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Pretty soon we will be working for free!

Posted By: Lowering pay? on 2005-09-01
In Reply to: Just got a letter in the mail from MQ stating that they will be paying 80% of our base rate for ASR. - MQMT

Next they will be mailing out statements for how much we owe them to work. This is getting stupid. Is this every MQ office?


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Paul. He's the cuteness! Wasn't he pretty much drug free, too?

free pc to people who have no intention of working as MT
Read the post a little more carefully next time, duh.
How do you get a free attorney if you are solvent and working? SM
Even if you have stuff like a nice car, a nice home, charge cards that you pay for every month, you still may not have money for a lawyer. Never mind about irresponsibility living too close to the edge. A lot of us do that.
Misha, you're almost working for free--
--doing this. There are many general transcription companies that pay real money. I know, because I work for a couple. General transcription is a real industry with real people supporting families with their income. Whoever is paying this low a wage is LAUGHING at your gullibility.
If working in Word, autotext/correct can be used for free, but (smsg)
if you need a separate expander, then I recommend Shorthand.  I think their cost is reasonable, and it is user friendly.  I've used it for years, and it has worked in numerous different platforms, or if not directly compatible, I could convert my list either way fairly easily.  It, too, has a free demo period for 30 days.  Aside from Word's own autotext/correct function which is limited in its compatibility to a degree, you aren't going to find a good free one.
I think I'm pretty bright and pretty good, too, but
I am not a CMT. I am a medical transcriptionist who enjoys her job very much (most days). I have chosen not to pursue certification simply because I cannot afford to do so. I believe the certification is a nice thing to have, but I don't believe it is necessary for employment or for excellence in my job. If you can afford it, go for it. If you can't, don't feel too bad. You can still take pride in and do a very good job without it.
Abacus is not free. It is $20 but worth it. You can download a trial version free which does not h
I have used this for years and have compared to Sylvan, Word, and MP Count, etc. When you have it set to count every character, bold, shift, tab, etc. It is great and always higher than the others. Now if you are wanting gross lines like in Word then no it won't be as high because Word counts blanks lines and Abacus counts a line only if there is a character on it. There is also two places to check for it to count the Headers/Footers. If you have the FREE version then it must be the trial or a very old version so you don't have all the features and functions.
Free? As in, free trial? Otherwise, I don't think you'll find a spellcheck software that's
y
Check out the free demo of MTStars FlashType. It's free for 7 days.
Then, if you like it, you can purchase it for $59.95.  See link below.
yes it is free....mine was free....why the exclamation?
nm
You get more working the evening or night shifts and working w/o benefits. And producing like a mad
,
There are free ones out there. I have been using a free one for 5 years. sm
Just have to research FTP server software.
free? We are not *free* - what planet R U on?

Free? Liberal?  You know nothing about me......I'm a 4th generation American so don't get up in my face......


We have a bad bad reputation today....and we do NOT HAVE 60 ALLIES/COUNTRIES BACKING US UP IN IRAQ....you better open up your eyes to the REAL stats.  Perhaps in 2003 we had 60 allies/countries backing us up....NAME 60 today.  I can name maybe 10 countries.......


You are terribly off-base.........even the soldiers have spoken up stating *unfortunately, this has become OUR vietnam* -


here's where you might think of beginning...iraqi veterans against the war......not a liberal website by any stretch of the imagination..


http://www.ivaw.org/


Ditto....granted I am not working much these days, but am currently trying out a new way of working
when I do work which seems to be helping.  I am timing myself and keeping a log of how long it takes to to type however many minutes.  I am averaging anywhere from 13-18 minutes of dictation an hour now doing this.  Granted the time fluctuates between who I am typing, and if I have to look up names, addresses, etc., just depends on the division I am doing at the time.  But work that used to take me 3 hours to do is now taking me under 2 hours, I am also trying to put in more macros as I go along, which slows me down initially but pays off in the long run of course.  I was working "all the time" before but took forever to get done since I was not applying myself. This new "attitude" has helped me a lot.  My goal, in the Fall, is to do 90 minutes a day consistently at 6 hours, and then maybe get up to 120 minutes a day at 8 hours, still while having at least half of the day free (do 60 minutes at night, and the other 60 by Noon).  Thereby doing 1200-1400 lines a day.  I have never really buckled down and done more than 8000 lines per pay period, so it will be a nice change.  Maybe you can do something like that and have a specific knock off time as was suggested below. 
Working holidays? Out shopping in stores where someone IS working

that holiday you refuse to work?  Grocery stores, food joints & seems any store is open on holidays and you expect them to be fully staffed, so why shouldn't we?


