In REPLY TO: What do you call 6.5 cents?? - Geeze, when I started out 15 years ago, I made 8 c
Posted By: fla gal on 2008-09-29
In Reply to: Oops sorry, thought you said you "only" get out of bed for 6.5 ! lol - Above poster, made 8 cents GROSS as a beginner
6.5 was the offer for one place and the second offer was 9 cents. I chose the second offer :). Rough out there indeed! There are even places paying per report now... I saw 75 cents, $1.10, $1.15 and $1.25. Ain't good for Rad.
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What about those who made 12 cents a line only a few years ago
you have no problem with reduction in pay, are you serious? making less money is truly okay with you because you sympathize with those poor administors and owners of the companies who should have the money instead.
I respect your talking about bad work habits but what type of transcription to you do, what percent ESL may I ask? You do realize it is not humanly possible to jump through all the hoops just right now to make that kind of money, not unless you are lucky enough to work on 'good accounts' which are usually saved for those who also do QA, and for new people or whoever gets or however they get it I have no idea.
you must type so many lines a day, but your quality better be 98-100% or you lose benefits and pay and also you must never complain or speak up about anything or you will get the worst dictation on the system only to have your work gone over with people who are paid hourly so they can pretend quality is what matters when we all know what really matters is the hospital saving money for the CEOs and their families.
if anyone cared about the patients, I mean truly cared about the patients as we are expected to do, the whole system would not have gone to capitation and nonprofit to a for-profit business. Halls in hospitals would not be filled with patients who have no one to help them and who lie there moaning and groaning while the nursing staff is cut back to less than skeleton crew, or any kind of ancillary service is outsourced and moved out of the hospital to save money, no matter that elderly people suffer because they may not be able to drive all over.
I could go on and on but it no doubt will be lost on where you are at.
This country seems to be becoming more 'sadistic' and less compassionate day by sorry day.
where were people like you when the money was flowing freely, were you protesting for lower pay - do you want to take lower pay right now because I am sure your boss will oblige...
I was started at 8.5 and given a raise after a year to 9 cents sm
I know that I hired on at a time when they were desperate and I have many years of experience, hence the more than usual. I was also an IC.
I have not heard of anyone else getting a raise, however. Employees were given a line count incentive and told if they wanted more money to work more. ICs had no such luck. They are management top heavy with a team leader and at least 1 QA for each team, 6 teams at the moment. They also have an MT manager, an IT manager with 4 people under him, and 6 people to go after new accounts (few new accounts while I was there), an office manager and 2 or 3 people who do payroll and human resources. LOADS of support people means the MTs who actually do the work get paid less. Keep in mind, they only have about 225 to 250 MTs at any given time. Top heavy.
Where I work now, we have an office staff of 7 and about 13 other support people for 350+ MTs. You'd think I'd have problems getting questions or problems solved and I don't. They are right there 24/7. Result? We get paid more per line.
I don't know, Zylo was a great place when I was there and has steadily gone to pot over the past 6 to 9 months.
What do you call 6.5 cents??
x
I just started with them also...trying to make sure I made the right decision...nm
nm
Call the IRS. IF you made over $600.00 a W-2
or 1099 had to be mailed by 1/31/2006. The IRS would love to intervene on your behalf to get it if needed.
Hmm...I could live quite well on 0.12 cents per line for doing nothing, but I might call it
x
honestly, I would made the call and...sm
just READ THEM OFF. I cannot even stress how PATHETIC this whole process became.
If for some reason you decide to stay, you would probably start work each day with a very bad feeling wondering what would happen each day. NOT WORTH IT. Make it easier on yourself. READ THEM OFF and move on.
I started 2 weeks to the day. I would call the office direct if I were you. sm
That does not sound right. Maybe the person you are working with dropped the ball. I would call the office. They are there until 5:30 or later on Fridays. (630)553-3680. This is not private info. It is on their ad.
Call them. Something is not right. I was hired a month ago and started 2 weeks ago. sm
Call Laura or Becky in the office. They are both in tomorrow.
I know which account this is that started this week. I would call tomorrow. sm
The IDs were sent back from the hospital but only one part of them. I have been on the account for 2 days and it is great. HBO Star and lots of volume and good dictators except one or two. Call and ask if the IDs are ready. There are a bunch of new accounts starting at the same time. They pulled me from my primary to help until the other IDs are in, so they are definitely needing you on there. You will love the KS rad department; I have been with them for 4 years and every year it gets better!
