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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Study your options though before committing...

Posted By: pdqtrans on 2007-06-29
In Reply to: Small doctors' offices do! - anon

I fill in when needed, vacation, sickness, etc, for friend at a local small town phys's office. Typist has been in hosp. and out off and on over the last 2 months. cpl confused Drs. wife so I said $10/hour, thought it was only temporary. I'm usually only there 2-4 hours, usually if it is 2 days of stuff. They work weird hours, 9 sometimes 11p.m. I work 10-6 so I tried to get in when I could in morning or go in evenings. Too aggravating, they are constantly interrupting me. I hooked their system up for C-phone access. Half time they forget to plug it up! But, anyway I have continued to do it by the hour. I will be changing to 10 cpl if this continues. Working at home by the hour I am cheating myself. I type it faster because I am more comfortable so end up shorting myself $10-15 each time. Some would say, drag it out but I can't do that I feel like I'm stealing, yet they are stealing my time.



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New study on MS and
Vitamin D, you can Google it.  Are you in the great lakes area?  Very common in that area.  I don't have it but many of my relatives do including my 20-year-old neice - she's doing very well with treatment.  Good luck
swallow study - sm
swallow study to check for safety in swallowing, to check for aspiration, swallowing problems, and what type of diet to give pte, puree, nectar thick, etc.
What is recommended to study for CMT?
xx
Sleep Study
Get this: I had an appointment with the doctor this coming Wednesday to discuss a sleep study. Last Wednesday 2/1/06, his office calls me wanting to know if I was coming in because I was late for my appointment, and I reminded her that it was not that Wednesday but this coming Wednesday and she remembers and admits she got it wrong. This morning same girl calls to remind me of my Tuesday appointment!!!! Went through the same thing again and then she says, "Oh, yes. It is Wednesday. Can you come in Thursday? He's going to get called to the emergency department!!!" Uhhhhh did I miss something or is she clairvoyant on emergencies? This is why I do not go to the doctor unless it is absolutely necessary. I guess he has a golf game lined up.
That study used very old data.
EHR has come a long way since 2004.
CMT study workshops or

I am looking for some reputable websites for info regarding the CMT exam that also include study material. Any info would be greatly appreciated :)


Honestly, probably the best way to study for it
is to work, work, work.

Good luck!
Get a Sleep Study
It could be sleep apnea or narcolepsy. Yes, you can be healthy as a horse and still have sleep apnea or narcolepsy!
S/L Perfifth study per neurology?

I can't seem to find anything.  Any suggestions?


 


Thanks!


vellum - in swallow study???
is this correct
Sorry, you guys need to study up. "Affect" would never, ever go here. SM

Just FYI, to say "affect" would mean that the bleeding would change the procedure -- which makes not a lick of sense.


"Effect" would be the right thing, meaning that if this woman were to continue bleeding, she'd have to have a hysterectomy.


I didn't really like the wording of it anyway, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in because there seem to be people here still confused on the issue.


Employment after home study
Does anyone know who will hire a Transcriptionist who has studied at home? Also, will they hire you if you have not been employed as a transcriptionist outside your home? (I have a little hospital experience but years ago).
Sleep study transcription...

I have been approached by a sleep study doc to do the transcription for them.  I have not done these before and I'm not sure what to charge.  Does anyone have any advice for what to charge them or any sample reports?


 


Thanks so much


I found the study guide (sm)

was good with examples on the test and covered all areas.  However, the dictation CD probably has caused many a heart attack.  None of the dictations were as bad as that thing!


I don't really know how you can study too much for the beast besides brushing up on the ol' BOS.  The first part was a stinker, though.


Thanks, by the way!


