define strung along - guess I just don't get it
Posted By: good while it lasted on 2007-11-29
In Reply to: From what I understand they were strung - me
I personally was never treated badly by anyone there, the only surprise being how quickly office closed.
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From what I understand they were strung
along just like the MTs and were still there.
Define IC, please
How do companies manage to constantly advertise they are looking for ICs for specific hours and days? When I was an IC, I told them when I would be working, what days of the week, etc. 
Please define
what an MT is/does.
Do you know how they define a line?
I have not worked as an IC, but it doesn't sound too far off if the details are right. Do they pay for spaces? Headers? What software? What report types? Have you heard the dictators yet?
I don't have all the answers, but those who will will probably need more info.
You define yourself as being in business.
My 2 cents - strictly my thoughts: 1) License? Probably not needed - in my state of Indiana (or maybe just county) when I checked on this years ago they informed me a license was required for retail type business, selling a product, not a service. May need a DBA (doing business as) registered with your county recorder(?) if you take on a business name. Requirements vary from state and counties. That's all it takes. 2) When are you In Business??? As soon as you desire to be -- and believe you are! 3) How many accounts? One! That's enough sometimes to get started. I believe being in business or even freelance is a mindset. If you think you're in business, you are. But no one else might see you that way. Besides, most medical offices I've ever transcribed for (10+ years) I don't think really saw me as being in business. Early on in my so-called business career as an MT, while waiting to pick up a tape in his waiting room one morning, I overheard the doctor talking to the receptionist, asking her: is that the typing girl. That gave me a perspective real fast! After that, I realized that while I might see myself as in business, most accounts saw the transcription business I offered was simply a necessary evil they had to pay for, and that I charged too much anyway--no matter what I quoted. It's a strange way to make a living. They need you but don't really want you. At least I think that's how the docs see us. So, if you want to give it a try, simply Declare that you have a small business and go for it. You define it for yourself. Best of luck to you.
Define desperate
I think it depends on how desperate you are for the experience. I worked for a company out of North Carolina at an extraordinarily low line rate, but they were the only company who would hire me with no practical experience whatsoever. I knew I had to suck it up and deal with less than minimum wage for a while and just put my time in. Fortunately I had backup money so my mortgage did not go unpaid during this time frame. If you are just trying to get anyone to hire you, then you might want to take it at least for a while. Horrible is better than nothing, sometimes.
Can you define "some exceptions?"...
In your response you said it was for radiology in general although there are some exceptions. I've heard from 2 HIM transcriptionists who have been with the company for several years that they were notified that their line rates would be changed to the new hire rates & they were given less than a week's notice on this.
Define affordable? What may be affordable to one person may not be to another. nm
x
Guess you are not doing your job right then.....
s
My guess...
I may be wrong but my guess is that this is CorT. I have been with them only 4 months but I have many MT sisters who have been with them longer and love it.
I guess Everyone Else....
Since no responses, I guess I am the only MT who works for a national that charges for templates but doesn't tell you upfront or put it in a contract....oh well....time for another company!!!
I guess when you look at it that way...
x
I guess it was just me...
but it came off as sounding like the stereotype of slaves on the "plantation" - it just didn't sit right with me...
You are in the know, but guess what
SO AM I. Spaces my XXX. Maybe you but not all of us for sure. Pay on time. Come on, talk about not telling the truth. Last couple of times maybe, but until everyone started screaming on here came whenever. 
Guess what... sm
I am not management and they are a wonderful company. I have heard and read bad things yet I have worked there for quite some time and I have never seen any of what you say. They are nice people and they would not fire someone for being sick or family emergency. There has to be more to that story. TH rocks!
Of course I don't guess!!!!!!!!!!!
No, there's no guessing medical transcription. These dictators are clear as a bell!! A wonderful company to work for.
I guess everyone has a different
I'm with DK and have never been happier. I have no trouble doing over 1800 lines in an 8 hour shift on the CTS platform. I will say though that I work on mainly one account (that helps some). 
Did they just guess?
nm
I guess both.
zz
guess that's right
I went back to the policies at the top of the page and didn't see anything about naming names, but I'm pretty sure the moderator has asked us not to do this and yes, I was referring to her name, not yours. I guess we're certainly free to use our own, but am pretty sure that at one time we were told not to mention names. Guess I was wrong or it was changed. Thanks.
my guess is because not enough MTs take this job serious enough.