Yes, I took off for the first time on Christmas day, in 18 years and it was great, but I worked Christmas eve and this whole past weekend.


Someone has to do it!


working IN A HOSPITAL is different than working at home.
Someone can steal you identity from the internet if they want to. Why would you go to the time and trouble to jeopardize a job that requires some level of skill to steal someone's identity or medical records? You could get a job as a retail clerk and get info easier than going through the testing required to become an MT.
Somehow working at home translates into not really working
My in-laws are the worst. Whenever they plan something last minute and my husband says that I had to work, they say, "but she works at home!". When I one time mentioned I had a "schedule" and basically punch a clock and work full time, I don't think they believed me. They will sometimes call mid-day during the week if they are in the area to see if I want to go for lunch, etc! The best is, my husband doesn't make all that much money, so where is it coming from, the money fairy? I am ready to strangle someone! So I know how you feel and I'm sorry it upset you. You are not alone.
Well, this is just pretty much par for the
course for MQ. Guess they never heard the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it." I'm sure the underpaid tech people will fix it soon.
But they have such a pretty name...
Isn't that the main thing to look for?
pretty much just what they are- I know nothing

How are they like CD's, are they better, worse?  Basic info.  I've googled it, but still not sure.


Pretty is as pretty does.
and your not looking too good here.
pretty....
Thank you for reading my post and taking it the way it was written.

Some others on this board twisted what I said - as if I was saying "everyone is doing it" by citing the fact that hospital staff are under the influence of various substances - drugs (legal as well as illegal - although someone took it to mean marijuana), alcohol, glue sniffing, aerosols, etc.

Nurses and doctors have the highest percentage of addiction of any professionals - there are many factors that go into, but it is merely a fact, not an accusation or finger pointing, just a fact.

Pretty!
Very nice!
Pretty sure you have to pay for that.
Which makes it even sadder. That she paid for such a poorly worded post.
I am pretty sure I know where the ad came from
These are usually meger start-up places who think they can get by by offshoring and will find out very quickly how bad the work is going to be.  I see these all the time and am pretty adept at stealing the offshore business after the client gets a taste of reality.  :)
Pretty much the same way (sm)
This doc dictates on cassettes, but he only turns it in when he has filled up the tape. I've asked him to turn it in everyday. The only thing they want on their reports is the transcription date, which is what their accreditation requires. Their accreditation also requires a TAT within 4 days, so when he dictates from Wednesday to Wednesday, and I get the tape on Thursday, he is out of that 4-day range. The transcription date is sometimes a week or so later than the actual test date, which is what he doesn't want.

Thanks for the tips!


I do it now, pretty much always have sm
Right now, it is a FT employee with benefits and a PT IC well paid (10 cpl) as well as some hourly QA work. As I have said many, many times, I am not a good sitter. Actual my fanny is in the chair, hands flying time is for full time is probably 5 to 5-1/2 hours, perhaps 6 a day. PT job is much the same, can't sit still probably only work 3 hours a day. The longest I ever sit at a time is the QA stuff where I will sit straight for the 1 to 2 hours that is going to take me.

My income is full time money, about $900-$1000 a week and I don't eat, drink and sleep MT. My income is going up a bit now because I gave up cigarettes and I don't stop to go out and smoke. I take breaks, but the breaks are much shorter and I am faster and faster on the keyboard.
Pretty much the same. SM
Some things the programs I've worked with seem to learn quickly, some they seemingly never learn. (It may be that VR work attracts passive-aggressive-type computers. After all, no computer can really be THAT dumb!)

