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advantage of real college is once MT collapses, you can

Posted By: sm on 2006-07-11
In Reply to: Got cut off, but recommend that she go to COLLEGE, a real one! - anything less isn't worth squat

go back and finish your degree. Can't do that with Andrews, CS, etc.


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Got cut off, but recommend that she go to COLLEGE, a real one!
.
Cook it real slow at real low heat; simmer, don't boil.
nm
MT Advantage anyone?

I have to get some additional training and think I might go with MT Advantage.  Anyone have any experience with them?


Or, any other suggestions perhaps?


do you know someone who took advantage?

What process would I have to go through?  I'll talk to the director at my school, maybe she can help too.  As for the spelling, I think MTs are some of the worst spellers because we're used to the luxury of a spell checker.  Not bad spellers just lazy spellers.


One advantage we MTs have over - sm


most other people in that we know how to WRITE.  A friend of mine used to call it "The Power of the Pen", and it's true.  Even when you don't get the exact response you wanted when you write a letter, the fact that you were concerned enough to do it at all does NOT go unnoticed.  It raises questions in the minds of those to whom they were written.  And we have to KEEP AT IT.  Some of those with thicker skins (and skulls!) need to be reminded again and again that this country has a big problem with other countries profiting from our generosity, so-called "political correctness", and their general perception of our overall naivete.  With enough talking, blogging, letter-writting, petitioning, and educating of the American public, it might be possible to bring offshoring of American work to the forefront of the next election.  People need to be made aware that NO job is safe. 


It's sickening that big US firms are taxed to the MAX when it comes to offshoring.  What a huge windfall for THEM.  Instead, those of us that they are screwing are expected to pay the taxes that support our country's infrastructure.


If this trend continues the way it has for the past 10+ years or so, there will be no need for another country to take ours over militarily.  We'll all simply be BOUGHT.


 


 


Advantage of Laptops?

Another poster asked how many MTs use laptops, and that got me wondering what the advantage to a laptop would be.  I understand traveling, but it sounds like some use it for home. 


I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm trying to figure out how I can transcribe outside on the back deck with a C-phone and computer (I live in a rural area).  I guess a laptop, extension cords, and moving with the sun would probably be logical, but are there any problems with that scenario that anyone can think of?  Does anyone have any other ideas for outdoor transcription?  I get kind of lonely during the day, so I thought the outdoors might help.  Also, work wants me to transcribe 2 hours before breaking!  Even though I'm new with this company, I haven't met that goal yet.  Thought I would try some new scenery, if it's possible!  ');>


Don't be afraid. Use the law to your advantage. SM

Stop a minute and think about this. What other person on the planet would be allowed to do this to you? Not one. The reason he is allowed to do it is because you let him.


"Tired of working?" Hell, we're all tired of working, but we do it because we have to. You keep your chin up, girlie. Find you a rat-hole and put some money in it. Even if it's a quarter at a time. Save your change, filch from your paycheck. Get a little padding there so you will have some options.


I lived with a horribly abusive man who took advantage of me for 30 years. I'd still be living with him but he's dead. I know I'd never have left.


Don't get me wrong. I adored him, God knows why - I let those "good times" outshine the horrible times and I stayed with him till death did us part - all to the detriment of my poor children. I have a daughter who thinks it's noble to stay with an abusive man. I have a son who, I'm grateful to say, is kind to his SO, but he endured a 10-year relationship with a lying, emotionally abusive girl - all thanks to me.


Do it as soon as you can. If that guy quit his job because he's "tired of working" there's nothing he won't do. Sending a hug. I know where you're coming from.


