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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

I'm where you are afraid you'll end up

Posted By: Glory1863 on 2007-10-18
In Reply to: Scared about future - MT4eight

I'm in my mid 50s, and I'm not sure decent paying transcription jobs will be around until I hit retirement age.  Actually, despite saving, I'm not sure I'll be able to retire period.  I figure I'll have to work at something until the day I drop, and sometimes I think that if that happened tomorrow, it wouldn't be a bad thing.


I've always worked 2 and sometimes 3 jobs, and I've been self-employed.  I didn't mind putting in the hours in my 20s, 30s and even 40s, but I'm getting tired now.  I'd like to have a life beyond transcription.  Back then, I didn't necessarily have to work all those hours but chose to.  Now, I have to work them.  It's too late for me to go back to school.  There's no time when you work 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, and I can't afford to take on that kind of debt.  I'd be 60 by the time I finished, and who would hire me?  How much better off would I be starting all over again at the bottom? 


If you have something else in mind for making a living, particularly if it requires going to school or going back to school, and you can do it time-wise and financially, then I would encourage you to do it now.  You are right to worry, and you don't want to end up where I am.  Best of luck to you! 




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It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
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I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
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You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
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That's what I was afraid you were going to say.
xx
Why are you afraid?
Why are you afraid to state your business name?  You have said yourself that you rather like Indian MTs when compared to US MTs, so why not come forth?  Could it be because you really do need the US MTs to run your company and make your bucks? 
I'm afraid...
I've been sworn to secrecy. I simply cannot divulge!
I'm afraid...
Janelle lost the final HOH competition and Yvette won, who immediately evicted Janelle, so now its just Yvette and Nurse Maggie. Yvette basically gave the game to Maggie now since most of the evicted guests do not like Yvette and won't vote for her. How dumb!
I'm just afraid
she'll do it and LOOK OUT when it comes time for her to flash her
@@
if ya know what I mean. LOL
Her and her boyfriend might be approximately Demi and Ashton's ages, but that is the only similarity. LOL


Yes, I'm afraid so...
Tonight at midnight, according to PC World. They said it probably won't do much damage, and is a single person doing it. Weird. U might want to go to Microsoft's web page and get their just released security update for this - I did and I feel all safe and cozy!
That's what I'm afraid of!! nm
nm
Afraid so, saw one ad for 6 cpl...
I've been trying to get extra work for a while now but I will not work extra hours for what they are offering, especially when it is left over stuff and late hours.
I'm not afraid

I am just a very private person and I do not want other people knowing my business unless they have a NEED to know it.


If you want to shout from a soapbox, find something worth shouting about. This is getting boring.


That's what I was afraid of. Thanks...NM
x
That's what I was afraid of...
I saw a demo of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 Medical Edition on the Nuance website. The doctor in the demo dictates a section of a report and the software makes no mistakes whatsoever. While this part is hard to believe, he then says "select congestive heart failure", which the software does and highlights. He then says "ICD-9 that", and the software inserts the correct ICD-9 code in parentheses behind the selected text. The ICD-9 codes are pre-programmed and inserted based on recognized *text*, so as long as the right text is highlighted, the only way an error could occur is if the programmers had entered a wrong ICD-9 code, which is unlikely and would be quickly fixed with a version update. I don't know if this will eventually eliminate coding or if it will just make coders more productive, but that coding course at AHIMA is looking more and more like a waste of money. An online Bachelor degree is beginning to look like the only way out of this conundrum.
P.S. Don't be afraid to go over the head of
your local boss, they are likely to stonewall you. You should follow protocol and START there, but do not hesitate to carry it further if not satisfied.......... the protocol for this is actually outlined on QNET.
thats silly. what are they afraid of if
I mean come on, we won't become millionaires.  There should NOT be a limit on how much you make.  A raise per year for cost of living, a raise or higher rate for experienced and good MTs, and also a raise for putting up with the BS.
Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel.
My brothers and sisters would get together and talk about how my mom is. I told them to tell her, but they said they did not want to hurt her feelings. Yeah, but it's ok for her to hurt ours. NOT! I finally told my mom. She was very defensive at first. She did not speak to me for about a month, but then she called and said she was sorry. If you are honest and sincere, things will work out. Your sis will never know how you and your other sis are feeling if one of you does not step up to the plate.
Don't be afraid. Use the law to your advantage. SM

