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Comparing figs & plums. Advantage/disadvants to

Posted By: each. Depends on what attributes you prefer. on 2008-03-24
In Reply to: Can you make a living at home? - Gina Markham

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comparing
I work for Medware and their platform is super easy. I was off quality after 5 hours of work. I'm not sure of the benes, but from what I hear they are quite good. Many of my friends work there as well & they love it.
comparing pay
I've always been IC, so I don't know how it compares to employee pay. I can understand how it would be quite a cut in pay for you.  The pay is lower than my other job, but I just find I like it more, so I think it's worth it.  If I ever stop enjoying it, then I guess the lower pay will be an issue.  I had found that I was so horribly bored with my hospital work that I dreaded getting on the system to do it, so I wasn't making a lot of money anyway.  So I finally quit and got this job and 2 others, actually, that are small jobs in interesting specialties.  I'm also doing more legal work.   
Comparing reports
Knowing I was going on DocQscribe, I kept 10 reports from MTs and their line counts and then pasted them into DocQScribe after I had been on it for a time - compared the line counts and they were almost right on - I had to manually subtract the header information in order to make it come out, but we know that we don't get paid for headers anymore.

I know that my biggest problem is the internet - when late afternoon comes and I am pressed to get done, my line count goes way up. If anyone can figure out how to discipline themselves from "surfing" - post it here - a lot of people would be very grateful.
Comparing companies
Currently interviewing for employment with both WebMedx and Medquist and was wondering which company I should choose to transcribe for.  I am going in as a part-time employee.  I would appreciate any and all feedback and help on this very important decision I am to make in the next few days.  Thank you
comparing companies
I'd love to hear from employees of Axoloti, Keystrokes, and WebmedX as to which company pays the best line count and has the best benefits for full time employment.  It would also be nice to know if their line count systems are accurate and reliable. 
comparing companies
Thank you so much for writing and sharing your experiences.  It's very helpful to hear someone who's been there, done that. 
Comparing schools
I took a quick look at their website, what they offer, and how much it costs. Are you interested in this course because they say they often hire top graduates? This course does not guarantee you a job with them. They even say you have to go out and market yourself.
As an M-Tec graduate, I can tell you that if you study hard and after graduation really stick to it, you will find a good job. You receive a large number of real books with M-TEC and not just some workbook. With M-TEC you have your own instructor to answer your questions and guide you through the course. Not to mention the online classes and vast online resources they offer. They have their own IT expert, who will answer your questions and holds online classes. After graduation, they will always be there to help if they can. They help with your resume, and after graduation they provide you with a large list of MT companies that hire new grads. Make a list of questions, submit them to the top 2 or 3 schools, and compare answers. Good education has its price, but it will also open doors for you!!
that count on none of us comparing notes...
what else can they say when confronted? I doubt much of middle management even realizes how easily their line counting system can be manipulated...
Yeah, it's sort of like comparing - (sm)
The tone was a bit on the stern side today too, don't you think?

I, too love the current platform. Entirely easy & user-friendly. I worry that the speech-rec part of the new platform will turn this into a boring editing job.
Exactly. Even comparing our industry to carpentry.
industry workers have a plan - a set plan and structure for their trades. You progress up the figurative ladder, gaining more skills and expertise, and you get paid accordingly - money, benefits, where to sit on the scaffolding, etc. LOL.  Would a man who was a slacker complain and ridicule his peers when they wished they made more money for their skills?  Its so beyond ridiculous that its almost funny, right??? Oh, please, dear employer, I don't want anywhere near what i deserve to be paid. I like making peanuts, because I can play games with my kiddies in my jammies and type a few lines now and again...so, no, please don't pay me more to do so.  Heck, making more $$, our happy mom poster could even buy little Jimmy MORE games. Would that maybe strike a cord or flip the light switch on??? Honestly.... I can just see the master carpenters having debates about same.
Comparing a few companies, it seems OSI has a lot to offer!
Whatcha think?
Comparing Cymed counts to Word
I work for Cymed and find that my counts are pretty comparable to what they were when I used Microsoft Word. I've done the same reports in both programs, and they were essentially the same, give or take a space or two. As someone mentioned, they did give you a heads up on not paying for spaces, which I agree doesn't seem fair, considering our thumbs work pretty hard and the report would certainly not be acceptable without them, but apparently you agreed to it.

