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When testing, do they expect you to know names, places..

Posted By: Dawn R on 2006-08-25
In Reply to:

and spell them correctly, like the names of the patients, hospital names, doctor names?  I'm testing right now, and they didn't supply any names or anything, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to guess or what. 


I'm used to working for a small company where I didn't even have to test!  This is all new and a little scary and a little overwhelming for me!




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Regarding testing. I have given in-depth testing but I have come to find that sm

no matter what a company wants, be it ESL specialist, etc., the best test to give ANY applicant is one that is not planned, one given right on the spot, verbal, one that has not been scheduled so the person has had no time to get nervous, but throw about 15-20 questions at them, general knowledge for their level of skill, and it can tell you wonders about their knowledge that is retained!! I actually find that the retention rate of folks hired this way is actually higher than intense testing given by some of these larger national companies.  We all know that it takes sometimes a couple of weeks for even the best MTs to understand (I am speaking of the ESLs or bad dictators).  There are some companies that give these as tests and what does that tell?  Tells nothing and means nothing!  Some of these that do well on these actually cannot do the work.  How do we know that these folks have not actually had someone else do the test for them?


I find the best way is to pull a pop test on the spot in the middle of the interview and it works!  Don't ever give the same questions to two separate applicants.  Have a database of questions to pull from.  Score from the ones you ask and move on from there.  If the person cannot do the work, you know it in a day. 


I believe it was the old EDiX that used to give over the phone questions, but they still scheduled this and people had time to get nervous.  This way there is no time and well, you would be surprised at what folks actually do know...and in some cases...what folks actually do not know when given multiple choice, but to me this is an excellent way of testing, takes very little time, which I personally consider to be too valuable to waste 3-4 hours on a test, which someone who is experienced and has worked for 10 to 15 years in the field should not be required to do anyhow, should not be asked to do.  When you have worked 12 hours during that day for a company (and some have), why should they have to take 4 hours to do a test?!


Think about it!!


I have recently spoken to other recruiters from other companies and they have agreed with me on this and I hope it catches on because it certainly is less time consuming and tells you all you need to know without giving them the actual work to do.


 



 


 


 


When people use last names for first names.
You can't tell what sex the person is, and it just sounds so pretentious and stupid.

Hunter, Tyler, Taylor, Cameron, Morgan, Parker, Porter.

Really soap-operaish and annoying.
what then, do you expect us to do? sm
all go out there and open our own service? Some of us don't want the hassle of finding the work, paying the taxes, hiring the people to do the work, etc, etc...I, for one, am very happy working for my national, which happens to be MQ. I certainly couldn't do any better on my own...and have half the headache to boot! For some, a national just "fits", it just does! Sorry if some people can't comprehend that!
what did he expect?
Yup! Good luck to him, he let a whole lot of people down, including himself.
where do you expect them to go exactly?
I mean really, telling a poor city "evacuate" is ridiculous.  They have no car, no transportation, no where to go, and half of them probably do not have a television set to know they needed to evacuate.  It was probably confusing and paralyzing to them. 
What to expect...

Two things.... Responsible grown  up 40 something people out for a good time, listening to a major staple of their musical experience as a teenager... AND.... possibly a group of 40 something  people who failed to realize that they are no longer teenagers anymore.  We went to a Styx concert a few years back  and there were so many former 70s teens who had obviously NOT grown up yet.  Long hair, foul language, smoking pot.  Sheesh.


But, maybe since it's probably an indoor concert, you might get a better class crowd.  Expect a WONDERFUL evening!  Have fun


I would not expect you to
and there's no way for me to assess what you know.  I would really be interested in finding about 10 people who are really looking for ways to improve and let them try this FREE to get feedback.  I can tell you this, a few years back I went to work for a local hospital.  The "top dog" there was a really sweet girl who had been there for 14 years.  In 6 months, my production was higher than hers.  My supe asked me to do a little one-hour presentation on shortcuts and I did.  Before I worked there, no one even used a shortcut program.  It was a stipulation of my taking that job that I could use one.  Most people said it really helped them, although one or two "old-timers" said they could type fast enough without it.  some people will just resist change whether it could help them or not!!! 
more often than you would expect :( - nm
sss
Come on...you can't expect anything other
 " 






