Faced with a decision right now!
Posted By: me on 2006-07-09
In Reply to: To those who have done both - mnm
I have been working hourly for QA since last year and it's nice, but the hours dropped from 40 hours to 20 hours so having to look elsewhere. Now faced with a rough decision, offered VR at a better than average rate and when I did that part time, I did around 4000 lines per day, but I get awfully weary doing total read throughs. Offered hourly at another place for only editing and no total read throughs, BUT it's a shift I don't like to work and straight hours instead of a split shift (my legs get awfully tired). I have to make this decision pretty quickly and I'm down to flipping a coin!!!
I definitely prefer QA to MT because my hands just can't take it anymore, not after nearly 20 years.
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Faced similar situation some years ago
MDI AND the nursing school proposal weighs less than the few years you'll have w/your son while he's young. The nursing school and transcription jobs will always be there, but you son being the age is he is now will fly by. Being home when my son got home from school was so important to me I passed up a very good opportunity to work at UCI Medical Ctr in Orange. Can you do an online nursing course while working from home for MDI? It is a hard decision; I know nursing jobs pay more. Getting proper financial support from his father? I don't see demand for experienced MTs decreasing at all in the future; those rumors are fear-mongering. Enjoy the time w/your son, it passes so quickly. Mine is 20 years old almost!
Decision
I hope you don't actually base your decision on this board. Use your own intellengence and if you can actually talk to someone who has worked for both companies, I wouldn't just believe someone who says "hands down."
Weigh the pros and cons from both companies and then make your decision.
Decision
WebMedX - Medware offshores work BIG TIME and they will have no qualms about pulling your account out from under you and sending it over to have Raj and Nashira do it. At least 1/3 of their work is done in India and they are constantly expanding their volume over there. WebMedX does not off shore and they have better, more affordable benefits than Medware. Also, their QA people are level headed, not egocentric jerks like Medware.
decision
I'm glad you admit to being a egocentric jerk because that's exactly my opinion of QA in general.
decision
Why would you choose one over the other. Do you know anything about Transtech or Archivus from a personal experience?
Job decision - sm
After reading your post and replies from 11/17/2007, and seeing you are still undecided today, as a bystander, I just get the feeling that you are more than just apprehensive of learning a new platform, etc. Personally, if I was this unsure of making a change and that the new company doesn't appear to be a good fit, I would stay where I am. It's natural to be apprehensive, but the new job offer should make you feel more comfortable about the switch..but, if you are this undecided there must be an underlying reason? I say go with your gut feeling on this one. Good luck.
Right decision?
I accepted a new position with TT for 0.085 per line! I currently have a position for 0.10 per line, but struggle to get 1200-1300 lines per day! I have been able to easily get 2000 lines a day with other positions and I really need to get 2000 lines a day. Is this possible at TT?
The incentives and differentials at TT are much, much better than my current position. The PTO deal is also better by being paid your average hourly wage instead of a flat hourly rate which is really low! Insurance, thankfully, is not an issue for me due to my husband having coverage. Both places do not pay headers or footers.
Do you think I made the right decision? I am just a little worried that I will only be able to get that same line count at TT and with a lower wage, actually be making less! Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Big Decision
I have to choose between two job offers (both employee positions). One company I know a lot about. The other is Keystrokes. Have been offered one account, a hospital, at .08 cpl on a Chartscript platform that I've never used. Have been told that there are no normals or templates either. While the people seem nice, the benefits do not seem so great. For example, only 5 days of PTO after one year. Do they give paid holidays (and if so how many)?. Also, was told there were no line incentives (over the required 1200 minimum), and if you were allowed to work beyond the eight hours it would probably be at the same line rate (no incentives, no OT). It does not sound like they are offering anything that great and yet so many people say they love Keystrokes. I would like to understand: 1. Why so many Keystrokes employees love the company. 2. Is Chartscript a good platform to use. 3. Can I use the ShortHand word Expander with Chartscript? 4. When people say they make good money at Keystrokes, what is considered good? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
decision
Sounds strange but I tend to listen to myself, the gut feeling that tells me where I need to go. Works every time.
Which one do you feel more comfortable taking?
Job decision....