As far as headers/footers, since I don't have to manipulate that information in any way, I honestly am okay with not getting paid for them. Heck, considering the time I save by not having to name my files, put page breaks, page 2 headings, count my lines, transmit files, etc., I actually am able to get more dictation done in the same amount of time than before in Word.

Curious, though. Since they have several different locations, may I ask which office you work out of?
What I found comparing straight on 1 computer and VR on another....
I was making 30-40 dollars more a day straight typing. i really like the idea of VR it was nice on my wrists but, you are right about the a, an, the, whole sentences left out, etc. I used all the short cuts but figured even with those I couldn't double my line count as easily as it was touted. I don't have 6 months to go down the tube before VR caught on or I did. That is just my opinion. Maybe people with 2 paychecks in their family could do this but I couldn't.
The advantage is that as an SE the
takes 7.5% out of your check and pays the other 7.5% themselves.  So if an SE and an IC make the same amount of money in a year, come tax time the IC is going to owe more than the SE to Uncle Sam.  An SE can still take deductions on work-related expenses.
Take advantage of...

the pauses the dictator makes.  As he/she is pausing, you are looking up at what you have transcribed so far, reviewing it. 


Try proofing a line backwards, from right to left.  Don't read every word but look it over from right to left.  Things will STICK OUT at you because your eyes and mind are not used to seeing the written word in this way.  Looking from left to right is natural and you miss things easily.  Try it out.


The more you practice, the faster it will get.


Good luck!


I'm so tired of getting taken advantage of

I thought I had what was a great position, with a good company, I loved the work, but had an instance where I had to request work not be sent to me for ONE DAY, and now my job is posted on the internet.  Work was still sent to me, and I did it - but you know, did you ever try to sit and type with a 104 fever and a terrible urinary tract infection?  I was sitting at my desk with tears rolling down my face - my husband came and asked me if I was crazy.  I just didn't want to lose my job.  Now, they're looking for my replacement.  Maybe I really need to get out of this business ... there is no human component anymore.  No one genuinely cares.  Maybe I should have gone to the ER and had them put in a catheter and I could have worn a leg bag. 


Oh well, thanks for listening.  Back to work ... what a sad state of affairs.


I'm so tired of getting taken advantage of -
No, I've been getting 1/2 the work I normally get, so that's not it. I just will NOT continue to keep them within TAT and cover their butts if they're looking for my replacement. I'm not an idiot.
Administrative Advantage

Any info anyone has on this company would be greatly appreciated.  I'm just looking to do some part time work to make a little extra money.  I'm looking for the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Couldn't find much in the archives.


 


TIA!!


The advantage to the MTSO is
having good coverage on multiple accounts. The advantage to the MT is having work to choose from on four different accounts. You see people on the boards complaining about their single account being slow - this is one way to address THAT problem.
I do about 7 accounts. It's to your advantage to do more than 2 or 3 (sm)
Trust me, it's a very short learning curve since they all use ExText as far as I know.
They ABSOLUTELY use it to their advantage! - sm
Back in the day, when all or most MT's worked on-site, MT was a whole 'nother job, and people who did it were treated like respectable human beings. But once the majority of MTs ended up at home, and INVISIBLE to both the employer and their fellow employees, it was far to easy to start taking advantage. Nowadays the majority of MTs most likely have never worked on-site like some of the more long-term MTs have in the past, and they don't even know what it was like not to be treated like an invisible piece of machinery. It is most DEFINITELY time for MTs to start to become involved in their own futures, if they are ever to even HAVE one in this field. We have to start squawking - LOUDLY. Our voices have to be heard not by the MTSOs, who will do NOTHING for us, but by hospitals, doctors, nurses, and unions, labor attorneys, legislators, and the average American citizen. The more people know about the degrading practices of the MT industry, and the larger the number of people that know it becomes, the better our chances become of bettering each of our personal situations.

