I have been a recruiter for 4 different companies over the past 15 years. sm
Posted By: BTDT on 2007-11-18
In Reply to: Why (Some) MTs have a bad name... - HD Wallen
This is more common than most realize. For every 20 resumes I receive, only 8 are qualified. Of those 8, only 6 will answer their phone or call back when a voice mail is left. That always amazes me, as why apply if you have no desire to talk to the company? Of those 6, only 4 actually are qualified. You would be surprised how many only want 1st shift, M-F, no weekends, no holidays, no ESL doctors, only internet accounts, only word-based, only op notes, no op notes, only long reports, only short reports, etc. The list goes on and on. We hear about every health ailment, how some are working althought they do not need the money, wish I could say that, about how their husbands do not like them to work when they are home. We hear about how they have to leave for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon because they have to drive their kids to school. Did I mention that they need off every other Wednesday for 3 hours for Cub Scouts and every Thursday for two hours at lunchtime to be lunch mom at the school. Oh, don't forget that they get their hair done every Friday morning from 8 until 10 and they may have to drive their mom to the doctor every Tuesday. I am not exaggerating. They all assure me that they want a lot of volume, but of the 4 that I actually hire, it is even scarier. One may be perfect in terms of volume, quality and actually showing up for work. One will work for an hour and disappear forever. One will beg for work but only take 10 minutes off the system at most. One will have an emergency the first day and never call back, never actually starting.
So to have 100 employees, you need to go through 3000 resumes, hire 500 of them and hope to get 100 good ones.
I was going to work for a large company that gets a few bad and many good posts here but decided that the pressure would be too great. It is hard to find 5 good MTs for a new account. I cannot even begin to think how impossible it would be to find 25 or 30, as they have advertised in the past.
This industry sees a lot of job hoppers. Yes, there are a lot of bad companies out there, but they job hop for no reason it seems, other than someone actually expected them to show up and produce.
I am personally against offshore transcription and will not work for a company that send work out of the U.S. but I know why they turn to other countries to do the work. They have a better work ethic. When they find a good job, they stay with it forever. They appreciate that have a job and food on the table. It is a way of life for them and there are no second chances. They cannot burn their bridges or no one will hire them.
Maybe MTSOs need to have higher standards and hold their employees to them. There are thousands of excellent MTs out there, we just have to weed through so many to get to them that they sometimes get overlooked.
Sorry for ranting, but I really enjoyed the OP's post and it struck a few nerves!!!
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What I have done for the past 6 years - sm
For the first 4 years as an IC I paid quarterly to state and had hubby take out additional federal from his check. I now have him take out additional for both, which is far easier for me. The IRS does not care where it comes from, just that it gets paid. Not sure if this is an option for you, but it works for me.
Agree, but over the past five or so years, new MTs sm
have been relying on Google and the Internet as their only references. We know how reliable the Internet is(n't)!! The US MTs need to step up to the plate, too!!
I work there now, have for the past 2-1/2 years.
What feedback are you looking for?
I've been happy for the past 2 years
No problems at all for me, and only getting better now with our annual raise (I know it's small, but it is something), holiday pay, more PTO, etc.
just today - you're a little behind - that was for the past 3 years-
and ID thiefs are also overseas - did ya see Dateline this week? Another point you are missing - we can prosecute those here - try finding somebody in Pakistan right now.
In the past 4 years I have always been paid on time
x
I have used it for the past 2 years through another company and love it!! nm
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Keystrokes for the past 2 years!! I plan on retiring with them !! nm
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I have mde over 60K doing MT for the past 5 years. Why are you so hesitant to post who you work sm
for? Yes, I think you are a fraud am I am no jealous in the least. At least I don't have to lie as a part of my daily business. You still, an no other recruiter responding, has had the integrity to post their company name. No surprise.
I have been there awhile. The good posts are because over the past few years sm
they have really worked hard to improve employee relationships and it has worked. There are no problems there anymore. They used to say they were growing pains and we all wondered how long they could say that. Now I am glad I stuck it out because all the old problems (and I mean old being over 2 years or more) are gone. Great company to work for.
I have had a credit report run for the 2 out of 2 MT jobs I have had over the past 10 years - nm
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I have been with 4 companies in the past 6 months.
Not the OP but must say it's bad out there. It never used to be as bad as this.
