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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

ok, i'll bite, where do you live that you need

Posted By: a/c this time of year? on 2006-02-02
In Reply to: AIR-CONDITIONER - Dixiekaye

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I'll bite....

1. How long have you worked as a medical transcriptionist?


18 years



2. What certification have you received?


Just medical secretarial certificate and Microsoft applications though a local hospital that offered classes on-site.



3. What attracted you to pursuing a career in medical transcription?


The money.  It paid more than the unit clerks at the hospital.



4. What type of environment do you work in (i.e. from home, physician’s office, hospital, other).


Home currently.  Hospital for 17 years (benefits were not that great and hourly pay was awful.)



5. What do you think are the most important skills a medical Transcriptionist should have?


Speed of typing.  Good ears.  Able to stay in an office chair for lengthy periods of time.



6. Did some skills come naturally to you, while others required more practice?


It all came pretty natural once the money started rolling in.



7. In addition to transcribing medical reports, do you engage in other forms of business writing while on the job (such as memos, proposals, or progress reports, etc.) to clients, coworkers, or supervisors? Please explain.


All of the above.  I have my own clients.  I have written plenty of e-mails.



8. What do you think is the most difficult aspect of medical transcription?


Transcribing a specialty I am not familiar with or am not particularly fond of, but one's gotta do what one's gotta do.



9. What do you find to be the easiest aspect of medical transcription?


Cashing my check at the bank.



10. As a medical transcriptionist, do you often need to collaborate with others to ensure that all the information in your reports is correct?


Hardly ever.  After 18 years, I pretty much got it down pat. 


This is not really meant to be funny; just another honest opinion from a fairly young MT that's been around a long time in this business! 


Okay, I'll bite because I'm curious too - sm
I work 8 hours a day, sometimes a little less, do an average of 2000 lines per day. Depending on how many days in the pay period, 20000 to 22000+ lines per pay period.

Don't know what is above average tho.
I'll bite. You did install on your new computer,
right? Because that alone is a monster problem....
OK, I'll bite -what on earth does the East Coast have to do with it?
Please enlighten me!
Okay, I'll bite and respond but I hope it isn't over your head
Here is what I did. I've had ST for years. I got the updated Stedman's ST. I don't know if you have the comuter skills to do this and this is why I am concerned you still think it's over your head or I'm not trying to help.

All the words in ST are also in the spellcheck. If you use ST, the words on put on your document from Smartype are spelled correctly AUTOMATICALLY. The Stedman's ST was overhauled in 2004 and has all the medications and surgical terms up until then. Now, if you want those words in your own spellcheck without buying their spellcheck, you can add the ST words into your dictionary in two ways.

The first is as you type and spell check at the end of each report.

The second is to convert the ST program into a text file (please go to productivity board for help doing this if you don't know how). Once it is in a text document, run your spellcheck on the entire document and add all the words at one time to your own spellcheck. This may take 2 full days of doing nothing else as the text file is huge. Also, you would need to take out any abbreviated forms first (anything where xxx=xxxxxxxx) so you don't add abbreviated words to your spellcheck. That takes another day's work.

Now, to update from 2004 to today, go to prescribing reference, register and copy all the new medications from the last 2 years onto a blank document, run spellcheck and add those to your spellcheck.

Now go to the Stedman's web site and sign up for the 30-day free trial and letter by letter copy their surgical word list onto a blank document. Run spellcheck to add those words to your spellcheck.


So now ask yourself, if it takes me 5 days to get a spellcheck I didn't have to pay for, how much income did I lose, how much time not getting a job did I lose and was it worth saving a few bucks?

Your choice. I've been around the block a time or two and know that trying to cut corners on how you earn your money isn't smart in this business.
Where do you live - I'll adopt her! nm
You can just list the state. If you are nearby, I will come get her.

