MQ a good place to begin an MT career? I disagree.
Posted By: Lillybelle on 2007-08-14
In Reply to: Smart decision. Believe me, I know. nm - Soon-to-be ex-MQ'r
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.
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I think it's a good career policy to always have a
(nm)
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!
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.
I totally disagree, love VR and can make good money at it
I have been doing now for about 4-5 years and hate it when I have anything straight to type. I have done this for over 30 years, have excellent speed at straight but Escription is a bowl of cherries where I work. I would never want to completely straight type again, never.
Not a good place
I had a 30-second interview and was told my team leader would be contacting me. He never did. It took me DAYS to get somebody to send me the account specifics, samples, etc., and it was never management who did it, it was a lady I met on here who faxed me what she had. They throw you in there head first without the information you need. They promise bonuses if you don't take a day off and make production...well I never ever saw it EVER. Right before I left they sent out an email saying there would be none for that particular period because they didn't make enough profit. The account managers get paid based on how many lines we do and if the account stays current, so expect constant emails from them saying how they didn't make anything this pay period and there are bills to pay, etc.
Insurance: The one person doing insurance is something else. You get a big packet in the mail and you have to figure out yourself which you are eligible for, what percentage for life insurance, etc. If you email him and ask him about anything, he doesn't answer. I had been there 5 months and still did not have insurance cards for insurance I had been paying for all along. I had to go to the top person in the company to get him to email me back. He just doesn't do anything.
QA: There were 2 on the accounts I worked on. One was pretty nice and helpful but extremely overworked. It was actually her who told me what I needed to know regarding account specifics because the first two months I was there, I never so much as got an email from my account manager. The other one once sent me an email telling me I needed to go back to school and how STUPID the mistakes were and turns out it wasn't even MY report!!! I called her on it and told her that is NOT the way to talk to people, especially new hires who have no information to start with. She was just on a huge power trip and talked to people like dogs. Had I been the actual person she meant to email and talked to like that, I would have been gone right then and there.
PLATFORM: It's okay when it works. When tech support, and I use that term loosely, installed it on my computer, he wiped out my Stedman's that was associated with my MSWord. Years of adding gone!! You don't get paid for what you have to fill in on the header page. It froze up a lot and sometimes would get stuck on all caps. It was very very slow. I had to highlight and copy every single report because 2 out of 3 times, it would freeze and I would lose it and the backup retrieval feature didn't work.
The accounts were very good, best I've had, but a combination of the management, system, etc., just wasn't worth the trouble. They would tell us the profit margin was low and then send out an email with pictures of them partying somewhere, patting themselves on the back for the work their MTs do. You never got a thank you for anything. A bunch of the management members are married and/or related to each other which would be fine if anybody had experience. Our account was assigned a 21-year-old manager who had never done this type of work before. I don't think you should manage people if you can't do the work yourself. I would send her mistakes in the automatic templates, doctors list, etc., and she had no clue what to do with it.
Getting the required lines was difficult for some reason. At other jobs I would do a minimum of 1500-1800 per day and with this system, I was lucky to get 900. I know the system freezing up was part of it, but on the rare occasion when it worked, it was still very difficult.
They constantly call you to help with this account or that account, which is okay if it's within your time frame to work. I would get calls an hour before shift start from the secondary account person saying are you working today? I never missed a single day while I was there and always worked OT, so there was no reason for this and I found it quite annoying.
good place to try
DRC in California. Never heard a bad word about them. Pay is decent, not exceptional. Good benefits.
good place
i've not been there too long but am very very happy -- decent platform, decent work, great people, direct deposit on time, flexible work window, work on a line committment rather than an 8-hr day.
InterPro is really not a good place to go! sm
I've been there and the company is just too disorgnaized, and it will never get any better "because" of the poor management and because they are out to make a quick buck by sending mostly all work to India or wherever else they can get cheap labor. I can really understand sending a small portion over there but these companies that thrive off India really have very poor quality, want reports done too quickly, and it's really just not a good business. I dont' really think that InterPro will carry on too long.
QT is not a good place to work IMO
nm
It's a good place for experience, IMO
But not for $$ or benefits. They do hire a lot of newbies and they don't hassle you if you haven't reached your goals (unlike other companies I have read about).
However, I do think it is somewhat of a sink or swim situation. Not a lot of handholding here, if that's what you need. I don't even know if they do any clinics. I have all acute care, almost all ESL, and lots of ops. I personally don't find the audio on my accounts to be bad; it's usually the dictators and background noise that are bad. By comparison, I did 3 months for MQ simultaneously, and while the dictators were better, the audio was crap and you couldn't use your own wav player. I was doing stinky derm and ENT clinics - yuk - and when they finally put me on acute care, I never got the same dictator twice.
SS has started to provide a breakdown by job of line counts, which is a good thing. Constant changes in supervisory/management personnel. In summary, if you can do without the $$ and benefits and can jump in with both feet, SS is a good place to get experience.