10 years, 4.5 cents !!
Wow, what a bunch of crap that is for your hard work! I have 7 years myself, and I make quite a bit more than that, and I am being paid far above the national minimum wage. I am finally doing editing after the rat race of MTing because of the general way that these so-called great national companies treat MTs like they are not even people, just a machine. I hope you will look for something that pays you what you ARE worth, so you can make some money and live on it.
Over 23 years, my 2 cents...
I have had a very similar transcription career experience as you have, although I started with Medquist back when they became The MRC Group. I was with them for 15 years until recently when all I got was NJA and I had to make a living. So I researched companies and found Diskriter and here is my opinion for what its worth. First on a positive note I will say that everyone I have dealt with has been great. Pleasant, informative, noncritical and they actually pat you on the back which I never got from MQ. Now for the negative side. When I was hired on as second shift, Sun-Thurs I would run out of work on Sunday halfway through the shift and then had to make the time up during the week. That wouldnt be bad except for their is mandatory 5 hours overtime you have to do every week with an email daily that says (get this in as soon as possible). So basically you end up working 10 hour days with the whip being cracked telling you to hurry up and get those 5 hours in, which you cant get until you have made up your downtime from Sunday. I have found all this to be extremely stressful and feel like I dont have a life anymore, I am just a factory worker. Unless you love working long hours I would suggest something else...in fact, I am looking myself. I am too old to be under this much stress. I havent worked my normal shift in 5 months that I have been there!
7-1/2 cents for 5 years experience?
You're outright lying. You'd have to make at least 12 cpl to make 7-1/2 with ISR (not VR, as you're saying).
I have 11 years experience and am on 9 cents a line
and I'd say 9.5 cents per line is pretty good these days!
You are too much...I made almost 60k five years ago
working in a similar recruiting/QA position for a small company. It varies widely. And it is a whole lot nicer position than MTing..well just about anything is IMO. Stop being so envious.
I made upper 40s with them 6 years.
My insurance was around $350 a month family coverage. I have been gone from them about a year.
I made $13/hour 14 years ago
nm
I made 20.00 an hour 3 years ago -
Even that was not enough money for all the garbage I had to correct. I went back to straight typing. Make more money now with lots less stress!
I have been doing this for over 30 years .. I made more in 1983 than I do now . sm
However, I still make a decent living. What burns me is when I see these cheesy ads telling women they can take their course (and spend $$$$) and instantly make $50,000 .... you know that doesn't happen.
I was lucky and had the advantage of being trained on the job when I was a junior in high school (my mom was a lab tech and friends with the director of Medical Records). No matter how good the at-home course is (or is not), to me, you just can't beat the hands on experience of having the benefit of someone else's ears .. but I guess those days are gone like the wind.
I don't know much about painting gourds, but I thought about sitting on a beach in the carribbean and selling cheap crap to tourists .. care to join me? 
I made in the low 50s at Spheris 4 years ago.
Yes, you can.
I have 15 years in. I just started with them
4 months ago and was started at .10/line.
Sorry, but I made more than that as a grocery cashier 7 years ago (nm)
x
I've made in the upper 40s and low 50s for several years now.
From 2 top nationals. Yes, it is possible.
Can everyone do it? No. Some people are better at it than others. Some can put their headset on, hit that pedal and keep on until it's all done. Others cannot sit still, don't have a very good skill set, are easily distracted or listen to too many complaints by others. Never let others help you decide how to feel about YOUR job.
Some of it will rely on your skill set, your mindset and your self-discipline. Some of it will depend on working for a company that you are comfortable with - comfortable with their set up, how work is divided, their base and incentive pay, etc. If you're upset, you'll not perform as well. If you're unhappy, you'll spend more time being upset than working and being productive.
Are they kidding, made $1.25 per report over 20 years ago. nm
x
I've made $35,000 for the years I worked there. SM
I would have to kill myself for $50,000 and I don't choose to do that. I give you credit if you were able to achieve it.
The pay rate has been lowered there now, due to SR. The rate of pay at MQ has always been higher, but this field is dying out where ever one goes.
Geeze you just don't get it do you? sm
The MTSOs have contracts to fill and some have the whole hospital account. That is the business. You wouldn't go into any job for that matter and tell them when they should schedule people to work, why do it with MTing?
