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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Go to Dollar General. sm

Posted By: Rachel on 2005-08-08
In Reply to: How do you guys pinch your pennies - need help conserving monies

I'm amazed what i can find there for $1. You never know what you're going to find, but cleaning supplies, household stuff, things that are definitely more than $1 even at Wal-Mart...as long as you're willing to not be picky. When the hurricanes were looming, I got mutli pack of name -brand batteries for $1, tons of candles, etc. You just have to search the whole store, but definitely worth it.


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Dollar
With the dollar depreciating against all major currecies including Asian currencies is it true that outsourcing will slow down and ultimately stop as the cost advantage is becoming a ?
If I had a dollar sm

for every person who asked me about getting into this profession JUST to work at home, I could retire.  They have no idea what the profession entails, they just want to work at home, kids or no kids.  They usually see those ads.


Dollar range and thanks.. sm

Trying to stay around not more than 275,000.  Would like 3 bedrooms, and 2 to 2.5 baths with an office or fourth bedroom for work.  A pool would be nice.  When we were there about three weeks ago all the new tracts were on lotteries or about a one year wait to build.  Don't really wanna hassle with the lottery since I don't live local.  How about Palm Valley?  Is that a nice place?  What would you say is the community with the best schools.  My priority is location, schools, price, community amenities, not too far from everything so hubby does not have a monstrous commute, etc. 


Thanks so much for answering, it is really nice to get opinions from people who actually live there.


 


some of the dollar stores where everything
is a dollar carry them, that way you can afford as many as you want
$1.29 to our dollar so if the Canadian MTs...sm

If Canadian MTs are making more $$ than American MTs, it all evens out.  Also, the national health care system in Canada is currently under revision and my cousin tells me it takes her 6 months to get an appointment for an XRAY in Calgary!!!........


Canada's dollar is not as strong as our dollar in the US and I LOVE CANADA so please do not think I'm bashing that wonderful sister country of ours.


Tops dollar? 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 etc MTs sm

 line expectations/requirements up to 1800 a day, the QA/editors I saw expectations 3000 a day, 2,3,4 cents a line. 


What do you suppose this comes out to hourly, say 4 pages an hour, 35 lines/page times 140 lines an hour, say 6,7,8,9. And, now what are the requirements.


.I see where they expect/require the MTs to pay for just everything, THEIR costs to do business.  Recently saw -- need 3 phone lines, provide at your cost, long distance plan buy this and that. Nonsense. .


After all this output who knows if in 30 days either side wants to continue relationship and look at all the money and equipment, Lanier $250 footpedal, thousands on some type of Lanier equipment LX something, 500 deposit to return in 6 months, this is nothing more than free interest loan for the business to fund their equipment purchase. 


There is a lot of anger, frustration and disrespect out there, you can tell by the ads posted, a slave-like attitude toward the MTs.


Frustration/anger fosters errors.


AND, look at what the MTs have to put up with in terms of dictation, if we can't hear how to make production and accuracy. It is, anything goes, take a deep gulp and see if you can finish report before you need to take another breath.  Dictate at live football games and "whisper" Intentional speed dictation because they don't want to say it again, no matter how many times yuu rewind, can't make out the dictation.  Anything goes, just dictate dear doctor, just dictate, we expect/require 99.5% accuracy.


Yep, I too am frustrated and saddened.


What could be done is--- nicely state on ads, be sure and run a spell check, "smile"---- problem solved ----instead of the disrespect you feel..


What's your dollar range? I live not too far from there.
l
Yep, sometimes an entire dollar cheaper...
x
Well, it's worth exactly a dollar an hour at my job which
x
No dollar generals where I live, but
get a Rival. That's what the old one is and it certainly has done the job for a very long time. Hopefully the new ones are just as good; with any luck it will outlive me..well maybe not quite.
That is a million dollar question

I think they are just being pains.  There are some people they bend over backwards for, some they don't work with at all and unfortunately I am at the lower end of the stick, it seems.   I had a coworker quit and went to work for an on-line service because they would not let her have Sundays off so she could go to church with her family even though they had adequate coverage on Sunday and by Thursday we were always out of work. 



