Yes my college degree is worth more than $11 an hour.
Posted By: NM on 2007-10-30
In Reply to: I don't blame you one bit but.... - MTSO
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college degree?
Since when does a Transcriptionist have a college degree? It is not considered a college degree - it is a diploma or a certificate program.
I am very happy at present with my job as a MT. I do wish that I made more money than I did 16 years ago when I started, but I still make more than many college degree people. I am one of the people that spent the last year complaining about my income and you know what - in the last 3 months I sat down and took a good look at what I was doing and realized that a lot of my low income times were my own fault - how much time was I spending on this board, how much time was I spending walking to the laundry room, turning the TV, listening to the radio, fixing lunch for my family? I finally got me a timer and set it for an hour and work my hour instead of getting up and guess what? I consistently make $35-40 an hour - that is not cherry picking my reports, that is taking first in/first out as they come to me from the company I work for. I don't have a small clinic that I get the same doctors over and over, I work on a hospital account and have a lot of doctors and on top of that, I have only been on this job for 3 months so I am not used to these doctors by any means.
Anyway, I understand that we should have higher wages, I understand that we should be upset because our line rates are not going up and seem to be going down, but we cannot say that this profession is not a financially rewarding position if you are willing to work for it.
Where else can I go with a 1-year DIPLOMA and make $40 an hour? Then you add into the fact that yes, my power bill and internet bill is there for me to have to pay, but I am not putting gas in my car at $2.78 a gallon and driving 30 miles one way to an office, that I am not having to eat my lunch out every day, that I don't spend that extra 45 minutes to an hour driving each way every day that I don't get paid for - yes, I think we are still in a financially rewarding career!
I have an A.A. degree in English from a 'real' college that
Sounds like AHDI ('All Hindi-speaking Dufuses International') is just trying to find another way to lure MTs into wasting their money on their ridiculous 'credential'.
And if they did elevate the credential to the equivalent of a degree, then they'd have to also acknowledge that MTs be PAID as 'professionals', as well.
I laugh every time I read something that group generates - it gets more ridiculous every year, doesn't it?
At least 40 bucks an hour is what we are worth - nm
nm
Im thinking by the hour and make it well worth your while. nm
x
Not a big deal ... have unlimited with SBC for $49/month -- for $33+ per hour, it's worth it. :)
x
Is $15.00 per hour without incentive worth driving back and forth to a job at a hospital? nm
NM
HIM degree here too...sm
I have spent 14 years of my life going bankrupt because of transcription. I can't wait to get out of this profession. I have never, in my whole 43 years on this planet, seen a more fraudulent, lying, scheming profession as medical transcription. I can't wait to be with people every day again. I can't wait to wear nice clothes. I CAN'T WAIT TO EARN A DECENT PAYCHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Consider this. When I was in college in 1970 sm,
I was making $1.50 per page typing papers double-spaced!! That was the going rate then. It wasn't even transcription but typing off handwritten or typed copy.
If your college put MD on your certificate SM
would you be able to say you are a doctor? AAMT owns the certified medical Transcriptionist designation and unless you take and pass that test you are not certified.
OSI - State College, PA
Does anyone have any information about this company? Do they have VR? What is supervisor like? What type of platform they use, etc.? Haven't heard much about them on this board but very curious to see if anyone has any info to offer.
What degree do you hold?
I hold a bachelors in psychology and I wouldn't trade my education for anything. By the way, I've left MT and now have a great career in a completely different field thanks to my bachelor's degree. I'm now working towards my masters.
I think they ALL overstaff to a certain degree.
Some, of course, are way, way worse.
I have degree plus some post bac
xx
Why, if you have master's degree, etc.
are you doing transcription? Hmm, let me guess- so you can stay home with the kids?
I AM SO GLAD I got a degree is something else
and then went on to do MT while I was raising my kids. Falling back on the first degree now, something that took 5 years of college. I'm a bit sad to see MT go, but today I got news that my co. is putting us to voice recognition with a 3CPL pay, and I just can't do it.
Good luck.
I graduated from a community college, but
my first job was not at a National. I got a job at a hospital first, then after two years was hired by MQ. If you can get experience, I think it's easier to get on with Nationals. It is probably possible without experience, though. I would just give it a try.
I have when I graduated college, that gave it away as well!
Burned. LOL.
