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It depends. If you have a very difficult account

Posted By: me on 2006-04-11
In Reply to: Make a Wish (sm) - Poll

an hourly rate would be great, but being paid by the line I make $20+/hour and I don't think companies would be willing to pay that hourly, so I guess I would have to say I'd rather be paid by the line, unless it is editing and that is a whole different story.   I also think being paid hourly would make me maybe not work so hard to get lines and perhaps slack off occasionally.   Depending on what shift I'm working I'm up and down every hour or so, putting a load in the washer, feeding animals, loading the dishwasher, etc.  If I was getting paid hourly I should not be doing that stuff.  I am not very disciplined and find it hard to sit still for more than 2 hours, so I would have to have a change in my routine.  I enjoy the flexibility of being able to get up, even go outside and sit on the deck and watch the sunrise, etc.   Another pro for the hourly wage though is at least you'd know what your paychecks were doing to be every payday and could maybe budget better. 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 




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7 w/spaces- also depends on how difficult (sm)
I also have about 10 years, but what makes the most difference to me is the level of difficulty. If you can use lots of macros, don't have ESL and are doing the same doctors often, a little less per line is okay :-)
RE: Depends on the account
No it does not!!!!!!
depends on which account
It really depends on which account you are going to be working on as to how much of a response you will get.  There is one account manager who manages several who is NEVER around, doesn't answer emails or the phone and it's been whispered she may even work another job.  There is a huge group of clinic accounts without a manager, they got rid of her, probably to save money since there have been lots of money saving cuts going on.  Currently that one is being overseen by the HR lady with no transcription experience (the second in command, watch out for her, really thinks anybody can do the MT or Editor job without having any experience).  There was another account with a really good manager but a bad platform, but she finally left, so hard to tell who is there now.  The actual owner is a very nice lady but unfortunately isn't much involved and only knows what her second in command tells her, and she makes it look like she has all under control, and in reality she is the second top reason most people leave this company.  A new manager has been hired for the new account we have, but yet again she will be limited by what Ms. G. will allow her to do, which won't be much.  This used to be a really good company but steadily has been on the decline.  Tell me what editor will put up with bad platforms, 100% listens and low work for 3-3.5 cpl?  What MTs will stay on with bad platforms and being ignored when there is no work?
Yes, it depends on the account (sm)
I do think it would be strange to have a PE section.  The physical exam section is the "O" section, for Objective.  It would be redundant to have PE within O.  You may want to ask for samples.
Depends what account you are on. I have been
there just over a year. DocuScribe is easy to learn, not bad at all. I don't have that many ESLs, mostly they are residents, but still I don't know about other accounts.
I think it depends on what the account wants, and
In fact, one account I type wants it both ways: They want all abbreviations expanded in letters, and usually no expansions except in certain circumstances on all other dictations by that account. The 'twice a day' vs. 'b.i.d.' thing is trickier. If my account has no specific rules about it, then for the sake of continuity, if the first couple meds in a list are written one way (such as b.i.d.), then even if they say twice a day on the next med, I still type it b.i.d. That way there's a little more uniformity, and I think also the list is easier to read. Of course, it all boils down to the preferences of those you work for.
Depends on account, but discontinued
would be correct (sometimes it means discharged)
It depends on what your clients or account wants. sm
BOS sometimes does not matter. The only thing that matters is what the people who sign your paycheck want on their reports.

I find it really depends on the account.
I really lucked out that I am on an account that has been doing VR for a while and the docs all speak pretty clearly. The reports come to me pretty clean. I only have to verify demographics and make minor changes to the report and I can get pretty good line counts.

On the other hand, I know MTs who aren't so lucky and end up having to transcribe many of their reports because they are so bad and end up making less money.

I love my VR account. I decided to do VR to save my wrists. I have had problems with carpal tunnel, but not since switching to VR.


It also depends on your account specifics too...
if it is verbatim, you type what they say...
Depends on your account, I would guess.

Some accounts want a strict SOAP format, so you would disregard the other headings.


I personally work on verbatim accounts so we put in any headings they dictate.


