Agree. It' hard to use that as a rule-out factor nowadays.
Posted By: no message on 2008-04-13
In Reply to: You can check on that message....sm - MQMT
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Would agree, hard to get everything owed ...
I worked for him a short time, in between other work and was difficult to get everything that he owed me.
Again: Nowadays this is done ONLINE...sm
What is going on on this boards?
Is this some kind of advertising campaign to buy
BOOKS
for doing MTing?
MTs are pressured to use hot keys (shortcuts) instead of the mouse ,, and not to take one's fingers off the keyboard, especialy when doing VR.
Why should I go and look into my books, wasting all that time?
Nowadays you can put ALL management
.
They may require that you don't have dial up nowadays.
At one point my PS said high-speed was required. I had worked there for 3 years already, though, and told her there was no way I was paying $800 to get high-speed (especially since that's when they quite reimbursing us for internet). So, I assumed I got to keep dial up because I was grandfathered in and that new hires had to have high-speed internet of some form.
I could be wrong though...I won't guarantee any of the info previous PSs have given is right:-)
I agree...change can be hard but it doesn't hurt to try...
especially if you are unhappy at your current company...and if you just hate being an MT, time to find a new line of work...Happy New Year everyone!!!
I agree - hard to get decent line count with ExText...sm
Good to know other people are having the same issue as I thought I was just getting slower in my old age! Seems like I can do almost twice as much with DocQScribe and escription.
Agree, lines are hard to get. I also think the sound quality doesnt help things. nm
:
Ugh .. I hope Keystrokes doesn't sell, but no guarantees nowadays. :( nm
the key factor would
be do they consistently have an abundance of work?
Luck is a factor
but are MT companies all so bad? If you have been at 10 companies in 10 years, and all were bad, that is very bad luck and I feel for you. I've been with only 1 company for the 2-1/2 years I've been doing MT and have had no problems with them. Good account, good supervisors, good pay, occasionally run low on work, but rarely. I get very nervous reading that so many companies out there are horrible. Actually a lot of people think my company is horrible from the posts I read here, but it hasn't been for me. I'm going to be nervous if I have to look for a new job.
There must be a personal talent factor to it. SM
So many say they lose money, I'm another who definitely makes more editing, i.e., significantly more than double the line count, but then I'm not a fast typist, so shifting a lot of the emphasis from fingers to reading and editing decisions works for me. Now, if only I had fast fingers, too...
definitely a deciding factor there. I am already stressed
with my current situation and huge cut and turned down a few other offers b/c high ESL would be MORE stressful, so good to know. thanks so much for the heads up...are you a TT?
It's that 'ol GREED factor, again! - no/msg.
x
you didn't factor in what you would have spent
working in an office - clothes, shoes, gas, vehicle wear-and-tear, driving in bad weather, lunches, travel time (what's your time worth to you), make-up (I only wear make-up when I'm going out), laundry (I wear my sweats twice before washing), office donations/kids selling stuff, manicures/pedicures, pantyhose (I count that separate from clothes cuz it's a PITA to wear).
Then there's all the stuff you miss out on cuz you're working - kids' school programs, ball games, dance recitals, on and on.
I'd love to make more than 9 cpl, but the truth is a lot of us don't even make that. You have to weigh the good with the bad. I'd rather make a little less than have all the stuff above to deal with. I never got in this biz to become a millionaire. I got it in to be home and I wouldn't give that up for a few extra bucks!!!!
Some things to consider that factor into line rates. sm
There are two sides to this. The larger companies like MQ, Spheris, Transcend, Keystrokes, et AL have a lot more accounts and more volume so they make their money on volume and can pay more. They also have more overhead than smaller MTSOs and need payroll people, recruiters, benefits people, etc.
But here is what no one considers: If I pay someone 0.09 per line, I have to pay taxes and unemployment on them. My portion is 15% between SS and unemployment. Benefits such as PTO and the portion I pay for insurance and 401K (there is a fee to the employer to have someone run it at the company that you have your 401K with), etc cost me approximately 22% more. So actually, 9cpl + 37% = 12.3cpl. Add the cost of doing payroll, bank fees, liability insurance, etc. and there is not a whole lot left over. Most hospitals will not pay more than 13cpl, some 14cpl. My break-even is 13.2 cpl. This is normal; I talk to many MTSOs at MTIA meetings and on my own. The big ones above are the only ones that make a lot of money, but their companies produce a lot of lines every month.
Do I make good money? Yes, but I put in a lot of time getting accounts and keeping them happy, doing the juggling act to keep my employees busy on good accounts. Payroll takes time, recruiting takes time, sales take time PLUS a lot of accounts take a lot of day-to-day work.