 Hi, I have been offered a position with a company doing acute care. This is a 60% voice recognition account and the remaining straight typing. The pay is 5 cpl for the editing and 10 cpl for typing. I have been an MT for 16 years, doing straight typing. How much of a learning curve does this voice recognition require and am I set in my ways too much to even consider it? It seems the industry is moving more in that direction, so I guess I need to get my feet wet at some point. She said they use EScription. Anything you can tell me about this would be very helpful as I have yet to sign contracts and all that. Thanks for your time.
thanks, you have helped me with my decision
I applaud your decision
In the beginning it looked like AAMT was going to be a good thing but I don't believe anyone can name one thing they have done to better the lives of MTs. They sold us out years ago, about the time they started taking corporate members. Doesn't the fact they have corporations in their membership tell anyone ANYTHING. Who has more money the huge MT companies or the MTs? Yep, greed took them over too. And as for the CMT exam, most physicians never even heard of it!!! I for one, have never had any prospective employer even ASK if I was a CMT or not, even those companies who advertise a premium for CMTs. I WAS a CMT, am not a CMT now and refuse to ever consider having ANYTHING to do with AAMT ever again. They are a big root in the evil in the world of MTs.
Hard decision.......
My heart would be heavy, but if it is inside information you probably are thought to keep it confidential NO MATTER WHAT, just like if you typed a report on your neighbor and found out they had HIV----IT IS CONFIDENTIAL. I think you should keep quiet about it, even though it will hurt your heart.
Did you try other job before making decision? SM
I'm waiting for a good reason to quit, like them stopping offering health insurance. Anything is possible.
Good luck to you.
Smart decision. Believe me, I know. nm
How do you make the big decision
on which company to go with when there are good and bad points about each? I'm wavering between Global Info Systems (also known as GIS) and SoftScript and have gotten an offer from both. I got an offer from Opti-Script but turned it down. Need some solid reliable advice before next Tuesday. Any of these 3 companies worth trying? HELP!
DSG or KS? Have to make decision
on which company I should go with by Monday! HELP! I'm looking for long-term work, have over 14 years in the acute care, do not want to make a mistake like I did with MQ, no shuffling around to 15 different different places a day!
Thanks so much for your Honest opinions!
I think that is a wise decision pls r/o
Like I said above, they are nice people, but nice doesn't pay the bills. I had glitch after glitch with Dictaphone TransNet. It was always MY FAULT somehow. LOL It was pretty archaic. One day I couldn't work for almost a whole day because the TransNet would not load up any jobs, but they kept saying it was MY computer and not theirs. Then they wanted to know how late I would be staying up to make it up! (BTW- lo and behold, it was THEIR SERVER at fault! LOL)
I would not base my decision on
what this board has to say. These boards are used as a place to vent. It doesn'the matter where you work, some people will be unhappy. I have worked for Transend for over 2 years and the only complaint I have is that the insurance is not what I would like to see. It is quite high and the deductibles are quite high.
Use your own judgement. If you would rather do E-Bay, by all means that is what you should do. Personally I do not like the packaging, mailing, posting, leaving feedback and everything that goes with each transaction. Too much to keep track of.
To KS'er re: Big Decision
Thanks so much for your feedback. Perhaps I'm missing something in the math but I'm just a bit confused about how you are able to make so much. 1600 lines a day at .09 cpl is $144/day or $720/week. Even if you worked 52 weeks (no vacation) that only comes to $37,440 per year. If you made $61K last year, does that mean you worked a lot of overtime on weekends, holidays, etc.?
that is a tough decision, but...sm
Just my point of view - I have a 3-year-old daughter and I absolutely treasure the fact that I'm home with her, despite the fact that my pay is so lousy. I would not change that even for the chance to be a multi-millionaire. I say look into your heart and try to see it through your children's eyes. Personally, for me, regardless of the financial struggle I have to deal with, money will never be more important than the well-being and happiness of my child. Even if she turns out screwed up, at least it will be from my influence, not outside influences. Especially while they are so very young....
I hope you'll find my post helpful! Wish you the best...
It's a tough decision. I nearly got an
ulcer worrying about it last time I went through this, but the bottom line is that all we can do is research the companies, weed out the bad ones, and then choose between the ones left. There aren't any guarantees because none of them are perfect, but if you choose one that pays well, fits your schedule, has a good platform, etc., then that's about the best we can do. Once you take the plunge & make the final decision, a weight will be lifted from you :)
NO THINKING TO BE DONE ON THIS DECISION -- JUST DO IT !
The at-home MT's jobs are going fast with no work and constant low work, so you will eventually have no paycheck at all. Don't let those newbies/youngsters who have children at home who like to babysit their children while working influence their way. They can work in their PJ's and have hubby income for 2nd source. They have no worries.
