wait a minute! late bloomer please

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your whereabouts, then that is employee not IC.  You'd better report them to the labor board and start keeping the e-mails and the demands of your whereabouts.  No IC should have to account for their time unless they are an employee and following a scheduled shift. 

You may want to look for another IC position that knows what that means. 

Let me tell what this ONE person achieved on her own and then you can imagine what many of us can do if we stand together.

Two years ago, I was working as an MT for a local hospital.  One day, we were told that our overflow was going to be outsourced to one of the nationals, just the discharge summaries and not even all of those.  Two months after they told us that lie, they called is in one by one and fired us because they were outsourcing the entire dept because it was cost effective.  The service they were using was a very large national who I happened to know had a reputation of offshoring.  And I just knew because our little hospital had easy as pie dictators with maybe 4 out of a staff of 200 that were ESL, our work would most definitely be one of the accounts offshored.

I was angry!  Oh, they offered us jobs at the service and told us we would definitely be working on our hospital, but I'm no fool and I knew it would be a matter of time before we were forced to take secondary accounts which would eventually become our primary accounts and our little hospital would just disappear from our queues. 

I refused the job with the service on moral grounds.  I refused to work for a company that offshored.  And then I decided to channel my anger and outrage into something proactive.  I wrote letters to every newspaper in my area.  Every small farming community newspaper this hospital served, and the big city newspaper in the big city close by.  I never dreamed that anyone would pay attention at one woman's rantings.  But a funny thing happened.  My letter was printed in more than one of the papers I sent it to, and reporter from one of the larger newspapers called me and asked if I would do an interview.  I said absolutely.

Long story short, they did the interview and then interviewed the administrator of the hospital.  They put him in the hot seat and asked him about offshoring health information to India.  He had no definitive answers to give except that he would have to look at the contract and make sure that it was stipulated that his hospital's work was not sent over seas.

It was a small triumph, but I took some satisfaction in it.  Two weeks after that and just when I thought all the hoopla had died on my little letter, another letter appeared in the newspaper -- from an HIM director at another local hospital who said as a result of reading my letter and interview, that she had received a number of calls from concerned people asking if their medical information was being sent and transcribed overseas.  She wanted to write the letter just to set the record straight that her hospital employed their own MTs and did not outsource to a service nor did they offshore any of their work to third-world countries.

And I'm still not done.  Still a few weeks later another letter in the big city paper was printed from another HIM director assuring the community that her hospital employed its own American MTs and did not outsource or offshore.

Now, everything has quieted down since then, but I managed to ruffle some feathers and make a point, and if I (one person, one middle-aged work-at-home mother of two) can cause that much ruckus -- think what a whole bunch of us can do.

I think we, as a group, need to take control of our industry and our career destiny and do something.  Maybe march on Washington DC protesting the offshoring of American jobs -- not just ours, but ALL American jobs that are being offshored.  There are more Americans out of work and losing work to third-world countries and corporate greed than just MTs!  Our government needs to hear our voices!  We need to MAKE ourselves be heard! 

Instead of sitting back and pasting little smiley faces in our posts and saying good luck with that we need to come together.  There is no room for MTs willing to accept lower wages, no room for MTs whose hearts bleed for our third-world counterparts, and no room for MTs who want to sit back and do nothing, but reap the benefits when the strong win the battle.  We've reached a critical turning point and it's time to take up the cause and change the future. 

I get paid per minute of dictation.  $1.00 to 1.35 per minute.  100-120 minutes in an 8 hour shift is average or 16-20 minutes of dictation per hour.

I would appreciate information from anyone who is compensated per minute of dictation.  Thank you.

I get paid per minute and was wondering if anyone could tell me some companies that pay by the dictated minute for radiology and have benefits. I am happy with the amount of money I am making and the company but would really like a job with benefits.

Thanks

I have no idea what to even charge!  Can someone help?  Thanks!!!!!!!!

I'd like to address something that's really bothering me as I see it expressed so frequently -- It's what I call THE GRATITUDE TRICK.

First, I am not trying to find fault with what you wrote.  You sound like a fabulous mom and a very dedicated MT.  I really admire you for the sacrifices you've made to accomplish what you have -- and that goes for everyone out there in the MT world who has done the same.  I mean this sincerely.  I am amazed at what some of you have managed to do and how you continue the struggle now.  Hats off to you all!!! 

But I have to question why do MTs have to make such sacrifices in the first place???  It sounds to me like this has been the case for many years now.  If we are the professionals we claim to be, we deserve the same standard of living that any other professional gets to have who works out of their home.  The perks go across the board for everyone who works from home, no matter what profession--gas savings, wardrobe, etc.  We are no different.  This aspect of what our job is worth income-wise is only a small part of the equation.  The difference for us is that we are not fairly compensated for our work as other professionals are for theirs.  THAT is what sets us apart, not the perks.  

