A Great Giveaway from The Penny Hoarder.com!

Oh wow...How awesome would this be?! The Penny Hoarder is hosting a giveaway for a MacBook Air that ends 07/31--pretty simple entries too. Just thought I'd share for anyone interested in entering. Good luck if you do :)


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Mixed Emotions

My last day of proofing at a company on Friday, July 19, 2013. My husband asked if he should take my computer outside and shoot it. Yep! It was that bad! So I needed to resign for my sanity, as well as my family's sanity, but I am still a bit sad. I really enjoyed proofing--ensuring files were delivered to clients with great quality, I liked most of my co-workers, and helping (most) of the typists along to become better transcriptionists...

I had been proofing there for a little over two years. It was a great opportunity that came along at a time when my family needed money the most. To be completely honest that is the main reason why I applied for the position. Some of you may think that that's the worst reason, but we were really desperate. However, after the first week or so it wasn't so much about the money anymore. The people that I worked with were, for the most part, awesome and I was helping other transcriptionists  and all the while the clients were happy! Somewhere along the way I began to deviate from just doing my work and took notice of others work. It was all down hill from there :(

Then the changes happened...ugh! I really think things would have been better without the changes! Well, I would still be proofing anyway. I admit that I really don't handle change well and the older I get the harder it seems to be. Change in my life has always meant divorce or death so, yeah, change = bad. It seems that I care too much about a lot of things and my heart is always out in the open to be shattered :(

I still type for the company and have a couple other contracts. Just hoping that not "seeing" all the little nuances or whatever, and having more free time will help.   

Advertising

It's been exactly one week and one day since I published my website. The number of views isn't too bad for a website one week old, but I know there could have/should have been more. Things have been kind of hectic here, so I really haven't done too much in the way of advertising. So far I have used FB and Craigslist. The thing about my Craigslist posting was I put it in the wrong category LOL. It took me about four days to realize it too. When I get my business cards and postcards I will be sending those out to prospective clients, leaving them at community boards locally, etc. I'm kind of nervous about actually calling people since I sound like I'm 12 years old :(.

Do any of you have any tips on getting your own clients that you are willing to share?


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Becoming a Medical Transcriptionist

I know most, if not all, of you know what a medical transcriptionist is. For those that don't know,  medical transcriptionists type what doctors dictate and it goes into the patient's medical record. This can be anything from a brief letter to another doctor, a physical, or even brain surgery. Since the health of patients (even their lives) depends on accuracy--and not all doctors may review the reports thoroughly (we are professionals after all)--a solid training program is required. Even then you learn a lot on the job--a LOT!

Make sure you go through an AHDI approved school. Personally, I took the Career Step program and had no problems learning the material or getting a job after graduation. In fact, I had a job within a week and a half of taking the final. Andrews was also at the top of my list, but at that time in my life (and my family's) Career Step was the best choice for me. I enjoyed the program so much that now I'm an affiliate. So, if you click the link above or visit the Career Step page and enter my referrer ID you get $50 discount if/when you enroll! Even if you check it out and decide one of their other courses sounds better for you the discount still applies.

Happy typing!

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Headsets

I have used the Spectra USB Transcription Headset for several years now. I really like the under the chin style (like a stethoscope) and the price, in my opinion, is great. To me they are comfortable and really light, so I almost forget I'm wearing them. Another reason why I stay with them is they bypass your computer's sound card which is an added bonus if you're using a laptop. I'm on my third set now and felt lost when the first two quit working. I ended up using some random brand "spare" or earbuds (gasp!) for a few days until my new ones arrived.

Recently a couple people that I work with have mentioned noise cancelling sets and how much they like them. Well this got me thinking that maybe I am missing out. Finding the Spectra headset was a tough task for me. I'm a creature of habit, in case anyone is wondering, so I don't know if I should chance it lol. I mean the thought of up and changing to something else is a little concerning. What if they are too heavy/bulky? What if they don't sound good? What if they don't last long enough for the price I pay? Ugh...

Should I stick with what I know works and what I like? What headset do you like?


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What do you like most...

About being a transcriptionist?

I like getting lost in a dictation. Just like a good book or an interesting movie, I have to know how it ends. Sometimes it's the satisfaction of finding that one word or phrase that I couldn't make out. Of course, the ability to work in my pajamas is nice too :)


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Some Doctors...

Completely random...but some doctors are kind of annoying lol. I am an IC at a company, but I have "dedicated" doctors that only I type. One of them insists on spelling one word out over and over and over again, on almost every dictation! I know for a fact I've never spelled this word wrong. So maybe he just likes spelling this particular word? Or maybe his group uses another company for some of their audios and maybe they are spelling it wrong?

Does this happen to anyone else with private/dedicated clients? 


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First Blog Post

I have read many, many blogs over the years and learned quite a few recipes, tips, etc., and have enjoyed the way 99% those bloggers have come across. So, here's hoping that I can come across the same way!

To be honest, this is really kind of unnerving. I suppose I started this blog as a place to "vent" and share insights, stories, and what have you.  Today just seemed like the perfect day since I finally took the plunge and created a website to get private clients...Yay!

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