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Wait a doggone minute here... I would BE MY LIFE...

Posted By: SM on 2005-07-19
In Reply to: So far HappyMomMT, you are the only negative person in regards to this post. SM - nn

that "Happy"MomMT is the same nasty poster who roasted me over the coals because I send my TEN and ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD kids to day camp during the summer and said something about them being tired at night, meaning it was a good thing they weren't up watching TV half the night.  The personality is awfully similar.  Sigh.


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Now wait just a minute!
"The poor" ?
Still here. Now just wait 1 minute!!!!!!
I never said you should say that Laura Bush is a great role model. She obviously is NOT in your opinion. You are entitled to that; however, the thread was asking who people felt were good female role models. The poster who started the thread did not say "Please, anyone who does not like one of these named role models PLEASE, PLEASE turn this into a nasty thread, PLEASE."
The people who named Laura Bush had every right to post her and also had every right for you to keep your opinion to yourself rather than spoil and ruin their post. You could start a separate thread asking who everyone felt were negative female influences. Then you could name Laura Bush. You just like to turn every single thread on this board into one of your nasty little rallies.
Geez. Get a life. You really have some issues sugar -- no make that -- sour foot. LOL.
wait a minute

I tried to post earlier and not sure if it went through.  WHat happened to friendly advice for a fellow MT, not blame for things.  You say you easily make $200 a day...really??  I find that hard to swallow.  Don't get me wrong...you must have some great tricks for the trade, maybe you can share with us how to get to where your at.  Not just with the pay, but it sounds as though you are pretty fast and may have some short cuts we could all potentially benefit from.


whoa, wait a minute sm
I said "acting like a fool" not calling anyone a fool.  There is a difference! Come on, guys.  My point is simply this...if your job makes you so unhappy that you feel the constant need to post negativity all day, then perhaps it's time to find something that will make you happy, it's that simple.  And consistently posting silliness, i.e.; foolishness, here on this board is NOT helpful! Point Blank...sorry, sometimes the truth really, um, SUCKS!
Wait a minute, Cowgirl.
First, you didn't make all that information clear in your first post.

Second, I wasn't "beating you up" or any other poster. I was trying to give you a little advice to save yourself some emotion. Going to an attorney over the things you were talking about would just waste your money.

Third, I DO work for MQ. I AM concerned over changes happening with MQ.

I told you in my post you had a right to be upset. Especially if they changed your pay in the past and didn't tell you.

I got a DEP discrepancy check as well. I understand then problem going on. I also understand that all the emotion in the world isn't going to change what has happened in the past and, with the current legal activity against MQ, it won't change the present either, only the future. I see the discrepancy checks as the first step in rectifying the situation. I'm not thrilled about all that has gone on. I'm also not panicking over the upcoming changes with the MT/ME Rewards Plan. They will be what they are. I can take them or leave them.

Nothing about my post was "beating you up"; though with the juvenile whining on here it probably came across as more parental than immature adults care to hear. I told you I agreed with you - you had the right to be upset. I told you that I thought you would be wasting your money going to an attorney. I gave you a scenario about another company to show you that emotional involvement will not change the company -- which is what everyone is so hell bent on doing. Well, it won't. They will always find others to do the work for what they want to pay. I was trying to give you a little advice so save yourself.

My further opinion is you should get over yourself. You are not in this situation alone so don't start with how bad you've got it when others may have it just as bad or worse.
Wait a minute....NO SPELLCHECKER?...sm...
Oh my gosh...what do you do for spellchecking?  Also, does it have an expansion program or could I use ShortHand expansion with it?  Now I am really worried.  Please reply again.  TIA
Wait a Minute Before You Protest

You know, I used to be very, very opposed to offshoring.  Then I started doing some research on it.  Do you know the primary reason why MTSOs would dare upset their MLS staff by offshoring?  Because this is a 24/7 business and we won't work overnight and we won't do anything "difficult" like ESL docs or harder worktypes.  It's as simple as that.


Before you start protesting, ask yourself these questions:  Do I work overnight?  Am I willing to work overnight?  Would I be willing to take on an overnight shift if it meant the difference between working or losing my job to offshore?