I have a 3 year old golden retriever at home and she needs a furry friend.
Give it up and enjoy your vacation! They'll live w/o you for a few days.You're allowed! :) nm
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VR has taken a bite, but
a really good radiology MT can save the radiologist a lot of time, especially if the MT works in-house. Both radiology jobs I've had, a good bit of the quality control I have done has been making sure orders were correct and figuring out left/right discrepancies, etc. I can only imagine how many errors go out if the MT doesn't have the paperwork in front of her to check for tech and radiologist errors. I fix problems all day long, and VR can't do that.
I probably shouldn't bite, but (sm)
Almost $30,000 (including July SE bonus).

Medquist.

Shift differential.

Incentive bonus (over 17,000 lines/pp) met 50% of pay periods.

Quarterly bonus for SEs (at least $500 per quarter).

Work 40 hours per week, sometimes more if I work an occasional weekend.

Two kids at home, over 17, but neither drive (boo me).

No husband or boyfriend.

I have as much of a life as I want.


Bite your tongue!!!!!! LOL. nm
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Spider bite?
Has anyone every been bit by a spider? Isn't an ER doctor suppose to be able to identify a poison spider.  I got bit yesterday on the left thumb.  I would not have worried about it if was anywhere else or the fact that I was alone with no wheels.  My husband had just left to go to a ball game.I called him to tell him that I had just been bitten (He hates spiders, he had been bitten by one and spent two weeks on crutches).  He comes home to take me to the emergency room along with the dazed spider.  The doctor could not tell what kind of spider it was.  My husband had looked it up on the net and it seemed to be a brown recluse.  The ER doctor said there was really nothing to do except give me a Benadryl (I never take medicine or go to the doctor) and antibiotics to take if I see an infection starting and kept me for 30 minutes in case of a reaction.  In the meantime, my husband (a science teacher) goes to his classroom (school is next to the hospital) to put the spider under the microscope and do more research on the spider.  As it turns out, the spider was not a brown recluse but a brown house spider often mistaken for one.  The only way to tell the difference is the number of eyes.  LOL.  Anyway, I felt so foolish and because taking the Benadryl was out like a light the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Wasted the rest of my day. 
DSM-IV is about to bite the dust and the DSM-V is on its way. sm

And shame on you anyway.  What psychologists do, how they do it, what they call it and how they diagnose is not always consistent with medical diagnoses.  The ugly word "retardation" is only one example of this.


I'd like to see you find a doctor and a psychologist who can agree on the differences between situational depression, major depression and recurrent depression, and how they should best be treated.  An MD wants drug therapy.  A PhD wants psychotherapy.  When you have a certain type of hammer, everything looks like your special kind of nail.


I am finished with my shift and I come in for a visit, but I am not on here all day complaining about doctors or bashing my fellow MTs.  Glad YOU don't have a job that takes your time and attention because YOU could not be on here all day to stir the pot.


I would probably bite the bullet this ...sm
time BUT I would make it clear that next time I would not. I would tell them that they have to let you know which patients have already been done. You have no way of knowing.
Too bad we can't have that sound bite..the CB teacher one! LOL
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Dogs don't usually bite because of a health problem. sm

Most dogs bite out of fear.  Dogs also bite because they are establishing/maintaining their place in the family pack. These are the two most common reasons dogs bite. I would never trust a dog that you have raised.


If I was a dog over there, I would bite way more than 360 people. Dogs are smart and they know they
s
Yes, they bite..and scream like children. CREEPY!!! EEWWW!! LOL
..
Bethany Hamilton..surfer girl who lost her arm to shark bite. nm
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why no, i don't live in snobville. did you think you knew me? i live in heritage hills a suburb
it takes a little longer to get to work and shopping but thank god i have some privacy and am away from the congestion.  lovely trees and lakes all around.  maybe about 20 minutes to a large shopping mall.  but no, i don't even know where snobville is.
why yes the quality of air where i live is quite different than where the city people live.
Lots of pollution.  That's why everyone is moving away from the city and areas zoned for multiple housing units and low income housing and trailer parks.  Population is dense and near manufacturing.  So yes, the air is different but millions of people pay a little extra for the quality, the space and privacy afforded to those who move out of polluted crowded areas such as you defend.  There is always a reason why some areas and housing is cheaper than others.  Maybe it is the air and maybe it's something you can't quite put your finger on but you know you would prefer not to live in certain areas.  You know what I mean or are you living in one of those areas?  They tell after awhile you block out the sounds, the smells and get used to the pollution.  I don't know.  I didn't stay long enough to test the theory.  My mental and physical health is way too important to me. 
I know they live a long time, so if there is a chance they will out live you - sm
make sure you make provisions for them in your will. I have only had cockatiels and some finches, so don't really know anything about the bigger birds. I love African Grey's but they are very expensive.
Live and let live. Don't force your lifestyle on me.
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I used to live in MN now I live in MS and they were both cold last night!
Will take MS cold over MN cold any day, and I don't miss the snow. I miss the Mall of America, though!
I live in PA, can I help? If they are close to where I live, I would go check them out for ya!
Where in PA is this company?
It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
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I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
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No. It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get, and it's unnecessary
s
You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
When I broke my ankle, I was just grateful it wasn't the hands. Without our hands we'd be totally screwed.

