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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Hoping they see the light!

Posted By: Kim on 2007-04-25
In Reply to: What will they do when we all go away? - MTME

I agree with you 100%. I have been in this line of work for over 30 years. (I started off making $3.23 an hour in 1975 (had no experience) and worked with the large belts on a Selectric typewriter. I have always LOVED this profession; however, over the years the stress has increased for me especially in the last three years.

I would like to be able to retire from this job, yet I worry constantly about our profession and my job just going away and what will I do then? I still work in a hospital and the way we are treated even has changed. Pencils only provided, no Kleenex along with the attitude that if we are not typing, we are not working and virtually have problems just getting up to go potty or take a much needed break.

The out-sourcing has really shocked this old gal and I don't really know about the quality of the work returned to comment on it. Does anyone know? I would be curious.

However, I am hoping and praying that one day, our MDs will say "ENOUGH!" Maybe, they will decide that paying for quality work and providing benefits, etc., far outweighs the cost savings benefit of outsourcing to other countries and sadly in companies in the United States also. When I think about the knowledge and dedication we put forth every day to produce quality work, it just really hurts that the hospitals and doctors don't want to pay benefits and pay for the best transcriptionists they can find.

Signed, The Dreamer.



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Go with Light or Extra Light Ash Blonde as
nm
I am hoping to do this ..... sm
I want to do 1 or 2 small accunts. Getting ready to "pound the pavement." For the first time in a long time, I'm feeling excited about this profession again.

I decided I wanted to take control of my career to the best of my ability. I didn't want to continue complaining about the sludge I was getting thrown my way to type, the office politics, the disorganization.

I decided, as John Lennon used to say, "No problems, only solutions."

We'll see how it goes. Thankfully, for the most part, my income is a cushion income, so that helps.

I think with the handheld digitals it will be easier to do this than it used to be years ago.

This site and "other" site are chock-full of great information.

Good luck (to all of us adventurous souls)!


I'm hoping many will see it and think
a *fare* opportunity? Kind of says it all, doesn't it? lol
I was hoping Roddick would win, but
he made WAY too many errors!  Fedderer was definite good but Roddick could have returned a lot more than he did.....guess he had a bad day...unfortunately that does happen!!  I'm glad that Wimbledon at LEAST makes the players hold to the "white" clothing rule.....truly believe someone needs to do something about the obnoxious noises that some players feel are necessary for each and every stroke!  Give us all a break, please!!!  Have a good 4th!! 
Thank you! That was what I was hoping to hear.
dd
was hoping it would be a start though :(
..
Thanks! I'm hoping to get the hang of it

nm


Well, maybe they are hoping beyond hope that your
position might be the kind that perhaps offers the equipment after all - if they like you on the interview. Or perhaps lease it.  That has happened to me on some jobs I have applied for. I am an awesome MT, though, with decades of experience, yet new to ICing, and not lots of $$ for equipment. I remember I didn't even know that a C-phone and a dictaphone were the same thing! Some jobs were kind and saw a good deal in me, so they helped out with the equipment. And they were more than rewarded by helping me out. Must be frustrating for you, but that's part of being your own business.
I like it. Depends on what you are hoping to get out of it.
bn
I agree, but I am hoping that it's...
Soul Patrol...yeah baby! Go TAYLOR!!!
Hoping for the best for you! I have a Smokey too!...nm
/
Thanks D!! I was hoping that was the case! nm
x
True, which is why I was hoping she could
x
And I am hoping just the opposite of
VR being done away with. I love it, mine is an excellent platform and with all the ESLs we have now, I don't have to rack my brain to find out what they are trying to say. Thank goodness for VR and I hope the hospital I work for keeps it.
Also, hoping there is more work.... but guess what!
Just got up to start my shift 1 a.m.- and there is no work in the system?
Hoping doctors would read this, how to get thru to them?
IMO, they just don't really give a crap!  As for respect, that has to be earned.  I'm sorry but just because you are a doctor doesn't make you God and doesn't make you better than that poor Transcriptionist behind a keyboard!  I've been doing this stuff for 10 years and am at the end of my rope with these so-called professionals.  By the way, IMO, seems to me they're getting worse at dictation.  These whippersnappers getting their degrees now can't even make a decent sentence; singulars for pleurals as in "there is no murmurs, gallops or rubs," or "conjunctiva is clear" emphasizing the word "is" when the patient obviously has both eyes, but I'm told to transcribe verbatim, and that's what I have to type, makes no sense to me, but they got it.  Docs who couldn't or won't pronounce a drug correctly if it killed them and don't even care to, English a second language whether foreign or not.  If docs really cared at all, just a little bit, they would slow down enough,  not slur, not eat, stop it with the sucking in ________ (enter your own word for it) cause it makes me absolutely ill the sickening sounds they make with their sinuses, or burp, just talk to me as if I was the patient sitting there, so that I can understand them without making me sick, a nervous wreck, a detective, a pharmacist, a mindreader, or drive me crazy for my few cents a line.  Then you got QA who is on another high and mighty jaunt.  That's another story.  Just sick of the whole job.  Can't wait to retire!  Just my two cents worth...
Thanks for that great info. This is what I was hoping
from my current MTSO. I was looking at another company that requires their ICs to have this insurance. I guess the grass isn't always greener.........
Hoping companies will get their VPN, etc. compatible soon.
Vista is so smart and fast -- at least my computer is !
Hoping, that sounds like a strange way to SM
get fast. Where did you read it? I have to say it sounds like a big waste of time.

