Are you worried about possible MT job market glut then? I am...
Posted By: starting to think about moving on purty soon (nm) on 2005-10-03
In Reply to: I'll probably wait until January... - MQGuy
nm
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the market will pay what the market will bear...sm
just the fact that jobs are posted for this pay means people are taking it. You have to remember - we are in a global marketplace now. We are competing against people from India, Thailand, Cambodia for these jobs. If the Mexicans could figure it out, we would be competing against them too. It's like washing dishes. Washing dishes isn't easy. Why does washing dishes only pay $5.50 an hour? Because they can find people to wash dishes for $5.50 an hour. Not only that, but MT work was getting cost prohibitive for a lot of people. That's why some other really, really smart people said, "let's find a way to make computers do this! Then we can sell the programs so docs can buy programs instead of paying MT's." Then some other really really smart people said, "let's not even have docs dictate. Let's have them point and click!" And so MT's are also competing against VR and EMR.
You may say ..."If a company offers me 7 to 9 cpl, I let them know that it is an insult to expect an experienced, highly skilled Transcriptionist to be offered such low pay and I refuse to work for them." But if your current job goes bye-bye, and you're scrambling out in the market and that's all that's out there....well, you get the picture. If you want the job, you take the job for that pay. Otherwise, yes, it's get a job at WallyWorld. Your choice.
Now you know the local job market and my
home situation better than I do. For your information, I make more working parttime at home doing MT than I would working fulltime for any of the local advertising agencies. Plus, I don't have to travel or put my kids in daycare.  Thank you so much for your concern about my employment situation, though. And please, get off your 
In the market for a new computer -
I will not buy MS Vista - I hear it's a nightmare. TIA
When you market your services with a
business name and a business license, it shows the doctors or hospitals that you are representing yourself as a professional business and are not just a homemaker or housewife trying to make a few extra bucks. They will treat you with more respect and take you more seriously, and in turn will be willing to pay you a fair rate as a respectable businesswoman. Think about any business in your community or town. They all first procure a business name and a business license before they open their doors. You may be working from home, but you can will present yourself in this fashion. I would also suggest obtaining a P.O. Box to use as your business address instead of using your home address. Believe me, this works. I have been running a successful small MT business from home for over 20 years now, and I support my entire family on my earnings.
job market update
If your skills are excellent and your experience and references speak well of you, then I believe the job market is pretty good.
But!!!!
You have to look carefully at the prospective jobs.
Please, I beg of you, for the good of ALL OF US, please please please do not take a job for less than 8.5 cpl! Please!
It's a very tough market right now...sm.
I have 8 years experience and have been testing left and right for the last 3 months. I have passed several tests only to hear about the company being put on a hiring freeze and I am added to their waiting list. I have also tested and done very well and not heard anything back. I finally made the decision that I am going to go to nursing school but right now is not a good time either (my husband has been out of work since April of 2008). He finished his degree and STILL cannot find a job.
Keep faith..it will come through. Maybe instead of having to drive into town, you could send your resume to all the local doctors, dentists, veterinarians, eye doctors, anyone who maybe has been thinking they are too busy to do their own notes. I have heard that this has worked for many people. It is always worth the effort. If you are a good general Transcriptionist too, don't just stop at medical. Send you resume to insurance businesses, lawyers, whatever might be there.
Good Luck and God Bless.
Money Market accounts
MM accounts do have checks, but you are limited to the number of checks that you can write per month - no more than 3 checks to a third party. Rates are usually tiered based on your balance - the more you have deposited, the more interest you will earn.
Start here:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/mmmf_home.asp
My family went to a flea market that is mostly run and
attended by Hispanics. There were several vendors selling leather goods, such as wallets, belts, shoes, etc. DH needed a new wallet so he picked one he liked and opened it up only to find a tag that said "MADE IN INDIA." (He didn't buy it.) We didn't look at any of the other leather goods, but found it very ironic that the Hispanics are now importing their "handmade" goods from India.
yeah, in today's job market, the
middle class is supposed to be happy we even have a job. Forget any idea of getting any appreciation for hardwork, reliability, knowledge, or any of that good stuff, just be "happy" to be working... in my next life, maybe!
