My solution to the feast or famine syndrome
Posted By: sm on 2009-06-23
In Reply to: MTSO feast and famine - Tired MT
I work part-time with a daily number of lines to complete, no set schedule. My work is usually pretty steady, but over the holiadys when things slowed down, I decided to get another part-time job. I ended up in direct home sales. I make more money at it than I do MTing and I get to set my own schedule. I usually do 2 shows a week, averaging about $150 to $200 per show. The shows take about 3 hours in total and the computer work is about an hour or less.
It also gets me out of the house and gives me a break from my kids. I will say that I'm pretty fortunate that my husband has a M-F 8-4 job, so he's able to be home with the kids on the evenings I do these.
I keep a separate checking account for my business and it's really neat to watch it grow. I'm saving the money for a rainy day (or famine) and when I get to a certain amount, we're putting in a pool. I'm halfway there already.
No way would I stay attached to my computer. If things are slow, I put that time into my new business and work on getting new shows booked or party games or invitations. There's always something productive to do.
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If you like feast or famine (sm)
work on their demand and off when they command, evening and weekend work, poor management, poor communication, and don't mind companies that offshore, it might be the place for you. I'd give them a hands down.
Feast or famine with VR (sm)
It seems they are constantly calling you off. I hated working that way.You get momentum and then you are told to stop working. Many empty promises with the VR accounts. Too many I know have had high hopes to be shot down. If you don't mind working under those conditions it might work for you. Good luck.
That's how they are...feast or famine!
nm
feast or famine
The nature of the transcription business, from personal experience, is feast or famine, with usually not much in between.
In other words, learn to get while the getting is good so you're prepared for the leaner days and can carve out a decent average for yourself in accordance with your budget and paycheck you have to make to pay your bills. You DO have a personal budget and know the income you need to pull in on a consistent basis, right?
Having said that, if you're with a company for several weeks, and there is little to no work at all, that's when you begin sending out resumes and executing Plan B (you DO have Plan B, right? And C and D if necessary, right?). Cycles are expected. A consistent bare trickle that never picks up, is not. That means the company has really bad personnel management skills or is losing accounts and unable to pull any new accounts in, and so it's time for you to consider your options because things are not going to change.
If this is really your situation, then you should a) notify your current employer that you're scaling back to part time or per diem (and provide them with the times you will be available) and b) get another job ASAP to make up for it. I know a few MTs that work for more than one company, part time, and between the two pull in a nice paycheck. It's smart, especially if neither of them have guaranteed work for you to fill a full-time schedule and make a full-time paycheck.
Remember, you're working for YOU, not your employer. And you should have high expectations from yourself to meet your own needs instead of relying so heavily on other people, whether they send you a paycheck or not. :)
feast or famine
The nature of the transcription business, from personal experience, is feast or famine, with usually not much in between.
In other words, learn to get while the getting is good so you're prepared for the leaner days and can carve out a decent average for yourself in accordance with your budget and paycheck you have to make to pay your bills. You DO have a personal budget and know the income you need to pull in on a consistent basis, right?
Having said that, if you're with a company for several weeks, and there is little to no work at all, that's when you begin sending out resumes and executing Plan B (you DO have Plan B, right? And C and D if necessary, right?). Cycles are expected. A consistent bare trickle that never picks up, is not. That means the company has really bad personnel management skills or is losing accounts and unable to pull any new accounts in, and so it's time for you to consider your options because things are not going to change.
If this is really your situation, then you should a) notify your current employer that you're scaling back to part time or per diem (and provide them with the times you will be available) and b) get another job ASAP to make up for it. I know a few MTs that work for more than one company, part time, and between the two pull in a nice paycheck. It's smart, especially if neither of them have guaranteed work for you to fill a full-time schedule and make a full-time paycheck.
