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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

You're welcome! :) How about some other folks sharing tips, too?

Posted By: Rad MT on 2007-05-22
In Reply to: OMG - AnnieM!AnnieM!

I am constantly looking for new ways to cut down keystrokes. I would say the most important thing I have learned is that, while some doctors repeat the same phrases over and over in exactly the same manner, most of them vary the phrases slightly. So, in addition to a shortcut for a specific phrase, I have shortcuts for the individual words. For example, some docs say "posterior horn of the medial meniscus" and some say "posterior horn medial meniscus". So I have "phmm" for the first phrase but I have "ph" for "posterior horn" and "mmen" for "medial meniscus" so I can type the second phrase without having to stop and remember, now HOW did I abbreviate that??


So, how about some more tips? Anyone?





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right, I agree, but just sharing my story so folks stay updated about the field
x
I agree with this; hence, my query about how folks who say that they're working for SERVICES ...
are making this kind of money. 
I think this happens a lot. Usually, the folks
Some of you people are basketcases.
I wonder why there are so many folks
compose an email that is not riddled with misspelled and misused words? I get emails everyday from a workflow coordinator who leaves the letters 'ed' or 'd' off of almost every word that should have it...Example: "The work has -increse- in the last few days." -incomplete sentences, missisng commas, etc.

It's ridiculous. I have managers who send out poorly composed emails as well. Unbelievable!
You might want to try these folks
I don't know if you've found anything yet, but you might want to try a company called Transcription Matchmaker. They found me a job a year ago when all I had was dial up. They find out what your requirements/specialties are and then match you with a company that best fits you. I've now been with the same company they found for me 10 months ago and I am happy with my job. I hope they can help you.
So now we know, folks, why so many MTs - sm
never get so much as a response when they apply for the literally THOUSANDS of MT jobs we see online every single day.

YouTube is not only a fun and entertaining website, it is also proving to be an amazingly POWERFUL TOOL, and I think that power has only just begun to be tapped.

Now there is one way to get the word out about MT. If you have the capabilities to make YouTube video (or your kids do), the word about fraud, ID theft, & American job loss can be spread.
IC folks

Hey there all you Indepedent contractor folks.  Just want to take a quick poll and see if you are happy being independent.  I am thinking of the making the jump over from employee to IC.  Just want to see and get a quick glance and see if you are happy or not so happy with being IC. 


 


 


Welcome! I like seeing new folks here
it's great to get some fresh perspectives or see how MTs in the business are doing.
You are so right. Our pay goes down from same folks who are charging us more when we

Right now McDonald's in our town starts employees at $8/hour and pays benefits and some school benefits.


I have worked 30 years in transcription and make less now than I did in 1985.  That's 20 years ago.  I know more and earn less.  In fact I am a fraction above poverty level.


If you don't think MQ is getting ready to take us all below poverty level right down there with Mexico City, just hide and watch.  Or rather, sit here and think you are with a "good" company.  I didn't, because they are making millions in profit off your hard work and not sharing a penny of it with you. 


In the old days an employer spread the wealth of the company with the employees who made it happen.  This group has never heard of the concept.


Those City folks

I can really relate to your situation and wanted to tell you this story. 


I live at the base of a mountain.  There is an RV place out here and every winter the hunters camp and .....leave aggrevation everywhere (garbage).


Yesterday i drove the 15 miles to town to the post office where they know everyone by name.  I was packaging my book to mail and was listening to this conversation:  A gentleman handed a change of address form to the Postmaster. He says," You just moved in that new house on the hill last fall.  Is everything okay"? 


Naturally everyone looks that direction.  The gentleman says " We don't like that housing developement on the hill.  There is way too much snow".


Continuing with his story:  My wife had the kids were in the SUV and the road was covered with snow and ice. (duh, it is all winter long).  She had to stop because of the herd of Elk standing on the hill in the middle of the road.  She slid back down the hill and wouldn't drive up again until I came home from work".


So i have asked my husband for a snow maker!!!!!! Maybe they will all move back to the city.  At the base of this hill, a herd of Elk always graze in the field.  There have been many occassions i drive the grandkids that direction to watch.  The 3-year-old asks to me take him to see the funny cows.


So if anyone has a spare Snowmaker please send it to me.....I would love to drive the rest of the city folk out of there!!  