Here is a sleep study website
http://www.sleepnet.com/definition.html
I ran into this system when I had a sleep study
Last winter outside of Orlando Florida. I waited to be set up for the initial sleep consultation, and the technician who takes vitals went into the template and asked me questions and filled it in. I told her what I did for a living. She smiled and said so does she, now... except it took under 3 minutes to do my whole history and physical etc. with better accuracy because she had drop down menus for just about every possible suggestion I had etc. She gets paid hourly as a tech and did not get a raise when this system came in. But she does it for the job security. I asked the doc and he said it is not only cost effective, but safer not to send work outside of the office or even out of the exam room because of HIPPA reasons. I can understand this. Knowing all of this, for some reason, I did not feel in the least intimidated or put out. I say the serenity prayer. If and when these systems are the norm rather than an oddity, another door will open for we transcriptionists which is better than what we have now. We have to believe as things evolve better for the medical record-keeping, indeed so will the jobs evolve better for us, even into a new career. To not believe that would be fatalistic. Somewhere in fate, IMHO we have to be willing to accept the times moving with or without us, and what our part will be in a positive way, rather than think it will be a negative thing.
You could join a study group through sm
AHDI, but there is no radiology-specific CMT credential.  In fact, I took the test within the past year and there are hardly any rad-specific questions on it.
My dad had a carotid ultrasound study done today --
and the technicians couldn't find his right vertebral artery.  From my limited knowledge this could mean it's occluded and it sounds like something to be concerned about.  He's worried but he doesn't want his doctor to think he's crazy for calling and asking about it right away.  The technicians told him the doctor would contact him in 2-3 days.  I don't think he should wait.  Any other opinions out there?
No, that's baloney. Study-up on meaning of 'cult'.
x
I would agree with getting a sleep apnea study,
but have you also tried cutting out the caffeine to get rid of the headaches? I have migraines that are related to caffeine withdraw. So, whenever I have caffeine, my body will crave more of the drug and have withdraw, thus a migraine. I used to have horrible migraines daily and then I met this wonderful neurologist who had me cut most of the caffeine out of my diet and it has worked wonderfully! Also, when I do get a bad migraine, I simply take Tylenol or aspirin with a Coke and it always makes the migraine go away. If you look at the ingredients in OTC migraine medications, they all have caffeine in them too, which for me helped confirm that my migraines were caffine-withdraw induced and not actually caused by the caffeine. Anyway, I only have about 2-3 migraines a year now, which is a HUGE improvement!
Graveyard shift study results
I just had to put this here.  This study came out about 2 days ago, and I did not find that anyone posted it here so I am going to comment on it.  If this is redundant please excuse the double post.  The other day on the news at 6 they reported that studies show that there is a new risk for developing cancer which could lead to an early grave... working the graveyard shift (punny).  Anyway, they said that because it goes against our biological clock, we produce less of a certain brain chemical when we sleep at night and this chemical helps our body fend of carcinogens (I forgot the chemical).  Do you know the American Cancer Society is seriously considering putting third shift workers on the list as being high risk for cancer?  Can you imagine?  What is this, a way for the insurance companies to have an excuse to deny us night owls insurance or to make the rates higher? I think it is hilarious because I personally never do anything risky.  I work at home as an MT after all, I do not lead a risky life in the least. Now, because I work nights so I can be a mom during the day and do everything supermom should do I am going to have cancer... what next?
Stedman's sells a study guide. NM
x
Recent study done... excerpt..see link ...

I read this just last night, as I too have been researching and gleaning information regarding the future of MT and pondering making any career changes.


http://govhealthit.com/Articles/2009/01/07/Spending-on-health-IT-would-generate-212105-jobs.aspx


EXCERPT:


The analysis found that a $10 billion health IT stimulus program would create or retain 43,410 jobs directly, most of them in areas such as software and hardware sales and system installation. Another 115,670 jobs would be created or retained indirectly, in areas such as sales of trucks and food to those holding the new jobs.

And the availability of new and improved networks and information would create 53,025 jobs, the foundation reported.

Stephen Ezell, a senior analyst at ITIF, said in answer to a reporter’s question that the analysis did not take into account the potential loss of jobs in areas such as medical records management and transcription of physicians’ notes.


 


Typing for a sleep study laboratory...sm
I make $5.00 a page, $5.50 a page for letters and $6.00 a page for stat dictations.  BTW, this is whether there are two lines on the page or a full page.
frank went to hawaii to evaluate and study the accomodations.
Frank didn't think this Hawaii vacation would serve the purpose he had in mind so the CEOs are putting their heads together and doing a study and are sure that the new Hawaii vacation they come up with will please all involved but in the meantime please continue transcribing as they value all of our efforts and will get back to us on the Hawaii vacation in a year or so once the CEO and managers form committees to study the vacation and fair way of chosing a winnner while studying the effects of a vacation on work habits of the lowly MT.
Depends. Did you just study or have you actually transcribed lots of tapes as sm

part of your training?  If you can't put down on your resume that your home study included multiple tapes in many specialties, etc. you are going to be hard pressed to find a good job. 


On the other hand, you might be able to type some orthopedics or pt notes (and then at least have some experience to put on your resume.)  Orthopedic doctors have TONS of dictation.  Besides their clinic notes, etc, most of them do IME (independent medical evaluations) which are fairly easy to do.  You'll need some good ortho books to get you started, but most will let you start without the experience if you can demonstrate you know the terminology.  Good luck.  Get some experience and the doors will start opening REALLY fast for you.  Sometimes, taking a low paying job is okay in the beginning just to get the experience.  If you can possibly get in a PCP's office to help out with clinic notes (even offering to to backlog/vacation stuff, you will get good experience and your resume will look great for the future stuff that comes up.  Good Luck to You.  Hang in there and learn everything you can.


