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But we're not paid by bytes anymore..sm

Posted By: mt on 2008-10-25
In Reply to: To all the whiners, this is sm - Food for thought

in case you haven't heard lately, am I am being honest about it.  We're paid half of what we were paid 10 years ago, salary is going down yearly on a more or less geometric level...this is line by line, got it?


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Means gross line is a good way to get paid, but is rarely offered anymore. nm
s
But there are no in-house jobs anymore; that's why we're
xx
Naw, they're in it for the bucks. Not many really caring docs anymore
nm
I wish you were the norm! Can't find 8.5 cpl for experience out here anymore. You're VERY luck
,
getting paid what (we think) we're worth

You may chuckle at what you're being offered, but there's a possibility that the company you're applying for a position with cannot offer more than that. If they're billing the client 13 cpl but after all of the overhead (401K plans, paid time off, software programs for MTs, employer's share of the SS tax, etc), comes out 5 cpl (which leaves 8 cpl), how are they going to keep enough for company expenses (i.e. lawyers, accountants) and still pay a decent line rate to the MTs.

So, unless you have access to the accounting books and have access to the profit and loss statements, you don't really know why MTs are not offered more than they were in the late 1980s to early 1990s.


We're usually paid by the line SM
I think MTEC is worth it, at least from what I hear.
If you're paid on production, SM
I'd very strongly recommend buying a program. Looking things up in a book takes so, so much more time, and wild card searches are the pits at very best.
If you're not paid for your time
you shouldn't account for your time.  It's none of their business if you have to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water or even load the washer or pet the cat.  They just want control which they don't want to pay for.l
Actually, no, it's poor you! You're the one who paid all the money
ha
Why does that bother you? You're getting paid to type
what is dictated. What does it matter if it is "Mrs. Smith" in paragraph 1, "Ethel" in paragraph 3, or "the patient" in the recommendations? LOLOLOL


Of course not, and that's why we're paid the BIG BUCKS to transcribe.
x
You don't care WHAT you're paid???? Gee, that's real sad........
 
Depends on where you work and how you're paid
kj
If you're paid by the hour, and not by the line, YES.
.
We're paying 9 cpl and everything transcribed plus spaces is paid for.
/
Bytes
Do you have any material that one can refer to study this method? Any input on this would help.

Thanks
Why would they care? Management is paid salary and that's all they're concerned with.
We're an expendable commodity to those people. If we quit, we're easily replaced.
Yes. Three months paid training? That's just ridiculous unless you're working
in the office.  What service can afford to pay an MT for three months of training?
Just wait till you're 10+ years into it and getting paid half of that.
x
You're expected quota depends on whether you are paid hourly or per line. SM

I'm paid hourly and I was told the requirement was 50 or more reports per day.  I've never worked QA per line, but I'm sure their line quota is pretty high, at least 2000 or better per day, as you get credit for every line in every report you QA.


Hope this was the answer you were looking for.


How many bytes equal a line?
I need to find out how many bytes equals a line. Any advice would be helpful.
To be EXACT 1024 bytes = 1KB.
//
$1.50/1000 bytes (about 9.75 cpl/65c w/spaces)NM
d
What a lame excuse. Move forward on your lawsuit, cuz you're not gettin paid.
k
For QA consulting I'm paid per hour; QA instructing (college) paid salary, QA editing paid per li
I am an IC and work for two different MTSOs as well as instruct at a business college.
60 bytes equals a 60 character line. SM

If you have a document that equals 30,000 bytes you divide it by 60 to get 500 lines.  If your line rate is 7 cpl, you have made approximately $35. 


They used to do this years ago, before AAMT came out with the 65 character line standard.  It all works out the same way eventually. 


Bytes versus characters? Does anyone do their billing this way? sm

If billing by bytes do you divide this by say 65 (standard line), same as for characters?  Thanks so much.


 


 


Any body has heard about counting lines a 60 bytes?
I thought line counts was characters or keystrokes. I have been approached by a MT company who say they charge as "bytes". Does anyone know how we count using bytes?
File sizes are saved in Kilobytes. 1,000 bytes equals 1 Kilobyte.
x
if mt paid 9, editor paid 4 or 5...how can company charge 14 and make it..sm

I know the going rate in our area is 14 cents per line.  As MTs most companies here pay us 8 or 9 cents a line.  Now add in the Editor rate at 4 or 5 per line..you are paying OUT more than you can charge a line.  How would companies stay in biz?


Unless all work is sent by the company overseas at pennies per line, this would not pay for a company.


just curious how this works out


But how much are the US EDs gonna be paid? Typically this work is paid at 2-3 cpl. nm
:+
You don't get paid an hourly rate you get paid by line - sm
so because of how you are paid (not an hourly rate) you don't get OT, especially if you are an IC.
I would move on. I think it is so unfair not to be paid for spaces! I think we should get paid

per keystroke, but that'll never happen.  I just think that these national companies are going to keep finding ways to cheat us.  I found a job working for a hospital as an employee, paid hourly plus incentive, and they let us expand everything!  Somebody's gonna have to kill me to make me give up this job.  I will never go back to the national's again.