The world needs more folks like you 2...
You both just added a big ole jewel to your crowns in Heaven...you're awesome!!! Congratulations...the best of luck and much, much happiness in your marriage...
That's more than my folks did, or my husbands.

I think that you thinking you "put yourself through college" when your parents were paying your tuition and rent kind of says this is the pot calling the kettle black. 


 


Golly, some folks just have to have the last
word, 'eh? I've been following this thread and just waiting for someone to blame the dog owner for the dog nails, or even the dog!! Unreal!
A lot of folks are complaining about MT pay
and not being able to make enough money. I personally don't think the problem lies so much with how many cpl we get, but the fact that we have to transcribe dictators who obviously have no regard for the person doing the transcription. They seem to think it quite proper to eat, chew gum, have a conversation with someone in the background, lay the mic down and dictate or speaker phone, dictate on a cell phone, in a crowded room, and a host of other things that make transcription very, very difficult. When you throw in a whole slew of ESLs, there goes your money.
Question for QA folks
Quick question for QA. When an MT flags a report because of something simple like no date of consultation given, does QA generally get paid for all the lines on that report. I have a dictator who is very long, generally 100+ lines, and never gives the date of consultation, otherwise great dictator. No blanks. So unless it is dictated the same day the patient is admitted, I leave that field blank which automatically sends it to QA. QA has never once gotten back to me on this and on pulling up old reports it looks to me like they just go back in and put the general coding for the auto feed, though no date is provided. Since it is continuous with this doc it seems like a big waste of time and money not to get some instruction back on sending this directly to the client. I am wondering if this is just easy lines for QA and then if it shows up against me as far as editing. I know all companies are different, just wondering what the rule of thumb is. By the way, I have asked for feedback from QA multiple times and never get a response either way. Thanks.
Another question for QA folks
I typed "laparoscopy fundoplication" instead of laparoscopic.  Would you count this as a misspelled medical word or typo?  Thanks. 
What about this scenario, folks!

What do you think of a manager of many MTs, who shares intimate details with each of us regarding her situation as a wife as well as sharing details of other MTs with each other, some extremely complicated and highly personal, which I believe were given to her in confidence.  Then, having her turn into a professional zealot and alienate us with her emotionless response to us which is such a contradiction to prior interactions that it leaves us spinning and feeling as if we do not know her at all.


I have come upon this before early in my career.  And I would say that changing ths subject in the conversation is the answer so to not end up in this web.  What do you think though?  It is awkward and confusing. 


 She is new at supervision and maybe it can be chocked up to that but she holds a lot of power over us and some whom she confided in during long emotion-filled  conversations, word has it, she has turned against to the point they had to transfer to another department.


It is placing a shadow over the job for me


 


Folks on here exceptional!
thanks so much for that!
Where do you folks get these amounts???
I find it hard to believe that a lot of the MTs on this board are making over 20.00 an hour.  The state of MT is in BAD shape with outsourcing, EMR taking MT jobs, etc.  I'm having a hard time believing that some of you are making those high amounts.  If is is true, where do you live and where can I sign up?  My company is hiring MTs with many years experience at 10.20 an hour. 
I think you are asking the wrong folks...

...We are trying to figure out how to become independent, so we can make better than overseas pay.


A question for the QA folks

I realize that every company/employer is different and some want verbatim transcribed.  At my company, it's never been specified, and so sometimes I trust my judgement to change things as I see fit, and other times, I flag a questionable item and explain my thought process to QA.  Oftentimes, when I do the latter, QA just leaves the questionable item as dictated, and does not respond directly to me regarding my question, which makes me feel ignored.  This leaves me feeling frustrated and feeling like the report may have returned to the doctor not 100% accurate.


Here's an example of what I'm talking about, but it's not necessarily the best example from a cesarean section note:


Rectus muscles were then separated in the midline and the peritoneum identified, tented up and entered sharply with Metzenbaum scissors.  The perineal incision was then extended superiorly and inferiorly, with good visualization of the bladder.


The bolded word is obviously incorrect and should be peritoneal.  Do you think QA and everyone else concerned would appreciate if I just used my brain and fixed this without taking anyone else's time, or is there a chance that using my judgement and changing it would come back to haunt me if this report were pulled for a QA review and someone saw that I didn't transcribe what was dictated?