I am not complaining about being an MTSO, I just want you to know that there are two sides to everything and the industry changes prevent us from paying more than 7 to 9 cpl. Factor in offshore driving our costs down and those companies that undercut everyone, and small MTSOs may go the way of 8-Track Tapes.
I see the industry going to just 10 companies or so and hopefully they can stay in business too with speech recognition, offshore and everything else that comes along.
Sure, factor it in, but no one knows what the future holds and MTSO has no control over those
:+
Where you live doesn't factor in when you work with nationals.
When you work on-line, companies will pay the same regardless of whether you live in NYC or in some small town. I live in a small town and I am nearing $40,000 as an IC for 2 national companies. My pay is not based on where I live or my cost of living, rather on my production. I am paid 8 cpl, but because I use an Expander and can transcribe 250 lph, I make a decent wage.
This is only my third year as an MT and I have been with one of my companies for a year and a half and the other one for 8 months, so it doesn't take years and years. I did have to change jobs a few times though until I found the right companies and the right accounts that I could make money on. Some of the accounts I worked in the beginning had so many ESLs and the platforms were so slow that I knew I could never make any money there.
What you need personally to cover your bills should be the deciding factor. And what you MIGHT earn
m
Not saying this is the rule, but (sm)
It could be a regional thing. I used to do a lot of accounts in S FL and it was pretty ESL-intensive. I then did some N FL accounts and it was the opposite, but believe it or not, the dictators were MUCH worse.
Regions of California, Florida, Texas, and NY probably have more ESLs than other states. I could be wrong on this and probably a gross generalization, but I'm only speaking from experience.
My new rule
With rare exception, I don't do any test without the courtesy of verbal communication in advance with the company advertising. If they can't or won't even speak to you via phone to answer a few simple questions, how do you know if you even want the job?
I don't have *any* problem testing, but if the management can't or won't even speak to you first, it can be a sign of under-staffing/poor organization.
You seem to be the exception, not the rule. nm
..
You are the exception rather than the rule. ....
Most companies pay nothing, or next to nothing. Then you have to consider that you have to deal with the very personal fact that AAMT loves its Indian MTs more than you, and you are just funding their growth...it's just not worth it. I've been on thier boards, I have been a CMT, and I'm more than happy to shred AAMT's pleas to have me maintain their lifestyle. NO SOUP FOR AAMT!
AAMT Nazi.
is that a rule on the website or something?
If so, sorry....didn't know
As a general rule....
75% is a pretty heavy figure on terms of ESL. That sounds like an account no one else wants to do.
You are an exception rather than the rule....
I learned on the job too, but that was a LONG time ago. It has been my experience nowadays that you have to pass testing for most nationals to get hired. Those who can pass testing with no experience are few and far between and you are to be commended. This particular person already has acknowledged that she could not pass testing and does not have the knowledge required, and was asking how to gain that knowledge.
What concerns me is that the rule is
Unless you like being banned, then keep on having laughs over the job seeker's board posts. It happened to me, so I like to tell people that I was instantly banned for pointing something out on a job post. It is not acceptable no matter what the forum or nature of the job posting. It is not really up to you or I to decide what is just having a laugh! The moderator has posted this in the past. NO MAKING FUN OF THE JOB POSTS. Someone may want to apply, do you think that there are only American MTs in America? Do you think only foreign MTs stay in their country? Even if the job was foreign in nature, that doesn't give anyone the right to poke fun or have a laugh at someone else's expense especially someone who is offering jobs!!!!!!!!! 
Then it must the the exception, not the rule. sm
According to everything I've heard and seen, the offshore work is garbage. That doesn't mean there may not be a service or two in other countries that hires educated MTs, who are proficient in English and conscientious at their jobs. I have worked with people from other countries that did as well as I do. But they are few and far between, and if every company let their offshore work stand on its own, or had it being QA'd offshore, most of the accounts would be back on shore in a short time. JMO
The exception to the rule.
x
There is no set rule. A lot of it depends
on your bank as to when they will accept the money and let you have access to it. If you know in advance that they will hold your check if date falls on a Saturday until Monday, then you just have to adjust to that.
I think you should rule the world
with that attitude. I tell them, I do this, I do that, well goody for you.
First rule: DON'T assume
Can see you are frustrated but don't assume people who *might* have answered your original post saw it.
If you were going to take the time and effort to write a second post - why choose such an off-putting tone?
How about: I know you all are very busy trying to work 24/7 to make HALF of what you used to make - but my first post went unanswered. Would someone KINDLY please point me in the right direction?
Rule #1 about job-seeking: Never, EVER, pay
'background check', NADA. The company should always pay for those things. If not, look elsewhere. I learned that one the hard way a long time ago.
Well, don't look at me, I didn't set the rule. :)
I just tried to 'splain it.