They are a good place to start. Yes there are a lot
of ESLs, but everyone needs to learn to do them. They have a mentoring program. You can also have a more experienced MT available to you for questions. It is hard to get a job with no experience, so I would definitely at least give it a try.
Not a good place to work. sm
They screw you over and don't pay very well. I would stay clear of them!!!!
Good place if you are a mentee
OSI is not a good place to work if you are experienced because you will likely have more experience than your supervisors, not a good thing. Very unqualified, disorganized and condescending.
Look, I think TT is probably a very good place to work. But
There was a legit question about line-counter software at TT, and they are not addressing it. Of course it makes for paranoia. As someone pointed out elsewhere, it's a business, not a social club. Nice is, well, nice, but my lines have been cut to death over the last few years, and, yes at this point I'd want an accounting, too. I don't even think TT is truly trying to rip anyone off, but it does seem like a bad PR and business practice. If the lines are calculated correctly, why not fix it so it's transparent and it's a win/win for everyone?
It IS bringing back some bad memories from the Q, when things were really exploding with some very serious, valid issues and posters were belittled when they tried to point them out. It is an awful thing to be invalidated by your peers.
There are some at TT who seem like they ARE being very petty and need a reality check, and there are some who seem that they have been so wounded elsewhere that they would forgive any MTSO anything just so someone will be nice to them. Like any service (and any forum), there will be nay-sayers and there will be cheerleaders, and the truth will be somewhere in the middle.
I think KS is still a good place to work. They
have 4 different platforms that I know of. I think how much you like an account depends on what you worked on before coming to KS, how bad the company was you came from, what your expectations are of the company/account, etc. If you came from SPI, MQ, or OSi (where things seem to be horrendous based on posts) then KS is probably the best place in the world.
While it isn't the place I think I'll end my career, I would still recommend them.
good place to work
I am an IC and have worked for them for about 4 years. It was much better when it was MDI. They were much nicer and easy to work for. Now it seems money is the main objective (theirs). They always pay on time and live up to their part of the bargain as far as I know. The IC's are treated like step-children or worse now. We used to at least get a Christmas card, but no more. Nada. Hope this helps someone make up his/her mind. There are probably none much better.
Transcend is a good place...
I always try to post this: The recruiter is excellent. She's awesome... The equipment came fast. I had a death in the family during training. They totally understood and was going to hire me back, but the need they had were different than the days I could commit to, but I highly recommend Transcend. They even started me higher than any other company I had contact with at that time. This was about 3 years ago.
good place to work?
pay, benes, etc?
As long as you don't need benefits, good place.
nm
Totally agree. Not a good place to be right now. nm
nm
Deventure is not a good place to work
QED pays weekly. Not a great place to work though; neither is Deventure.
Amphion just seemed like a good place to work
I don't like to job hop and between the 2 Amphion seemed better but I have misgivings now and afraid I will be let go. Do they let people go if they don't meet the line requirements?
DTS is not a good place to work. Very unorganized. sm
They have offices in Nashville and Carlsbad, I know. I was all hyped to work for them but it was such a disappointment. They kept losing my paperwork and were adamant about your hours worked. The recruiter was horrible, but now they have the former SPI recruiter, so who knows? The manager was ridiculous. Not far, very nasty tempered.
Very good place to work. When I worked there
I was paid $0.10 Canadian per line with spaces. That was before the US dollar went below the Canadian dollar. I think they hire mostly US MT's as there aren't enough in Canada. I think you can also get employee status there. Great bunch of people. I would highly recommend them.
Wow...sounds like a good place to work.
Sounds like they made it worthwhile.
Is Proveros a good place to work?
Does anybody think this is a good company to work for? Are they worth putting in a long term investment of time? Do they pay fair and on time? Good/bad accounts, run out of work? I was just wondering if anyone had any information and//or thoughts to share.
Seems a pretty good place to work. SM
I do sometimes run out of work. So far, I only have 2 accts, but it seems when my primary is out, so is my secondary, so I'll be trying to pick up more accts. Compared to my past work, I do not find that they have high ESL, pretty normal. I am a level 4. I think they may have 5 levels. Pay seems okay, even better than most. Good luck.
Any suggestions for a good place to work?
Does anyone have any suggestions concerning a good place to work for a Transcriptionist with 13 years of experience? This is my 4th day out of work this week - my company is now outsourcing to India, and USA-based transcriptionists are apparently being forced out by attrition. Any suggestions appreciated - thanks in advance.
Thank you so very much. Need to leave Mq and this sounds like a good place to go, thank you again!
nm
It sounds like a good place to work..
which is why they are at the top of my very short list. I also am a long-time MQer and the thought of leaving is a little depressing, but it has gotten to the point where I have no choice. p.s. Glad to hear you were treated well, and that everyone is doing okay. : )
Agreed. It's a good place to work. nm
x
Webmedx is a good place to work and has PT as well as FT. sm
Good luck in your search.
