I am one of a number of transcriptionists that sets my own hours. I have a minimum number of minutes that I have to put in for the week and get bonuses for quality, as well as producing over 750 minutes every 2 weeks. I wish I could tell you all that I was the most motivated person in the world and I put in an 8 hour day and achieved my 800 minutes by the end of the 2 weeks. But sadly, I am not disciplined and I have not managed to develop good time management skills. I am the scurrying squirrel looking for the last of the nuts as the snow falls to the ground. Sunday night week two, I can guarantee that you will find me on the computer until 11: 59 trying to make up those last few minutes. It is a race to the finish and somehow, I usually have good reports and some good luck. I often look back at the first Monday or Tuesday of the pay week and think how I wasted my time chatting on IM, cyber shopping, facebooking or my personal favourite--sharing youtube links with Nici Essex, back and forth. Sigh, what a waste of time. I wish that the Time Management Fairy would grant me a wish or two, but still I procrastinate and let time slip away. I can't even say I have done anything great with the time. My TL can list 101 things that she has done in the day and still found time to type and edit and q.a. My favourite phrase has become I am putzing at work. Ugghhhh.
So my dear followers -- I believe there is one or two (which in itself is a strange concept) -- my daily advice to those starting out is to really pay attention to time management and work on your organizational skills as you complete the course or look for work. As you are busy learning all the new skills and there are a lot of things to absorb and learn.
And for me, I am determined to prove that it is not to late for an old dog to learn a new trick. I am determined to better use my time and then check my emails at the end of the time. I will give myself more time to have a break at the end of the night, as being a putzer (not a Putz) I seem to be on the computer from morning to night. This is a bad habit to get into and one that I do not endorse. So my lesson for myself is to focus on one activity at a time which is a difficult thing for me to do. A high degree of focus has to pay off, right?
Time management and organizational skills are tools that some of us are not born with and they need to be honed to be successful as a MT. So if you are like me keep this thought in mind. Am I making good use of my time? Can I do things differently to focus better on my work? I think back on my report cards and the common running was always "Jody would do better if she would only apply herself". If only I had listened.
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
EDUCATION AND THE MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
Becoming a medical transcriptionist is not a scam. This is a wonderful career for stay at home mothers, people with health issues and others that live in places were getting to work is a headache. I was able to move to Northern Ontario and I am still able to make a good living in my first year of employment. I would not have been able to move away from a city centre if I did not have this career. I am thinking back to googling medical transcriptionist when I was considering going to school. Information was hard to come by. I hope I can guide some new students to take on this challenge of MTing. I am very happy with my wage and it is well earned through hard work and a solid year of education. As a medical transcriptionist, I am always learning and the education does not stop. I am always trying to come up with ways to work faster, to put more into an expander to make more money, as money (sadly) is what equates to success.
Like any job, you have to work hard for what you are paid. If you don't work, you don't get paid. If you are a bit slower at typing, you have to find a way to improve your speed with the use of auto correct or other expanding technology. You may have to study a bit harder so that those medical words are in your vocabulary and fly off of your fingers and onto the paper. Make connections along the way. Career Step has a forum and the best thing you can do is to join it and find some people that are in the same boat you are in, starting out. I have a group of 23 or so FRIENDS that I connected with and we are all each others greatest supporters. I also have some connections of FaceBook that I love to hear how they are doing and about their successes.
I want those looking to start a career to think about medical transcriptionist. There is a lot of fulfillment in a job well done. You will hear lots of horror stories about MTs not being able to find a job right out of school. But then ask them how many resumes they have sent out. Ask if there is a reason that may be holding them back from finding a job. Maybe a new baby that envelops their spare time and energy or a job hunt for something with benefits and they want the MT position to be on a part time basis. The wage is low for some of the companies, but you have to learn how to increase your potential and gain the skills to think of different avenues to go down to succeed. Don't be satisfied with the first company that hires you, demand better. Find ways to find your own doctors and work on your own, keeping all the money and not sharing with someone that had the courage to find their own doctors to type for. I am hoping that my silly blog can inspire some people to find a career that will fit into their lifestyle. I hope that some ladies (and gentlemen too) step out of their comfort zone and try if that is what they want to do. I hope that I can help with resume ideas and ways to find a job outside of the box.
