because such a basic error sends up warning flags, when I should have just had to fill in her blanks.



Thank you, that is certainly constructive. How about 17 years, you want me to just change to accomm
nm
Would it kill you people to give constructive advice instead of insults and insensitivity?!?
I understand your frustration. I think you just need to sit down and have a talk with your employer. Find out exactly what they want your status to be. As an employee, yes they do have the right to dictate your hours, where you work, etc., but they do not have the right to jerk you around. If they want you to work at home, then they need to provide for that, not you! Anyone who says otherwise is wrong! In any industry, if a company wants you to commute, they pay for gas/mileage. If they want you to have a cell phone/pager, they either pay for it, or they provide an allowance for it. If they want you to work at home, they provide equipment. It sounds to me like they want way too much and are giving very little. Just because a person/company is the employer, it does not give them the right to treat people like dirt, sending them on wild goose chases, interfering with their life, schedule, expenses, etc. I am sorry you have received such critical and insensitive comments. I hope this works out for you. Blessings!
She didn't say she put "no-no" in her feedback and used baby talk in her constructive criti
I wish she were on my QA team. She sounds wonderful!
my input
There are many companies out there, and the majority of them are good companies. Most jobs are work at home, too. There are pros and cons to every single MT company. What works for one MT won't work for another. Research the Company board. Use the MTstars search function. Read the Job Seeker board to see who's hiring. If you apply and get a nibble back, ask questions specifically. However, I don't think we're all going to list every MT company we've all worked for.

Here are some hints. Don't pay for proprietary hardware or software from the company, buy it on eBay, don't work for free, don't work for less than what you think you are worth. Even when I started out as a total newbie grad from a terrible school, I still made $.065 per line.

The average MT can do 150 lines per hour, so 1,000 lines would be roughly 6.5 hours of work. I expect to put out about 1,200 lines today by noon, and I'm certainly not as fast or experienced as most on this board. There are people out there consistently doing 250-300 lines per hour, so 1,000 lines per day is certainly feasible.
Thanks for that input.
I thought there might be something wrong with me.  Maybe I'm too critical because I keep finding something "wrong" with all these kids.  They're just kids.  Yeah, little demon spawn is my favorite term for them.  These little beasts have no respect for other people, their possessions, or adults.  It certainly makes me appreciate my own kids so much more.  I don't tell them enough that they're good kids.
Thanks! I will look into both of these. Appreciate your input! nm
xxx
Thanks! I will look into both of these. Appreciate your input! nm
xxx
Thank all of you for your input!
I appreciate the info on both Cymed and Transolutions. Sounds as if Transolutions is the better of the two. If this does not work out, I think I will try doing IC work - just need more info on it. Guess I would have to check into insurance. Have Cobra now and it is sending me to the poor house. Thank you.
Thanks for the input
The person I dealt with was Jennifer, but I never met her, just back and forth over the phone and naturally she was very positive.
Thanks for the input. NM
d
Thanks for the input - sm
We aren't in Western Washington, other side of the mountains and she is even further east from me, about an hour from here.

They will get help. It may just take a little while longer before they can find someone qualified for it.
Thanks for the input everyone (nm)
x
TY everyone for your input..

I think I will get busy on approaching some of the chiro's in the area then.  Small town here..not many facilities to choose from for just rad and someone else suggested trying chiro.  Any other suggestions would still be greatly appreciated as well as any websites or individuals willing to share some sample reports.  Feel free to email me with samples/more suggestions.


Thanks again!