I think this is a way the services have used to keep us in submission for years, and it's dirty playing.  I do not feel grateful to my employer to be able to work from home.  My gratitude goes to God for the technology that allows me to do this.  Heck, I'm saving them money in overhead from working from home, buying and maintaining my own equipment and reference materials, paying my own Internet service fee, etc.  No, THEY are making money OFF OF US.  Yes, businesses do that.  They have to earn a profit.  But it is wrong for them to tell us pretty much to go away and be quiet and count our blessings because they are so kind as to let us work from home, thus making us feel that we should be ashamed for wanting to be paid more.  This is nothing but a mind game.  They are using this way of responding to us to shut us up and we're falling for it.  Next, it will be but at least we hired you and didn't send the work to India!  Little by little we are being demeaned by them as they reduce benefits, demand more in production, etc. all the while telling us how lucky we are to be able to work from home and we're falling for it. 

If our profession (and I keep using the word profession because that is what it is) goes down the drain because of technology, etc. then we can't control that.  But let's not help it along by buying into a mindset that says we're not valuable.   Anyone who has the knowledge and skills to do this job well should see their worth reflected in their paychecks, bottom line.  All the other stuff is just icing on the the cake.  

I think we as a body of professionals and as individuals need to have a much greater sense of self-respect, self-worth to begin with.  We are not the cast-offs of the working world!  If you can do this job well, you are no idiot.  And all of us know, this is anything but an easy job.   Many of you have invested most if not all of your working lives doing transcription.  Companies should be grateful to YOU for working for them.  A qualified MT only increases the company's image. 

Now how to become fairly compensated is a whole 'nother can of worms given what we are up against today.  But I think we need to start valuing ourselves more before we expect to be valued by those for whom we work.  This gratitude to our employer trick they use on us has got to be exposed for the dirty trick that it is and it needs to go!! 

I think a lot of our frustration with this profession comes from such mind games.  If you can keep your employees confused, if you can keep them from feeling they have no right to complain, you've got it made as an employer.  They're under your control.  But in the end it weakens employee morale which results in frequent employee turnover which results in loss of production while new people learn the accounts, etc. so it really backfires on them and is a stupid (to put it nicely) way to run a business.   You can run it right into the ground this way.

Even the benefits packages are somewhat of a joke if you can't afford the insurance.  I'm sure the companies have ways to write off those expenses to their own benefit.  That's another trick they use on us.  My dental insurance won't pay the rent.  Pay me a decent enough salary and I'll get my own dental insurance!

If we have any hope of turning our situation around, we need to be able to see the tactics that are being used against us.  Just trying to point out some red flags here as I see them. 

Been there for almost a year. Out of work only about 5 hours totally in that year. Doubled and tripled my income over my last job. Once I get my Expander to full workability, I should do even better.

I plan to retire from there in about 15 years.

There is a company on the Job Seekers board that states that the pay is by the minute of dictation.  I have never heard of this, has anyone else?

I have noticed many companies advertising for Independent Contractor positions yet dictate a certain schedule like a full-time employee, i.e. 1st shift Sun-Thurs, etc. 

Now,  I am aware they need to staff accordingly and have coverage, but come on....these companies do not truly know what IC status is all about.  

If they want you to work a straight 8 hour shift, Sun-Thurs. than hire as an employee and give benefits darn it.    The companies want their cake and eat it too.    No overhead with ICs, but dictate and demand certain schedules and pay squat for it. 

Ok, I'm done.....had to get that off my chest.  Feel better now!

Please, Carlotta, get off your high horse for a minute.  You know darn well that accounts have been overstaffed in order for MDI to shine for their clients in regard to TATs.  There is a lack of balance going on here whether it is over hiring or something else.  There is NOT ENOUGH WORK!  We have been out of work for WEEKS!  And, Carlotta, you hound the hell out of people and threaten to bring their wages down to an impossibly low rate on a prn basis if they don't live up to their committments in a near-impossible work environment.  You are transcription's version of Hitler.

Did you read any of the posts below?  Did you read some of the concerns that REAL people, VALUABLE transcriptionists are having?  Why don't you or the owner care?  You rule with an iron fist, Carlotta.  When you try to say how great the company is, it's a real slap in the face for those of us who are out here in the trenches trying be a part of the MDI team and very little in return. 

You, MDI, should have an overall feel for the accounts.  No, you cannot predict, but you can give us some insight if accounts may be winding down because they are moving to EMR or changing service providers or whatever.  You could be decent enough to guide us in the right direction so that we could continue to be valuable to MDI and support our families.  No, no, instead we get hounded and threatened about line counts.

Did you read below, Carlotta, how we do go to our 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on backup accounts?  Do you comprehend that we have to mentally change gears to relearn account specifics and the dictators and that really slows a person down?  And on top of that, those accounts are SLOW, TOO!

Instead of telling us MDI has the best group of people (management) ever assembled, why don't you listen to the people helping you get your paycheck!  Why don't you prove your greatness by being a better listener.  Do you realize you are impossible to talk to because instead of listening all you do is e-mail responses that are criticizing and demeaning, to those of use who are sincerely trying to work hard for you. 

Come on, please.

My capitalizations are not for yelling, just for emphasis.

Has anyone heard of being paid by the minute?  A company said they did that for the cardiology. 

Anyone ever done that?

I am paid 1.20 per dictated minute. First company I have ever worked for that paid this way.

Company advertising to pay $1 per dictated minute.  How does that happen?  What do they do when the docs are shuffling papers for 2 or 3 minutes and we sit there and wait?  I don't understand.