Working at home is a blessing in many ways, but it has also been a curse in that it has kept us isolated from the doctors & medical institutions, our employers, and our fellow MTs. That isolation made it easy for the concept of sending American dictation offshore to gain a foothold in the US. We need to continue to network with other MTs including those still working on-site as well as at home, compare notes, companies, salaries, business & employment practices, ideas, etc. The internet is a powerful tool that may have robbed many of us of a decent wage. But if we turn the tables and use that tool in OUR favor, then things can change.
You can say that again. Never for the MT. I get sick of being taken advantage of for their benefit.

Has anyone worked for Administrative Advantage

Is there really an advantage to staying local? Most

It doesn't seem there's any more guarantee of stable work from local MTSOs than the national ones.


If you do want to stay local but work at home, also try Southern Transcription Services, located in Taylorsville, I think.  They have a good reputation. Google them for their web site. 


Administrative Advantage? Anyone know about this company?
I got a job offer.  Please tell all good and bad.
That is what I would do. What is the advantage of Vista? There are so many problems with it.
There are wonderful instructions on the internet for repartitioning. I even did it before all the instructions were on the internet. Good luck!
You should have taken advantage of bonus all weekend - most did.
nm
IC or employee - sick of being taken advantage of?

AFter reading some posts regarding being taken advantage of and being treated like an IC by companies when its convenient for them and being an employee when its convenient for them, I must wholeheartedly agree. Therefore I decided to do some research and came up with rules as given by the US department of Labor regarding the definition of an IC.  You will be surprised by what you read below.  This is just an excerpt of a longer report.  Perhaps next time a client tries to boss you around, you might want to show them this:


 


US Department of Labor Handbook


Part 1: Independent Contractor or Employee


Probably the main reason you became an independent contractor (aka consultant, freelance and IC) or want to, is to be your own boss. Unfortunately, some U.S. companies don't fully understand the difference between independent contractors and employees. Even among companies that do understand the difference, there are those that attempt to exploit the relationship, because it's clearly to their advantage to do so.  The cheaters (and naive) misclassify workers as independent contractors, but still attempt to control them as employees. In doing so, they reap the benefits of both worlds, while depriving independent contractors of the very reason they became independent contractors in the first place: to be their own bosses.


 



  • Companies are not your employers per se, but your clients. As such, they are not entitled to direct you in your work.
  • Of course, your clients have a right to say what they expect for the rates they're paying you, but only as it relates to the outcome of the project.
  • It's your right to decide when, where and how to get the project done.

HERE IS THE BIGGIE


****In other words, by U.S. law, an employer cannot classify you as an independent contractor, then dictate when, where and how you work, as though you are an employee. It's all about degree of control and independence. ***


 


 

 


 


The Advantage Transcription Service
Has anyone done any work for this company out of Los Angeles? If so, were there any issues regarding line/character count. TIA
That's the type MTSOs take advantage of, and
just too minjute and worthless to be paid what I'm worth, stand up for myself, or take a con-artist to court. (Hubs probably beats her, too.)
It should be "when I see people being taken advantage of" --nm
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The MT industry is taking full advantage of the
stick it to your employees, than when they have little time and no money to go out and find something else. Make those poor suckas feel darned LUCKY to have their pathetic little peanut-paying MT jobs.

You just KNOW, though, that someday.... SOMEday.... not tomorrow, or the next day, but EVENTUALLY ----- somebody is going to do a total boot-plant on their sorry a$$es.

That day will be a cause for celebration across the land.
"chuckle" raise in 3 days, not to their bottom line advantage is it.
Hey gooble up this one if you like. Not me!!! I could understand if hourly, but we are not. WE are the one who lose already, learning there program, acct spec, formats, the various QA preferences, learn/get an ear for each dictator. We LOSE BIG TIME because it takes time for all that above stuff, we cannot just sit down and zoom off. Hey but grab IT see how the attitude is toward MT with 6 cents offer, it says something ya know.