I'm sure by now, you're saying, "No way - I have (kids/family/another job/a life) that I don't want to interrupt for work."  Well, I"m sorry then.  Until we remember the basic reason we're in this situation, we'll never get anywhere.


Do you want to make a difference in whether or not your company offshores?  Volunteer to change your shift to the overnight.  Often times, you can get an overnight shift differential, which means not only will you have more work available but you'll also make more money doing it!


Look - the industry is changing; it has to.  We're the ones responsible for making it this way because we won't do things that are uncomfortable or the slightest bit difficult - Do you do ESL docs?  What about hard worktypes?  No?  Then look in the mirror before you start spouting out about offshore.


We can change this but only by doing our part.  Either we change or we'll be left behind. 


Wait a minute...I thought my son was the most beautiful

Wait a minute, I guess I CAN afford one. When we first
bought one at my inhouse job (this was a while ago) they were right around $120.00. I just did a Goggle and you can get them for like $30 now.
wait a minute. not PSN or OP but what "innocent people sob their eyes out"
from a response to something they posted on a board? If there are people who post on boards and expect everyone to go along with them or they cry, they really shouldn't be left unattended and certainly shouldn't have a computer. I am serious here.
Wait a minute, I'm not just talking about the boards, I'm talking about the news article.

Specifically,


"JLG has a contract with Arrendale Associates/ A+Network/CBay Scribe, which the group says is in India.
A letter from JLG to Barbara Dingman, chief compliance officer and director of health information management, says all medical transcriptionists assigned to the Medical Center Hospital account live in the U.S. and all work is done in America."


But yet they do business with Arrendale/A+/CBay, what am I missing here?


MQ does the same doggone thing and they
MQ does the same doggone thing and they KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT. I promise - they alter the transcriptionists lines by changing the way it counts. I know this for a fact.
You know what? It's been too doggone long since...

I felt like myself.  I must admit when with friends or family (which is rarely), I feel like my old self again.  I have to get some stuff off my chest and I've been getting such good feedback here that, what the hay, here goes...my name is XXXXX.  I'm originally from XXXXX.  I'm 32 years old and I've been depressed for 12 years.  When I was 19, the most incredible man in my world passed away.  I was very weak while he was sick.  He got sick when I was 9.  He had emphysema and died in front of us for 10 years.  He was the only man that has ever loved me unconditionally.  He used to call me his "Pretty Girl".  He said I had a beautiful singing voice and cried when I sang at my HS graduation.  He said I looked like Valerie Bertinelli on One Day At A Time and I did.  He was my best friend all through my childhood and his presence in my life made me who I was at that time.  He was my Grandpa Bob.  My mom's dad.  He was 68 years old.  


I was in my very first relationship and I was extremely naive.  His name was XXXX.  He was controlling and possessive, but my Grandpa was sick and my own dad hadn't grown up yet.  I didn't know what I was doing.  I married him in a lavish Catholic wedding 3 months after Grandpa passed.  He left me for someone else SIX (6) months later.  I was 20 and divorced.  I felt it necessary to get the marriage annulled by my church.  That proceeding took me 2 years.  I was crippled.  These three events destroyed me.  I know that now.  I was in no shape to even leave the house.  I hallucinated, shook, and broke down all the time.  Ladies and gentleman, I'm no better now.  The real kicker is I have been on a self-destructive roller coaster for 12 years, the last 5 of which I have spent with XXXXX.  Good Golly Miss Molly. What a weight off.  THE FIRST STEP IS ADMITTING YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.  Right?  I have to press "post" now. 


doggone, looks like it's the latest version now
I had the same problem, thanks for posting the link. But I downloaded it and it was v.4.15 again! I downloaded Switch and that won't work either.

It's beginning to look a lot like they don't WANT it to work with .dss anymore!
I downloaded Abacus. doggone if sm
I can figure out how to use it! That is what happens when you work for a one company forever and ever. Don't keep up on the other stuff. I did see the counter on Word so I guess I will have to wait and see how they do things.

