MTs become 'job-hoppers' because of a 3rd-world pay-scale, - sm

• Why (Some) MTs have a bad name... - HD Wallen
  • Response to HD Wallen et al - Trish O'Neil
  • Just a thought - hangingon
  • Great post! Keeps us all grounded on what the MTSo has to put up with. - zzz
  • The state of MTing - MTness
    • Off Shore Folks - HD Wallen
      • But in the meantime, what are those of us - sm - There are just so many hours in a day...
      • I might add . . - MTness
        • It's that 'ol GREED factor, again! - no/msg. - You could never pay me enough to work in India!
    • So very true and I think sad at the same time...Nuff said...nm - Wow
    • MTing - anon
      • Interesting posts. It is good to hear both sides - Charlene
  • Job hoppers, undependable, drama queens SM - oh I know what you're saying
    • MTs become 'job-hoppers' because of a 3rd-world pay-scale, - sm - FedUp
      • FWOW - HD Wallen
        • I work 12 hr/day, 6 days/week, and my take-home pay - sm - NOT a 'McTypist'
          • if your take home is $6.50/hour and your doing quality MT work...sm - unbelievable
            • New? - Tammy
            • My, aren't we the Holy One. Talk about judgemental and - McTypist
              • if you are still working there for that particular wage...sm - unbelievable
            • make that you're doing, not your. sorry - unbelievable
              • I'll bet this one's a real joy to work for..... - NOT!
  • Hi HD. - Mel
    • Hey to you too! - HD Wallen
      • The pay cut I was asked to take was a reason I left. - Mel
  • I have been a recruiter for 4 different companies over the past 15 years. sm - BTDT
    • Why (some) MTs have a bad name - appreciative
    • If the good ones are so few and far-between, then - SM - FedUp
    • good post, but in response to 'why apply if you don't want the job'.... - zzz
    • I think you are getting what you pay for (sm) - MT
      • So true! - Jenn
      • AMEN to the max !!!! - nm - NOT a 'McTypist'
    • Willing to work - MT with 4 months of experience
      • If I were an MTSO, I would hire you in a minute! - zzz
      • Bravo! You are a smooth cookie! - see inside
        • I meant to say smart cookie! Sorry, heard snow on - the news in my area! NM
      • If the school was A or M, you would have SM - my 2 cents
        • Which school did you go to? - It was not C
          • What you are asking for is for - sm - the world has changed
    • You mention job hoppers in your post... - ..............
      • 4 companies in 15 years is not job hopping. sm - BTDT
        • I think the OP was stating that she got some - shifty people that wanted the work.
          • Offered - HD Wallen
    • It sounds like you may be a little jealous. - see inside
      • Well said . . . - MTness
        • Here is another side to look at. I am a transcription who is also an MTSO. sm - MTSO Input
  • Well can I just say - sm
  • Ack! - HD Wallen
    • LOL - NM
  • Thanks for making these points. - Always 2 sides.... nm

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The first is the person who really does this for extra money and isn't too serious about it.  They have a 2nd income from spouse, don't need insurance, etc.

The second group is a minority in the MT community, but is responsible for the perception that most of us are job hoppers.  These people are kind of off--and by that I mean personality-wise, don't like being told what to do, very demanding, prima donna kinds of MTs with very dramatic lives.  They need the money, but they also have a personality disorder that makes them upset at any kind of direction given and they also believe they have superior skills to most MTs and deserve to be catered to.

THAT group is the group who posts that they stayed at XX Company for 1 or 2 weeks, got fed up with something and left, stayed at XX Enterprises for a month, got fed up..cycle continues.  I am not talking about not getting paid-that's a real problem.  I am talking about people who live in such chaos that they cannot really settle down enough to work for ANY company for long and they also don't recognize that the common denominator in the job changes is THEM.

I've seen them all.  BTW for the person below, I call a person a job hopper when they have had a number of jobs where they only stayed weeks or perhaps a couple of months and then moved on for whatever reason.  These people can be identified from the interview.  They have a laundry list of demands as far as what they will and won't do in terms of worktypes, they need blocks of time out during the day to do errands, make dinner, they have many appointments with various doctors.

If you do end up hiring them for one reason or another, they are undependable.  Float on and off the system all day, have family members call to report the employee is in the hospital REGULARLY, they won't work the shift they committed to, the electricity was cut off, the cable line has been cut..you get the idea.  On the days they do manage to make it to work they are calling the office with stupid problems because they have no technical ability (computer) or they have absolutely no problem-solving skills.  When they aren't having problems, they are calling the office to complain about the work they're getting, they can't type ESL doctors (well who took the test to be hired, I wonder?), they've never typed anything but clinic notes, they don't own a BOS.  I feel your pain.  I hope some of these MTs read this and see themselves, but somehow I don't think they will.  Flame away, people, the folks over in India are grateful when they get more work.

