I've mentored AHP newbies, too, and they lack SO much basic
Posted By: information and skills. Stick with the recommended on 2007-11-10
In Reply to: Usually here we recommend (sm) - Z
s
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I've always mentored someone along the way. Have 2 now that I'm working with. Can't take on
,
I've mentored several people and only 1 could cut it
It really takes a lot to be a mentor one-on-one with someone entering this field. My experience has been that there is an attitude of entitlement (not that I'm saying this about YOU personally, your mileage may vary). It's as though I am supposed to overlook the lack of pervserverance to research words because I'm there as the buffer to fall back on....like just don't worry about, Milton will pick up the slack so I can just get a higher line count.
Once I actually offered to mentor on the condition of being paid for my efforts and I was accused of being a scheister just into it for the money. The deal was that I would mentor the person until I could help them get a job and after two months of being gainfully employed (all the time answering questions), my pay would be equal to 2 weeks pay of the person I mentored. Now, I'm investing all this time and effort into the situation for potentially months on end and then I'm accused of being into it for a couple hundred dollars?? I make that in a day of transcribing so that got me out of being interested in mentoring.
I had no mentor, I had no QA feedback, I worked from home, didn't have the electronic resources that are available today, worked mostly 12 hour days usually 6 to 7 days a week and I made very little my first year but doubled my income every year for 4 years until I hit a plataeu and now pay is going down for reasons beyond my control.
If you don't have the dedication to making yourself a success, you may find a mentor who gives up on you and you'll be feeling as though you are a victim. Don't count on a mentor. Count on yourself. Best of luck.
Linked the website. They've never responded the few times I've tried. nm
,
lack of confidence
Hello everyone ~ I'm brand new to this site
I'm still a student and have a ways to go before graduating from my online school. (US Career Institute).
I was wondering if anyone else is or was worried about whether or not they'd do a good job as a transcriptionist. I'm getting very nervous, as graduation is nearing and have been procrastinating as a result. I suppose it's because I haven't worked outside the home in over 15 years, and this is a new career.
It would be great if someone could relate, then I wouldn't feel like the only one!
Thanks for listening! :)
lack of confidence
I've been in your shoes, Sharon, and all I can say is to go for it! I also found myself dragging my feet a little just because I had that 'fear of failure' thing going on, even though I knew this was what I wanted to do. It takes a LOT of courage to start a new career, especially if you have been out of the workforce for a long time (I was too!). This is not an easy job, but if you study really hard, pay attention to detail, and just push through when you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, at the end of the day you will feel great about what you have accomplished. After you get through with a particularly difficult dictator or report, you'll think, "Wow, I did that!" It's very satisfying, which is good, since you won't make much in the way of $$ for quite some time! Hang in there and study hard!
Lack of confidence
Everyone goes through this self-doubt phase when you first start, but trust me, with time and a little experience, you will find yourself sailing along and rarely having to look anything up. When I first started, I found myself questioning everything. That goes away with time. Just get your feet wet and go for it.
lack of confidence
Thank you EM! I do feel better :o)
Re: Lack of confidence
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it :o) Hopefully I'll see you and EN around the boards soon.
Re: Lack of confidence
Thank you so much! USCI is a really great school huh? I really do like them. I'm on lesson 32 ~ the only thing I really have a problem with is commas and colons..LOL
It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and I learned them the wrong way growing up I guess.
Best of luck to you and finding your perfect job!
so you've been MT'ing for 6 months and I've been at it for 25 years but I don't know
what I'm talking about...that's a good one. The purpose of this board is for experienced MT's to give information to new MT's. One of the developments in this field is its recent downturn. We have a responsibility to be upfront with what we see, know and any conclusions we might draw. With less than 1 year of experience in the field, I hardly think you're in a position to give an educated answer regarding things like job markets, global influences and technological challenges. But then again, people like to only listen to things they like to hear...so have at it!
Your punctuation or lack of drives me batty.
Yes it is hard to get a job w/o having experience. You don't make much money starting out, but how much you make depends on how many lines you can produce. It is doubtful you'll make more than minimum wage for several months.
