these kind of attitudes are why I sm
Posted By: MT30+ on 2009-04-28
In Reply to: Hope it is not a BAD account...nm - nn
quit working in an office years and years ago. Too much back biting and back stabbing. I always had the idea that if people would stop with the snipping and worrying about what everybody else was doing, they would make more money themselves. Good grief!
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Attitudes. sm
I have never been able to wrap my thought around the theory that offshoring is good for the American MT. It has lowered the living wage of the American MT and allowed large companies to treat good MTs badly. There is no denying the fact of this. The fact that the AAMT has seemingly embraced offshoring as inevitable, all the while mentoring and certifying offshore MTs was their death knell for me and many others. The AAMT never accomplished what it promised to do all those many years ago when I was deeply involved, i.e., raise the awareness in the medical community regarding our skills and professionalism, keep us at a decent working wage, et al. AAMT sold the AMERICAN MT down the river. Companies like Medware, who would feed pablum regarding offshoring is good for us have made that river an ocean. I will no longer be a member of AAMT and will not be renewing my CMT. Frankly, I never got any recognition for that title anyway. I don't know what kind of reception you thought you were going to get here, but I do think that since there are few people here whose opinion you regard, considering the anonymity, perhaps there are other arenas where your thought processes would be more appreciated. It is curious that those of you who continue to defend offshoring never bring up the confidential aspect of medical records going offshore. Is it so small a concern or do you really think that instances, such as with Lubna Baloch, cannot happen again? Regards.
rotten attitudes
Who wouldn't have a bad attitude with the way some of these companies think THEY own their MTs. Thank God I got rid of the rotten companies out there and believe me there are several. Make you promises and never come through. I will never ever let another company OWN me. Something is stinky out there!
meant attitudes (sorry)
Sure I'll be slammed for misspelling.
OUR attitudes sadden YOU?
Who do you think you are talking to? You could use a little perspective on exactly what you are doing.
I received in-house OTJ training at MD Anderson Cancer Institute back in 1974 in the radiotherapy department, back in the day when MTs were valued at least enough to be given the chance to train while making a living wage with great benefits. Back then they did not have to go into hock for a couple of years at some community college or technical school to learn a trade that requires nothing more than a few hours of terminology etymology instruction, a good dictionary, an endless source of dictation and a healthy dose of blood, sweat and tears to hone the skill of a trained ear.
I advanced into medical records in less than a year where I was trained on that new-fangled contraption called a word processor and worked for another 3 years before receiving an irresistible offer of a 30% pay hike and better benefits, NONE OF WHICH I had to pay for....zero deductible, I might add. When my son came along, it cost me a mere $18 per paycheck to add him.
I continued in-house for 6 years or so until the dreaded O monster (outsourcing) reared its ugly head. The hospital where I was working provided me with the referral I needed to chase my account as it kicked its MTs out the back door in the middle of the night, stripping them of employee status, benefits, good hourly pay and self-respect.
I stayed with that hospital account as it was pitched around from one new MTSO to another for the next 10 years...the same amount of time it took for any of them to even BEGIN to entertain the idea of restoring even the most basic of benefits. During that time, I had NO sick time, NO vacation time (and hence worked 8 of those 10 years without taking one a SINGLE day off), NO holiday pay and NO training provided, despite the fact that we were expected to negotiate the onslaught of advancing computer technologies. I missed 8 out of 10 Christmases with my son, worked all other holidays every single year, and 48 to 60 hours a week. The only way I could get a raise was to job hop.
By the time benefits started to emerge, I had a full-blown chronic pain syndrome from endometriosis (which I had to tolerate since I could not afford the surgery), had developed high blood pressure at age 33 and finally suffered a physical collapse from degenerative disk disease at multiple levels which showed up shortly after the high blood pressure. None of these medical conditions had ever been present in my family. I also got caught up in the MTSO schemes that kicked us out the back door once again (trying to avoid that benefits thingy) when we were sent home and expected to buy our own equipment and stay current with that according to whichever way the wind was blowing back at the home office.
This was not that easy as a single parent, once my divorce was final. The marriage could not handle the hours, stress and the fact that I was missing in action in my own home, holed up behind a closed door typing my brains out at all hours of the day and night, trying to make mortgage payments on a modest duplex to keep my son out of gangs and off the apartment complex parking lots when he got older.