It depends on the account guidelines.
For the majority of the accounts I work on abbreviations are only expanded in the critical sections, such as diagnosis, impression, etc. This is to the client's preference, and it is considered an error to expand an abbreviation when it is not necessary.

As far as dosages, I always transcribe what the dictator says unless it is a prohibited abbreviation or an error. Prohibited abbreviations are changed, per client preference, to the acceptable term. If it may be an error, it is flagged for review. If the doc dictates "twice a day," they get "twice a day." If they dictate "b.i.d." that is what I transcribe. It is also considered a error, at least at my company, to alter what is dictated.
Much depends on the account/accounts that you are on (sm)
Like everywhere else, I suppose... I've been with JLG for almost 12 years and have had the same main acct the whole time. It's a large hospital system, and yes, lots of ESL, but only a few that I would consider dreadful. Have been on some other accts with virtually no ESL. Have also been on work types where I could rack up lines like crazy, and other times (like now, for instance) struggling to get 1200-1300 per day. Have had times where I felt extremely micro-managed, other times don't hear anything from anyone for literally weeks. Paycheck has always gone out on time, but unfortunately no longer do direct deposit. I guess you could say they've been a little erratic since I've been with them, but overall I am pretty happy. I believe they have several different platforms - I'm on "EHR" (for the past year or so) and while it's a little slow going from the patient information screen to the document screen and back again, it works with your own Stedman's spellchecker and with Shorthand, so better than some others that I've been on. I will say that the support personnel have not always been the best, but, again, I've seen a lot of people come and go! Hope you find a position that's perfect for you - or at least nearly so!
I have been paid both ways. Depends on the account. nm
n
I guess that depends if it is a verbatim account...
I think even so I would type feces....
I agree, it depends on who you work for BUT also the account
and how long it has been on VR. If it has been on VR for a few years, piece of cake. If it is just starting out on VR - tedious work, low pay as it takes longer to edit than to just transcribe it.

I have been doing VR editing for 4 years now with an account that has been on it that long also...can make up to $50 an hour, and some times as low as $30 an hour when we add new dictators.

Hope this helps.
Same for me, I made more 10 years ago. It depends so much on account, SM
work type(for me), and expanders. I find it hard to stay motivated when report after report is ESL and a work type I can't make money on. The above poster likes radiology, I like OPs. It is easier to stay motivated when you have that.
Depends - one account I make 40 an hour, other - s/m

I grunt it out to make 10 bucks an hour.  If I worked just the ER account, I would definitely make full time money for part time hours.


Durn second account.  :}


depends on location, I know someone who lost a local account - sm
in Woodbridge, VA, was charging .12 a line (60 character line), got underbid and lost it after having had it for years.  Now in order to get more but look less, she bids at .10 a line but a 50 char. line....comes out to .13 if a 65 cpl.   You can't get much over .10 around here on your own which really stinks, or do some fancy accounting which in this case works.
I consider myself a pretty fast Mt, and I am lucky to hit 100 reports a day...depends upon account.

lines produced also depends on type of account, doctors, specifics, platforms.
nm
Depends on the pay and account. My lowest average is $15.52 an hour (roughly 182.6 lines an hour) w
;'
What is the difference between an acute care account and a multispecialty account??..nm
nm
I've never had a problem switching from account to account.
The problem I had was being switched too soon. If I don't get one account spec solidly in my memory with QA feedback on mistakes before starting another, I get confused. The other problem I had with former jobs was inconsistent QA. One person tells you one thing, another person tells you another.

Lately, I don't have a problem with it. Right now, my binder has 8 account specs (some I've never had to use) and I'm picking up a new weekend job for a while. The terminology and report formats stay basically the same. It's just all those little preferences. LOL
For me, it 's more difficult after 2 p.m.
doesn't matter what it is. But that's only because I've been doing it since 4:30.
It can be difficult...
to know the right thing to do. So many companies are unfair to their MT's, but is it right to dish it right back to them?

I would say it depends on how they treat you. If they are great to work for then be fair to them. If they are awful to work for then, well, use your best judgment.

If you do lower your rate just be sure that they understand this is your rate for THIS account of mostly macros. If they want you to do an account with straight typing they need to readjust.