Actually you could probably expect
Phlebotomy is very desirable as well even in private practices.  Good luck!  Welcome to the medical field!
What do we expect?
Good old American kids are taught to the test, especially since No Child Left Behind; but even before that there were tests of reading and math skills at the state level.  Writing and speaking skills cannot be graded on a Scantron, so they aren't part of the test and increasingly aren't taught.  Text messaging ShortHand doesn't help either.  They get into medical school - in a class with how many ESL fellow students?  How many ESL professors?  They get to their residencies - with how many ESL attendings?  What medical school has a class for dictation?  No, the people seen as the least educated (and paid accordingly) will clean up the mess like they always do.  That would be you and me!  Lucky for them, we're good at it!
expect a pay cut sm....
health insurance is HSA w/Aetna. If you do straight transcription you'll be ok, if doing speech, I'd look for another job (which is what I'm doing). Flexibility of schedule is really dependent on your super - I've had some who were horrible and like the one I have now, she's wonderful.
seems to me a lot of places would let you sm
work just weekends as that is the hardest spot to fill.
I think a lot of places are going through this right now
It's been the same here. No work or very very slow. I'm the complainer when the work is low though, but I don't usually complain on message boards. I'm the one that's calling the company looking for more work. I'm flexible and they're good to me and keep me going. I have to appreciate that!
places have always been
doing that.  I really don't think its just starting now.  they save bucks that way. 
Does anyone know of places
that hire people offshore to do data entry work.  I work as an MT, but am thinking about moving to another country in the next 5 years.  I do not believe in offshoring medical records, so I do not consider continuing with MT as an option.  I tried doing a search on Google, but have not found much after trying different queries.  Thanks in advance for all help!
Some places still use it, I use WP5.1 every day - sm
for 1 job, though they do want to convert over, but it is what the hospital uses. It is not hard to use and I have Stedmans's spellcheck and Smartype (the original) for it and you can macro your butt off with it; and very easy to use.
Do you even have to do this? Most places just
s
Other places to try

http://www.choicere.net/adapter/


http://www.dictationmall.com/ind.html


http://hthengineering.com/


http://sylvansoftware.com/accessories.htm


http://dictran.com/medical-dictation.html


 


I think most places
want somewhat of a set schedule or a certain # of hours per week, be it FT or PT. However, a lot of companies offer split shifts and very flexible scheduling. Also, all work as a TAT - turn around time, so it has to be done in a timely manner. I suppose if you work for someone locally, this could be more flexible.
Yes there are still places sm

that give I raises.  If you are dependable, do what is asked and more, don't pick and choose your work types, learn how to do everything that comes across the board and don't complain (at least to your employer-haha), there are companies that reward you accordingly. 


I realize there are companies that do not reward and you have the choice to stay or go depending on your situation.  But there still are places that will pay for good, experienced MTs and pay very well!


Well, they said I could expect OT immediately..??
We will see on the production. I was told the accounts were overburdened with work and there was a bounty of OT being offered.

We will see.
What do you expect MQ or any MTSO to do?
if they have MTs scheduled to work that don't work their shifts, or that don't produce, their TATs will suffer -- and keeping the client happy is the bottom line to staying in business and keeping you and me employed. So if the work isn't getting done, then they must hire some people that will work. Then of course those slackers will holler when they don't have any. I guess its just the way of the world...
What I expect from my government
When a mandatory evacuation is ordered I expect to be able to get on the hurricane evacuation routes and have enough gas available to get moving. Is this reality........NO.

As far as moving somewhere else, FL has a way of putting a grip on you. Low wages to the point you are stuck literally. I haven't been out of this state in over 7 years due to lack of funds.




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...


You are right on. There's only so much you can expect to be paid
x
don't expect miracles
Let me tell you what to expect on the floor.  Expect older and experienced nurses who are biding their time before retirement to not be available for anything.  Expect to get yelled at by patients and to get very used to the smell of feces and vomit.  Expect to get yelled at by family members of patients who are angry with physicians, but since the physician's don't hang around, YOU get yelled at.  Expect to get yelled at by physicians for just any old thing they want to yell at you for.  Expect to try and find your orders on the chart, some written by the physician (good luck with that) and some typed by an MT who has not been QA'd....with you sitting there knowing your patient needs something but having no idea what (and don't expect the doctor to remember).   Expect to be hit, bitten, kicked, spit on, having things thrown at you.  Little children will hate you because you had to hurt them to get them better.  Expect to get very very sick the first few months..you'll catch everything from everybody, especially if you have been rather isolated working at home.   Also expect to do a lot of crying over that elderly person who died alone, over the child with cancer, the mother who lost her baby.   You think being an MT is stressful, just wait.
Did you expect this reaction? n/m
n
Thank you all. This gives me some insight into what to expect. nm
x
Yes I expect him to fix the pipes.
BUT, he tells me when he's going to do it and how much he'll charge, and HE ALSO TELLS ME IF HE CANNOT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If he cannot, he leaves, and I call another plumber!  DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!  
How do you expect MT to know what is wanted
x
Can you ever expect a raise!?

I've been an MT- for 15 years, so I'm not new to this, but is it still common to keep on at the same per-line amount that you were hired at year after year!?  I have been at my current job for 3-1/2 years and still make the same per line and also get no paid days off.  I hate starting new jobs and when I hired on the per-line rate I got paid was higher than most, although it is IC work with no benefits.  The cost of living has gone up so much and I need more money to make ends meet, but I am a bit wimpy about approaching my boss.


