In the "old days", the machine on my desk that played the tapes was called the transciber. sm
Posted By: Transcribers are the machine on 2009-05-29
In Reply to: Transcribers are the people. The machines do not - transcribe. They just record and play back.
People who type the dictation are called transcriptionists. I realize in this new day and age where people would rather google, spell check and guess rather than look it up in a dictionary or other word reference and actually know the meaning of what they are typing, such things make little difference, but it means something to me. I also have hated the word typist since I do so much more than just copy type.
I know ... pay me and you can call me anything is the predominating theory here. I just have noted that it is usually the Indian-based company that uses the term transcriber.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Different perspective on "old days"
I am a relatively new MT, just under 5 years in the field. But I used to be on the other end in the old days, trying to recruit MTs for a hospital and a large orthopedic practice in the late 1980s. MTs definitely COULD write their own ticket back then. We would advertise and rarely even get a single response, there just weren't enough MTs to go around. We were willing to pay whatever it took to get them, and it was a heck of a lot better than what MTs are paid now. And we tried to treat them well to KEEP them. But the field has changed and MTSOs are flooded with resumes. No need to pay well anymore with so many willing to work for peanuts because they are all competing for fewer jobs.
And I just called their number and an ANSWERING MACHINE picks up.
Gimme a break.
Being called on days off
I say you should be thankful about being called on days off -- think of those MTs not able to find work at all!! I certainly am grateful for whatever work I get.
Could be she has bad days - called being human
maybe it is just the bad applicants with chips on their shoulders and she really does know how to recognize talent from strut talk.
They called constantly on my days off
Work volumes were so low last year they knew we were desperate - so they called at all hours summoning us for an hour here or there, totally ruined the possibility of having a life. I was full time and was working 7 days a week for less than 30 hours, they took all my PTO to round out my paychecks until it was gone, then expected me to sit by the phone and go bankrupt. Supe was not surprised when I bailed, after 2 months of blowing sunshine about how it would get better soon and it only got worse.
See, my company has these things called days off! Cool, huh?!?!
NM
"Old Timey"
 Just thought this was funny. On MT Daily, a transcription company is looking for a Transcriptionist who isn't an old timey transcriptionist, wants someone who knows computer technology, etc. She must think if we've been doing this a long time, we must be TOO DUMB to know computer technology. Gimma a break, pleeeease!!!
happy "old" TT'er
so, I guess I'm a happy old TT'er (only 1-1/2 years) and am very happy. it's the best I've found after going through a bunch of duds.
tapes vs digital
I truly understand that part of your dilemma. There are some very inexpensive ways to go digital with hand-held equipment that the doc or their staff would dictate on and then upload via the internet to an FTP site for you each night. You would just pick it up off the internet, type away and send it back. I do that and I have my own DVI station I have had for years. The upsell is that the tapes can't break and they can take that baby anywhere and dictate. I still keep my tape transcribers (std and micro - YIKES am dating myself haha) just in case I have a client that won't come out of the dark ages LOL. It is worth the investment in your future, I promise :)
How about buying a set of SUM tapes to do some self study?
.
It sounds like the client still used tapes
and not necessarily your employer. Maybe you could talk to her about a switching you to a different account. I certainly understand how this can be difficult for you with small children in tow -- anyone can understand that.
As far as the extra insurance, I don't think insurance is the regulation as much as privacy and confidentiality.
NOT being paid to pickup tapes and getting ONLY 6 cpl IS mistreatment if sm
you are worth your salt at all!!!!
I worked for a small local MTSO when I was first an MT. They agreed to pay me 6.5 cpl in WP5.1 for DOS. I was paid every 2 weeks and got paid about $900 to $1100 every 2 weeks, which was fine. I didn't have to pick up tapes either.
When a couple of us asked for a raise, we were told no, not on your life. We don't charge the clients that much, and our call in system needs to be replaced, and and and. Okay sure and I can understand these things.
The company had 2 partners. Partner A was nasty to me because she was nasty to everyone. My kids and I are at home eating jelly sandwiches for supper for the second week straight because my bills were so high, no support checks and I could not get a raise, but we were not starving exactly. Meanwhile, the nasty partner tells me she won't be able to talk to me because she is meeting her contractor at 7 a.m. and I need to call in for work after 10 a.m. They spent, she told me, $40,000 to redo the upper level of their home, put in 2 more bathrooms, extend the floor space and add another bedroom to total 3. Oh she says, we could never have done it if I didn't own my own company and make so much money. SLAP IN THE FACE.
Partner B that same year sold her house and moved to a place she could have horses. That year, no raise and thumping us all about how much we SHOULD be doing. The year after she bought that house, she bought a 6-horse air conditioned trailer, a Suburban to pull it, built a barn to hold 8 horses and bought two colts and a draft horse. She also said, they could never have had this if she didn't own her own company and make so much money. SLAP IN THE FACE AGAIN!
