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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

NO PROB WITH ESLs WHO ARE WELL-SPOKEN - sm

Posted By: poorbeach on 2009-06-22
In Reply to: Hear people talk about VR issues - Grrrrrrrrrr

since there are a lot of them who really put forth the effort to be understood; I don't mind being a little more patient with them.  But the ones who KNOW their English sux and insist on rambling on a 78 rpm (as well as their American counterparts).  What I would really like to ask them to do is to SPEAK LIKE YOU SPOKE AT YOUR JOB INTERVIEW WITH THE HOSPITAL.  I'm sure they had no trouble being understood then. I'd still rather have a good ESL who's reallying trying than a sloppy US doctor - we KNOW he/she knows how to speak correctly; it's just carelessness.  What are they going to do with the few extra seconds they save?


Most hospitals I worked at would not tolerate lousy dictators - and from my experience, mgmt. almost always sided with the MT.  I even overhead one administrator tell a sloppy dictator to .."Either clean up your act or get someone else to dictate for you.  We're not getting into a lawsuit bec. of your carelessness...and my desk is stacked with resumes. 


MY PET PEEVE WITH ALL OF THE DICTATORS?   PLEEEEZE take the 2-3 seconds it takes to SPELL ANOTHER DOCTOR'S NAME, esp. with a CC.  I'm born knowing how to spell it, right?  But I'm not jumping hoops looking it up ... just leave blank.  They'll get the message.


But we know the MTSOs won't touch that subject.  Better see US tear our hair out and loose $$ with s---y dictators than confront the client.




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Well spoken.
.
If the OM has already spoken

to her about it twice and she is still doing it, then she probably will continue no matter what.  I applaud your effort, but in most cases the docs don't straighten up.  I imagine you know this and that's part of your frustration.  I sure hope this one is an exception to that rule and you get to keep her.  Good luck to you! 


hah, spoken like someone who NEVER sm
fell on really hard times.....until it happens to you, don't judge.
Spoken like someone who has no clue.

I have a bright idea for you. Go find your own accounts and charge them the rate that you feel you're so worthy of. I'm sure that if you get some takers at the rate you're asking, you won't have to worry about having too much work to do yourself so you won't have to worry about paying another MT the rate you're asking for.


spoken like a true Democrat

nm


I agree! Not all thoughts need to be spoken. nm
nm
Spoken like a true healthcare professional.

Spoken like true "suit". All about the bottom line,
,
No prob...I go with what...
...I remember.  For me "bothkids" works - to each her own - especially since I time 100 wpm anyway.  Actually, I didn't say I didn't like Shorthand.  You asked who has worked on each and for info, and I indicated that I like ShortKeys better because...
I still work there and so do many others who have spoken to attorneys. See link inside for numbers.
http://deflaw.com/
Spoken from the true heart of a company owner (inside)
we read all kinds of things on this site. Most of it terrible things that are done to us. Companies making gross amounts of money over our backs and to spend it buying other companies for gross amounts of money. This company knew what they were doing long before they did it, don't tell me or anyone they didn't. They never even considered this woman let alone knew she was having surgery. You guys don't think that way. You don't see our faces and feel whatever you do to make a profit justifies the means. I am not a religious person but I do know what goes around comes around. Chew that.

As far as "preparing ourselves," how do you do that when pay is low, you have to work umteen hours for a halfway decent line count, and then get let go at Christmas time?

As far as short-sightedness? What is astounding is you would even say such a thing as you are probably sitting by a Christmas tree done done by Neiman Marcus. It is hard to save any money with what is happening to the transcriptionists today.

Do not answer this with attacking me. I don't answer trivial, cruel people.
No prob. Thanks for the explanation! sm
I work really hard to make my work accurate, spending probably too much time researching. I read medical books for fun and learning on my own time, and I am very particular. However, I see stuff all the time that indicates that a lot of MTs don't care too much about quality or don't know how to achieve it. I wonder about legal liability and the safeguards in place in hospitals and nursing homes to make sure meds are correct, etc. I personally do not think MTs have ultimate responsibility for patient safety and if we do accept this onus, we are going to start getting sued for malpractice and having to buy insurance, which I don't think we should have to do. Just some of the things I wonder about and wanted to get opinions, especially from people with hands-on patient care experience. Thanks again for writing back and explaining.
I've had that prob. too. SM
When I re-booted, all seemed ok. Don't remember if I hit re-start or actually waited for an extended period of time before I powered the 'puter back up.
had same prob with Linksys... -sm
I had the same issues with the Linksys router that we bought. Couldn't connect to the company and couldn't do any file transfers. I gave that one away (couldn't find the receipt) and bought a Belkin router. It was a bit more expensive, but OH SO worth it!! I set the whole thing up in no time and with no help and no calls to tech support for the router...all just using the CD they sent. It has worked from day one without a hitch!! My suggestion: Trash the Linksys and get a Belkin. You won't regret it!
My prob is reading it how it SHOULD be and not
x
He prob. makes $XXX,XXX.XX & U $XX,XXX.XX
x
I've had same prob
I've had the same problem. Google will look fine and then once I go back to it, it will be all tiny. All of mine still fits on one page though. I haven't figured it out but if I close it out and go somewhere else and then come back to Google, it usually resolves itself. If that doesn't work, I think restarting your pc will straighten it out.
was knocked off and he has drug prob...nm
x
syntax prob? your dream 5 ft 2 in..nm


