In January, our town board approved a project that would bring public water down my street, and this week the contract for that project had finally been awarded to a local contractor who is to begin work within a week or so. This has been a long time coming, being one of a few streets in our immediate area that still operates from a well. We tried several times over the years to bring water down but it was always stopped. When arsenic was detected the water in our area late last year, a vote was taken again and passed. Believe it or not, there are still a couple of streets surrounding us that will not be getting town water. The town gave them another chance to vote on water and there were several residents that voted it down. This was completely shocking because I don't understand why you would want to continue using a well knowing that your water is contaminated with arsenic. In any event, while it will be a noisy few months on my street, I am looking forward to getting public water!

A few nights ago I received my RMT Review Guide in the mail. I began looking through it last night and I am excited to start working my way through the exercises. As I skimmed through the book I realized that I made the right choice in doing this now because there were a few things that I knew I had already forgotten. My session starts on 5/27 which should be plenty of time for some prep work.

After years of missing out, I finally attended an ADVANCE job fair - the virtual job fair that is! I have to say it was quite an interesting experience. I was not sure what to expect and I was pleased with the layout and how easy it was to navigate around. I submitted my resume to a couple of places and also attended one of the webinars that were offered. To those who made the job fair happen, great job!! It was fun and I look forward to attending future fairs.

Time to get going, it is a sunny day in Rochester and I need to get outside with my daughter and enjoy it. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It is a great feeling to have finally accomplished what I set out to do; however, now my focus has turned to studying and passing the RMT exam and obtaining employment. I have signed up for a 12-week RMT review course that starts at the end of this month and have begun working on updating my resume. It has been nearly 3 years since I left my job to stay home with my new baby and prior to that I worked for a communications company for 7 years. Needless to say, the entire process of job hunting and interviewing seems a bit scary. In the blink of an eye, what felt like a comfortable protective bubble of being in school is gone and replaced with the uncertainty of finding a job and working as an MT.

I could not sleep one night recently so I went downstairs and decided to go through some magazines that I had not gone through yet, and one of them was ADVANCE. While I was reading through it I came across the information regarding the virtual job fair that was coming up soon. Perfect! I have always wanted to attend an ADVANCE job fair, but they have never been within reasonable driving distance for me. I am not sure if virtual job fairs have been offered before and I missed them, but this is great timing for me!

Although the unknown has been making my head spin lately, I do feel that things are finally falling into place. The plan that my husband and I made many years ago is slowing becoming reality. Graduating from a top-notch school was the first piece to the puzzle and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I must say I have enjoyed my school-free life recently as I have been able to spend my time outdoors gardening and catching up on household duties that I let slide for so long.

There was a Web site that was shared on the message board at my school, which I found to be very entertaining and wanted to share it here. The bloopers were compiled by two transcriptionists and can be found on this Web site.

I imagine that bloopers such as these would certainly keep you on your toes! If you have any that you would like to share, please feel free, and they could also appear in ADVANCE's "Say What?" column that appears in print.

My end-date for my program was 3/31, so I really had to pull out all the stops. I created a schedule which had me working on my school work day and night. There hasn't been a night that I have gone to bed before 11:30 p.m. About a week and a half ago, my computer became infected with a nasty virus. I was convinced someone had it out for me because I was so close to my ending date that dealing with spyware was the absolute last thing that I needed. I have been through this before and thought that I had been extra careful; however, I remembered an email that I received from a friend that I opened weeks prior that clearly was not from her. My computer became so bogged down that I couldn't even get to my email accounts. The one drawback to going to an online school is that if your computer fails, you are in trouble! A great spyware removal program was suggested and 3 hours of scans later, my computer was fixed and working properly. Thankfully, it was only a few days that I was unable to send assignments to my instructor.

It has been a very grueling and stressful schedule, but I am very happy to say that I made it to the other side. I have not officially graduated yet, but that will come soon. I have completed my work and once my graduation is official, I can begin the job search.

I am only 4 days post school and I have now begun to think about the RMT examination. Many students at my school have taken this examination shortly after graduating and I would like to do the same. I have done research on the AHDI Web site so that I have an idea of what the examination will be like. Even though I know that my school has prepared me well, I find myself nervous. I have put so much into this that it would be a shame not go all the way and become credentialed.

