General Update
This was my first week at the new job as a medical transcriptionist in a cardiovascular clinic. My brain and body are SO tired! I came home each evening just exhausted.
Even so, I am surprised to say that I really like the job. Everyone in the office is nice. The lady training me has been there for more than a decade. She is retiring in October 2009. On my first day, she really surprised me by saying, "You're the first one they've tried that I've been hopeful about."
I don't have any training in medical transcription. I did do one file for a doctor while working for Internet Transcribers. It was a conference call for parents of children with ADHD. After that one file, I said, "I don't want any more medical stuff!" Really, that one was a piece of cake because it was mostly meds that I had to Google to find spellings on. This job is definitely a lot more than meds.
The most difficult part is actually being able to distinguish what the docs are saying on the dictation. Sometimes they speak very clearly and if I don't know the spelling, I can Google it and find it pretty easily. However, they often slur their words together so there is NO hope of Googling it. That's where Linda comes in. She checks all the dictations I type and helps me figure out what they are saying. Yesterday, Linda had the day off. I worked anyway. She'll check the files I had questions about on Monday. But I did complete some files on my own with no problems. Yay!
This is still on a temporary basis. They have to like my work before they decide to keep me. I don't know how long of a temporary basis it will be.
We had an offer on our house. It was $15,000 under our asking price and they wanted us to leave several personal property items in the kichen and they wanted to close by December 15 and have us out by December 18. We countered with an offer only $2,000 under our asking price and a closing date of January 5. They withdrew their offer. They want to be settled before Christmas. Yikes! We haven't even found a house to buy yet. We really didn't want to be rushed into buying something if we aren't sure about it. We also have a trip back to Louisiana coming up the week after Christmas. It would have been nice to have all this done with, but I think we made the right decision at this point in time.
Of the two houses I wrote about before, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards the one I didn't think I would learn towards. There are so many negatives about the one with the wrap-around porch that they are pushing it down in my mind's list. We would have to finish the fence in the backyard. We would have to add stairs out the back door, which are missing right now (and it's a LONG way down). The kitchen is small and there isn't much room to expand it with the breakfast nook having one entire wall of windows. There isn't a place to easily add a bathroom if we decide we need/want to. No third bedroom/dedicated craft space. A pool we don't really want and would have to find a buyer for. It needs some work done on the floor in the bathroom. The positives it has: larger bedrooms, charming character, good location, great price, a basement for storage and workshop space.
The one near the hospital has a kitchen that is large enough to make a really nice work space. It has a pantry already (it just needs shelves). It has a room that can be dedicated to a crafting space as well as another (small) bedroom. The backyard is completely fenced. There is space to easily add another bathroom. There is a dedicated laundry room. The negatives: priced about $10,000 more than the other one; not a central location; smaller bedrooms; no workshop space. It's been on the market for over 3 months, so maybe they would be willing to negotiate on the price.
Now that I've written it all out, I still don't know. I'm torn! Just the lack of kitchen space is a big thing for me. The kitchen could be larger in the one with the porch but the owners added a laundry closet in the kitchen space. I am not sure where it was located before and I don't know where we would move it to make more space. I have not liked having to walk up and down stairs with laundry here; I don't want to do it again. It would probably be good to get a contractor and ask his opinion on things like where we could add a bathroom, etc. Maybe we should go on HGTV's Hidden Potential!!
We are STILL trying to get an appointment to see the one in Lakeside Highlands. I still prefer that neighborhood over anything else. The owners have moved into the house that we made an offer on, but they still aren't ready to show their former house because "it's a mess." Well, get it fixed and let us see it!!! Or don't fix it and let us see it. Whatever, just let us see it. Can you tell this is making me a little impatient??? ;-) It would be nice to know if it's something that is an option or not. Of course, at this point when we're looking at 2 bedroom/1 bath houses, what wouldn't be an option?
We do have appointments set for Saturday to see the two "possibilities" again and also to look at 2 new ones. When we looked at the two "possibilites" the other day, it was after work and dark. We want to look at them with Michael during the day so he can really get a good look at the basement of the one with the porch and at the yard of the one near the hospital.
