Medicine transcription - What constitutes a good MT

Author

What constitutes a good MT

Donna

2005-12-23, 10:54 am

What would be the ideal MT? If YOU were hiring an MT to work beside you
either virtually or in an office, what would you want to see experience
wise, ability wise, etc.? What would constitute a good MT? Pretend this is
a science project - let's build her or him - what traits are we looking
for?

--
~Donna~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot
Hold on tight to your dream. - ELO
http://www.zensewing.com

Blupencl

2005-12-23, 10:54 am

1. A down-to-business approach to the business first and foremost. If
she needs to arrange herself for ballet lessons and soccer practice,
room mother activities or carpooling, do it without involving me in it.
[footnote] Just get me my work in the TAT [footnote]

2. The brains to go outside the box a little bit and to know when to
stay safely within the box. For instance, you see all these questions
on the word help boards: S/L doccasate sodium and the obvious answer is
docusate sodium (stupid example). I don't want somebody calling me and
saying, "But it sounded like he said doccasate"

3. Enough knowledge to operate her computer without hand-holding, and
get the files to me. [footnote]

Basically, an independent worker who cares about her work. If she's a
newbie, of course some of this doesn't apply - and when I worked at the
hospital hiring and firing, I hired several people right out of school
who needed hand-holding for a time, but who cared very much about their
quality. I also fired some high-producing old-timers who didn't.

Footnote: I don't necessarily operate this way myself, but I've never
claimed to be ideal! Everybody can be an example, right? Even a bad
one.

--
Blupencl

Gisele

2005-12-23, 10:54 am

I want to work with an MT who cares more about GETTING it right (digging
to find the correct answer than BEING right (as in, that's not the way I
was taught to do it).

Gisele

--
Gisele

CindyB

2005-12-23, 5:55 pm

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 12:49:55 GMT, Donna
<donna@exitstageleftcroakerwoods.com> wrote:

>What would be the ideal MT? If YOU were hiring an MT to work beside you
>either virtually or in an office, what would you want to see experience
>wise, ability wise, etc.? What would constitute a good MT? Pretend this is
>a science project - let's build her or him - what traits are we looking
>for?

You asked me about this and I might actually have 5 minutes now, so
here goes. (Apologies to male MTs but I'm just to lazy to keep typing
he/she or him/her.)

1. Someone with enough brains to know she doesn't know everything.

2. Someone who will never say, "But that's the way I was taught" or
"But that's the way I've always done it."

3. Someone who either owns the proper references and equipment or is
willing to purchase them in a timely manner.

4. Someone with a good work ethic and cares about quality. (Big
surprise coming from me, huh?)

5. Someone who can and will learn from their errors.

6. Someone who can and will work independently but is willing to ask
questions when necessary. That sounds like a contradiction but it
isn't. The ideal MT would be willing to do their own research, do
their own proofing, do their own second listens and then know when
it's time to give up and ask for assistance.

7. Someone who knows what Google is and how to effectively use it.
Along with Yahoo Yellow Pages.

8. Someone who is computer savvy. They don't have to be a computer
programmer, but they have to at least know how to find a file they put
on their own computer.

9. Someone with a variety of experience. I don't mean a month here
and a month there, but a few years with a few different services or
hospitals or clinics will teach them that there is more than one way
to do things and they will be more willing to adapt.

10. Someone who understands that quality has to come first and
quantity will follow. This person will know from the outset that she
will not make a gajillion dollars her first month with a new service
and won't rush through the work trying to do so.

I'm sure I can come up with more, but those are the highlights on my
wish list. Now, the trick becomes how do we find out who has these
qualifications based on a resume, an e-mail, and maybe a phone
conversation?

RaeMorrill

2005-12-24, 12:55 am

Well, having just been in an endeavor with someone, I can tell you we'd
both probably agree that patience to work it out even if both don't work
exactly the same way.... Good MTs don't grow on trees. Neither to good
MTSOs.

Donna wrote:
> What would be the ideal MT? If YOU were hiring an MT to work beside you
> either virtually or in an office, what would you want to see experience
> wise, ability wise, etc.? What would constitute a good MT? Pretend this is
> a science project - let's build her or him - what traits are we looking
> for?
>

RaeMorrill

2005-12-24, 12:55 am

I'll drink to that! Exactly. At this point in my life/career, I know
what I don't know,which I think is at least, if not more, important than
what I know.

Gisele wrote:
> I want to work with an MT who cares more about GETTING it right (digging
> to find the correct answer than BEING right (as in, that's not the way I
> was taught to do it).
>
> Gisele
>
>

RaeMorrill

2005-12-24, 12:55 am

Good points. Of course, the other side of that for the MT is an MTSO or
editor who will not insist they are right despite plenty of
documentation to contrary. If they hire an experienced and good MT,
before they ping, they better make sure they are right.

CindyB wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 12:49:55 GMT, Donna
> <donna@exitstageleftcroakerwoods.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> You asked me about this and I might actually have 5 minutes now, so
> here goes. (Apologies to male MTs but I'm just to lazy to keep typing
> he/she or him/her.)
>
> 1. Someone with enough brains to know she doesn't know everything.
>
> 2. Someone who will never say, "But that's the way I was taught" or
> "But that's the way I've always done it."
>
> 3. Someone who either owns the proper references and equipment or is
> willing to purchase them in a timely manner.
>
> 4. Someone with a good work ethic and cares about quality. (Big
> surprise coming from me, huh?)
>
> 5. Someone who can and will learn from their errors.
>
> 6. Someone who can and will work independently but is willing to ask
> questions when necessary. That sounds like a contradiction but it
> isn't. The ideal MT would be willing to do their own research, do
> their own proofing, do their own second listens and then know when
> it's time to give up and ask for assistance.
>
> 7. Someone who knows what Google is and how to effectively use it.
> Along with Yahoo Yellow Pages.
>
> 8. Someone who is computer savvy. They don't have to be a computer
> programmer, but they have to at least know how to find a file they put
> on their own computer.
>
> 9. Someone with a variety of experience. I don't mean a month here
> and a month there, but a few years with a few different services or
> hospitals or clinics will teach them that there is more than one way
> to do things and they will be more willing to adapt.
>
> 10. Someone who understands that quality has to come first and
> quantity will follow. This person will know from the outset that she
> will not make a gajillion dollars her first month with a new service
> and won't rush through the work trying to do so.
>
> I'm sure I can come up with more, but those are the highlights on my
> wish list. Now, the trick becomes how do we find out who has these
> qualifications based on a resume, an e-mail, and maybe a phone
> conversation?