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Thanks, I'll be transcribing too so I really hope it does

Posted By: fixing to start a new acct on 2007-08-28
In Reply to: Have used both - sami

Thanks again.


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To be SUCCESSFUL at MT, you'll need more than 1 class in transcribing. sm
However, you are off to a good start having had A&P and terminology and being a coder. Unfortunately, personal experience and family history don't give you all that much preparation for a career in MT, nor does just working in a medical office. But, if you are a successful coder, you do have a better base to build on. Coding and MT are very different, but you do have exposure and familiarity with more medical terms than the average person would. To be truly prepared for a career in MT, and I stress that it is a career, I have to suggest a full MT program, preferably one that includes a practicum/internship in its curriculum. If you continue to work in a medical office, I would look into who currently does their transcription, and see if you can practice on old tapes that they may have, see how you do on your first attempt at transcribing. Of course you won't be great right away, but it will at least give you a realistic vision into the actual work.
Great ... I hope you'll post and let us know how you like it! :-) nm

Okay, I'll bite and respond but I hope it isn't over your head
Here is what I did. I've had ST for years. I got the updated Stedman's ST. I don't know if you have the comuter skills to do this and this is why I am concerned you still think it's over your head or I'm not trying to help.

All the words in ST are also in the spellcheck. If you use ST, the words on put on your document from Smartype are spelled correctly AUTOMATICALLY. The Stedman's ST was overhauled in 2004 and has all the medications and surgical terms up until then. Now, if you want those words in your own spellcheck without buying their spellcheck, you can add the ST words into your dictionary in two ways.

The first is as you type and spell check at the end of each report.

The second is to convert the ST program into a text file (please go to productivity board for help doing this if you don't know how). Once it is in a text document, run your spellcheck on the entire document and add all the words at one time to your own spellcheck. This may take 2 full days of doing nothing else as the text file is huge. Also, you would need to take out any abbreviated forms first (anything where xxx=xxxxxxxx) so you don't add abbreviated words to your spellcheck. That takes another day's work.

Now, to update from 2004 to today, go to prescribing reference, register and copy all the new medications from the last 2 years onto a blank document, run spellcheck and add those to your spellcheck.

Now go to the Stedman's web site and sign up for the 30-day free trial and letter by letter copy their surgical word list onto a blank document. Run spellcheck to add those words to your spellcheck.


So now ask yourself, if it takes me 5 days to get a spellcheck I didn't have to pay for, how much income did I lose, how much time not getting a job did I lose and was it worth saving a few bucks?

Your choice. I've been around the block a time or two and know that trying to cut corners on how you earn your money isn't smart in this business.
As for wrapping......that's another ball game (hope to do it all tonight, we'll see). - nm
x
I'll be here! Good luck tonight!! Hope you have work
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I type for cardio docs. EVERY patient has been a smoker or continues to smoke. Hope you'll quit
s
I hope this applies to companies like Medquist. I hope there
isn't a way they can get around it. I REALLY hope.
It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
s
I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
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No. It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get, and it's unnecessary
s
You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
When I broke my ankle, I was just grateful it wasn't the hands. Without our hands we'd be totally screwed.

I broke my right ankle slipping on ice and was lucky to have gloves on because the palm of the glove was totally torn up and my hand was okay.

Good luck and be sure to do your exercises when it is time.
It'll happen. You'll find your fit.
You might have to kiss a few frogs first, though.
Oh she'll spice it up alright, she'll be
placing hidden cameras in the other ladies' dressing rooms! LOL!
continue your goal; he'll/they'll get used to it/over it
nm
I'll vent and I'll sign my name sm
I have two IC contracts right now. I recently went back to a job I had quit earlier in the year to work for the other company I am still working for.

The newer job has 80% ESLs. I transcribe OP notes primarily and I can fill in other work types as the opportunity arises. I am frustrated with this particular situation. After 6 months, I am making less money and working longer hours. I am past the learning curve and I should be doing better, at least in the number of hours I am spending doing the job. We have run out of work for 24 hrs at a time at least 5 or 6 times since December 1, and in November it was more than that. I have a friend who worked for this company as well and she was having similar difficulties. The only thing that we can figure is that they are shorting us line count some way, because after 6 months at it, it should be easier/faster/more money, but it is less and less every single pay period. It is not a nice thing to accuse a company of doing, but it SEEMS that way to us. I am fed up with being expected to type every single OP note that comes in 24/7 and meeting the 6 hr TAT for them on weekends, evenings, holidays, wee hours of the morning...

