I disagree - pooling can be a very good thing indeed sm

Well-created pools can be a blessing to MTs because they prevent cherry-picking, plus they are a boon to the clients who receive ALL their work back in a timely fashion, instead of whatever the MT feels like typing.  Now bad pooling (throwing too many doctors into a huge pool) is another thing entirely - that is bad for productivity because there is simply too much variety for an MT to learn any one physician well. 

• Company typing pools - omega
  • I left a company when they started doing this. - J
    • I disagree - pooling can be a very good thing indeed sm - Queenie

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I was relatively new to the MT world when I began working at MQ.  I recall it as an experience that almost caused me to totally QUIT the MT profession.  For one thing, the majority of dictators were horrendous.  Add to that the fact that communication with supervisors, QA, etc., was almost nil.  Then, I learned about the MT questions person, but I quickly became embarrassed and was afraid that he/she would get tired of me.  Working at MQ was definitely a learning experience, but it is my opinion that it harmed me more than helping me.  For one thing, I do not enjoy the experience of hypertension and migraine headaches, and I am sure that I would not enjoy the experience of a CVA.  Obviously, I do not work for MQ any longer. 

As it has already happened twice, I won't be surprised if I again receive a telephone call in which I am invited to reapply and work there again.  The first time that they called, I told them to take my name off their list, or put my name on their DO NOT CALL list.  But, they might call again.  For this reason, I have placed my old trumpet next to the phone.  A good blow of the trumpet in the caller's ear will be the only response they get from me.  I understand that pushing the O button on a touch-tone phone will create a similar effect. 

go to work for them you'll not have the experience to know how horrible they are and when you leave you'll realize how horrible they were.

The sound quality is horrific.  Some accounts have ESL dictators that are horrendous and I have 20 years' experience and do 85% ESL.   Management is a joke.  They don't know how to treat MTs.   The only reason they offer the mentoring program is they can't get good, experienced MTs to work for them. 

I worked for them for a year.  They never answer e-mails or get back to you regarding anything.  The platform is great but the sound quality is horrible.  They move you from account to account and I always ran out of work.  Not the most professional company around.

Yes, I too see a mass exodus of the good MTs as those who have no other choice but to stay at TT are stuck with VR. 

Very disappointing, TT, very disappointing... 

especially this time of year.  I am still at CardioScribes and probably will never leave entirely -- easy work, good pay, and great people -- but I need the benefits of being an employee, so I am hoping Keystrokes (2nd shift) will be as wonderful as I have been told it is (and of course, hope they think I am wonderul too *smile*).  I am working weekends for DTS America, and they are terrific!  I feel very blessed.

I'm glad you have found not only 1, but TWO great jobs --  congrats!   And yes, I hope 2009 is a banner year for both of us ... ALL of us, for that matter.  

Good to hear from you.  Happy Holidays! 

was that if I had been an employee instead of an IC, I would have had to conform to their mandatory ergonomic protocols and send a picture of my desk/work environment as proof of compliance.  Monthly meetings were sometimes interesting, mainly routine--not paid, or at least I never was for them.  

I worked on their Vianeta platform, but many accounts were on Emdat, which I have never used and don't know if I would want to.  Pay was good (set by me and okayed by them) and on time with DD. 

I was only with them a few months and quit mainly because of too much work on my other, older accounts, and I didn't think it was fair to them or InterPro (or me) to try to keep up with them all. 

I am a hospital employee.  I like the platform, it is basically word.  I am making more lines here than I ever have anywhere else.  I only work on one account.  The equipment is fine, brand new Dell with flat screen.  No problems in particular with supervisors or QA.  Hospital can be picky about things, but it is the hospital, not DK.  Benefits are great through the hospital, very affordable.  

DK is no worse than anywhere else, you just have to find what is best for you.  They are working fine for me  

I have to say that the reason companies are offshoring is not completely their fault.  US MTs, over the  years, have gotten to where they want to make more and more money so that they have to produce less and less work every day. 

Any talented MT should be able to produce 1500 lines (accurately) in an 8-hour period.  At a rate of 0.075 cpl, this would total $112.50, which works out to 14.00 per hour.  If you want to earn more than that, you work extra to do so.  There are people coming out of college with degrees that do not start out at a wage like that and don't make that until they have many, many years experience in their field.  This would be though in an average area.

By asking for exorbitant wages, which you could also earn by increasing your line count and working just a bit harder, we are forcing companies to have to look at offshoring more and more work.  Yes they work cheaper over there.  However, they also don't mind working harder and doing everything possible to increase their line count.

Another issue bringing our wages down is the fact that now an Editor is used.  This has come about simply because the MTs that are coming into this business are not adequately trained.  Therefore, an extra cost associated with the higher wages.  The same editor can be used but editing India work and the company will make a better profit and turnaround times are much better.

I do feel that MTSOs should look at the cost of living of different areas and also pay MTs accordingly as any other job would.  For instance, an secretary in some parts of Texas start out at 6.50 per hour; however, a secretary in New York may start at 17 or more per hour.  This is an issue that has never been addressed by an MTSO and I am sure never will be.

Over the last several years, many schools have developed that teach MT.  However, they are not producing quality MTs.  To make it in this business and earn the big bucks, you have to have speed and accuracy.  You have to be able to remember medical terms.  Most of all, however, if you cannot produce 200-250 lines per hour minimum, you might should consider a new job.  This is a production job and if you can't produce, it is not the job for you. 

For those of you experiencing out of work problems, easy solution... find another company to work for/with.  There are too many out there, so don't waste precious time.  Find one.

I disagree with you on a number of points.

First of all, as was pointed out by another poster, 1500 lines in 8 hours depends totally on the accounts and dictators you transcribe.  I have an (occasional) account where I can transcribe 400-500 lines an hour, and that, obviously, is due to the template.  I have another account on another job where I can only transcribe 120-140 lines an hour.  That isn’t due to my failings but due to the slowness of the company-provided computer and their platform.  When transcribing another dictator, I can usually transcribe 250-275 LPH.  The main reason I can do this is because I get this dictator all the time, have had the opportunity to become accustomed to his style of dictation and can make shortcuts based on his particular consistent phrasing of sentences.  If a person transcribes for more than 100 different dictators, the Transcriptionist never has the opportunity to become familiar with the dictator.  There are many variables in how many lines someone can transcribe per hour, and they don’t always involve the skill level or competency of the transcriptionist.

I also take issue with the fact that people coming out of college with degrees earning less.  Who cares?  Why should MTs who have been in this business for 20-30 years suffer just because kids who graduate from college make less money?  I’m sure most of these seasoned MTs would tell you that they made much more money 10 or even 15 years ago than they do today.  They are hanging in there with a deteriorating industry, just trying to make a living wage.

I especially disagree with paying transcriptionists different rates based on where they live.  Often that is the only recourse for those of us who have the ability to relocate to economically impoverished areas, just to keep up with steadily declining wages in the MT industry because we love this kind of work.

Although I agree that speed used to be a very important of a transcriptionist’s job, I also believe that with the evolution of VR, the need for typing speed in a transcriptionist is obviously going to diminish since it is no longer required.  Combine that lack of skill with the new graduates you mention who are basically clueless, and a whole new generation of incompetence is being created, leaving the more experienced, seasoned MTs out in the cold.

I personally am going to remain with the smaller companies, as I believe when it is all said and done, they are the ones that truly care about quality, and they may be the only ones left after all the big nationals outsource themselves into extinction through their new quantity versus quality standards.  They are also the ones who are less likely to cut the throats of their loyal, highly-skilled employees.