Are there any RMTs that would like to share their experience with me? I would love to know how you prepared for the test. And, if you were a working MT prior to becoming credentialed, how has that changed your career?

Hope to hear from the RMTs out there and anyone thinking of sitting for the examination.

The town that I live in is about 15 minutes from the city and we have everything we could ever need just minutes from our home. Our neighborhood is full of mature trees and old homes and we're lucky to have nearly 3 acres all to ourselves. The one downside, if you will, was that all of the houses on the street were on private wells. Although I wasn't happy with that initially, I accepted it and we moved in. Truth be told, I've never been one to drink from a tap so in the end it didn't make much sense to have an issue with it. We also knew that there was always the prospect of getting public water on the street someday. For several years many petitions circulated around the neighborhood requesting support for public water, and each time we failed to get the required 50% needed to move the project forward. It always struck me as odd that everyone around us had public water, all except for about 4 streets in my immediate area. But, there are many residents that have been here for 40-50 years and never wanted to pay for public water.

In October 2008 that all changed, when the news came out about a woman who became sick just a few streets away. As it turns out the well water was tested and the results came back with elevated levels of arsenic. One by one, the residents in our area began having their wells tests and all came back with concerning results. A month later, a new petition went around and we received an astounding 82% in favor of public water. Last night was the public hearing in front of the town board where the proposal was made and the town board would either approve or deny the request - they approved it and we will have public water sometime within the next several months. It's very reassuring to know that we'll have safe, potable water again soon.

I'm still working on the cardiology session of my studies and I feel like I'm finally making some real progress now that the holidays are over. One of the areas I'd like to improve on is planning each day. There are times when I sit down at the computer and I know I will have to get up a half hour later to make dinner, lunch etc. Knowing that, I need to find a way to maximize that time. More often than not, I'll waste 5-10 minutes trying to decide what to work on and by the time that I do, it hardly seems worth it anymore. I would have thought that at this point in my course, I would have found my study style, but I haven't. So, trying to plan out my study time is now a priority and I'm hoping it will make the time I spend in front of my computer and books much more productive!

Like some people, I have been thinking a lot about 2008 and what kind of year it has been for my family. What stands out the most is how much our daughter has changed. The jump from baby to toddler has been absolutely amazing. She has grown so much and is doing so many things on her own. We have yet to see any signs of the "terrible twos" and my husband and I are hoping maybe she'll just decide to skip that stage! I'm sure it will show up eventually, but for now we'll enjoy the quiet, happy toddler we have who answers everything with either "no, thank you" and "yes, please."

So, another year is around the corner and I expect it to be a great one. This year I will graduate from my program and go from MT student to MT and become a productive member of the healthcare industry. I expect that this will be a transition that will take some getting used to as I've been home for over 2 years with my daughter. But, I am excited for it just the same. It is also time to think about New Year's resolutions, and unfortunately, mine is once again to lose some unwanted pounds. This has been one of my resolutions for a few years in a row and I'm hoping that eventually it will stick! I feel good about it this year and hope that I can finally win this battle.

Although I always get a little sappy when it comes time to say goodbye to the previous year, I am looking forward to 2009 and the changes it will bring. I will become a working MT, what could be better than that?

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!

We received about a foot of snow in my area over the past several days, which I think pales in comparison to many other areas. I have to admit, I am very excited to have snow on the ground for Christmas Day. The past few years I have felt cheated, as whatever small amount of snow we had at the time always seemed to melt just before Christmas. This year, there is plenty and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

The 2008 salary results in the December 15^th issue of ADVANCE gave me something to smile about today. It seems as though every time I turn around I am reading something about the dismal pay that medical transcriptionists get. I've always looked past that as pay was not the reason why I chose this career. It is something that I find extremely interesting and it provides the flexibility that I desire to work from home. However, it was certainly nice to hear that there was an increase of 4% in salaries. The information on the MTs with the RMT credential was interesting. The RMT exam has been a hot topic at my school since the credential was introduced and many students plan to sit for the exam once their schooling is complete. The article stated that RMTs made less than full-time MTs with no credential, but on average they did make slightly more than MTs that fell in the 0-2 years of experience category. Although I plan to sit for the exam when I am ready, that certainly convinced me that I am better off with the RMT credential than without. Having said that, I was amazed to learn that 47% of MTs said their employers do not offer more pay if they have a credential. My first reaction was to question why I'd ever bother to sit for an exam that won't earn me any more respect - and money - but, I know that it's worth if for me. I am sure that the recognition from employers will come and I want to be ready when it does. I really feared that earning a credential would be several years away for me, when I had a lot of experience under my belt. When the RMT was introduced, I was very excited that I would have the opportunity to sit for an exam immediately after my schooling. It was a great article and encouraging to see the HIM field continuing to thrive.