Remember, you're working for YOU, not your employer. And you should have high expectations from yourself to meet your own needs instead of relying so heavily on other people, whether they send you a paycheck or not. :)
IC only, work was feast or famine when I was there.
xx
Feast or famine is pretty much a given with
Sometimes you need to take the good with the bad. No employer is perfect, I guess.
Three words.. FEAST OR FAMINE..
That's all I have. Some good productive days, other times Mojave Desert and asked not to log on for a while to let the work built up. Wish I could be more help. 
MTSO feast and famine
After working for a hospital medical records department for over 15 years, which I know realize was a cushy job and not the norm, and now working for 2 services and still not making enough money, I'm curious to know if anyone else is struggling financially because of the constant feast or famine syndrome. I realize that on my FT job, they basically want transcriptionists available 24/7 even though you clearly have set schedule, and being available 24/7 is probably the only way to make your quota with the ups and downs in the work. Unfortunately, I have 2 jobs, 2 children, a dog and a significant other and really can't be strapped to this computer day and night...not to mention I need to eat, shower and sleep....
How is one to survive? Should I be working 3 jobs? I need help.
Feast or famine is all part of this field.
I know that is tough to get used to, but even when you have your own accounts, the workload can wax and wane. It can also change overnight. I have my own accounts that wax and wane. You can never really count on anything being absolute in this field. These companies can only offer you what they have because it depends on the dictator and how much work there is at any given time. Almost any company will tell you this if you haven't already experienced the same. It is unfortunate, however, this field does require some flexibility. I guess that may come with more years of experience and being in the know upfront that nothing is forever. A lot of time these larger companies only can sign 3-5 year contracts. I am an IC (not for Transcend), and when there is a need, boy the e-mails come sailing through asking can I help, but when the work is low, my e-mail is dry. Adapting and adjusting is all part of this field for sure.
P/S: I was a employee at one time for Transcend, but I do believe they are offering contracts at this point to IC as I did see a recent post.
Three words..Feast or Famine.., disorganized, and bad communication, anything else??
I wish I had more positives other than pay is on time. That is about the only positive at all. 
Unorganized, feast or famine work, rude people, AND
Their new accounts are unpleasant to work on to say the least. They are no different than a lot of the other companies now.
Feast or famine. Always a different work load every day, and you often run out if the work gets
s
3rd shift radiology can be like that. Feast or famine. Same with 3rd shift sm
ER work. Sometimes the doctors are too busy to dictate, so they do it at the end. Why don't you talk to them and ask about a different shift?
No solution is Precyse Solution
So sorry about what you had to go through. I truly feel for you. As good as we are, no one should stand for their crap. I certainly didn't. I could not get rid of their equipment fast enough. The day I quit is the day I boxed up their computer, called Fed-Ex and had it sent back, and then I got a new job the next day!
Dumping Syndrome
The golden rule of transcription:
Those who can do the work, will do the work.
The better you are, the more crap they will dump on you.
Leave them a blank and move on. A poor dictator is no reflection of your skills as an MT. It is hard for many of us who are perfectionists to leave blanks, but if you don't you will not make any money. Your skill is worth more than $5 an hour.
When everyone stops trying to learn the garbled English vocabulary and leaves a blank, no one will do the work.
When that happens, the company and the dictator will do something different, which is what we all dream of.
Ah, that "dumping syndrome!" Don't you get sick....sm
of it? I keep complaining, and they keep telling me it's NOT being done - yeah, right and I have a bridge somewhere near a swamp for sale at a good price! Or the other answer I get is we don't know how to change it. OOOOOOOOOkay.........
I have 25 years exp and run into the "no work syndrome" also.
It happens! I got tired of hearing no work or can you go on later...etc. I went out and got my own accounts and it has be heaven!
Believe me, the no work situation happens at every company no matter what anyone says. I think I have tried every one out there and the same thing....great for the first few weeks, then caught up and no work.
You may need a part-time job to fill in for the $$$ missed.
Good luck.