In-house MUCH better -- excellent benefits, better dictators, etc. I would not hesitate a minute on putting in my resume and as quickly as possible. Take away some of the stress of working at home for these greedy MTSO's.
While I would definitely appeal that decision
I would not be surprised if the decision is upheld. Unfortunately, if you were not meeting their production requirements or any other requirement to work, then it is misconduct in performance.
Wish you luck with your appeal, though.
Forum helped with my decision about OSI
OSI didn't tell me they outsource jobs to India in their job offer, and I refuse to work for a company that does this.
Thanks to this forum, I learned about this and chose to go with a company that does not outsource. I ignore some of the inane comments, but to do nothing but praise a company here is unrealistic. I read all the proof I needed to help me make a decision.
Why would it be so difficult to simply remove crazy things like, "Oh, you are nuts if you work for them," and leave comments such as, "I have had no work on this account for one week," and she soon learned on this forum that it was because the jobs were sent to India. I don't know why you believe it is necessary to remove the entire string.
Thank you.
Thanks. I have been trying to get as much information as possible to make the best possible decision
I would never base my decision solely on this board, but I have found some advice very helpful and truthful. There was one company that been said to have a QA Nazi by several people. I didnt listen to that and went ahead and accepted a position. What a nightmare. I do have over 13 years of experience and right off the bat this person told me how she had over 30 years experience and it went downhill from there. Not only did she want me to change a sentence HER way if the doctor did not say it quite right to her standards, but the final straw was when she told me basically that I was wasting their company money by paying me and then paying her to check all of my work.. I was like EXCUSE ME. isnt that your job in QA.. I thought they were supposed to QA your work at first when your learning a new account. Anyway, so I do try to pay heed to other's experiences..might save me later..
Every employer makes their own decision about that.
nm
Good Luck with your decision
Here is how I would start to make a decision...
Make a pros and cons list on all the companies on a piece of paper. Go through all the things you like and do not like of each company from the information you have. Who has the best insurance, the most days off, the type of reports you want to type, etc. You might also contact the recruiters and ask what type of turnover rate does their company have, what are the average lines per hour or shift that the MTs on the accounts you are going to be doing are making, and how flexible are they with scheduling if you have to deviate from your schedule. The problem with boards like this is you normally only get negative on companies or you get no replies at all. If a recruiter though does not answer the above questions, then you might want to look elsewhere, because then they either have something to hide or the numbers are so bad they do not want to disclose them. Just a few thoughts to help you with your decision.
Decision made on who to pick!
After reading all the feedback, I decided to go with Keystrokes. MQ just seems to iffy with work compared to Keystrokes, who certainly has some good feedback from fellow MTs. 
You made a good decision to go with KS
I find them to be a very honest company, and hard to find one of those these days. And... by the way I am not a recruiter, or manager or company official, just an MT.
Absolutely was a good decision! sm
yes, I had a bit of a slow down yesterday, but I had more than enough work available yesterday afternoon and evening, which is when I work anyway.
I need to make a decision from 3 offers
SPI, Transtech, and Medquist. Please, I know they are all over this board but please give me some advice that is helpful to me. I have 8 years' experience. Thank you. 
It is ridiculous isn't it? I am trying to make a decision.. sm
as to whether to give it a try or start looking for another job. I have no experience with VR but 3 cpl sounded lower than most companies pay and honestly MDI is such a great company I don't understand why they are not offering more. You are so right, I did feel insulted when I was told the line rate. I have always had such respect for them that it makes it doubly hard to understand. I think I realize I need to look for another job but good companies are so hard to find and I always felt I was working at one of the best. I just don't even know where to begin looking.
Glad for your decision, fatcat
without having divulged what I went through with them over a period of three years. Like you, I thought they were a wonderful company, but one particular weekend opened by eyes to their here-it-is, now-it's-gone routine of work. If I posted exactly what transpired by e-mail that weekend between myself and the players at MDI, they would know exactly who I am because I asked some very pointed questions and got some very quick non-answers. I got a second job without saying more after that, but when I finally turned in my notice because what I got after that wasn't worth staying on, they acted like I had betrayed THEM! Like you, I have a family and bills to provide for. Take care of your own, fatcat, be happy and productive.
Made decision; Friday last day
Whew! Glad that's over! :)
Thanks folks.
FOLLOW-UP - Made a decision about best company
Thanks for everyone's answers. I have chosen Company 4 in the QA or Editing area, as the problem nitpickers are being weeded out. I don't want a lot of baggage or to work with a company that frequently runs out of work. Here's my original post, and I hope it is helpful to others. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.
