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Dictators who think we're dum-dums - Just sittin and daydreamin today

Posted: Dec 28, 2010

One of these days where I'm working but don't really feel much like it. Restless, surfing the net, laughing at the dictators. Had one who rattled off bizarre medical terms while eating, so I had to leave numerous blanks, and then the next one spent a good deal of time trying to explain to the dumb MT how to type "b.i.d." (that's BEE, EYE, DEE - oh, all in little letters - I mean, a little BEE, then a period, a little EYE, then a period, a little DEE, then a period). It's easier, though insulting, when they think we're dum-dums.

dum-dums - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, I guess there are a few ways to look at that. I have a few doctors who just started doing things like that. Makes me think they are getting a lot of misspelled words and terms back by all the new MTs we seem to have (verified by my boss). I guess it is better they spell than to get things spelled wrong in reports, and it is better than listening to a doctor who is speaking 100 miles an hour or eating and yawning through his reports.

Not trying to knock the newbies, we were all newbies at one time. But I think there are a lot of them out there who just have not had the proper training along with the fact that it just takes a lot of experience to learn some of this stuff. But, the MTSO's are forcing experienced people out and want the newbies in so they can pay less and this is what they get.

Just my observation.

MTs who think dictators are dum-dums - LK

[ In Reply To ..]
I am so amazed at the mistakes that come out of so many dictator's mouths. But what I really find hard to believe is how uneducated some of them sound when they speak. I swear, I would think some of them are truck drivers, not MDs (no offense to truck drivers). Many of them have very little command of the English language, and I'm talking native English speakers here. Really surprising that they made it out of their undergrad schooling, let alone med school.

That's where they need a good MT. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't get the impression that any of them are uneducated. But there are things that come up when you're dictating off-the-cuff as opposed to reading something (changing in and out of tense, noun/verb number agreement, etc) and on top of that most of them seem to be dictating in arenas with throngs of people around.

I agree with the second poster. Anytime I have a dictator spell something for me, especially if it's something fairly common, I have to wonder what craziness somebody transcribed that he felt compelled to spell aspirin.

Unfortunately, medical terminology is another instance where they've had to dumb it down to achieve success, and that means getting rid of some of the trickier spellings and having our MDs spelling out what should be simple things. I'm assuming it's a combination of the abundance of relatively unexperienced MTs here and the offshore MTs.

True that I have seen some horrible errors in reports - Sittin and daydreamin

[ In Reply To ..]
I've shuddered when accessing old reports on a given patient or from a given dictator. Some of the errors I've seen are a disgrace and an embarrassment to our profession. Yeah, most likely my "b.i.d." guy got burned by an MT who, hard to believe, didn't know how to transcribe it. I've seen cringe-worthy errors like "pick line" - what school did that MT go to, I wonder? And how did she (or he) pass the tests to get hired? It's frustrating to know that good, hard-working, experienced MTs are having difficulty making ends meet because the MTSOs - maybe not all of them, but plenty of them - are looking to save a buck and drag what was once an honorable profession into the muck.

I get that feeling everytime I read the word help board - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I know and accept there is a learning curve. But if some of the questions asked reflect the knowledge base people are graduating with, they're a horrible reflection on the quality of grad the schools are putting out, and explain why doctors have taken to spelling things.

It's also possible they're getting back VR reports that are proofed by the people who do 500 lph. With declining wages, something had to give and unfortunately it appears to be quality.

It isn't always the new MTs who make those shocking mistakes - 30-Year Plus MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I've seen horrible work from people with years of experience doing really bad work. The problem is, they will tell you they've done it for years and nobody else had a problem with it and they aren't going to change. I think we're seeing a lot of those experienced MTs losing their jobs right now. I would much rather work with a new MT who has had a good MT education and is willing to do things the way the boss wants it done.

Agree, entirely frustrating for all involved - except

[ In Reply To ..]
obviously the MT making the error.

I recently came across a report that had in it as part of the document "Take out the bold in the impression"

Today, a doctor said osteoporosis slash osteopenia and then had to explain that when he says slash he wants a slash not someone to type the word slash.

I hate knowing I lose work to these MTs, and since I know the MT who made these errors, I know she's quite American and sitting in her home in the Bible belt (in case anyone wanted to blame that on offshore). Oh and she's been an MT for over a decade so she can't even claim newbie stupidity, just stupid stupidity. And we wonder why end-users want it cheaper.

OMG-how did they get through the MT course? anyone hear of - COMMON SENSE?? ever?

[ In Reply To ..]
new generation all concrete thinkers? borne of the 'this is your brain on drugs' gengeration.

nutz

She wasn't a new MT though. - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
Many, many years ago I was a secretary on a new job. The boss welcomed me and told me that his last secretary made mistakes like typing "and that's all" at the end of the letter. This is not a new problem. There have always been lazy and/or unmotivated workers and those with little or no common sense. That is nothing new.

annoying - peachey

[ In Reply To ..]
It's very annoying when they eat or even yawn several times when dictating. What is scary is that a medical record may be a legal document one day if for any reason the patient sues. Doctors should really consider that when dictating.

I have a couple of doctors who just... - MY2c

[ In Reply To ..]
refuse to open their mouths and speak clearly, not eating, not drinking, not foreign, no background noise, just sloppy. I wonder if their patients can even understand them when they are talking face to face. I know they get a lot of blanks back in their reports, because I see the reports after QA is done trying to figure out their mess.

