Sten-Tel in Mass. and their testing process
Posted By: impatientmt on 2009-06-12
In Reply to:
I need a 2nd job really bad. I have worked for Sten-Tel in Mass. before and know that they do not require you to work any certain hours and do not have a minimum line count for you to meet. They also pay on time. I applied to them and went through their entire testing process. I finished this last Friday. By Monday evening, I hadn't heard anything so I emailed human resources asking for an update. No reply. So, I emailed again Tuesday and I finally got a reply back saying that my test was received and that it takes 5-7 business days for me to get an answer and the human resources person said she should have an answer by today. I wait all day and hear nothing. I email her again asking about the status and I do not get a reply. This is really irritating me. I know I did good on the test. I don't understand why it is so hard to get back with someone. Should I just say forget it and try to find somewhere else? I really don't know of any other companies that are very lenient with the schedule and have no minimum line requirements. If you know of any, please email me and let me know.
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Is this the Sten-Tel in Mass?
If it is, then I worked for them for about a year over a year ago. I do not remember that statement in the IC contract. That must be something new. I left that company because their QA would mark something wrong one day and then mark the same thing right the next day. You never knew what you should do and then they would send you nasty emails saying you need to get off of QA or else. I wouldn't recommend working there.
Sten-Tel in Mass. pays this way. nm
s
Sten-Tel, Springfield, Mass.
Anyone familiar with this company? Could not find any current info in archives. Pros and cons, please. Also, what platform do they use or does it depend on the account? Thank you.
Am I the only one who works for Sten-Tel in Mass?
I am having probs with their QA and wonder if I am the only one dealing with this?
Acutally it's the Mass. Sten-Tel. Hmm...same state as your company. In cahoots, maybe? nm
s
Does anyone know what their testing process is like? nm
xx
Testing process
Just wondering if anyone else thinks that taking an actual transcription test that consists of a total of 6 different voice files is a bit too much. Three maybe, but six (6)?!!! IMO they should be able to tell if you are any good at just giving 3 different ones. Any opinions on this matter? M
What is their testing process like? NM
xx
Application process/testing
I am starting to think that all of this application and testing is a waste of my time! You spend hours at your desk and seem to get nowhere and not even get hired!
Transform testing process ?
I took the test last Fri p.m. for Transform and at the end of the test it says they will get back with you in 24 hours. (I'm not expecting that over the weekend obviously.) That same evening, I emailed the person that had invited me to take their test and let her know I had completed the test. Just curious how long it really takes them to get back with you and if they get back with you even if you didn't pass.
Thanks for the info. Have a BEAUTIFUL day!
Do they have both a written and verbal testing process? Thank you. nm
nm
If an MT takes time to go through the testing process...
MTSOs should take the time to respond, even if it's an auto-response, letting the MT know that either they did not cut the mustard or that the position was filled already. It's the decent thing to do. That's the benefit of computers. It's not the personal touch most would prefer, but it sure beats sitting around waiting for an answer.
I want to get opinions about this testing process I'm in the midst of...
it feels like I'm doing work for the company for free. Two weeks ago, I submitted an online application and downloaded a test file for this company. I completed the test file and sent it via email along with my resume as instructed on the website. I then received an email asking me if I was still interested in the position to which I replied yes. I then received another email stating they were sending some attachments, a punctuation and grammar test and basic medical terminology test. I was told to complete those tests and email them back. I was also asked at that time to fill out a 5 page job application for the company which I did and forwarded all back the same day.
I then received an email two days later telling me I was now ready to begin the second phase of the hiring process and that they would forward me a confidentiality agreement to sign before I could continue testing. I then received an email instructing me to download FTP software from the website and install it and then wait for the next phase. I did as instructed the same day and emailed as instructed.
