An Industry Double Standard??
Posted By: One MT on 2006-04-27
In Reply to:
All of the posts about some potential blacklist started me thinking this week. First, let me say I don't think one exists, and I do think there is an informal network where someone any of us may have worked with might work at a company or whatever and information is shared. But here's my question.
While I don't believe in a blacklist concept, we DO seem to have that with employers here. So my question is, what's the difference? Why is it okay for MTs to say DO NOT work here... and it's not okay for an employer to say DO NOT hire this person... And I'm asking aside from the legal reasons of what can and cannot be given in a formal reference check. I'm talking about the informal network that we have in our industry.
The reality is, like it or not, all MTs are not created equal just like all employers are not created equal. And there is no one size fits all company or MT in our industry.
So what makes this different? Why is okay for MTs to blackball a company and not the other way around? I'm not asking for argument, purely curious about your thoughts on this. Thanks.
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I think the industry standard is using
independent contractors and you get neither vacation or sick pay.
I think this is probably the industry standard
.
double standard
Since you're so knowledgeable about how to treat people and what's insensitive you surely know that you came off looking like the bigger jerk with your condescending, bullying way of making your point. There are ways of educating people without making them feel bad about something that was unintentional to start with. I don't know if you actually have a double standard or are just a bully, but I have much more respect for the OP as a person since she admitted her mistake and apologized and you still wouldn't let it go. You may be an expert on PC, but it seems a little phony when you present it in such a hateful way. Grow up.
There is no industry standard for pay dates.
The industry standard is leaning more......... sm
toward the use of numerals rather than spelled out words as numerals tend to stand out more. The use of Roman numerals is also being phased out, except for things like cancer stages. I don't think Webmedx is cheating anyone out of lines by requiring the use of numerals.
As I said below, not every company is a good fit for ever MT. Why not just let this all go and find a company with which you can be happy?
Industry Standard Vacation/Sick pay
I am an at-home Transcriptionist for a major hospital system. As of a year ago, we have had our earned vacation/sick pay reduced by 15% of our hourly wage. We were told this is industry standard. Is this correct?
if you want to work for super below industry standard - go for it.
It's great money if you haven't ever had an MT job (EVER!)
Have done QA and trained folks and will tell you, not all experience is industry standard
x
The industry standard is biweekly. It costs money
to process payroll and unless they are a very small company and do payroll in-house it isn't cost effective.
The last time you asked, or the time before that, there were a few companies listed who pay weekly.
The industry standard is NOT indepedent contractors. I wish people would sm
only post facts, not what they think, with something so important.
There are strict guidelines for ICs. Most companies have gotten away from that as it can backfire on them. Some companies have both ICs and employees, but most have moved to employees.
That would be for standard
transcription, editing is less.
The standard used to be.. SM
10 lines for every minute, so if that still stands, then that would be correct
60 = 600.
WE CAN SET A NEW STANDARD!!!!!
All right, calling ALL MTs!!!!! It's time for a very, VERY important step in getting our industry back in line with the skill set it takes. From now on when looking for more work or a new job, JUST SAY NO! to low line rates. If we keep letting them jerk us around and try to pay 1990s wages, they'll keep doing it. There are enough of us here to start the ball rolling in the right direction, and if we don't, we might as well get a job at McDonalds!
It's time to set some standards that are realistic for what we bring to the table. If you have 5 to 10 years of experience, 7.5 to 8 cpl should be the rock bottom. At 10+ years 8.5 to 9 cpl should be the standard, etc. MTs UNITE!
NOW HEAR THIS, MTSOs...it's time to start bidding work higher because within the next year, you'll have MTs who will only laugh and ask, Are you SERIOUS!??? if you try to offer us the wages we were making 20 years ago. I mean come ON...no one in their right mind works for less money than when they started out way back when.
Fellow MTs, it's up to us to change the industry standards. If you aren't up to the task to be proactive, it's time to stop whining and take the beating. I don't think any of us professionals are willing to do that...at least I'm not!
300-400 lph standard?!
I am in the same boat you are, I can type standard at around 240-260 on a good day. I also do VR and can do up to 500-600 lph but VR you get paid much less.
