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Part-timer here and I have housekeeper

Posted By: Have 1 on 2007-11-29
In Reply to: I'd do it anyway! - nightMT

NM


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Only part timer here
and i have a housekeeper, have for years (say 12-15) even when it was just me and my child at the house. I do not like housework, never have so I have someone to come over not every week because only the 2 of us and the 3 furry ones. I do not think that expensive.
Part-timer, too sm

Half the year I only worked 15 hours a week, second half worked 30 hours a week and will make just over $30,000.


for old part-timer
Yes, I have.
I think 0 Vicryl looks weird.
The 0 could easly be lost somewhere. It makes more sense to be typed as 0-Vicryl, so that one knows where this '0' belongs. Otherwise it is just dangling there all by itself.

I looke it up and the right way is like that:
0 Vicryl
3-0 Vicryl.
This has no logic.
I use a little handheld digital timer from Pyrex (our oven timer doesn't work) - sm
and it's great, has two digital windows, clock on top, counter (which is what I use) on the bottem, then you can switch "modes" to a screen with 2 timers if that is what you want. Cost about $10. So I time myself more now since it helps me buckle down and I see who I am fastest at this way.....average anywhere from 12-18 minutes of dictation an hour doing this--- unfortunately I spend too much time looking up addresses but I hope my address directory will be to the point one day where I don't have to look up anymore (or at least not much). Have fun.
Housekeeper
Yes, every other week, $70 for a 2900 sq ft house. Don't do a good job though, but at least I do not have to do it. You are very, very lucky!!!
Housekeeper
Yes, I do have a housekeeper. My time is too valuable to spend on chores. Do the math. Think how much you make in an hour of transcribing. Think what an hour of cleaning costs. Hire a cleaning person, pay them well, be kind to them, and they will make your life increasibly easy.
HOUSEKEEPER
Yes, have had one for the last couple of years, referred from a friend. She cleans every other Thursday and does a wonderful job! $50 - it is definitely worth it!  I figure if i'm gonna be chained to this desk all day every day (well M-F !) i deserve to have her.  She's awesome!  
housekeeper
I have an Amish lady who comes in every other week. She does everything - cleans bathrooms, dusts, cleans fans, vacuums, cleans kitchen, washes kitchen and bathroom floors on her hands and knees. $50. You know, if you are an IC, you can claim a housekeeper as an expense. And I, too, would rather work a few extra hours and pay to have her. I'd much rather do what I do than what she does, at least while I'm still working.
Housekeeper
I did the same thing!!! Except we only had the cleaning lady come in once so far. But it was great. I hoped to have her every 2 weeks, but can't afford it right now with the price of gas and my husband commuting. But when you think about it if we type and let someone else clean, we actually probably clear some money. The sad thing is we are messy too with 3 kids, but a housekeeper won't clean clutter. She just cleans dirt. At this point, I am walking over Thomas the Train tracks all through the house and in the middle of the night, well, I just might crush one. Oh well, too bad, so sad. I work at night and the trains are in my way! LOL.
I worked as a housekeeper as a teen.

It paid maybe $.20 more than minimum wage.  I think you can make more than that as an MT, don't you?  You just haven't found your fit yet.  If housekeeping is something you really want to do, go for it.  It was a really nasty job, though.  I'd rather do transcription at home than clean up after a bunch of slobs.  Oh, disgusting.  And the things people would leave behind in their rooms.


If you have ever worked as a hotel housekeeper, you'd know.

Let's see, here.  People can't hit the toilet.  People can't hit their mouths with their food.  People do nasty, kinky things and leave it for the "maid" to deal with.  People do illegal and immoral things, and also leave those for the "maid" to clean up.  The hotels are hush hush about it so they don't lose clientele.  The "guests" treat the housekeeper like a peon.  You are only there to serve them in their superiority.  Most of your coworkers don't speak English.