Let's put it this way, every time I turn around I hear MTs saying they want to be there for their kids (nothing wrong with that) but when I was raising my kids, I worked outside the home and if they had a play at school I could not get off to go. The MTs of today want to do it all with their kids and think they can work but the fact is in the real world they would not be able to do that and that is not the real way to treat this job SO COMPANIES HAVE TO COVER THEIR TUSH. There are always going to be those who treat this like a real job but from what I am seeing the majority of the MTs nowadays who are younger just want to work the job in around their life and that just cannot be done and have a company be successful SO companies have to overhire to cover themselves. If they had people who treated this more like a real job, all that overhiring would not be necessary. All of us MTs who take our job seriously have suffered because of this new attitude.
You guess right..(nm)
.
I guess they are still around, but they were the
absolute worst company to work for. Be wary with them is all I will say.
Thanks all..... I guess it is
 better to know the devil than to get surprised again. I sure do appreciate this input. I will simply put on the person who is talking with me. She is supposed to call today to set me up. It seemed awful pushy and fast to me. You are, indeed, jewels!!!
Thanks. I guess I am one. lol
x
I guess it's
anybody's guess!
I guess I have to try this again.......nm
First of all .I have to correct this misconception that Medware is OUTSOURCING MORE now than before.. as far as I know Merit always did a considerable amount of reviewing which wsa typed by India..on the Dictaphone side there were maybe 100 to 300 files edited from India MTs..each day up until about 1-2 monhts ago when they stopped sending them to India altogehter for some reason.... and several editors got moved around in their jobs... by all means I am not defending Medware..whatever their motive i doubt it is a positive one for anyone but themselves.. their high management is acting out of greed, and their actions through all of this were of an incredible lack of any regard for their employees.. and an even greater measure of ignorance for what was being accmoplished in these positions they eliminated. I felt that my job was, or at least my goal.was to help the MTs any way I could to do an amount of work every day that many times seemed out of reach to me, on a system that continually fails them... AT A higher than standard level of quality.... so much of the work they do is not even considered time worked which is one more act of greed I am baffled at how Medware has gotten away with...the leads did a lot to support the MTs..helping them to more readily pump out the work expected of them..in several ways..which made things better for so many people.. and that is precisely why our jobs were not considered important enough to keep...
The point is.. they are NOT outsourcing more at this point.. but less.. what their plans are is another story... but I think in this time especially when people like this are hiding behind lies to their employees.... it is important for those of us with higher standards to keep what is truth in perspective. As far as the email sent out to all the employees by an AAMT person...that was a report that she was required to prepare and hand in .. and I would bet my life . her sending that to everyone was a TOTAL mistake and one she regrets and will for much time to come.. but I have no reason to think..(and I do not know her) personally...that she is being malicious or working toward the demise of all American MTs.. Outsourcing to India is extremely widespread and not just in our field... and it has been common knowdlege that Medware outsources as far as I know... just like half the other national companies are known to be doing... I certainly don't think at this point we can say that everyone who works for a cmopany who outsources ...is supporting that.. nor accommodating it..It is an unfortuante part of this industry whether we want it or not..put there by greedy companies wanting to get more for much much less..I certainly do not support that.. but to say that we are losing our jobs because of INDIA... or that anyone who works for companies who hire them are supporting misplacing our own people... is not true... this is happening through those who are greedy and want to pay less and willingly sacrifice quality...the high management of these companies.. who most times know very very little about medical transcription.. and are focused on what will bring them an extra buck.... focus your resentment on them.. write to them.. but the rest of us need to stick together and can only become like them when we turn on each other...
I get so frustrated editing their work.. when I realize that what they type in one report would be enough to have me fired.. yet I must continually correct their same mistakes.. and the ridiculous things they make up when they have no clue.. You are right.. they are not qualified nor anywhere near proficient.. but they obviously have enough skills for the low life pepole at the top of half these companies to hire them anyway... and get rid of credible jobs like Medware did... These India people are hungry .. and I would do the same to feed my family.. so I cannot blame them... but I despise those who are willing to use the level of desperation and unfortunate lifestyle of these people for their own personal gain...which is just what these companies did and do .. which started all of this and remains responsible for it.. no on else.....
I guess she is still looking
I actually enjoyed that one, it certainly was different than the mundane typical resume I get. I thought it showed individuality and at least some creativity. I didn't hire her because she didn't have the required equipment/program, but the resume I really liked.
guess i don't know....
I can guess who
Do you live in Florida?
Let me guess!!!!
I'm in QA and it would be my guess
that if people are without work it's because they were making too many errors for QA to keep up with. None of the companies I've worked for like outsourcing - it's a PITA - but if it's gotta have full audio QA, you really can't afford to do much else.
bet I can guess who it is
don't give them another second of your time. It will only get worse and you will feel like a fool in the end for having stayed so long.
