Hi! You got lots of great advice! As for $3 a page

for me, it works! Most docs pay $1 a page where I live - which is horrible to me! And the particular docs I transcribe for have "normals" set up where I might transcribe 2 or 3 paragraphs at best per report - everything is just pretyped as a normal, so I am more than happy with the $3. That's why I have the account and other's don't! Even if its 2 lines on the final page, that is a page. I tried to explain paying per line, and the doctors got glazed eyes.... I made a note myself of the brands of equipment others have recommended in lieu of Sony and Panasonic, but I must say that mine have lasted for over 2 years without a problem, and I got them used. I still wouldn't buy lots of equipment unless I had lots of $$ floating around! I have C-phones and foot pedals galore that I have bought and never used once....Well, again, good luck to you!

• Patti or other MTSOs... - wc
  • This is an EXCELLENT thread--thanks! nm - MTG
  • ok guys, all of this makes easy sense to me but - dcc
    • Finding accounts. Start with your own family doctors and even if they don't - MTSO
    • Contacting - Patti
      • guys don't yell at me, but do you need to get a - dcc
        • you are still an IC when you're a business, you stop being an IC when...sm - JoV
  • As far as calculating rates, see message inside - MTSO
  • See message - Small MTSO-IC
    • Basic equipment - Patti
      • no no no - do not use microcassettes - go digital/internet and this is why...sm - Old MT
  • above - passing
  • You are not stupid, so lose that thought! Your - MQA
    • $3.00 a page. I wish $300 - sorry. Also by fake it, I - MQA
      • Thank you SOooo much MQA !... - wc
        • Hi! You got lots of great advice! As for $3 a page - MQA
        • Some advice - Patti
          • And do NOT print for them! this is why...sm - Old MT
            • Advertisement - Patti
              • I agree with Patti! All that FTP talk and doc - MQA
                • Hey, MQA! Can't talk until tomorrow...under the whip... - wc
                  • I'll be here! Good luck tonight!! Hope you have work - MQA
          • per page - stephanie
            • Per page - Patti
          • thanks again Patti... - wc

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and by the way, I'm always amused by the "doctor's wife being the office manager" thing. What a joke. Obviously it's some insecure shrew who feels the need to keep an eye on her "investment" if you know what I mean. That's all too common, unfortunately. Same with nurses who end up "flinging" or "marrying" a doctor they met at work. "If they'll do it with ya, they'll do it to ya" in the words of Dr. Phil, and in my words, "you don't sh*t where you eat".

Wow!  Thank you all for the great advice, it really helps to get the support and advice and opinions.  I have decided now to go for it... .16 per gross line and hope that the chiro's will accept that offer.  If they don't agree, I guess I can then decide whether to keep the same arrangement or find something else.  It's time to venture out of my comfort zone. 

Thanks again, I am always so impressed by all the help here on this board!!   

when it comes to dinner, treats or toys.  They have to be separated during dinner, separated to be given treats, and sorry to say, don't have much in the way of toys.  The rest of the time they can be practically right next to each other and nothing has ever happened.  Two of my dogs are greyhounds, so one little scratch can send us off to the vet's office, so I've learned to be very careful!

When I worked for a national, up thru 2 years ago, I was getting $1.75 page and heard they got $4.

I have been an MT for over 10 years.  I also am getting burnt out, tired of my job, day in day.  However, I do love transcription and make excellent money at it, have grossed over $50,000 per year the last 5 years.  I decided to go back to nursing school and am very happy with my choice.  However, over these 10 years of transcription I have had my ups and downs.  My biggest issue with being at home working is lack of socialization, being home day in and day out with just the kids and the animals really gets to a person, sure hubby is home at night and thinks working from home is the easy life, thus the return to school and boy has my overall enjoyment of life changed once I realized I was the problem, not everyone else and I needed to find myself again.

Anyway, my biggest advice to you three-fold:

1.  Get into counseling for yourself, find out who you are and what your needs are, whether or not you think you need to, I sense you are feeling overwhelmed and need someone other than your family to talk to that can be nonjudgmental to your feelings and needs.

2.  If you're only making $100 after you pay preschool you can either keep doing it and be miserable, or quit because you are lucky enough to have a husband who can support the family without your income. (See how fast his mind changes just by losing the income you do have as to whether your job means anything.)  Or look for a different company or office that you like more and are more productive if you really want to do transcription (lots of fish in the sea as far as companies).

3.  Find a local "mom's" group where you can get out and socialize.  MOPS (mother's of preschoolers) is an excellent one that is nationwide, they have a website.  Also Mom2Mom is in a lot of areas.  They provide a once a week time for moms with kids the same age to get together, socialize, (some offer spirtual guidance some don't) and each week a different mom takes a turn watching everyone else's children at the facility that hosts it so the other moms can talk about things they have in common.  Every stay-at-home and work-from-home mom needs to socialize with adults, without their kids, or they will have a nervous breakdown eventually no matter how much they love their kids.

Sorry so long but it does get better but you have to take the first step at making yourself happy.

I get paid gross line and from top to bottom of the page.  My rate is lower which is what the docs like and on chart notes just take the line count for word.  Kind of like your two lines on a page you get the page.  One word on the line, I get the line.  Also with my clinic notes, there is just one blank in between patients but I do get that line.  Of course I cut apart the notes for the clinic so that kind of pays it.  I also make good money and can't complain. 

You need to turn it around so the doctor feels he is "saving money" by being charged by the line and therefore for only the part of the page that is completed.  Tell him that if you charge by 1/4 of the page anything over 10 lines would be a mininum of $1.50 - 2.00  and so he would be paying for part of the page that would not be filled up.   The same applies if he were to go only 1 line past the 1/2 page mark and thus pay for the entire page.  So make it seem more economical for him.  Also make sure that you figure your line charge out in the font you want to type in and if he wants a smaller, convert it over to charge out.  As long as they know that a gross line -- which is what I charge -- consists of how many characters in the Courier 12 font in, you are not cheating.  But show him how it would be beneficial for him to do the line charge and don't go with an attitude of "my way" show him you are looking out for him.   I would probably start out around 12 cpl per gross line as you will probably get a lot of standards that you can set up, etc.   So if work up to 200 to 300 lines per hour that is very good pay. 

Patti