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It all depends on the account. Are you wanting to

Posted By: me on 2008-06-24
In Reply to: Lost - lost in translation..........

do it on your own - meaning get your own account, or work for a company.  If working for a company there are various ways to get work, a C-phone or Lanier, tape, or through the internet - what you need depends on what they use.  If you want your own accounts it all depends on how they do their dictation.  It may be done on tapes or handhelds, in which case they probably have the ability to upload files.


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It depends on your account
Sometimes MTs, new and otherwise, get accounts like that. On the plus side, it is experience that you can use. Learning some of these difficult ESLs now can be benificial to you when you move on to another job. As far as line count goes, that would be tough. Just do the best you can, at least it is a paying job.

Good luck and God Bless.
Wanting to be come a MT ...
I would like to start a career in MT. I have no idea where to start. I live in a small town so I would have to take online classes...any schools recomeended ?
I also will have to work from home.
Any info would be greatly apprciated
Thanks
Christie
Are you wanting someone to tell you

what the blank is?    Accents are what we have to deal with these days, either you learn them or you get replaced.   Do the best you can and leave blanks.  When you get QA back listen to the reports and see if you can hear what you left blank.


I go all the way through a report and leave blanks and then go back and relisten and usually I am able to get them.  Sometimes experience helps too because you know what the blank should be. 


Wanting to train in MT

Hi all...I am here seeking information/advice on training to be an MT. I currently have an AAS in Radiology and have been a registered technologist in both Radiography and CT [RT(R)(CT)(ARRT)] for 5 1/2 years now, as well as being registry-eligible in Mammography. I worked in a very busy hospital radiology department and have an extensive working knowledge of all modalities, including MR, Sono, and Nuc Med, as well as PACS, CR/DR, Meditech, Dictophone, and Teleradiography. Last year, I had to stop working in the clinical setting because of a back injury, and that time my husband encouraged me to stay at home with the children. I however am going mad without working, and miss being in the radiology/medical field. Because my health will no longer permit me to work in the clinical setting, I have been looking into the medical transcription field with hopes that I could do radiology transcription. I feel that I have a broad enough understanding of medical terminology, especially in radiology, to begin a training program. I also have experience working with foreign radiologists, our chief radiologist was Phillepeno and was very hard to understand. Does this sound like a feasible opportunity for me? I am definitely not looking for a get rich quick deal and realize that it will take lots of hard work, dedication, and patience. I would just like to know that it would be worth the cost of the program and the time away from my family. I am looking into the online program through Brighton College.  


wanting to work from overseas

HI,


 


I would like to be a medical transcriptionist.  I'm thinking about enrolling in an online course.  HOwever, the reason I want to be a Transcriptionist is that I want to be able to work from overseas, particularly in the PHilippines. 


Does anyone know if companies would allow a person to work from overseas or in a third world country?


Does the particular country make a difference?


 


So you're wanting someone to do your homework
for you? Odd.

Yes, offshoring is a problem everywhere because India and Pakistan companies will do it for the equivalent of a cent or two a line, and you can't even buy lunch for that amount here. This isn't a good field to enter right now. Most MTs are trying to re-train and find other careers because you can't make a living doing this anymore. I wish the MT schools would quit blatantly lying -- someone should file a suit against them for false advertising.
They just lost their account
l
psych account follow up
What's your plan?
Not really, but I was offered one account that needs a Cphone....
Would that make it worthwhile? Are they widely used?

Thnx
IThey might have hired you for a new account. Call! sm

You didn't mention the name of the company. It could be they have a new account and it's not off the ground yet. It was a month after I was hired before I actually started working. That was two years ago and I'm seldom out of work.  I'm still on that same account. 


No ESLs on my account, but they're not hiring.