So what? 8 cpl is what the market will bear. If you don't want 8, don't take a job that pays
x
Instead, if I had $345, I'd put it in a money-market acct. - sm
and watch it grow, rather than putting it towards a bunch of fake 'certification' letters after my name, and seeing that money fly away and earn me nothing.
Sixe of MTSO Market
Does anyone know the size of the MTSO market (how many service providers, how many software co's etc. or a good source for this info?
Going back on the market -- any advice?
Hi y'all,
Three weeks ago I began a new job doing acute care at a local hospital (part of CHS). On Friday they told us that our work would be outsourced beginning in April.... Previously I worked at another local hospital for 9 years transcribing Rad and ER notes, echos, etc. I left there because I need expensive orthognathic surgery and their insurance plan has a blanket exclusion against it. Plus I wanted to brush up on my "big four" skills.
Now I am looking for work. Boy have things changed! I really prefer to work for a hospital or start up my own company again but would work for a service as a last resort. After reading the informative posts here, I have begun compiling a list of "good" and "bad" services so I can avoid certain ones.
Does anyone here have any advice for me? Not general advice about job hunting, but more specific advice about the services -- what to watch out for, etc. I have never done editing/VRT, but apparently that pays less anyway so I don't think I will be doing that.
Thanks.
Really? Hmmmm...you wouldn't know the stock market if it bit you.
Run a stock analysis on MQ under any search engine. Yahoo stock analysts are the ones I use personally. There are advisories and analyses of MQ and Philips in the data base EVERY DAY. There have been "hold" advisories, "sell" advisories, and "buy" advisories any given day. Sorry to disappoint your disillusioned mind. Obviously NASDAQ and regular trade is better, but they are STILL in the ball game, sorry to disappoint you. And you SHOULD be happy at that if you care about the 1000s of MQ employees who have stocks, etc. But, gee, sounds like you're just a disgruntled werker!
Does anyone know any basics on money market accounts?
nm
If you're an overseas vendor here's how to market....sm
Go by medical offices and talk to them in your native tongue. They just LOVE hearing it. When visiting in places like Florida be sure to ask about the last snow storm they had last winter - that's very impressive! In the northern states talk about the warm sunny 70 degrees in February in their state and ask if they're ready for that this year.
Be sure to take brochures showing the fabulous quality of work you do. Be sure you include impressive sentences such as: "Dr. Jones said he would eat ketchup with the patient to review his lab work." After all they don't find it cute to type it like it was dictated.... "Dr. Jones said he would catch up with the patient to review his lab work."
Lastly don't forget to give them laminated card including all 25 digits they will have to use to call your native country. Be sure they're aware that all of your employees in your native country have new names.... Ben, Mary, Thomas and Amy are of course popular choices. Potential clients like getting a warm fuzzy feeling by talking to "Mary" who has a very heavy accent to the point that they can't understand her talking. But hey - she has an American name (woo-hoo!) so all is forgiven!
Be sure to investigate the housing market in your area
In my area as well as most of the U.S., the housing prices are SKY HIGH! Some say there is sure to be an 'adjustment' (downward) of housing prices in the near future. If the prices have skyrocketed in your area also, you might want to take a wait and see attitude for a year or two and see what happens? Just a thought.
I don't know your circumstances, and there may be reasons you need to buy a house right now, but a waiting period would also give you a chance to straighten up or clean up whatever is wrong with the credit.
I feel sad for my two sons, (one of whom is a store manager, but single income), as I don't see any possibility of either of them being able to buy a house at the outrageous prices nowdays.
My husband and I got lucky (MANY years ago) and bought our first house from an elderly fellow who carried the contract himself and gave us a STEAL of a price! He assumed we would default like all the other renters had and he would repossess the house. Ha Ha, not so with us!
Hey, maybe you could try advertising for a house with owner financing. Might be easier to qualify. Good luck!
