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That's great advice for anyone! nm

Posted By: jazzMT on 2009-05-13
In Reply to: I am in my 8th year and have a few tips for you. - FBL

xx


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Thanks for all the great advice! You guys are great!
x
Great advice!

and by the way, I'm always amused by the "doctor's wife being the office manager" thing. What a joke. Obviously it's some insecure shrew who feels the need to keep an eye on her "investment" if you know what I mean. That's all too common, unfortunately. Same with nurses who end up "flinging" or "marrying" a doctor they met at work. "If they'll do it with ya, they'll do it to ya" in the words of Dr. Phil, and in my words, "you don't sh*t where you eat".


 


 


Great advice. Thank you.
nm
great advice, thanks ...sm
Those are some wise words. I actually know these people and feel pretty good about whatever arrangement we agree to, but I'm sure we all know that those can turn bad as well.
Thanks for all the great advice...

Wow!  Thank you all for the great advice, it really helps to get the support and advice and opinions.  I have decided now to go for it... .16 per gross line and hope that the chiro's will accept that offer.  If they don't agree, I guess I can then decide whether to keep the same arrangement or find something else.  It's time to venture out of my comfort zone. 


Thanks again, I am always so impressed by all the help here on this board!!   


Thanks for the great advice. n/m
:-)
great advice
You are so helpful! I am waiting to hear back from a couple of companies re: online testing.

I am from Montana. Where do you live?
Great advice, thank you! nightmares
z
Why would I take advice from someone who isn't even in the field??? If it;'s so great
why aren't you doing it?
THANK YOU guys so much for all the great advice!!! -sm
I will definitely try those suggestions, and...I do have a question about the baby carrier...I can't ever seem to adjust it to suit her! I'm not sure why, but she is picky about how she's held (she's a bit colicky)....Anyway,you all are just so sweet!! Thanks again!
GREAT advice, thank you! I will take it to heart!
nm
Great advice ICMT
I said the other day I wondered how many graduates actually stick with this. When someone says "work from home" it is so appetizing to the ear that people jump on it but there is so, so much involved and it can be stressful. I've being and MT for 27 years, came right out of highscool doing so I had no training. I cried for the first 2 days! But I looked up every word that confused me and I remembered them.

OP, thre are definitely companies that hire newbies.

While starting a business sounds more like you are planning to be an MTSO, which you are not ready for, possibly you could go and get some work from local doctors who dictate on tapes and such, I have several locals that I do on the side. (Tapes not the doctors - Ha!) There was a company advertising on job board WORDSRUS that paid by the minute and I know somone that they were going to hire that applied while still in school. You might check them out. Website wordsrus.net might contact them like that.
Now there's some great advice! Funny! nm
nm
Great advice for 2 jobs
Wow! I am about to work almost the exact same schedule and your advice really helps. I am going to think strongly about moving my second job to a different room, so it will give me a fresh outlook. Also, the idea of having a whole day off really helps too to rest up for the rest of the week. Finally actually sleeping from 7 to 12 (for me) in the morning will be a challenge, but otherwise I won't sleep at all! You made it work, and thanks for your example!
Hi! You got lots of great advice! As for $3 a page

for me, it works! Most docs pay $1 a page where I live - which is horrible to me! And the particular docs I transcribe for have "normals" set up where I might transcribe 2 or 3 paragraphs at best per report - everything is just pretyped as a normal, so I am more than happy with the $3. That's why I have the account and other's don't! Even if its 2 lines on the final page, that is a page. I tried to explain paying per line, and the doctors got glazed eyes.... I made a note myself of the brands of equipment others have recommended in lieu of Sony and Panasonic, but I must say that mine have lasted for over 2 years without a problem, and I got them used. I still wouldn't buy lots of equipment unless I had lots of $$ floating around! I have C-phones and foot pedals galore that I have bought and never used once....Well, again, good luck to you!


 


Thanks for all your input MTPocket,s,great advice ;-)
x
GREAT advice-not putting eggs...sm
all in one basket.  Just leads to disaster later.
Need some good advice on a GREAT vacuum cleaner...sm
We vacuum at least twice daily because we bought carpet that tracks like you would not believe.  We bought a Eureka bagless vacuum cleaner about 4 months ago and it is the pits!  Does not pick up, you have to REALLY clean it every time...who knows what the real problem is...I would not mind paying good money for a GOOD vacuum cleaner that does not lose suction...Any ideas?
I think this poster has hit the nail on the head with advice -- My dogs all get along great except

when it comes to dinner, treats or toys.  They have to be separated during dinner, separated to be given treats, and sorry to say, don't have much in the way of toys.  The rest of the time they can be practically right next to each other and nothing has ever happened.  Two of my dogs are greyhounds, so one little scratch can send us off to the vet's office, so I've learned to be very careful!