You're right that account specifics will dictate how you

do this, but generally you don't abbreviate diagnoses, but using cm and mL are okay, just don't use CHF instead of congestive heart failure.   In the body of a report it is acceptable to abbreviate, but you should really transcribe as dictated.  If the doctor dictates CHF then type CHF, if they dictate congestive heart failure than type congestive heart failure. 


i work for one national, one smaller, and have one private account.
i am always busy, but never without some type of work :). I make a great line count with MQ. I was statutory but effective January 1st, I am an employee. Not sure how that will work out. My secondary account is with a smaller company I have been with for over ten years, and I have a small private account that pays very well but low volume.
Disagree. We have a gravy account that we, as IC's, provide our own equipment and pay for
a token to get into the software. Big deal. You pay $150 for a C-phone and $150 for the token but then you make scads of money!  So would weigh the ROI (return on investment).  Not a hard and fast rule to never buy equipment you can't use on another account.
Getting lucky w/a great account figures in greatly. You'll be
s
It depends...SM
I have some very good dictators who dictate in quiet areas, but I have others who dictate from their cell phones, which is horrible.  I also have one who dictates from the cafeteria in a children's residential center with kids screaming and hitting things in the background.  The good news, however, is that after you have done those dictators several times, you begin to understand them even when the sound quality isn't that great.  Don't get discouraged.  You eventually develop an ear for it and can learn to block out the background noise.  Good luck!
It depends on whether
you need to hone your typing skills or not. Knowing your word processor helps a lot. I worked with MSWord for years prior to changing careers. However, my first two employers needed Word Perfect knowledge. Not much difference there. Aside from your typing skills, work on listening skill, too. For me, the toughest was learning the medical terms for each area but you'll get the hang of it.
It depends...

I have made, starting out hourly, about $8 an hour (8 years ago), then started at another hospital 5 years ago, started at 12 something an hour, then we got incentive pay and with incentive sometimes made up to $16 an hour. If you have high line counts you can make 20+ per hour.  But of course also depends on how they calculate a line count......good luck!


It really depends
on the company you work for. If you are just looking for a pedal to do practice work or test files, I recommend an Infinity pedal. I got mine brand new on ebay for about $20.00. It's a 15-pin serial port pedal and works great with Express Scribe. But each company has different requirements, so if you haven't gotten a job yet, just remember that you may have to purchase another pedal to meet their requirements (that will work with their software).
depends who else wants the job

if experienced people are getting 7, you probably won't have a chance.


It depends on why you want to do MT...
There are lots of changes in the field right now. Many are just trying to hold on until retirement. Some believe jobs will always be there. It is a good job if you want to work from home. It is not a good job if you hope to become rich or if you are not self-motivated. Think about it and decide if it is for you or not.
Depends.
Some doctors will never be voice recognized because they are terrible dictators. If you get onto an established account, then you will have less typing but you will never have 100% editing.
Depends on the MT - 1.5 hr to 3, 4,
It varies with the MT and with the dictator. Very experienced MTs might take only 1.5 hours. Others might take 2-3 hours. New MTs might take more, and student MTs might take . . . days.

If there is a lot of material in the 1 hour's worth of dictation, then it will take longer. If there is a lot of dead air, it might be possible to transcribe it in an hour flat.
Depends on if you want a job or not.
If you need to work at home and want to get a job right out of school, there are only two reliable choices, Andrews or MTec.

Read the archives. Look at the numbers of people who complain about not being able to get a job after graduating. It's not because there are no jobs -- jobs in MT go begging. It's not because they're stupid, either. It's because only two schools teach MT effectively enough to virtually guarantee you a job. They cost more for a reason--they have hgh-quality programs with instructors.

National services will test and hire their grads without hesitation, and those grads invariably get up to speed quickly and make it past the 2-3 month point of employment.



I think that depends on the company

I think some companies but a time frame on when  you can test again if you do not do well the first time.  Good luck


Depends on how fast you are...sm

I would hazard a guess that a beginning MT, working on a new account alone at home, with unfamiliar words, having to re-listen, research, might make...mmm $4 an hour?  That's why experience is so valuable.


depends upon the company

The company I'm an IC with is located in CA but I live in TN. Since I've had a problem with my sleep for *years,* it was an ideal situation in terms of what accounts to put me on. I'm in charge of H&Ps on three specific accounts. They need the reports by 6 a.m. their time, which is 8 a.m. my time. No problem. It's rare for me to sleep until 4:45 a.m. Usually, I'll get up around 2:30 to 3 p.m. I just go back to sleep for a few hours when the morning rush is done. My work day ends by 4 p.m. my time, which is 2 p.m. their time.


depends on the hospital
There is hospital near me who will take on beginning MT's who have typing and medical terminology skills. They work with you for up to a year before you go on your own. They pay about $11.75 an hour to start. But, then there is another hospital that requires years of experience. You need to check with you local hospitals to see what their requirements are.
depends on how much schooling they go for

After high school, go into the armed forces or live at home for a while with mom and dad.