Stop a minute and think about this. What other person on the planet would be allowed to do this to you? Not one. The reason he is allowed to do it is because you let him.


"Tired of working?" Hell, we're all tired of working, but we do it because we have to. You keep your chin up, girlie. Find you a rat-hole and put some money in it. Even if it's a quarter at a time. Save your change, filch from your paycheck. Get a little padding there so you will have some options.


I lived with a horribly abusive man who took advantage of me for 30 years. I'd still be living with him but he's dead. I know I'd never have left.


Don't get me wrong. I adored him, God knows why - I let those "good times" outshine the horrible times and I stayed with him till death did us part - all to the detriment of my poor children. I have a daughter who thinks it's noble to stay with an abusive man. I have a son who, I'm grateful to say, is kind to his SO, but he endured a 10-year relationship with a lying, emotionally abusive girl - all thanks to me.


Do it as soon as you can. If that guy quit his job because he's "tired of working" there's nothing he won't do. Sending a hug. I know where you're coming from.


Not for me--I would be afraid they would somehow make
nm
Thank you. I wonder if you would be so kind as to tell me how to zip? I'm afraid I'm at a lo
x
Everyone is so afraid to ask for a raise.
I guarantee you that the people you work for have gotten a raise in the last 4 years, so why not you? Just do it. Like you said, all they can say is no, or give some BS excuse. But just look at the enormous increase in gasoline over the past 4 years, never mind everything else. No one can continue on the same salary.
Those afraid to ask for a raise are their own
This is one of the major reasons why women are paid at least 20% less than men doing the same job. Women are intimidated to just go in and say, "Hey boss, I need a raise."

Many years ago, I was working as a cashier. Certainly not a great job, but for low level work, it didn't really pay that bad. I had been there 5 years, had received my usual raises and a merit raise. However, I still felt my level of flexibility by being able to take over in a lot of other departments at a moment's notice made me a valuable employee. I went into my supervisor, told them what I thought my value was to the company and asked for a dollar an hour raise. He gave it so quick, I probably could have gotten more.
I would be more afraid of American
because they know how to identify theft better than offshore countries I'm sure.  
I don't see why employers are so afraid to ask for ... sm

at least the minimum lines each day.  I used to work at a hospital where the required minimum was I believe 40 minutes, which ain't a lot of work.  Most times (and this was when we were in house) the girls would chat and chat and chat and go for lunch and chat and chat, etc., and never work.  And they got by with it because they were too scared to demand that these people stick to the guidelines by which they were hired.  One day I went in to work OT on a Saturday and worked 4 or 5 hours, and I don't remember what my line count was, but one person typed 12 lines.  And she was supposed to be the regular Saturday morning person.  Some saturdays I would go in to work and there would be NOBODY there.  NOBODY typing in a hospital transcription dept. just because it was Saturday.  They got by with it for years, continued to get by with it, and we lost our jobs to MQ because nobody worked and nobody made them work.  Me, I worked.  I worked a lot.  I had (still have) goals, meet them, exceed them routinely because I happen to like paying the bills and having money left over.  Like I always say, people whine on here about no work but when there's a lot of OT to be worked they are nowhere to be found. 