I took back a job I held for 2-1/2 yrs. The team leader has changed and this gal thinks that I should be on call 24/7 for whenever she has work. I might have some at 7 a.m., or perhaps not until 6 p.m. or later. I can't plan my personal life and between these two IC situations, I find that I am not eating on a daily basis, not showering on a daily basis and not sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have lost weight and I don't feel very well. I woke up today with a rip roaring head cold (my first in nearly 8 yrs) and it has already moved to bronchitis and I am expecting pneumonia by the weekend because I develop it very easily. I already have deep pain in my back.

Yes, I should call in sick tomorrow, but I really can't take the fallout. The job I took back I am covering for another gal who wanted vacation over the holidays and if I have to call in sick, the team leader will call me and pitch a fit about how this is my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, I did say I would do it, and I will do it, despite being quite ill. In the past, when I worked for this company, they would not allow me to call in sick for a "cold" without a doctor's note. I worked through many illnesses with them and only called in sick when I developed West Nile Fever and while I was sick for over a month, I only called for my last 12 reports one day when I could no longer see the computer screen because my head hurt.

The problem is that yes, many MTs lack work ethic. They don't take their responsibility seriously. This is not a work as you please career, not even for an IC. I can see the MTSO's point of view, I truly can. Like finding experienced, reliable and capable MTs, for the MTs who are these things, finding a company will treat you like a human being is equally difficult. I sit here, feeling lousy and like I am an utter slave labor with no consideration whatsoever. I know that my work needs to be done, but when I am this sick it is better that someone else do it for the sake of the work, for accuracy and for speed of getting it out. I know that I am needed, but to be the MT these companies need me to be, I also need to look after my own health.

I will also mention that when I have asked for vacation, I have been approved for the time, but the MTSO queues up my work and calls me then I am not on the system getting it done. I have told them I had been approved for time off, but the MTSO didn't schedule anyone to cover for me and I am told to get on work, vacation or no, if I want to keep my job.

Thus, I work 24/7/365 and have for years. I work sick, I work when I am in pain (I have an AI disorder), I work exhausted from staying up all night covering for others who are allowed to call in sick and have vacations when I can't have either. I work having no health insurance and not being able to afford the $125 a month to buy some with a high copay so I can see a doctor. I work without breaks for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I sometimes come close to having an accident because if I leave my desk to go to the little girls' room I get nasty calls about where I am at and what I am doing.

Many MTs are mistreated, and I am one of them.
new at transcribing
im new at this, worked for a local cardiology office for 1 year as a medical secretary.then got  this at home transcription job, lowest pay with a 1200 line a day minimum, it has been very hard, if i made more money i wouldnt mind it.   when you guys were new, where did you get your foot in the door?
Sometimes when I am transcribing

I will type a word out of nowhere, it's like my fingers are typing without any thought behind it. 



Transcribing while in a car?

Does anyone have any experience with this?  My family is involved in different activities that involve traveling two or three times a week with at least an hour's commute one way or more.  I hate to sit and twiddle my thumbs while traveling when there is work that could be done.  Is it possible?  Have to download internet files from my national.  Could I do that with a cell phone?  Any help at all would be much appreciated!


transcribing in a car
I have thought about this but in a park with a laptop. For my particular situation, I was going to email voice files to myself. Theoretically should work.
transcribing help
Hi!  I'm new to this forum and am seeking help.  If a Dr dictates "extension -5, flexion 90..." do you leave it like that or do you add the term degrees??  I have been transcribing for a little over a year now but have not come across this yet.  I appreciate any help anyone can provide me  :)  Thanks!
Transcribing from CD?

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to transcribe from a CD and use a USB foot pedal to play back?  I have been asked to transcribe a documentary and I am not very savvy when it comes to things like this (applications), so any help would be appreciated.


Thanks!