All in all I like standard much better, it does hurt like *&%$ at the end of the day but time flies by for me and I have a chronic problem of boredom when I work VR and I keep checking the clock and my lines just waiting to be done.
I make the same whether I am doing VR or standard, trust me, I have checked, I just earn more with standard because I get in a zone and type like a madwoman and like I said, time goes by very fast which I like.
VBC Standard
Katherine, I am just passing on information in case there are those MTs that have not heard of VBC. You are not expected to do anything. This was merely an informational memo. NO PAY CUT NO ADDITIONAL ACCOUNT, Just trying to do a good thing by giving info where none might not be available. Thanks Linda
No, it is not standard. Those are
the crappy companies with horrible pay. 2-3 cpl is most definitely NOT the standard. Geez people.
I was offered what seems to be the standard.
Considering it will be an OP account, I figure I can make good use of normals, etc. and make some good money.
Your standard response ... sm
I've seen the same reply for years. Yet the chaos continues.
Why would they? The standard is by the line.
x
I think this is pretty standard, unfortunately. sm
When I worked in-house we the option of A) Work an 8-hour shift with only one 30-minute break or B) Work an 8-1/2-hour shift with a 1-hour break (or two 15-minute and one 30-minute). I think, however, most places require you to work 8-1/2 if you are going to take a 30 minute break...seems like that is against the law, but I don't know. I thought you were entitled to two 15-minute breaks for an 8-hour shift.
Actually, with computers, it's a standard to only
Two spaces were used with typewriters to make a document easier to read, but computers have proportional fonts, so the extra spacing after punctuation is no longer necessary. One space has been rule in desktop publishing and it's actually easier to read, IMO, than 2 spaces. It's definitely hard to get used to at first, but it's actually easier once you do and saves keystrokes. Of course, if you've been using 2 and getting paid for the extra space, you'll lose out, but most places seem to prefer one space now. You can sometimes set grammar checks to watch for 2 spaces and alert you so you can change it to only 1. I know Word has that option and it does help when you are transitioning.
standard keyboard
welcome aboard
standard lines
Okay - I have posted about this before when we first found out our company PM was going to start paying 2 cpl for ALL standard lines including headings!! A couple of days ago this really started and I am really iritated! Is this a common practice now for MT companies? Yes the headings may come up in the software automatically, but we are also having to spend lots of time changing the templates to the correct ones, changing info that is entered wrong like dates of service etc. and also Emdat is sooo slow half the time between notes!! So, I was under the assumption that even though you have headings and they, for the most part, are standard lines, that it kind of helps cover the time it takes us to fix the templates and stuff like that!! Am I way out in left field here? What do you all think? Im not going to be able to work for a company that does this, it will really cut our pay quite a bit!! Not too mention a letter was sent out to all explaining that they could lose the accounts because of off shore lower prices, whatever if they did not change to this.....but in the same email they slipped up and said that they have always given the doctors the 2cpl rate on standard headings and had not passed it on to us until now....well then they just screwed up because if that be the case they were not in danger of losing the accounts when they were already giving them the discount, they just wanted more money in their pockets and taking it away from the MT in this economy, seems pretty crappy to me! It seems like do more and we will pay you less, definitely time to find a new job!!
standard lines
They are paying the regular 8 cpl for what you straight type, but headings, templates, macros etc. are considered standard lines and are paid at 2cpl. So you still lose money because all of your Chief complaint, HPI etc. are all paid at 2 cpl. it will add up
Each company has their own standard
for this. I have worked for companies where you were on it 3 days and if okay then you were released. The Q was known for telling you to do 3 to 5 reports, send for full QA and then take off--all with absolutely no feed back. Most, however, take it on an individual basis. If you are getting conflicting info from different people, refer all to your supervisor and ask which is correct. If it is different feedback from different accounts, each probably has their own way of doing things.
8 cpl for standard and 3 cpl for VR - that's a crock!
There is little to no standard typing for which you can make 8 cpl. It is 90/10 in favor of VR. If you buy into the slick sales job the VR snake oil vendors put forth and can actually double your output per hour, you are making 6 cpl. What a joke!