Finally, using the FTP software they sent me several folders with the last phase of the test. The last phase turned out to be 16 voice files which seemed to be full clinic days of 8 pt. a piece for two different doctors along with pt. appt lists, etc. I felt as though I was actually doing work for free for this company. If I had to estimate, I would say they are probably going to get about 700 to 1000 lines of free transcription from me if I were to go ahead and finish this test.
I have NEVER in my 16 years of being an MT and working for national companies encountered a test like this. The most that I have transcribed for testing purposes were four reports totalling no more than 500 lines if that. Quite frankly, I'm ready to say forget it! At this point, they have said very little about the job, the pay or company. There has been no phone interview.
So what do ya'll think?
I don't remember the testing process as being extraordinarily difficult
but the person I tested with in HR is no longer there. What I liked best was interviewing not just with the HR person, but also actually getting to interview with my Lead, so I got to ask real relevant account-type questions, etc. Pay is not the hightest, but definitely not the lowest - more middle of the road, but at least I always have work, so that's not an issue. I'm only PT, so I don't get benefits, but we recently got sent a new benefits plan, etc., and it looks good to me for FT employees. Give them a shot. There's a lot of bad press here about them, but I think it's old info, nothing current.
Any current Transform employees willing to share testing process and cpl range?
I am trying to move from a local clinic to a national and am curious. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!
I meant billing process, not bill paying process.. sorry! nm
Mass exit sm
Sorry, but I don't think this is the answer. Back in the 70s? 80? (sorry, I forget which) our man in the White House swore he would break labor unions (though he, himself, was a card-carrying member of the actor's union) and he DID. The American workers bought into the "unions have outlived their usefulness" propoganda and now union membership is at an all time low. Without bargining power, workers have nothing...united we stand, divided we fall. And EVERY American worker is falling FAST. Wake up America.
Springfield, Mass. nm
x
Has anyone who received the mass
emailing from Keystrokes received the promised phone call yet? I have not and am just wondering
Breitner in Mass. NM
><
StenTel in Mass.
Sorry, I meant to add that I would like info on StenTel in Springfield, Mass. Thanks in advance.
mass firings
They had a conference call recently for which US editors were asked to call in. When they were all on the line, they were ALL fired! Talk about unprofessional!
Also, when people quit or are let go, they are not being replaced; often, when they ARE replaced, it's not by other US employees.
They are taking the easier, longer-winded docs and giving them to offshore workers to do, leaving the US employees with the more difficult, hard-to-understand dictation to do while at the same time are pushing for more and more production/lines AND stepping up the auditing AND requiring feedback to be done on worse and worse work from overseas - basically resulting in people not being physically able to make quotas nor keep quality at a premium. They then are firing people who fall below what they say are the minimums, not taking into account the conditions which THEY are imposing on us and which make the job more difficult and much more time consuming, and the massive also-time-consuming amount of feedback on crappy transcription (and HA! editing) overseas. It's discriminatory no matter how you look at it, too: There is no way that the work of the overseas 'editors' can hold a candle to that I've seen from US editors, yet the US people are being fired & forced out left and right while the overseas folks are being allowed to keep their jobs and even being promoted.
SPi has been 'testing out' voice recognition on a major account for quite sometime; when they started it, they fired most of the US MTs and promoted offshore MTs to Editor positions.
They are losing accounts like crazy; some they lose on purpose, but others are lost because the clients are upset and/or dissatisfied with the lack of quality, service, etc.
Run, DON'T WALK, away from this unethical company while the choice is still in YOUR hands...before they fire you or sweep you up in one of their recent mass 'layoffs'
and when you DO leave, make absolutely certain that they pay you any unused vacation (AND unused/owed PTO for those prior Cymed employees). They don't do it automatically. They told one person who quit recently that they had just decided not to pay the PTO out - even though they put it in writing in the benefits package cover letter in January! Someone else who left tried to collect unemployment but couldn't because SPi had her listed in another state completely than where she'd lived for all the years she worked for them - she got hired after months but never did collect any of the benefits she was entitled to.