How this profession has changed and attracted a lot of whining people who want a work-at-home job, no strings attached, no responsibility and want everything like they want it.
I started at 10 cpl also- 20+ years experience
NM
I started at .09 with 5 years experience.
I only work part time, not sure of full time requirements
back some 15-16 years ago when I first started
MT, wasnt the AAMT at the heart of changing the name of 'typist' to 'medical language specialist' and werent they involved in raising the pay scale etc, because cant we do that now what they did back then? How did they do it? I remember the old typewriters and being taught by a CMT, and they told me it was not more a few years beforehand that they were just a typing pool but when I started they already had their own office, their own 'respect' in the hospital. However that happened, we need to do that again because I feel we have regressed, even past that point of a 'typist' -
My last couple of years working in the hospital setting (which then I could not wait to work at home!?) are filled with memories where especially at holidays the doctors would send flowers, gifts, candy, toasters, I mean they treated us pretty good.
Now we are treated less than human beings, this has to change. I realize the doctors do not control the money anymore, and that is a big part of it because in my opinion I think they spread the money around a little bit more than the insurance companies/government who now control it. We will never see any of it...
I would not mind getting involved, either, if you have any ideas.
Know what you mean about the coffee - speaking of which, gotta run and get mine too!
I always have enough work on it and have been on it since it started 3 years ago. sm
I do a minimum of 100 minutes every day. My goal is 120 minutes every day but I am not as fast as I once was. I do not run out of work on there but I work 2nd shift, which might be the reason. Glad you got an account you like better. I personally love this one because of the doctors, except one.
Yikes, I guess that says it all for this field....I made that over 15 years ago!
Guess it's time to move on :(
Yikes. I made 8 an hour 9 years ago starting. nm
x
I made 8 cpl when I worked for them 3 years ago. The ESLs were really horrendous, though.
Even the English speaking docs were bad. I just couldn't make any money with those accounts. Maybe things have changed in 3 years, but it was not a pleasant experience for me. It was my very first MT job.
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.
Why should I go back to making 9 cpl when I make 11 cpl now?? I made 8 cpl over 12 years ago.
nm
Geeze, lighten up
I just asked a question to verify what was posted. I'm not trying to stir up anything, simply looking for options. Isn't that what this forum is for after all?
Umm, AAMT started years ago for AMERICAN MTs. You
seem to be implying that since AAMT happens to be located in the US then that is why the association is named the way it is. You are incorrect in your implication and it is not right to post it in that manner on a public forum where new visitors get the wrong idea.
Established company, started six years ago. They have
not grown at all through acquisition but rather just plain old fashsioned good business.
I have worked M-F day shift since I started MT-ing 3 years s/m
ago. Is it really that hard to get? (Just asking, because I never had a problem).
I work at Webmedx M-F day shift. I asked for it, and they gave it to me. That being said, it may have been because I opted for a 90% ESL account. (?) Who knows. Good luck in finding what you need, though. It is out there.
Be careful, this is how it started with MQ a few years back
when they cut VR pay. I saw a tremendous cut in pay and I did leave after really trying to make it work for me. I think the only ones who are able to earn the same or near are those on a different VR system than MQ and have extremely easy accounts with easy formats and extremely clear dictators. I actually think you need to be a more experience MT to do VR reports well and I'm sure lots of inaccurate info gets through because of just reading and not really transcribing. I did it for many years and it sure didn't progress for me, only less money to do it.
Ya know what? I started doing VR about 5 years ago mixed with standard and
really did okay, bout 80% VR. Not sure what it is but lately the reports are coming in such a mess and such bad quality I am now not able to make a decent line count. I believe the push was on and they added facilities way too fast without everything being in place and lots of docs needing to learn how to use the durn thing and the system not used to the dictators (and with some dictators never will) that these accounts are now really so bad MY counts are even way less on VR than they were 5 years ago. The system has to have so many reports in to make the words come up correctly in future reports but is supposed to eventually get used to things. But like I said, way to big a rush and push for VR and I don't believe companies or the system were ready.
BUT the sellers of these systems who make quite the profit don't care and the MTSOs certainly don't care that we make such a pittance being paid by the line or if we can pay our bills and probably never will. As MTs, we are certainly taking the brunt of all of this. Pathetic. Wonder what they will all do when more and more MTs move on to a job they can make a living at and the hospitals tell them they can't offshore???