I would love some input on the going per-line rate (I do ER and clinic work) and also how often you receive a raise if ever so I can decide how to approach this issue.  Thanks so much!


Did not expect a name, just want to see the experience
of people. I am deciding whether or not to be an IC or an employee again after being laid off is all. Believe me, I am not an MTSO or a suit trying to do PR here. Just wanting to know some information on trends to see if IC is a safer bet than being an employee. If I don't get much help here, I will go the IC route, because I already have a couple of offers on the table which are extremely flexible. Did not know if I should try to go back to an MTSO after being laid off again. Thanks for your answer.
Yes, there are a lot of places worse off, but

there are a lot of places that are a lot better too. For the money and the resources that this country has, we do not nearly take care of business the way we should. Do you know that there are countries that do not have as much money as we do or resources, yet every citizen is entitled to healthcare by way of government paid insurance. Do you know how many people we have in the US that are uninsured? Do you know how many countries offer paid maternity leave for mothers? I could go on, but I won't. The US is a lot better than a lot of places, but we should be ashamed at how we handle things a lot of the times. America is full of a lot of greedy people, and we wonder why other countries hate us. Do you know that the cost of the president's inauguration party would have been way more than enough to armor every single vehicle that our military had? Do you know how many lives or injuries could have been saved if only the vehicles were armored better? Where are our priorities there?


Most places, you betchya
While you may have had one person train you, depending on the work you do and number of QA staff that support that work, yes. QA is usually hired as supervisory staff, which means they do QA, train, feedback, report quality issues, nonworking issues, etc. as well as being a source for you to ask for help, report issues, conflicts, etc. Usually when QA is done, all QA staff are polled for each person for any quality issues, complaints from clients, etc. to get the whole picture. While you may not view the QA staff as "bosses" per se, their word carries weight...do not be too quick to burn bridges.
Many places, google them
Ebay is probably the cheapest, that is where I got mine 8 years ago at $600, I am sure they have come down some since then.
I know of two places, but I can't remember the name of the second one.
emediamillworks.com is one of them.  I'll search my hard drive to see if I saved the address of the other company.
Probably true a lot of places
Well, things will be totally different with the new generation since it is an accepted standard that women just do everything a man does for the most part now. I unfortunately was on the cusp of this changeover and will be too old to benefit.

I don't think too many of today's kids think that "male body parts" qualify as superior in the workforce. And if you do, you need to look around, because today women even fly fighter jets.
manufacturing places in TN and KY in USA..nm
xx
Do wi-fi places let you plug your lap top into

nm


Some places use the SS# as the patient ID #. (nm)
.
It varies. 65 is not always the # used. Some places
s
Some places will pay extra for


longer to transcribe. My company does. It does help.
Not that many places pay extra for CMT (nm)
x
of all the places to put a typo!
nm
Places to work...

I can certainly sympathize with your plight.  Am forced to leave MQ because of the pay and now because of the uncertainty of having a job in a few years has come into play.  I searched and found that no one really wants to pay more than 7-9 cpl anymore.  I did find one place that will pay more.  I think it is based on experience, multiple specialties and the account itself.  I start in a week and they are starting me out at 9.5 with a review in 90 days to possibly go to 10.  There may be even 11 in my future, if I do well with this company.  So far, everything seems to be working out with this company.  They have a very strict QA period to start, but I think it will be okay once I start actually typing.  It is also strictly typing, no editing.  So real money for real pay.  I know that I did not find anyplace that paid better on the internet.  This will bring me back to what I was making with MQ before the editing came around, which will be good for me.


 


So, it takes a lot of searching and a lot of hard work to find the right fit for you.  If you would like more info on the company I found, e-mail me and I will let you know.  I have a feeling they will be getting loaded with resumes in the coming months from people from MQ.  Glad, I started before all this started.


 


Good Luck.


If Dell or places like that do not have it,
try a local computer store/repair service.
The same features are all there but in different places because
of the new ribbon. If you were productive in an older version, you would be just as productive in 2007 once you learn your way around the new layout. Almost all of my old keyboard shortcuts still work in 2007 so I don't fool with the ribbon all that much. I toggle it off most of the time because it's so huge and takes up too much room on my screen.

Are you sure your trial version isn't fully functional? Maybe your trial time has expired?

Most places can tell who has edited
a report, whether the MT, QA, or other personnel. I had a physician actually go in and change something on mine which was not correct. I saw that it had been changed and contacted my supervisor and she was able to tell the physician had changed it, not QA. So there are things in place most programs that can tell who made what changes.
If you google it, there are places you can
x
If I expect perfection from my spouse, that must mean
I am perfect myself.  I don't know of anyone who is perfect.  I am not so judgmental of people that I expect them to never have bad days and never express frustration, or else the relationship is over.  I'm sure there have been plenty of days in the past 20 years that we've known each other when I've annoyed him to no end.  Sometimes intentionally....  LOL