Yes! Let's encourage lack of education and bumbling into jobs
That should be our goal. Talk people out of education. Years ago most people did exactly what the poster described. In fact, there were few schools and the ones that did exist were pretty much useless. They still exist, but they have bad reputations. Why you would think that one person's success story is a slam against schools that give a solid education? That's a rhetorical question. I don't think I want to know. I think I already have a good idea. As someone said, it's jealousy.
basic 4 is
OPS, Discharge, H&P, and Consults (hospital notes)
Basic 4
What does the basic 4 consist of?
Basic 4
Just wanted to be sure what the basic 4 is referring to. I think it means like ER, h&p, radiology or something like that? Thanks. 
Basic 4
History and Physicals
Operative Reports
Discharge Summary
Clinic Notes
are the basic 4
I've never heard of that school, and I've
been doing this for nearly 20 years. Maybe they have in Canada, but in case you work for a company in the US, you might want to consider M-Tec and Andrews. They are on-line and their students get jobs when they graduate because they are in demand. Again, not sure how much it will complicate getting work since you live in Canada, but I think you should at least compare the programs closely.
Are these the basic problems with MQ?
Is it that the grumbles with Medquist from MTs that they put in voice recognition software? That technology sucks everywhere. Everyone who does voice recognition has to clean those suckers up, it's awful and very time consuming. Is that along with the fact that supervisors are not as attentive (or in some cases too attentive) the main problems?
I am looking to hire on with a company for the long haul and possibly retire with (or at least reach social security). I don't need a mansion on a hill or a brand new double wide in a park. I just need a basic, dependable MT job that I can count on for being able to earn a regular paycheck.
In some threads, I get the impression there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. In other threads, I get the understanding that there are too many indians altogether, therefore not enough work to go around. Across the board I get the understanding that the "higher ups," for lack of better words, don't communicate well between themselves or with the MTs. Could someone at least tell me if that much is correct?
Thanks.
Basic 4 = HP, Consults, DS, and OPs.
Acute care may contain ER notes if you are lucky, but will usually contain the basic 4 plus more procedure notes like cardiac studies, and a wider mix with wound care clinic notes, possibly rad-onc clinic notes, just depends on the hospital's specialty. Or the terms can be used fairly interchangeably.
The main focus of hospital work is the basic 4, but on some accounts they will say with OP notes and others without OP notes, because (I believe) some MTs will sign up to just do OP notes because they are their favorite. With a smaller hospital you are more likely to have a mix with little departmental procedures, IME, and larger hospitals tend to just have a service do the basic 4, again, IME.
learn the basic tricks. sm
learn how to set up templates with field codes (F11 to jump). Learn how to set up your expander. If you don't have a clue look into the ABCZ system. Use Google to search for information on this. If you are stuck using autocorrect instead of a better Expander learn how to enter words quickly w/o a mouse (alt t a to open it. then tab then enter). These will save you a LOT of time entering or editing your entries.
Very basic question about x-rays
Can someone clarify this for me.
When the doc states, "X-ray, AP and lateral" - Does it mean that the x-ray was taken front to back (AP) and in the lateral plane?
For a while I was thinking that AP was one film and lateral was another, but I wonder, because the docs keep saying "shows" (indicating by their grammar that it is one film) instead of "show". I feel kind of dumb not knowing this. I looked in my reference that describes all of the different ways to take an x-ray but still can't clarify it.
Thanks
It's hospital work. The basic four.
because the larger companies can handle the larger hospital accounts. Acute care just means hospital work as opposed to clinic, which would be physician offices, i.e., family practice, cardiology, nephrology, etc.
Acute care is also called basic 4, which is
H&Ps, discharges, Ops, and consults. Clinic can vary from a doctor's office to an in-hospital clinic. The in-hospital clinic might be a little more technical than an office and the format may/may not be similar.
In my experience clinical is not a lot of medical terminology and the drugs tend to be the same ones over and over again. I liked doing clinic work in that I knew what sickness was going around and what the recommended course of treatment was. With clinical dictation you also tend to have the same doctors every time so you get to know them and can make lots of normals, which will have you producing more lines. It can get boring though to have the same person over and over.
The line rate is usually higher for acute care too.