I have 15 years inhouse, but we are being outsourced. Several coworkers have gone to work for different nationals, and I am weighing working as an MT vs. QA or editor. I would like advice on what would be best to do or to expect. I have learned the following about several companies, none of which is consistent:
Company 1: QA manager has a BA in Political Science. She runs the department as a manager only. The QA people who are chosen have at least 10 years of experience and appear to be very knowledgeable. Most of them are very helpful and are available around the clock. Most accounts have plenty of work, but a lot of ESL.
Company 2: QA manager has many years in the field and supervises QA people with also many years of experience. They have a separate Document Completion department that does nothing but fill in blanks, but it is managed by a nurse with a Bachelor's degree. They have virtual round-the-clock coverage, and you can call them for an answer or to listen to the job you are working on. They are very helpful and friendly. I hear that MTs frequently run out of work.
Company 3: Not impressed because of favoritism here. A highly qualified QA manager with years of experience, including teaching, was moved to a lateral position after a few days by a power seeker with only 2 years' experience as an MT. After that, most of the QA department either quit or was fired. The new QA director does actual QA herself but does not get along well with everyone. Some of the QA department is helpful and some are not. They also promote some after only a few months with the company regardless of experience, which creates hard feelings among those with more longevity and experience. Very poor coverage at night and on the weekend. Plenty of work on most accounts.
Company 4: Editing and QA is separate. They require 10 years' experience as an Editor and 15 years' experience in QA. The QA and editing managers distribute the work and work as managers only but they are very approachable. The QA people are knowledgeable but most of them feel superior to the MTs. Most of the editors are fine but get frustrated if easy blanks are left and also seem to be too glad to report it, almost like tattling beyond necessity. Plenty of work.
As you can see, these are all very different, and I wonder if I would be better off to just remain an MT. However, I don't want my work screened by someone who is "just starting out" as an MT. I cannot figure out why the standards are so different. If you work for these companies, you know who they are. I just don't know where to turn. Help!
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I just started with them also...trying to make sure I made the right decision...nm
nm
I checked archives. Thanks. I almost made a bad decision.
No way will I work for them.
use caution before making the decision to jump to TH
x
To make a decision not to have kids based on
health care benefits and not a safe place is a way to make it okay in your mind, but I wouldn't trade my children for the world. I would pay a million dollars a month if I had it to be sure my children could be safe. However, the rewards of having children go far beyond anything monetary or what we consider safe. When that child looks you in the eyes and says I love you Mommy, nothing and I mean nothing else on this planet makes you feel like you have conquered any and all things. When that little person shows you an art project made just for you with those words scrawled on it, I love you, Mom, again, nothing and I mean nothing makes you feel like a queen as much as that does. When that 10-year-old child comes running to you (not his coach or even Coach Dad) when he hits his first homerun, you feel like you want to just cry because you know this child loves you that much. I wouldn't trade that for the cheapest health insurance or all of the money in the world. JMO though.... Good luck on whatever you decide. Having a family is not for everyone, but I'm sure glad I chose yes. Am I worried they may not be safe, of course, but the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Okay, guys, it decision-making time...
Yeah I know. Bummer. Decision making is not one of my favorite pastimes.
I got an offer from MDI-MD. Very tempting. Pros and cons, but overall company appears solid. Liked the recruiter. Lots of longevity in the company which was a plus.
Okay, here we go...Yea or Nay. Presently an MQ'er.
Thanks.
Patience
Didn't make decision whether offshore
company or not from what I read. What I stated was that they used to offshore, but I read a post the last couple of weeks that said they thought they quit offshoring.
My statement about them not being an offshore company is based on private conversations with the owner of the company.
eScription Question- Need to make a decision this weekend?
I have an opportunity to work for a company using eScription with half VR and half straight typing. I have noticed on this board the majority of you enjoy the eScription and think its the best VR software out there. Would you mind giving me a breakdown as to how efficient and edit-friendly eScription is? Can you use Short-Hand Expander with eScription? Do you have access to the line-counting utility as you type. How long did it take to get up to speed and start making money? All-in-all, would you consider editing with eScription to be better than straight typing production-wise? Say, if I transcribe 200-225 lines per hour, then I would need to edit 400-425 lines per hour to make what I am accustomed to making, since the VR line rate is about 4 cpl?