I hope that everyone has a terrific holiday with their loved ones. I am looking forward to a relatively relaxing day as I anxiously await that last package. All of the wrapping is done, the 18-lb. prime rib is ready to be cooked and our relatives coming from out of town have arrived safely. The countdown to Christmas Day is almost over!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Oddly enough, the post office was not busy, even though the parking lot looked as though I'd be waiting in line forever. I was out in 5 minutes and I'm happy to say I don't need to go back before the holidays.

The article "30 under 30" in the December 1^st issue of ADVANCE gave me the kick that I needed this week. There were a few individuals who had similar stories to mine and reminded me that I can do this - raise a family, complete my Medical Transcription program and find a good job. Some days I just feel like there's not enough of me to go around and not enough hours in the day. It was refreshing to read up on these individuals who are so energetic and happy with their HIM career.

I also noticed in the News Across the Nation section that Alfred State College was recognized for their 100 percent pass rate on the RHIT exam, and that Michelle Green was recognized at the 2008 AHIMA Convention and Exhibit. I was in the HIT program at Alfred a few years ago and enjoyed it very much. It fit my lifestyle, being an internet-based program, and I do have some regret for not finishing the program (I had decided to focus on Medical Transcription at that time). Michelle was the instructor for several of the classes that I took and she was wonderful. Once I complete my transcription program and begin working, I may look into completing my degree at Alfred - yes, even after I've already said that there are times when there are just not enough hours in the day! I really feel that if I can do it, it will only help me in my career as a transcriptionist.

For those who will be affected by this storm, please stay safe. Have a great weekend everyone!

I grew up watching the television show "Happy Days" and a few days ago I came across something posted on the MTEC student forums that brought me right back to an episode that I had long since forgotten about. It was Episode # 142, "Potsie Quits School," where Potsie is in danger of failing his anatomy final and decides to use music as a tool to help him get though the exam. The song is called "Pump your blood," and if you've never heard it I encourage you to check it out here.

If you are interested in hearing the song with the lyrics provided, click here.

I was amazed at how many songs that I was able to find on You Tube in relation to the heart. So, a flashback to "Happy Days" has left me with a song that I can't get out of my head (or stop singing around the house!) and hopefully it will come in handy as I prepare for my exam soon.

I am beginning to feel the holiday crunch as I am still placing last minute orders and wrapping gifts as fast as I can. My daughter's latest trick is taking all of the presents from underneath the tree and stacking them in the living room on the coffee table. Luckily, I haven't had to re-wrap any as she shows absolutely no interest of opening them (we'll see how this plays out on Christmas morning!).
All in all, we've had a very productive week. My husband was on vacation and got several projects around the house completed, one of which was organizing the garage so that we could get both of our cars in for the winter season. That one made me particularly happy! My goals for the next week is to finish all of our holiday shopping, get out our Christmas cards on Monday and study, study, study! Knowing that I'll have a few days off with relatives visiting I need to cram in as much as I can next week.

As for today, I am off to the doctor's office again this afternoon to see if we can come up with a new game plan for getting rid of this cough once and for all!

Have a great weekend everyone and stay warm!

I am still happily plugging away at my coursework and am now learning about Cardiopulmonary. It has been very interesting thus far. I have noticed that since embarking on a medical transcriptionist path, my respect for the human body has changed. I always knew that our bodies were complicated machines, but what I have learned about its inner workings, continues to amaze me.

When I last posted, I mentioned that I had been ill (5 weeks today, but who's counting?!). I am still battling a terrible cough and went for a chest x-ray yesterday. All is normal, as the doctor expected, and now I am on a new medication for a few days. Doctor appointments certainly take on a different meaning when you are starting to piece together how your systems work. I think that between the textbooks I am constantly buried in and all the episodes of "House, M.D." that I've seen, I should be able to self- diagnose soon!