Do you feel like you are being taken advantage of? (sm)
My guess would be yes.  If they gave you more money, would you feel better about it?  If the answer to that one is yes, then ask for more.  Otherwise, I would have to agree with the other poster who said get out.  There are places that have retirement benefits, and if not, you could always start your own IRA.  That is what I did.   I just feel like there is nothing worse than going to a job everyday feeling like you are not appreciated and being taken advantage of.   Good luck, but check out other places before you actually walk out the door, then decide.
Kinesis Advantage
I just purchased a Kinesis Advantage a few months ago. I LOVE IT. It is sturdy and easy on the hands and wrists, plus my speed has increased! They are expensive, as I paid $300.00, but well worth every single penny.
What is the advantage of having the wrist pad detachable?
x
Kinesis Advantage is my favorite!
If you go to the Kinesis website, you can see if they have a refurbished one and save $60. Depending on how much you use it, it takes a little time to get up to speed with it. However, it has a very light touch and erased any discomfort I was having once I was used to it.

I haven't tried any of the upright keyboards.
Anyone use the Kinesis Advantage keyboard? see msg....
I would really appreciate any kind of feedback on this keyboard.  It's expensive but my hands/wrists/fingers are killing me.  Since I do VR mostly, I'm wondering where the arrow keys are.  Can't tell by the pics on the Kinesis site.  Also, are the keys really low-force and do you think that helps reduce pain and discomfort when typing?  Anything you could tell me, good or bad, before I spend this much money would be so appreciated.

 

Thanks!

I think you have the Kinesis Advantage not the Freestyle...
I know the Advantage is remappable. I have the Freestyle Solo, the one with the two separate halves. I love it so much that I'm going to send it back and have Kinesis remap the delete key for me. There's no "program" key (unfortunately) on this keyboard. But I absolutely LOVE this keyboard. The keys are very low force and using it has totally gotten rid of my achy wrists.
there is an advantage having black snakes
in the basement, as they eat rodents. So keep this in mind.
What do you prefer? Rodents or black snakes?

I just hate both, but if I had to choose I would choose the black snake.
I also have astigmatism and wear Accuvue Advantage as well.
I was told the Accuvue is the best contact lens made and that it might just take a while to get used to it.
I don't experience blurriness, but it feels like the lens moves every time I blink. I can see the outer rim of the lens out of the corner of my eye every time I blink.
When I went in for a followup, they fitted me with several different lenses until I found one I was comfortable with.
Good luck!
Look at Audio Advantage by Turtle Beach

It is a USB thing that looks like a flash drive and it bypasses the sound card.  It has lots of settings to adjust to improve sound.   I got it and didn't think it made much difference, but then didn't use it for a couple of days and realized that it did make a difference.  I got mine at Best Buy for about $30.  There have 3 different levels and I think Audio Advantage is the middle one (which was the only one they had at Best Buy).  You can Google Audio Advantage by Turtle Beach and probably find their website. 


Creative is a good brand of sound card and likely it isn't the sound card that is the problem, just poor quality dictation.  The USB thing above will help, but if you don't have good dictation to work work, you can only do so much.   If you don't have them also try noise-cancelling headphones.  They are rather pricey, though can probably get a good pair for about $60 or less on sale, and they make a significant difference too. 


Having IT provide phrases, sentences is its best advantage. Two words together.
But one word? By the time it arrives in the layout screen, you have typed all but the last letter.

claudicatio - semicolon

of the - bracket

I miss Word's auto correct boohoo
What is the advantage to having a book over using reliable Internet sources?
and yes I KNOW not to believe everything you google, but there are reliable sources.  Why buy a book every year?  Not arguing at all, just want to know your rationale.  Thanks!
I was told by Dell today that the only advantage to the upgrade would better graphics . He said it i

it because it also uses a lot of memory.  I decided to go with Windows XP instead.  Dell is offering a free upgrade to Windows Vista if you purchase one of their systems.   They still gave me a free upgrade option, but I doubt I will use it.


Good Luck.


Great post. I swear by both Advantage and Frontline Plus-- both work great! - sm
I don't know about "natural" approaches for the house. I have always used flea bombs in the past before the miracle of Advantage and Frontline changed my life. Have not had a flea problem at all since I began using those products about 10 years ago, dose all the dogs religiously once a month with the Frontline Plus except in Dec.-Feb. to save a few bucks and because the ground is generally frozen by then and no fleas are scurring about. -- Hope you get flea free soon.
I'm in college myself ...
Do you have an undergraduate bulletin from the U? If not, GET ONE TODAY. Look at the degree programs. He must pick out a major and register and be assigned an Academic Advisor first.