Regarding making all those corrections, tho, use your expander. If yours won't record the Keystrokes you use to make all these corrections, get another. Let it delete "q.i.d." and type in "4 times a day" for you. Let it break one sentence into two for you. Let it type in a discharge diagnosis heading and then copy the admission dagnoses under it for you. Have it replace the phrases the computer will not learn with the correct versions for you. While you get paid for it.
That is pretty much the only way to use them
now because you need ULD and no phone company offers true ULD.  I worked with a company where I had to use a C-phone and I had digital phone service through my cable company.  I no longer work for the company, but I used it without any problems whatsoever. 
Pretty much.
Soon MTs will be nothing more than minimum wage workers.
This is pretty much
what I do. I make them for everything (plus individual words). Maybe because of the original way I was taught to make Expanders (using all consonants), I have had to alter my pattern in numerous ways (and now include vowels).

I typically use more of the 2nd word when doing two-word combos, like, ihrn for inguinal herna and hdss for heart disease, but I do have others where I do the reverse because of feel or whatever.

I continue to alters my patterns, shorten them and alter some because of letter combo comfort.

I guess it's just difficult when the goal is to have them for "everything" but not being close (because how many endless combos would there really be?), so then I'm not sure if I have one for certain things or not. And given the fact that there are umpteen ways to say the same phrase, I often would swear I had made one for a certain phrase ... but then, a word or two was different.

My thought was maybe it would be better to disregard certain types of phrases/words, and that is why I asked for examples of things you all do not make them for.

When I do the same account or two more regularly, I have a lot less problems. When switching it up, I fumble more. I suppose there is a certain flow and type of speaking with each account and various dicators, and alternating too much disrupts the flow of my autopilot.

Thanks for all the responses. If anyone thinks of anything to add, I will be checking back again.

Thanks!
Actually pretty much anywhere
It's usually over by where the Boost and stuff are carried, Walmart, Walgreen's, Target, even some supermarkets. It tastes good too.

Let me know how it works for you!
I daydream about NOT working while I'm working.

There are so many other things I need and want to get done.  I've been working way too hard lately, and summer is just slipping by again.  Well, I'm outty.


They do work pretty well, but.......
Hate to have to wear them for work, as it is so hot here they slide down my face. So far at my ripe old age of 58, I only need them for driving.
Pretty much say the same thing
We needed to be there, still do
Pretty bad punishment...
To be sent to OSi is truly torture...lol...
I'm pretty sure it's "layed down"...
according to Google search.
Yeah, pretty much (sm)
That's why Sunday/Monday can be rough sometimes.

If I have nothing else going on I do stay up all night, preferably doing something productive. However, if I have to do something with "normal" people, I just try to take a nap Sunday evening.
that pretty well covered it....
Are they very quick with getting back with you when you apply? I have 5 years exp and taught one quarter of med trans at a local community college. I'm working in a doc office now (not doing transcription) but want to get back into working at home doing transcription. I had gotten away from it in 2004 because my husband got deployed and I wanted to make sure we had good insurance while he was gone which is why I took the job with the doc office. He was gone for 16 months and is now home and getting ready to take a really good job, which is going to allow me to start working at home again doing transcription. Hoping to hear from them soon. Thanks again for your input!!!
Your time will come and it won't be pretty. nm
nm
Pretty scary. Do you actually think you
are Frank?
PRETTY GOOD
GOOD GOIN PEEPS!
Mig was too pretty for them. Am I the only one who thinks (sm)

that Marty looks like a drug addict?


Anyway, I think they made a good choice.


Astrology is pretty old...see
http://www.astrology.com/aboutastrology/overview/history/

At one time was it wasn't considered anti-bible or anti-Christian.
Sounds pretty sad.
I think the little girl needs a lot of prayer.
pretty scary
I know that this does happen.  I just try not to think about it.  It's amazing how many physician's and other big tim professionals are functioning alcoholics and drug addicts. Even more sad is the fact that other hospital staff know that these people are enebriated and don't dare say anything to anyone about it. 
pretty frightening if you ask me!!!! sm

It's pretty easy (sm)

My DBF is an "IT guy", & set ours up for us.  He's on a conference call right now, so I can't get him to explain it, & if I tried to I'd probably have you and I both confused all to heck....soooo, I found this site that is pretty thorough...


http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question353.htm


If you still have questions, if you have a Best Buy or Circuit City nearby, you can ask them to help you out...they're pretty good about this stuff.


Hope this helps


She's a very pretty rocker. (nm)
x
LOL. Although, your job sounds pretty
interesting on coming across Hollywood celebs. Who do you work for?
Not enough obviously, that's still a pretty hefty sum they got. nm
x