Thank you both for the input.

thanks for your input!
x
Thanks for the input.
My primary account, though it keeps me busy and has for over 10 years, there is no extra work.  What I do and what another girl does on weekends is all.  I did take on another account at one time but it was either too much or not enought.  Too much for me to handle accurately and do domesticated stuff and dropped back to handle both but not enought money.  I think I will just have to buckle down and stress to family (kids are old enought to help out) that they will have to pitch in or do without!  Thanks again.  You do help me feel a lot better!
Thank you. I will try that. I appreciate your input here nm

thank you for your input
The local is sort of what I am leaning towards..
Any input? Looking in to them.
I appreciate it!  Thanks! 
Thanks for your input.....
I guess I will just take today as a day to do some "testing." Thank you so much for sharing. I feel so alone and worried about my future as an MT.
Thanks again, I appreciate your input...
more than you know! Yes, I am definitely a female, I'm sure my sensitivity shows here!! LOL

Would I be going against anything if I sent a letter of apology to those docs for what happened? It isn't like I would be going against noncompete as I would not be trying to get their business, just to apologize and set my mind at ease and get closure.
Thank you all so much for the input....
xx
thanks for input
I appreciate the input. try and have a better night! :)
Thanks for the input! nm
!
Thanks for the input!


Thanks for all your input. sm
But Home Depot does use subcontractors.  I asked if they speak English and was told NO.  So, I'm looking at local carpet stores.  Found a lot of horror stories on the net.  Guess it depends on which Home Depot you use and which subcontractor you are lucky or unlucky enough to end up with on your project.
Thanks for your input

 Leaving the office and going home to work sounds like something I should seriously consider.  I moved from Oregon to Texas recently and was shocked to find the wages so low.  I went from $15.00 an hour to $9 an hour and nothing around here pays anymore. Believe me my goals are higher than $9 an hour. Thanks again and I'll be hanging around!


Thank you all for your input
The part time job I work at is small and very personable, so with this newer job I have, at a bigger company, I wasn't quite sure. It sounds like I should not send her an email. I just really hate to leave all of these blanks, but you should really hear this guy - he has a very thick accent, he is mumbling like crazy, and coughing in my ear. I feel like the whole report is one big block of swiss cheese.

Thank you all
Thank you for your input, as well
I'm certain there are many QA'ers that do not have a power trip. I am just so used to the small company I work for that I did not know what was proper. My particular QA rarely sends me feedback, which I value because I am still fairly new. In light of your post, I won't take it so personal anymore that there is no "personal touch" given. Thanks a lot
I will...And thanks for all your input...
Next round of competition is August 12.
Thanks for all the input! sm
I am an old-time MT. I was able to obtain an at-home position due to my acute care in-hospital experience. So, I was not able to give my SIL much advice regarding schooling. She has been traveling about 60 miles round trip to get to work each day and she is having a baby in February. She was asking me about my job and when I explained a little about what an MT does, she was really excited about it. She is an excellent typist, so I'm hoping this will be the answer for her in the end. Thanks again!
Thanks, appreciate your input. nm

thanks for all your input ....
Luckily, I have no kids or family obstacles - my time is my own. The distance from my present job and the new job is negligible; it's actually less than 5 mins closer the new job! Both are 15 mins away.
I realize I'll have LOTS of ESLs ... yikes .. but I do have them now, anyway. Hey - maybe I can whip these new docs into shape by dictating the RIGHT way - slow and courteously? lol .. yeah right.

Yes, I can definitely check out the job before I leave my present job. I have 2 days off during the week, and they need someone to start ASAP. So that can work out.

I will definitely keep everyone posted if I get the job. I love the feedback guys - thanks !
Thanks for the input...
...I think I will try a glare screen...that seems to make sense!
Thanks for your input!
nm
Thanks for your input - I really appreciate it! KM (nm)
.
thanks for the input everyone..
I am a little worried about underlying causes, and am going to have it checked out. 
Thanks for your input!
Sorry I didn't see your message before!  That is really good input.  I'm not trying to write a book as a course per se, I'm really trying to help folks most likely as an IC (that's what I am, and you can still pick up some accounts -- though it's getting harder!)  Also the home/work balance, that sort of thing.  I'd like to help people start successful businesses but you may be right -- that that would work best if they go into medical billing.  Thanks.