We had a family member move so my husband has been pretty tied up running between houses. This has been an ongoing project for the past 7 months but really got hectic the past month or so as things were finalized with the sale. I know everyone is happy to have this done with!

I on the other hand have been sick for the past 2 weeks. I have had a chest cold that I was hoping would go away on its own, however, I decided yesterday to finally go to the doctor and get checked out. Two prescriptions later, I hope that I am finally on the road to recovery. Both my husband and daughter have remained healthy--thank goodness! It had become routine for me to go to bed when I put my daughter down for her nap but thankfully, after 2 weeks, I am back online and connecting with the world. Although I did manage to get out and vote last week, it's amazing how much I feel I've missed not sitting in front of my lap top each day! I'm beginning to think I have an addiction here.

My studies have suffered as result of my illness but I have been back on track as of yesterday and hope to finish the session that I'm in within a day or two and move on. Cardiopulmonary is next and I'm anxious to get going on it.

That's it for now--I have a lot to catch up on! Have a great weekend everyone!

The letter was in response to an article published in the July 28^th issue of Advance titled "The MT Critic" which talks about using critical thinking skills as you transcribe and asks the question of what's more important, quality or quantity?

In my medical transcription course, I am required to transcribe verbatim. However, as students we are reminded that on the job we may be allowed to do minor editing. As I transcribe I am thinking of one thing, quality. Of course, I am being graded so I know that's part of it, but, these are real records and I find myself "pretending" to be on the job as I work through them. Will I be more concerned with quantity in the future? Is that what employers are more concerned with?

These are questions that I can't answer right now. I am not a working MT and I don't know what the workplace will be like when I enter it. I can tell you that I have spent up to 30 minutes looking for a term or trying to figure out a word or two on the tape I'm listening to. Is that reality on the job? I know that part of it is inexperience and I would hope that the more experience I have the faster I will be able to find things. But, in the letter I read that some employers will give a limit of how much time you are to research for things--is that really true? So far I have not had to leave a blank on a test that I've submitted but I know that may not always be the case.

The letter brings up another point, regarding pay. This is always a hot topic and I have yet to find out what is the reasoning behind how MTs are paid. Why pay by the line? Why not pay an hourly wage and then offer incentives to those who go above and beyond (but still produce quality reports) as the letter suggests?

I had an appointment last week with my primary care physician. It was a routine physical and I had to get blood work done. When I received the letter a few days ago with the results (all good, yay!), I found that I was reading it as if I was an MT and had typed it myself. I want to be proud of the work that I submit, both as a student and as a working MT someday, but I am left wondering if the place that I end up working at will support that or push for quantity instead.

I would love to hear what MTs thought of the letter and the questions it raised and maybe even a little insight into what a typical day is like for the working MT.

This is my favorite time of year--cooler days, chilly nights and the beautiful colors on the trees. Last week I pulled out all of my decorations for the season (my girlfriend thought I was crazy!) and set them up. The smell of my pumpkin spice candle has been filling the house ever since!

I am even more excited about this year because my daughter is at an age where a trip to the pumpkin patch will be so much fun! I loved those times when I was a child--going to the apple orchard to get apple cider and then the tractor ride down to the pumpkin patch to choose the perfect one to take home. I look forward to starting our own family traditions with our daughter.

The past week there have been many appointments, countless errands, the continuation of home renovations and a trip to the auto mechanic this morning (fingers crossed it will be a reasonable bill). I wasn't feeling well for a few days which didn't help my motivation to get my schoolwork done. I did a little each day but wished I had the energy to do more.

I did manage to start my Christmas shopping though! Thanks to the Internet, my shopping is done early each year. I very rarely shop in-store now as the online market has become so competitive. It really doesn't pay to take the time (and use any more gas than necessary) to drive to the store.

This weekend my husband and I will be attending a wedding. I am really looking forward to it, even though I will not know anyone there as this is a gentleman that my husband used to work with. I have noticed over the past couple of years that "dressing up" for me consists of jeans and T-shirt. I have definitely become very relaxed in my outfit selection each day as I spend most of it sitting in front of my computer. Needless to say, I bought a new outfit for this wedding and am looking forward to getting all dressed up! My husband and I had our wedding in the Fall as well--it really is a great time of year to get married.