Dictaphone prob, and they are working on it.
But they tend to work on these problems late at night and on weekends, so that stretches out the length of time it takes for them to actually solve the problem. They don't want to take the entire system down during the busiest work times. They did replace the server over the weekend, which apparently didn't help. At least they know the glitch isn't a hardware issue. Sorry. I'm waiting and waiting for line counts, too. It is frustrating.
they prob can dictate a schedule
no tx...  find a new job that is IC and doesn't demand a schedule; quit feeding the hungry MTSOs that only want to pad their pockets...  UGGHHH! 
She is scared about turn around time of her business. Prob nothing you can do other than what you d
She does understand, just frustrated and wanting to prob, poke, intimidate, make you feel bad. Just stay calm, when giving her choices just stay calm and say which would you want me to handle for you. Say, I can HELP YOU with thus and thus. She knowwwws just scared and just remain calm, stick to your "Calm Guns" and don't take personally. Say, I know you are worried, this is how I can help, which will it be (so to speak, she will soften and might end up apologizing a bit. Remain at least another month and see how pans out.
prob priviledged info but under the category of (small)
whatever they want either way.

do they toy with the figures? probably. research line count software.
put leg straight out. Pull gently on toes. More pain? Prob DVT.
Could be pulled muscle. Don't need cellulitis with DVT, but generally will have some swelling, warmth MAYBE. Try the toe pull thing with the leg stretched out, see if it hurts. If it does, see a doc today, please.
Choose any menu, prepare, serve and enjoy. If they don't want to eat, their prob. This should
:+
I would rather do some ESLs that some of the
sloppy southern drawls that you cannot ever understand. Wish those people would learn that not everyone is in love with a southerner.
ESLs
What is an ESL ..... and I agree with you completely about the time spent on GRAMMAR!!!!

They can take the smallest so-called "errors" and put a black check by your name. We are medical transcriptionists, NOT English teaches.

Any GOOD MT has equally good grammar. Plus there should be less emphasis on grammar and more emphasis on the medical terminology. Do you REALLY think the doctor cares if a comma was put in or left out? NOT !!!!

I wasted a lot of time agonizing over GRAMMAR when I could have been getting in more lines and doing what is best for the patient .... accurate medical terminology.
Bad ESLs

Wouldn't it make sense for companies with bad ESLs, to hire US MTs who speak the dictator's mother language to do the transcription? 


ESLs
If it makes you feel any better, I once worked part-time for a doctor in his office. I wanted to get back into a hospital setting so I gave him my notice. He couldn't understand what I loved about being an MT. He said, "At least I have the benefit of reading their lips." AND I was once transcribing for this absolutely miserable ESL one day, pretty much the way you described, and waiting for him to hang up. Instead he was chatting with someone when I heard "I don't know how they do it, but I give them a lot of credit." I had to rewind to make sure he was talking about transcription and he was. Not all of them are that sweet. I once had to show an English book and the BOS to an extremely arrogant ESL oncologist. I hope you had a little chuckle here and feel better!
ESls
That's why AAMT is no longer a valid entity for us. The standards have been lowered to accommodate the ESLS because they can't make a decent sentence and don't know how to convey what they did or did not do to the patient. How the hell are we supposed to read their minds???? Those who can speak English and demand verbatim get what they deserve. Just the other day, the doc gave a female who had a vasectomy. He was a verbatim ESL and he got exactly what he dictated. When enough of them get sued or reprimanded, maybe standards will return, but I have no doubt in my mind that ESLs have lowered the standards at the hospitals and that's why we no longer change the dictation to make it sound like they at least passed English class. When I started it was not verbatim. We edited to change context and not content. Hospitals should make it clear they either speak clearly, or write clearly, and failing both of those, they should hire a PA or someone who can dictate like it should be, and some of the PA's aren't much better.
ESLs sm
Once they know you're good at it, expect them to send you nothing but!
ESLs
Hey, we all were horrible at ESLs (and I have to be honest that I often still struggle myself), so don't feel bad about that is how it goes. :) Good luck to you.
Had it up to here with ESLs....
I used to be one of those conscientious MTs who went back and re-listened sometimes 2 and 3 times, because I hate to send blanks to QA. After this morning, NO MORE !!!! This particular ESL doesn't even say the complete word, only the first syllable which is mumbled and scrunched into the first syllable of the next word. From this moment on, I go through it once, proof it and off it goes. If it's shot full of holes, then so be it!!! I'm telling ya, Wal-Mart is looking better and better. UGH !!!!!
What about ESLs
who dictate 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, etc.? These people are prescribing medications and they can't even COUNT in English? I can see messing up and missing a number, but totally messing up like that? On more than one report?
If only the ESLs would be more
organized, be briefer, and pay attention and use normal phrasing instead of these long, awkward sentences they put together. They are strangely worded whether they are routine or made up on the fly. If only they would notice which phrases we can't understand and study the non-ELS dictators' short reports. If they could keep their reports short, we could knock them out much faster and be done with them.
ESLs
Speed up the dictation and listen carefully..then repeat by slowing down the speed. Think in terms of how the ESLs would transpose certain leters. What nationality is the dictactor? Example: S might actually be a T. Hope this helps. Good luck!
ESLs
I can totally relate.  I get SO fustrated with some of these ESL dictators because like you say they cannot speak decent English.  And yes I wonder how do they understand their patients?  If they can't speak English properly can they just understand it when spoken to them?  I cannot believe they actually have MDs either.  I swear sometimes I sit and just curse when trying to figure out what they are saying.  I am glad I am not the only one.  I just feel like saying if you can't even speak where I can understand what you are saying then you don't need to be a doctor.  I know being a doctor entails much more than speaking properly but geez they are terrible. 
I do a lot of ESLs too and I can actually take