To the poster who said 2-3 cpl is standard for VR:
Don't fall for it. It most certainly is NOT standard for VR. From what I've seen, the standard rate for VR seems to be about 60% of your regular line rate for straight typing. I was working for Alltype when they tried to force feed us the line that 3 cpl is the standard and IMO that's insane. Also IMO, anyone who tries to pay 3 cpl across the board without taking into consideration the length of experience on VR and the straight typing rate is ripping you off.
This sounds pretty standard to me
and not at all unusual for a national to offer.
I have a standard response to that when someone asks me why they have to do that. sm
I work for another MTSO and have worked for 2 others in the past; all have required paperwork faxed out. It is quicker and more reliable than snail mail.
My response is --- if you are complaining this early in your employment, you will probably find something to complain about daily. There are alternatives to faxing, and the main 2 are: You can mail the paperwork back to me; however, I will only hold the job for 24 hours OR you can drive here and hand it to me, which is definitely more expensive than faxing AND you have to deal with traffic in LA.
A fax machine costs $25 now. An all-in-one printer is not much more and you can print pictures on one too!
That's standard for all word processing, not just
Here's explanation: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/T3/wsr/csc120/wp1spa97.htm
It's not new and it has nothing to do with MT in particular. You could always get your own accounts and do it however you'd like if you feel you're losing that much money from it, though. It probably doesn't even add up to a whole line per report, as it's not like you're losing a space after every word.
I just do whatever the MTSO wants. If they want 2 spaces, I'll do the 2 spaces. Most places don't even specify, but when they do, it seems they only want the 1 space.
but that is the standard reply. It isn't so much a router
issue as it is a server issue and they way their servers are routed is what one of the tech guys called me. It was a major issue for a lot of MTs, which made it very hard to get lines a few months ago, but supposedly as of January they had resolved the issue, although one of the techs told me it wouldn't be fixed anytime soon because it would require thousands of dollars to upgrade servers.
The standard of style at 2 of my jobs want
you to use 2 versus two or II because of consistency. I would say Webmedx is following industry standard. The only time I ever spell it out is if the particular account wants it that way, otherwise I have used the numbers for a long time now. Sorry, to burst your bubble, but Webmedx guidelines are pretty standard in at least my experience.
the normal standard supposedly is sm
1 minute of dictation equals 10 lines. Obviously if its a slow dictator then you make out really good. If its a really fast person, not so good. I worked on the minute basis for several years and did fine.
Given the climate of the way these companies don't want ot pay for spaces, headers, etc it might not be a bad deal anymore. I guess it depends on how fast it takes you to turn around the number of minutes you need to type.
Good luck!
Standard tape transcriber
Hi all! Anyone have, or know where, I can purchase a standard tape transcriber at a decent price?
Yes, check some of the ads - 2-3 CPL for editing is STANDARD now. nm
.
yep, makes the world go 'round...and standard pay go D-O-W-N
Thank-you-very-much!
They do supply standard, but I have connected my IBM keyboard.
xx
SOP means Standard Operating Procedure.
nm
Does Proscript pay for standard reports or spaces? NM
xxx
No, Proscript does not pay for standard/normal reports (NM)
nm
sounts like standard MTSO response to me...nm
x
Ya know what? I started doing VR about 5 years ago mixed with standard and
really did okay, bout 80% VR. Not sure what it is but lately the reports are coming in such a mess and such bad quality I am now not able to make a decent line count. I believe the push was on and they added facilities way too fast without everything being in place and lots of docs needing to learn how to use the durn thing and the system not used to the dictators (and with some dictators never will) that these accounts are now really so bad MY counts are even way less on VR than they were 5 years ago. The system has to have so many reports in to make the words come up correctly in future reports but is supposed to eventually get used to things. But like I said, way to big a rush and push for VR and I don't believe companies or the system were ready.
BUT the sellers of these systems who make quite the profit don't care and the MTSOs certainly don't care that we make such a pittance being paid by the line or if we can pay our bills and probably never will. As MTs, we are certainly taking the brunt of all of this. Pathetic. Wonder what they will all do when more and more MTs move on to a job they can make a living at and the hospitals tell them they can't offshore???
Level 4 is pretty standard stuff, I would say.
Not difficult. WTs like the OP said.