MT home study distance learning programs
This post is to those of you who received their MT training via a home study/online program.  Was it easy to get a job after graduation?  Which home study course (company) did you use?  Would you recommend them/it?  Thanks for your input.
A study a year or two back was assessing if hormone changes were
Specifically, does LOSS of estrogen cause memory loss in women. Multi-year study, BIG study, lots of subjects.

Upshot? There WAS memory loss happening. It was not due to hormones. Middle-aged women were SO busy and SO stressed and had SO many things on the brain and things to do and places to be and things to remember about spouse, kids, job, parents, extended family, that they were STRESSED TO THE POINT THEY COULD NOT REMEMBER IT ALL! Bah on the hormone theory. We just get full up to our eyeballs of all the things we have to do and something has to give.

Like, spelling the word school or something. No can do, school does not exist in this brain any more, it got kicked out so I can remember to pick up beer on the way home!
I don't know if the study guide has changed in the last 5 years, but when I bought it, it was so

not worth the money!  It was like a little pamphlet with maybe 20 sample questions.


That was back when the test was in two parts, so hopefully they offer some a bit more substantial as a study guide.


Cardiology and sleep study transcription questions

I am looking for other Transcriptionist that have cardiology and sleep study backgrounds. I am a newer MT, I am starting a cardiology and sleep study transcription account next week and have never transcribed for this specialty.


I wanted to know if there are specific word books or websites that you find helpful and are there specific things that you could tell me about the specialty that may help me?


 


I would appreciate any feedback


Thanks,


Angie


I got a discount by joining a study group...I think they still offer that. nm
;)
On my way to a Bible study. When I arrived, the other gals there had no idea what had happened. sm
I couldn't even find the words to explain - it was a little after 9. I was listening to, like the poster below, Bob and Sheri (on my way to Bible study - go figure) and Bob and Sheri were in a mood I had never, ever heard before. Very solmen. Describing word for what what they SAW. I didn't even know they were in NYC.

Anyways, I had to pull over as I started bawling. My younger son had taken an accompanied minor flight just a few days prior to that out of Dulles, so this hit quite close to home.

Anyways, we heard while in our Bible study (we decided to meet and pray for our country) about the other flights, but not flt. 93. We heard about that when our local newspaper (a giant) had people walking around McDonalds handing out FREE newspapers around 12 o'clock with pics and everything. The last time that newspaper did that was probably after JFK got shot. We were all scrambling for a paper which I still own to this day.

I remember my 9 year old son reading it in his room (I left it out like a dummie) and he cried like a baby for all those people on those flights who died. The WTC accident got to him the hardest. He still talks about it to this day. Tragic.

I don't know about you, but I do fear another attack like this again. It's hard not to.
virtual flashcards are fun...I used MemoryLifter to study medical prefixes, suffixes, etc.
You can download it for free.
Study found that electronic health records did not boost patient care. sm

Link to article on yahoo news stating that electronic health records fail to improve care, study says.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/records_dc;_ylt=AsT2t1nasUEaoOxgIsyoMUOs0NUE


 


 


Options
Ever try reducing your monthly bills by getting a different car with a lower car payment, perhaps a smaller house with a smaller mortgage, and so on? I see no sense of living like that? Do you really enjoy life? Try to take it easy on yourself and enjoy life.

This is just my advice - I know there is no way I could be happy working 3 full time jobs, but if you are then all the power to you. Best of luck in all you do!
there are so many options, but
I would like to work with women in prison, or even preteens in school, its hard to say this early in the game.  Maybe even research. The ultimate goal would be to have my own practice and office and work with people on handling anxiety and depression.  Cognitive therapy has helped me tremendously and its something I believe in.  Just help people's perspective on life, because I have been there before and its all about reprogramming the brain to positive and undo whatever it has learned (for the most part not our fault) in the past. 
Two options

I use the toggle feature (Alt-Tab) to quickly go to another open window, something I just learned recently.  But the best thing is to have Google as your home page.  I keep my home page closed, but use the Web/Home button on my Microsoft keyboard that opens it immediately and I can then just type in the word for search.  It's really fast.  Hope that helps!  The less mousing the better! 


I did try that, but i don't have the same options as you. sm
I don't have the MIDI Synth nor do i have an advanced under the volume to even mess with my bass/treble. thanks though!
Well, there's really only 2 options here.
Either find a daycamp for them during the day, or cut down your hours.