Back in the old Selectric typewriter days my friend typed an amazing 140 WPM with very few mistakes, but no amount of watching her sped my clumsy, badly coordinated fingers up. After years of experience I probably eventually did about 75 with lots of mistakes.

With intensive use of an expander, tho, which I recommend over any other method to get fast, I now easily beat that old seemingly-forever-unreachable 140wpm standard (but I prefer not to think what her count must be with one.)

Also, when I'm working "in the groove," I know I'm as fast as I can be, so I'd also suggest researching methods for reducing distractions and whatever else it takes to settle down and concentrate.

And something I've never done--learn to the get most from your programs.

Boring, "same old" type of advice, I know.
also Hoping...speed comes with experience...
nobody starts off fast because we do have to learn new dictators, research, et cetera...but once you are a bit more experienced I bet the speed part will follow right along...don't give up!!!
To Hoping: Pretty sad state of sm
affairs isn't it? Posts made my eyes kind of burn too!
Nope, I was hoping to clear $20K this year, - sm
but won't, I should hit $19K though or just under for my MT work. I do have another PT job though and that will be about $2500....so I will reach $21K but it just won't all be MT work. Now need to set a fire under my butt and shoot for $25K next year.
why Bud Light?
are you kidding?
Ott light.

I was hoping to get this info on here from someone from that office that can give me a person to
speak with that would be willing to discuss issues I would want to know before I would decide to transfer. People that work there would know the best person for this that would be the most likely to be honest about everything.
I'm an on-site, hoping to work at home soon. I originally (s/m)
got into MT for the flexibility, but over the years on-site MT where I work has no flexibility at ALL. They stand there all day looking over our shoulders, monitor our bathroom breaks, and even go into apoplexy if there is a gap of more than 30 seconds or so between finishing one report and starting another. Who needs THAT? And the OFFICE POLITICS.... OMG... I'm so sick to death of office politics, power struggles and back-stabbing. I would rather do ESL doctors all day long, by MYSELF, in the peace and quiet of my own home, on a flexible schedule so I can go outdoors in the daytime once in a while, and maybe get enough exercise that I won't become fat like all the rest of them in my office. After being an MT for more years than I care to admit, I know that money isn't EVERYTHING. It's not always how much you have, but how well you MANAGE what you do have. So at this point in my life, I'm ready to have fewer dollars in my wallet, and more peace in my life.
I have a 1997 Tahoe that we bought with 55K on it - now has 160K and hoping to get to 180 K (sm)
we've had very few problems but just had to put in a new fuel pump.  Love the way the Tahoe rides - doesn't ride like a truck like some SUV's.  Good luck and have fun shopping!
OMGosh. You too??!! I'm hoping to get back into transcription here in the next week or so (sm)

and I am dreading it big-time.... I know when I had to retype a report while QA I was not only S L O W - but WOW (!!) what a humbling experience..... Much easier to verify what is in front of you than to dream it up yourself!!