I am afraid if you are working on
inhouse equipment, you are stuck with what they approve. IT would have to install anything for you, and some of these things have licensing privileges. I didn't know anybody outside HCA was using meditech. The best we could do was canned text and of course, about the time I got a bunch of abbrev's in there, we got dictaphone and instant text, but we had no leeway at all about anything. magic 20 was a function key that let you go into other functions without leaving the one modem you were typing in except for radiology and pathology.
Afraid of another depression in USA

howdy! I am afraid some of us are.!
I had the same thought you did and had to laugh. Wonder where she is. Reminds me of when our governor Ann Richards said at the democratic convention, "we can do everything the men can do, we just do it backwards and in high heels".
I'm afraid I have to agree with others who have said.... sm
...that, as MTs, we're not in a position to question the actual care chosen for a patient, no matter what our personal experience has been.

On the other hand, I *have* had concerns about a patient's care when it has involved dictators who fall asleep during their dictation then wake up and continue dictating the report -- only obviously they're talking about a different patient ... or the dictators who routinely list a med in the patient's allergy section and then also list that same med as being in their current regimen ... or those who routinely mix left/right, male/female, etc., throughout the majority of their reports.

Still, even with that kind of thing all I've been able to do is notify my QA person and tell them that I'm concerned about the quality of the medical record because of the dictator(s) and then IMO it's on their head to either give the facility a heads-up or not.

But, unless we have medical degrees and have been invited to consult, it's not our concern, as hard as that may be to hear.
Yes . . . I know, but I am afraid of losing my job if I do.
nm
afraid insurance is going to drop me...
Two years ago I became an independent and have individual insurance.  During the application I put on there I had quit smoking (former smoker).  I now have a procedure coming up, and during the consultation for this procedure, my doctor asked me if I smoked.  Well, I do "occasionally" but I did not expect him to ask that question, so I fumbled and said "yes, but not every day."  Now is this grounds for my insurance not covering me?  Is it possible they can dig through the paperwork specifically to find this and nail me on it?  Or can it be accepted that at the time I signed on with them, I in fact was not a smoker, but started up between then n now, so they have no grounds?  I'm scared, as I cannot afford this procedure out of pocket!!!  What do you guys think? 
sounds like he needs attention and is afraid

Don't be afraid to work at home

The reasons you have cited in your message are the exact reasons I chose to stay home and transcribe 30 years ago.  I did not want to leave my babies in someone else's hands, so decided to stay at home to transcribe.  I do not regret my decision one bit!  Yes, in the beginning, it was tough to get used to being paid by productivity, but you learn short cuts, you learn the discipline to stay seated at the computer when you should be.  If you take away the costs of traveling to work, plus whatever you have to pay a sitter, you may even end up making more money staying at home. 


A lot of people have negative things to say about a lot of the national transcription services (I can agree with most things that are said) but in your situation, it is an ideal solution.  You just have to find a good company to work for.  They are all looking for good, experienced MTs, so you should not have any problems finding another position.  The larger ones will also supply you with the computer and all the other hardware you need to do the job.


It is not worth getting yourself all worked up with a baby on board (congratulations, by the way!).  Try to find a good national to work for and then tell your hospital job good-bye. 


30 years or so down the road, you will be glad you "took the plunge."  I wish you the best of luck, I know what a difficult decision it is to make.  Please let us know what you decide.


I'm afraid I'm simply too loyal to MQ...
to put them in a bind like that. Shame on all y'all!
Personally, I'd be afraid to be loyal to MQ.