Make sure he fills out his FASFA anyway and has it sent to the university. Just because you make $40K does not mean he should not qualify for grants or scholarships whatsoever. I don't know who told you that or if you just are assuming that, but it is not true.
A university has many, MANY avenues for financial aid. He will be assigned a financial aid counselor and you need to call up there right now, TODAY (if he is planning on attending this fall semester in about 5 weeks) and go talk to the immediately. Do you know the FASFA website? Have you filled it out? You MUST fill it out, it will be processed and sent to the university, then they will send him an award letter and you can go from there.

Now, student loans are not bad debt at all. It is an investment in your future. Just make sure you are borrowing responsibly an amount that can be paid back easily. As well, it will not hurt him one bit to pay his own student loans back and/or you pay just part of them. He should have to be payint and investing in his OWN future.

He probably needs to find a part-time job, period. Nothing wrong with that. It will teach him discipline and show you whether he is serious about an education or not. If he has registered already (and he should have if he is attending this fall ... if he hasn't and wants to go, REGISTER TODAY)...you know when his classes are and he can hit the pavement today on finding a part-time job.

You've have a bad experience as far as academic counseling at the junior college -- at least from your description, I would call that near idiocy. At the U, he will have to claim a major and it should have a sports program so that should not be a problem. Do NOT---NOT---NOT---NOT just "put him in a major". This is his education. It must be what HE wants.

There's not a lot you can do until you:
1) Fill out that FASFA and process it
2) Call the U, physically go in with your son and see a Financial Aid Advisor
3) Register, see your Academic Advisor and get your classes

If I can help you in anyway, let me know.
I had it in college
I went for PT - they did u/s and massage and heat application. Also, I received medication via (I am going to get this wrong I think) iontophoresis.

I had to change the way I held my food trays (I was a waitress) and do some exercises with a one pound weight.

It resolved with cessation of what was causing the problem in the first place. Every so often it comes close to flaring back up if I am not careful. Now my big problem is mild tendinitis in my thumb .

I never needed surgery though I have heard some people do if it gets really bad.

Did they do the Finklestein test (is that what its called?) on you to dx it? Its where they have you make a fist and then they flex your wrist down. I yelped and almost kicked the dr!

Good luck.
What did you go to college for? nM
x
I was in college before
I attended college off and on from 1989 - 1997. It will only take me a year to complete what I started.
college or not (I did) - what you do....sm

What a person does for their entire lifetime is a career, a profession.  Some of us went to college, some graduated, some never went to college.  Who cares?  I spent 27 years doing this so yep, it has become my profession......worked Wall Street for 3 years in the 60s-70s, well that was my profession at the time (decade).  Worked restaurants as a kitchen manager for 5 years - that was my profession during those 5 years and what a chef I am....*LOL*


Worked in a major teaching hospital for 10 years PRIOR to doing full-time MT work.....so yep - the medical profession is my profession and I'm a paraprofessional !!!


Dream on..........


For College - sm
You may want to check with the school. At FSU, your laptop needs to have specific programs/capabilities if you want to take it to class with you to use in class, and also to download from their blackboard on the internet.