One morning, when I tried to get out of bed my back pain was so severe that all I could do was crawl around on my hands and knees. With the next 6 consecutive nights of near total insomnia and worry over losing my job, I was forced to resign. By that time I had neglected my health (and the rest of my life) for more than a decade. I did manage to check myself into a county facility where I was diagnosed with chronic clinical depression. I lost my car and my house. My son had to move in with his father and I had to move back home with my aging mother who was on a fixed income. We became each other's caretakers for the next 7 years until she passed. My son became a man during that time and went away to college.
After 7 years, I returned to transcription in 2001. At first, the pay was not too bad and the benefits had improved in my absence, but lo and behold, not for long. Outsourcing had taken on a whole new meaning and as jobs were exported in ever increasing numbers, our line rates stagnated for a while before they took their current free fall tumble...for me, 20% in the past 3 years. In the past few months, the jobs that offer benefits have all but disappeared from the boards and at age 60, I am not really sure that I can relive this nightmare yet one more time.
So here you are, whining about our attitudes while you just inch your way between me and my measly 8 cpl, sticking your fingers in the penny pie and pulling out a couple for yourself while you think nobody is looking. WRONG. We're paying very close attention to you and your ilk along with the rest of the disintegration or our profession. Don't you DARE ask me for my understanding. I've paid my dues time and time again. The well is dry and there is no place to go from here except straight down to the bottom. Make no mistake, you will be tumbling right along with the rest of us, despite your best efforts to paint that rosey picture and that fairy tale your are trying spin. Enjoy the ride while you can. Time is short.
Posting attitudes here
I know that working from home as an MT is in itself an isolating job, been doing it for many years and enjoy it very much. In fact, reading these posts remind me how much I enjoy it because of the back-stabbing, snide and rude remarks. Would some of you say the same thing you post to someone's face in person? I think not. Just because we are *anonymous* doesn't mean we can hit and run and say things we ordinarily would not, without manners or consideration.
None of us will ever agree all the time, that's not the point. Can we at least be nice to each other and have a debate without the nastiness?
Thanks... Happy Memorial Day weekend y'all. 
I think that attitudes like yours are the reason companies are looking elsewhere. sm
You work from home to be with your family and not be treated like you are in an office? Give me a break. Act like an employee who deserves to get perks and maybe you'll be treated better. Follow your shifts (not signing in 2 hours late and ending early) and you won't get a mean email. You sound like a high school student with their first job. Where is your work ethic? I do not agree with te work going to other companies, but they seem to want to work while a lot of U.S. MT's do a lot of whining and complaining. No wonder they want to replace us. Less headaches and hassles for them. They want to make money.
We've chased our jobs away. Not all of us, but those of us with attitudes like the above poster.
Am I angry? You bet. Do your job and they will have reason to look elsewhere. The rest of us who work our shifts when we are supposed to shouldn't have to suffer because of attitudes of others, but those attitudes seem to be the majority.
I would have to agree. I've been the "victim" of such attitudes.
Gosh forbid but I actually dared to misspell a word on here about 2 months ago and got blasted. I've never seen such bitterness, and quite honestly my observation is this...I had always worked outside the home up until 3 years ago when financially I was able to and wanted to, just work at home so I could be home more for my last child at home and not commuting so much. Truly, I have seen so much bitterness and hostility that I never experienced in the outside workplace as a non-MT. Sadly, I have even have found myself falling into this negativity. I'm not sure whether it is the social isolation that brings you to this point, where you feel unable or unwilling to communicate appropriately with others or what. I have honestly found MTs to be a different breed, through no fault of our own. Again, possibly isolation, disappointment (the biz gets worse and worse as far as work and pay) or just the feeling stuck thing. Myself, I do feel isolated from the real world and I feel stuck because now that I have been here so long it is hard to adjust back out there and trust me.....I have tried, only to come running back home. In any event, for whatever reason we're all here..necessity or otherwise, we should be what this board was intended for...a support system. Yes, some days we need to vent because no day is perfect. I think we should all be able to do that without being called names. Then, I think we could do some encouraging, and if I have misspelled a word or used improper English, punctuation or whatever, I hope I won't be scorned. We all are different and we're not perfect. Thanks 
actions and attitudes speak volumes
....
