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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Can you ever expect a raise!?

Posted By: JJ on 2008-03-27
In Reply to:

I've been an MT- for 15 years, so I'm not new to this, but is it still common to keep on at the same per-line amount that you were hired at year after year!?  I have been at my current job for 3-1/2 years and still make the same per line and also get no paid days off.  I hate starting new jobs and when I hired on the per-line rate I got paid was higher than most, although it is IC work with no benefits.  The cost of living has gone up so much and I need more money to make ends meet, but I am a bit wimpy about approaching my boss.


I would love some input on the going per-line rate (I do ER and clinic work) and also how often you receive a raise if ever so I can decide how to approach this issue.  Thanks so much!




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This has not always been the case, hence it hurts more. Merit raise/cost of living raise
dd
The raise you're describing is a merit-raise, - (SM)
and I agree that a worker has to go above and beyond in order to get them. But what doesn't seem to happen in this industry is COST-OF-LIVING raises, which should automatically come to workers either in small increments yearly, or in larger increments every 2-3 years. Without wages that are at least somewhat *realistic* (and modern-day MT wages are a pathetic joke), it's no wonder quality workers are harder and harder to come by, and much harder to retain. An MT should not have to work sweatshop hours for 7 days a week just to keep their head above water financially.
what then, do you expect us to do? sm
all go out there and open our own service? Some of us don't want the hassle of finding the work, paying the taxes, hiring the people to do the work, etc, etc...I, for one, am very happy working for my national, which happens to be MQ. I certainly couldn't do any better on my own...and have half the headache to boot! For some, a national just "fits", it just does! Sorry if some people can't comprehend that!
what did he expect?
Yup! Good luck to him, he let a whole lot of people down, including himself.
where do you expect them to go exactly?
I mean really, telling a poor city "evacuate" is ridiculous.  They have no car, no transportation, no where to go, and half of them probably do not have a television set to know they needed to evacuate.  It was probably confusing and paralyzing to them. 
What to expect...

Two things.... Responsible grown  up 40 something people out for a good time, listening to a major staple of their musical experience as a teenager... AND.... possibly a group of 40 something  people who failed to realize that they are no longer teenagers anymore.  We went to a Styx concert a few years back  and there were so many former 70s teens who had obviously NOT grown up yet.  Long hair, foul language, smoking pot.  Sheesh.


But, maybe since it's probably an indoor concert, you might get a better class crowd.  Expect a WONDERFUL evening!  Have fun


I would not expect you to
and there's no way for me to assess what you know.  I would really be interested in finding about 10 people who are really looking for ways to improve and let them try this FREE to get feedback.  I can tell you this, a few years back I went to work for a local hospital.  The "top dog" there was a really sweet girl who had been there for 14 years.  In 6 months, my production was higher than hers.  My supe asked me to do a little one-hour presentation on shortcuts and I did.  Before I worked there, no one even used a shortcut program.  It was a stipulation of my taking that job that I could use one.  Most people said it really helped them, although one or two "old-timers" said they could type fast enough without it.  some people will just resist change whether it could help them or not!!! 
more often than you would expect :( - nm
sss
Come on...you can't expect anything other
 " 






Actually you could probably expect
Phlebotomy is very desirable as well even in private practices.  Good luck!  Welcome to the medical field!
What do we expect?
Good old American kids are taught to the test, especially since No Child Left Behind; but even before that there were tests of reading and math skills at the state level.  Writing and speaking skills cannot be graded on a Scantron, so they aren't part of the test and increasingly aren't taught.  Text messaging ShortHand doesn't help either.  They get into medical school - in a class with how many ESL fellow students?  How many ESL professors?  They get to their residencies - with how many ESL attendings?  What medical school has a class for dictation?  No, the people seen as the least educated (and paid accordingly) will clean up the mess like they always do.  That would be you and me!  Lucky for them, we're good at it!
expect a pay cut sm....
health insurance is HSA w/Aetna. If you do straight transcription you'll be ok, if doing speech, I'd look for another job (which is what I'm doing). Flexibility of schedule is really dependent on your super - I've had some who were horrible and like the one I have now, she's wonderful.
Well, they said I could expect OT immediately..??
We will see on the production. I was told the accounts were overburdened with work and there was a bounty of OT being offered.

We will see.
What do you expect MQ or any MTSO to do?
if they have MTs scheduled to work that don't work their shifts, or that don't produce, their TATs will suffer -- and keeping the client happy is the bottom line to staying in business and keeping you and me employed. So if the work isn't getting done, then they must hire some people that will work. Then of course those slackers will holler when they don't have any. I guess its just the way of the world...
What I expect from my government
When a mandatory evacuation is ordered I expect to be able to get on the hurricane evacuation routes and have enough gas available to get moving. Is this reality........NO.