 


Is anyone out there transcribing for Cardiology?
Just wondering if it is fairly easy to catch on or a pain in the butt? I might take a position but I'd like to know if I will be able to handle it as a newbie? What do you think?
editing vs. transcribing
Hi everyone!  I have been working (at home) for a medical group for 10+ years and they are now in the process of switching to Dictaphone voice recognition system.  They tell me I will soon be an "editor" if I choose to stay with the group.  I have been transcribing for about 30 years now so I am looking forward to editing rather than transcribing, but I have no idea what the difference will be in pay.  Do most editors charge by the line?  Any info folks could share on the transition would be appreciated.  Thanks!
if you are only transcribing 2 hours a day - sm
don't turn it away. What's a measly 2 hours a day!!! They cannot tax you on it and by the end of the year, you will have more writeoffs to offeset anything you may have to pay in for taxes.
Don't know about transcribing for the Military, but...sm

your transcription skills will most certainly qualify you for an Administrative Assistant/secretary position for the Military. I started as a GS-4 in Aug 04. Got promoted to a GS-5 in Aug 05 and now am lead secretary in an office of 50 people. I get an automatic promotion to a GS-6 in Aug 06. On top of the all the benefits, they are going to pay for my degree too. I know a lot of people complain about Federal jobs, but mine has been a blessing all the way around.


transcribing on treadmill
Haven't figured out how yet but there has to be a way to transcribe while walking on a treadmill. Any suggestions?
transcribing for Doc's office

Moving to Idaho soon, would like to type for doctor's office..Any idea how I can find out how to go about this.  Where would I look to find out particulars.  Working for outsource now but do NOT want to get into that situation again..Too many confusing signals.


 


 


Slow down while transcribing (sm)
and proof then? If you're making so many errors that proofing is time-consuming, then you need to change your work method. Are you using an Expander so you don't have to think about spelling/capitalizing drug names, for example? Are you saving copies of each report and creating normals from them so you don't have to retype the doctor's standard phrases? After 4 years, you must be doing something very wrong to be stuck at 900 lines/day.
You should not be transcribing what you don't understand.
Do you know the diff between peroneal and perineal? If you don't, you are making a fool of yourself and the field. If you don't understand it, you aren't doing it right. That holds true for ANY field of work.
Is doing QA easier than transcribing? nm
nm
Transcribing vs Dreaming

You know how they say sometimes your dreams are your brain's way of finding solutions to problems?  I find that when I am transcribing my brain does the best thinking.  Yes, I am focused on what I am typing but I find that all sorts of ideas/solutions just pop in my head while I am transcribing--things that have absolutely nothing about what I am typing.  Can't tell you how many times I think about what to plan for dinner, etc.  I wonder if it is because I slow down enough and am still in one spot that my brain is finally able to focus.  Or maybe it is because I am so focused on my typing that my brain has room to think of other things too. Does anyone else do that? 


dreaming or transcribing

Whenever I am working I think of cooking and cleaning. Then when dinner time rolls around I have already cooked and done all my housework (in my mind only) and am ready for bed.  I call this mind-cooking, or mind-cleaning.  Sometimes it is only place where I can find peace.  Isthat how you feel?


Transcribing since 2000, now 31....
x
Drinking and Transcribing sm

Someone's life is placed in my hands when I sit down to transcribe. One letter out of the way such as an "a" could change the meaning of someone's medical diagnosis. One slip of a wrong medication or dosage and the patient could die. We all know when docs get used to us getting things right, they don't even read what they sign. One pass-over of a word that we don't want to take the time to look up could kill a patient. Don't tell me to lighten up, please. That's your excuse! I have had an anaphylactic reaction to a medication. If someone decided to skip over this or whatever  - I could die, yes, DIE! I would no more drink and transcribe than play Russian roulette with an infant. Sorry, it's probably what you don't want to hear, but I would not want you NEAR my medical history. I once had a student skip over an allergic reaction and instead of looking up the name of it she just typed "the dye". When I caught her on it, she shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't mean a thing. She just wanted to get her line count in, looking things up took away from her $$$.


Please take me seriously, it's worse than drinking and driving. It's a serious, serious thing to do. Alcohol definitely affects judgement and makes you sloppy. Slop and medical transcription do not go together. I don't want to kill anyone tonight, do you? If you want to drink, that's your business, but don't drink and type someone's medical record! Don't bother responding for me to "lighten up" because anyone with half a brain knows I'm right! If you drink constantly, then you're still "drunk" when you get up in the morning, coffee does NOT sober you up. That's BS.