Don't worry - you'll learn all that basic stuff
in school. They used to teach it in secretarial classes, of course, but if you know you want to be an MT, go to one of the top schools (M-Tec and Andrews), and you will be ready when it's time to test.
Basic 4 hospital work - history and physical, discharge summaries, operative notes, and consults. nm
s
I've also done both
As an LPN of 16 years years and an MT of two years, I can attest to the fact that the pay is better in nursing, but the stress is FAR greater. Yes, there is a huge demand for nurses alright. You will be doing much more than your own share of work. Support and back up is often not available (though not admitted to by administration), you often will not be able to care for patients as you were taught and know they should be cared for, your body will ache everyday (provided you don't get an actual physical injury that will always be your fault for "lack of technique") and your feet will scream in agony from being on them day after day all day frequently for 12 and 16 hour shifts. You may find yourself forced to work over a second shift because your relief person simply doesn't show up, don't expect your daycare or babysitter to be understanding of that - it won't be "their problem" but you can't leave your patients without coverage, which means you will be stuck.
Most patients are decent, just ill, in pain, therapy or basically maintenance. Other patients are going to spit on you, kick, hit, pinch, scratch, gouge their nails into you, bite, scream, yell, curse, throw things at you (food, medications, equipment, feces, whatever they can get their hands on). Then there's the unintentonal things too, such as sneezing or coughing in your face, vomiting on you or passing gas.
Administration always talks about how nursing is a 24/7 job, that what one nurse can't get done in her/his shift, the next one can pick up. That's bull! If you miss something or don't miraculously get it done, they are all over you like white on rice and writing you up one wall and down the other! It is not legal to have to work through your lunch and breaks, but you will eventually. Don't think you won't! You will also find yourself clocking out and going back to finish whatever you need to for your shift. You can't even report staff or administrative abuses to authorities because of HIPAA and confidentiality clauses, there is no protective whistle-blower clause in nursing. That's a good way to get yourself fired and blackballed, then you can't work anywhere in the same area.
Most doctors are okay, others are pure asses. If you want to be a nurse, do yourself a favor and only be an RN. That way you will get paid much better and have at least two levels below you to delegate to - the LPN and CNA.
When I went into nursing, I considered it an honor, the most noble thing I could do for God and my fellow man. I have since found it to be the most brutal profession of my life. Short of professional boxing, I don't really know what would be worse. You will be thrown around as a nurse some time or another and jerked around by DONs and others in supervisory or administrative roles even more frequently. When I got my last beating, all I did was start walking down a hall in response to a staff member calling my name. I went to assist her, didn't know what I was walking into till I was up against a wall getting my head punched by a 6' schizophrenic man. And, of course since he was a patient, he couldn't be blamed or "responsible" for his actions" and I couldn't do anything aobut it but feel the pain.
And as if that isn't enough, there are many people with dangerous, negative attitudes that won't life a finger to help anyone that they are not forced to do (as if that wasn't what they are paid to do in the first place!). Some people are just mean and nasty to work with. You probably get that anywhere, but you WILL get it in nursing - especially nursing homes.
Speaking only for myself, I find taking the pay cut and working behind the scenes from my own home to be safer and much more satisfying. I would never have thought that 16 years ago. No one could have convinced me that anything I've just said here was true, now I've lived it. Maybe MTSOs are not the most caring souls out there for MTs, but healthcare administratrators and DONs are not either. Nurses are in huge demand because the support and working conditions are horrifying. The older the nurse gets, the less resilient. There may be some great nurse positions out there, but I never found any that lasted. That usually changed with the next DON that came along.
Good luck to you in whatever you choose. If you choose nursing, I hope you have a better life experience than I have had. As far as MT goes, it is an evolving field. VR cannot do the job alone, someone needs to go over each one. I wish you peace and happiness.
You've never taken
a class on making friends and influencing people, have you? Ha! Usually it works best not to insult the natives and then ask for the favor of information. Fortunately I have a sense of humor.
Since you have never made a lot of money anyway, the pay isn't going to bother you, right? If you are motivated you can certainly make more than $16,000. I would not have recommended CS as the best place to take off from, but it may be enough for you since you are good at English.