Advice to YOU..1st learn to spell before insulting poster and trying to give advice...sm

Sound advice from a fellow MT if you want advice or support (sm)

I have been an MT for over 10 years.  I also am getting burnt out, tired of my job, day in day.  However, I do love transcription and make excellent money at it, have grossed over $50,000 per year the last 5 years.  I decided to go back to nursing school and am very happy with my choice.  However, over these 10 years of transcription I have had my ups and downs.  My biggest issue with being at home working is lack of socialization, being home day in and day out with just the kids and the animals really gets to a person, sure hubby is home at night and thinks working from home is the easy life, thus the return to school and boy has my overall enjoyment of life changed once I realized I was the problem, not everyone else and I needed to find myself again.


Anyway, my biggest advice to you three-fold:


1.  Get into counseling for yourself, find out who you are and what your needs are, whether or not you think you need to, I sense you are feeling overwhelmed and need someone other than your family to talk to that can be nonjudgmental to your feelings and needs.


2.  If you're only making $100 after you pay preschool you can either keep doing it and be miserable, or quit because you are lucky enough to have a husband who can support the family without your income. (See how fast his mind changes just by losing the income you do have as to whether your job means anything.)  Or look for a different company or office that you like more and are more productive if you really want to do transcription (lots of fish in the sea as far as companies).


3.  Find a local "mom's" group where you can get out and socialize.  MOPS (mother's of preschoolers) is an excellent one that is nationwide, they have a website.  Also Mom2Mom is in a lot of areas.  They provide a once a week time for moms with kids the same age to get together, socialize, (some offer spirtual guidance some don't) and each week a different mom takes a turn watching everyone else's children at the facility that hosts it so the other moms can talk about things they have in common.  Every stay-at-home and work-from-home mom needs to socialize with adults, without their kids, or they will have a nervous breakdown eventually no matter how much they love their kids.


Sorry so long but it does get better but you have to take the first step at making yourself happy.


Saw him on CMT show with John Fogarty. Great, great singer with a neat personality and drop dead
gorgeous without seeming to know it. 
Great post. I swear by both Advantage and Frontline Plus-- both work great! - sm
I don't know about "natural" approaches for the house. I have always used flea bombs in the past before the miracle of Advantage and Frontline changed my life. Have not had a flea problem at all since I began using those products about 10 years ago, dose all the dogs religiously once a month with the Frontline Plus except in Dec.-Feb. to save a few bucks and because the ground is generally frozen by then and no fleas are scurring about. -- Hope you get flea free soon.
Thanks to all. Got some great feedback and ecouragement. This board is great.
My rant passed, ate a late lunch, now back to the trenches.
GREAT GREAT SHOW! I still think Ellen Pompeo
should have gotten the Emmy/Golden Globe whatever it was for the show. I like Sandra Ho, her character just needs more depth... Next week looks AWESOME!! Maybe there is still a chance for McDreamy!! First season DVD coming out with deleted scenes! Can't wait to get it & watch it!!
It is a GREAT company and great deal! I've had
Vonage about 6 months now and I love it. The only mistake I made was trying to keep my original phone # - I wouldn't recommend that. You have a temp # for a while, and the other provider can fight for the old #, etc. Go to vonage. com. They have new features all the time! There is even a new soft phone that is a phone on your screen. You don't need a real phone when working - just headset. It has 800 #s you can have very inexpensively - great voice mail. You get emails when you have new messages, etc. I only wish I had used them a year ago! Nothing but good things to say, and I complain about everything!
Sounds like he will do great then. Again, best wishes for great success!
x
That's great Patti. Thanks. Have a great time at the beach.
x
You should feel great as a transcriptionist if they think your work is that great!!!
It is not your fault they approached you. I think it would be a different storey if you were the one searching for the job to take away from a company. They obviously want to get rid of the company and if you didn't take the job they would probably ask someone else. You should enjoy the better position and not feel guilty!!
Great post -great job of wording your answer! (sm)
Original poster - I completely agree with this answer, especially the part about finding yourself and using all that you have learned intellectually and connecting that to something that you will also enjoy with your heart!! You have so many wonderful options for your future - much more than many of us.
IT - great program, great support system. nm
dd
my advice
would be to get an MT job that pays by the hour until your experience and accuracy come together well.