This company represents all the worst of human nature.
Mass Firings
What can one do to protect themselves from these evil doings? How can they get away with not paying out PTO? I am beginning to think that their transcription branch is just not important to them and they don't care what happens to it (at least in the US). It is obviously clear they don't care about the US MT.
With all of the mass hysteria can we please
I have to be honest... I love my job at TT and when I got the e mail it did not bother me at all. I simply did not sign up to be one of the first to try the VR (I have done it elsewhere and did not care for it personally, nor did my bank account). Anyway, my strategy was to work as hard as possible now, and keep an eye open toward other companies that do straight transcription. If I am forced to do VR, then I would still stay at TT and train as best as possible with a second job picking up the slack of the bills. It would be more hours, but it would have to happen b/c I cannot afford a paycut as I have only me to depend on (no other incomes to help). Then, I came on today and unfortunately, I read all of the posts of panic and hysteria and felt like giving up, going to bed and pulling the covers over my head and or getting an Rx for Xanax....
I understand we all need to vent, but is it possible to try to work together to find solutions or boost each other up while this is going on instead of fighting or getting into a panic? One poster here, I see, is looking for suggestions for companies with straight typing options. That is a good idea... What other positive options can we come up with together so that we all don't go down in negative doldrums. Panic will not help my line count today, but the bill collectors don't understand, nor do my children who depend on me...
Anyway, my approach will be if my check takes a hit, to continue as I am, and if I am asked to train VR without a complaint while I take on another job to fill in the gaps. Does anyone else have any positive ideas to add? If we can come up with a list of options instead of griping, maybe we can all have a good and profitable day with a plan for the future.
Thanks in advance for reading this... Even if no one has an answer to this, at least I got it off my chest...Have a profitable and enjoyable day/weekend.
This law only applies to mass
X
Maybe they think a lot of MTs are going to leave en mass with the new pay plan so they are getting
ready. Have you noticed how they have been dragging their feet to let us know probably until Summer is over so they have plenty of staff. You KNOW they already know what it is so it is just a matter of timing is all. Yep.
I had a feeling there was a mass exodus
earlier this year. I hung in there with them for six months, but they kept running out of work. I asked to be trained on a second account, but it didn't happen. My supervisor was very nice, but it just didn't work out. I also have 17 years of experience, and had 99+% QA scores. I agree with some of the comments above about looking things up, etc. Oh well...
Also, don't mass mail your resume.
If I receive a resume and I can see that it has gone to a dozen other companies, too, I'm not feeling the love.
Hoffman Transcription (Mass.)
Anyone work or have worked for the above company, would you please state how you liked working for them, pros and cons, please. Thanks.
Someone said Transtech sent out mass Email
saying which shifts and days they are hiring for. Care to share what they said so I will know whether to bug them. If it is not allowed here on this board no problem and I will apply anyway. Thank you.
Bet a mass exodus is taking place.
cc
This was a mass email, about docking $10 per report.
p
Trying to beat the mass exodus. May be hard to
Lots of info in the archives. Seems to be a mass
exodus going on.
Well I hope they are ready for a mass exoduos over this
not sure why they think people will hang around not getting paid.
Here's The Federal Law on Mass Layoff Notice
http://www.doleta.gov/programs/factsht/warn.htm
They have a "front" office in Mass.. but your supervisors and QA are in India.
Your tech support is also based in India. You communicate with your supervisors via Yahoo IM. They are in India so when you have questions they are the ones answering your questions. Good luck with the communication. Also, remember your paycheck is penalized for errors. This would not be so bad if people sitting in India were not the ones QA-ing your work. That is where the real issue comes in. If I can hardly communicate with them, why would I want them in charge of my paycheck. I mean truly do you want them deciding what is proper English, I think NOT
OSi has had a mass exodus so there should be plenty of room for newbies
x
They are strictly Indian-ran with a "front" place of business in Mass.