I'm hoping to go part-time January 1, at least for several months.
I am just so burned out I'm not getting the lines I need, my house isn't getting cleaned, I don't seem to have any leisure time, etc.   I'm hoping that going part-time will be enough of a break that when I am working I'll be better focused and can actually produce the minimum lines that I need.  
I was thinking the same - hoping for a "been there, done that" post to enlighten
x
I've been doing the same thing with my Smartype LOL was hoping there was a program
xx
Working on my tax return and have a couple of questions, I'm hoping

First, A company I worked for briefly at the beginning of 2008 sent me two different W2.  One lists all the pertinent boxes (wages, federal taxes paid, etc).  However, in box 15 where your state and local taxes are listed, they have the wrong state.  It is a state I used to live, but haven't lived there for the past three years.  I definitely did not live there at all in 2008.  The second W2 they sent list nothing in any of the boxes except box 15 where it lists the correct state, income, and taxes I paid.


So does this mean I paid taxes in a state that I didn't even live in?  And if that is the case, do I have to file a return in that state?  Or do I contact the company and ask they correct my W2? 


I am using TurboTax to prepare my return.  My second question is I have a 1099 from IC work I did in 2008 and after I enter the information, the software asks me for a business ID code on attachment form C for my "self-employment business."  I have no idea what to put on this line.  I looked at a list of the codes on the IRS website and there is nothing that is specific to medical transcription.  There is a code for Data entry and then under legal there is a code for document preparation and stenotype.  Those are the only two codes that even come close.


So which one do I use?


Oh, and have I mentioned, I HATE TAX SEASON! 


I will quit also...I'm hoping to get into doing something else, such as medical billing/.coding
n
Raw oysters, Mr. Ed, and Bud Light.
and Mr. Ed IS SO a famous person!!
Hey, I live in IN too. I like having light outside at 8 PM! nm
x
Could you please shed some light?
How do you find that good, fair boss/company? From what I gather through reading posts on various forums and my own experience, it is more likely to experience the bait and switch than being dealt with honestly.
A little light reading

Link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics information on our dwindling profession.  According to them, employment prospects are good for MTs, with many opportunities for advancement.  I think they must be a little out of the loop on what VR and offshoring are doing to us....


http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm 


I guess they're hoping enoug people will quit
that it won't be a problem anymore!! Sigh.
I have the 2007 Saunders CD and I think it's kind of slow. Hoping the QL is better this year tha
nm
Can anyone shed some light on this situation for me?

I've been with this large clinic acct. since March of 2004. Since starting, they've been growing & going through lots of changes in the way they're running things. I am a part-time IC. I've gotten great audit scores and have been told I'm one of their best MTs on the account (when wanting to switch to doing more on a different acct.)


When I first started, all the work was in a pool. Sometime later, I noticed they were pretty much assigning only certain clinics to me, which they confirmed they'd starting doing it that way & it improved production. All the MTs seemed to be pleased with this. I had mostly decent dictators overall.


Not too long ago, I noticed I'd started getting overall worse dictators. When I asked my supervisor about it, via email, she said nothing had changed, I was just getting the luck of the draw. I had my suspicions that some of those in higher positions that could manipulate the work were giving themselves the good jobs, & even voiced something to that effect--slightly. But, I did notice after I'd tentatively voiced my suspicions, I started to get some of my better dictators back.


However, last week I noticed a drastic & complete change. I started getting some of the worse dictators from clinics I usually didn't work on--not some of the good dictators from that clinic, mind you, but the worse ones almost consistently. My suspicions were confirmed a few days ago by a broad email sent to us all that there had been some work-pool changes. In effect, it was saying those of us who weren't doing well by their criteria, i.e, QA utilization, production, audit scores, accountability & quality, were not going to be getting work when it was available, but it would go to the ones who meet all this criteria, and that basically we were going to be getting the junk, to paraphrase.  Since work usually doesn't download until later in the morning, they were going to save any morning work for the "good" MTs.


Now, I know that I am meeting all those criteria, and I am so upset by the fact I'm getting all the junk now. From reading this board, I'd thought I'd learned that companies will give full-time employees the better work instead of the ICs, that this somehow is better for the company. Could anyone advise me of this? Could there be another reason for this that mgmt doesn't want to tell us, other than trying to attack our work & say it's our fault?