That was a really bad decision! Did you not see that a hedge fund has made an offer to
purchase many of their outstanding shares. Hedge funds are notorious for slashing costs through whatever means necessary (i.e., sending your job to Sanjiv in Bangalore). Good luck with that.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070813/20070813006137.html?.v=1
They have not had ICs in 5 years but the decision was just recently made to have PT employees. sm
There are pretty strict guidelines they are adhering to with regard to part-timers. They must have a set schedule of 8 hours one weekend day or 8 hours both weekend days and 4 hours at least 3 evenings per week. The days have to be the same every week.
So if you are looking for say MWF 6-10p and all day Saturday, it would work well for you. If you are looking to work whenever you want, it would not.
I can't wait to make the final decision today!!!
I am sooooo tired!!!! This is exhausting. LOL I know SoftScript was very organized and already has me ready to go with signs and everything, but am still a little leary of them as far as rigidity and strictness. Transcend seemed a little more flexible, not that you don't have to follow your schedule, but they give you 90 days to get up to speed and Softscript only 30.
TransTech is not being loyal to their MT's, so you have made a great decision
The pay is always on time, but the paycheck continues to dwindle, so makes it easier for TT to pay their MT's, for sure.
It is so depressing that TT mgmt/lead/sups/tech/in-house clerks, etc. have absolutely no LOW PAYCHECKS.
They have VERY MUCH OVERHIRED; however, they are losing MT's at about the same rate, but they don't care, because there are newbies that will work for practically nothing to get a start, and all they have to do is make a phone call to TT and they are hired !@!
Not anymore. I was talking to my lead yesterday and she has made a decision to not come here. sm
I for one would not want to be an MTSO. I know that they have to be thick-skinned, but it has to be horrible to be called out by name and have horrible things said about you.
I think that there are too many small companies out there with many more problems than Keystrokes has ever had except maybe in the beginning but as they are not known, you do not hear about them.
I know that she wants Keystrokes to be a personal service and her transcriptionists and clients appreciate this, but it is a fine line to walk. In the 4 years that I have worked for the company, I have had a lot of personal contact with her because I call her. We all have her phone number and she makes time if you need her. When you talk to her, she makes time and does not rush you and really listens to suggestions.
I am afraid that with all the negative all the time, that Keystrokes will become like the other services, and that is not what I want to see. Lee is a wonderful person to work for, and unless you have walked in her shoes, you should not criticize. She is obviously doing something right with the growth and the happy employees but it is impossible to please everyone all of the time.
The biggest criticism that I can make about Keystrokes is that she hangs on to people too long, always listening to the sob story and feeling sorry for everyone that comes to her with a problem. There are plenty of employees that stayed past their usefulness, including both of the last two HR managers and a few cherry-pickers on my account.
I, for one, would rather work for someone that is caring and involved, than be a number somewhere. If there are growing pains and changes, I just ride them out. As long as any company continues to grow, they will have changes, otherwise they would not grow and improve. I really think the major bumps in the road are behind Keystrokes, and having talked to Lee in the past, I am in for the long haul.
thank you. I already knew but this validates that I made a wise decision last year.
I was being paid 3.5 cpl, and I always did 100% proof to voice because if MY name is on the report, then it WILL be without errors, and quite honestly we did not have even one MT that I trusted enough to not do a complete proof to voice, which is actually very sad. I provided feedback on errors, for which I was not compensated since I was on straight production. We had tons of new MTs constantly, many of them abysmally bad.
My supervisor loved my work. She said I was the best QA Editor they had, and boy howdy I was because I also worked QC for a bit and got to witness the handiwork of my fellow editors. Nice that they paid their best 3.5 cpl, huh? I stuck it out for as long as I could because I genuinely loved my job, but there comes a time when you just have enough of being taken advantage of. They had wanted to promote me to something that was akin to a QA lead that would also involve training new MTs as well as continuing QA and QC. I would be paid salary, so that's good, but they arrived at the number by basing it on what I had made the previous year (at the lowly 3.5 cpl, mind you), so basically I would have been doing MORE work for the same money. Right. They obviously think we can't do math...lol.
I have gone back to MT. It's harder on my body, but at least I'm not being screwed.
Maybe QA made the decision, not the company, and the company managers are not aware of it. sm
I started with a company that did the same thing. When I went to the manager outside of QA, she fixed it right away. Turns out that the QA manager had made a decision to do that and had not told anyone else.
It does make sense to do that though. Find out if it is a few days or longer and base your decision on that.
Can we ask which company or at least which state they're out of?
Unfortunately, I am going to be looking AGAIN due to offshore.
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