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They whine when I send them a blank, and tell me

Posted By: I should've 'just sent it through'. on 2008-01-03
In Reply to: Define "whining" - me

Among other things.


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Hey, this was my whine, not yours! LOL
I'm at one of those life decision, epiphany, goal setting places right now.  Can't decide whether to get out of MT, get a stupid job in another field, or follow my dream.
Yawn, same old whine....
"letting our kids and grandkids pay the bills."  People said that over the Reagan deficit in the 80s.  That didn't happen.  Money well spent, the Cold War is over, and we had one of the greatest economic growths we've ever seen.  And please, explain to me exactly how this war is over oil.  I've never had that explained to me.  Last time I filled up my car, it was 2.26/gal.  Where is all this "free oil" going?  I'm afraid that "war for oil" cry is as tired as the one about our grandkids paying the bills.  Words are cheap.
There are people who do nothing but whine, you for example
saying the work is boring. You are doing it yourself. I am saying what I see on these boards all the time, women unable to take care of a house and work also. I actually just got back from the show, travel a lot, go out to nice dinners. If you are truthful about what you read, then you are angry??? Where does that come from? It is just the fact a lot of MTs can hack it taking care of junior and working at the same time; therefore the constant what do I do about my line count, how to feed the baby and do the washing and work all at once. It is all over here. Just being truthful, stating facts as I see them on here.
Some people just like to whine to
others. Give these friends your advice by using the answering machine, etc...maybe they will get the hint and quit whining to you at least.
Exactly, they may not put out great quality but they also don't whine and complain sm

CONSTANTLY.  The next generation US MTs want everything handed out to them on a silver platter AND want the higher pay, too!  Here is what I have run into of late:


1. Hired, but only want maybe 10 or 15 minutes 3 days a week. Yeah, that's production baby!
2. Say they'll be online but then aren't and don't communicate with you.
3. Whine because a dictator isn't speaking perfect English and enunciating each word slowly and clearly.


The list goes on so, feel free to jump in and add your experiences...


Have some cheese with that whine... cheesy companies
I am so with you! It's these cheesy MTSOs! I just got my social security statement of my earnings since college and I was blown away... it was great for my self-esteem but pointed out exactly what has been going on. Last year and the year before I made less than working my way through college!!! It was down to 14-15K a year!! No joke. I look back to around 2000 and I was up to 50K a year plus benefits. That had been going on for some time. Even at 2005 I was doing okay, in the 40s. What happened? For a year I thought it was me, but no, my hospital outsourced and I went to a service. Found out they counted lines differently and I bounced from service to service the last 2 years. YIKES. I am now below the poverty level and a single mom. I should take these earnings statements to somebody.. I don't know who. But I am with you! There are only so many hours in the day and only so much work, etc. etc. At least you know there are those like you out there who have the same vent... but we have got to band together and somehow get paid again what we are worth! Good luck to you!
Agree, it's called codependency or being an enabler. You allow it, whine about it,
about it. Poster is right, you put up a HUGE fuss and then backpeddled in a BIG way. Which is it?
Whine alert! 8 cents/line is killing me! :(

I have 17 years experience.  I'm an IC, was getting paid 10 and 11 cents a line for the last decade or so.  After that work basically dried up, I started looking for more work.  No work to be had at at 10 cents a line anymore, rarely find anything even at 9 cents. 


Decided to take an 8 cents/line job.  Hey, I was gettin' hungry.  I swear....I type, type, type, type, seems like all day and all night and still not making the money I need to pay my bills and eat! 


I know, I know, people justify 8 cents a line by saying hey if you can do 200 lph, that's $16 an hour.  Yeah, that's great for those who aren't used to making up to $30+ an hour for the past 8 to 10 years!  Man, I'm soooooooo tired of typing, so burned out, just very unhappy. 


I can see now how some people are happy with MT and some people aren't, just depends on what you've been used to compared to what you get now.  Sad. 


I really don't have any other skills to do anything else, and I'm dying here as far as finances, killing my hands and other body parts trying to make money at this 8 cents a line...maybe could've done it 15 years ago when I was younger but just not able to type like a demon day and night anymore.


Let it be known that this is the end of my vent. I have no idea what I'm going to do


There are too many MTSO that whine about making not enough money to pay you a livable wage.

I applaud you for being truthful and NOT GREEDY..


to blank or not blank
I've taken tests like that before, and, yes, they seem impossible but point is to stick it out and put all the blanks that are needed because that is the point, to see if you will blank it or guess something st*pid.  They know what the dictation is like.  I recently took a test where one voice file was horrendous.  I had a ton of blanks but I got the job.  The other 3 files I still had blanks too.  Then again, on the flip side, I've tested for places that had tests like that too and were indicative of their regular dictation, so you had to just test it out and see for yourself because you might be pleasantly surprised that it's not so bad.
Personally, I would blank it. You should
the spelling and for other reasons, i.e. privacy, I think it would be a good idea. Some tests I've taken have asked me to put in three underscores __ __ __ when items bleeped for confidentiality. Even if not asked to, I think that's the way to go IMHO ...
Since you had a bad ESL did you blank or put what it sounded like?
x
Blank emails-me, too

 I have always used Spybot and Adware SE, but read they sometimes miss things, so I just bought NoAdWare. Was I surprized at the stuff it found compared to the other ones (including Norton AntiVirus, and my server software)!  I had 4 "dangerous" and 92 "severe" the very first day...that have been on my system for quite a while.