I would be afraid of receiving a lethal
aa
I was afraid to buy Clorox wipes. Do they
I was afraid I'd wipe everything with them and they would bleach my clothes or whatever they came in contact with.  Thought surely it must be colorsafe bleach if they put it in wipes, but I didn't want to take a chance!
I'm afraid the deodorant samples were not a gag...
tho I wanted to gag after opening the box! Yes, that could be true about wanting others (strangers) around since our parents died - I suppose it IS easier emotionally, in a way. Its like being at an office party.
I'm afraid this person does NOT like Christmas...
http://www.slate.com/id/2132806/nav/tap1/
I had a G. Shepherd who was afraid of the dark....
the minute the lights went out, she would bark continuously until the lights went back on. I put a night light in a socket where she slept and that ended the problem.
Prophetic words I am afraid.
Incredibly too .. many of the hungry will be women who have finally won the right to leave home and go to work .. even the Muslims will open their arms to money .. watch and learn.  The oil fields may not last forever but what you learn and how you apply it is yours for life.  Might be a lesson for children to learn here too or be left behind worse than they are now with lousy schooling in many areas.
Some men are secretly afraid of managing
because they are afraid they will fail at it. Money disputes is the number one reason for divorce. It is very common that one person does the finances even when that person doesn't really want to do it, but the other person simply is not mentally capable of accepting that kind of responsibility.
I'm afraid ur simply jealous.

Thank you. Wow, you have a lot of entries! I was afraid it would crash with my
10 to 12,000. Thank you for your response. I'm trying to tinker with the ESPs and wondering if there is a way to insert a hard space in an expansion. (Such as between Dr. and his last name so there is no separation to another line when I expand. Any idea how this could be done? Thanks again for your time. I do appreciate your help.
I'm afraid I dared 2 have an opinion...
regarding the old owner or whatever she was when she announced she was allowing ads from companies who outsourced a couple years ago and posted a comment on ANOTHER MT web site disagreeing with her, and apparently she read it and sent me an email saying something like "Since you like to trash my web site on this site you can just forget about posting on my site ever again!"  So her current situation is rather ironic to me, to say the least!
most bosses are afraid to stand up to the....sm
doctors. We, (the MTs) are the ones made to feel like we aren't good enough if we leave a blank, (this, AFTER we've struggled through it 10 or mores times, rewinding, trying our BEST to figure it out), yet WE are the ones who are made to feel bad (sometimes stupid) for leaving a blank. Heaven forbid we ask the doctor to try and be considerate and speak just a little bit slower, or to please speak LOUD enough so we can HEAR you (especially if you've a foreign accent!), enunciate, not eat or chew gum when dictating, don't continue to dictate through the loud intercom system, etc! Now, having said that, I know there are actually a few considerate doctors out there, and a few bosses willing to go to bat for us, the MTs, but it seems like those are the minority. My sister actually said something to one of the office staff who did speak to the doctor about his terrible dictation,and his reply was, "They are the professionals. They KNOW how to figure it out." Yes, he actually said that, and he's a terrible, terrible dictator. Yes, we do try, but sometimes, no matter how adept we are at "getting it," sometimes it just isn't to be gotten because of the terrible dictator!!
They're afraid to speak up for the MTs...
Too many companies are so desperate to get the accounts, they are afraid to speak up and tell the hospitals/clinics, etc., they have to clean up their act when dictating. They need to set in place strong guidelines for dictating, no mush mouth, kids screaming in the back, no cell phones or talking to others or be in a room where others are talking, etc. They're as afraid to speak up as the individuals in the hospitals are afraid to say anything to the docs. Well, if they want their work done properly, they should stand up for us. I've had this happen in hospitals where administration was scared to death of offending a particular couple of "high admitting" physicians, big money makers for the hospital. They just expected us to "deal" with it and then the docs complained LOUDLY about blanks. Maybe if someone had the b***s to say something direct and stop treating these physicians as if they're gods, they might get the picture.
I am afraid to leave the house alone sm

I have been like this for years.  I was to the point where I could go out and it was okay, but no longer.  I am okay if I walk somewhere and go among people I know.  If I have to get into the car, I start to lose it.  I got somewhere yesterday and I went to leave and I could not remember how to pull out of a parking space, my anxiety was too high.


Please don't suggest drug therapy or talk therapy.  This is what happened to me after a bad therapist and finding out the hard way that I am allergic to ALL psychotropics.


Since the values are always different, I'm afraid we are destined
to always type out the numbers.