First off I want to make it clear that I am not “bashing” any MTs by asking the questions below.  Also sorry this is so long.  Please bear with me.   -- Spelling and grammar police please take a break !!! 

I have been following some posts and just got curious.  So if we all could just take a deep breath, give it some serious thought, stay on point and not get carried away with other opinions, I think we can get some good honest opinions about why the MTSOs are treating their employees like “equipment.”  

What I have noticed is that when there are MTs looking for information about certain companies they often get replies such as:  I worked for them but “left after 1 month – 2 months – 6 months,”  Then there are MTSO owners who complain that after offering an MT a position the MT either says “no thanks” the day they are suppose to start working or are never heard from again.   This gives me the impression that there are MTs out there who treat working as an MT like they treat buying a new pair of shoes --- try them out for awhile and then return them if they don’t fit.  No emotional attachment involved. 

I am fast approaching 60 years of age and have been an MT for over 35 years.  I was one of the first to take the CMT test when AAMT first organized way back when.  My first MT job was transcribing from cassette tapes, using a typewriter and sticky paper for clinic notes and sheets of paper for hospital reports.  So obviously I have seen a lot of changes in the MT business.  Personally over the past 35+ years I have had 6 employers (4 inhouse before MTSOs offered working from home and 2 national MTSOs for the past 15 years).   Personally I am TERRIFIED of having to find a new job --- interviews, equipment setup, new platform to learn, loss in earnings during training, and so forth and so forth.  That being said I have a feeling I will need to be looking for a new position within the next six months and I am curious as to what type of employment search atmosphere I will be encountering. 

My curiosity stems from my impression that many MTs are comfortable “job-hopping.”  When they state they only stayed at a company for 1-2-6 months it is presented as matter-of-fact – no-big-deal.  I can see why they feel that way.  With several hundred MTSOs out there and most constantly looking for new employees, even the worst MT in the world could start working at age 20, work for a different company every 6 months and still not work for them all by the time they retire.  In my opinion that is what is causing the MTSOs to treat their MTs so badly, offer them less and less as starting wages, and not be responsive to questions or problems.  The MTSO invests quite a bit of money into hiring a new employee.  They either have to pay someone in their HR Department or a Recruiting Agency to do the initial resume search, testing, and interviewing.  There is a ton of paperwork.   If the MTSO supplies the computer, their IT Department has to set up the computer and ship it out which means shipping charges for the computer or paperwork.  And someone has to train the new MT.  All those expenses are incurred by the MTSO before the MT even starts to produce.  I can see why some of the MTSOs are resorting to questionable “bait and switch” tactics.  They probably also send out the oldest computers to the new MTs to cover themselves in case the MT quits and doesn’t ship it back in a timely manner.  It seems to me that the majority of complainers about type of work, amount of work, or computer problems that they are experiencing are the newly hired MTs. 

Because of all the “short-term” complainers, someone looking for information about a particular company is often given incomplete or misleading opinions based on limited information.   Can anyone honestly with 100% accuracy adamantly state a company is “#1” or “the worst on earth” when they only worked there for 2 months?  I would love to see any MT who posts a positive or negative comment about a company to also admit to how long they actually worked for the company and if they are currently employed there or not.  I think that would give their opinions a lot more weight. 

Obviously, not every MTSO is the “dream job” for every MT and for any MT to state they work for the “best company” is hubris and can even be fighting words to employees of other good or even great companies.  It can also lead to disappointment when an MT applies to the “best company” only to find out it does not fit their needs.  I feel that if the MTs on this board would try to leave personal opinions aside and give relevant information about a company it would be easier for an MT to find a good fit with ONE company and not have to “job-hop,”   If more MTs would work for a company for at least a year before quitting and moving on maybe the MTSOs would actually be willing to offer newly hired MTs the same respect they offer the MTs that have been working for them for 5-10-15 or more years.  

Finally to my questions.  I am curious to see if my opinion is based in fact.  Are there a significant number of MTs who “job hop?” 

These questions are primarily directed at employees of MTSOs, large or small, but  inhouse hospital or clinic MTs are also welcome to respond.  I realize IC MTs have a whole different set of guidelines they go by and often have multiple clients at the same time.  But if you are an IC and wish to give your opinion, please feel free to do so – just state that you are an IC so there is no confusion.  

Please answer as many questions as you feel comfortable giving information about (I hope you will answer most because of the anonymity of this board):

1.  How long have you been working as an MT?

2.  How many DIFFERENT companies have you worked for (even if it was only for a few hours) in the last 10 years?  (If you left but came back later that is only 1.) 

3.  How many companies have you accepted an offer of employment from but then never actually started working for them?

4.  How many companies have you quit working for within the first pay period?

5.  How many companies have you quit from? 

6.  Have many companies have you been terminated from (I guess the word “fired” from is no longer politically correct)  i.e. you were not meeting line requirements, QA requirements, time commitment requirements (signing on late, leaving early), or being told you don’t have the necessary experience/expertise for the accounts assigned to you, etc? 