Career Step is a wonderful program and it is the one I am familiar with. I want people that are thinking about becoming a medical transcriptionist is to take the plunge and try it out. You have to be dedicated to doing a lot of hard work, but it is all doable and learnable and enjoyable. If you think that this career is for you, give it a chance and join the world of MTs. As I have said a lot of it is in the virtual world now, but MTs are still an important part of the medical team.
This is just my experience and my little blog to give you some information that I could not find. I would appreciate comments and I will answer you back to the best of my abilities. Remember, this is just one person's ramblings, but I had a very positive experience with my education and I will be blogging about what the Career Step course entails and what to expect if you decide to take the course. It is in your hands if you want to take a chance. You may have to think outside the box to make a good living. I am very content with mine, but of course, as is human nature, I would love to make more money and reach greater heights.
Again, Comments are welcome and I would love to hear what you all would like to know about and if it is in my realm of knowledge, I would love to share it with you. The next week or so of blogs will detail starting out in school and the challenges that I faced and how I succeeded and what some of my downfalls were.
Jody
Like any job, you have to work hard for what you are paid. If you don't work, you don't get paid. If you are a bit slower at typing, you have to find a way to improve your speed with the use of auto correct or other expanding technology. You may have to study a bit harder so that those medical words are in your vocabulary and fly off of your fingers and onto the paper. Make connections along the way. Career Step has a forum and the best thing you can do is to join it and find some people that are in the same boat you are in, starting out. I have a group of 23 or so FRIENDS that I connected with and we are all each others greatest supporters. I also have some connections of FaceBook that I love to hear how they are doing and about their successes.
I want those looking to start a career to think about medical transcriptionist. There is a lot of fulfillment in a job well done. You will hear lots of horror stories about MTs not being able to find a job right out of school. But then ask them how many resumes they have sent out. Ask if there is a reason that may be holding them back from finding a job. Maybe a new baby that envelops their spare time and energy or a job hunt for something with benefits and they want the MT position to be on a part time basis. The wage is low for some of the companies, but you have to learn how to increase your potential and gain the skills to think of different avenues to go down to succeed. Don't be satisfied with the first company that hires you, demand better. Find ways to find your own doctors and work on your own, keeping all the money and not sharing with someone that had the courage to find their own doctors to type for. I am hoping that my silly blog can inspire some people to find a career that will fit into their lifestyle. I hope that some ladies (and gentlemen too) step out of their comfort zone and try if that is what they want to do. I hope that I can help with resume ideas and ways to find a job outside of the box.
Career Step is a wonderful program and it is the one I am familiar with. I want people that are thinking about becoming a medical transcriptionist is to take the plunge and try it out. You have to be dedicated to doing a lot of hard work, but it is all doable and learnable and enjoyable. If you think that this career is for you, give it a chance and join the world of MTs. As I have said a lot of it is in the virtual world now, but MTs are still an important part of the medical team.
This is just my experience and my little blog to give you some information that I could not find. I would appreciate comments and I will answer you back to the best of my abilities. Remember, this is just one person's ramblings, but I had a very positive experience with my education and I will be blogging about what the Career Step course entails and what to expect if you decide to take the course. It is in your hands if you want to take a chance. You may have to think outside the box to make a good living. I am very content with mine, but of course, as is human nature, I would love to make more money and reach greater heights.
Again, Comments are welcome and I would love to hear what you all would like to know about and if it is in my realm of knowledge, I would love to share it with you. The next week or so of blogs will detail starting out in school and the challenges that I faced and how I succeeded and what some of my downfalls were.
