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Think and pray long and hard.

Posted By: Sixdufries on 2007-04-25
In Reply to: How do you go about finding your own accounts? - Wondering

I am in independently contracted MT for a private practice.  I work part-time as I am a mommy of 4 and homeschool them.  This is my only experience, but it has been rough.  There is absolutely no understanding of the fact that just because I am at home doesn't mean I am at my computer 24/7 at their beck and call.  I set my own hours, which may or may not be during their business hours, but that doesn't mean anything.  They even have begged me for my cell phone number so they could get me when not at home.  It has been very hard on me and my family.  I am ready to quit, but need the $.  I agree with working for others.  I like working for myself, but since I am self-employed, there are no benefits, no paid vacations, etc.  If I am out sick, I don't get paid and there is no one to cover for me, so when things get backed up, I have to make it up.  Also, when I go on vacation, I get punished beforehand with a pile of work given to me so that I have to work extra hrs before I go and there is a pile when I get back.  Why bother taking a vacation!?!  Think and pray long and hard about getting your own accounts.  Set a schedule and stick to your guns and don't let them push you around.  Blessings!




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Think long and hard about this

It sounds great on the surface but then like the other poster said, there are many sides of this.  Just like a will, he could change his promise at anytime and you have no recourse.  You could even  marry him but even then it could be tied up legally for years should any family members contest it.   I know someone that did it for exactly the same reasons, it turned out pretty well for her but she put in 15 to 20 years of living h*** while doing it.  She is financially okay now but she said that it was horrible to put up with for that long period of time.   She said that she had no choice financially but she is not sure she would do it again.  Again trust comes into play and I would definitely seek the advice of a lawyer about it to see just how easy he could change his mind if he becomes "upset" with the type of care he has received from you.   A house isn't everything.  More to life than that.  Perhaps it would be better to receive an income now instead of a percentage of the house, if that would cause you to change your mind, then that is your answer.


Just my thoughts.


Would think long and hard
before transitioning from payment by the minute to payment by the line...

Don't know your rate by the time, but I've done all kinds of production and by the minute is the best (of course a LOT depends on rate per minute vs per line, etc., AND the account particulars. Weigh carefully.
I must say, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time
The above "Frank" conversation is a classic..  You guys have made my year with this one. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo FUNNY!  You two are in the wrong line of business.  Thanks for making my day.  I laughed 'til my stomach hurt.
ROTFLMAO. STOP!!! I haven't laughed this hard for a long time.
Can you imagine 10,000 MQMTs just wanting to show Frank a personal touch?  He will be one tired guy.
If it rains hard, the wind blows hard and there are trees
nearby, it snows heavily it will mess up the signal.  The speed is not constant, sometimes as slow as dial-up, but at least still connected.  Many companies will not allow satellite. 
So, you think it is okay for hard-working MTs to earn 7-8 cpl for their hard work?? nm
:{
i'll pray for you.

where?? pray tell is that?
x
Then why, pray tell, are you
here today?
Then, pray tell, what will? nm.
nm.
Aww. I am so truly sorry. Yes, I will definitely pray for her
and her precious family. I will also pray for your strength to get through this most difficult time. Let us know how she does.
With you, with them, with God. Please pray! nm.
nm
so sorry, I will pray for your dad...nm
nm
I will certainly pray for him.
My mother had a blood clot so I know how seriuos they can be.  The good news is he's in the hospital getting treatment and they're right on top of it. 
Why don't we all pray...
that someone realizes how overworked and underpaid we are? Nobody cares, not even God.
I pray that
more health records will be kept in our own country from now on.
That is wonderful. I pray that you are
very richly blessed in return. Merry Christmas to you!!!
I'll pray for you
nm
Uh, I'll pray for you, but please go see a doc
Didn't want you to think I was saying prayer is all you need. LOL Helpful, but not all. :-)


I PRAY that you NEVER transcribe my
Your attitude is scary!  You think we don't need knowledge or skills and are just "hamsters on a wheel?"  Believe me, I QA work for people with your attitude and it shows.  I pray to God that someone who thinks like YOU, never, ever touches my medical records!!!!  Maybe you should look for a different career option.
I'll pray for you
nm
Bindi said that one day she would run the zoo. I pray
that she will grow up and do exactly that along with her little brother.  Rest in peace, Steve-O!
pray tell, where is this company
please tell
Pray tell, what exactly is coding?

Not to sound like a dunce but what is coding?  I know that a coder takes reports and pulls ICD codes, etc and does something with them, but what precisely? How does coding work?  In transcription, I use a program to play the audio file, controlled with the foot pedal, while I type it in Word.  I've been curious about coding but cannot find out exactly what it entails.  I love transcribing but let's be realistic, it is looking scary out there.  Love the company I am with but what with VRE, EMR and India looming, I am thinking now would be the time to train for something else just in case. 


Thanks for any information. 