Some companies don't explain things very well.
doggone - I needed a transCROBE station-nm
nm
Paid by the minute... new to me... does $1.14/minute sound reasonable?
x
Life is life....the haven't bonded the same as if it were a 2-year-old!
nm
Since you are new, just wait. Newbies have to wait. sm
Just because you said a "doctor's office" that narrows it down.  No national work for private doctor's offices.  It is all acute care.  Just wait.  They will let you know how you are doing.
I make sure the job is not my life and that it does not take over my life. sm
I have been at this 25 years, even once had my own accounts and worked 24/7 with cat naps to keep going but no real sleep. I really burned myself out. Now I work a regular 40-hour week, but it is not my life. It is a means of making money so I can go live my life. I work for a company that is not all about production. They want us to take our time and do it right. I am doing that, and it feels so good to be able to work at my craft and be allowed to do a good job while I am at work.

But after I get off, I have my family and I take time to have fun and enjoy life. I think that is the key to not staying burned out. You need down time, time to have fun, exercise, relax, etc.

Exercise is very important, too. It rejuvenates the hormone system so you have more positive hormones flowing through your body and helps get rid of stress.

That's what I do.
per minute
I do approximately 15-20 minutes of dictation per hour and/or 150-200 lines per hour.  So figure from there.
one minute, maybe? sm
I was fast already, so faster, not so sure that I could be much faster without compromising my own comfort level with quality, and I don't want to listen to my docs at a distorted speed rate.

I also have an Advant Prime clicky-kinda keyboard and am just as fast on it but prefer this Atech4 as it is quiet and has programmable keys.

hth!
Well, you had me for one minute there.

"Finally, if you love what you're doing, happy with your income and don't want anything to change - fine, get on with it and leave the sniping.  It is only serving to make us suspicous of what the real bottom line is with you.  Are you management?  Are you American administrators of overseas transcription companies?"


Don't assume that just become someone expresses an opinion other than the original poster, they're management or American administrator of overseas transcription companies. Sometimes American workers need to think for themselves and other American workers will ask questions designed to make them think.


Otherwise, the rest of your post was well-thought out, although I would say that my impression from reading most of the nonsense about a strike, etc., was the intent was not to make the public or politicians aware of the situation with HIPAA violations but rather to make life difficult for employers, even to the point of risking patient care--neither of which should ever be consider humorous if you're trying to make a point in a responsible and professional manner.


GBP per minute

I missed this somewhere along the line.  I saw an add on another site for a job that paid xxx per GBP.  What does GBP mean?


By the minute
I'll bet the speediest speed demon dictators are those who are charged by the minute and pay their own bill!  If only they were charged by the line and charged extra for fast talking, I'll bet they would slow down rather quickly!
cpl pay vs per minute
What is the opinion here on pay by line versus pay by the minute?  Pros vs cons and why?  I can figure out for myself that, for example if you are paid 10 cents a line for a 65 cpl and they say nothing but one sentence for 10 minutes and you listen to shuffling of papers you would be much better off by the minute.  I am just curious here what the opinion is and why which one is better. After all these years of being an MT I know companies are always trying to figure out how to make money for them without passing on the rewards to the MT.
Paid by minute
I get paid by the minute but I do Basic four and radiology.  Fast/Slow dictators usually balance each other.  Now, if I did just radiology, I would get paid more by the line or report because of the very fast dictation.
They pay per minute dictated. Sux.
Especially when they assign the work. It's not fun when all your work is less than 1 minute, two line reports, ESL docs, etc.
It commonly known that 1.00 a minute is very low...sm
and that is only 60.00 for the hour voice audio... so 20.00 is horrible!!  These guys think we are stupid!!
Yes, I expect any minute now to

get an email from my supe saying the virus is the reason for the lack of work! 


I mean, I have been given every other excuse so I am sure this one will be next...


Hey....just a minute....that's my sister's name and
NM
Could be one 250-minute report or
ten 25-minute reports, or 250 1-minute reports, or 125 2-minute reports, etc., etc., etc. (as the king would say).
Just need to vent a minute...

Why, oh why is it that when a doctor is dictating a list of dianoses, etc. can't they say #1 when they start the list.  Usually I don't let this bother me, but it has happened with almost every report I have transcribed today and it's bugging me!!


If you're gonna dictate a list, start out saying #1.  Don't say the first one and then say #2.  Drives me nuts!