My tech also agrees Toshibas are the best and I was lucky that the Toshiba was compatible with many of the requirements.
college or not
I graduated in 2004 with an Associate Degree in Medical Office Administration, Office Systems Technology, when I was 18 yrs. old I went to nursing school and then worked a few years as an LPN. I don't regret my college or degrade college in any way, but, most employers want an experienced MT but won't give anyone a chance to prove that someone just starting out can do the job.I am now 50 years old, taking care of my disabled husband and CAN NOT get a job at home working as a medical transcriptionist, and can't afford to take the extra tutoring that some suggest. I would just like a chance to make a living, not a bunch of money, just enough to pay my bills.
They are not gone...they just went to college--sm
They will be around more than you think....when they need money...when they need their laundry done...and, of course, holidays. They will miss you too, I am sure. You won't be nearly as lonely as you think you are going to be. lol
College

I have 2 kids in college, one I helped on the front end and because of this career, one I will have to help on the back end (meaning help him pay off his loans while he is in school instead of giving him money up front).  The Stafford loans have very low interest rates right now, the rates went down.  I live in Western NY and there are 2 MT jobs that I know of at one hospital.  The other hospitals don't have inhouse transcriptionists.  One uses a service (used to be my competitor) and they are giving all new residents laptops for EMR and the other gave all their doctors laptops 2 years ago.  I'm tired of MTing to be honest, 10-12 hour days, 7 days a week, first as MTSO as qualified people were hard to come by and then because either the service didn't pay, didn't pay on time or didn't have any work so I have needed to work for more than one.  I would love to do anything else.


Thanks - I have 1 in college and 1 soon to be..nm
x
kid drinks in college
And what are you gonna do if you kid does drink at college??  Kidnap him/her and deprogram them?  They are adults when they are in college.  I would hope by the time a child gets to be 17, 18, they have been taught right from wrong and no I would not want to know if my child was partying and drinking in college.  They are living a normal young adults life.  I would want to know he/she is having fun and doing their studies and, of course, if they became a drug addict or alcoholic, they I will be there but normal partying for young adults, Im okay with that..better than being tied to my apron strings.
Paying for college for my son..

My son is attending college and I have paid for 2 years through a junior college, but it is now time for him to move to a major university. Because of my salary of just over $40,000 a year, he has never qualified for any type of scholarship, only student loans (which I have paid back). Does anyone know of ANY scholarships, etc. that can be applied for? I know nothing at all about how the system works and feel I have failed in trying to help him (it's all I can do to hold down 2 jobs in order to make the $40,000). We even tried to have him set up on a student work program, but they said you could not do the student work program if you were getting student loans. It was like at every turn, there was something to disqualify him from getting assistance. He carries an 'average' grade point (more interested in social aspects, of course, than his studies). He has never had a counselor at the junior college that helped much. He is interested in sports administration, so the junior college counselor did not know what field to put him in, so she put him in liberal arts, and now we find he needs some other classes instead. I'm searching for any help with limited time to search. He tries, but he does not seem to get anywhere either.   ANYTHING ideas would be appreciated, and thanks in advance.


Do you have a college degree, and in what?
I know there are MTs out there who have Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degrees.  According to other posters, those of us with higher education who choose to do MT are pitiful.
48-1/2 WF, M, 2 kids, 1 to college
/
2 kids in college
I have 2 kids in collge, 1 in state and 1 out of state. My daughter's financial aid (out of state) is based on my income because she is still considered a dependent (she lives in dorm). My son's financial aid (in state GA) is based on his income because he is independent. The difference is if the student has a lease for rent in their name, they are considered independent and it is based on their income. Depending on what you and hubby make, he might be better off on his own financial aid wise for college. Both of my kids get about the same in federal financial aid ( I am considered lower end of income - long story) Both of my kids get pell grant and also get the subsidized and unsubsidized loans from government. College is very expensive even if they go to a local community university/college. Hope this helps
what are you studying in college?
xx
WHERE DOES YOU CHILDREN GO TO COLLEGE sm

Maybe our children go to the same college.   


 


I will start


One daughter goes to Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.  The other daughter will be going to UMass at Amerst in the fall.  


