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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

not taking sides but...

Posted By: anony on 2008-07-17
In Reply to: Allstate - Jodi

I completely understand what you mean about the pay...it is quite a long time to wait for a full paycheck.

But...you really should have read your contract BEFORE signing it so you only have yourself to blame for that aspect.


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Not taking sides
Actually I am in the same boat as everyone else. You have to work harder to make more money because this industry does not give raises. Our economy is hurting; however, I would NOT want live in India or any other country that is being sent work because their economy is obviously worse.

Also OFFSHORING is when transcription is sent to other countries. Outsourcing is what hospitals to when they send their transcription to companies rather than being done in house.

Lots of industries are offshoring. I just sit here in my peaceful living room and decide how much money I want to earn today and determine how hard I want to work. Some days I don't want to do it at all. Other days I am grateful I don't have to go wait tables or tend bar for a second job. As much as people complain about this industry, I can't think of anything else I would want to do to make extra money.
Really? Because I see it on both sides

I see your point about some naysayers, but assuming the ones that are unhappy are job-hoppers and unhappy people isn't the nicest comment I've ever heard either.


I think this is really sad for several reasons. We're all at risk for our skill being replaced by VR and outsourcing, we ought to be supporting each other in ways we can make effective change by preventing that from happening as best we can and getting together and finding constructive solutions about proving that our value is just as important as expensive machinery or labor from foreign countries.


Many people are just realizing this,scared about the future, and trying to shop to find the best deal possible that's still out there, not realizing that they're all about the same at present, it's the state of affairs in the MT world.


If you want to stay with it and keep trying to find a way to beat VR and make a living still, that's cool, but it's okay to realize that some things are more tolerable on the job than others, and to each their own about what should be acceptable business practice. :)


Looking at both sides ..
I recruit and I see both sides of this story on a daily basis.  We provide equipment and we pay very well and are employee status.  I have people lie to me, hold equipment when they decide they are not interested in the job because they actually have to work, and have every excuse why then cannot work.  On the other hand, I have dedicated, extraordinary people who go the extra mile, can actually figure out their own computer and how to turn it on and maintain their QA and really make my life a pleasure.  I know that you cannot have it all .. but I will say this, if you are an MT who works for a company that can't get it together you might want to write to me and investigate working with our group.  We are growing and have no intention of offshoring no matter what, have benefits available that are excellent and for employee reasonably price (family is terrible nearly everywhere though this actually covers you).  I transcribe right along with people if need be and we genuinely care about the people who work with us.  We are on dial up right now but will be going to our web-based system in September.  We have more work than you can imagine and if you are willing to dial up with the rest of us for a fe months, then life will be good .. very good .. come the Fall.  You must be willing to commit to your schedule and do your work .. sounds easier than it usually turns out to be I am sorry to say.  Have a good holiday weekend. 
There are two sides to every story. The MTs sm
that commented worked/works there. You do not. So I wouldn't put to much weight to what you say.
There are two sides to every story...
I have worked for Breitner for four years and have always been paid on time.  I have never had a payroll issue with this company.  Just so everyone knows...if this occurred, it does not occur across the board.  Let's be fair.
Two sides to the coin
I have worked for Phoenix for two years on both their Emdat platform and a Lanier account. I am delighted with both though I will admit the Emdat was awkward to set up with expanders/autocorrect.

Nevertheless, the folks are a joy to work for, keep in touch enough to feel in the loop, and answer e-mails promptly. Pay is fair, work is steady. Couldn't ask for more.
I understand both sides of the argument...
But I believe that a lot of the posts are from management.  They really should not disguise themselves as MTs and try to trick people.  Just let the truth be what it is, and if you do not like the truth, then do something at your company to change it.  All the effort that is being put into posting on this forum by management from various companies should be put into different programs, incentives, or maybe just a nice word or two to their transcriptionists to try and make the companies better.  I value this forum and believe that MTs need a place to communicate these things to one another to possibly prevent someone else from going through a bad situation.  I do believe that some MTs do need to let it go sometimes, but when you know that it is management posting to try and prove you are wrong, that just makes you more determined to prove you are right.  Just my opinion so don't jump all over me. 
I love it there.. two sides to each coin.
My team is really great. I was so thankful for the nice card, handwritten, and also an unexpected gift card.
I never overreact. I thoughtfully consider all sides. However,
the tone of your continued arrogant, hostile, and rage-filled posts only points out that you are the OP masquerading as management in a fury about an email sent out which by no means can be construed as breeching any matter of confidentiality. Your threats were laughable as witnessed by the counterposts.