This is not a new market. Is being done with all offshore companies I have ever worked for. nm
:+
you should be setting your rates according to what the market will bear...
not what you feel like getting. If you like the account, you're familiar with it and able to make good money off of it, you might want to stay at the rate you are at. As a service owner, I used to plan to hire at 7 but bring everyone eventually up to 10 cpl by 0.5 increases every six months. I also used to be able to raise the rates from the hospital, clinic or physician office every 2 years. Nowadays if I bid on a new account, I am regularly outbid at 11 cpl, with 24 TAT. I have discussed it with my IC MT's. If they want a raise, I can try to negotiate a raise from the hospital...but it jeopardizes our account. Every time you raise your rates, it's a signal for them to start shopping around. So I would say, based on what the market will bear, don't expect to be getting raises. Ever. 
Never heard of RMT. In my experience, CMT is worthless in the job market.
x
It's called competition in a buyer's market (sm)
or vendor's (hospital's) market, not low-balling.
Here are two free market listings. You can google search for
freelance writing or editing market/job listings, too.
Writers Write market database
http://www.writerswrite.com/paying/
Writers Weekly market listing
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs/003118_11302005.html
Yeah, but are these other companies trying to put stores in every market in the country?
I think that is what makes Wal-Mart so "evil" and scares me so badly. Soon we won't have ANYONE left to buy our goods from because they force all the other competitors out of business (particularly the small business owners) and then we are FORCED to buy everything from overseas countries/Wal-Mart.
Various analysts are predicting the housing market will collapse soon. sm
Cannot be sustained at the level it is presently at.
No I don't think so. Everytime I see postings about the MT market failing it gets pegged as "n
that's what I think OP is referring to, postings about the dismal future of MT.
You are in a global market now Darlene. If she doesn't do it, someone overseas will.
x
You're asking for part of their market! It'll be a competition
You go ahead though. Keep us all informed.
In the market for a new ergonomic keyboard. I would love some suggestions!!! What are you using??
Right now I'm looking at the Comfort Keyboard ($289) and Ergoflex ($179) that are on e-bay. If you haven't seen them, they basically look like a regular keyboard, just in two halves. I've also been looking at the Microsoft Curve Comfort and the Logitech Wave. I HATE the big, bulky ergonomic split keyboards like the Microsoft Elite. I cannot use them at all. I also tried the Kinesis Classic and after a month, couldn't get used to it either.
Right now I'm using the A-tech AntiRSI keyboard. It's okay, nothing great.
I would appreciate ANY suggestions. Price really is a factor even though the ones I listed are outrageous. I'd rather not spend a ton, but will if I have to.
THANKS!!
Does anyone have any good ideas for back and hip pain from sitting all day? Anything on the market?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
okay, now I'm a little worried....
my husband is on a boat...sort of a boat....which is docked on LA coast. He wasn't worried yesterday as he was talking to me on a pay phone, but he was also getting drenched by torrential rain.
all I can do is pray, I guess
Sorry I had you worried.
I won't let it happen again.
worried
I`m so sorry to hear you all are losing your accounts. It`s really scary, I have been looking for some type of employment since December and still nothing. I was working as a receptionist at a Independent doctor`s office and and because of lack of money and to try to safe money he joined in with another doctor in his office, which had a full staff so most of us lost are jobs. Anyway with all this happening I decided to go to MT school which starts the end of this month, but after reading all the posting`s on here of lost jobs, YIKES! I`m wondering if this is the way to go. In other words I am now scared, worried, and very concerned and just don`t know what to do.
What is going on in the health care field? 
I'm not worried . . .
Those who would bash someone for trying to question a system that is obviously not working very well are people which I refer to as sheep . . . the ones who don't want to buck the system because they're afraid of losing their way. We would still be living in caves if it weren't for those people who had the guts to question and demand accountability.
I was worried about that, too, but...
It looks like you have the option of keeping a minimum-payment land line account for emergencies. You use the same phone for ooma and land calls. You can keep your own phone number if you keep your land line. It sounds pretty amazing.
I got a little pay-as-you-go cell phone awhile back, so I suppose I would just use that to call 911 if I gave up my land line.
I'm not worried.