MDI is a good place to work. Depending on what account you get.... see msg
Some accounts are slightly overstaffed and there is less work but I know other accounts are swamped. Their benefits are comparable to other companies. Line count is reasonable and I like working there. The staff is really nice. Just like every company, what works for someone else may not work for you etc.. so go with your best judgement. They have been good to me so that is all I can speak for. Can I ask who else has offered you a job??
Dean Clinic - Not a good place to work. sm
The department supervisor treats employees like dirt, unless you jump the minute she screams or threatens you. They are making things extremely difficult for the long-time people so they quit, and don't have to pay benefits. Quite a few already have since the first of the year. Anyone thinking about going in there had better turn and run fast, no matter what you may be promised. It's not a good place to work.
Posts from the last 2 yrs said not a good place to work. Lots of MTs
s
It is a good place to be. Safe. Reliable. Honest.
Once an MT's abilities are proven, MDI is extremely loyal. In return the MT is loyal. The way a mutually beneficial business relationship should be.
Well, I HOPE they're a good place to work...
... since I worked for TRS and thus got acquired by Transcend when TRS did.
Interestingly... when I was job-hunting about 7 months ago, I basically read every entry in the MT Companies section of another forum (M T Chat)looking for companies that got good reviews. Because it got very good reviews there, Transcend was the second-to-last company I applied to, just before TRS. At that time, Transcend was only testing for acute care (my 36 years of clinical in multiple specialties wasn't good enough, I guess) so they told me no thanks. And now they've got me anyway.
I am still reserving judgment because the merger only happened 2 weeks ago; and I am still working on my same accounts, under the same supervisors, on the same platform, so there have been no visible changes as yet....
Sorry to say, this is generally not a good place for support or info. sm
In fact, it's pretty much a cesspool (no offense to true cesspools worldwide) filled with just enough folks who get their jollies being contrary, rude, deceptive, nasty ... you name it.
There are other boards that require logins and therefore there's less of the anonymous sniping that is seen here.
And, of course, this post will be deleted, while the nasty ones remain.
Very sad.
that place is he** and the owner is the devil. good luck with that.
xx
Good place to start if you have no experience but you wouldn't want to stay there.
Unique experience working with and for the Indians and that's all I can say about that. Just realize that when you say NO.. because of the language barrier to them it means that yes, I will do it. LOL..I was new to the online biz too and they were my first job. In hindsight, YIKES.. but I stayed 7 months and then moved on.
I just started on eScription and it's pretty good. Higher than the last place I was
at. Starting base at 4 cpl, which is 1 cpl higher than I was making at TTS.
Ditto for Keystrokes. The two companies seem very similar. Congratulations on finding a good place
It is nice to know that there are growing companies who treat their employees well. Keystrokes is the closest I have come to YOG and that says a lot!
Great place - ExText is easy to learn and user friendly. Good pay. Nice, COMPETENT people.
nm
Does this guy's first name begin with a J?
If so, I know exactly what you are going through. Good luck!!!!!!!!!
don't know where to begin..
This all makes me so sad. I first stumbled across this site about a month ago, saw the Word Help thread and thought this was such a fabulous place, transcriptionists helping other transcriptionists. I've done this job for almost 29 years now, presently working part-time as casual staff at a local hospital and an IC for the most part from home. I have to say I love, love, love my job as a medical Transcriptionist - making sense out of nonsense, deciphering difficult dictators, playing detective searching for words. But since I have been coming here, I have just found this all so depressing. So I will continue to love what I do, but I won't be back here. To those who are fighting for our jobs and for respect we deserve, please continue, I wish you all the best.
Yes that was the question to begin with!
I was scheduled a time with the recruiter and the recruiter failed to follow through. That was the whole point of my post, why did the recruiter not call and was this they way they handled everything. I wasn't whining because I didn't hear back from them. That would have been fine not to hear from them, but I was responded to and asked to schedule a time to talk as they wanted to offer me a position.
And I would suggest we begin by having a SM
better education system. The school systems have gone downhill and other countries are ahead of us in math and science.
Does it begin with the letter
nm
I know. You begin to question everything (sm)
That to me is why using the personal normals is so important. When you have a similar procedure/ROS/PE/etc., right there in your report to compare as you transcribe, the dictation suddenly becomes more clear. That can be a real confidence booster. There are some very excellent MTs who have been gracious enough to share, so I say use them. :)
Who could begin to guess?
Spheris has production incentives but I couldn't even guess what rates a new employee might be offered. All I've heard is that it is lower now than it used to be.
Let the flaming begin....
I also have had nothing but a good experience with TT after almost 2 years. I have very, very rarely run out of work, and at most for an hour or so. The people in the office have been nothing but kind to me. I was not thrilled with VR, and stated that fact here. I also came back and stated that I was wrong, it just took some getting used to, and now I am back to my normal paycheck (it only took about 3 weeks or so). I realized at the time that you can keep trying to run from VR, but eventually it will catch up to you. I felt bad about what GP and others said they were experiencing with TT, but has not been my experience at all. I would still recommend them to anyone. The business has changed drastically, but for now I have a home, and I too will defend them. I am not saying others haven't had a different experience, just that mine has been pretty much all good.
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