I cried in front of my kids and I just won't do that, but darn it they had not had new shoes and had been moved into $2 flip flops for the summer in late April because I could not buy them any new ones and the others were too small. We had been rounding out the food by going to a food bank when they would let us and I had sold off everything I dared to. These gals didn't type a line the entire time I worked there. They were too busy but apparently not too busy to spend the money we earned FOR THEM and not ourselves. My house payment was $1200, more than half my income and they got to have horses and trailers and cook out with ribeyes (trust me on that, I saw them do it).
Yup, mistreatment and I think this gal probably has a similar story to tell you.
Tapes? So there is shipping involved too? Yikes nm
dd
...got played. They also had accts using MedRite, so maybe
s
Since when has our "Uncle" ever played by the rules?
If it's good enough for the big-shots at the top, then it's good enough for me.
That very scenario played out for me last month.
Transcription Express was hiring ICs, but expected me to work every evening after 6pm and every weekend, both days. They said that the owner might agree to giving me Sunday off, but nothing else. Not exactly an IC position!!!
I think Transcription Express is hiring again. So, any of you who enjoy being called ICs but treated as employees, there's an opportunity for you.
I hope the IRS has Transcription Express on their list of companies to audit.
That is what I just said. !0 days PTO, period. That includes vacation, sick days and personal days
They should have paid holidays so that you are paid if you take off. Also should inculde extra hours for sick days and personal days.
That annual raise of .002 is kind of a joke especially when at the same time they upped the minimum line requirement from 10,000 lines to 12,000 lines.
OSi just does not have the qualified people in management positions that I wish to work for.
I am glad that you are happy at OSi and all is working out for you. Their dishonesty and the way they treat people just does not work for me.
Of course they can get by cheaply by hiring unqualified people so that is very good for the owners.
all the time. Can change it to be played on Express
x
I once had a supervisor who played the kids-card all
Now that was one situation where I'd rather she stayed home with him rather than dragging him to work and allowing him to disrupt everyone in the office.
And MQ is still trying to figure out ways to keep accounts and MTs since they played hardball with
everyone and got caught. I dont think they will ever overcome this situation entirely in my opinion. Our office has certainly lost accounts and has more threatening to leave. I dont think there is one happy person in that office anymore where I work. It is pathetic and on it goes.
help desk
yes, that doesn't do any good when they only accounts they give you (or even have) are all overflow, they can't just make it appear out of nowhere!!!
Chained to desk
I didn't say you were lying; you may very well have felt that you were chained to the desk. But it's not true that you have to clock out every time you take a break. I don't feel "chained" in any way. I also feel that I'm making decent money. Spheris employs close to 5,000 MT's,and I'm sure some are not happy. Probably most of them are, though, or they wouldn't stay. There are unhappy people in every company, in every business. Not every company is a good fit for everyone, but to call Spheris a "bad" company doesn't make a bit of sense to me. I think it's quite a good company.
steno machine
Nope you're not misunderstanding. I've been using a steno machine to transcribe for 10 years now. I actually went to court reporting school and started working in that field and then the person I was working for started a MT company and we had on-the job training and eventually started working at home doing MT work for the same company. Long story short this company no longer has work for me and I'm getting ready to start with MQ. Yes, it was expensive equipment to buy but that is what I'm used to now. I could go out and get a court reporting job but that would mean getting actual work clothes on. LOL
The thought of the person that started the MT company in the beginning was that by using a steno machine we could produce more but that is not really the case. Sooo, I was just wondering how many MTs there are that use a steno machine :)
Transcription machine
from Dictaphone, or there are other manufacturers you can program to work like C-phone. It kind of looks like a phone with a handpiece and numerical pad, but you use it to dial in to access the dictation. I hope this helps.
better a desk clock
than a time bomb attached to aforesaid desk clock or even worse a pound of headcheese.
What about MT Desk? They are free and very
nm
Lanier machine
Speaking of Lanier in general, it's really not that different to use than a C-phone if you are used to that. You push a different number for sign-off, etc., but otherwise very, very similar. Sound quality is fine on mine.
It would have been put in a slot machine otherwise.
I had to put more memory in my machine sm
to speed it up. Now it's okay.
My sewing machine
is a Kenmore, from Sears, which, as far as I know, does not offshore its appliances and sewing machines.
Chained 2 desk, I hear...
Figuratively speaking of course - but it stands out in my mind that someone said U have to clock in and out to go to the bathroom - yuck. No way, Jose, that's why I left the office!