What are you studying in college? nm
xx
No I never said that, they paid for college, I only - sm
helped with incidentals. I did not have too, I wanted to. They did not say I had to work but I wanted to contribute as much as I could to the expenses. Art supplies and books are not cheap and I told them I would take care of that. I spent about $2K a year in art supplies alone, w/o food. My first 2 years they paid tuition and board in the dorm, my Jr. & Sr. year I got an apartment which I shared with 1 person the first year, and the next year I got a bigger apt. and shared with 2 people, cutting the rent cost in the process. I also covered my butt by subletting in the Summer so they would not get stuck paying rent on my empty room (though I would have paid that from my summer job if it had happened). In no way do I think I put myself through college. All I did was try to save my parents some cash and be as self-sufficient as I could in the circumstances. I am very grateful for what they did for me. During 2 of my years in college they were shelling out $15K a year for my older brother to go to Drexel (his tuition and apartment), so they had their plate full. Luckily my dad had it all covered through extremely wise investments when I was just a little girl. I have been extremely fortunate but I never expected it all to be handed to me on a plate, and I have never said "oh, I put myself through college", what a load.
I also went to a community college
and never had any problems finding a job. In fact, I got my first job at home before I was even finished with school. I took all my classes online and have worked from home for the past 3 years here with my kids. I say go for it!
Actually I did go to college and I'm not bitter at all....sm
Just realistic, as I said. Obviously you've not found the right company - there are out there, believe me. But the previous poster did say it correctly - if you were working in an office with your degree, you couldn't just jump up and run. An MTSO or company has a business to run, too. I schedule my appointments after my working hours - pretty simple it seems to me.
Free college in GA?
Is that a statewide program?  What do you have to do to qualify for it?
Not so. You can go to college and work
around classes. That does not prohibit you from obtaining unemployment.
Not so. You can go to college and work
around classes. That does not prohibit you from obtaining unemployment.
College and unemployment
My son is going to college because his boss of two years told him he couldn't use him this semester even though my son could prove he was available for the same amount of hours he had always been available for and he has been going to school the whole time he worked for him.
you don't want to know if your child drinks at college? (sm)
I am praying for you and your daughter. Honey, you had better get your head out of the sand and make it perfectly clear to your daughter, whether at college, home, friends, etc, it is not a good idea for a young girl to drink and lose control or insight into what is going on around her.  That is just asking for something horrible to happen.  Please talk to your daughter! Don't turn your back on something potentially dangerous to your child! When all is said and done, she is still your child, your responsibility, and God forbid something horrible happens to her, you will be blamed.
A college professor I had explained it like this...

We all have "breaking point" for getting cancer.  Has a lot to do with your immune system and what you are doing to your body, i.e. smoking.  One person smokes and gets cancer at 38  _____1_____________ and the next person smokes and gets cancer at 78 _______________1____.  It's individual and you just never know.  However, the fact that a person gets cancer 10 years after quitting cigarettes doesn't mean they wouldn't have gotten it if they had continued to smoke.  Probably would have gotten it sooner, but since the prior smoking has done it's damage, they got it anyway. 


I heard that if you quit before age 35 you can usually reverse the damage and your risk factors, but after that, there's no going back in a big way.  The damage is done. 


Health Insurance in College
At all the college i went to, they had their own health insurance that a student could subscribe to while they attended there. Now I went full time at each college and that may be a prerequisite. So I would have him check there before searching out some expensive private plan.

I would check out what all they covered, but if I remember correctly, it was very comprehensive.

Hope this helps.

R
I read that about the college exams! sm

I don't think my son will have a problem. He wants to be a pharmacist. I've tried to talk him out of it and have tried to have him concentrate on his writing.


He has written several stories that have won awards.


Pharmacists are being held up at gunpoint for OxyContin. Scares the jeez out of me!


Oh well, you gotta let them choose what they want to do for a career unless they decide to deal drugs instead of dispense them legally.


Met at a beer blast in college -nm
X
Forgetting to hang up - got me my job in college
I actually got my transcription job in college when the original Transcriptionist find out she was getting fired. The doctor didn't shut off the recorder and he and his partners started discussing putting an ad in the Sunday paper for her job. She quit - I walked in the next day (before the ad was ever placed) just going from office to office dropping off resumes and voila - MY LUCK ... well, not really. It was a horrible place to work and I ended up quitting after 3 months.