I believe that MQ will pay by the hour until you reach "production" -- but i am not sure if there is a time limit on that. I believe i've seen where other companies do this also.

I admire your refusal to quit -- i believe that is one of the essential traits of a transcriptionist. Hang in there. Very little worth attaining comes easy, you'll make it.
Need some advice

I know this isn't MT-related, but it has gotten me so upset that I can't work, so maybe it is MT-related after all.  Anyway, if anyone has been in this situation, can you please tell me how you successfully handled it?  My son wanted to go away for the weekend and asked to use my credit card to secure a hotel room.  We went online to Hotels.com and found a nice place.  I put in my credit card number and was given a room confirmation.  I then received an e-mail from the hotel telling me there were no rooms available.  I called the hotel and they told me I would have to address it with Hotels.com since they were the ones with my credit card information.  I called Hotels.com and they told me that my card had been swept for the entire amount of the stay ($276.00!) but since there were no rooms available, the money would be credited back to my account.  I got my credit card statement yesterday and they only credited back $71.00 of my money, causing me to incur and over-the -limit fee of another $29.00.  I don't know where to turn to get this problem resolved.  Do I call Hotels.com and ask them to reimburse my over the limit fee?  Do I call my credit card company and tell them that it was Hotel.com's fault for hitting my account for the whole amount when they said they weren't going to?  If anyone has been through this kind of thing before, I would really appreciate your input.  Needless to say, I will NEVER use Hotels.com ever again!!  Thanks in advance for your help!


 


Well said! I will take that advice.

Here's some advice from another old MT
Give Medquist a try. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding MQ, but there is a lot positive about the company, too. The transcription platform is very, very easy to learn and quite MT friendly. Set your boundaries about the number of accounts you are willing to do right from the beginning.

You will never have to worry about not getting paid on time. If you need no benefits, go with the statutory employee status. There's flexibility with that.

There are apparently many MQ haters on this board, but there are many more who are happy with MQ. They just don't happen to spend a lot of time posting here.

Whereever you land next, may it be a great fit for you. :)
Need advice, please --
My 15-year-old niece has confided that she has met a boy through an over 21 chat room and has been emailing him (supposedly, he is 18). He has been to her house, and her parents have met him and they think he is a nice boy, but they have no idea how they really met.  I have serious reservations about this and feel I should tell her parents, because even if this one is very nice, he is still too old for her, and what about the next one? 
Advice
Learning a secondary account can be challenging but it also makes you a more well-rounded transcriptionist. The more accounts, the more doctors you work on, the better off you are in the long run. If its hard at first, work that much harder to learn it. You can't have to much experience!
Need advice

I just wanted to see if anyone had any advice to give.....I have been debating changing jobs.  I currently make $15 an hour doing transcription in office.  The delima I am having is that the whole reason I started doing transcription was so that I could work from home.  I have been doing transcription for 4 years and my job is really easy and I am happy with the money, there are however other down falls with the company and I am not able to have the flexability of working at home, therefore dealing with the stress of not being able to always be there for "home" things.  I have three school age kids, and they are all very active.  My question is....Do I have a chance of finding anything else working at home or do I just try and suck it up where I am at???   I really have not started looking, so I am not sure what is actually out there.  I hate changing jobs, but I also don't want to settle. 


Just need some outside help and opinions! Thanks, KL


RE: Need advice
Don't forget your taxes. You can really wind up in a mess if you don't get on top of that right away.
Need Advice! What would you do?

Want opinions about something which has come up at work and need some advice. I am the lead Transcriptionist in a department with three other people.

Last year, one of our physicians in the practice was fired and rejoined another practice in town. He currently has a lawsuit against the company about the firing.

Today, I saw letters typed by one of the girls in the my department for this particular doctor. (because this patient switched physician groups). Apparently she has been working for him on the side since October of 2004. I am not sure if she is still typing for him or not.

My question is this, would this be something you would bring to the manager's attention, talk to my coworker, or just let it go.

On one hand I feel she is being dishonest and not loyal to our current company. I do not know if she is saying anything about our practice to the other doctor or not. Also at looking at the letters, she set them up exactly the same way we do. Isn't this considered a conflict of interest?

