I think that is very good advice but how do you know if a company is going to treat you well?

During the interview they will tell you all kinds of wonderful stuff.  Are you saying it is better to look a company offering a lower line rate as an indication of a better place to work?  You could be right.

It seems kind of sad though in our industry that in order to get decent management the personal price is to take a cut in pay.  Why can't it be good management and good pay at the same time? 

• Can an MT make a decent living earning 7 cents per line - playing devil's advocate
  • It pays to take a "pay cut" sometimes - My story
    • My experience has been different - sm - Typing-Slave
      • You are correct - inhouse pays much more - sm
    • I think that is very good advice but how do you know if a company is going to treat you well? - Charlene
      • Research & ask people who work there - for honest answers
        • Plus time-wasting instant message harassment - by managers etc.(NM)
          • Oh I hate that! - ER MT
            • I'd tell 'em, 'From now on, send me ONE email/day - - as all others will be deleted w/out opening."
          • Here's the deal - if you find one that fits, even remotely. STAY!! stop searching for "perfect - thanks
            • And if find one that treats you like crap, LEAVE - There are good MTSO's (nm)
  • Outstanding advice!!! - GAMT
  • OY VEY - scribbles
    • depends; can make more $ on easy platform/7 than hard platofrm/8-9 cents - I've been there - n/m
      • Yes, that's a good point, but that is - scribbles
  • Good info. In late 1980's I typed for 4 cents a line (sm) - SM
    • Here it is 2007, and I WISH I could make $35,000! (sm) - Typing-Slave
    • I was making 6.5 cpl in 1975 ............ (nm) - Typing-Slave
    • The norm in the 80s was 4 cents per Gross Line, not 65 char with spaces. nm - whorn
    • That's right , it was the going rate - scribbles
      • This is the thing that concerns me about this field. Pay is staying the same not increasing! - Charlene
        • The problem is the 'middleman' - (sm) - the 'Invisible' MT
      • Exactly!!!! - ER MT
        • Good for you - scribbles
      • Correction - scribbles
    • thank you sm - debbb

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If I had known that they offshored before I accepted employment with them I never would have gone there to work.  I've been here long enough now though to not want to lose my benefits. 

Still ... making a DECENT PAYCHECK and making a living without being stressed out over the type of work that I'm doing is just as important as good benefits. 

That is good advice, so thank you. 

One more question -- have you ever been sorry about leaving?  I have always had the stick it out and it may get better attitude, but things just keep getting worse, my pay keeps going down, even though I am working much harder.  I have a fear of getting a new job that turns out even worse.

But my doggie is my baby .. to give her up for a job .. never ... to give her up if I somehow became unable to care for, I'd do because it was good for her .... but NEVER let go of things in your personal life that you love.  One time I had a great job -- 11.5 cpl -- but my boss told me my job should be more important than family.  So, right or wrong, I said goodbye.   Unfortunately, my mom passed, so I don't have the family either, but looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.  You can always find another job .. you can never get another mom (or other thing you care for .. fill in the blank ).

Good luck to you ..  :-)

In any event, it is over and now I am wiser and never going to spend more than 8 hours on an acct for anyone ever. MTSOs simply do not appreciate it or remember it.

Now THAT is good advice.  It's a shame to say it, but skill, loyalty, seniority, etc. - none of these things matter in this business anymore.  And I can tell you from direct experience, when your company gets swallowed up, NO ONE at the new company gives a rat's a$$ how many years or how much seniority you might have had at your prior position.  It's not even a consideration.  The 1-year girl, the 5-year girl, and the 20-year girl - To them, we're all the same.

These MT schools are still cranking out the MTs as fast as they can (and taking their money).  I am sure they know that there already isn't enough work to go around and no work = no money.  Plus the fact that the MT trainee who could ever hit the ground running and make money right out of the gate is far and few between.

As for the coding, it is pretty obvious that is a huge candidate to be done by EMR and I'm sure it will happen in the not so distant future.  There will probably be someone an R.N.? LPN? EMT? who will do chart reviews to ensure that every possible diagnosis that could get another dime in reimbursement is put in the record.  That would be a few jobs depending on the size of the hospital.  I seriously doubt that these jobs will be offered to former MTs.

Another job opportunity might be that of what used to be called ART (acredited record technician), those people might be allowed to do chart reviews as they have always done it anyway, I even did it myself way back there.  The JCAH (forget what they're called  now) used to offer a study at home course but you had to be affiliated with or work for a hospital in order to have access to the records that were necessary to complete the course.  In some smaller hospitals ARTs (or whatever they are called now) were even heads of the medical record department.  I believe it is also offered as a 2 year course at some community colleges.

Sadly I think that those who have put themselves out for the expense and bother of getting and maintaining CMT credentials are just going to be SOL because I think those credentials and a buck might buy them a cup of coffee.

This is the way I feel and I could be wrong but I don't think so.

What type of work do they have?  Any op reports?  Appreciate any info. 

I joined JLG about 9 month ago and I am thrilled with the experience that I have had.  Although the company has been around for 20+ years, a group of good industry veterans who know how to operate fairly to both employees and clients have joined the company in the past year.  I followed my manager from another giant company. 

I have also worked on this account and it was plauged with problems from the start.  The hospital required the account to be implemented in a matter of days, there were technical issues and the hospital management staff was new and the employees were mad because transcription had been outsourced.  Personally, I won't miss this client but good luck to those that get it. 

There is plenty of work at JLG and I have already been advised on my new assignments

I have to say if the MTs weren't  treated like they are in sweat shops and constantly hounded about their production and could get paid a decent wage, then maybe the quality could get better.  But, when you are paid on production and someone just out of school has yet to build up speed, and they are being hounded as to why they are not producing their line count, then they feel rushed and yes, making careless mistakes.  I have been MTing for 3 years, and I surely do wish I would have chosen another field.  I am currently getting myself ready to go back to school and get into diagnostic medical sonography.  The only thing I will miss is being able to work from home and be more available to my family.  Sorry in advance for any typos or punctuation errors. 

would you make the statement all but 1 would turn on you if someone offered something better?  Most MTs I know are thankful to work for someone who treats them well, something that is no longer the norm in this business, and generally stick it out for the long haul, until the MTSO offshores or there is no work or not enough work to feed our families.  Somehow it has been lost that an employee well treated and well paid is an asset, not a liability.  I don't know about you, but I appreciate respect for the work I do and the knowledge I bring to the table and that respect comes in many forms, most notably a living wage.  You can be darn sure that in these economic times and with the depressed wages we have had to settle for because MTSOs, large and small, offshore or live high and mighty off the backs of us MT slaves, I'm looking out for #1.  Loyalty and respect are earned.  Very few companies today exhibit business and/or moral practices that earn them either.