 Put the plug in the jug!


Transcribing is not typing. sm
It includes typing, but so much more.  It absolutely includes tools of the trade, especially word expansion programs, and normals, and sample of difficult doctors.  Typing wpm actually has nothing to to with transcribing lph.  If you think of it as typing, you will always be slow at transcribing.
tired of transcribing
Yes. I feel that same way . I have been transcribing for about 28 years, and you are absolutely correct that the pay is just not going up, and you work all day and make peanuts. I would like to be the middle man and make the money they do. If you are interested by any chance in partnering in a company venture, let me know. I need to get out of this field too.
transcribing expletives sm
I have heard different approaches to this. In this case, the expletive has to do with the employment of someone and harrassment. I think in this case it is okay to spell it out, as it is his part of the complaint. I usually use quotation marks. Anyone else had this problem? Help wanted on this subject.
@ 380 lpm transcribing, 800 editing
Rather slow typist, working for national (Transcend), semi-anal good-quality work, use ShortHand and templates, acute care accounts I'm familiar with. That's actual work time only, not coffee-break time, and I can do better when I try.
I'm not talking about transcribing.....
I am talking about "scoping", or rather, editing a transcript that has already been made..this is not court reporting or transcribing...fyi
I am considering using VR for my transcribing. Does anyone have any NEGATIVE
comments about using VR?  Best program?  Like to know what to be prepared for.   May be my only hope to continue in transcription due to wrist problems.  Thanks.
I welcome transcribing correspondence
that is not patient-related now and again, but not if I'm not being compensated for it.  I don't know how long you have been with this practice, but I would send a letter outlining what you posted regarding both matters, and state that you feel you are deserving of a pay increase because the job entails more than you originally agreed upon.  See what kind of reply you get.  Ya never know!  Good Luck!
Digital Transcribing
I sent you an email.  All you need is the software, a foot pedal, probably USB, and the doctors need the software and some dicatating hardware.  It is all very inexpensive.  And SO nice.  Try it, you'll like it. 
I am transcribing the most considerate doc sm

ever. I'm doing a stat transfer summary and I'm going along as fast as I can and all of a sudden as I proof this is what I read-I have to imagine that you would have to be pretty sick of listening to people just flip pages all the time, I'm sorry about that.  I wish there was a better way around it. Now, isn't that sweet of him? 


editing vs. QA vs. transcribing
Wondering what you guys in editing and/or QA can tell me about the stress level of your jobs?  I love transcribing; have done it for 25+ years, but this year I've been extremely burned out.  Some days, I can barely make my quota.  I'm easily distracted, I get sleepy, my back hurts, and my wrists seem to lock up.  I have to stretch my 8-hour day out to about 15 hours just to get my minimum line count.  I wouldn't say it's "stressful," just monotonous and boring.  Tried editing at one point, but found it to be even more boring; just MY opinion.  What's the stress level for you guys who are strictly editors and strictly QA?  Is QA worth the extra money, or are you stressed to the max?
When I first started transcribing,
it was most comfortable to put the keyboard on my lap, and I spent much of my time transcribing in that position. I did not require a pillow due to long arms and short upper body. One arm is a little longer, so the keyboard was on a little angle.

Everybody's body is different, so you just have to pay attention to what's happening as you type and adjust your position. It's not bad to have more than one position you use each day. And I can't stress enough the importance of exercising. I know you don't want to take the time, but if you would use little free weights and proper form in a few exercises, moving the weights slowly with no momentum (some of the form I see on The Biggest Loser is not ideal!) you would really help your posture and get rid of the knots before they start getting bigger and pressing on nerves.

There are also chiropractic exercises for your neck that have been around for decades that can really help keep neck pain away. It's where you put your hand on one side of your head and push against the hand for a count of 10, with 10 sets. Then do it on the other 3 sides of your head.

You just need your muscles to be a little stronger to support your arms more comfortably. And with exercising you also learn to detect tension.

Are you squeezing your jaw muscles right now? That's where tension starts. Stretch and relax your jaw. Where are your eyebrows? Raised for no reason? Knit together in a frown? Let go and relax your face.


did not say she was new - said she had many years transcribing - nm
x
13975 -- all transcribing
 Did not realize it -- three psych reports 15 to 18+ pages each