Since then, I have also been receiving blank emails. I'm now up to 5 every time I receive my mail. I've been getting a lot of junk mail all of a sudden and have no idea why. My favorites are winning the lotteries. If I believed them, I would have a bankroll of well over $100,000,000,000. The other ones where I am named in someone's will. Love it. Dream on.


Don't know what to say or what else to do about it without changing my email addess again, and I sure don't feel like doing that. I just did change it 3 months ago.


In my experience, if you don't know for sure, blank it. sm

It doesn't happen to often with my line of work as I only do clinic notes.  I do know which drugs are used for what and  the differences between similar sounding drugs. I have reference materials to help if I don't quite understand the pronounciation, as long as I have been given a particular diagnosis for which the drug is used.


If I am completely unsure (i.e. med list for PMH with no given symptoms or diagnosis) I ask or leave a QA note.  That is much safer than putting the wrong med in the patient's record and that is the extent of what MT's should be expected to do.


As far as the doctor dictating the wrong side of the body for any reason whatsoever, there is no way an MT could possibly determine in a case of it being left rather than right.  In the event of a dictator switching between left and right, that is a red flag to leave a note that simply says, "dicatator is indicating left and then right but does not clarify by end of note."


When my son had his mastoidectomy a year ago, the surgeon came in and drew a big blue circle around his left ear and looked at me and said, "This is the ear that I am operating on. This is his left ear.  Are you in agreement with me that I have the correct ear that needs surgery?"  Well, I kind of chuckled a little bit as my son looked rather strange at the moment and the doc said,  very nicely:  "In all seriousness, we are human and we do make mistakes, but I don't wish to make a mistake with your little boy."


 


 


No Blank Accounts sm

I heard about this but it sounds kinda strange.  Anyone ever run into this kind of account?  How do you not leave blanks if you don't know what they are saying?


What about when you leave a blank
and then QA goes in and "guesses" and fills in the blank? I have relistened after QA, and it absolutely sometimes is not what was said, it's just what the dictator "usually says" so QA puts that in. That makes me look dumb for putting so many blanks, and QA look good for knowing the answers.
blank lines also
When I started my surgical/oncology account 6 years ago, the gal that had been doing it charged for blanks, from first line to the last line on letters, consults, etc. All blanks were counted so I just continued, the OM, docs are well aware of it.  Also, that is why my cpl is lower than others also, it usually averages out in the wash. 
Screen blank for me too.
nm
Take out all blank lines
Go through and take out all blank lines and count or put on your line count on your file and see how many blanks there are and subtract.  Remember if you have a header though on pg 2 and 3, it does not count those lines.  Also I think that Sylcount will count lines only and no blanks.  Also when doing your line count in MS word, it gives you the paragraphs and so if it is 20, subtract 20 lines,  date to address is 4,  address to RE is 2,  RE to salutation is 2, etc.  Usually there are ten blanks from date to Dear.    Good luck.
Leave a blank
Definitely an error on the MD's part
Always flag/blank something so odd it is likely
x
Mine will go to QA if I have a blank.....sm
I do sometimes put that in though.
oh, the dreaded blank

I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished.  So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available. 


oh, the dreaded blank

I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished.  So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available. 


oh, the dreaded blank

I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished.  So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available. 


right click anywhere on your desktop that is blank, sm
and go into properties; click on the last tab that says settings and on the bottom left-hand corner is screen resolution. slide that bar left and right until you see what you are used to. FYI mine is on 800x600 pixels.
Either blank it or sound it out--no big deal either way.
Good luck!
Fill in the blank: You know you're getting old when....sm

1.  For me, when a person I used to babysit from infancy until school age has completed his internal medicine residency and is in a private medical practice.


2.  When I get up in the morning my knees and back crack so much that you can hear them at times in the next room (daughter asks "what's that cracking noise" will confirm this!)


 


You charge for blank lines? WOW! That's a first!

charge for blank lines
not my idea, but I'll take it!
When you test they usually blank out the names - sm
since it is confidential information. If they do not give names, leave blank. If they are saying actual names I would look them up. Tons of resources on the internet to look up Dr. names, even nurses. At my job I look up doctors names and addresses regularly, I macro the info. into a folder though so I don't have to look it up more than once, and update accordingly. I also look up hospital names, etc. when necessary, though I work for a local company that works for one of the local hospitals so I am familar with most of the places mentioned, but if I am not, I look it up. A big part of MT is knowing how to research. Good luck in your testing.
If you can't get it, leave a blank. You always have that option. sm

If the MT cannot understand the dictator, they always have the option of sending it upward for clarification.  They are doctors, not English language specialists.  I know you would like them to be, but that is not the way it is.  We listen, we transcribe, and if we don't get it, we send it upward for clarification. 