You would do us all a favor now if you would go take your medication. Dosages should never be skipped. You should know that if you are an MT.

I don't know. Still trying to figure you out. You seem to be so ugly and hateful. I bet your mama had to tie pork chops to your ears so the dog would play with you.


Agree with both sides to an extent...
I worked as an IC for years before going to work for a hospital and then am now at an MTSO for the majority of my work. I also have had my own conract on the side for over 5 years. They call maybe 1-2 times a week for a missing document. When gas starting becoming outrageous early this year, I started charging them a courier fee since I still pick up tapes and print out documents. They have no complaints and I have no complaints. Seems like a win-win for both of us....and I make great money for 8-10 hours a week of their work since he has gotten to be so easy to do. So, for extra money, this is DEFINITELY the way to go. I know a friend who started her own MTSO and it is a pain marketing/invoicing and doing administrative work and has heck of a time finding and keeping quality subcontractors. If I oould find another client like THIS one, I'd be working 20 hours a week and making full-time money!
Well, then I come to this board to get both sides of the story
and I appreciate hearing your experience. The best thing for me to do is be aware of this, keep working at my old IC job, and try this one out. If I see what you are saying, then it simply will not work out for me. What I have to decide about though is do I need the stress of even trying. It has been a bad year in transcription and I am not in the mood for many more of these types of games. Simply put. So do appreciate your feedback and I probably should have just stuck with the IC I have and increase the work load. Now I have to go through this trying out a job again, and ugggg, what a pain in the neck!
I think we DO need to "take sides" on this issue.
This lawsuit, or even the threat of one by an MTSO of an MT, is nothing more than an attempt at INTIMIDATION. It's the big companies' modus operandi these days: 'You're lucky to have a job, so accept that 3cpl and quit yer bellaching.' 'MTs can be sued for typos.' 'Say anything against us, even if it's true, and we'll sue your @$$es.'

MT has become an 'Us vs. Them' scenario, and regardless about how you may or may not feel about this one particular company is really beside the point. This is a large company that represents other large companies just like it, and when ANY company starts to throw its weight around in order to try to 'control' what MTs do, it affects all of us. We certainly wouldn't want them setting a precedent and this sort of thing becoming the norm, would we?

MTs need to stick together and support each other, even if there is some perceived risk in doing so. ESPECIALLY if there is risk. Because when a company acts in such a manner towards a current or former employee, it ultimately affects ALL of us.
There are 2 sides to every story. If you were a good employee, sm

if you called the office and told them that you had a medical emergency, there is no way on this green earth that they would lock you out of your account for that reason.  Absurd.  I've had to leave work due to illness.  That's part of life.  TransHealth is extremely accommodating. 


There is more to the OP's story than meets the eye. 


I have worked on both sides, Merit and dictaphone.

I think the Dictaphone is better but the account I had you could not view old reports.  You could open up another text client and view them that way, but opening up 2 word documents of any kind messed things up and I had to get out of everything and start over. 


As far as the dictators, I had an easy-dictator account with both Merit and Dictaphone and  yes, there was more than enough work to do on the Dictaphone side but the Merit account ran out quite a bit.    I had encountered 3 different team leads during my stay tere and all were as nice as they could be.


Interesting posts. It is good to hear both sides

I can understand the employees who want everything and give very little back.  Very frustrating.


But then you have the situation described for the employee where there is no job satisfaction, no family/personal life allowed or frowned upon by management and no chance for promotion.   And then being compared to an Indian who has a completely different social environment. 


I know mothers who are IC and while they do take time off during the day for their kids (how dare they make dinner for those kids and hubby) but then they work long into the night after kids and hubby have gone to bed.  There are no weekends with their family either.  And the work reward is the pay will be lowered because the client wants to pay a lower rate.  It is not exactly incentive to work hard without any breaks and ignore the family in favor of what the company needs.


