White Lily MT

Archive for April, 2010

These cookies are probably my favorite and are very easy to make.  It is a family recipe that my Great Grandma Myer used to make all the time.  They are really good the same day you bake them but get even better the next day.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

2/3 c. shortening

2 eggs

1/2 c. buttermilk

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Cream brown sugar, white sugar, and shortening together.  Add eggs and buttermilk until well mixed.  In separate bowl, mix flour,baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Slowly mix in flour mixture with wet mixture until combined.  Refrigerate for about an hour before baking.  Spoon onto baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Often times people ask me how I got started in medical transcription.  Well, you could say it was kind of out of frustration and the need for something new and different in my life.  At the time,  my husband and I had just bought our first house, which consequently made my commute to work go from 15 minutes to nearly an hour each way.  We were living in town at the time and really wanted to move out to the country where it was a little quieter and a little slower paced.  We both grew up in a rural community.  So, living in town was just not our thing. In the summer the drive really wasn’t all that bad, but those winter months could be a real bear.  Anyone who knows me knows that I despise driving when weather conditions are bad, and since we live in Michigan, the threat of snow lasts for about half the year.  The commute along with quite a bit of drama at my current place of employment made me realize that it was time for a change.

I was working part time at a small veterinary practice working as a veterinary assistant.  Don’t get me wrong, I love veterinary medicine.  I graduated from Purdue University with a bachelors degree in animal science and had worked in veterinary medicine for over 10 years.  This particular job just wasn’t working out for me.  People weren’t getting along, and I just dreaded going to work everyday.  Anyway, a coworker started telling me about a friend of hers that worked from home and made a great salary doing MT work.  She told me she was even able to do all the coursework required through an online course through Career Step .   My great grandma once told me that if something seemed too good to be true it probably was, and through my experiences in life this has held true.  Of course, I was a little skeptical.

At the time, I didn’t think too much of medical transcription, but as my current work environment was by no means improving and I was completely dissatisfied with my current income, that little nagging voice in my head  just kept getting louder, telling me maybe I should at least check Career Step out and see what it was all about.  Well, I did.  I visited their website and requested more information about their program options.  After doing more research on exactly what MT work was all about and having some long discussions with my husband, we agreed that medical transcription was going to be the best option not only for me but also for us.  It was going to mean eventually more money, more flexibility, and more happiness in our life.

I continued to work part time at the veterinary clinic while working on Career Step’s course, but as gas prices started to soar to over 3 dollars a gallon with a 1-hour drive every day, I made the decision to quit working as a veterinary assistant and stay at home concentrating on completing the medical transcription course.  It took me right at 1 year to finish.

I graduated from Career Step with high honors at the end of February, and by the middle of April, I started my first job as an MT working as an independent contractor doing voice recognition.  I quickly realized that VR was not my thing.  The company’s VR program was terrible.  It seemed like it was almost easier for me to erase everything that the VR program had typed and start over.  Doing straight transcription at a voice recognition rate along with being a new MT grad was by no means profitable.  I knew going into this that medical transcription was not a get rich quick occupation.  I realized it would take time to learn all the doctors’ little quirks, document formatting, etc. before I could really bring in a paycheck that I could be proud of.

After about 6 months with this company, I knew I just needed to chalk this one up to experience and move on.  I began looking for another MT company.  After testing with the very first company I applied with, I received an email the very next morning wanting to schedule a phone interview with me.  I interviewed with them within the next couple of days and was quickly offered a position with a line rate that I just couldn’t turn down.

This move was the best thing I could have done, considering 2-1/2 years later I am still an independent contractor for the same company and love it.  I have worked my way up to an MT Specialist position, working with a broad range of specialties and on several different accounts.  I very much enjoy my job and would recommend it to anyone.

I have been working at home as a medical transcriptionist for nearly 3 years now and have been the recipient of those all too awkward questions and comments from family and friends surrounding the issue of medical transcription as a real and viable occupation.  I think most of us can safely say we have all gotten this and know how difficult it can be sometimes to just let the opinions or even the insinuations of others roll right off.  Well, of course MT work is a very real, demanding, but yet very rewarding profession.  Just because many MTs work from home doesn’t mean our jobs are any less “real” or profitable.  Actually, I make more money now than I have ever made at any other job.  I love the fact that I never have to fight rush hour traffic or worry about how much snow is going to be on the ground when I wake up for my next day’s commute.  In fact, most days I wear pajamas to work.  How many people can say that?  Oh, and did I mention I never have to worry about asking for time off?  Being your own boss does come with perks!  All in all I feel very lucky to be a medical transcriptionist.

White Lily MT is exactly what it says it says it is…a day in the life of a medical transcriptionist.  You will find topics ranging from issues surrounding the industry as a whole to tips on how to increase production, as well as a reference for great links and even a word list.  From time to time there might also be postings about some of my hobbies and interests…beading, crocheting, reading, gardening, and cooking just to name a few.  Come visit often and happy typing!!