I'm not a newbie.  I'm been in the MT field for almost 8 years.


LOL .. folks ask me why I don't go digital
My doctors are happy, it works great for me ..

it ain't broke, so why fix it? LOL


Wow, these ADHI folks are

really not representing the American Transcriptionist at all. I'm really just speechless. I wonder why they're making such unprofessional attacks on the US transcriptionists. 


The representative who wrote the response is either uninformed or downright deceitful in stating that the Indian transcriptionists want the CMT credentials just to have them. On the contrary, their employers are using it as a tool to get their feet in the door to get American work.


I'm just curious as to how many of Indian CMTs have been grandfathered in (not required to take any testing because of years of experience) because most of the companies who do work with them have to have US transcriptionists do a lot of heavy editing.  If this is the case, then the CMT credential is as worthless as it was 30 years ago.  Sad for our industry, really. 


I wish some retirees would start up another professional organization for US transcriptionists only <hint hint> 


And folks think I'm paranoid
If someone is sitting in a corner at Starbucks or the library or whatever on a laptop working, I'm not sure I see what the problem is. If you're that stringent about things, do you jump from your chair and throw your body across the monitor if you feel a family member approaching your work area? If a person isn't doing their work on external speakers and does not have a 26 inch monitor facing the room at large, I do not see there to be any more of a 'security' risk than there is at home.
Okay folks! What do YOU daydream of while workin? - sm

Mine has been daydreaming of Leland from Dog The Bounty Hunter.  Hummina Hummina  What a hunk!   Wooooooooooooooo pour some cold water on me!


Remember these are also the same folks that tried in the past....sm
to change the policy to it being 1 space instead of 2 spaces after a period.... and that crap stopped only when clients complained that in certain fonts it looked like you didn't have a space at all between a period and the next word. 
this board and world could use a lot more folks like you! nm

Train? you really think those folks get your feedback?
x
For you married folks, how did you meet? sm

Through friends/family?  At school?  Met each other at the grocery store when you reached for the same loaf of bread at the same time?    Through an internet dating site?  


 


 


 


Question for folks who QA/Edit
I'm an IC QA person for a company who uses Editscript. I spend precious time writing down job# and calculating the number of lines for each report. Is this system not capable of tracking the number of reports I edit or the number of lines?

Seems like the employer would prefer a software that tracks this info so they can ensure that the IC's are billing accurately. Any opinions on this?
well maybe folks will realize there are no true...sm

friends on public boards online......you're right, the Gay thing should never have been brought up in public......


some have class and some lack class and are uncouth....


nice to see some folks watched...sm
waiting to see how this progresses - hope it lasts as a reality show - seems like there is less *bickering* that with Dancing with the Stars, though I like that show too but NOT the judges there....*grin*
Guess you were one of those disappointed folks (nt)

Thanks for all the input. You folks are great. sm

You convinced me that it is better to let something else slide rather than the mortgage payment.  I wasn't sure what would be the outcome as we have never gone past 30 days. 


kind of like folks who have money sm
don't talk about it but the ones who want you to think they do talk about it all the time!  Sounds like a low self-esteem problem to me too!
and just plain out right dealing with folks!
x
Joined up with the old folks group and
starting doing ceramics and now they have a travel group, wanting to plan a trip to Italy. That is right down my alley! Another trip before too long is Macinaw (spelling?) Island in Michigan. Now with my other 2 vacations this year, this senior citizen group should just be the therapy I need.
are these folks paying on time?
Thanks for the tip, will take test today, looks pretty rudimentary though, is this on the up and up?
My folks spoke American as did

their folks as did their folks. My point is more and more ESL's are coming into our country and expecting us to learn their language. Would you like to die on the table because the American OR nurse misunderstood the ESL surgeon? I think not.


Furthermore, I think it's great that you are willing to help calm someone's nerves in a crisis, but just the fact that you had to only proves my point. I hope I am never in a situation where I'm being provided medical care in American hospital and feel the need to have a translator, only to find one is not available.