The staff and the attitudes of the staff. Very helpful, cheerful. (sm)
They seem to work extremely hard to balance everything out, enough work, enough MTs and always making sure they let the MTs know they are a valuable asset to the company. That means a lot. Not to mention the bennies are pretty good, too.
No, not how many rotten companies -- how many rotten ATTITUDES are on here!
Don't be so gullable.
I wonder if you would be kind enough to tell me......
exactly what constitutes "good reason" for my home phone number to be given out to anyone by Lee as it was?
I'm sorry. I went to work and then had to come back to ask this question. I even looked up *confidentiality* in my Webster's trying to find the loopholes.
Thank you.
She was very kind
and all, but Lee or someone should know that she is misrepresenting herself. She should know that it's OK to say, "I am new to Keystrokes and feel that this is a great company to work for" instead of lying and saying "I have worked for Keystrokes for X amount of years and they are great" when she had only been working there a few days. There is no need to lie to people.
I am using one, but it must be the right kind
At some point, and I think it was when I installed Express Scribe, I could configure my footpedal. Try to do it, and if it won't let you - then you don't have the right kind of footpedal (it's either 9 or 13 pins, I can't remember which).
What kind of pay for V/R? nm
x
What kind do you like and what don't you?
Is is the work types, or the dictators? What I don't like are the long pauses in dictation. I have heard a couple of the dictators seem to hit a pause button, but most of them don't know how to do that.
What kind of changes? nm
x
What is the use of this? I have been getting this kind of
run around also, but why would companies treat MTs this way... no loyalty breeds no loyalty in return. I hate to say misery loves company but seems like more than we have had this happen. How to stop it is another question. IMHO.
Actually, I kind of see it although we
did it to ourselves. Suddenly, you were supposed to be Super Woman, it was the new version of Once Upon a Time. Get a degree, get a job, earn the bacon, fry it up in the pan, etc., somehow you end up being the one who gets the kids and hub up and out the door, taken to the doctor, drop off the dry cleaning, excel at work and keep a clean house and by the way, don't forget to look spectacular at all times. of course, if you are in a bad mood, your hormones must be at fault. Been there, done that, got the bumper sticker and the T-shirt which I now use to dust furniture!
you are EXACTLY the kind of sm
person I am talking about! Was there any point to that? I am not whining. I am stating a fact that there is no point in folks reacting to other people like YOU are reacting. Sounds like you are attacking! The ability to disagree and just down right nasty are two different things and you fit the latter.
May I ask what kind you have?
Maybe it's just Hughes, because my experience has been pretty crappy. I do know that an ex in Missouri had some little rinky dink company; he paid half what I did ($39) and had a signal that was twice as fast as mine and didn't seem to have the fluctuations. I assume that rinky-dink got its feed from one of the big ones but was never able to figure out who. There has to be something better than what I've got now, but few people even have internet in my area except some of the city dwellers with DSL(where populations get up to about 723!!!)
I have a car but if I said which kind
I am sure I would be called management which I definitely am not.
Thanks so much and that is what I was kind of
afraid of. I applied for that one on the job board because of loads and loads of orthopedics experience but they want you to have Dictaphone or the equivalent. I do not have Dictaphone and not sure that I have the equivalent, I have never worked on it so I am not sure what they are looking for.
Feels kind of right, what your saying
"The other troublemaker" 
Sounds kind of
aa
Well I did that kind of production too.....
Until going on the VA account. It's a whole other ball game and a totally different story.
What kind of problems
did you have with your LD service before you got Vonage? I am switching from Vonage to Verizon Freedom because I have been getting disconnected a lot and heard it was from Vonage. Hoping I'm not making a mistake.
K
That's kind of cryptic. What do you mean by that? TIA
.
What kind of accounts do they have?nm
xx
what kind of proof do you want:?
and still have proof of it ALL after 2 years! There will always be those who have a good experience at a company and assume that it is the same for everyone at that company. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is not the case.
OK... I really want to see some kind of link here. sm
I don't believe this for a second. I believe this poster is just trying to stir things up. If this were really true, then the OP would have posted a link or would have provided the source of the information (the news source) so this could be verified. Otherwise, if no link/source is provided where we can verify this, I would just assume this poster is a troll.