Sounds like you are suffering from the overhired syndrome that is
causing lots of us to look elsewhere. There are lots of MTs who work for more than one account. They can't be without work so they juggle. I don't see a conflict with working 2 jobs, unless both are full-time and then juggling them might be an issue.
I've worked 3 jobs at once, 1 full-time and 2 part-time, but that was back in the days before work was offshored and VR and I had a ton of work and just couldn't do all that was being asked of me. I have worked 2 for a short time while starting a new one and not wanting to quit the other one until I got a feel for things.
No guilty conscience...no martyr syndrome, either.
Our experiences are obviously pretty different, and you think MTs are greedy and self-serving. Perhaps I was fortunate to know a completely different group of people.
I am not arguing my ethics in this, which are just fine, and I am not arguing that this profesion is about dealing with human beings. I am saying that poor quality cannot be laid sqaurely at the door of the MT.
Why do you not hold the MTSO responsible for firing these incompetent greedy MTs or the hospital for not having them removed from their account for having so many errors? Why aren't they expected in your mind to have as much at stake in patient care as an MT?
I truly believe your heart is in the right place. I believe it is inherent for everyone to do the best job possible. What I am saying is the players in this industry, all of whom should have patient care upmost in their minds, are trading quality for money. This is money that they take out of MTs pockets creating a situation that will ultimately further decrease the quality of patient documentation.
The good MTs like you, who obviously care, will leave the profession when YOU cannot make enough money. The MTs that are blowing through reports to make money will stay because THEY make good money. The MTSOs who are not firing these MTs because they are making money off of them will stay because they have a great profit margin. The hospitals will try to squeeze 1 more cpl out of everyone for the year-end bonus, and then more newbies will flood the market coming in without any mentoring or QA to submit a finished document directly to the medical record that the doctor signs without reviewing it because there is another emergency to be taken care of.
Sure sounds like the old "CYA" syndrome to me. Are they giving you another acct?
nm
Famine indeed
I would rather have bologna sandwiches and Kool-Aid that were a sure thing every day than to have a big steak once every couple of months. My tummy would rumble a lot less.
ps: Please excuse typos! "Hands-working-faster-than-brain syndrome!" haha (nm)
.
There is a solution to the what you think is
It is very simple. DON'T READ THE POST if it will upset you that much. If you already knew it would happen, don't pour oil on fire by telling people not to talk about it. This isn't the Transcend forum where people aren't allowed to talk about what bothers them. If you feel uncomfortable with the posts here, stick with the company forum and maybe you won't be in so much pain.
I think that was the solution they came up
with for keeping up with TAT. For years, I never had any problems - then new management steps in with new ideas such as overstaff every account so they not only keep all accounts current, they also don't have to pay bonuses or overtime.
MQ MANAGEMENT HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THIS JOYRIDE WILL LAST FOR YOU?
SIGNED,
FRUSTRATED CHICAGO FULL-TIME MT
P.S. COMPLAINING ONLY GETS YOU MORE BACK-UP ACCOUNTS. I MADE MY LINE COUNT WITH NO PROBLEMS WITH ONE ACCOUNT FOR A LONG TIME AND NOW I HAVE 3 ACCTS ON 3 DIFFERENT PLATFORMS!! AND HAVE TO WORK 12 HOURS TO GET IN 8 HOURS OF WORK. I ACTUALLY HAVE 5 ACCTS BUT I REFUSE TO WORK ON MORE THAN 3. IT'S NOT WORTH IT...
WHAT'S A GAL GOT TO DO TO GET A STABLE ACCOUNT AGAIN?
THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT NOW OFF TO SCROUNGE AROUND FOR MORE LINES.
My solution........sm
I had almost 100 dictators who used normals. As you know, it could drive you crazy not to mention put you in the poor house. I finally decided to make separate folders for each doc and used MS Word to make a separate document for every normal exam. It took me over a week of my own time, but well worth it in the long run.
And here's another solution
I work for a hospital who pays up to double the lines for the difficult docs. People seem to like to get those docs (I sure do), especially when they've invested the time to get good at doing them.