Even so, I am surprised to say that I really like the job. Everyone in the office is nice. The lady training me has been there for more than a decade. She is retiring in October 2009. On my first day, she really surprised me by saying, "You're the first one they've tried that I've been hopeful about."
I don't have any training in medical transcription. I did do one file for a doctor while working for Internet Transcribers. It was a conference call for parents of children with ADHD. After that one file, I said, "I don't want any more medical stuff!" Really, that one was a piece of cake because it was mostly meds that I had to Google to find spellings on. This job is definitely a lot more than meds.
The most difficult part is actually being able to distinguish what the docs are saying on the dictation. Sometimes they speak very clearly and if I don't know the spelling, I can Google it and find it pretty easily. However, they often slur their words together so there is NO hope of Googling it. That's where Linda comes in. She checks all the dictations I type and helps me figure out what they are saying. Yesterday, Linda had the day off. I worked anyway. She'll check the files I had questions about on Monday. But I did complete some files on my own with no problems. Yay!
This is still on a temporary basis. They have to like my work before they decide to keep me. I don't know how long of a temporary basis it will be.
We had an offer on our house. It was $15,000 under our asking price and they wanted us to leave several personal property items in the kichen and they wanted to close by December 15 and have us out by December 18. We countered with an offer only $2,000 under our asking price and a closing date of January 5. They withdrew their offer. They want to be settled before Christmas. Yikes! We haven't even found a house to buy yet. We really didn't want to be rushed into buying something if we aren't sure about it. We also have a trip back to Louisiana coming up the week after Christmas. It would have been nice to have all this done with, but I think we made the right decision at this point in time.
Of the two houses I wrote about before, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards the one I didn't think I would learn towards. There are so many negatives about the one with the wrap-around porch that they are pushing it down in my mind's list. We would have to finish the fence in the backyard. We would have to add stairs out the back door, which are missing right now (and it's a LONG way down). The kitchen is small and there isn't much room to expand it with the breakfast nook having one entire wall of windows. There isn't a place to easily add a bathroom if we decide we need/want to. No third bedroom/dedicated craft space. A pool we don't really want and would have to find a buyer for. It needs some work done on the floor in the bathroom. The positives it has: larger bedrooms, charming character, good location, great price, a basement for storage and workshop space.
The one near the hospital has a kitchen that is large enough to make a really nice work space. It has a pantry already (it just needs shelves). It has a room that can be dedicated to a crafting space as well as another (small) bedroom. The backyard is completely fenced. There is space to easily add another bathroom. There is a dedicated laundry room. The negatives: priced about $10,000 more than the other one; not a central location; smaller bedrooms; no workshop space. It's been on the market for over 3 months, so maybe they would be willing to negotiate on the price.
Now that I've written it all out, I still don't know. I'm torn! Just the lack of kitchen space is a big thing for me. The kitchen could be larger in the one with the porch but the owners added a laundry closet in the kitchen space. I am not sure where it was located before and I don't know where we would move it to make more space. I have not liked having to walk up and down stairs with laundry here; I don't want to do it again. It would probably be good to get a contractor and ask his opinion on things like where we could add a bathroom, etc. Maybe we should go on HGTV's Hidden Potential!!
We are STILL trying to get an appointment to see the one in Lakeside Highlands. I still prefer that neighborhood over anything else. The owners have moved into the house that we made an offer on, but they still aren't ready to show their former house because "it's a mess." Well, get it fixed and let us see it!!! Or don't fix it and let us see it. Whatever, just let us see it. Can you tell this is making me a little impatient??? ;-) It would be nice to know if it's something that is an option or not. Of course, at this point when we're looking at 2 bedroom/1 bath houses, what wouldn't be an option?
We do have appointments set for Saturday to see the two "possibilities" again and also to look at 2 new ones. When we looked at the two "possibilites" the other day, it was after work and dark. We want to look at them with Michael during the day so he can really get a good look at the basement of the one with the porch and at the yard of the one near the hospital.
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