an Asian with a very thick accent and do him without any blanks at all, but then I get the fast talking, slurring, nonenunciating American born doc and I have problems.  Even if I had a copy of his physical exam that he says the same every time I still would not be able to hear it because it is so slurred.


I recently started a new account and I have doctors with 13 or more letters in their last name and I just take a deep breath and prepare to have a difficult report, but they have no accent at all and then I get a Dr. John Smith and his accent is so strong that I have a headache and am cross-eyed when I get through his dictation. 


Like it or not the ESLs are here to stay and you can learn to do them or you will find your options limited, especially if you do acute care. 


ESLs
Yeah she made the comment let his own people figure out what he is saying. She said this out of fustration. I for one know how fustrating it is when you are struggling to understand what a dictator is saying. You just get so fustrated. It is our job to transcribe no matter if it is an ESL or American, that is true. That doesn't mean we can't get fustrated when we have to struggle to transcribe what they say.
Also I think she meant the MTs in India are the ones doing it for 3-4 cpl. That's why alot of outsourcing goes over there because they work much cheaper. I guess what I am trying to say is I understand your point. It is our job. But I understand hers too. It is very fustrating. :)
ESLs
You know that is a great way to look at it. I hope I gain something for all the struggle I have to go through to understand them. At least I will have gained some experience.
Not only the ESLs
We're being awful hard on ESLs, and alot of the defense for them is they are no worse (or possibly better) than poor-speaking English speakers. The bottom line is that if you are speaking for other people, you should speak clearly, regardless of where you are from.
ESLs
I have had a real difficult time with some ESLs too. But I was on an account where basically I could do them or not work. So I pretty much had to just do it. It got a little better the more I would hear the accents. And I mean a little. Do they provide you with samples for these ESLs? That often helps alot. Good luck!
ESLs
I totally agree with you. It is just as important to know how to speak it as write it if not more so in medicine. There is no excuse. It doesn't matter what nationality -- Latino, Indian, European, or Asian. It makes no difference. They should learn the language fluently to practice medicine. An accent is one thing. But just flat out not being able to communicate clearly. There is no excuse. And no you don't see ESL lawyers. At least I haven't. I am sure you will get some posts telling you you are racist or a bigot. But it won't be from me. And by no means do I have a problem with ESLs who are fluent speaking in English.
ESLs
I have one who says "please use inverted commas," which means (to you and me) quotation marks.
ESLs
I have also heard them refer to blood pressure as 120 by 80 for example. I don't know.
ESLs
You know you are just preaching to the choir.  So what if they say 120 by 80.  You are a professional.  You should know what to put down.  If you want to gripe about something, make it something that matters. 
If ESLs want our $, should be able to
x
A lot of ESLs
I was told that they have a lot of ESLs so if you are ok with them you will probably like them. 
You said VR does not get ESLs
but the platform I work on does them better probably than I could. I am totally amazed it can but it does.
ESLs
Well, fortunately for me, ESLs were my specialty because of my strong background in foreign languages, so I loved them when I was working. BUT I've known many excellent MTs, including my own sister, who had an extremely hard time with them and would literally weep, wail and gnash their teeth! And you're right, on some accounts, the great majority of dictators are (or were) ESLs. Why, I don't know. I retired at about the time when everything was starting to be sent offshore, a few years ago. I'm glad I was able to retire before our whole profession had gone down the tubes.
ESLs
Well, fortunately for me, ESLs were my specialty because of my strong background in foreign languages, so I loved them when I was working. BUT I've known many excellent MTs, including my own sister, who had an extremely hard time with them and would literally weep, wail and gnash their teeth! And you're right, on some accounts, the great majority of dictators are (or were) ESLs. Why, I don't know. I retired at about the time when everything was starting to be sent offshore, a few years ago. I'm glad I was able to retire before our whole profession had gone down the tubes.