On the reverse I have also had some today that will say "ADMIT DIAGNOSES:  #1:  XYZ".  And then move on without a #2.  If there is only one thing, it doesn't need a number!!


Sorry, this has just been a long day with multiple reports like this and it was getting on my nerves.  I just needed to vent a little.  I feel better now and it's quitting time!


You had me worried there for a minute! :)
I make a point to take my lunch "breakette" out on the deck. or I'll go stark raving mad!
paid by the minute
That's why I think it's better to pay by the word or characters, really--pay for what you actually type. I have clients that do the same thing clhmt said--I have one who can do 30 reports in 10 minutes. Other who can't do 1 report in 30 minutes!
Pay by minute of dictation

I've been offered a position where the line count is calculated by multiplying the minutes of dictation transcribed by 12.5 (the assumed average number of lines in a minute of dictation). Has anyone had experience being paid in this manner, and how do you feel it compares to the 65-character line?


just did a 58 minute report
shewee.  last one of the day, and i'm pooped, over 400 lines. glad those don't happen often.
Wow, just sit back and think a minute sm
You are getting some good advice on here. As for the company, please, don't worry about them, quitting will not hurt their feelings! Believe me, they wouldn't worry about you, not really. What if something horrible happened and you HAD to quit? They would understand. Hey, instead something wonderful happened. You are very nice to think about the company, and that says you are so nice, you really deserve what you want in your heart. This is your gift. No guilt please! You can be smart and put some away and use some to take some time off. Cover all ideas. Congratulations! javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
No I don't-- going on the preface that 1 minute- sm
is 10 lines, it would take over 8 hours to do 5000 lines; just listening, that is not stopping to look something up, to retype, fix, etc. So unless you speed the tape up a lot (and can still understand it) I see no way of doing 5000 lines under 10-12 hours. I could see 3000 lines but not 5000.
If only you were getting paid by the minute instead of cpl! nm
x
I Used to get paid by the minute and
loved those type of reports then. Now I hate them.
at 9 cents per minute -- buy on E-bay
I have 4 docs that do an average of 2  to 2.5 hours per week each on tapes sometimes more, sometimes less but lets average 8 hours per week.  That is $43.20 per week I pay you.  My psychologist does 3 to 4 hours in addition to this.   So there is another $20+.   I just bought hand held Olympus recorder on E-Bay for $31.50 and even full price at Amazon was under $100.  So one month of paying you would pay for my 4 hand helds.  I have thought about this but just cannot afford the $150 to $200 it would cost me per month.   And yes, I have had very good luck with buying on E-bay for transcribers, recorders, etc.  So look on there or do a Google for digital recorders by brand, Olympus, etc. and it shows you which store has them for which amount.  The bells and whistles are nice but a basic recorder that holds 2 to 4 hours of dictation is well below $100 and that is all you need to provide them with.    Good luck.   Just setting up an FTP and so don't have much info on that yet but searching it out.    Patti
60 minute tapes

Are they 60 minutes from the same doctor, 20 minutes from 6 docs or what?  If you are doing these doctors on a daily basis, you should have a lot of Expanders or auto corrects so that you are typing about 2/3 of what they say.  Are they chart notes, long reports or what.   What I do is I set up a goal of doing an hour or typing and then take a 15 to 20 minute break.  If an hour is too long, then start out at 30 minutes and take a 10 minute break and slowly over the week increase it to 60 minutes.   Of typing not dictation.  Also check over your work and be sure you are using your expanders/auto corrects to do the work for you part of the time.   Between my 6 docs, I do approximately 120 to 150 minutes of dictation a day and it takes me between 4 to 5 hours typing, then an hour to print and deliver.  And it is 1800 to 2000 lines I have done.   But again,I break mine up in smaller incriments, and set the goals and it is much easier to sit down knowing you are only going to type for an hour with a break or reward and that hour goes by fast.  As an IC you can do this.  Again, I make my computer work for me -- if it can type it for me that is money in my pocket.  Again, you said that you had the same doctors each day so you should be able to do inserts, auto corrects, or use of an Expander if that is your way of doing things.    Good luck.    Patti


