Career Step

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Don't be putting down people who like to do VR. I did straight typing for over 15 years and I am making the same, if not more, doing VR now. I was not a very slow typist, and quality is my first priority. I've been doing VR for almost a year now and love it. What makes it easy for me is I never really relied on Expanders to up my line rate since my hospital didn't really allow them, except for autocorrect. I didn't have an Expander until 6 years ago. Doing VR, I can't use the expander I did finally learn, but it's no big deal.

Like some other posters stated, it depends on who else is doing the reports whether or not VR is easy or hard.  Some days, my reports are easy, other days tough. It's the same when doing straight typing. Some dictators are easy, other are tough.

I don't think VR is really made for large companies with hundreds of transcriptionists. It's made for the smaller companies that all conform to the same verbiage.

If you're good/fast/quality-oriented with straight typing without expanders, then VR would be good for you. If you rely on an expander to get those lines, you will have a problem in the beginning, but if you're flexible, it will pan out.

Don't down people because they like VR. You know what they say......try it. You may like it.

Okay.  I think we can agree that in this industry, like every other, there are some bad apples.  There are some bad MTSOs, some bad MTs and even some bad clients.  And there are some good apples, too. 

Unfortunately, even the best MTSOs have to deal with a lot of new realities in this business that limit their options.  Over the past 15 to 20 years, the business has become much more competitive, clients are now being run by bean-counters who squeeze every penny out of contracts that they can, and the investment that an MTSO has to make in technology today has simply skyrocketed - not only the initial investment, but the ongoing investment in tech people, etc. to keep it running.  On top of that, there's been the deteriorating business climate that has actually been going on since 2007, although it didn't attract significant notice until late in 2008. 

And now comes speech rec.  There's a lot of MTSOs who haven't been thrilled about this because it's a huge investment and because they know how crummy SR really is - but clients become sold on the exaggerations in savings that the SR missionaries preach, and start insisting on it.  So you'll do SR or they'll find someone else.

The costs to every business in America for what we call compliance (to all of the jillions of laws that affect business) have also skyrocketed.  You can find plenty of information about this yourself.  These costs include all sorts of insurance and a lot of costs in terms of your operation just to keep yourself out of court or an administrative hearing of some kind.

MTSO's don't run the industry like some people here seem to think.  Clients run the industry.   Technology runs the industry.  Congress and various administrative agencies at every level of government run the industry.  Lawyers run the industry. 

There is one thing that I do criticize many MTSOs for, however, and that is the crappy line rate that many of them are paying for SR editing.  The typical scenario is that they promise you'll be able to edit jillions more lines per hour than you can transcribe,  so you shouldn't mind going from 9 or 10 cpl to 3 or 4 cpl.  Unfortunately, you buy into this and then discover that if you do your editing job properly, you really can't do all that many more lines per hour.  So your next paycheck sucks.  You give it a little longer...and your paycheck still sucks.  A couple more paychecks that suck, and now YOU are the one who is out of options. 

It's no good telling people who get caught in this trap Well, then, get into another field! because by this time they have no money to be trained in anything else.  Their kids are already fighting with the dog to see who gets the food in his bowl. So my criticism is the shameful way that many MTSOs have dealt with their people.

What bothers me the most about this is that every line of an SR document gets edited - even if it doesn't need to be changed.  In other words, there's really no difference in the KNOWLEDGE that an Editor has to bring to a line whether she declares the line to be correct or decides that it needs correction.  That line is correct is PRECISELY THE SAME SORT OF JUDGMENT as saying That line is wrong. 

This is a knowledge business, not a typing business.  There is absolutely no excuse for reducing the line rates so drastically (and little experience to show that people can still earn the same living).  This means, then, that the MTSO is buying knowledge on the cheap - and that's one thing that I can't forgive them for.  That, and the way they sucker people into accepting editing jobs in the first place.

then why is Transcend trying so hard on this board to convince everyone they are not the anti-Christ?  If they were that good, everyone would be beating a path to their door and they wouldn't have to be defending themselves to the degree we are seeing...

but correct me if I'm wrong...

I have been transcribing over 10 years and love it, but with the industry robbing us blind and using us I have been making less and less each year.  I am in my mid 40s and hate to be thinking of going back to school, but I think I have to.  I have always done office work but it is lower paying and I hate being stuck in a cubicle all day.  I like the medical field but do not think I am cut out for nursing.  Does anyone have any ideas that are decent paying in the medical field that do not takes years to earn a degree at?  I looked at ultrasound tech, but I have to investigate this further, not sure if there are any schools in my area.

Trying to be optomistic.

Basic rate of pay that I have been seeing is 7-8 cents per line for IC and thats basically what it is set in stone at.  I would be told that in some cases before even sending a resume and giving them my experience.

That is crazy, considering you can be paid that much as an employee.  I agree about the taxes also.

I've done nursing and I am here to tell you all that it is not as easy as it looks.  The money might be great, but it is so frustrating and exhausting, especially when you are right there on the front lines, so to speak, dealing with life and death right up close working in a somewhat dysfunctional medical system.

If you are young and energetic or just energetic at any age, it might be a viable solution to study nursing.  For me, like some others, working from home, at home, is my top priority. 

Through the years, I have noticed that many of the really happy MTs are those who do not have to depend on their MT jobs to pay their main bills, but may do medical transcription work part time to supplement their income.  No, I am not discounting those who do it full-time and are very successful and really love it; I'm sure they do exist. 

However, the suggestions made in this thread make total sense to me, kind of like having the best of both worlds.  Now, the challenge is to find that perfect part-time MT job, as well as a really good career with a promising future, doing something else.