Good for you for having high values in an industry that is getting more and more amoral every day :-)
Not difficult for you maybe
But obviously she wouldn't have posted if she didn't have feelings of uncertainty about it. I know when I have had to make a decision about something being right or wrong I find it difficult. You have a clear opinion on this, she didn't. I was just trying to be supportive. I WAS NOT making a blanket statement that it is difficult to treat a bad company badly, or playing the SAME GAME that your company is playing. Geez!!!!
Not only is it the most difficult sm
it is also extremely depressing, or at least it was for me.  I used to work for M. D. Anderson years ago and did a lot of Peds.  Also, the protocols change faster than you can keep up with them so expect to spend a lot of time searching but internet would probably make it easier.  Good luck and I hope you like it...somebody has to do it but not this body anymore.
How difficult is it to set up?sm
Also, what equipment do I need? I have a Linksys wireless broadband router.
Yes but difficult! nm
x
I was LPN 30 yrs ago. It is more difficult now. SM
I would encourage you taking the course, but then try working in a doctor's office, clinic or private duty. Most definitely, not in a hospital.

I remember loving the course, but hating it when I got out into the real world.
So difficult
It is very difficult for me too sometimes. So many tragedies.

It seems life is often so tough. My views and understanding of where and why we came from have been changing over the last few years, and I am having a very rough time trying to make some sense of it.
I don't know if any particular field is more difficult
than the next, if all you do is type one speciality. I think ER and Psych are mentally hard because with ER a lot of the patients die and it is depressing and then psych is depressing because of the severe dysfunction of the patients and/or their families. Oncology can be depressing too cause outcomes are not always great and like the previous poster said frequent new meds.

I used to transcribe for a teaching hospital connected to a medical school and that dictation was very hard, much more technical than your normal hospital, lots more dictators too and a new crop every July.
It's difficult but necessary to be in control
Otherwise you are simply allowing little Hitlers to grow up and become *adults* - your job is not to be their friend, your job is to be their parent.

Why would you allow your kids to have friends that you wouldn't allow in your house if they were your friends?

Why would you allow filthy language, out-of-control behavior, and downright liars even on your property?

Are you afraid of your kids? if so, why?

Good luck
It is so difficult for MTs these days
With voice recognition, hospital cut backs, and companies overseas. I have been doing this 30+ years and have enjoyed it up until now. I can so relate with you. I have been looking at a company SilentType? Any input on them or any others who do not consider you an IC, I don't mind paying my own cable or DSL as I have that for home anyway.
It is difficult, I won't deny that.
I stretch quite often.

I take breaks, too, or I couldn't do it at all.

I won't be doing this more than about 2 years so I can hold out.

I'm not kidding though, I have to work hard and I'm not bouncing around like Tigger at the end of the day. I'm tired and sometimes sore. I can't make this kind of money from the comfort of my home anywhere else though!
Was very difficult to learn and there are
still some things I cannot get the hang of. But, it is the only Expander I am permitted to use so had to bite the bullet after resisting for a few months. Takes about three months go use it effectively. Try using it for a few hours every day. When you get frustrated, close it and type everything out. On short-fuse days, skip it altogether. Over a few months, with this method, you will begin to develop speed and each new problem will be solved one by one so your line count will not get suffer greatly. Using IT requires doing a massive amount of reading initially. But, I have to say, I love it now (and am still learning how to use it six months into using it).
Difficult to remember
I also have struggled with that. I have been trying to think of a creative way to remember, but I keep coming up empty. If you think of someway to keep it straight in your mind let me know.
Why would you find this so difficult to believe?

Especially considering that Brad PItt - famous movie star - had the world by the family jewels with a beautiful wife, Jennifer - multimillion dollar mansions and $$$$ coming out the ying yang, yet he up and left it all to be with a woman who's a lesbian, Angelina Jolie, PLUS he adopted her two orphan children to boot, as well as knocked her up. 


Now .... who do you think has more power over Brad - his mother or Angelina?  Think about it, not that it needs a lot of contemplation...Angelina can do things for Brad his mother never can, if ya' know what I mean, which is why I told the original poster to LET IT GO because she's FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE SHE CANNOT EVER WIN.