If you never learn them, and never get proficient enough to do them independently, you don't get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It's a win-win situation, I think.
no - and the solution to this
is in the voting booth not the company board.
SOLUTION
Keep the computer and/or other equipment until they call you for it. Then, explain kindly how you kept it back because you heard that there was a problem with the company reimbursement and wanted to avoid that problem for yourself. Then let them know that you will return it in PERSON if at all possible and expect a check that same day. You could write any trip expenses off on your taxes and be sure you are reimbursed at the same time. Once I did this a few years ago for the same reasons, different company. I did receive my equipment deposit back on the spot.
I may have a solution for you ...
Please EM me.
So, the solution is... SM
Just don't answer our phones???
First I was paranoid about getting a pay cut. Now I'm paranoid about NOT receiving a phone call from The Power that Be. Maybe some of us fell through a crack... or maybe the fierce anti-Acusis posting of the last couple of days changed someone's mind about delivering bad news to all MTs at the same time. After all, if we all quit at the same time, who'll be around to learn the CDFIZ or whatever the heck the new program is.
so your solution would be?
If you're an IC *YOU* should be calling the shots, not someone you work for.
Everybody here has options.
The MT can acquiesce and work the hours her EMPLOYER is requiring her to.
The EMPLOYER could be human and work with the MT or NOT.
The MT COULD take action against the EMPLOYER for a) offering medical advice, b) treating an employer situation as a contractor situation and not paying taxes.
So it's not a matter of being in this MT's shoes. It's a matter of being a savvy MT and knowing how to run your CONTRACTING BUSINESS or sucking up being paid like an IC and treated like an employee.
There is an AAMT solution.
you could report this to AAMT, but it would take weeks to process the complaint. Also report the website to them. But its a great thing that you have posted the red flags. great work.
Simple solution
As long as Cymed can continue to find MTs who will put up with this crap and accept their positions that don't pay for spaces, they will continue to do what they're doing.
Why would a quality MT accept a job that doesn't pay for spaces. Why would a quality MT stay there?
Low to no MT work is all over.... Here is my solution!
I have been working as an employee with a company and for the past 4 months the work has been low, with the last 1-2 months ridiculously low to no work at all. There is a 1000 line requirement for benefits.... and I need benefits. I work a part-time IC position, and guess what, it's low to virtually nothing also. So this week, I took on a 3rd IC job, so where I normally would transcribe 1600 lines with the employee position, I only give them 1000 lines, just to keep the bennies. I will do 1000 with the third IC position, and continue to do the 600 lines with the 2nd IC position. Thank goodness, there is no hourly requirement with any of these positions. It takes me 3-1/2 to 4 to get 1000 lines on employee position, 2 hours to get 600 lines on 2nd IC position, and about 4 hours to get 1000 lines on 3rd IC position. I have purposed this year to not work over 10 hours in a given day, give or take an hour or two. So far, the past 2 days it has worked.
Offshore solution sm
Why can't a company give the client a chose. Excellent client ready work at a higher price, and I realize this would exclude many US MTs, or work that has been offshored at bargain rates. This way everything is on the client. Either they are going to say no way do they want their records going off shore and pay the higher rate, or they agree to offshore. The good thing about this is the doctor cannot deny he did not know the work was being offshored if he agrees to that to get rock-bottom prices. If the client wants work done in US, he can have that but at a somewhat higher price. US MTs will be able to make a living wage at their profession. I think this idea needs some tweeking but I think it might be something to think about.
Simple solution -
email me.