I feel for you though.  I know that for us MTs those good jobs are few and far between and some have little choice but to work for the nationals.  I just happened to luck into the job I have now.  I just applied at the right time. 


Good luck to you whatever you decide.


If those companies paid a fair wage, and paid more
all came out equal, people wouldn't feel the need to try to make up the deficit by going for the good stuff. I actually prefer the harder, juicier reports. But I can't make a living doing only that, because the pay is not commensurate with the difficulty. So even though I prefer not to, sometimes I have to pick up some of the easier, more boring 'line-o-matic' reports just to make ends meet. Tell your MTSO to make it work their while, and MTs will stop taking all the easy work away that you obviously would prefer to keep for yourself.
You wont show UE being paid because it is employer paid -
the employee will never have to pay this.
What you "should" be paid and what you "are" paid

sadly are two very different things.  Good luck on demanding more..because someone else will just come along and take it for what they offer and they know it. 


10$ late if invoice is not paid within 10 days. At day 15 work stops until invoice is paid. Hardly
xx
do you ever wonder anymore when they say
they 'lost the account' if it went to VR or somewhere else?  Was it an easy account? 

Perhaps you just need to get used to the new one.  That happens to me, I panic on new accounts, and then after doing them a few weeks they are just as easy...

Sorry to hear you are losing money, though.  That can never be good when that happens to one of us...
No. I do not believe so. Not anymore.
i know too many companies who suck too bad.
Do they pay much anymore? (sm)

I've seen a few ads, one I saw yesterday paying a whole $25.00 for each audio tape.  The audio tapes were each one hour.  Puleeeze!


So if it took you 3 minutes to do their 1 minute, you would make a little over $8.00 an hour.  That is if their recording is good enough to understand.  If it took you 4 minutes to their 1 minute, you would make a little over $6.00 an hour.


I used to, but not anymore. sm

I went to Wal Mart at 6 a.m. (only because I was already up) a couple of years ago and people were literally fighting in line to get to the door.  I got in my car and went home. All I wanted was a 13 inch TV that was on sale, but figured it wasn't worth it.


I went back the next day and asked a salesperson if there was any chance they might have any of those 13 inch TV's left and he said, "Oh heck yes. We have hundreds of them out back. How many would you like me to go and get?"


Well, I just had to buy 2.


Not anymore
Just a couple of weeks ago it got hacked and let through all kinds of worms/viruses.
Not anymore
I used to type verbatim and thought that was the way it was suppose to be as an MT until I was told that I needed to correct grammer, punctuation etc. from the company I work for "which is part of being an MT and not just a typist". So, since I was "informed" of how things were I make changes if necessary.
Don't cry anymore...get out as soon as possible.
Please follow the advice that has been written here in this thread... You've given this man (?) every chance.  I wasted 7 years of my life to an alcoholic who was selfish, could've cared less about his sons, and all the while, I was hoping and praying that he would change.  As a matter of fact, I gave him an ultimatum, and he is the one who left.  It was a Saturday, I cried all day, didn't have a job, never had a job, what was I going to do?  Well, come Monday, I went to the Welfare Department, got an emergency check, and by Monday afternoon, I was singing, dancing around, thrilled, and my kids had not seen me that happy all of their young lives!  Really sad when I think about what I let them go through!  It is not fair or healthy for the children, and to think I cowered until HE made the decision.  After I left the welfare office, I thought how easy it was, and why didn't I do this sooner. Then, when I got my bearings, I went out into the big world and started working, scraped of course, but life went on, and the kids and I were happy.  As the old saying goes, you have nothing to fear but fear itself.  Please do this for yourself, but especially your children.  God Bless You and give you strength. 
yes, but not bad anymore.
it took numerous dermatologists to even get it diagnosed right. But mine itches fiercely. Used to have to take anti-itch meds orally. I have a mild case right now on my hand and legs. Years ago, had an Rx specially cococted at the pharmacy. The only component of that I recall is urea. Avoid hot water and soaps as much as possible. Other than finding a GOOD dermatologist, I'm afraid I don't have any advice to offer though.
Not anymore.
x
from someone who does not have Mom anymore
I don't have my Mom around anymore and so with this in mind what I can suggest is time, do something with her, make time for her and make her feel important.   Give her your undivided attention.  It only has to be a lunch, a drive somewhere with lunch but most of the time all they want is time with their children.  Just like when we were children and wanted their time and attention, now it has come full circle and they want our time and undivided attention.   Even if you don't get along that well with your Mom, try it and see if it works.   Wish I had more time with my Mom and there were times we did not get along but would love one more Mother's Day.    Just a thought.
Not anymore, but I was 24 when I got into MT, 34 now. nm
x
Used to like her, but don't anymore (sm)
I agree.  Who cares what her favorite things are? 
Not anymore!
Happened to me too. I now work for a company that charges the hospital by the minutes dictated, so even when they do change their minds, I'm still getting paid.
I don't SR anymore but
I really liked it when I worked at the Q. The complaint that you can type it faster than edit it never applied to me because I used to be reading and editing way ahead of where the dictation was. After a while, I learned to interpret some of the garbage ASR put in and would change it before it was even dictated. So I was actually editing faster than it was being dictated. I am not sure I explained it well, but no way I could have typed it that fast.