Yes, it's good to show OP where to find the ads, but just because a company runs an ad doesn't mean they'll have a good flow of consistent work available. Hell, it's usually not enough work to live on. I know this from experience and is why I'm in the process of constructing a plan B for when there isn't a possibility of earning a living on MT alone anymore. That time is either here now or coming very, very soon.
Actually, it is not a MQ account. They have gotten dozens of MQ accounts over the past 5 years thou
The account that everyone is referring to is high ESL, very Hispanic, in Texas. It is not bad once you get used to the doctors. It is huge and difficult but not impossible and not bad.
They also have 4 other new accounts in acute care they are hiring for and 2 other excisting accounts that are growing.
With all I see on other companies not having enough work, I am grateful for Keystrokes. They keep growing and improving and were the best move I ever made!
I have 20 years in hon, and I was a recruiter!
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I am a recruiter but also have been an MT for 7 years. nm
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I've known the recruiter for 10+ years and that doesn't
She is one smart cookie and could run circles around most MTs and I've always enjoyed our conversations. In the face of some of the toughest adversities, her ability to stay upbeat has always amazed me.
The recruiter was rude and condensending. I have 22 years experience, and she sm
made me feel like a newbie with her comments and war stories. To hear her talk, all applicants are idiots. If that is the first impression, what is the rest of the company like? I refused to take the test after that.
That referred to the MT's applying where I was a recruiter a few years back not to my current te
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Call and ask a recruiter. I think it is higher than most other national companies. Nm
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Best companies 10 years ago..
Agree wholeheartedly with this. Ten years ago, 99% of pay was by gross line. Work was plentiful, always typed in WP 5.1 and sent back to service (which by the way were all small, approximately 30 people at most) by company bulletin board. I made $65,000 a year minimum back then, working for one (yes one) company. The turning point with the downward spiral for this business as far as we transcriptionists are concerned was, I think, threefold: 1) The megaliths swallowing up the small local services or underbidding them for the work and forcing them out of business, 2) the internet (yes, believe it or not), 3) the elimination of or the refusal to pay in the gross line. It was easy to verify a gross line count, i.e., Sylcount, etc. which the small services used. WHAT YOU SAW WAS WHAT YOU GOT, not any more. Sad, isn't it?
Some companies have done this for years.
Went to work for one that required and paid for the complete physical and audiometry/hearing test. Just took longer to get started making money, in my opinion. Too bad after all that - after sending me their computer which was required- at their cost - I had to return it - at their cost - after training was so poor and trainer went on vacation in the middle of mine and Tech Support didn't answer phone calls 2nd shift for hours at a time while I was left locked up on MY time. Figured I was out about 2 weeks making a wage somewhere else. No wonder the MTSOs that do this can't afford to pay a decent CPL. ARGH!
4 companies in 15 years is not job hopping. sm
Two companies sold to MQ, one closed when the owners retired and I still work at the fourth one. I see people who have worked at 10 companies in as many months. Sometimes the reasons are valid, ie nonpayment, no work, but most of the time it is just because they do not give any commitment.
Companies that require five years' experience...sm
This October, I will be working as an MT for five years. I'm now looking to change companies and I notice there are several who require a minimum of five years' experience.
Would I be better off waiting until October, when I will have been an MT for five years, to change? Do these companies pay any better than those who require less experience? Or are they all pretty much the same and I may as well go ahead and apply to the ones who have less stringent prerequisites?
I've only worked for one MT company so I'm not very savvy on the MT marketplace. Any advice would be appreciated.
You are carrying a grudge for two years? Companies change. I have
had only good experiences with them.
Some states/companies have a noncompete thing going on. It took years for Diskriter to be able to
s
Fifteen years experience here and also offered 8 cpl as a max at multiple companies. This biz is
going down hill fast. I remember making 10 cpl 10 years ago and that was cheap..Only profession I know that has gone down in wages rather than up. Very sad. If you offered 8 cpl..take it..
I talked to them today. They want 3 years in a hospital or 5 years combination sm
hospital and at home or clinic and at home. For radiology, they want 3 years full time radiology. I thought they were very nice and I have a few friends that work for them and are happy. The pay seems average to high for what I am seeing now. I think they are 0.08 per line or 1.08 for radiology. Beats what I will have with the new MQ program.