My housekeeper lives off Bankhead
so I definitely know what it is called and hear it all the time, just trying to be a little politically correct here. She is one who says skrimp (for shrimp) and strap cake for cake made from scratch.
Actually what my housekeeper made yesterday was more than
what you made. I paid her $65.00 for 2 hours, cash so no taxes on her part. If younger, probably would go that way. She can fit in 4-5 homes a day at that rate and she is probably not counting on taxes, so you see always somebody making out a little better- I guess you can say she has her own accounts.
Good grief! Housekeeper in the South? SM

If you are set on housekeeping, I do know people who clean houses for a living and do very well. One woman even went on to own her own business. But in a HOTEL? I'm sorry to say this, but are you nuts?


If your MT skills need polishing, there are different tapes and courses and WHATEVER you can use. Perhaps someone here can assist you.


As another 50 something year old woman, who works for a National, so far I have made $30,000 this year. I realize that is not a lot of money, I'm not exactly busting my behind, but you can make money. Please stick this thing out. Housekeeping is not an option, except in one's own home.


My husband is not a gourmet chef and I don't have a housekeeper... SM

So consequently, cooking falls to me and cleaning the house falls to me.  My husband helps, but let's be honest husbands can sometimes be as needy as the kids.


Minnie, do you hear yourself?  You have a housekeeper, your husband cooks, your kids are grown.  That's great for you.  It sounds like you work because you want to and that's great again, but most of work because we have to.  We don't have a choice and we have to find a way to make money and be a good mom and a good wife all at the same time.  It's hard.  My kids are a priority and my paycheck is a priority, but if one of my kids wants to sit down and talk to me for a few minutes, then I'm going to listen.  If that makes me unprofessional, then I guess I am.


That doesn't mean I don't get upset with my kids when they interrupt me for silly things.  I do and they know when I'm mad, but that isn't going to stop them from doing it again, because they are, after all, just kids and what is important to them, may not seem important to me, but it IS important nevertheless.  No, I don't have them trained like dogs with the wave of my hand, but they're good kids and I am eternally grateful that I can take them and pick them up from school and I always know where they're at and what they are doing and when they'll be home.  I'm not calling from an in-office job wondering why my kids are answering the phone.  I know their teachers and friends and friends' parents.  Sure, my production may slip from time to time, but I've learned to adapt and I'm willing to sacrifice for what I view is the best reason to be an MT right now.


Always thought housekeeper good altern. for MT.
x
My housekeeper telling me cake from strap??
She meant scratch but she just sweats her way is what she knows.
Motel housekeeper when I was 16. That was a physically demanding and disgusting
job. The supervisor was always riding us to clean faster, but we made less money if we got the job done in fewer hours. Why on earth would we work faster to clean a room in 20 minutes or less just so they could pay us less?

Anyway, it was a nasty job. The things people do in motel rooms were often immoral and illegal. I had teenaged boys on a soccer team throwing condoms at me. People used to rent rooms to party, get drunk, do drugs, and other things. They left behind pornography and other things an innocent 16 y.o. had never even seen before.

Then this adult male "guest" was wandering down the hallway in just a pair of shorts. We were supposed to help the "guests" so I asked if he had misplaced his room key. He pulled his shorts off and came after me. I grabbed a bottle of acid to spray him in the eyes and called security, but the cops never found him. He had overturned the bed in his room and set up a pup tent in there. What a weirdo. I quit that same week because the housekeeper supervisor was a shrew. She's still there 20 years later. Never had any motivation to do anything else, I guess. That job taught me how to clean thoroughly and quickly, but also taught me that I would never be anyone's grunt.
Get you a timer and sm....
and see if you are actually working that entire time or if you are like me and very distracted and really only work 5 of the 8 hours. I am terrible about checking emails, looking out the window, surfing the internet, etc., etc. and once I really look at how long I worked I really only got in about a third the time I thought I was actually working. This may not be you at all, but this would help you to see if this is part of the problem. You might also get you a notepad that you have on your desk and write down everytime you answer the phone, answer a question from spouse or kids, got up to do something, etc. and see what type of distractions are taking away from your working time. I am talking from experience here. If I was not so distracted I would probably do at least 2000 lines a day but I am lucky to get 1300. Just a thought and good luck.
Timer
XNoteStopwatch.com
A real old old timer
When I learned how to type in high school, we had the manual typewriters with no letters on the keys.  The first electric typewriter when I was a senior, was awesome! You barely had to touch it.  I can't remember either the name of the first "word processor" I used, but I know that soon after came the "Mag Card".  I definitely don't miss any of these.  Yes, that was before production.    Boy, just thinking about this makes me realize how "ancient" I am and how far technology has come in my lifetime. 
TIMER FOR TRANSCRIPTION?