As far as moving somewhere else, FL has a way of putting a grip on you. Low wages to the point you are stuck literally. I haven't been out of this state in over 7 years due to lack of funds.




Yes, I expect any minute now to

get an email from my supe saying the virus is the reason for the lack of work! 


I mean, I have been given every other excuse so I am sure this one will be next...


You are right on. There's only so much you can expect to be paid
x
don't expect miracles
Let me tell you what to expect on the floor.  Expect older and experienced nurses who are biding their time before retirement to not be available for anything.  Expect to get yelled at by patients and to get very used to the smell of feces and vomit.  Expect to get yelled at by family members of patients who are angry with physicians, but since the physician's don't hang around, YOU get yelled at.  Expect to get yelled at by physicians for just any old thing they want to yell at you for.  Expect to try and find your orders on the chart, some written by the physician (good luck with that) and some typed by an MT who has not been QA'd....with you sitting there knowing your patient needs something but having no idea what (and don't expect the doctor to remember).   Expect to be hit, bitten, kicked, spit on, having things thrown at you.  Little children will hate you because you had to hurt them to get them better.  Expect to get very very sick the first few months..you'll catch everything from everybody, especially if you have been rather isolated working at home.   Also expect to do a lot of crying over that elderly person who died alone, over the child with cancer, the mother who lost her baby.   You think being an MT is stressful, just wait.
Did you expect this reaction? n/m
n
Thank you all. This gives me some insight into what to expect. nm
x
Yes I expect him to fix the pipes.
BUT, he tells me when he's going to do it and how much he'll charge, and HE ALSO TELLS ME IF HE CANNOT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If he cannot, he leaves, and I call another plumber!  DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!  
How do you expect MT to know what is wanted
x
Did not expect a name, just want to see the experience
of people. I am deciding whether or not to be an IC or an employee again after being laid off is all. Believe me, I am not an MTSO or a suit trying to do PR here. Just wanting to know some information on trends to see if IC is a safer bet than being an employee. If I don't get much help here, I will go the IC route, because I already have a couple of offers on the table which are extremely flexible. Did not know if I should try to go back to an MTSO after being laid off again. Thanks for your answer.
If I expect perfection from my spouse, that must mean
I am perfect myself.  I don't know of anyone who is perfect.  I am not so judgmental of people that I expect them to never have bad days and never express frustration, or else the relationship is over.  I'm sure there have been plenty of days in the past 20 years that we've known each other when I've annoyed him to no end.  Sometimes intentionally....  LOL
I was disappointed too, especially that they expect me to believe that people who have been at each
other's throats for the last few seasons (mom and George, Keith and David, and now Claire and her new boyfriend) are suddenly going to have all of their relationships work out fine in the end.  I guess why they call it fiction!
earnings - what can i expect from home?

Hello all ... I've been an MT for 13+ years and my current hospital has OUTSOURCED  my position!  I'm in a crappy  job at the hospital currently, working 3-11, to keep my benefits until I decide what to do, and go on interviews.  I'm considering working for the company that took over the hospital account - but I'm not sure what to expect as far as pay per line.  


If its not too personal - how much do you guys earn at home per hour/week?


THanks so much!  Joanne 


They expect so much from MTs but the other office staff
is paid well and make mistakes (x-ray techs, scheduling, etc), be paid full benefits.

What is UP with that?
You can pretty much expect to lose about 1/2 - 1/3

You will be required to turn in your tax papers and refund check to the Bankruptcy Clerk...he/she will then in turn tell you how much you can have of it back.  They will disperse what they keep between some of the creditors you filed bankruptcy on.  The portion you are allowed will be sent to your attorney.  Our refund was about $3100...we got back $1200 from the bankruptcy court...then the attorney took out their fees for the bankruptcy and we ended up with about $200.


It definitely sucks..but compared to what we owed and got out from underneath of because of the bankruptcy, it was worth it.


WOW!! I knew I was told to expect some
rudeness here, but the degree is astounding!! Why I ask here and not calling a dr is because I did not have a dr to call. Not that it is anybody's beezwax. I did not post asking to be called ridiculous (an MT who cannot even spell ridiculous is just that, ridiculous!!). Syonara!!!
front tooth not sure about $$ but expect....nm

Yeah, I was in there the other day and saw them. I wouldn't expect that either.

Reasonable cpl to expect for newbie MT?

What would be a reasonable cpl to expect as full-time employee (not IC) with a national if you have no experience but do have MT education from one of the AAMT-approved schools?


As an MTSO do you expect more from an IC than an employee...(sm)

I personally would expect the same quality of work from either.  Just curious if others expect better quality from an IC or an employee.  For example, should an IC send in less blanks to QA verus an employee and overall have a better quality work?