I would guess
the poster is asking you obliquely to speak with respect and not demand an answer. JMO.
just a guess
I'm guessing that they don't really have your resume but got your name from either an MT website, MT publication subscription, MT organization, or something of that nature and are trying to trick you into applying either so they can try to get you to work for them (never heard of them) or to get your personal information.
Just a guess
One add of theirs matched another exactly that said 7 cpl. I'm assuming that was for the straight typing.
LOL guess again
/
B4 i guess
as dont do radiology
I GUESS SO, !!!
y don't u?
CYA I guess.
The last I heard from them is yesterday. They did not offer me another account. I did actually type 3 jobs for them last week, and my lead said I did great work. However, since my Word didn't interface with ExpressScribe, and I had VOIP DSL (not fast enough for them I guess)I just haven't heard back from them. Talk about being left out in the cold.
GUESS WHAT!!!!
I work for a local hospital and have all the benefits of the nationals that you state above, plus all the benefits of working for a local hospital. I work eight hours per day. I have access to the entire work flow system and can see it all. My hospital treats us fairly. I work 8 hours and them I'm done. If I want to work overtime I do, if not, I do not. We get MUCH MORE time off than nationals AND we get the same local doctors which includes a variety of docs, but not a variety of accounts like the nationals. We occasionally get together for a Christmas luncheon, or meeting at the hospital, etc. and it works out VERY WELL!!!
I work from home. My hospital provides the equipment and pays for the internet service. We have constant work and a very good variety of work. I have a base hourly pay and a VERY GOOD incentive pay plan and I do very well.
So, if you are fortunate enough to work for a hospital from your home, it is by far the BEST WAY TO GO.
Let me guess
You are the same person who was arguing continuously last night? 
Let me guess...MQ? nm
..
I can help you guess sm
I make a little under $40K a year and I have been at this amount for about 3 yrs (no longer caring to try to do more). I have gone employee from IC.
IC people file a schedule C and our business expenses go on that form for taxes, not on schedule A like when you are an employee. If you have itemized in the past, rather than taking the standard deduction, this may completely screw you up. If you have been taking the standard deduction, you will have more to deduct.
I can take my income last year of $36K. Business expenses totalled about $2.5K and I took the standand deduction of about $5K (I don't have the exact figures). If you take 7.5 from 36, that is 28.5 or $28,500. As I am single and kids are grown, I am in the 24% bracket and I paid $7K in taxes for 2007. That is tax, FICA and Medicare combined.
This current year for me is the first time in 25 yrs I have been employed and not contracting. I am scared to death, but I went to the IRS site and used their calculator and I'll be fine and should have a refund this time, first time in YEARS. Unfortunately, they don't have a schedule C calculator.
My advice is to talk to a tax accountant who has the numbers in front of them. Pay your taxes quarterly if there is any way you can swing it. It is very daunting to know that you still need to eat with eggs at $3 a dozen AND put back 25% of what you make for taxes, but that is how it all works. Then again, as an employee right now, my base rate is 8 cents a line and I made 10 as an IC, the margin was sorta there.
My guess would be
they wanted to lower the rates they paid, sort of like Circuit City did with their employees a couple years back.
Usually 98% would be my guess
/
Just my guess, but...
I'd say it's because 13 cents in my pocket beats 14 in someone else's. It's that way everywhere. We're in competition for local work. It's survival instinct.
I guess so
but I've talked to other MTs and they have gotten paid also. Sorry.
My guess is that...
the reply is meant in general, not necessarily to TT...just commenting on what they received in the past from the company they work for  .
I guess she can tell because she knows
x
I guess that's one way to look at it, but from -
my perspective, I see the 'ist'-word as being worse than 'transcriber'.
I've been at it a long time, and I guess for me anyway, 'back in the day' when MT was a good profession, we were all called 'Medical Transcribers'. (Certainly better title than 'medical secretaries').
So I watched it begin to go down the toilet when AAMT got a stranglehold on MT, and decided to re-title the profession with the 'ist' word.
But I guess there are lots of MTs working these days who have never known it as anything else, and have never known MT without AAMT/AHDI (and their most holy 'Book-Of-Style'), at-home workers, offshoring, HMO's & group medicine, etc. It was a whole different job, back before all those other distractions and detractions started getting in the way, and I just automatically tend to associate the change of our job title with the demise of MT as a respected viable way to earn a living.
Thanks to all the things associated with the 'ist-word', MT now falls almost as low as telemarketing or stuffing envelopes when it comes to being considered a *real* job.
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