Jody
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Virtually There Transcriptionists--the name
Well, I would like to explain a little about the name and what it means to me. I do not like the notion that the transcriptionist is just an empty, nameless entity; someone that types the note and then sends it back. I think this is what makes it easy for businesses to pay pennies per line and makes some small businesses not pay their staff for their hard work. It is almost like transcriptionists are second class employees, a hidden machine that returns a report and then is heard of no more. I think that this leads to loneliness and a devaluing of the MT. I want the MTs to see that they are a valuable "commodity" to the medical industry. We do an important job and it is devalued and hidden away.
Thank goodness for some of the companies that hire us NEWBIES (A term that I hate) and give us a chance. We feel honored that we have been hired and are grateful for the chance to prove of worth. A point I would like to make is that why should we be grateful to make 2 cents a line?? We paid good money for a valuable course and we have a specialized skill set. We deserve more and we need to develop a voice to express this. But I do understand the need to get experience and move onto something better. I am not criticizing those that work for a lower rate, I am saying shame on the businesses that pay it and use the excuse that they are giving a newbie a chance.
Soooo.. the logic behind the name is to show employers that we are there. We are there to be a member of the team and to contribute with a qualified skill set. As my friend Sharon in her blog states we do more than type. Please check out Sharon's blog http://clubhousemt.blogspot.com/ In it she says that "As an MT we are required to type what we hear (from a dictated file), but also we must correct grammar, check medicine dosages, verify the patient information, and reform sentences so that they are full sentences and not run-ons or fragments". So this is a little bit more than just listening and typing, but we are hidden away and we never really hear how we are doing. Not really; and not really from the one we want to hear from, the doctor. I know as an MT, and typing from a large hospital pool, I love hearing my doctor say "Thanks for typing this." I am amazed that he/she realizes that I am a person on the other end of the headset and I smile and feel good about myself. Hmmm, shouldn't my job make me feel like that on a day-to-day basis. Would more interaction with the doctor, medical assistants, nurses et cetera make me feel this way? I think that it would and in the long run it would benefit the doctor and the patient.
So, I want my doctors to know that I AM THERE.... VIRTUALLY...BUT THERE... I want to make MTs part of a team. I want to instill in them that they are part of the medical chain and just as important as other members of the staff.
So there you go, the reason behind the name and the notions that make my brain work. I hope that I can organize my thoughts so that I am able to start my own little business and that I can pass along some of the knowledge to others that may be interested in doing the same. I would like to see a bunch of little MT companies with 3 or 4 MTs working for 4 or 5 doctors. A team of MTs that can get a sense of satisfaction from working in a field that they have trained for and keep educating themselves for day after day after day.
Sigh... but tomorrow I am back to work for my wonderful large company... I love ACCENTUS and I would recommend it to every MT in Canada (I am sorry my American friends, they only hire Canadians) Let me know if you require information on Accentus and I will refer you for employment if I think that Accentus is a good fit for you. It is a great company and the pay is not bad at all...It is not the pay that I have my issue with, it is more the feeling of isolation and the feeling of being a number. I will continue to dream of my own business and a day when I can work for my own doctor or two.... I just have to figure out all the ins and outs of getting the doctors, getting their files to and from, finding out about all the software and programs and file sharing protocols etc. Sigh...
Thank goodness for some of the companies that hire us NEWBIES (A term that I hate) and give us a chance. We feel honored that we have been hired and are grateful for the chance to prove of worth. A point I would like to make is that why should we be grateful to make 2 cents a line?? We paid good money for a valuable course and we have a specialized skill set. We deserve more and we need to develop a voice to express this. But I do understand the need to get experience and move onto something better. I am not criticizing those that work for a lower rate, I am saying shame on the businesses that pay it and use the excuse that they are giving a newbie a chance.