After the festivities of the wedding, it will be back to studying and hopefully a quieter week ahead. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Today is my daughter's 2^nd birthday. It's hard to believe that 2 years have passed since she came into this world--the infant I once held slips away a little each day as she becomes a big girl. It has all gone by so fast.

This past week has been quite hectic as the party preparations for the weekend seemed never-ending. We had family stay with us and that is always fun! My daughter had a great time and within 5 minutes of gift opening, she had a box of alphabet letters and then it was all over. She took the box of letters to Grammy so that they could play and I was left to open the rest. I am looking forward to the birthdays where there is a little more participation with the opening! I made my first character cake and it was her favorite--Elmo! I was up until almost 10 p.m. the night before the party decorating it and was very happy when it turned out as planned. The weather didn't cooperate so we went to the backup plan--the garage! It worked out well and the kids were able to go play in the yard for part of the day.

Our family left yesterday morning so the rest of the day was spent trying to get back on track with our daily routine. I have felt so guilty for not touching my schoolwork in days so last night I hit the books again. I have started a new session, Gastrointestinal, which has proved to be quite interesting so far.

This morning my husband and I took our daughter for her 2-year checkup. She is doing very well and as predicted, she's going to be tall! She is 36 inches already--and catching up to Mommy very quickly. The running joke in our house is that our daughter will probably be taller than me by the time she's 6.

My little birthday girl will be up from her nap in a couple of hours and then my attention will shift to her, so for now, it's back to studying for me.

About a week ago we had some major storms roll through my area and we lost our electricity. It was around 10:15 p.m., my daughter was already in bed and I was working on my school work (thank goodness for auto save!). My husband began the search for a flashlight and I went off to find the emergency radio that we got 2 years ago and had not  yet opened.

Within 10 minutes we were sitting on the couch with our dogs and my husband was already using the internet through his cell phone and reporting to the electric company that we were amongst the many without power.  As time went on, I began to think about what things were like before the internet. I can remember being in my 20's and the internet becoming more and more popular. I used to sign up for 1-hr time blocks at my local library almost every night after work and remember being upset when my time was up. Now, in my 30's, the internet has become such a huge part of my daily life.  I still get amazed sometimes at all the information that is available. Growing up, I relied on the set of encyclopedias that my parents had, boy have times changed!

As we were listening to the news on the emergency radio, I asked my husband if he could choose between the television and a computer, which one would he pick. His reply was not shocking, as it was the same answer that I had -- a computer. He quickly pointed out that as long as you had the internet, you'd never be without your favorite television show anyway.

I am thankful that I have all of this technology at my fingertips. I know that it has made life easier in many ways -- and will prove to be invaluable once I'm a working MT.

I look around at my desk and have to laugh at what I see in front of me--mixed in with all of my medical books and notes is an alphabet puzzle, about a dozen crayons, a stuffed animal and an Elmo laptop. Obviously, some of these things are not really going to help me to understand the Genitourinary System, but they are just as important in their own way.

I have begun to notice a pattern these past couple of weeks. The second that I leave my desk to do something, my daughter runs to my chair and takes over. She brings whatever is the "toy of the moment" with her and makes herself comfortable. Although there have been a couple of times where I've had to track down papers that I'm missing, most of the time she's just happy sitting in mommy's chair and playing with her toys. My program is very intense and sometimes the information can be a little overwhelming--and, there have been times when I'm thumbing through a book and I come across some scribbles in crayon that my daughter has left for me. Let me tell you, it always seems to come at the right time, when I need a little break and a moment to just smile.

There are many times during the day when I am working and she walks over to the computer, takes my hand and says "uh-mon Mama" (translation would of course be "come on Mama" --much cuter her way though!) as she tries to lure me away from my chair. It's really hard not to accept the invitation each and every time, especially after all of her pleas!

Once I am working things will need to change, but for now I am enjoying the toys scattered about on my desk and the frequent visits I get from my daughter. And, who knows, if my computer ever stops working there's always the Elmo laptop.