The Best Solution to the 30 days
TYVM for such great input. I believe here is the problem. Any MTSO has the obligation to (if they have one sub or 3 dozen) to negotiate a contract the right way with their account to be able to offer their subs a decent arrangement. There isn't one business (hospital, doc, etc.,) on earth that can't cut checks to a vendor at will, or at least set up a unique situation if they really want the vendor to work for their company (vendor being the MTSO). As it turns out, this company I considered is a subcontracted company to an MTSO who actually has the hospital account. This subcontracted vendor has virtually no negotiating position with the account. They are at the mercy of the MTSO. I believe there's a time that a big or small service has the obligation to the MT team to not take on a crummy contract unless they get a pre-signing commitment from their MT subs that they can live with long-term payments. I don't think it should be done the other way around. Though at this time I was just looking for some part-time filler work, I too have hired subs for overflow work in the past. I made sure whatever the account was that was paying me did so within a time frame in which people could work and survive with money--including myself. I don't have a husband or other type of income. That's neither here nor there. It's in the contract negotiations, and having enough courage to sometimes say No to an account, to pass on the deal for the sake of what's right and not roll over all the time. That puts it in a true underdog position from the onset of the contract. Needless to say, I'm not going to take them up on their offer. But very interesting what's going on, what everyone thinks, and how it's still kind of the short end of the stick on the real production end -- the MTs that do all the work. Thanks to all who replied.
A simple solution...
get a fake email address. go to hotmail or yahoo and just make something up. i will never know who you are. :) I do understand your hesitation. I wouldn't email me either. LOL I'm safe, I don't work there anymore.
Line counts?! Um, yeah. Encouraged to be dishonest to the MTs regarding that also went against my grain.
My solution to low work
I (thankfully) left MQ and found I had low work at the company I picked, which I liked otherwise. So I took on a second job. When there is no work at company one I just switch to company two and back and forth and I am never out of work. In talking to several of my long-time MQ friends, they ALL do this. Sure, it's sad to have to do it (and it ticks me off royally) but I have a family to feed and this is how I am doing it.
Simple solution:
Don't work for them.
Simple solution:
Don't work for them. I don't.
a simple solution
Next time it happens ... just invite the person over to your home and give them a shot at actual transcription. Try to give them a dictator who is midway between fantastic and a nightmare. Don't leave any medical books around for reference. Tell them they have 15 minutes to do as much as they can.
And then post the results here. Should be good for a laugh.
well please let me know if you find a solution since i haven't. sm
have spent 2 days with tech support with dictaphone and still not fixed. i don't have the time to spend now cuz i gotta bring in some money, LOL.
Solution for their ILLEGAL activities
The next time they call me to work on my day off I will do so and I will record my hours knowing it will put me in OT. When they yell about it and say OT was not approved in advance I will document by email or phone call that I was asked to work and if they refuse to pay me OT I will definitely report them. They have already been reported by at least 2 other people with documentation. They will either cut the BS about not paying OT or they will see the feds.
I'd still contact the solution center
I got the email from my STM this week as well (bet we have the same one!), but I have not been experiencing any problems. It is still very possible that the reason you are having so many difficulties is something to do with your router (if you have one) or ISP. I know how frustrating it is when the platform keeps freezing up on you. I was having so much trouble until I changed the settings on my router and now it is smooth sailing. Definitely contact the Solution Center and see what they can do to help you. There's no reason to suffer through it if there is a fix out there.
information on Transcription solution of SC.
any information on Transcription Solution out of South Carolina? TIA
SOLUTION TO OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING
Since offshore outsourcing couldn't be stop why don't we just outsource the dictations coming from these freaking speaking doctors. We need to screen the accounts and all those accounts with difficult doctors to understand, we outsource them. I think we will be more productive, the only problem I can see is that most of the doctors here in America freaking dictators.
It isn't a solution after you've already returned
the computer. I was glad to get rid of it, but I want my money.
Simple solution: Notify the IRS.
x
Time to find, my solution
will be to have two companies on board. My current work (a small mom and pop that has managed not to be eaten by a big company) frequently runs out of work, so I decided that since I am the breadwinner in my family, I will take on another job as well. Of course, my original company won't like this because I will not be available for extra when it is needed but I will do what my contract says I am to do and no more. I am tired of sitting here looking at a blank screen.
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