I broke my right ankle slipping on ice and was lucky to have gloves on because the palm of the glove was totally torn up and my hand was okay.

Good luck and be sure to do your exercises when it is time.
It'll happen. You'll find your fit.
You might have to kiss a few frogs first, though.
Oh she'll spice it up alright, she'll be
placing hidden cameras in the other ladies' dressing rooms! LOL!
continue your goal; he'll/they'll get used to it/over it
nm
I'll vent and I'll sign my name sm
I have two IC contracts right now. I recently went back to a job I had quit earlier in the year to work for the other company I am still working for.

The newer job has 80% ESLs. I transcribe OP notes primarily and I can fill in other work types as the opportunity arises. I am frustrated with this particular situation. After 6 months, I am making less money and working longer hours. I am past the learning curve and I should be doing better, at least in the number of hours I am spending doing the job. We have run out of work for 24 hrs at a time at least 5 or 6 times since December 1, and in November it was more than that. I have a friend who worked for this company as well and she was having similar difficulties. The only thing that we can figure is that they are shorting us line count some way, because after 6 months at it, it should be easier/faster/more money, but it is less and less every single pay period. It is not a nice thing to accuse a company of doing, but it SEEMS that way to us. I am fed up with being expected to type every single OP note that comes in 24/7 and meeting the 6 hr TAT for them on weekends, evenings, holidays, wee hours of the morning...

I took back a job I held for 2-1/2 yrs. The team leader has changed and this gal thinks that I should be on call 24/7 for whenever she has work. I might have some at 7 a.m., or perhaps not until 6 p.m. or later. I can't plan my personal life and between these two IC situations, I find that I am not eating on a daily basis, not showering on a daily basis and not sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have lost weight and I don't feel very well. I woke up today with a rip roaring head cold (my first in nearly 8 yrs) and it has already moved to bronchitis and I am expecting pneumonia by the weekend because I develop it very easily. I already have deep pain in my back.

Yes, I should call in sick tomorrow, but I really can't take the fallout. The job I took back I am covering for another gal who wanted vacation over the holidays and if I have to call in sick, the team leader will call me and pitch a fit about how this is my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, I did say I would do it, and I will do it, despite being quite ill. In the past, when I worked for this company, they would not allow me to call in sick for a "cold" without a doctor's note. I worked through many illnesses with them and only called in sick when I developed West Nile Fever and while I was sick for over a month, I only called for my last 12 reports one day when I could no longer see the computer screen because my head hurt.

The problem is that yes, many MTs lack work ethic. They don't take their responsibility seriously. This is not a work as you please career, not even for an IC. I can see the MTSO's point of view, I truly can. Like finding experienced, reliable and capable MTs, for the MTs who are these things, finding a company will treat you like a human being is equally difficult. I sit here, feeling lousy and like I am an utter slave labor with no consideration whatsoever. I know that my work needs to be done, but when I am this sick it is better that someone else do it for the sake of the work, for accuracy and for speed of getting it out. I know that I am needed, but to be the MT these companies need me to be, I also need to look after my own health.