Same to be said for most 2-year associates degree.


After BS degree, probably can find something to sustain independent living.  Absolutely after a masters.  Pick of your field with a PhD.


That is today's reality.  Don't just wait for your kids to finish high school.  I would recommend (and probably get kicked around for saying so) taking the kids to Belgium to finish schooling is much better and if they finish in the top percentiles, their college education is also free.  Belgium kids routinely score 40% higher than their US equivalents on the very (repeat very) same tests.  My nephew's presence in the US Marines was welcomed after he finished his education there.  Knowing 3-4 languages fluenty in our global economy is nothing to sneeze at.  If you really wants you kids to succeed and don't want to leave the US, then teach them different languages to speak and the earlier in life it is started, the easier for them to learn.  Translation is going to be a necessity for doing most things in another 10 years.


It depends on the training...
that the new MT has. With proper training, it wouldn't be a problem. If you are trying to do the job without the proper training, it is much more difficult.
It depends on a LOT of things.
Have you systematically inundated companies with your resume? And what's your resume like? Is it EXCELLENT? Does it show the employer all the specialties you've learned? Does it show other experience that might be helpful, such as working at home in a home business (many employers wonder how you will handle being at home) or general transcription, etc.? Are you keeping HIGHLY accurate records of all the places you've applied to and following up with thank you notes even with the places that won't hire you? Have you reapplied after not hearing from them in a couple of weeks? Have you networked on different chat groups with other MTs? Have you placed your resume on any of the sites that take MT resumes (including this one)? What exactly have you done? We need more information!
Just depends on who you talk to
When you select a school, be sure to enroll in a program that can offer you some job support or a program like Career Step's Spheris Training Track, which can lead directly to employment. Maybe other schools have something similar. Just be really clear about what your school will provide you with when you start your job search. Some schools don't offer any support whatsoever. There are companies who hire beginners. New grads get jobs every single day. I haven't graduated yet, but I know that though sometimes it takes a while to get that first job, almost everyone at my school who has wanted a job upon graduation has found one within a couple of months, and high honors grads usually get multiple offers.
Buy Olympus DS-2. Then it depends if

you want it to be completely automated or the front desk have to drop and drag. If you want it automated, go to DocShuttle's web site and look at their DocShuttle Administrator, Dictator and Client. If you will be the only transcriptionist, then look at their Eshuttle Email program, same site. Otherwise, you can set up an FTP site and then use a free ftp software, like ftpsurfer. The front desk can drop and drag the files up to the ftp site.


Email me if you have any more specific questions... but it sounds like Eshuttle would do it.


Not a rumor ... it depends ...
If you are an employee at a company that offers benefits, then you get them. If you are an independent contractor or subcontractor, you don't.

So if you need health insurance or other benefits, you have to be an employee and work for a company that supplies benefits.
Depends on a lot of things
Depends on how long you have been working as an IC, do you have a husband that works and has taxes withheld, what deductions you have as an IC, combined income, etc.  My best adcive is that if this is your first year as an IC, to go to an account with your last year's taxes, your husband's (if you are married) last pay check stub, a report of what you have made year to date and what your expenses have been and get some advice.  Do not wait until after the first of the year when they are so busy.  But for the first year talk to an accountant, pay $50 to $100 for some advice.  They are not as busy right now and it could be cheaper than if you wait until the first of the year.  Or else, get a copy of Turbo tax and try to do your taxes even it if is based on last year's program and that will tell you what you need.   If you are married and have trouble putting aside money, I suggest you have your husband up his withholding, it is easier that way.  E-mail me with questions and I will try and answer for you.  Patti
It all depends on how well you can understand
the dictators and how good you are at proofreading. I have been editing for a long time, and even with a lot of experiences I have some really low line days, and I get paid by the line.

Take this into consideration: How fast you are and how accurate you are equals how many lines a day you can proof. How much do they pay per line versus hourly. It is pretty easy to determine.
Depends on the company
I have a part time that requires 2500 per week part time and two that have no requirement. I generally do 2000+ lines per day with them all combined.
It depends on where you went to school.
If you graduated from one of the AAMT-approved schools, some companies will waive the 2-3 years experience. I received my first job offer before I even graduated and I am starting with a second company in a couple of weeks.

If you graduated elsewhere, you may have more luck looking for in-house work at local hospitals or clinics.

Good luck!