I worked that shift for 7 years, ever since I started doing
MT work. Fortunately, I was always able to juggle events, etc., by being able to flex during the day, taking a PTO day - they called it that even when I was an IC, or switching for another day during the week. I also made more money on the weekends, so I didn't mind a whole lot as the money was a huge issue when I started this job.
It wasn't until this last year when there was no work available on the weekends that I couldn't justify every single weekend any more. There definitely seems to be more staffing on the weekends than what is necessary, and I think MTSOs could easily switch to a weekend rotation every 4 weeks. As someone else said, there are many departments that are not open on the weekends, so having a full staff of MTs seems a little ridiculous.
If you reconsider the offer, I would ask them if they can guarantee a full day's work EVERY day on that schedule. If you start to get the song and dance about not knowing when doctors dictate, etc., I would make my point that 1 weekend a month is plenty given that hospitals and clinics also run a light staff on the weekends.
I worked there for abour 4-1/2 years and made excellent money.
I hated to leave but I was only scheduled PT but allowed to work up to 40 hours a week as I wanted. Certain family obligations made me have to choose between FT at Spheris or my local accounts and I chose my local accounts.
I was pulling in about $40,000 a year.
If you made a graph of all the things taken away by Edix/Speris in the last 5 years.....
You would be shocked, although it has been 6 years since it started.....
first charging for errors, about 6 years ago (they stopped that), then insurance changed for the worst, regrading hospitals to their advantage so you would make at least 200. to 300 less a pay period, the list is long, long, long. I can go back 6 years up to 2 years ago when I finally left.
I live in NY & have applied to them svl times over the years. Have never had a reply. nm
s
I started 18 years ago and gave up a very good career
at a major medical association where I was just starting to move. I was 26, married three years and having my first child. I wanted desperately to stay home with him, but back then, my husband was not making quite enough to keep us afloat.
I just fell into MT when I saw an ad in the paper posted by a local MTSO. I thought, I've worked with doctors before and I know how to type. Well, I failed their test, but they were running an in-house class that cost $100 for six months, and the promise of a job as long as I could pass the test at the end. We had $123 in our savings account, and against my husband's wishes, I invested $100 of it in that course. It was well worth it!
Socially, it was hard at first to be isolated at home with children and work, but it's great now that they are all teenagers. I've always known where my kids were and been there for them when they needed me. I worked part-time for many, many years, and that gave me the chance to relax, not be stressed, go on hikes in the afternoons, or have a paddle in my kayak occasionally while the kids were in school.
I have a bachelors degree from Temple University and majored in marketing. My husband is a CPA, and we'll be married 22 years this January. He is now a partner in a small firm. He gets very good medical benefits and insurance, but no vision or dental plan. I'm sure that if I had worked for 20 years and attended to a career rather than a job, I'd be making six figures these days. I certainly don't make that doing medical transcription! But, I worked hard at raising my kids, and I have three great ones! I've saved bushels of money because I've not had to buy an office wardbrobe, pay train fare to the office, or send my children to daycare.
I have been very, very fortunate in that we no longer need my income to survive, but now I have the time to work full-time, the kids need me less, and I can still be reasonably flexible and unstressed. And, I'm still here when my teenagers need me, even though that's not as often as before. Yes, the industry has changed, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!
HELP!! Started VR yesterday after 30 years of straight typing
 How in the world do you guys make any money. I am thinking of calling company up and telling them no thanks. I trained for 2 hours then was let go to work another two. Did 350 lines at 4.5 cpl. What are the keys to making money with VR. I am using Dictaphone Express Editor.
There was 1 positive post in Jan. I emailed them and got an automated reply. Have years of ex
s
Made 1200-1600 per week paid on a gross line for 5 years!
It CAN be done. The key is either a really high line rate or canned text over and over again with very small accounts. I had a little of both and then some harder stuff thrown in. It also helps if you work like you are on fire most of the day. Needless to say, that gravy train ran out of juice and now I am back to *normal* pay of around $750 per week at another company. SO many variables out there with the *how much do you make?* question.
Isn't Wal-Mart the company that lied/replaced labels several years back with Made in USA? nm
,,
I would call and talk to them. I know that they say 5 years for some positions
and 3 for others BUT I am sure that if you test, they will give you a shot. The worst that they can say is no. They gave me a shot 4 years ago with 8 months experience and I am still there!
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