However, are certainly careers in the medical field that pay much higher if you could go to school for 2+ years. Most of them have a more certain future than this one.
But if you want to try this one, have a go. Nobody will stop you, and I'm sure you'll be able to find decent work, at least for a while.
Yes you do, around $400. It's a little less if you've already been
s
I've got a JOB!
I don't know how much the start out pay is, when we get paid, or any of the details, but I am so excited I can't hardly see straight. I passed a test. All of my effort has paid off. All I can say to all of my other fellow newbies, is that it takes a while, but don't give up. Someone, somewhere, will give you a chance. I'm so happy, and life seems a little less bleak. Thanks for everyone's advice, and support. Without you guys, I would have given up, and went back to flipping burgers.
I've done a little GT... *sm*
It's not easy. I have found that medical transcription is straightforward and somewhat predictable, GT is usually not. It is particularly difficult if you have multiple speakers. I would take MT any day of the week. BUT if it is something you are interested in, then you should try it. There are a lot of forums where you can pick up overflow or you can test with some GT companies.
I've
run out of small companies to apply for.
1look.com is the best I've seen. nm
xxxsxxx
I've never heard of them, but you should really
ask on the company board.
I've had that problem before, too.
I'd sit there all day waiting for work that didn't come in until I was ready to quit for the day, then the MTSO got mad at me for not sticking to 24-hour turnaround time. I never agreed to work all night for her. I told her the schedule I was available. I'm sorry, but I don't work at home to sit on my backside doing nothing all day while the kids are at school and ignore them all evening to work.
Then working for the nationals is a whole 'nother ball of wax. You have to hit certain line counts per day, they don't pay as much as the small MTSO's, you have to stick to your schedule with little flexibility. Many of them make you rent their computer from them.
I wish I could find something in the middle, but it would probably be a combination of the worst of both! LOL
I've already gotten applications at several DCs
she is 10 times more stubborn than I am and I think we are trying to see who will blink first. I've had more rest today so I feel better...she ended staying home because she was exhausted. She knows I am her best support network and the feature I'm hinting at now is the child's lack of ability to connect to other children of the same age, which is what happens when there are no peers around.
Daycare would have to come out of my pocket and I would have to work an extra day a week to afford that, which I would do if I could get her to agree to it, even if just for a morning program. I have to tread lightly and steer things in a subtle manner to achieve small successes.
She has the other GM scared that if a mistake is made, the child won't get to keep visiting, but who is she kidding when she wants her weekends free...she just hasn't grown up yet.
I was seriously considering seeking legal counsel to try to get custody this weekend as she had a hissy fit worthy of a 4 yo in front of the child. Still could be an option. Please parents! It's never to young to talk to your kids about birth control!! :)
I've also done quite a few reports
But haven't stopped to count them (at least until now LOL). I know in my last lesson there were 7-8 I did, plus partial reports to reinforce terminology, etc. The current lesson I think has that same amount, I preparing for the mail-in test now (yes, it can be e-mailed, I just prefer mail for some archaic reason). I'm just now in lesson 3 of course 3, so I'm right about halfway through I think.
I've put in what he says both ways
I would start again from the original and unless he was saying EXACTLY what he said before, which usually isn't the case, I start the paragraph afresh with the new stuff and mark for QA. I leave it up to the doctor to decide which version he wants.
I've gotta ask...
How could you not know you were typing with the caps on? Were you looking at your fingers instead of the screen? Do you always do that?
I've done lots of looking
and have never seen a work from home opportunity that doesn't require a few years' experience.
I've been at this for 6 months...
I'm an IC getting paid per MB of dictation, but it averages around 6 cpl. I've been trying to decide if I should stick it out until I can put 1 year of experience on my resume or get out of there. The problem I've seen is that none of the companies are paying newbies worth a toot. Right now, I have a dream of a dictator. I'm the sole MT on this account through a national. Is your work easy at least, to counter the lower pay? That's what I keep telling myself when I'm tempted to run for the hills. You never know what you'll get with another company. The work may be awful.
I've done both and all I can say is to think long and
hard before you choose either one. Neither job is all it's cracked up to be once you get to the "real world" of work.
Seems a bit late to ask if you've already
plunked your money down. And it sounds like you will only accept the answer you are looking for, so good luck.