It depends on where she wants to work.
If she wants to work locally, then a local college program would be best. But if she wants to work online for a national, most of them do not recognize local college MT programs. She would want to use a reputable online school like Andrews or M-Tec (and NOT one of the cheaper schools).
Depends on the company
It is harder to get a raise with one of the big nationals. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to ask. Talk to your supervisor and give her the reasons you feel you deserve a raise. List your good qualities such as dependability or good grammar skills. You have a 50/50 chance! Good luck to you.
I think it also depends no where you work
When I worked as an IC, I ran out of work and I also had days where I had very sporadic work which didn't help my paycheck. Now that I'm an employee at a local nephrology clinic, I never run out of work, sometimes I have too much work, and I there is ever a day when the doctors aren't working, I still get paid for an 8 hour day. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. After reading some of the horror stories, I consider myself lucky.
It depends on a lot of factors.

I charge 13.5 cpl, but I do everything digitally.  I do not pick up tapes or print out documents.  If I did, my rate would be much higher.  I also have a very long TAT.  For shorter TATs, I charge more.  Also, consider your cost of living.  If you live in a high-cost area, you should charge more. 


Good luck.


I think it depends on where you work
I work from home locally and I get yearly raises.
Depends on the situation

Usually they lump clients together regarding the software that will work with stuff on their end.  So all the clients that use (as an example) Lanier and Meditech will go on the "L" platform, and people with experience with those systems will get assigned to that platform and trained on it.


Or it could have to do with specialties.  Example - I type only radiology, and have never been trained for the "Basic 4".  I will only be working radiology accounts, so I work on the "rad" platform and am only concerned if radiology accounts are out of TAT, approved for OT, etc.  If I type for company XZY and they are way behind on Acute Care reports, sorry, I don't type that.  Some distinct specialties are split off into their own platforms with their own supervisors and would call themselves some sort of team name.  My supe might be over all the radiology MTs, and there may be several subteams under her (such as "L" platform above).


Usually new platforms are scary to current employees, because some companies tend to use us as guinea pigs to work all the bugs out as we go.  Its easier for companies to assign new employees to the new platforms because they'll have to learn everything new as it is.


Depends on your perspective.
I recently read posts from MTs that complained they weren't making enough doing MT.  They said they were having a hard time taking care of their families.  Then some of them went on to say they were making more than $35,000!  I would be thrilled to be making $35,000.  I do expect to be close next year though (my second year as an MT).
Depends on where you went to school,

MedQuist
Spheris
Focus
RI Unlimited
Princeton
Sten-Tel (out of Springfield, MA)
Successful Office Solutions

I know there are more, but this is all I can think of right now off the top of my head. Hopefully someone will have more suggestions.
depends on circumstances
The great proof for me is that I'm home all the time, we don't have to pay daycare and we save a lot on gas by me working at home. And if you're happy. You have to enjoy what you do. I'm not making a ton of money right now, but all the things above outweigh that for us.
It really depends on your training (sm)
Simply by going to a particular school (online course), most companies will waive their 2 year experience requirement.  Make sure you pick a course that is AHDI approved .... http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm.  Going this route you will have no problems being able to work from home in the beginning.
It all depends on your employer (sm)

and what they require.


I work a flexible 12-hour window in which I can put in my time at any point during that time frame.  I asked for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. which is what I stick to.  If there is a time that I need to alter that, it is pretty much always allowable as long as I notify my supervisor.  I work employee status for a hospital. 


For those that work as an inidependent contractor, they sometimes work on turn-around-time only.  They can put in there time here or there as long as the jobs are back within 24 hours' turn around time, for example. 


HTH!


It depends on how badly you want it.
I need to work from home.  For me it was worth it to search as long as it took.  I just found something last week after searching for three months.  The job I found really is a miracle job.  I would advice people to ask their school for names of other graduates from that program, preferably people that graduated quite some time ago.  I was given a name of some one who was said to work for a small MTSO.  It turned out that she now is a small MTSO, and she agreed to give another graduate of the same program a shot.  She is providing me with all the software, the foot pedal and offered me a much better line rate than I anticipated, given the current market.  My advice would be to send out resumes to smaller companies, even if they don't have posted opennings. 
again, it depends on where you are - what part of the northern
part of the US?? Smoe people consider Boston to be the northern part of the US, and others may consider Maine, or both to be northern US. Some parts of NY pay differently, same can be said for PA or CT.