Soooo.. the logic behind the name is to show employers that we are there. We are there to be a member of the team and to contribute with a qualified skill set. As my friend Sharon in her blog states we do more than type. Please check out Sharon's blog http://clubhousemt.blogspot.com/ In it she says that "As an MT we are required to type what we hear (from a dictated file), but also we must correct grammar, check medicine dosages, verify the patient information, and reform sentences so that they are full sentences and not run-ons or fragments". So this is a little bit more than just listening and typing, but we are hidden away and we never really hear how we are doing. Not really; and not really from the one we want to hear from, the doctor. I know as an MT, and typing from a large hospital pool, I love hearing my doctor say "Thanks for typing this." I am amazed that he/she realizes that I am a person on the other end of the headset and I smile and feel good about myself. Hmmm, shouldn't my job make me feel like that on a day-to-day basis. Would more interaction with the doctor, medical assistants, nurses et cetera make me feel this way? I think that it would and in the long run it would benefit the doctor and the patient.
So, I want my doctors to know that I AM THERE.... VIRTUALLY...BUT THERE... I want to make MTs part of a team. I want to instill in them that they are part of the medical chain and just as important as other members of the staff.
So there you go, the reason behind the name and the notions that make my brain work. I hope that I can organize my thoughts so that I am able to start my own little business and that I can pass along some of the knowledge to others that may be interested in doing the same. I would like to see a bunch of little MT companies with 3 or 4 MTs working for 4 or 5 doctors. A team of MTs that can get a sense of satisfaction from working in a field that they have trained for and keep educating themselves for day after day after day.
Sigh... but tomorrow I am back to work for my wonderful large company... I love ACCENTUS and I would recommend it to every MT in Canada (I am sorry my American friends, they only hire Canadians) Let me know if you require information on Accentus and I will refer you for employment if I think that Accentus is a good fit for you. It is a great company and the pay is not bad at all...It is not the pay that I have my issue with, it is more the feeling of isolation and the feeling of being a number. I will continue to dream of my own business and a day when I can work for my own doctor or two.... I just have to figure out all the ins and outs of getting the doctors, getting their files to and from, finding out about all the software and programs and file sharing protocols etc. Sigh...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
A new adventure
On November 25th, 2009 I graduated from Trios College and the Career Step Program with Honours. I was very proud of myself. With a kick butt resume and some fancy work, I was hired by a few different companies right out of the gate. I was once again proud and honoured, but then I realized that some of these companies really take advantage of the new graduates and the pay was pretty pitiful. I spent my time trying to find some thing better, and my efforts and testing paid off. I was hired by Accentus Canada, out of Ottawa, Ontario and finally found a company that paid better than others. I am able to work when I want to and do as much as I can in a day. It is a wonderful place to work. And I highly recommend Accentus.
Today, I should be working but a good friend of mine put the blogging bug in my mind and either, through lack of motivation or a need for something a bit different, I find myself settting up this venture. My goal for this blog is to present my ideas to opening up a different type of company that will team the MT with the doctor and create a better working environment for the MT and a consistency for the doctor. I know that there are good companies that do this already, and I think that that is the way to go. I strongly believe that an MT needs to have a connection to the doctor in order to obtain a higher level of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
So this is my blog on my adventure in opening up my own MT company and placing the power back in the MTs hands rather than in a large company. I hope to be able to share some ideas and learn some things from others that have tried to open there own business.
Today, I should be working but a good friend of mine put the blogging bug in my mind and either, through lack of motivation or a need for something a bit different, I find myself settting up this venture. My goal for this blog is to present my ideas to opening up a different type of company that will team the MT with the doctor and create a better working environment for the MT and a consistency for the doctor. I know that there are good companies that do this already, and I think that that is the way to go. I strongly believe that an MT needs to have a connection to the doctor in order to obtain a higher level of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
So this is my blog on my adventure in opening up my own MT company and placing the power back in the MTs hands rather than in a large company. I hope to be able to share some ideas and learn some things from others that have tried to open there own business.
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