The dollar amount may not have been the point...
but I just find it funny that those who agree all say they are making $25+ an hour. Just wondered if you would still agree with her if you weren't making the money you are making. Many of us do support our family on our wage and there is no way I could do it on $11.50. I make a few dollars more an hour than that and we are still struggling to make ends meet. I guess I was just put off by the judgmental attitude of the OP that if we can't cut it with our current pay that we just need to reevaluate our lifestyle. I live simply, but I live in a high-cost area. There is really no way I could cut back on my costs. So if I ever make less than I am now, I will be forced to look for a new job.
HAHAHA ... Now there's your million-dollar idea!
.
Million Dollar Movie? Was on every night...sm
on TV and you could watch the same movie for a week?  I remember a lot of James Cagney movies shown on that Million Dollar Movie - *lol*
Dollar store reading glasses work for me.

Just bought 4 pair at a 2.25 magnification today, as the more I do this, the worse it gets.  Started with a 1.25 a year ago.


I knew it was time when I had to wear two pair of 1.75's on top of each other so I could thread my sewing machine needle.


Ahhh, the "golden years."


I love the Dollar Store....lots of things there. nm
x
We just signed up for our propane for winter.. It's gone up a dollar per gallon...
from last year.  There is no shortage of propane as far as I know.  They just raise the price because they can.  We're paying 1.89 per gallon.  Thank goodness we have 2 wood stoves, but I'm sure a cord of wood will double too. . You can't win.
I have a sister who we call the "Queen of the Dollar Stores."
Bless her heart, she buys all her Christmas at dollar stores (decorations and all) and even gives me makeup or hair products that she has tried and doesn't like. She doesn't know that I know this, though. I just smile, hug her and go on. It's not that she can't afford any better, she just sweeps the dollar stores, gets everyone's gifts in about 30 minutes, and she is through for the season. I guess it's not supposed to be about the presents, but the thought (but sometimes I wonder what that thought was, LOL)!  MERRY CHRISTMAS! 
it was posted friday - day late, dollar short? NM
X
I finally just saw Million Dollar Baby! Clint rocked!! nm
x
detrimenal impact on your life. Loyalty is gone. Almighty dollar has taken its place.
dd
In general
All caps and no abbreviations.  Headings for PE and ROS underneath.  Account specifics may differ.
In General....

An employer cannot set a specific schedule for an IC. This link addresses the issue here :


http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/1179.html


An excerpt fron the site above notes :


"According to the IRS, workers are employees if they must comply with the employer's instructions about their work, receive training or direction from the employer, provide services that integrate into the employer's business, render their services personally (can't subcontract), have a continuing working relationship with the employer, must follow set hours of work, work full-time for the employer..."


 As is noted in the site linked above , the consequences for the employer are quite severe if the IRS determines that the company actually was treating you as an employee rather than an IC.


 


In general,
in a given occupational group the upward pressure that unions place on wages and benefits has the net effect of raising the income and standard of living of poor folk up to the level of middle class folk while the absence of unions tends to drag the income and standard of living of middle class folk down to the level of poor folk. That upward pressure on wages and benefits not only helps union members but everybody else working in that occupational group. Without the organized upward pressure, wages will sink like a rock.

attorney general
good idea.  I have contacted an attorney already (I am a corp by myself so I have access to an attorney) and he states that legally there is nothing right now that I can do. I can possibly sue them later down the road, but they have not done anything illegal. He suggested to try and "sugar" them into paying me.  I will contact the attorney general's office. The company and I are in the same state, so that helps tremendously.
MT and medicine in general

The greedy guts smelled the ability to MAKE A PROFIT in the field of medicine


and "there went the neighborhood."


It used to be a sign of respect to be a doctor - now they just work for the company store and are running out the door with the nurses at quitting time - throwing any patient they may be seeing to the winds.  One even told me to hurry up and make up my mind because she had to go pick up her kids at daycare!


And so has medical transcription - some guy in a tie said QUANTITY OF LINES COULD = MUCHO PROFIT...


Of course those people don't care if a few people die along the way because of errors. - well not at least until it's their leg that's amputated by mistake.