Thanks for your opinions.  I have never thought about this until it was recently brought to my attention. 


I guess I would have to say I WOULD expect an independent
contractor to be able to work more independently than an employee. The whole point is you are saying, I can do this on my own, as an IC. However, I only hired IC's and I did my best for the training period to be as successful as possible for everyone all the way around. They still sometimes leave blanks and I find out what it is (although most of the time, if they can't get it, I can't get it LOL) and we all add it to our lists. Working together...
Not at all, but you cannot expect to sue her for stealing a client if she did not know the sm
client was one of yours.  If you refuse to reveal your client list, then you are vulnerable and your noncompete clause is useless.
Why do they expect perfection for pennies?...
 When you work on production to make a decent check you have to push it, and you have all these horrible accents, why, then, do they expect miracles?  Maybe if I had an hourly salary.
you can't honeslty expect to be paid 75k
from at home courses. Let's not even start on the people who have English as a second language who transcribe in other countries. Honestly I think that's why the biz has gone down the crapper. You are delusional to think we are worth that kind of bread.
Funny how they expect you to pull a
freakin rabbit out of a hat?! I'd love to say, "I don't do magic lady!"
They expect us to make the corrections
which is the purpose for sending the fax out, so the MT information has to be on there, which is why I think it should be sent individually. Especially for those who are just learning I do not think they need every mistake broadcast to each MT. But maybe I'm being to sensitive? I just don't think you should be "called on the carpet" so to speak in front of everyone.
No, I expect nothing on a silver platter.
However, I would expect a response to a request for help to be helpful. Otherwise it is a waste of time for the OP, for other people who read here, and for you.

Based on this post and your others in this thread, I think you are the one that does not get it.
I think I would expect after 10 yr to make more than that and move on... nm
x
MQ raise
My last raise was in 1998.  When I asked for one last year, I got one quarter of a cent.  Then three quarters of a cent were taken away from me when I started DocQscribe, as I was told I was gonna make so much more money with DQS.
raise
May want to follow up with a phone call, sometimes if they get a lot of email it is easy to overlook them. That's what I do if they don't get back to me as soon as I think they should, anyway :)
getting a raise
How does one go about getting a raise as an independent contractor? I am not even in the same state. Shoud I e-mail or phone and how long should I wait before asking? In the past, I could always ask a co-worker, but my kids are my co-workers now. Does anyone know the correct protocol?
anyone with DSG ever get a raise?
d
Raise
I've been with MQ for a good while and I'm happy (just because my office is awesome), but I'm an intrigued with their production comparisons (ASR vs non-ASR) and interpreting polls (after the first one I sent that they "interpreted," I never sent another).

My theory on raises: Since the ASR rate will be reduced, you already have a "built-in" raise by not doing ASR. This is not to say they won't give raises eventually, but if you ask for one because you are doing the scum, they will say, "Well, the ones who do ASR don't get paid as much."

My advice to you would be to do ASR. Or get a different job because with MQ, this is the future. At least if you can master it and as the ASR improves (you'll get faster), you won't have a continuous diet of bottom-feeder material. That would absolutely drive me crazy. They probably eventually will eliminate all non-ASR'ers anyhow once the system is more refined.

Just total speculation on my part.
raise?
I hope whatever they gave you in the form of a raise compensates for what you have to go through, day in, day out, without any reprieve, and without even a good doc thrown in for good measure.  Does it?  Was it at least a buck an hour, and preferably two bucks?  Or was it two bits?  Keep your eyes open, MQGuy.  It won't be long before you are OUTTA THERE!   (Will the 0.050 cents per line, or whatever paltry sum it was, pay for your psychologist to keep you as sane as you are now?) I wish you luck, and I mean it sincerely.  They got you hook, line and sinker.
Do ICs ever get a raise? -sm
I work as an IC for a great company.  I have been with them almost 2 years now.  I  would like a pay raise.  As an IC, do I ask for it?  If so, how is this approached?  I have worked as an IC for almost 10 years for various companies.  Some give you a raise, most do not.  I would stay with this company either way.  TIA
Have been there over 4 yrs and no raise other than
across the board raises that everyone gets, latest being $0.002/line.  (No that wasn't a typo, it was actually a very insulting .002cpl).  Was told upon hire there would be merit raises.  Asked about one after a year of exemplary service with 100% QA and was pretty much laughed at.
pay raise
I was wondering when it is appropriate to ask for a raise?  I was thinking around my first year anniversary.  Also, how much is usually given? Do they up .5 cpl or 1 CPL? Just curious. 
MQ raise?
and how might I ask did you accomplishment the acievement of 2 raises in the past 3 months for MQ?