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Trade secrets would be -

Posted By: Amanda on 2009-03-20
In Reply to: YOU ARE RIGHT - But define "trade secrets." - CC

Trade secrets are kind of like information pertaining to a particular company - for instance, their proprietory software and how it works, or maybe naming specific accounts and how much they charge, things of that nature.


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secrets

No secrets.  My own accounts.  I have been doing them for 4+ years, surgical oncologists and know what they are going to say before they say it.  Have been told by many on this board  that my line rate is too low but I make a very comfortable living, they pay on time and as you can see I get decent line counts.   Got that many lines due to consult/letters out of a 45 minute tape -- 42 pages.  Talks fast, Boston accident but like I said I know him pretty well by now.   Downside is thaty don't like anyone else to do their dictation so when I am gone or under pressure from another account, this is one I cannot sub out so the tapes are sitting there waiting for me.   Have a good day.  Try for your own small acounts, you can do it.


 


IC pay - no secrets here

I pay my IC's 8 to 9 cpl depending on which account, psych is less since there is a long TAT.  Just starting out and training I pay 8 and then up to 9.  Mine are tapes though but I do the pickup and delivery, printing and so on.  I just deliver the tape to my IC's and they type away.  They average 200 to 300 lines per hour.  I charge my clients 10.5 to 12.5 again depending on account.  I have psych, derm, surgical, surgical oncology, plastic surgery, hand surgery and internal medicine.   No secrets here. 


Whats your secrets?
I need all the help I can get....thanks
You're definitely missing some secrets.

The very first day I did transcription, no schooling, no previous experience, I did 667 lines.


You're definitely not working very smart.  Are you using an expander/macros?  Are you spending a lot of time surfing the net?   I don't work hard and have very difficult accounts, not a fast typist, and don't even use as many expansions as I should and I did 800 lines in 4 hours this morning. 


there R so many myths,mysteries/secrets...SM

There are so many myths, mysteries, and secrets surrounding the powerful history of the Holy Land - who is to really say what the truth is... 


This is just a rhetorical statement and requires no answer.....just food for thought...


YOU ARE RIGHT - But define "trade secrets."
x
Secrets of Highly Successful MTs? Please share!

I'd really be interested to learn if there are any tips you 40k&up folks could share with those of us who are... more financially challenged.  What is your schedule like?  Do you log off every time you get up to get a cup of coffee, etc?  Obviously you don't spend your work days on message boards; do you have any tips for how to Stay Focused? 


Sorry if I sound ignorant; I have been doing this for many many years and still struggle with the same self-discipline issues I had way back when.  I'd love to hear from those who have actually made good money at this how they did it.  Thanks!


Anybody willing to share your productivity secrets? I've been following the discussion below SM

about MTs who earn $50,000 or more.  A lot of the MTs are saying they have really honed their abbreviation Expanders and I was wondering if anyone would care to share exactly what they do with their expanding programs that increases their lines so drastically. 


In all honesty, I can type around 200 lph without using any kind of Expander and that's with me sitting and typing nonstop for 8 full hours (and we all know with kids, 8 uninterrupted hours is merely a dream).  With my abbreviation expander, I've increased my production drastically, but since I never really type 8 full hours a day, I'll never really know just how drastically.  I know that I can do 1700 to 2000 lines a day and only be "timed in" for eight hours.  How much of the eight hours I actually type, I really can't say.


I was just wondering what kind of secrets others have to tweak their expanding programs.  I mean, instead of doubting those ladies who are making the big bucks, we should be picking their brains.  I've been doing this a long time too and I started out transcribing standard size cassettes on a typewriter (yes, a typewriter!).  My first abbreviation expander was PRD+ that I used with Word Perfect 5.1 on a DOS based system.  I thought I was in heaven! 


So I say KUDOS to those ladies who are successful at what they do and I want to know just how you do it so I can do it too.  Oh, my paychecks are pretty okay, but who couldn't use more money?


trade
I am having the exact opposite problem, have plenty of work but can't seem to concentrate well enough to do it!!! You do mine and I'll do yours :)
Trade you....
I am all motivated to work today and am cruising the board and doing housework (ug) instead as I am staring at a 'no jobs available' screen on DQS!
Yes, I should have said trade, not job. NM
x
want to trade? -- sm
This is what I received-- an email from my account manager with an advertisement for Stedman's spellchecker 2009 with a validation code for a "discount." Only thing is, I received the exact same email from Stedman's themselves last week, and an advertisement post card in the mail with the same offer. Too bad I already have the 2009 Stedman's anyway, so none of these are really of any use to me. So, if you really don't want that 5.00, I would be happy to trade with you!
I'll trade with you :)

54 here this morning.  58 inside the house because we forgot to close up the windows last night. Saving the wood and the oil until it really gets cold.