You know - you're like the light co. or the phone co., or any SM

other billing entity. This is not a paycheck, it's payment for an invoice. Terrible thing that you're not getting your money, but it's not like she skipped "paydays" here.


I feel sorry for you. I just got a check I espected much earlier. Sure makes it hard to do business, doesn't it?


ASTRO-light examination is that right???

amazing dictators, here's a light one 4u

I literally lost it, turned the speaker up for my kids and they were losing it along with the doc.  He always refers to vitals, meds etc "as listed on the nurses chart".  He seemed a bit distracted tonight, usually a fantastic dictator, the ones we love that we just know exactly what they're going to say next?


So he says..."Vitals as I noted on the nurses chest".  He only caught himself after some of those nurses burst out laughing and told him what he had just said....the rest of the report was a mix of med terminology and the comedy club!


Can you exercise with light weights?
If you don't have a problem with a disc or something serious like that, working the upper body with light free weights may be just the ticket. It improves the posture and strengthens the muscles you use to hold up your arms while working.
for 6 yrs and work is very light on 3 accts....nm
x
is there a super-light touch
keyboard that is also split and (hope upon hope) with a rise in the middle like the MS ones?
light touch keyboard
I have a logitech DiNovo.l  It is pretty expensive but it is small, flat and makes hardly any noise.  The only draw back is that it comes with a separate number key pad.  The key pad is not connected to the keyboard.  I love this keyboard with my laptap. It is the same size as my laptop and fits flat in my laptop case so I can take it with me anywhere. 
Not to make light of pt privacy, but
I type on a 14 inch laptop screen that I must keep about 2 feet away from my face in order to see it. In the course of seeing my laptop, my less than petite frame obscures probably the middle 50% of the screen. On the screen, there are endless lines of text that would be rather meaningless to the average barrista/customer. The patient demographics are obtained via a link on the toolbar. A 'hotkey' is entered throughout the report where the patient name appears and in the preparing-to-send process, these are all replaced with the patient's name. The hospital I type for is 3000 miles away.

I can see where this might be problematic should someone with better vision than I manage to see around my hulking slumped body and see 25% of the text on the left and 25% of the text on the right and know enough about transcription to be able to fill in those rather large blanks on each line (and that doesn't even take into account that most laptops are made to be viewed head-on; side viewing, viewing from above, etc., distort the picture to make it all but illegible). I suppose this could still be problematic if this eagle-eyed contortionist with an intuitive knowledge of medical terminology and knowledge of random software programs to find that demographic button can psychically detect which hospital of the thousands in the country I am working on and happens to have a relative who lives in that very town ready, willing, and eager to spill the beans about Madame X's bunion. Yes, I can see where this is a danger. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I have not run into either this fellow or chupicabra at my local coffee house.
There is a product called Green Light
or you might try a systemic insect killer that you just put on top the soil and water it. Just do not use it for any plant that bears fruits or vegetables. They both work well.
I like blue, too. I'd do the walls a light beige or tan.

Our house here was icky when we first moved in.  Each room was a different color of pastel.  The mottled blue/gray/white/brown carpet was nasty because they had cats and dogs that evidently must have been locked in the bedrooms while the adults went to work.  The living room and hallway were blue-gray, the kitchen was yellow, laundry room peach, bathroom pink, and the bedrooms were lavendar, purple, and fuchsia.  Of course, the walls matched the carpet that matched the curtains.  Blechy.  We painted everything just a plain off white before we moved in.


My parents never deviated from plain white walls when I was growing up.  I'm just now learning to go wild with decorating.  In fact, we just got the funds to do our addition today, so we're adding another bedroom, an office for me, and a second bathroom, and enlarging the kitchen and utility rooms.  Fun, fun, fun, more household disruption for the next several months.  I just can't wait for the end result.


My DH drinks 8-12 light beers a day, though he is trying to cut back - sm
but he's been doing it for over 20 years, so I would not be surprised if cirrhosis shows itself. He is in good health, for now. I don't buy him beer anymore since I was enabling him and he did ask me to stop, so that has helped a lot in him cutting back. I think we only have 1 beer in the house tonight so that is good!