Way of industry
I guess what is considered a good salary has gone down since the last time I changed jobs. Sounds like you are talking about the same company I just left, only I don't consider anything less than 10 cents a line to be good after as many years as I have been MTing (and that is a cut for me). I guess its back to soliciting doctors and not working for a company anymore from the looks of things.
What is the top pay in the industry (sm)
today? In other words, if you have many years experience, CMT status, high quality QA review, work your schedule, and do high quality work, what per line can you make? What is the top right now? I presently make 8 cents a line and have for many years. I am curious how much farther companies are paying - or not? I thought it might be fun to see what others are making/expecting to make? Thanks for the input!
Only in this industry...
I'm wondering how it is that a whole group of SR editors allowed JLG to breach their original contract? This just goes to show you that a company can change the rules any time they want. All they have to do is threaten to fire you if you don't agree to whatever changes they feel like making. I wonder if any of the SR editors were able to collect unemployment??
BTW, I was hired by JLG in 2007, but quit on the first day of training. Too many RED Flags made my vision suddenly crystal clear.
WELL SAID, THAT GOES FOR ANY INDUSTRY..SM
It's only human nature to care about your work when it's appreciated and halfway decently compensated. When you have to scratch out a living, though, and feel exploited, well, who cares?
It's not just this industry
It's not just this industry that does things like this. I spent many years working the front desk in hotels - front desk and night audit. The executive office staff had paid holidays, etc. Heck, they had LUNCH BREAKS that the front desk rarely got. We did get paid time and a half if we worked a holiday, but depending on how cheap the management company was that ran the hotel, there were usually only 6 of those per year.
I worked for 4.5 years for a small, family owned insurance agency. It was amazing to me what the owners/family did that cost the company $$, but god forbid I actually take a day off sick.............
There's always a sort of a double standard between the line employees and people who are considered back office or management, etc. It's just the way the world works. It doesn't bug me. I don't have anyone looking over my shoulder making sure that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing or interrupting me every 5 minutes to ask me to do something else that is an emergency because of their bad planning. I don't have to stop what I'm doing every 5 minutes to answer yet another phone call from a client. I never have to worry that at the end of the day I have 57 things started, but NONE of them are done. I don't have to work till 9 pm at night (having been there since 7 am) in a salaried position because the workday is so frenetic that's the only way to actually get something completed. I don't have to lay in bed at night wondering what is on my desk that I didn't get done that is going to get me and the company sued. I can have my TV on or not as the mood strikes. I can work in a T shirt and pajama pants, or I can get dressed like a real person again as the mood strikes. I don't have to pretend to be sociable to coworkers who make my life a living he!!. I don't have to deal with hotel guests who are unhappy because of incompetent management and complete lack of communication with the front desk staff. I can sit and have my coffee and play with my cats and then just go into the next room and go to work. On my lunch break I can take a walk around the block to clear my head and wave at my neighbors.
Life is pretty good, as far as I'm concerned. It could be and (for me, at least) has been a lot worse.
For those of us who have been in other industry.
Things are the same all over. Nobody gets recognized for the work they do until it's time for the retirement party. I suspect that since I work at home, I probably won't even get a retirement party.
I don't expect anything from my employer other than a paycheck. That is my reward. This Christmas, I am very happy I have a job. There are many people out there who don't have a job and would take mine in a second. It is 2 below outside, and I am grateful I have a roof over my head. Again, there are lots of folks who don't have that. I have food on the table and I could buy gifts for my kids. In my mind, I really don't have anything to complain about.
Besides, is a $25 gift card really going to make a big difference in your life? I wouldn't think so.
All W2s, regardless what industry,
company, etc., have to mail them by 1/31. This is the law, not just for MTs but everyone.
The industry would never have gotten as far as they have -
when it comes to screwing their employees if MT had been a male-dominated field. And what put it over the top was when the internet made it possible for MTs to work at home. Once we were isolated from each other, and the outside world, they just started a feeding-frenzy of rewarding themselves by siphoning off whatever profit and benefits was in it for us. Today, we pretty much work only for the so-called benefit of working at home. For me, the novelty of working at home wore off years ago, as I began to tire of the constant poverty level. Why women as a whole won't join together and stand up for themselves is beyond me, but that's how it's always been, and it's why sweatshops around the globe continue to thrive.
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