So right! Just because a job doesn't require a college
And if a job is worth doing well and being diligent about (which most jobs are), then they're worth paying the workers fairly for. The U.S. exploits farm workers, office workers, MTs, nurses, computer programmers, teachers, you-name-it. And they do so by not putting a cap on overpaid, do-nothing CEOs' salaries (as in.... banks and stock market, for starters!), and by rewarding companies for sending work offshore, instead of PENALIZING them financially for doing so. There should also be something done about all the work that has become IC and/or part-time work. All so they don't have to pay for insurance. Lots of highly educated computer techies now have part-time jobs and no insurance. There should be a way for IC's & part-timers to get insurance through their companies. The insurance industry needs an overhaul, as well, then maybe this would be possible. The fat-cats at the top get paid the big, over-inflated bucks because what they do (when they're not sitting around picking their noses) is they see how many insurance claims they can deny, including perfectly legitimate ones. I recently had a small claim for a medical procedure that was necessary, and I followed the ins. company's instructions to the letter. and did they pay one red cent? Nope. The industry is a fraud, and I'd love to see that one tank, just like the banks & stock market are doing right now. Then maybe something could be done about it. Meanwhile, those of us doing our respective jobs every day, and getting paid less and less, are taking pets to the pound we can no longer afford to feed, telling our kids we can only afford for them to go to a local junior college because there's no money for the real thing, watching savings accounts shrivel because we can no longer fund them, and keep siphoning off of them every few weeks to keep the bills paid, and watch any hope whatsoever of being able to live our older years with any kind of peace or security go right down the drain.
Greed sucks, and there's way too much of it in this country.
Wondering, does your college teach SM
expander use as part of its basic transcription course?
I have NEVER been micro-managed to that degree.
But I also get my lines plus every shift. This could make a difference. If they feel someone is not doing their job because they are not meeting productivity, they might be watching that individual.
I have never been told that I could not sign off more than once during my shift. If something comes up and I need to do it, I just IM my Editor or send an e-mail to management.
all the more reason to go to an accredited college or university
and earning potential rather than waste time and money on some fly-by-night crappola that has no credibility.
This is exactly why I told a poster earlier to get her degree! nm
x
I am 40 and just started working on a master's degree and
a certificate in medical coding at the same time. I plan to get my doctorate degree also. It is never too late to learn. Go for it!
Gee...are you at all aware of the degree of negativity you have? If your negative... sm
attitude spills over into your employees... then I think you should expect just what you are getting... if anything at all...What I am so tired of is just anyone thinking they are management material ..and are also in the wrong profession... I have had more than my share of you people also...
Kind of like an education at liberal arts college...
is it necessary that I know Henry Moore is a sculptor in order to get my Bachelor's degree in Science? No...just makes me a more well-rounded individual (and NO, not my shape!). Hahaha
I'm back in college part-time after 24+ years
I figured this is the only to get my foot to the right job. My daughter will be 11 soon and by the time I finish my school that I did not finish after 24+ years, I could definitely be making 2 or 3 times more money than 7 cents per line. I can work at my local Starbucks part-time making $10.00 an hour with excellent benefits!!!
You hit the nail on the head. No "average" joe is going to go to that degree of applauding the
Good call..
think, people! If she does 250 lines/hour, same docs daily, will make $15/hour
nm
100,000/year - no way. I charge $35/hour and work 10 hour days - sm
AND I DO NOT CLEAR $100,000/YEAR.
what's not to believe - I said that I charge $35/hour and work 10 hour days AND DO NOT MAKE - sm
I DO NOT MAKE $100,000/YEAR
try READING the post.
$35/hour x five 10-hour days = $1,750 gross/week.
x
$20 an hour is not even average for radiology. You should not make less than $25-30 per hour. sm
I work for Keystrokes and have for 3 years. I average 25 reports an hour, which is $31.25 an hour. I have 401, health insurance, direct deposit, life insurance. My lead tells me I'm wonderful when I talk to her, but I do not need a daily pat on the back.
I also have a good friend who works for them on a clinic. She only makes 0.08 per line but does 300 lines an hour, which is $24 an hour, again higher than your $20.
I don't think we're selling ourselves short. There are companies out there that are good to work for, 6 or 8 of them that I know of personally. Don't settle for $20 an hour.
Well if I could do 500 lines per hour, I would be making 35.00 an hour. sm
nothing to sneeze at. More than fair for having a 2-year degree. Come on people, we are all acting like we expect 6-digit incomes! Whatev!
If that's $9.50 an hour, that would be just under 6.5 cpl at 150 lines an hour. nm
s
Are there any QAs out there that are getting paid by the hour at 15+/hour? If so, where are you and
how are the work conditions/requirements/benefits,etc?
For example, I count every hour on the hour with my job
and while I was posting here and also checking email in between I averaged $22 an hour for 2 hours, not bad for someone who is a) slow or b) does not have a lot of time in transcription work; therefore making me a prime candidate for VR.
WHY isn't it worth it?
j
For what it's worth ...
I don't know about smaller nationals, but Spheris doesn't pay for those things either. If you run out of work, you can flex your time and make it up. If you don't want to do that and had rather have the time off you are allowed to do so. If you cannot get it made up AND you don't have PTO to pay yourself, then you still file for PTO and it covers you as far as failing to make minimum production -- that way you're not in trouble.
When I first started with TEM (now Spheris), they paid downtime by the hour but cut that out with their new pay plan about a year or more ago.
I don't know of any remote company that pays only on a production basis that would really afford such an offer -- paying downtime for no work. The hospital I used to work for has remote employees but they are all paid by the hour, period (yes, even at home) with incentive that pays out an extra hourly for production. If you are going to be down for 2 hours in a day, you are expected to drive to the hospital and work your day or flex it to a later time or PTO the missing time.