I also get a cardiologist who just sounds completely lost and confused when he is trying to dictate. His dictation is very clear, but at times completely makes no sense. I have not had him for a while, so I wonder if they have "retired" him or maybe he killed someone while doing a heart catheterization.

and should not dictate undocumented meds, etc. sm - just as MT should not

[ In Reply To ..]
Had a resident CLEARLY dictate BIZ (dictated bee eye zee) injections monthly. I couldn't document this anywhere, so I looked at another report on same patient. Turns out it was B12 injections. He obviously read the chart, but why did he not document this before dictating? Had he ever GIVEN a BIZ injection? Why are we held to a higher standard than a resident?

Rule of thumb. If you can't document it, don't dictate or type it. I doubt MT who typed pick line ever really heard of it, but had she just done a Google search, she would have probably typed correct thing.

Seasoned MTs probably worst offenders. We've been doing this X amount of years, we know it all. I'm learning every day. Again, if I can't document it, I don't type it. But I find it just inexcusable when dictators, no matter their credentials, just plain don't care.

Peachey: Before things went to &(^*, I think - the docs counted on SM

[ In Reply To ..]
us for that exact reason and we did exactly that. It took knowledge, experience, dedication, and pride in our work to be able to do that. Of course, this was a time when what we concentrated on was an accurate medical record. Now, we have CPs, "special" CPs for "special" docs at the hospital, demographics, etc., etc., and all at a deeply reduced rate of pay. It's gotten to the point where the medical terminology is lost in the translation, if you know what I mean (older MTs will understand). The focus now is on TATs, speed, and pay cuts.

accuracy is priority - peachey

[ In Reply To ..]
My job takes knowledge, experience, dedication and pride in my work to be able to do my job the best way possible. I have a "strictly" typing job. While it may be true I'm not an "older MT" I've only been doing this for 4 years now. I was an office nurse for 13 years and our MTs had no problem with calling us to have the doctor fill in some blanks while they were on a report. The doctors appreciated it too. It made them feel like someone cared about the accuracy of the report. Also, if an MT called me and said the doc was mumbling and she could hardly understand him...I would just tell him she couldn't hardly hear him and he needs to slow down lol...I think too many companies are scared to ask the docs to speak better. I would rather type for an ESL dictator who tried to speak clearly than someone who wants to mumble and eat and yawn while they are talking. Some doctors just care more. But, as a nurse, I know how one mistake in the chart can affect someone's health and maybe even their life. It shouldn't be up to MTs to try to decipher medication names or doses because a doctor is too lazy to open his mouth. Oh well, that is how it goes. Companies won't dare ruffle the doctor's feathers and say a word because too many other companies are chomping at the bit to take their clients. I never had a problem telling the docs to speak clearly so the MT could hear them better and like I said they actually appreciated it. Now with SR taking over things are changing and not for the better. Those mumbling doctors cause havoc on the SR system! lol! Ok I'm finished with my venting. I just wish people would speak clearly! Yeah, the TAT and speed seem to be the focus on companies these days. It's all about $$$$$ unfortunately. Meanwhile, the chart still has to be accurate because you are dealing with people's lives so they need to stop the mumbling! lol

It almost makes one wonder if it's done on purpose. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
An American MT with over 10 years in the field should know not to type in a dictated directive like, "take out the bold in the impression" or not to type the word "slash."

If not, where is management on these blatant errors coming from a 10-year MT?

we'll see where mgmt is - I reported her today

[ In Reply To ..]
Most times I shrug it off as the doc blowing off steam but I'm sick of it. If you want me to have to share my workload with you, then you darn well better be doing it right.

Re the "take out the bold" comment, the manager knew about that one, but the doctor had electronically signed the record so we can't even alter it now. She's no longer allowed to do his reports tho :)

A doctor who was specific enough to say "take out the bold" - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
A doctor who was specific enough to say "take out the bold" is obviously interested in having the details done right. That same doctor is not going to be amused at having "take out the bold" included as part of the report.

So how does an MT who does that kind of work keep a job for 10 years? Something is not right.

Because employers used to hire anyone who could type if they said they were an MT - Things are changing

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I'm glad things are changing. This is the kind of experienced MT that has helped send things overseas.

She's been an MT for over a decade and she did that? - Unbelievable!

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Maybe not so unbelievable. I've seen some truly awful mistakes done by MTs who present themselves as expert MTs with experience. That's probably how some of them get jobs, but they may not keep those new jobs very long.

Seriously, I see that as a real problem for experienced MTs who have worked for one company for many years and then lose that job. Some of them are just awful, but that one company kept them for some reason. They may have been close friends or relatives of the owner or supervisor. Once that job is gone they are finding that they can't pass employment tests or get anyone else to hire them. I think that's what we are seeing in many of the threads where, if you read through the lines, QA is bad, the employer is bad, the dictation is bad, and even though their co-workers have work, theirs has mysteriously and dramatically dropped. I know that isn't always what is happening, but I'd be willing to bet that it happens more than most of us would think.

Sounds to me like poorly edited ISR - going too fast?

[ In Reply To ..]
Maybe if MTs weren't struggling so hard for every penny and rushing through reports it wouldn't be missed. Maybe if doctors weren't so finicky this problem wouldn't exist to begin with! "Take out the bold" has diddly to do with patient care and plenty to do with nitpicking ego.

Hmmm... - vtmt1050

[ In Reply To ..]
Unusual in this day of large MTSOs and everyone working at home for one MT to know the whereabouts of another. The ''Bible belt''?--what a broad, sweeping statement. Rather difficult to believe an experienced MT (for that matter, even an experienced secretary or office worker) would be unfamiliar with a dictator saying ''slash''. Sounds like baloney, intended to justify off-shoring and cheaper line rates.

dictators who think we're dum-dums - msjane

[ In Reply To ..]
pet peeve of mine. spelling words that are familiar and frequently used. then repeating the same stuff over but must remember that maybe he saw another patient or took some phone calls before repeating things.

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