60 minute tapes
You need to see how many lines you get and x by 0.12 per line to see if you are even close to the average.  On 30 minutes of chart notes I get approximately  600 lines and that is $72 per 30 minutes that takes me about 1 to 1.5 hours to do.  Also depends on what you are transcribing.   When I do meetings or seminars it is usually over $125 per hour of dictation.   Again, depens on margins, etc.  But I always coung my lines with 1" on sides, Courier 12.   There is no way I would do a 60 minute tape for $60, again check to see how may lines you get and an average for an IC is 0.12 per line.  
The average I have seen here is 1 minute - sm
of dictation averages 3 minutes to type it. But this varies of course. So in theory you should be able to do 20 minutes of dication in 1 hour. Granted this will vary with the ease or difficulty of the doctor. I generally do anywhere from 12-24 minutes an hour depending on the doctor, though I don't get many where I can do 24 minutes in one hour (14 is my average). If full-time most jobs expect 90-120 minutes done a day. I generally do about 100 minutes a day straight typing and maybe another 30 minutes in editing. Lines per minute is generally thought as 1 minute = 10 lines. I work on and off from about 8am until midnight and work around the kids activities, etc.
I take a 10-minute power nap (sm)

When I find myself to the point of not being able to focus, I set my timer for 10 minutes and sleep on the couch. I usually can finish my shift, but I sometimes have to take a little nap again later. I work 5 hours during the day and my last 3 hours from 9 to midnight. Sometimes, I also step outside when it's cold. I hate being cold, so that really wakes me up. No amount of caffeine will wake me up. I am almost to the point of finding just a part-time job during the day because it is hard to be productive at night when all I want to do is crawl into bed. Good luck!


The minute you said *wife* the

No wonder you have to do all this.  He has a wife telling him that you should be doing all this.  First of all, if he pays you, you need to be talking to him about this, not her.  Secondly, you need to decide if you can afford to go without this income.  Do you work for anyone else?  Could you pick up more work elsewhere?  If so, then I would do as other posters recommend and confront him with a new charge schedule.  If he wants you to do the corrections in-house, then have him schedule a time for you to come in and do this and tell him what your charge is.  If he's late, his office should have the courtesy to call you.  If not, I would make it a point to call in before leaving to check if he's running on time. 


He doesn't see consultations for free.  His time may be valuable, but so is yours.  Don't shortchange yourself.  Nine chances out of 10, he knows what he's doing is wrong and also knows that no one else will do it either unless he hires in-house. 


let's get real here for a minute ---

I know that we are not paid what we are worth in this profession, but let's get real for a minute ---


Right now, how many people are crying because they are paying $3.50-$4.00 a gallon for gasoline to get to work everyday and it is taking 25% of their bring home pay to do that - on top of that, how many people are facing a layoff right now or a loss of a job completely - and we are all sitting here with job security and not losing our money to the big oil companies, and yet we continue to complain.  I know a lot of people that do not make what they are worth, firemen, policeman, teachers, daycare workers, yet they go to their job everyday, because they chose that profession.


We still make a good living when everything is compared - I personally make $36.00 an hour as an employee on a regular basis.  I am not paying out all that gas money, I am not having to buy 2 sets of clothes for work and home life, I am not having to pack bag lunches and eat at my desk or go out to eat every day and spend even more money...  I don't have to spend hours on the road everyday sitting in traffic and then having to come home and do all that is required in my personal life.


Okay, so what is we change to voice recognition one day and have to do twice as many lines to make the same amout of money - it is easier to do twice the amount of lines in voice recognition because you are not typing, you are mostly just reading along with the doctor and making an occasional correction to the documents.  I think that would be much easier on my hands than typing all day. 


Let's find something to be happy about!!!  If you think the job is awful, then by all means, find you something else that you think will make you happy; I for one still think that transcription is a worthwhile profession, I feel that I am providing a much needed service, and I choose to be happy and will continue to do this as long as there is work - which in my opinion, will be for my lifetime at least!


Dictated Minute
There is/was a transcription service called Alert and Oriented that pays by the dictated/recorded minute.  You might try doing a search on that company to see if any MTs posted their experiences being paid by time using this method.
$2 per dictated minute would be around
$40 per hour. Very nice....
Paid by the minute?
Does anybody know how getting paid per dictated minute works?  Thanks!