I'm not worried about any American MT taking my job. I'm very good at what I do. I like my employer and really don't want to be the one to subject them to some of the nasty folks on this board.
Worried?
Yes, EMR seems like the most worrisome of the threats to our jobs. But I had a client who doesn't use us anymore but does use EMR and they have not been able to get rid of their MTs because all EMR can't be done with a punch screen. There are so many variables that some of it needs to be dictated. Now if Kaiser is not dictating and just doing EMR then their records are suffering but Kaiser is an entity unto itself and it makes up its own rules and patient care is in the toilet at Kaiser.
Whew! You had me worried there
I have been worried about my job as well and tired of the pay..
I have been concerned with the MT field as well. I originally got started in this profession to be able to be at home and work when I have children. So far no kids have come along but I have found something else to do in addition to transcribing at home. Visit www.thefreshairshop.com if you are interested. :-)
I figured you must be worried....sm
I know you're worried and I don't even know you. However, knowing insurance, if you go before the insurance kicks in, they (the insurance after it kicks in) will see this as a preexisting condition and may not cover future treatment. IF you can wait 12 days (because even if it was serious, and it may not be serious, 12 days won't make any difference, outside of possibly allaying your fears). 12 days will gallop by!!! I feel bad for you because you're anxious and I'm the same way about these things. Hope you do well !!!!! 
Thank you for posting! I was so worried about
you! I am very proud of you, too! It is unbelievable and sickening, literally, how bad withdrawal is from simple pain meds. It WILL get better, I promise! And, again, we are not addicts - the body simply gets dependent on pain meds, as well as some blood pressure pills, antiseizure meds, and more. The stigma of being on pain meds can be so devastating as well, but you have nothing to be ashamed about! Please do keep us posted!
You had me worried there for a minute! :)
I make a point to take my lunch "breakette" out on the deck. or I'll go stark raving mad! 
I too am worried about the future of MT BUT......
Am I the only one here who thinks this article has nothing to do with us? We ARE NOT simply word processors or data-entry keyers. This says nothing about medical transcriptionists. Just my opinion.
Yep, but they said that about XP, too, so I am not too worried anymore.
n
I'm not worried, but I guess you SM
don't see that not doing everything you can before going to a word board is really lazy, plus it abuses the poor people who do go there to help out.
I am just not worried about VR, EMR, the sky falling and on and on
If the entire medical field goes kerplunk, all you can do is pick yourself off, get another job really fast and heave ho. What else? I have had 2 jobs pulled out from underneath me and I am still here. You can make it also. No use in worrying. I lost a very profitable job to outsourcing years ago and now don’t worry about the fate of Mting.
Aren't you worried
About viruses and stuff? I've heard about this before and it seems like a fantastic deal, but I'm still a little scared that something really awful could happen to my computer by downloading these programs.
I am not worried about being underbid
most MTs are underpaid; I've seen some pretty crappy MTs and actually the really great ones are few and far between. Too many people get into MT for the sole reason that they want to stay home with their kids. They look at it as a way to work from home, and that's it. You get out of it what you put into it. But I know when I didn't make much money I didn't waste my time whining about it. If I had spent my time complaining about it like people on this board were, I would have been stuck right there where I was and I'd still be there.
if you are so worried about it, why don't you call and ask for God sakes!
Why do you care? It doesn't concern you. How much money they have has nothing to do with you. The fact that she presses the media and gives a lot of interviews, lets the media follow her around, etc. is the reason why there is interest in the story. She MAKES it a story.
I don't understand why you would be upset that a mother is getting media coverage for searching for her lost child? Are you jealous of her money or something?
What kind of damage that far in? I am not really worried about
the house falling in on us. The only thing that reall concerns me is the possibility of tornadoes. When Alicia came through, she was only a 3, but she had around 30 tornadoes. That is what concerns me.
meant *Aren't you worried...
Thank you both so much. I have been with MQ for 2 years. I'm worried about the new expander....
I currently use SmarType and I guess it will not switch over. Do you use the Expander that is with DQS? Do they give you directions on how to do the "standard" auto correct. My TC said if you are computer literate, you should do fine.
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