What kind of experience do you have?
x
If you are having these kind of problems
I would have to ask why? So many happy MTs getting their direct deposit every other Friday like clockwork, and you are having issues every payday. Plus you mention checks, and we get DD. I can not imagine having to call payroll every payday.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
:-)
I want to thank you all for your kind words SM
and suggestions. It means a lot to me. I'm a pretty optimistic person, so I believe something better will come along...but it feels good to share my frustrations with those of you who have been there, done that, and got the T-shirt!
I better go to work! Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
Just Me
This is kind of silly, isn't it?
I agree with the poster who said that people are entirely too quick to use the term racist. At any rate, I think enough has been said.
what kind of reports sm
$1.20 is OK for plain films, but stinks for MRIs, angios, etc. IF there's a good mix, you're OK, if mostly long reports you'll be working for peanuts. Also, if you'll be typing patient info and headers, that takes so much time. just my opinion.
What kind of information are you looking for?
@@
This is the kind of pay that makes QA
just fall to the bottom. I love mentoring, but please pay me an hourly wage to do it and I don't mean $15 an hour!! I am assisting with my 30 years of knowledge to help a fellow MT become an asset to the profession! Being paid by the line to mentor a new MT is disgusting. I have mentored many and have been a QA specialist for a number of years and in our profession for more than I would care to think and every day I wake up and look at these boards and read the pay, I become more disgusted with the field.
True and kind of not.
I do think that was meant as the laidback lifestyle. I see it as more of a convenience factor in setting the hours most of the time, lack of having to commute, etc. Yes, we should all be professional all the time, and for the majority of us, that is the case. However, there is always a bad apple or two throughout the ranks no matter where you go or even what field.
I agree with what most of the recruiters are saying as far as presentation. Why someone would apply for a job without a resume, I have no idea. Secondly I completely and totally agree with not using cutsy e-mail addresses. I was a hiring manager (not for an MT company), and that was one of the first ways we narrowed candidates down. Those were immediately pitched.
One othe comment about the AAMT. They set a guideline. The client sets the standard.
what is Beyond TXT? Is that some kind of platform?
x
Well see, that's kind of what I'm talking about ...
people in this industry are so scared of losing their jobs, and so quick to turn on each other for the slightest thing, even a post that makes some suggestions and speculations about why things are the way they are. Most MTs seem to prefer to just bury their head in the sand and pretend all the ills in this business will just 'go away'.
When I talked about women-dominated medical transcription, I wasn't referring to management, owners, or above, but those who actually sit down and DO the transcription. And that is mostly women. Women are exceedingly difficult to organize (I've been trying and failing in that endeavor for years at my old hospital). And it's because they've had it pounded into them (sometimes literally) that we're lucky to have jobs at all.
I know I don't have all the answers, and don't recall saying that I did. But I CAN say that divisiveness will not help this (or any other) field in the slightest.
You're right about the government, but that's for another post and another board.....
have you ever done this kind of work before? sm
It is quite difficult and very tedious. People talking over one another, sometimes a lot of research on the internet that you would have to do just to find certain studies and authors. Quite frankly, I do not think $50 an audio hour is worth it. That breaks down to about $12/hour +/- $2/hour, depending on how good you are.
On the other hand, he is being quite generous with the pay, because there are transcription services that are paying $25-30/audio hour for the same kind of work!! That breaks down to $7-10/hour! And there are people that will do it!!
That is just my 2 cents
Thank you kind lady.
nm
What kind of questions?
I once had to take a handwriting analysis at a job interview. Very strange. I didn't get the job but was actually relieved.
What kind of platform do they use? nm
xx
What kind of equipment do you need?
Do you need a C-phone?
I just think it is kind of strange that
inquiries? Do they not have other employees? It seems that only two posters pretty much reply, which one is you (Jo), and the other is KSMT.... Just think this is kind of strange. Are you to PR for keystrokes? Hmmmm?
What kind of coverage?
Is that pretty good coverage or a big deductible?
What kind of connection do you need?
I'm still waiting for a fast connection (one is coming within 5 months), but sometimes go to WIFI hot spots to work. Does TransTech's platform work with any kind of connection? Some of the MTs that used to work where I am working now have bailed to TT and seem happy and relieved.
Does Transtech have any offshore affiliations?
Do they allow you to stay on familiar accounts or do they jumble your accounts and authors?
What kind of a system is it?
nm
Don't know what kind of system they
are using, but they just put in a new VPN server to handle it. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do at home to help staying connected, or if other people had experienced this while running Extext.
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