Honda is 11 years old, 190,000 miles . Toyota was 15 years old and 279,000 superb
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How far in the past?
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I have in the past, what do you need to know?
No, they used to pay more in the past.
x
I have in the past
In fact, they probably like that you do rather than ask for time off when the work load is heavy.
This is what i have done in the past.
I have called a facility and asked to speak to the director of medical records. I told them that I was interested in working on transcription for their facility and asked them the name of the company. They told me with no problem.
who have you worked for in the past - sm
Sometimes it's just getting into the right place at the right time, but if you have already worked for a few places, I don't want to mention their names.
I have spoken with her in the past and she was
What did she say or do that was so rude and unprofessional?
Worked there in the past.
But frequently ran out of work. Finally had to leave.
Well, I worked for them in the past (sm)
and had trouble being paid. There has been info here over the past 3 years showing that it's still going on.
Not that I know of...I just saw some favorable past (sm)
posts about them and thought I would see if they are hiring..
past employees
Why is it that past employees always yell the loudest? I take pride in the work I do for Shapin and if the past employee had just asked for help and had not turned in files that weren't even edited, it may have been a different situation. I have mentored many MTs and have seen them grow in their profession. Say what you want about Shapin, but remember if you are a past employee, there probably is a reason and it wasn't the pay.
From past experience, I would
stay away, far away from Accupro. I was not paid what was due me and was basically called a liar. Bad business ethics.
I know another person who worked for them, who sent an email and had things in it deleted and changed to make her look bad and then had the changed email forwarded to someone else. Stay away, things may have been good a long time ago, but not anymore.
In the past they have done this in an attempt to
attract people who know/have worked on the account.
current or past MDI-MD MTs,
did your line count significantly increase at MDI over whereever you had been before?
I believe there were posts in the past. (sm)
Check the archives. As I recall, it wasn't good!
Maybe these past posts will help --
I don't work for them but I was thinking about it and I remembered there was a lot of chatter about them within the last couple of months so I did a search of the MTStars Company Board cause I thought I remembered something that might be helpful to you. Until you get updated info from current or past employees maybe this will help.
Medical Axolotl [2007-08-25]
Med - employee $100/mo., employee +1 $200/mo., employee + kids $200/mo.and employee + family $300/mo.
Axolotl [2007-08-18]
Axolotl expects quality and reliable MTs. Due to the fact, they do not overstaff, it is IMPERATIVE, everyone be there for their scheduled shifts. They provide OUTSTANDING and affordable benefits, as well as more than competitive pay. If you meet the above standards as an MT, then you should apply. If you don't meet these standards, then you need to find a company who doesn't expect you to produce quality documents and to show up for your shift. I have been an MT for 13 years. Axolotl is better than any company I have ever researched or any employerI have worked for. If you are looking for former employees who did not meet the above standards, I am sure you can find them.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
No ad, just though maybe someone worked for them in the past...
I got the same info you did, a few companies by the name of PRN Transcription but I could not find any in MA. One in Illinois, one in Ohio.....?
Well, last day this past week my pay was
over $18.00 an hour. I don't consider that too bad myself. I personally am very happy there, no problem with anyone, they leave you alone, no IMing all the time nor emails, good support, love the platform. Great place for me.
There have been several posts about them the past
couple of weeks.
wow now there's a blast from the past sm
I used to work for them years ago, but I think they must have gone out of business a while back. Their website has been down for a few years.
Times past it was the same as now -
If you are typing radiology, op notes or ERs - no, it would not be a good deal. Discharge summaries, definitely! You know when the doctors hem and haw and talk to the other doctors or take a phone call? Or you have a dictaiton that's just dead air, no dictation? You get paid for all that time that the doctor is not talking. It doesn't depend on times past versus times now. I was paid by the minute 20 yeras ago and it was the same then. It's good money with discharge summaries, not good for op notes or ERs.
I had not had a lot of ESL in the past, just a few here and there and never Hispanic. sm
It took me 3 weeks before I felt comfortable and now it gets better every day. I really enjoy it. A friend of mine left the account and KS and called them up and started again. They told her that it is a difficult account and they understand and had her come back. Now she is happy on the account too. She had been there a while though so that might be why but she gave up in a huff and left and they took her back (about 2 weeks later).
She had an MTSO in the past and did not pay.
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