Does anyone have the # to Spheris Help Desk? My TWS will not open. TIA
x
As long as it's not a desk clock...
I got that from my (ex) company for Christmas one year. Stupidest gift ever.
When I worked in an office, we played games with prizes and ordered in lunch each day, but since I've been at home, I've appreciated gift cards.
I got a very pretty handmade card one year with a gift card and I really appreciated that.
No, but you can't have Vista on your machine to work for them. nm
s
A fax machine is not pertinent to being a trascriptionist
How often do you use your fax machine in relation to your job as an MT? Please tell me. Who has money to spend to go out purchase a fax machine just so they can fax new hire paperwork and likely never use it again?
Yes, supposed to notify help desk
Every time we run out of work (or at least the first time each day) we're supposed to let them know, because it helps them document workflow issues. So if OP is always out of work at certain times, her supe would be made aware of it through the help desk, and see a pattern.
Tell me about it. A doc I see, his front desk secretary's (sm)
duties include: answering the phone, which barely rings, and surfing the net. That's the easiest $14.00 per hour job I've seen. We're busting our butts for pennies and she's doing practically nothing. Are we insane? What is it with us? Why do we allow ourselves to accept these insulting ridiculously low wages?
I already know 1 person who died at her desk, and
If MT continues the way it's been going, I'm sure those 2 numbers will go up.
a few wods on the transcribing machine
that's something that bugs me. The machine records, and plays back. It does NOT transcribe. (That's what WE supposedly do.) So no way am I going to call my dictaphone, or my hard drive, or my foot-pedal, or any other machine a 'transcriber'. WE are the transcribers. The machines we use are for all intents and purposes just glorified Walkmen (tapes) or MP3 players (digital).
I suppose you could call VR software'transcribers', but judging by the lack of quality coming from those, I'd beg to differ on that, as well.
A "transcriber" is a machine, not a person.
x
Probably typed by templated machine -
I seriously doubt the tech of the physician himself. The company I used to work for also had this and it was a templated program that typed out the report (in other words, VR).
Yes, it is hard, but on the off chance the machine
was made offshore, purchasing the machine involved one purchase. I can make clothes into infinity with it so I have in essence stopped my need to buy clothes from Mexico or who knows where.
About your Kenmore sewing machine...
You know that anything labeled Kenmore is a product from another manufacturer, right? Like a Kenmore fridge could really be a GE fridge.
You also know that Sears has entered into a marketing deal with KMart whereby KMart now sells Kenmore brand-name products, right?
If you won't support WalMart, why would you want to support KMart?
If you work for Precyse now, try calling the help desk, if not sm...
If you're not with Precyse now, you work on one of their PCs with everything already loaded. My best guess would be to say "no, you can't use a laptop", but I never had to use one, so don't quote me on that.
Hope this helps some
There is no answering machine. There is a live person
during business hours with voice mail after hours. If you called her home office rather than the main office, I could see that happening as she has only been in town a few days this month and last. That is why people need to call the people they are supposed to and not the CEO. Most company presidents are not accessible, in fact I have worked for both Transcend and MQ and never once spoke to the CEO and never expected to. Why does everyone expect Keystrokes to be different?
I am not saying that Keystrokes is perfect for everyone, I am just saying that if you go through the office, as you should, you would not have that problem. She only made calls for 3 days right after the HR person left and then someone else took over.
Do Diskriter MTs have to use a company machine or will they load yours? Thx. nm
s
Me too! Got 3 foot pedals under my desk - lots of fun!!
X
I am going to learn the steno machine so I can work...sm
less hours and spend time with my family more. The machine will not work I don't think with the VR but for regular reports it should work. Can you tell me what books you used to learn and if they were good? I am getting an old machine off of ebay with paper to practice and I need some instrucion books to learn theory and would appreciate any help you can give me as well. Please post how it works for you. I really would like to know. Thanks.
I have known two people who used the steno machine to transcribe as an MT....sm
Over 10 years ago the one MT was doing 400 lines an hour. Not sure about the other one. I know about the software expense to put it into a computer document but since we can only work 40 hours a week now at MQ because we are all employees instead of ICs, I am going to have a lot of time on my hands and thought I could learn it. I at least want to try and if it doesn't work out, then I won't take it any further. I also had an email from someone who knows about it and said it can be self taught with good materials. The most I could do with fine tuning my word Expander is 300 lines an hour and they took that account away from us and gave it to another supervisor. Now I get crap and it slows me way down. Can't live on 200 lines an hour. I need more.
Maybe I am way off base, but I still would like to try.
My wave pedal would not work..have 2 under my desk.
Had to buy the compatable pedal for Emdat then ended up hating Emdat....
you will if its their problem, call Help Desk, get ticket #.
nm
|