Hc


So where, pray tell, do you work??
And is there a positive, realistic place for newbies to get a foot in the door and get started? Everybody says 2-5 years experience. That's great, but how do folks get the experience if they never get started?
What pray tell is an "MTME" ? I work for them

Pray for these poor people.
Up to 20 Dead in Fire Aboard Evacuees' Bus
By SHEILA FLYNN, Associated Press Writer

Friday, September 23, 2005
(09-23) 06:01 PDT Wilmer, Texas (AP) --

A bus carrying elderly evacuees from Hurricane Rita caught fire early Friday on a gridlocked highway near Dallas, killing as many as 20 people, authorities said.

"Deputies were unable to get everyone off the bus," spokesman Don Peritz said. "We believe it's going to be closer to 20 fatalities.

The bus, carrying about 45 people, was engulfed with flames, causing a 17-mile backup on Interstate 45, already heavily congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast. The bus was reduced to a blackened, burned-out shell, surrounded by numerous police cars and ambulances.

There were indications that oxygen used by elderly evacuees could have had a role in the fire, Peritz said. There were a series of explosions, apparently from the oxygen equipment, he said.

"The early indications are this is a mechanical issue. The driver did survive the accident," Peritz said. "It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people."

Interstate 45 stretches more than 250 miles from Galveston through Houston to Dallas. The crash site is roughly 17 miles southeast of downtown Dallas.


URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/09/23/national/a054557D10.DTL
©2005 Associated Press
Good going Jodi and I will pray......and...sm

let him call it the projects......when I left mine, my thought was *living in the gutter is better than living with him*....and I saved myself and my daughter (our daughter) and became my own Hero - so KUDOS to you, lady!!!!  My prayers are with you....but sounds like you're doing fine and remaining strong.  What you said about what would be self-destructive to you at this point was right on target, sounds like......  so may I applaud your strengths?!?!?!?!             


And hope & pray the recruiters don't know each other :) - (sm)
Remember, the MT world is a small community, especially the MTSO world. If your prospective recruiter/employer finds out about your "omission," you will not get the job automatically. But you have to do what you have to do.
I already do pray. But why not spirits? Animals are more sensitive, you know
nm
Pray for your company to whatever power you revere. nm
:
Pray tell, what is a "job lady?" Where can I find one of those?
x
one of my biggest fears...will pray for you sister!
;)

I pray that Mrs. Twitty gets off the TV, washes the makeup off and goes out looking for her daughter
instead of playing private detective and second-guessing the people who are actually doing something. She is a nut case. Maybe Natalee is missing on purpose based on what I have seen of her mother, the DIVA. Mrs. Twitty, you are acting nit-witty and I pray you go about the business of grieving for your daughter instead of the roles you have chosen to play for the past few weeks as judge and jury of how a country should run an investigation into your daughter's disappearance.
Please tell your husband and family thank you for your sacrifices to help keep us safe! Will pray
for his safe return soon!
For those that now the power of prayer, please pray for a friend whose 4-year-old son is in the sm
hospital with bleeding on the brain.  She is employed in the MT field and really needs our support right now.  TIA.
Thanks for the replies. He is looking forward to the Tacos in Mexico! He is a great kid. Will Pray!
NM
I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some.  Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not.  I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position.  Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this.  Thanks again for any advice. 
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!

Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
Just pray they don't use a Citrix server. MAJOR problems have come from Meditech+Citrix.
x
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000.  Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts.  Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved.  I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc.  So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type.  Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one. 
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...

I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 


Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....

I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.

You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.

Good luck to you!!
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.  
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year

It is hard but only at first...

I have 2 children and did it with both of them.  I am also a nurse but after trying part-time out of the house work combined with MT-ing to stay home with kids as much as possible, I ended up strictly at home 2 years ago. 


It's not the easiest when the children are infants - but it's worth it once you get past that phase.  I actually used to type with my daughter breastfeeding in my lap!  I had some crazy, crazy days and nights.  Don't expect to get 3-4 hours straight - be ready to get an hour or 2 when you can throughout the day.  It can be frustrating, but once they reach a certain age and are sleeping well you can work at night and during naps.  (My kids did not take to naps too well, so the night was my time.)


Now my kids are 8-1/2 and 4-1/2 and it's wonderful.  I'm finally past the crazy hours and grabbing an hour whenever I can - never at the same time.  (I am fortunate to work for a company that does not require set hours.) I type while they are at school and then on occasion after they go to bed at night.  I volunteer at their schools once a week, coach my daughter's cheerleading team, and am baseball, soccer and football mom.  I had an RN office job part-time about 2 years ago that I loved, but I just couldn't take not being able to be there for their school activities, after-school stuff, etc.  Nothing beats the flexibility of MT-ing. 


Good luck.  There will be smooth days and not so smooth ones - keep in mind how lucky you will be to be able to attend everything you want to with your child - to not have to call in sick when they are, to not have to ask permission to run that lunchbox to school when they leave it in the car, etc., etc.!