I've had that happen
I've tried a few accounts and currently (unfortunately) am pretty much stuck entirely on voice recognition on escription (equates to low pay). As a newbie, you've got to get work and cut your teeth somewhere. With each account I've had, even on platforms other than escription, work tends to run low and out at times and there is a learning curve when starting new accounts between the MTSO, account specs and dictators. Often, the new account won't even start up when it is schedule to.
Just persevere and keep the faith. As long as you are working and getting your "newbie time" in, you are doing well. Many grads and new MTs don't even find work.
I can sympathize, however, after you've
been doing this for 25 years, then you can TRULY state you are tired.
I've been there and know how you feel...sm
First of all, do you have a text expander? This really helps out a lot. Also, if you are able to, keep a sample of all of the different reports by all the docs that you have typed handy. I'm allowed to print off reports (crossing out the name and other personal information with a black marker of course) and keep them in a 3-ring binder for easy reference. It really helps to look back at a sample of an H&P or discharge summary, especially for docs that dicatate the same thing all the time. Your text Expander will also come in handy for things like that too - physical exams and op notes that are always dictated the same. I know it can be frustrating, but practice makes perfect. The more you type, the better you will become! Hang in there!
Got trained, got a job, and now I've got...
...pedal edema from sitting at the computer so much!!! (I am, however, proud and happy that I actually know what pedal edema is--thank you transcription training program!)  Has anyone else had this problem?? I know I need to get up and walk around periodically, but as a newbie my line counts are so low that I feel like I need to type all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do while sitting--is there some kind of leg stretching or foot rotation that helps? Thanks in advance for any advice.
I disagree. I've been in a
position of hiring and training MTs and I've worked with several Career Step grads. Some were very good and some not so good. I really think the bottom line is the actual MT. They will get out of any program what they they put into it regardless of the money they spend. I've worked with Career Step graduates who had absolutely no grammar skill whatsoever and were still communicating like a teenager on IM, but they heard that Career Step gets them the job. It may get them in the door, but staying afloat in this business is a whole different story.
Ok thanks.. I think I've come to a decision...
I'm either going to go to M-Tec or Andrews. I've done more research and I have concluded that these two schools are the best from reading many comments and reviews. Now the problem is deciding which one I should choose. They both seem to be equally good. Any help here?
Look I've been at this for 20 years
It really isn't something you just go to school for a while, and then go and grab a part-time position and think it's going to make you some cash. I have always encouraged others who wanted to enter this field, but I can tell you that after 20 years, I am only being offered 7-8 cpl and the accounts I can get on my own are few and far between with the VR, EMR, and large national MT companies taking all of the clients at low rates and offering spit shined reports and fancy platforms for easy access.
Your best bet is to go ahead and choose the closest flower shop and work the register. It will be much easier on your heart, soul, and sanity! Trust Me!
I'm only 38 and I'm so burned out I could scream and throw my headphones. I make 45K a year, but I work long hours and put up with a lot of crap from the offices I service as they know they can find someone cheaper in a heartbeat. I've had no raise in 10 years. I worked on-site for 17 years at 13 dollars an hour with benefits only to find out I would be training my replacement (C-Bay). I gave 2 weeks' notice and here I sit.
My rt hand throbs, my back aches, and my stress level is high. If you really think after hearing this that it sounds like a good idea to go to school and become an MT, then have at it, but it will have you in a tail spin and wishing you never did.
My sis-in-law thought she'd be on easy street! Well guess what? Two years later, and she's not an MT but has the education. She gave up because it was too hard!
I wish you all of the luck in the world, but keep you day job and keep your money in your pocket that you'll pay for the education because we're being sold down the river and fast without a paddle or life jacket!
you've studied well, perhaps, but by no means
your school doesn't even offer pharmacology? lol
now, i'm not discrediting your grades, study efforts, etc., but be careful throwing around boasts of I've mastered it when you haven't even begun doing the work.
i've done this work over 25 years. i know exactly what it takes. lol
i am. i've done this 25 years and making top $
newbies, however, who get all puffed up about how much they've mastered, omg i am laughing here trying to type this, are quite the funny.
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