7.  How many companies have you left because they were bought out by another MTSO and you did not like how the new MTSO was treating you? 

8.  How many companies that you were working for completely went out of business (was not bought by another company) and told you that you had to find a new job yourself? 

9.  What is the shortest period of time that you have worked for one company? (Even if it was only for a few hours)   What is the longest period of time that you have worked for one company? 

10.  Have you ever continued working for your former company while training with a new company? 

11.  Have you ever worked for two different companies (2 part-time or 1 full-time and 1 part-time) during the same time period?  For how many months/years did you work for two different companies?

12.  What is your primary reason for applying to a certain company (pay, insurance, flexible schedule, equipment provided, sign-on bonus, referral from another MT, etc)?

13.  What is your primary reason for leaving a company (cannot maintain minimum required number of lines, not assigned accounts or job types as originally discussed, running out of work too frequently, difficult platform,  computer slowness/crashes, management conflicts, QA conflicts, other “bait and switch” type of issues where the MTSO said one thing but you ended up doing something entirely different, personal, family, etc)?

14.  Are you really happy at your present company or are you just working there because you are afraid if you try another company it will be worse and not better?   How long have you worked at this company?  Do you plan to continue working at this company for at least 1 year (of course barring unforeseen personal or professional events).  Would you be willing to give the name of your present company?    

15.  Do you think you will retired as a Medical Transcriptionist (or in the Medical Transcription field, such as an Editor, Supervisor, etc) or do you think you will switch careers at some point before retirement?  

Thank you for your time. 

If you would like to e-mail me with any questions or responses, I would be happy to hear from all of you. 

Thank you for satisfying my curiosity and giving me some insight as to where the Medical Transcription field is heading in the future. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS. 

I did QA work, not MT work, so I'm not sure.  I think it was around 8.5 cpl, but not positive on that.  Give a call to the recruiters, they'll let you know for sure.

There are 3 levels of employees:

Level 1is clinic, ER, urgent - start out at 7.4 cpl work up to 7.7 cpl

Level 2 is Hospital H&P, consults start 7.8 cpl work up to 8.1 cpl

Level 3 is All Hospital/ESL start at 8.25 cpl work up 8.5 cpl

after 13,500 you can earn an extra 0.25 cpl for incentive pay.  This is 65 chara line count w/spaces.  10 an hour while in training.

Other places pay more.

I did send them an email and explain that my expectations for transcribing all work types in acute care would be 10 cpl.  They start out at 6.  That's a canyon of difference!

It also bothered me that pay is based on which shift you work.  It seems to me that goes into the gray area of IRS guidelines of control for employee versus IC status.  I need to work split shifts.  Also, I am more inclined to work when there is work and if there is no work during my shift, how can I make money?  I asked if they could negotiate some of these issues with me and they stopped communicating with me.  I'm glad I went with my instinct and did find someone else who gives me the flexibility, line rate and work types I wanted.

Does Diskriter pay biweekly or the 1st and the 15th?

If other professionals in the healthcare field have pay scales they know they can count on to go no lower than a certain rate, surely we can have the same established for us MTs and MEs.  This is not a profession you can just take up on a whim, as some people think when I tell them what I do.  There are so many facets to doing this job correctly -- having a good ear for accents and garbled speech, common basic language knowledge, medical terminology, grammar, spelling, the list continues.  It is so outrageous that we have not been given our fair share of respect and a cut of the money pie. 

I am tired of people in management getting theirs while we do the hard work as they crack the whip for every little thing.  This profession is so rewarding when done correctly by EVERYone who participates (hello, docs) and everyone benefits when everyone does their part with respect for those who come behind or before them.

Companies who offer wages that insult us should not be worked at.  Those companies who take away line rates and incentives and bonuses and never give raises should also be boycotted.  If the bottom line is the almight dollar on their end as to their business practices, then so be it for us as well.  We shouldn't work for less than what we are worth.  Newbies are newbies and have to pay their dues and learn the trade.  There should be a pay scale for the first two years specifically for them.  After that, it should progress as the years add up, 3-5 years, 5-10 years, etc.  

The thing is, I don't know how to go about getting this considered and implemented.  Perhaps we would have to collectively ignore or boycott those companies who treat MTs poorly.  As long as there is someone who is willing to work for them under their rules, it will continue.     

I am making much, much more now.

I would not expect more than 8 cpl for straight typing, no matter how many years experience and about 4 cpl for VR if you are employee.  They won't tell you pubically in a conference call because this is probably something you can negotiate on hiring, but there are ceilings, and don't hold your breath for a raise after the starting rate is estabilished.  Incentives may or may not be included...like the more you do, the more you get paid per line, again, something to negotiate.  Also, weekend and shift differentials ARE given, but another negotiable factor.  Hope this is of some help. 

Cannot help with insurance cost, as the only one I get is dental for myself and hubby, which is very good, and is $18.00/pay check ($36.00 month).