Radiology is not that difficult ...
it does take some extra study of anatomy, and a good radiology word book, and there are websites where you can learn a lot about radiology. I do both acute care and radiology, and I like both.
Almost always the first except if a difficult dictator. (sm)

Then I am constantly listening again to make sure I have it correct.


Difficult decision

Hi,


It sounds like, despite all the problems, that you love him and want to remain a family, particularly for the sake of your son. 


Without disrespecting that, what I would suggest is that you tell your husband to either grow up already (and pull his weight around the house while he is at it) or please go ahead and divorce you and marry his mama. 


In the meantime, make sure that your name is not on his credit card bills, etc. and that you DO expect him to provide child support while he is absent from the family, the home, the marriage.  If he fails or refuses, take him to court--that should make him wake up and smell the coffee and grow up fast.  Otherwise, let mama figure out how to manage his payee check with that new expense. 


HTH. 


It isn't that difficult to create your own...

Yes, it will take a bit of time, but you will then have a test that belongs to you.  Any that you might find on the internet are most likely not meant for the use of others. 


 


You have a very difficult situation
and I wish you the best. For many who work outside the home, they can stop and forget for a little while the problems they have at home. They are able to socialize, confide, and have outside relationships. You have made a hard and a valid choice for your priorities. Stick to it. Be proud of the choices you made. As for the family, pretend they are just background noise and turn down the volume.
difficult dictators
I'd advise to stick with it also, even the difficult ESL ones. That's how you get better.  Just plan on not making much money initially but look at all the experience you are building.  I made peanuts when I first started out and I'm sure a lot of us did.  It'll pay off for you in the end when you are able to pick and choose your jobs because of all the experience you have under your belt. 
another difficult thing for me...
...is the fact that relatives and friends just don't understand the obstacles we have to deal with as an MT. They think we have it made "getting to work at home" and that we are just typists. Do they realize the constant battle to stay focused and remind people that even though we are home, YES, we are working, and quite hard at that, I might add! No, we can't babysit, we're WORKING! No, I can't talk on the phone, again, I'm WORKING! We probably work harder than a lot of people since we are paid on production and live and work under that stress - we can't have a "bad day" where we just take it easier at work if we don't feel good or had a fight with our husband. We have to be on at all times or our income suffers. My husband doesn't get it when I get really stressed and in a bad mood and fed up when I get horrible dictator after horrible dictator and my line count suffers and I have to sit there for longer than expected; nobody does. Thankfully we have each other - we're the only ones who TRULY know what it's like.
Most difficult: Americans!
I absolutely cannot get the American accents in which the doc sounds like he/she is running an auction. At least with the ESLs I can get into the rhythm. Not with these guys. Although once I figure out what a grunt or a cough means I make a normal LOL.
I understand that they are difficult
and it's frustrating, but why are they low class? There are probably few MT jobs without ESL.. they are  here to stay.    
very difficult business
I think that is another reason why I am attracted to this profession. Since I am an IC, this is my business, and I have always wanted to be self-employed. It is very challenging, but that is what also motivates me to succeed.
It is still difficult to get assistance. SM

I would say give it a try to the OP, but don't be surprised if very little or no assistance comes.  I may be reading more into this than is there, but OP probably needs assistance with house/rent payment, keeping up utilities, etc. and the public assistance people will look at it like he or she will be well in XX weeks, things will work out.  Unfortunately, people who truly need short-term public assistance can't get the help they need to get them through trying times like this.  OP may be able to get emergency food stamps fairly easily though.


I would also suggest, if OP is a member of a church, letting the church know what's going on and seeing if there is help there (they are usually quick to respond) or trying Catholic Charities or another faith-based organization set up to help.  You don't have to be a member of that particular religion to get help.  The key is to reach out NOW while the situation is unfolding and not wait until things get so bad you are getting forclosed on or evicted. 


difficult personalities
I had a very difficult hospital manager to deal with at one point. She would rant about how Dr. so and so got so angry and is going to the staff office, and blah blah blah.....All of this was passed onto the company managers and QA who in turn passed it on to MTs in this very manner. It did not go over very well, we lost a lot of good people because of the constant threat of losing their jobs, and was a very hard lesson learned, get my point?