Here is a question for you gals (and guys).  Where can I find a timer like the chess players use that you can hit the button and it stops, hit it again and it continues.  I would very much like to be able to track just how much time I actually spend on transcribing versus jumping up and down doing housework, answering the phone, door, etc.


Thanks!


I used to use a timer, but not anymore.
It would jump the living daylights out of me every time as I was "in the transcribing zone." :)
Sounds like me to a "T" -- I use a timer too - sm
I find if I set it in 15 minutes increments I get more done; then I try 30 minutes. I find with the harder doctors I can get up to 12-14 minutes an hour done that way. One doctor I can do 25-28 minutes in an hour this way (he's my favorite), even then though I only average about 160 lines an hour since I have to look up addresses, or look up an unfamiliar term, etc. All that slows you down too. I am getting better though in the time department but still have a long way to go. Kills me to think I can have my work done in 6 hours or less IF I would buckle down; don't know why I torture myself but need to give myself a good kick in the butt!
Is using a timer cheating?
I work on production only.  I do have a set schedule, but the company I work for is fairly flexible.  I have started using a timer where I set it for 60 minutes and stop it if I am interrupted, have to get up, etc.  This gives me a more accurate picture of exactly how much I can type in an hour.  Is this cheating not to just go by clock hour?
I use a stopwatch but I'd rather have a chess timer!
Makes a real difference for me!
Agree with Old Timer. Don't shortchange sm
yourself. A good education will make this very difficult profession a whole lot easier for you. After college, though, you should get a job in a hospital or clinic to get some good in-person mentoring. The MTs who don't do this and go straight to working at home end up having to struggle and never quite making it.
I'm an old-timer who loves PRD also and will share with you what little I know

PRD is DOS based and must run in DOS-based WP program.... I have a link that explains how to load WP DOS if you are interested.  Looks pretty complicated to me... I gave up as realized I was eventually going to have to move to Windows.  Bought InstantText which allows you to add PRD glossaries - but I hate it!! 


http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/windowsxp.html#installguide


Desktop Timer- Where can I get this online?
For Free.
Weber short timer
I too have only been with the company a short 3 months. Great supervisor, 2 good accounts. I do radiology and work 3rd shift so I do run out some nights. But plenty of opportunity to make it up during the day if I want. So far thats the ONLY negative I have seen.  :)  Good luck and welcome aboard.....
No distractions. Stay in your chair. A timer.
x
Use a timer and limit yourself, you'll feel much better
x
digital kitchen timer and a scratchpad ....
I am always startled at how much tallying line count every hour or two keeps me focused. Some days just spread out vaguely and my line count suffers as I get distracted or restless.

The info your platform provides should be enough ... to keep some sort of a running tally.

I trust almost no one is still doing manual logs (best kept in Excell, imho), but yes, even with manual logs, a "bad" hour total can provide the seat-in-chair motivation to perform better next hour.

Taking breaks is a good idea -- but I admit I still spend a lot of time playing catch-up.