The only other thing I can suggest is for you to change WHEN you work...i.e. VERY early in the a.m. before the kids get up or late at night. You can split up your shift 4hrs a.m./4 hrs p.m.

Of course this means more discipline on your part, and probalby more fatigue as your days will be longer than usual but I've done it this way in the past and, for me, it was worth it, to be able to work and still have plenty of time to do things with the kids.
options
You can Google a search term like "transcription call-in system" and others that you are interested in and you should get some options to pop up.

I'd recommend Express Scribe (free download) that allows you to play dictation with a USB foot pedal and look into Express Dictate for your daughter's end. I only have experience with Express Scribe, not Express Dictate, but it looks like it may be something she could use to dictate with and then send it to you via the internet.
Go to Options...
Select Playback tab...
Last line under "Playback" section...
set "auto backstep on stop" to up to 5000 ms.

Other options
Maybe instead of doing medical transcription, you could look into doing corporate transcription. There's a company out of New York called Ubiqus (ubiqus.com) and what they do is record things like phone interviews and project presentatoins for corporations and then you transcribe them - I've done this in addition to my other job for about 5 years now - it's really easy work and the pay's not too bad. You might also check with your local police department or Sheriff's office to see if they need anyone to transcribe taped interviews with suspects or witnesses. If they alrady have a company doing this, find out who it is and see if you can get on there. You've already got the transcription skills and there are so many other things to do with them than just medical. I also agree with the poster that said just take a terminology course, buy yourself an American Drug Index (for reference) and then look locally. Believe it or not, there are still some doctors that are using microcassettes for dictation, so you can bring those home, do the transcription and then take the notes back. Good luck to you whatever you choose and good luck with the baby! =)
Here are a few options
http://sewelldirect.com/vga-switch-2-port_specs.asp?source=froogle&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=cse

http://www.outletpc.com/c6414.html

http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?action=Showitem&partno=80012&rsite=f.80012
options
Yes, you can try to get it yourself and it may be cheaper but you probably won't get the same coverage.

After our insurance went up (again) we decided to shop around to see what we could get. Yeah, we would've saved $$$ buying insurance ourselves but we would've had to go to a PPO with a huge deductible. It's just easier for us to keep the employer provided HMO since we have kids and you never know what happens or if we'll have the $$$ up front to go to the hosp.
fax options
You can set up the one in Windows, but your computer has to be on to receive a fax.

I highly recommend TrustFax. I've used it for years. It's reliable, you can get an 800 number, & it's very inexpensive.

This is the plan I use:

http://www.trustfax.com/trustfaxpoweruser.asp

They have others depending on your usage.



Wishing I had so many options!!
Boy do I wish I had the option of cable vs DSL vs dialup! The cable line ends 1,000 feet from our home and they will extend the line for a mere $10,000 (yes, you read that correctly). For DSL we are to far from town. I even purchased satellite but there was a 10 second lag from the time that you punched in a letter to the time that it appeared on the screen so it was virtually useless for transcription. MQ had told me that I could not do NW acct with dialup 3 yrs ago so I purchased the satellite $500 later after the lag and and service charges and when I told them that I would have to quit they said "Well you can use dialup too". Go figure. Amherst office boo hiss.
:) actually girl I think you have too many options.

choices to you and your kids. 


 


There are lots of options out there.
Oh, I can relate. It took me 2 years before I made any money, wanted to give it up several times but stuck it out. Now I'm glad I did because working at home is worth all you have to go through in the beginning. Keep watching the job seekers board. You will eventually find something you like. One thing I love about this industry is there is a fit for everyone, if you don't have it now, you can find it. In any case, don't give up, MTs are hard to come by (the reason so many companies offer sign on bonuses). I worked as an IC for 10 years, loved it but had to go as an employee. Anyway, where I'm at doesn't quite cut it so I'm off to a new adventure with a new company. The bottom line is, you can find your dream job, just don't get discouraged in the hunt, but keep looking.
Tools and then Options looks like it may
have commands that determine this
Auto Cap Options in IT

You can disable the Automatic Capitalization in IT by right-clicking on the phrases advisory, then go to Options and Automatic Capitalization. There you can enable/disable the feature and indicate whether or not you want it to capitalize after colons.


Another place to check is in AutoCorrect in Word- that may be automatically capitalizing things as well.


It is very inconvenient not having those options. :( sm
I have tried everything I can think of to get the links to show up on the side bar. I can't imagine why I had them and now I don't as I don't recall making any recent changes to anything. HELP please! :)