I remember years ago working for a start up company and the manager did not want the single girls to date at night and instead work late.  She thought they should be devoting their time to their career in transcription.  Well a Transcriptionist could do that but whether she worked harder or not the pay would be the same and she would always be a transcriptionist.  The manager on the other hand if the company did well would receive promotions and raises I am sure.  So that is the difference....management perks vs worker bee perks.  It was easy for her to give up a social and personal life because the rewards but the transcriptionist typing straight for hours and hours would see the same pay day in day out, no advancement or recognition for working harder other than not having a manager angry. 


However after reading that post I will be aware  and really give it my all. I do understand the need for a better work ethic.   I see what the management wants and needs.  Especially when managers are spending Thanksgiving with their families and the transcriptionist is working for 7 cpl with no break.  It is the American way of doing business.


Remember..."There are 2 sides to every story" and "you can't believe everything you read
x
BUT...you are taking them at their SM

word that the production rate will increase.  The reality?  It doesn't.  I have been doing VR where I work for about a year now and even after the system was trained properly it takes JUST AS MUCH IF NOT MORE time to edit versus straight-typing the document.


You must always remember that when the company presents a plan and its assurances that you will make more money in the end, YOU WON'T.  They may (cheaper labor) but YOU will not.  That's guaranteed.


 


Not currently taking on new MTs (sm)
according to a form email I received. They seem to have a great reputation among MTs.
Well, someone must be taking it or
xx
Taking less pay
In 1981, I was making 10 cents a line; now it is 9, soon to be 8. We, as professional MTs, have let this profession go underground and isolated, many of us working at home and not in a social setting. Its time to RECLAIM our profession, re-emphasize the LEGAL IMPORTANCE of the work we do, and raise the standards again to catch up our salaries and inflation. I'd hate to have to move to India to make what I made 25 years ago!
about VR taking over all by itself but
rather the air heads out there that think it saves time and money, so they take on VR accounts and we as MTs get stuck with the editing. The original poster is correct. If doctors and/or hospitals want to change to VR, let them use it entirely on their own--no editing and no retyping from MTs, nothing! They would be throwing those machines out the windows in just a matter of a few hours. That is what our profession/industry needs. No help for VR accounts, plain and simple.
Have you tried taking Tylenol PM
It helps take away the pain you have in your shoulders and back from typing all day and it helps you sleep. May be a little better than Benadryl.

I know how you are feeling regarding MQ; I am there too and deciding on jumping ship.

That is another long story which I will have to go into at another time.

Have a good day or try at least and try the Tylenol PM


They shouldn't be taking someone right off the
This profession isn't greeting or flipping burgers at Wal-Mart or McDonald's.   Why hire someone off the street with no skills in the first place?
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME IT IS
THANKS!
Taking pole. Which would you take? (sm)
I won't name the companies but have been offered a job from two, both paying the same amount per line.  One is as a employee with a company that so far I've seen mostly bad things about on MT Stars.  The plus side is they take out the taxes/social security.  The second is with a company that I've seen both good and bad things about on MT Stars but it's as an IC so I have to deal with taxes and social security.  The only reason I lean towards the first one is because I don't have to provide both parts of social security, but as I said, I've not seen anything good about them.  This is a second job to make up for the loss of overtime/bonus time no longer available.  What would you do? 
taking a pole
I'm with you
taking a pole where?
I think people from Poland are just fine and it shouldn't be painful to take one somewhere, should it?
You are taking my post a little too seriously
You are also obviously missing the point. My post was purely hypothetical. Again...you totally missed the point.
Taking a stand
I work for MDI-MD which does not offshore. There ARE companies out there with integrity. I think it behooves all of you who are looking for new jobs to be very clear that you will work only for companies that do NOT offshore. You should also give the AAMT a piece of your mind since they have been supporting (and profiteering from) offshoring for years. Think about that the next time you write your excuse to this pathetic organization.
So, you don't mind that they are taking
I hope that one day you don't wake up to find out they have outsourced your position and you are now without a job. Let me know how that works for you.
I'm taking the test now. I'm not too sure about this?!?! sm
I saw somewhere where somebody said they got paid every Friday. Somebody else said about once a month. I don't know. Their website looks promising. I'm in the process of getting the test ready to send now. I'm not sure if I'll even finish it.
thanks JD for taking time out of

your busy day to post that.