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!


Re: Advice - sm
My question - is she using YOUR company's equipment to do this typing? Is she doing it on YOUR company's time? THAT would be a NO-NO to me, along with the other points you mentioned, it doesn't seem quite the kosher thing to do.
Thanks for the advice!!! nm
nm
Thanks for the advice!
That does sound reasonable. Anything to get my foot in the door would be helpful.
need advice

I worked for a multispecialty medical center for 6 years that shut down and sent all transcription out to a service.  I got a job with spheris.  I love the company itself, they are great.  But the problem is money. This is my first experience with production pay. To make what I made by the hour, I would have to produce 1500 lines a day. I am now producing about 1000 a day more or less, depending on how much research I need to do, if my cable or power goes out or if their server goes down or is slow.-- I do ER, consults, admit and discharge summaries,  no operative reports. Cant really use a lot of expansions, only for simple phrases or individual words,  no macros, mostly straight typing. I figured once I got used to their system and compiled all my provider samples and got my Expander glossaries pretty much built  I would improve, which I have, but I really cant see myself ever doing much more than 1200 a day, and that would be with no "P" breaks. I am still having to stop multiple times during the day to enter drug names in my drug glossary so I dont have to look them up all the time to see if they are generic or brand names-their spell-check doesnt have automatic caps, which is another problem for me because I am having a hard time training myself to hit that shift key, I am constantly entering text into my expander.  The terminology is not a problem for me.


I am reading that a lot of you guys are doing 400 lines an hour.!!!  My previous job didnt have a word expander, so I know I need to utilize that better. How do you do it, what am I doing wrong, what can I do to improve, do I need to just forget it and apply at Home Depot? I LOVE transcription!!!!


Looking for advice
Hey, anyone in the Portland/Beaverton area I could speak to about the "real deal" in MT work in the current environment?   I'd really appreciate it.  Off line at moosefeather at msn  dot com  :)
My advice to you
You are doing just fine. Trust me, having kids makes it more difficult to get more work done, but you will soon find a good schedule that works for you. I work for Medquist as an SE and am able to work WHENEVER I want which makes it much easier for me, considering I have 3 kids, ages 7, 3, and 2. Your average of 500-700 lines a day is really good for just starting in July. Don't fret, this is one job that you only get better with in time because you become more used to the doctors and type faster, and don't forget to keep adding to your word expanders.

Another tip I can give is to only work when your child is sleeping, otherwise it becomes too much of a distraction to have your child awake and running around while you try to concentrate on your work. Not to mention, it could also be dangerous if you can't see or hear them like you should.
I appreciate your advice and will certainly
take it to heart.

Just wanted you to know though that I already know the information you posted. I had an MT business for 5 years. I've done MT work for 25 years.

I may be new with MQ but I'm no where near new with MT work. This isn't my first time to do IC/SE work either.

My rainy day money isn't going to the govt. It goes for what I want it to. I've been self-employed for a few years now. I know what I'm doing.

Thank you for your advice though!
Advice to MQ.

This advice is given too late, but for future reference...


 


When you have a new program, just send the information out.


 


Telling people a month in advance that you are going to send the information out is just upsetting.  Calling people on the phone to tell them they will get information next month but you cannot answer any questions just makes everyone more agitated.


 


If you think you were offering a teaser to get people excited, I am sorry to say that it backfired. As you can see from reading this board, everyone is just nervous and upset. Some people are out looking for other jobs because they think they are going to lose their SE position.


 


Big mistake......


advice
I quit over 3 years ago. I decided that I couldn't just slack off or use something to help me, I just set a date and totally stopped forever that day. You feel really bizarre for a few days and I still wanted one for probably a year or more, but that was the only way for me. Just stop. Also I chewed lots of gum all the time. I think I probably did gain weight but I got pregnant right after that so who knows what the weight is from.

But it really does make you feel better in the long run and I have a friend in her early 20s whose parents are both already dead because of lung CA (she still smokes, not a big lesson learner).

Anyway, good luck and just stop!! Just make your mind up right now!! Just buy your last pack and don't buy anymore!
Need some advice

Wanting to change from Hospital to working at home and a little confused about what some services are looking for as far as experience like what is basic 4 experience? 


My advice to you
HEY BUTT HEAD - SIT ON A POPSICLE STICK AND SPIN