Just another minion here.
exception to the rule
I agree with you completely, but yesterday I had to delete an entire report and retype it. After I downloaded it, I noticed it was totally nonsensical. As I began listening to the audio, I found out why. There was a TV in the background that was actually louder than the dictator and VR was trying to pick up what the person on TV was saying. It made a total mess of it and of course had nothing at all to do with the patient's report, so this was a case of having no choice. Luckily these are few and far between. This morning I had a report with absolutely no corrections needed and it was wonderful! But then I thought, Whoa! If they all get this perfect, I'll be history! So I'll gladly make a few corrections!
Ladies we rule the MT world!!! nm
a
That is what happens when corporations rule our government. sm
In a global economy, quality of life will have to readjust to the lowest common denominator because there are always third world countries that will do it cheaper.
Welcome to the New World Order that Bush told us about!
Allstate is definitely an exception to that rule
I know who each of those persons were that posted. I also know that Allstate believes in their ICs working as a team and helping each other. There are no secrets -- in fact, just the opposite. Interactions amongst MTs and QAs is encouraged. Names, email addresses and phone numbers are openly shared (with permission) if it means making help more readily available to other MTs when they need it. Everyone on the company is provided a direct number to reach even the owner/CEO at any time. And by the way, yes all those MTs do work for Allstate, and no they are NOT the same person. I know all of them.
That was the rule when the site was owned
by Sheri..guess it doesn't apply anymore.
You, my friend, are the exception, not the rule.
There are very few people making that kind of money in transcription anymore. Have you even read the ads posted recently? Fewer and fewer MTSOs are even hiring employees and when they do advertise, their IC compensation is 7, 8, or 9 cpl. Even those companies that are hiring employees are doing so at extremely low rates, at the same time overhiring to make sure that their *contract enticements* will be met on the backs of the MTs. Have you noticed the postings from MTs of, not 1, not 2, not 3, but SEVERAL different companies stating that there is no work?? When an IC is working for 8 or 9 cpl or an employee for even less, and there is no work available, how is that person supposed to make $50-60K annually?
People like yourself will criticize others for their opinions and will brag about your own situation, but when push comes to shove do you state what company you work for that allows such a wonderful wage with your abundant work load? What is your fear? That others will jump on board and soon you will be facing the same situation?? Until you have experienced what the *majority* of MTs in this field have been facing, you really have no valid facts to make such a request that other MTs be fired because their situation forces their loss of employment (if they quit because of it), their loss of compensation (if they are docked), or the loss of quality (which will certainly occur) due to the punitive compensation policies in place.
I don't know about Stentel, but a good rule of thumb seems to be SM
that if you are an extremely fast MT, you will likely not make as many lph doing VR. However, if you are pretty average speed at transcribing, you may be able to increase your lph significantly with the VR once the system has been trained pretty well. Just something to think about....
I think they changed that rule a year or so ago. They can post.
nm
Who needs it? We don't. Just don't buy anymore with their silly rule changing.
nm
If I knew the answer, I could rule the world. Too
x
Was always told a general rule of thumb...
60 minutes equals 600 lines, 80 minutes, 800 lines and so on. The formula did pan out for me. I was always able to figure out how many lines I would get by how many minutes I pulled from the system.
The insurance cost is double for Transcend but insurance probably doesn't factor in for her.
I have heard more good things about Axolotl than Transcend, although it seems Axolotl may be less flexible with your schedule and someone told me that QA was pretty strict, which should not matter either if you have worked for a hospital and know what your QA score is.
You my dear are most certainly the exception to the rule because MQ does not pay that base rate to
start people and give them 11.5 cents after 16,000 lines.
General rule is 3-5 minutes transcription/1 min of dictation.(nm)
x
I betcha it IS HIPAA regs that rule out wireless
Doctors etc. cannot use cell phones to dictate their reports, right? If this is true, I bet the use of wireless to deliver their dictations to at-home transcriptionists is considered potentially not secure. Well, two modems it is for me and I am really glad I asked this question. Thank you all for your feedback.
My thoughts exactly. Need an IC job so can deduct equipment, etc without having to meet 7.5% rule.
My normal company gives garbage as equipment, and I can't meet the rule for unreimbursed employee expense because I'm a high producer and don't have the other expenses that you can add to it.
Maybe it's a "pick and choose" rule.. depends on who is being talked about
I see a couple of names in that post, but haven't seen it deleted yet. Hmmm. Wonder why?
First rule, never work for a company who says "I'll pay you when I get paid." sm
This is unacceptable. Any company with a decent client base gets paid at least net 30 days. I previously operated a small service and paid my subcontractors twice monthly despite being paid net 30 days by my physician groups. Yes, it was a hardship for me, but I brought those who worked hard to help me maintain my service first. Any company who pays their workers when they get paid, does not deserve to employ others. Plain and simple there is no excuse for this. Please, please find a company who values your work instead of using you.
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