 


Is that the one for a general transcriptionist?
c
In general no, but your client may need you to
nm
dogs in general
As a pet owner, I can understand the devestating feelings that you have regarding the horrible death of your dog/child. (I say child because my 2-year-old Weimaraner is like one of my kids) Please remember that any dog can be made to be vicious, there are no vicious dogs by nature. Dogs are a direct result of the environment that they live in and if they are mistreated then they are going to be mean and unsafe. My brother had what is called a Mastif bulldog and it was the biggest baby I have ever see at 100 pounds. Neighbors were okay with this dog in the neighborhood (all their kids loved him) until a picture of his breed was put on the cover of Time magazine. In this picture, the dog was snarling and looked very vicous. My brother ended up having to get rid of the dog because so many people were then afraid, even though before they loved the animal before. There is "prejudice" when it comes to dogs, just as there is "prejudice" when it comes to people.
too general a question - please be.....nm

General Transcriptionist

Im trying to begin my career in MT.  I've ordered a at home study course and im waiting for it to arrive but in the mean time i heard that general transcription is the route to go until you become efficient enough to begin in MT.  Does anyone know of how I need to get started in this and what I need to do to begin?


Thanks


Jodie


as a general rule...

I use an "f" after any abbreviation that I want to expand.  I just use the standard abbreviation plus f, so I do not forget what they are.  My ShortHand is full of things like this.


ex: cbcf  tcpf  tshf


Works for me!


 


General Dissatisfaction
I read all these board and it seems that overall no one is happy where they are.  Is it because this is the most God awful boring profession possibly?  I am so bored that to keep me occupied I find things that could be done better or quicker.  I just switched companies because I couldn't stand same old same old another minute.  Just the new platform and dictators make for a better day.  Am I alone in this thought process?  No, changing jobs is not an option right now kids at home and raising them comes before me..Just a theory
Your question is too general...
You need to post on the company board for a specific company. We cannot answer your question as currently presented!
General MT questions
Recently, I was asked the following questions by a friend who is helping to revamp a medical transcription course.  These questions are also asked by individuals who might be interested in medical transcription and are posed at seminars.  
 

I would appreciate your input if you would be so kind.  Also, what is the industry-wide expectation on required number of lines per day and number of minutes per day (8-hour day).

 

1.  On average, how long does it take a medical Transcriptionist to produce 1 hour of dictation?

2.  Besides Word, is it essential for transcriptionists to purchase any of the transcription software that’s available?

3.  Is it common for doctors to transcribe into templates, which eliminates the need for medical transcriptionists?

4.  How many lines an hour should an average MT be typing?

 

Thanks I appreciate any and all input.

what general area are you in
A gal I know up in a western metropolitan area got 14 cpl 5 YEARS ago, but she says the prices up there are like that. I wonder what they get in New York?
General discussions here say should get AT
x
It seems that the general consensus is that it
is inappropriate, regardless of the sexual orientation of the employee.

If you did not give your expressed permission to use your company name, logo, or otherwise, it could be considered a copyright infringement.

Ask her to take it down because you did not give your permission for her to put it up.

Wages in general
In looking over *** jobs, under the pay/compensation it seems everyone is putting "competive wage/compension".  Can anyone give me some idea of what that means....I am currently getting 8.5-10 cents for IC work.  I have 10+ years and made it at Healthscribe for 5+ years, which was definitely the worst work ever.  Can I do better?  I had my CMT and let it expire years ago.   
I was always told as a general rule
it was double.  Most of the time, however, I think it is slightly over that.
Bachelors of General Studies

Summa cum laude, thank you very much.


Long, complicated story. Basically, I'm a clinical year short of a Clinical Laboratory Science degree, but I won't go back and pursue it barring losing my husband. Also, if I'd have thought more carefully when I switched out of the CLS program, I was only 3 or 4 classes short of a B.A. in psychology. Oh, well. What I ended up with is essentially a liberal arts degree with lots and lots of science classes and lots of psychology classes and a smattering of language studies.


Like some of the other posters, my ultimate goal is to get into P.A. school once my youngest kiddos are school age. I think I'm too old for med school now, but it raises my hopes to see the post below. Being a transcriptionist pays the bills, but some days I do kinda get upset with myself. Here I am doing the same thing I went to school not to do any more. Sigh...


MTing is not bad, but I just don't get enough people contact, and it certainly doesn't have a lot of money or prestige associated with it. Sigh.. again. Ah, well. It works for my family right now.