I will also mention that when I have asked for vacation, I have been approved for the time, but the MTSO queues up my work and calls me then I am not on the system getting it done. I have told them I had been approved for time off, but the MTSO didn't schedule anyone to cover for me and I am told to get on work, vacation or no, if I want to keep my job.

Thus, I work 24/7/365 and have for years. I work sick, I work when I am in pain (I have an AI disorder), I work exhausted from staying up all night covering for others who are allowed to call in sick and have vacations when I can't have either. I work having no health insurance and not being able to afford the $125 a month to buy some with a high copay so I can see a doctor. I work without breaks for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I sometimes come close to having an accident because if I leave my desk to go to the little girls' room I get nasty calls about where I am at and what I am doing.

Many MTs are mistreated, and I am one of them.
You must live where I live. I ran into the same sort of SM
situation when I was the president-elect of the local chapter and the VP-elect of the state chapter. I bailed out. There was no fighting it.
LOL! Don't live in NH. Live in ConnectiTAX. LOL NM
NM
Can you live on 7.75 cpl or do you need 9.5 cpl. If I could live at the lower, that is what I
:+
Each state has different laws. Where I live, if I have clients in the same state I live in, yes I ne
have clients from another state, no I do not need a license. Every state is different. I checked with my attorney and the State Business offices.
Tell him you'll give him your macros if he'll give you his Lexus, his ski cabin, and (nm)
;p
Control. I'll still get OT though. And you'll
still sit and complain!


I'll join you on that one, I'll be 58
@@@@
I don't. It's not available where I live (sm

I go to my mom's and flip through and don't miss it at all.  All of her stations and hardly anything on to watch.


OMG - how do you live without TV?....I'd die
without my sports! Football season is here, college all day Saturday, NFL all day Sunday, and Monday Night. As well as NHL is back. I would die without my TV.

Not to mention 24 hours on Monday night, Boston Legal on Tuesday night, ER on Thursday night, Law & Order and CSI other nights, as well as my HBO and Max for movies.

Don't know how you do it, but bless you!
Where do you live?
I'm tired of it, too.  I would love to be able to go outside without getting heatstroke!  My animals are in the house all the time, too.  Too hot for them to be outside.
Or go live over there with them
:)
Maybe you could go live in NO
nm
You only live once....
No, sorry for you! Wise up and have some fun - you live only once you know!
Actually where I live...
Its on at 11 a.m. - still 2 darn early for me (night shifter)....but yeah, that show can be addicting.
I live in PA and it is 2.69 where I live. nm
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Where do you live?
In the Northeast? 
I don't know where you live, but
in Houston, illegals are a real problem.

That is the problem though. They come in the food stamp office driving 30,000+ cars! I cannot get my daughter in headstart because we make too much money. We do not get reduced lunch, and I am fine with that. I would like to have her in the same school as my son though. I even offered to pay for it! Every parent during my son's orientation, everyone, who was sitting there getting their reduced lunch approved and were in there for the headstart had kids wearing Air Jordans and the like. My kids had Wal-Mart shoes on! I see people using food stamps who are wearing Hilfiger. It is crazy. They should be held accountable. If you get on assistance, you should have to, mandatory, complete job training. You should be required to prove you were looking for a job. If we have to, they should do home checks! They say you have to look for a job, fax resumes, but it is not consistently followed up on. They have job training, but it is not mandatory. We should hold them accountable. If we did, it would not be so easy to live off the system.

My mom didn't get any assistance either. The only thing she applied for was the counseling, which she could not get. That is it. She worked 2 jobs as long as I can remember. We didn't have anything either. I got teased many times for my clothes. Then she finally got us out of the bad neighborhood into a good school district and I was going to school with kids driving cars worth as much as my house. That is okay though, because it made me a better person. It made me respect the value of a dollar, work hard for what I want, etc. My mother taught me those things through the hardships she had to go through and me seeing her work so hard. When you have a welfare family, that same mentality is only passed on. Until we do something to change that and hold them accountable, you are just breeding more and more that will expect the same things.



I live.....
I live in NY state!
She was asking about a SO that does NOT live with you.