It isn't easy, no one said it was.  But I hate to see people complaining about foreign doctors all the time.  They give excellent care, and a lot of us can understand them.  It is a knack.  If you don't have it, then send it to your QA.


You could just go through and delete all the blank lines.
Since it is just a test, why not try doing that?
I cant see any replies either. Blank screen ? nm
x
Don't overuse but have to blank and counted off for it?
Right now am really bumfuzzled as I do not know in my MTing career if this has happened before. I was just told from a company where I have worked for some time that blanks are counted off. I do not just leave to be leaving, absolutely cannot make out and really taken aback to be truthful. Do most places do this to their MTs? Is this just another way to make their pockets fuller?
Couldn't be anything NEAR how a 20-blank report
What a bunch of hot air you people blow. And QAs DO blow.
You left out blank dictations
The ones with no dictations - I have a feeling doctors probably pay the MTSO by dictated minutes - but how about MTSO paying the Transcriptionist who has to waste their time listening to them, signing them off and sending them to QA multiple times a day?
Example: If I leave a blank or want to hear something again
is there a faster way to get back to the point I want without using the arrow buttons and waiting for it to go back and forth? There must be, I appreciate your help.
One blank is not reasonable, what if it is a horrible ESL - sm
that you can only understand 1 word in 10? I have had those. Years ago worked for a company that only allowed about 1 blank every 10 reports or so, which was crazy especially since it was acute care and nothing but ESLs. If you went over your daily allotment you would be reamed via email. I understand trying to keep the blanks down but some are just unavoidable.
do you blank it, change it, question it?
nm
I mean without blank lines in between patient notes

Thanks! Been a long night and drew a blank, LOL.nm
x
It would be just as arbitrary to penalize QA for not being able to fill in the blank. (sm)
The assumption is that all blanks are understandable.  They are not. 
The national I work for has a no blank policy. sm
Plus you have to have 90% no blanks to QA to get bonuses and to maintain full-time status. This is very hard sometimes with some of the dictators that dictate from across the room, while the ward is going ape, and this all right next to the telemetry monitor and the ringing phone or at home with the yapping dogs in the background.

But I have found our QA to be forgiving and understanding, so I am getting more comfortable. I think they have a high standard so we will step higher, but they understand the reality, which I think is good.

DH says he definitely would not go through what I go through to be sure there are no blanks, but I am hoping that in time it will get easier, and I will get more productive, and I think it is.

Our Meditech counts BLANK lines...
we get a sweet line count off our account that uses Meditech.
Some of my accounts are charged for blank lines..nm
x
Classy my ____--you fill in the blank....
--I saw the clip of Walters announcing Jones' failure to return. That was very practiced and classy, I'll hand her that; but then she's had lots of experience and people to help her craft such an announcement.

--I also saw the King show when Jones talked about what had been going on and why she did what she did. I thought that hat was very classy as well. Her being a lawyer certainly helped her craft her statement.

--Overall, I totally believe Jones' accounting of what happened, when, where, why and who knew what and who knew it when. She was quite clear, her timeline precise.

Her reasons for handling her announcement at the time and in the way that she did also made perfect sense if you listened to her closely and carefully.

I was in her situation once--unfairly "let go" and for totally bogus reasons from a large local San Francisco, CA, foundation.

I was told that I could tell anyone at the foundation anything I liked about my departure.

I was in shock at what had just happened, left my supervisor's office, wandered into the kitchen for something to eat/drink.

A co-worker (high level staff) was there and I spoke to him that I had just been let go. We talked briefly, he offered his sympathy.

After he left the room, my supervisor swooped in, telling me that it was not a good idea to talk about it the way I did...blah, blah, blah....she could only have been in the hallway, listening at the door.

Yeah, Walters, et. al. did do what Jones said they did. And the way Walters handled everything did indeed look "classy"--with time, experience, and help, how could Walters go wrong?

Jones told the truth from start to finish on King's show and the View Crew and network couldn't/wouldn't handle it and did not want to face the fall out; and, they didn't want to lose face.

The further complicating problem was that as a public personality, Jones had additional public outlets to tell the truth.

IF Walters had: Simply kept her mouth shut, just weathered Jones' early initial announcement on air that day, deferred all questions of why Jones' contract had not been renewed to Jones' (citing privacy and confidentiality), responding to all askers with a 'no comment', and referring all explanations to Jones'she wouldn't be in the uncomfortable position she is in now. Walters would not have been so exposed, AND she would not have needed to get to Larry King in advance to cover her ____, to explain anything, and trying to look good, thereby maintaining her "classy" reputation.

Yeah, it was a business decision all right, handled badly and then it came back to bite Walters, et. al. in the butt.

Whether you like Jones or not, she chose to tell the truth and, as such, she had nothing to hide. Brava.
I'm having trouble, too. Put your mouse on the blank screen sm
and click. It may take a couple of times, but it finally pulls in. I imagine they are trying to fix it.
Mine are showing up after viewing the blank
s
How do yoy 'flag' it? Do you mean putting a blank, like that____?..
Is flag, marker and blank all the same?
Curious.. do most put s/l stickys on a blank for the doctor?
.