Folks, I have been doing this as long as dirt has been around
I get bored sometimes but I produce more now than I did say 25 years ago, I have to because if with a national the pay has dropped. I now do (VR and straight included) do at least 3000 per day whereas with straight for years and years it was about 2000 per day. When totally bored out of my skull, I usually try to redo my hours and take some time, but guess what, then I just have to make up so I work my 8 hours per day, straight through and I am not bored when I get my check.
Thanks for sharing... sm

I have friends just starting out in MT (many still in school), and I think this is valuable information for them.  I've said the same thing to them all, that if you take this as seriously as you would any job you were doing in an office, devote your work time and attention to it, and do what is asked of you while trying to improve yourself, you will be able to succeed.  I have only been doing transcription for a few years, but I can see that I will be here for probably as long as transcription is around.


Thanks for sharing your wisdom...


Thanks for sharing
nm
Yes...That's it! Thanks for sharing what you know. nm
:)
WOW! Thanks for sharing!
I've been trying to build up my Google search links on surgical and radiology sites because I find it easier to Google than to flip through all my books. That one about covers it all!  Thanks again!
Thank you so much for sharing this
:-)
Thanks for sharing...

It appears that I am not alone then IF this is truly the cause of my symptoms. I have only been off of Nexium for three days and haven't noticed a significant difference but I know it may just take some more time to get back to where I use to be as I had been on Nexium since the first part of January and I have been terribly sick for several months. 


The doctors have all ruled out just about everything they can think of so won't it be ironic if Nexium is the cause of my sickness after ALL the testing I have gone through?!? I don't care, as long as I get my health back. :)


Sharing
I think it would be best not to talk to the woman, because it would just escalate the tension and might get out of hand.

Just let your kids continue to play with them, and when the other kids ask you or your kids for anything, other than a drink of water, just politely remind them that your family has a policy against that.

However, I myself would probably invite them to share Kool-Aid or popsicles with my kids once or twice a week, invite them in for games and toys.

In my entire childhood and teen years, the only thing I ever borrowed from a friend or neighbor were Nancy Drew books, which I always returned as soon as I finished reading them.

We were taught not to ask for things from people, but I realize times have changed. Some kids are still taught that, but many are not.
thanks so much for sharing
I'm adding it to my favorites!
Thank you for sharing!

As tears roll down my face and I sit here sobbing, I want to thank you for sharing this story.


Believe me, since my brother's recent passing (my only sibling) a few months ago, my life was really put into perspective and my goal is to let everyone I know how they have touched my life and how much I love them.


Even my Dad told me he loved for the second time that I remember in my whole life just a few months ago. Now, we both say it every time we see each other or speak to each other. That is a most precious gift to me. While my family was never affectionate, I knew they loved me and my mom & I were always close and said that to each other but having my Dad say this, well, I just can't describe the feelings. I really don't think he thought of saying it to tell you the truth, that he didn't realize it was so important for me to hear it until I got so sick, and I told him about how I only recalled him telling me he loved me once (before he had open heart surgery and was being wheeled to surgery).  I guess it just goes to show that people can change and do change - even at the age of 76! :D I love you too Daddy!


Thank you for sharing

Thank you for taking the time to share what experiences you have encountered with those with PKD. It really helps for me to hear what others have gone through and have more of an idea of what to expect.


Believe me I have been reading a lot and I think I have a pretty good basic understanding of it all and what to expect but still hearing or knowing of what others have experienced puts things in a different perspective I think too. I know each course is going to be very individual as everyone is different.


Before I was even found to have the PKD, despite my labs being quite normal except for a couple values, I was so deathly ill and I "knew" I was dying. I was so desperate in finding help. My family saw me wasting away and felt I had little time left until I stopped some of my Rx meds on my own out of desperation and the nausea subsided where I could eat again. It was the most horrible thing I endured for that long of a time. This leads me to believe that the laboratory values are not the end all and that I may be just more sensitive than some and now maybe I can convince the doctors to take me more seriously. When they didn't know yet what was wrong, of course, as a last resort they thought depression. :( I was not depressed (upset, angry, frustrated-YES!) I am a very positive, happy-go-lucky type of person, and that is just my nature but when you are too ill to eat only about 400-500 calories a day for many days for weeks, it takes it toll quickly.I LOVE to eat and I was not anorexic by choice, let me tell you. :)


Again, thank you so much. 


Thanks for sharing, I was one of those
who thought MySpace was just for teens to post X-rated pictures and pick up people. I may just look into it, it sounds like a good way to keep in touch. Is there a IM or chat, also? Or just blogs? Does everyone have to join to see your info or nonmembers can see it too? Thanks! :)