The easy part is making the decision to leave, the hard part is
actually doing it.  Been in your shoes and it took me a year and a half to leave after I had made the decision to do so.  It was the best thing I have ever done for myself and my girls.  I had family and friends and a counselor telling me what needed to be done and I knew what needed to be done but until I had the courage on my own to do it I stayed.  One day, we had an argument and he spit in my face and that was the last straw for me.  Even though it is something that I will NEVER forget, that day is also a day I will never forget because it is the day that I took my kids and left.  I am a single mom of 2 and have been single and supporting us for 5 years now.  I have been healing ever since and still am to this day.  You can do this.  I know that if I hadn't have left and I would have stayed one of us would be dead by now or both. 
I do the same thing for set my timer for 20 minutes, that 1 nap does the trick usually for the rest
of my day (if I happen to be working during the day). If I start nodding off late at night, I just go to bed and get up early if need be to finish up.
(more than 1)Quiet, not coming here, timer, expander, deadlines - nm
x
At one time, someone posted a link for a free clock timer. sm
I've searched the archives but could not find it. It was for timing your actual time spent transcribing. Anybody remember what it was. TIA.
Get out the timer. You'll have to force yourself to work uninterrupted for periods of time.
Just keep in mind that you WANT the money. Best of luck!
You can also download (free) a product called Cool Timer from CNet.
You can set it to act like a stopwatch or to countdown time. I use it all the time and it has helped me immensely. I just have it open all the time on my toolbar. http://www.download.com/Cool-Timer/3000-2350_4-10062255.html
What's up with the CMT part A and part B exams?
I thought it was all one test.  How can a half a test last 6-1/2 hours?  If anyone knows, please share your info!  Thanks! 
Does anyone know if you are a part time employee for 1 company and part time IC for another can you
still claim deductions for IC on your income tax even though you are one of each.
Depends on how part time the part time jobs are.
You can do it. You just have to work out a schedule you can live with.
Which part of OK are you?
Hello there
I did my little part
Went to the Houston SPCA yesterday to bring home a "furry refugee".  They had not all been processed yet, however, and so we brought one home that had already been there, but at least it cleared the way for the other furries guys and gals.  They are in need of donations, if anyone is interested.  They have brought in approximately 460 dogs and cats from NO.
Because they pay a part of it as well.
MQ pays a good portion of the premium and the MT is only paying part.

Spheris pays a higher part of the premium, or at least they have in the past. With the new plan, MQ may have adjusted their portion of the insurance premium up a little bit.

Where did you get the idea MQ was taking away insurance?
this part
Preliminary, unaudited results indicate that operating income declined from approximately $61 million, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2003 to approximately $23 million for the comparable 2004 period. The decline in operating income includes: 1) the impact of approximately $11 million in costs incurred in 2004 related to the ongoing billing investigation and associated litigation, 2) approximately $4 million in costs associated with separation and replacement of the Company's management team, including members at the executive level and 3) approximately $3 million associated with the write-off of intangible assets associated with products no longer being offered. In addition, the base business, as described above in the Revenues section, experienced a decline in transcription service volume from existing and lost clients and a decline in transcription service rates charged to customers. The impact of the revenue decline was partially offset by several cost saving initiatives including reductions in telecommunications costs, office consolidations and associated staff reductions.
$2.87 in this part of PA sm
I got a bike rack for my car (had been using SUV) to take DS to his races and training sessions. I have personally been increasing my mileage and even ride my bike to church every chance I get (20 miles one way). I do all in-town errands by either foot or on bicycle.

When the aforementioned SUV is paid off this summer, I am going to get an even smaller car. I would love to try either a hybrid or a car that would run on biodiesel.
I don't think there is on. How do you get the lab part?
There are programs to get BSN if already an RN that can be done on-line. 
SE has to pay part of the SS tax, which is
practically the same as self employment tax. As SE, the company pays part and you are responsible for the rest.
Most definitely part of it...

See your doctor...may need some hormone adjustment.


What part of WV are you from? sm

I am from Beckley...Boy, is our town ever growing rapidly!!!!


I have read these posts and checked out websites for these train rides, Amish country, Dutch Wonderland and I really, really believe I have found our next vacation!  I have found so many things that I am interested in that would be great for the whole family.  I really do appreciate all of the advice!  Now I cannot wait to book this vacation!  Thanks!!!!