 


That is the general premise though it seems more and more "require"
what they are trying to do is obviously have a good idea of what your daily committment/lines will be so they can keep the work covered and done in TAT. It makes sense for them to do this though I do not like having a set schedule as that is hard for me personally...maybe 2 out of 5 weekdays I could actually work a schedule. As for "requiring" you to work a holiday, if it is in your contract, yes, if not but it is your normal scheduled work day and they say nothing about you having it off, they I would think they "expect" you to work it. Work though at the holiday's does slack off some, the doctors don't want to work either. I am an IC but don't have to work a schedule luckily, and I get off the days the hospital I do work for does (all major holidays) though I may have work at home to do in my box, I choose when to do it, as long as it is in for my deadline they don't care. Seems to me those types of jobs are getting harder to find though.
Former owner of MDI, now General Manager
Wow - I most definitely do work at MDI.

If you worked for MDI you would know how extremely busy we are. I sent out a mass email on Wednesday asking for extra help.

I try to NEVER overhire, as I am a Transcriptionist myself and I realize that my MT's need the job and the money coming in on a regular basis. So I do take great offense at your post. AND YES, I really work at MDI.

Please give me a call.

Thanks,
Liz
Can anyone point me in the general direction

of making templates? I have no idea what I am doing or where to start. I have looked in the archives, but keep finding posts related to jobs that pay for templates, etc. Thanks in advance


Also, is it possible to really use templates when doing a very large acute care hospital?


I wasn't asking for your address, just general
location. Like East Coast, West Coast, Midwest .. big city, small town. Your unwillingness to respond to any of the questions pretty much gives me my answers.

Why does everyone here always just automatically assume the worst? Sheesh. It's like a rampant disease. Yes, I was asking for your address so I can come find you and stalk you. As if I would actually care. I was trying to make a point as to regional rates, that's all. When someone like you pipes up saying that 9 cpl is an "India" wage, then the good people who are surviving quite well on 9 cpl won't want to speak up for fear of being bashed. I run ads for help often for my transcription service and get plenty of responses from Indian MTs and most of them are only asking for 3-4 cpl. The only way I could ever see companies paying 9 cpl to MTs overseas would be if MTs here were asking 20 cpl. Otherwise, it just wouldn't be advantageous since many US MTs are more than willing to work at 9 cpl with (usually) much better quality and fewer training expenses.

All I can say to the OP is that you should decide what rate works best for you. Will 9 cpl pay your bills? Cost of living is different in different places so 9 cpl may work for one MT but not another. Are you being started at 9 cpl with the knowledge that you can move up from that rate once they've QA'd your work for a few months? While some MTs in some areas may be able to demand a rate of 16 cpl, that is not typical in all locales. Asking that rate in a smaller town would put you out of business since there would be too many others more than happy to accept the 9 cpl.

Finally, I hope this is not the only message board you use to seek answers to your questions. I find this board to be the least beneficial with the most negativity and bickering getting in the way of any good information it provides. Check out some other MT sites as well. And please remember that people hiding behind anonymity will often exaggerate or just plain not tell the truth so take it with a grain of salt. Do the math and see if the rate will work for YOU. It doesn't have to be good for anyone else. :)
how about esthetics field in general
I don't want to spend 7k and get out and have no business.
Paid by report or cpl - Which is better in general? nm
nm
Right click My Computer....should be under general tab. nm
xx
Did you try going to the general escription forums?
Is it Willie that moderates it? Anyhoo, someone in there asked about getting a USB adapter a while back. Maybe one of the techs can help you. I would LOVE to be able to use my laptop with a pedal.
What general search engine do you use? (sm)
Does anyone use anything but Google for a general search engine? Google seems to be down today (is google down for anyone else?), and I'm trying to find another one that is as good for my general searches.

Thanks!
General rule is 3-5% a year. sm
If you currently get 8 cpl, ask for a raise up to 8.25 or 8.5 cpl, that almost covers cost of living and inflation.

Generic numbers here to show the math based on the 8 cpl with the raises:
200 lph at 8.00 cpl = $16 hourly/$33,280 yearly
200 lph at 8.25 cpl = $16.50 hourly/$34,320 yearly
200 lph at 8.50 cpl = $17.00 hourly/$35,360 yearly

When you ask for a raise, provide them with verifiable data to prove you DESERVE a raise. Say you are 99% accurate, remind them. If you type 250 lph or more, remind them. If you work OT on days off, remind them. If you come at them with your homework done and good reason to give you more, they will be more apt to say yes. (I have never been turned down for a raise, once even got more than I actually was looking for because I didn't specify how much of a raise I was wanting.)