If you like getting low pay and badgered everyday by people either A. Do not understand English or.. B. Do not WANT to understand English, then finish their test.
The only positive is that they pay on time, but they do move paydays a lot so that you would count on having so many days in that pay period and a day or two before the pay period is to end, they move that day of the pay period end so you'd end up with a day cut off your check that you expected. It seems very odd to me why the pay period would change so much. Also, your line count never seem to match up. You will work on a 5-page report for an hour and somehow you only end up with $8. The other down side is that you will have Indians quality checking your work, which is bad enough.. but then your pay is docked according to what accuracy rate they give you. As you can see... too many red flags. The best word I can think of to describe them a company is.. RIPOFF...
I dont answer the mass emails she sends out. What bothers me is we are not anywhere
near out of TAT and she just then sends out these mass emails and everyone piles on and runs the account out. Then when you get a few more reports she does it again. It just keeps going on like that. I have no idea what the problem is. I dont acknowledge the emails at all I just cant get a grip on why someone would function like that. It is almost like she isnt happy until she runs the account out and then expect all the ICs which we are to sit around until it comes back in and then be at her beck and call. It seems to be getting worse and worse lately with this. She has taken the word control to extremes especially with ICs. She expects you to let her know if you are going to move your butt of your computer for a half hour. I just dont get it but it gets extremely old I must say.
QA process.....sm
Read on another board that someone was fired because of QA without warning. Is this new QA system they were talking about at Transolutions? Very interested in knowing if this is the same company. Also very interested in hearing from other radiology MTs who current work there. Would like to know their platform and line/report rate before I waste my/their time testing. TIA
Want to know the whole process...
You need to send an E-mail to your PS giving your resignation. If you do not hear back within 2 days, call her (Most likely, you will need to make this call). They will try to talk you into staying. You may hear from HER supervisor as well. Make sure you ask about getting compensated for all unused PTO. Hope this helps. (It is definitely a wise move....trust me).
Larry doesn't know if he's coming or going! One day a mass email to employees begging them to
even though no work, and the next day mass email begging people to hire anybody they can scrape up and now accounts out of TAT, etc. Different story every day of the week, and I don't wanna hear about the company perils! Just let me type! No thanks.
They've all said Woburn, Mass when I asked...same time zone as me grrrr! nm
n
The "easing out process."
Has anyone been eased out of QT? I believe this is what is happening to me, but if anyone has gone through this, could you please comment...less and less work, having to call repeatedly to get work, benefits problems...etc., that sort of thing or am I just paranoid? I am not calling and asking to speak with anyone in particular because I know what they will say...it is a matter of not wanting to fire outright but making things pretty miserable...you know what I mean.
How long did the process take
After you send a resume and tested, what happened after that and how long did things take?
Not my experience. Best process I have gone through.
Had the most complete interview any company had given. The test was thorough and not long. The training process allowed me to ask what I need to ask. I love my assigned accounts.
process time
I sent my resume Sun p.m., received an email from KS with general info Mon a.m., then they sent an email with a list of questions(which I thought was great) and I immediately replied. They called me this morning to offer me the position! I have everything I need to get started so I just have to wait for HR to send paperwork - probably Monday I will start.
I'm also in the interview process and...
I was told about the new ortho account coming up too. I don't know about other areas, but ortho seems to have plenty of work.
I am going through the hiring process with MDI-MD right now and have ???s. sm
We are not talking money yet and before I go too far into it, I have a few questions.
Do they really treat you as an IC or do they hold you to a schedule?
Is there work available in the early morning, say 5 a.m. EST?
What is the rate range for VR editing and is the platform good?
The hiring process is very SLOW!
The training sucks! The platform is a joke, not very MT friendly, IMO. I am about a month in and I am looking for another job.
Oh and I have never posted about this company. I read the negative posts and thought the same; all coming from the same person. My experience has been more negative than positive.
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