I'm not saying I agree with it or am thrilled about that situation but MQ is not the only company and, in fact, I would think right in line with everyone else.
Definitely worth it!
go for it
I think DRC - they'd be worth a try. nm
xx
Keep trying. It is worth it. nm
zz
Not worth it
The 12-hour window was nice and the account I was on was great. The people were nice but the payscale was just too low. Like many others have stated nice doesn't pay the bills.
The whole training in Trinidad and other countries really irked me too. The way it was presented and handled just stunk.
You are worth more than that
I have about half your experience and make more than that. You deserve better. But, I do agree with you since I make less than I did 5 years ago that the industry is drowning.
worth a try
All of the companies that I have left told me before doing so that I was welcome back at any time. You never know if that rings true or not until you ask for your job back.
I asked for my job back at 3 places....
The first one accepted me back no problems but had to jump through all of the hoops again.  I decided after receiving ALL OF THE paperwork late that that is basically the reason I left in the first place (lack of any kind of decent communication) - also noticing that the send back by date on my paperwork was due 3 days before the overnight package even got to me (if that tells you anything). Plus I wasn't able to get an old account back (that I knew had the work) so I would be going back into a situation where I might or might not have work again. From the looks of it would be running out frequently.
So, I decided to stick with the place I was with - hoping the workflow got better and that I would actually start making a paycheck again - It didn't.
I asked for my job back with the other place - they got back to my inquiry within minutes telling me I could come back! Boy was I thrilled. I left to test the waters with VR because I thought it would be easier for me -- boy was I wrong and stupid. I've been back there for a month now and couldn't be happier!!!!!! I've been through H*LL the past few months with companies and it makes you appreciate what you did have.
The third one, well, I didn't burn any bridges (minus leaving the in the first place which I think made her angry) - it was one place that I was sure would accept me back - or at least send me an I'm sorry we dont have any positions at this time. that is the kind of work relationship I thought we had -- because I bent over backwards for them as an IC basically 7 days a week. I do know the e-mail was sent and received (basically as soon as it was sent) and I never received a response back. Then again, thinking back on it, when I said that I was leaving (twice) first time never got a response, second time I got the coldest response out of any company that I have ever been with and I was with this one for almost 2 years making 7 cpl IC. So, I guess I saw the true colors then and regret now even asking for a position back with them.  I can't believe I was willing to take a 2 cent pay loss to go back.
SOOO-- moral of my story is -- follow your heart on this one. You left, match up the reasons why you left to is it WORTH going back. If it is worth it, don't waste your tiem in asking for your position back!!
Good Luck to you!!!
Not worth it
TTS - This lady is actually contracting MTs to work for the company she works for. Very poor communication, much chaos. Pay not dependable and on time, although I did get all money owed but was such a hassle, not worth it!
No, not worth it
Editing by the line can be profitable, but not with this company. Reason being just about all the work is typed offshore and needs to be listened to, even though some are just said to be read throughs. There is also a constant lack of work. The changes are what drove me out the door. Person after person just GONE. I had an account manager who had been there more than 10 years and just all of a sudden her job was gone. The HR lady is GONE, the other HR person is now helping manage accounts. No new accounts in ages. No information is the worst thing, people leaving, pay dropping, and no explanation why. They used to be an awesome company, but not now.
Why is it that men know what they are worth...
...and most women have that 'awesome' attitude in your opinion that we do not count, do not matter, and should be happy just to have a jobs, no matter how we are treated, how low we have to go, how much heavier the work load gets year after year...
sorry, but that attitude is not going to get your anywhere but the unemployment line in the long run...good luck with that.
When your companies start weeding you out, because they WILL eventually, get back to us on how great they are and how happy you are about it.
Seems like you not only agree with that, but you like it.
We always think we are worth more, don't we? (sm)
LOL - seriously though, this profession is not what it was 10 or so years ago. I am very happy at TT. They are very easy to work with, I love their platform, and I especially like the tech support which was practically nonexistent where I was before. I plan on retiring from this company.
Job not worth it
I know how you feel. Now they are going to be cutting our holiday incentive in half too. We only get 2 holidays now as it is.
Not worth it at all
I have done seminars, meetings and all of the above. With everyone talking very hard to do. In 60 minutes of taping, I easly got over $100 for line counts so $50 is WAY UNDERPAYMENT. Again it is not easy to do. I did a three day seminar once and make close to $1000 but it was an orthopedic one and with all the questions, etc. very hard to understand and lots of blanks. No way you can get 98% accuracy and if you have to look over all the presentation material to see what they are talking about, you are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy down there for pay. My two cents worth.
Definitely not worth it.
I made $52,000 one year. No social life, bad health, bad attitude, and that aged me about 10 years in one year. I worked in a transcription office all day, went home, ate dinner, and worked until I could no longer see, finally crashing on the bed (if I made if that far) around 2 a.m. Why did I do it? Looking back 10 years later, I have no freaking idea. It definitely wasn't worth it and I would never, ever do it again. I've learned to live with less, changed my spending habits, and now, as an IC, I take off when I feel like it. My life is way more important than my annual income.
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