Then it hit 93 by noon, but now it is a comfortable 73 at 7:00 p.m. 


We had a very long hot, humid, sticky summer.  We still, however, are not looking forward to 5 foot snowbanks, temps of at least 20 below zero and heating oil at well over $200 for 100 gallons.  Between end of December and mid-March we use about 700 gallons of heating oil.  OUCH!  We're backing it up with our woodstove this year, but wood is not cheap either.


tricks of the trade

I have seen a LOT of posts on here for people asking how to get their lines.  Some are having trouble even hitting lower numbers like 1000-1400.  I have been working for a long time on a little book of tips, "Maximizing Line Counts:  30 Tips in 30 Days."  I started this at the request of my boss who wanted to give it to all existing employees as well as new hires.  I am interested to know if there are any transcriptionists who would like to have something like this.


Wouldn't trade a second of it.sm
I started out working with quite a cast of characters in a private psychiatric hospital. Never a dull moment. Made a lot more money in the 80s than I do now too.
Yes, so trade one addiction for another?
x
Can I Trade Children - LOL
My daughter is only 12 and it's like pulling teeth to get her to save any money. As soon as she gets some (any amount) it burns a whole in her pocket and boom it's gone. So now I've taken to keeping all the money I give her for her allowance and when she wants something she has to come to me for the money so that way I can make sure she puts some away.
Wish I could trade you the chompers
for the long pausers. I don't mind talking and eating, just keep the talking coming and I'll figure out what they're saying. But the long pauses make me want to commit harikari.
Trade Secret...sm
There are basically three tests of a trade secret:

1. It is information that is not in the public domain, i.e. is exclusive to the company.

2. Its exclusivity is regarded by the company as providing a competitive advantage or some other benefit of value.

3. The company takes reasonable precautions to protect the information.

Within these parameters, a "trade secret" can be just about anything that a company decides it is, including customer lists, business plans, methods or processes of production, marketing strategies, hiring projections, you name it.
tricks of the trade...
ok...so create autocorrect forced entries for words that often trip you up; if 'does' vs. 'dose' is a common error, create "doz" for dose and "duz" for does (or something that works for you). one of my common errors is 'doe shave' for 'does have'; so I created autocorrect 'doe shave' to be autoreplaced with 'does have'; i also created autocorrect 'dzhv' and retrain myself to use it. make sense? another proofing trick i use is to change the VIEW of a document during proofing; it's *amazing* how formatting and text errors "pop" when i switch from 'normal' to 'print' or 'outline' view...i catch things i would have missed had i not changed the screenshot. you can also use search&replace for common format/text errors; you just have to develop the habit of SAVE, SPELLCHECK, SAVE, CHANGE VIEW, PROOF, SEARCH/REPLACE, SAVE, COUNT, CREATE AUTOTEXT NORMAL (IF DESIRED), SAVE, EXIT, ADD COMMENTS, SIGNOFF...i think you'll see your QA improve =)
I wouldn't trade this life for anything!

My husband is almost to his 11th year in the Navy and I have been with him every step of the way. It is a hard life on every member of our family, but if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely choose this way of life. We have so much more than what we would of had if we would have stayed in our "one-horse town" in Ohio...And, I don't mean that in tangible goods necessarily. We have friends all over the US and they are friendships that will last a lifetime! It is hard to have our friends leave us or us leave them, but we have so many places to visit when we want to travel! One of my husband's co-workers actually followed us out here to WA after shore duty and is on a different ship than my husband! (My husband does four years on a ship then goes to three years on land without deployments.)


Right now my husband is on a ship, but in February we are due to move to PA so that he can go to recruiting duty. It's been hard having him deployed for most of the four years that he has been on this ship. The way I got through it was to surround myself with some of the best ladies I could find and kept busy! I've spent holidays and birthdays with them...I've stood on the pier and watched the ship leave port and watched it come in. They have become my family. I have a daughter who is 9 and a son that is 3. They are well adjusted to the deployments because I constantly keep them on a schedule and their mind occupied. Now, that is not to say that they don't miss their dad, because they do....Things are just somewhat easier because of the way we handle things.