 


Nowhere does it say anything about taking our night
differential (not that I can find, anyway).  They took one bonus and replaced it one other and another on the way.  Rarely do I run out of work. They could have cut our pay even more to get us on a more even keel with the other nationals that only pay 50%.  At least that didn't happen yet.  It's not a bad place to work.  I have always been paid on time, have a good PS and WFC, accrue PTO even though I'm only part time (30 hours per week).
I know the OSI accounts U R taking about
The OSi MT's are in the dark about so many things. Evil people who run this company.
Test taking
I have just taken a test that must be designed to get into medical school with all of the choose the correct, fill in the blank and give the definition, was sooo..long.... and so intense, and why do we have to take 5 voice tests, don't they understand if you can do one or two, you must know what you are doing? Just tired I guess trying to find a good fit after doing this for 20 years.
Test taking
It was for DR and it was just long and timed too.

Are you sure taking all available deductions?
x
taking the spaces away ????
What is the purpose of taking the spaces away?  Any line counter can count spaces as well as characters - and a stroke to the spacebar is the same effort on the part of the MT as a stroke to a letter key - I don't understand the rationale??
I am taking a f/t job with them and am pretty
excited about it. They have been really great so far in the hiring process, and I have never seen anything negative, though not much in the archives. Hope this helps! Maybe we will be working together. Good luck!
well i'm taking some comfort in
that i'm not alone. I've taken a big hit in income due to my own slowness (at least in part). but i'm also working a little less to preserve my nerves from carpal tunnel, which after 33 yr is starting to creep in. I always felt that i could find work easy with my experience, but not so sure of that anymore either. So for me, no, not recession proof.
TAKING IT PERSONALLY??...SM

HOW RUDE!  It's wonderful that you are able to tell what others are thinking or what they want to do.


Who are YOU to tell an MT to go somewhere else?  The poster has a right to her/his opinion just as much as you do, although she seems to be able to express herself with somewhat more class that you are capable of.


Thank you all for taking the time to
post. I truly appreciate it as I might have taken the chance and gotten myself into a mess. Have a great day.
That's OK! We understand! Thanks for taking
I agree with you 100% and am glad I'm not the only one foaming at the mouth at these supposed MTs who beg for less money, who don't want to be paid more or progress in our industry. Its sick, isn't it?  I know many reading this think these posters are mgmt or MTSOs, but sadly I believe they are MTs who just have had their minds so twisted by conniving CEOs that they believe the mantra. Animal Farm, anyone? Cause I sure am sick of being Boxer, the horse! 
Unfortunately, probably the only way you will know is by taking the job and seeing how it fits. sm

If you have a job already, if possible, do not quit until you work at the other job long enough to know that you are in a better situation.  I have read glowing reports about a company and then signed on to work and thought it stunk to high heaven, and vice versa ... have seen companies trashed that I thought were wonderful.  Each person's experience is unique.


Of course, if you read several people saying they were paid late or not at all, THAT kind of thing, I would certainly avoid that like the plague.  Although I do enjoy what I do, I cannot afford to work for free.


I work for Keystrokes and SmartMed and would be happy to recommend either one if the TTS thing does not work out for you.  Of course, the same thing goes for them -- some love them, some hate them.


Good luck! 


Am independent, taking off day and
was told they wanted me to make it up.
Taking post down-sm
So far, only 1 vote to take the post down. Would 9 more vote to take it down, please!
So YOU are the one taking all the work!!
Just kidding
Cindy - and thank you for taking up this cause. We need it! - nm
nm
Taking a poll about VR

Do you use the mouse or the keyboard to maneuver through your VR documents?  Which one do you think is faster?


I think they are taking tips from the Q then.

Either that or my QA person is moonlighting and working at #2 on the side.


Unbelievable.


taking a stand
God bless you for your courage. I am joining you. I have already told my liaison I am leaving and will prepare a formal resignation letter this afternoon. My understanding is that Transcend merges in as of 1 September. I will work until evening on 31 August but, as I told my liaison, I will not offer even one keystroke to a company that offshores. We are in a deep depression (an economic one, as well as personal ones due to what has happened!), Americans are out of work, MTs are scratching for work, and they would DARE offshore. I was told that it was only when the clients wants it. I don't care if it is because Elvis Presley wants it or my pet chow-chow wants it. It is simply WRONG. TAKING A STAND, you have said it far more eloquently than I could have. All I can say is that I agree with everything that you said. I am so out of here.