I know a couple of my husband's shipmates that have come into the Navy in their late 20's. They seem to be adjusting well and I believe once their time is up they will see it as a positive experience.


Whatever you decide to do just remember that you just won't be thrown into this life, all of you. There are numerous resources out there for military families, you just have to use them! Feel free to email me if you have any other concerns or questions.


Good Luck!


I wouldn't trade my situation for anything. That's exactly what I have. nm
x.
nope, never would trade one minute. nm
nm
Re: tricks of the trade from longtime mt
Awhile back longtime MT offered to share tips to anyone who e-mailed him/her.  Has anyone heard from him/her on this as I have not.  I've tried a couple times to contact him/her but have not received an answer or the tips, so I was curious if I was the only one who had not.  I really was interested.
wow - can we trade? Maryland's rates
are jumping 76% over the next couple of years because our *intelligent* general assembly did a freeze on electric rates since 99, expecting more competition (and thus lower rates). They gave away the baby with the bath water too (sweetheart deal on a power plant). Guess what? Didn't happen and now we're going to be paying out the wazoo PLUS interest to BGE with a "gradual" phase in to the full 76%. Can you say OUCGH!!!
See if you can trade with a equipment company.

another trick of the trade for soundalikes
that's a good idea; but to avoid extra Keystrokes and loss of productivity by deleting the glossary def entry you could also make *mental associations* for soundalikes, e.g. dysphaGia pertains to the Gut vs. dysphaSia pertains to Speech; ILlicit is ILlegal vs. Elicit Evokes; ilEum pertains to Eating vs. ilIum pertains to sItting... well, you get the idea! =)
but no desire to learn a new trade at 58 years old

I agree with this, but I trade off in the opposite direction. SM
Mine are more clear in my distance vision, and I put on reading glasses from time to time when I need them.  I only have to do this when the print is very small or when my eyes ore tired.  Otherwise, I also like my bifocal contacts.  My are made by AccuVue. 
my PS makes typos but I wouldn't trade my PS
because my PS (production supervisor) is the most communicative and we all love this one....typos, schmypos - who cares as long as they get their point(s) across to us.  They are not MTs nor typists. 
I'll trade your friend for my cousin

He charges outlandish amounts to do our taxes. Last year it was over $550. The year before that was a little less 'cause we had a mortgage. We don't have that this year.


'Course he said he tried to squeeze every last penny of deductions he could out of our taxes. He even filed an amended return after talking to DH about taxes at our last reunion. Saved us a few more thousand dollars....but still hurt. I am an employee, gave up IC 4 years ago, but DH is still self-employed.


Yep, that's why MQ is still ALLOWED to trade away daily on the pink sheets!
You don't even know what you're talking about! Just plain old ignorant, but posting away about the SEC.  The stocks are still active, being analyzed daily, sold, bought, traded - but on pink sheets.  Educate yourself before you post!
Call me strange, but I'd trade a little toot with a "sorry"
over two of my guys.  One of them loudly masticates his chewing gum daily into my ear.  He can't pronounce clearly because he's rolling the wad of gum around in his mouth so much.  The other guy must need to be on Aciphex or something because he does that hiccup, belch, exhale thing.  Both just grate on my nerves.
Treating private health information like a trade is wrong any way you look at it.
Let's see how you feel when you've been violated because your private health information was distributed for any and all purposes.
Doc is using software to do his own reports that puts the ® symbol after trade drug names and
I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a software program, maybe voice recognition, that does this? (I coudn't access the VR board to ask).  This is one doctor in a practice that I transcribe for and I usually do his transcription for him, but the last time I logged into their computer to send them their files, there were reports in his file that I didn't transcribe that have this ® behind the trade names.  I want to do a little research before talking to the practice.  TIA
File complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, your state attorney general, and the SM

state attorney general for the state The VLC is located in.  I happened to check it out and they have offices in Niagara Falls, NY and in Ontario.  Be sure to forward copies of every thing your file to them.  You can fill online complaint forms at the FTC website and the NY Attorney General's website.  Print out copies of these forms and mail copies of them after you fill them out to the school with a letter basically stating that you have reported them to these agencies and they will be intervening for you on this matter.


I also like the idea of putting cc's on your correspondence to a local news reporter.  And call them every single day until they are tired of hearing from you!


Good Luck!


I'll trade you your $88 bill for my $350 bill.
I would love to have such a small bill like that.