I've been at it for 30+ years. 'Back in the day', I too made
Posted By: Too Late, Now on 2007-11-27
In Reply to: Disagree. I work 48 hours a week for $65K. - me
about $42,000/year (gross). But the accounts keep getting crappier, and the pay keeps going lower. Meanwhile, I saw gas a $4.10/gallon on the interstate Sunday evening, and I'm slowly becoming a forced vegetarian because I can no longer afford to buy meat or fish.
Meanwhile, the suits at the big hospitals that whine about a 1-cpl increase in the cost of MT have six-(and some seven)-figure incomes.
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I just left after 16 years of marriage. Hardest decision I've ever made, but something that I ha
My husband doesn't want to work. Never has and probably never will and it took me 16 years to figure out that nothing was ever going to change. He has been in and out of college over the years with a number of different majors and when he is on the verge of actually finishing something, he up and quits, because I believe he doesn't want to actually go out and get a job. He loves the going to school part, the studying, etc., but the actual finishing and putting his education to work, that's too overwhelming.
For years I made excuses for him, supported him, and actually believed that as he got older he would mature and finally find his way. He's 42 now and runs off every day with one of his unemployed friends to play frisbee golf or go hiking or water skiing or fishing while I'm sitting at home at my desk typing until my nose bleeds!
I was one of those women afraid of being by myself. I recently had a major depressive snap where I cried nonstop for three weeks. I found a great doctor who became a great friend and she helped me find the right medicine to get my head clear and then she helped me realize that I don't have to be afraid of anything. I was already supporting myself and my kids without anyone elses' help. What was so frightening about leaving my husband behind?
So quietly I made my plans to leave. I let my husband know that I was going to move back home to the area where all my family still lives when school let out this summer. He didn't believe me because I had said it all before. So I just made sure he knew I was thinking about it again. Then May came along and miracously a job opened up at the hospital in the small community I wanted to move back to. This hospital never has openings because they virtually have no employee turnover whatsoever. Everyone's been there at least 5 or more years. I took it as a sign and made my move. Within two days of submitting my resume, I had an interview set up. Without even waiting to see if I had the job, I packed up my kids and our stuff and told my husband "I'm going. I love you, but if you want to be with me you need to get a job and actually be my partner not one of my kids." And I left.
I got the job, thankfully. I've been here a month and I know without a doubt that it was the best thing I've done in a long time for me and my kids. My teenage son had built up a lot of resentment towards his father and their was a lot of anger and tension between the two of them before we moved. Now, my son is happier than I've seen him in years. He's more social, made a lot of friends, and even has a girlfriend now. My daughter misses her dad, but she has always been remarkably wise for her young age and is very open about saying how calm everything is up here.
So there's my story. I would never encourage anyone to divorce or leave their husband, and I haven't actually taken the step to file for divorce yet myself. But sometimes separation is liberating and therapeutic. It has been for me. I can't remember the last time I felt so peaceful.
I've made that before...
Drizzle the cake mix, I use German chocolate cake mix, with cream cheese and a box of powdered sugar, melted together, and the cake cracks and the cream cheese mixture mixes in the middle...oh my goodness...to die for!!! 
Made more 10 years ago
Better dictators back then and the company/facility you worked for didn't give with one hand and take with the other.
Ive been doing this for 4 years and made
37,000 in 2008...A lot of hard work though to get that.
I've been doing this doc for many years, so I've learned how to function with him. sm
I can tell what's a stutter, what's another word, what's just an "uh." Years of experience will get you through a lot.
Wouldn't want to do his charts all day, of course, but a few per day aren't bad. I haven't had to send his to review in a long time, but they do take a little longer to shuffle through.
I've worn contacts for 30 years. I've had both
hard and soft. My vision is much better with the soft ones than they were with the hard ones. When I first started trying contacts soft ones were still new and they couldn't get me to 20/20, so I went to hard. Hard were okay until my eyes started changing shape and then I could no longer wear hard ones. The soft should give you better vision as they conform more to the shape of your eye.
I've made in the $50s and $60s for nationals.
I know 5 MTs, good personal friends, who make considerably more than I do...all on production...all at the top 2 nationals.
I've always wondered what made them do away with the ART? SM
Back when I was starting out as an MT, I worked with an older woman who was an ART and told me if I ever wanted to earn those credentials, she would mentor me. That's all you had to do was sort of do an apprenticeship with a mentor and then you could take the test.
Now, if you want your RHIT, you HAVE to complete a RHIT education program. That's one of the hesitations for me in trying for my RHIT. I'm not sure I want to commit to full-time school!
You can take the CCS exam for coding without a formal education just as long as you have work experience in HIM and transcription counts.
How many MTs made more per line 10 years
nm
made more money 15 years ago than I do now. nm.
x
Like I am saying, what I made years ago and what I make now
sooooooo much different. I do not have to raise a family though now and my quest towards making money is not like it was at 1 time. IF I HAD TO support a family, I definitely would not go into this business now or I would plan on working as I did in the past, 2 full time jobs, then I could make ends meet. I am so glad money is not the #1 thing anymore that drives me.
15 years ago I made 75 thousand
a year, but not anymore. To do that, I had a very good paying FT job, and a home business. I worked 7 days a week, sometimes 12 hour days. Now I just work regular, and sometimes PT. I doubt I could make that again unless I want to be a workaholic.
Yes. I made that my first couple of years.
Now it's at least twice that when I'm lucky enough to have a half-decent account. (Those are getting fewer and farther between.)
Waited 6 years to buy one could have made
and now I can't imagine living without it. I took a job recently and I could not use Smartype on their program, they had an Expander but with nothing in it LOL and I thought I was going to die!!! Get one...it is NOT faster typing it.
Okay, that's it, you've made my "funny" list.
You can't be serious! Ooooooooh Iccccccky. Used to love sardines as a kid. They make me GAG now. I can deal with the crackers though. 
I've made a decision to leave MT...
And to pursue my RN degree...I've had quite enough of being treated as a 2nd class worker...enough!!! I'm tired of paying for xxxx doctor's mistakes. I'm tired of being "talked" to by "supervisors and QA" who know even less than I do. And basically, I'm tired of making squat for wages while I work my fingers to the bone...
So, anyone done this transition before? I'm sure there are some out there who have and have been quite successful at it. If so, I'd love some words of encouragement. Unfortunately, I'm stuck doing this junk until I'm done with school, which will probably be a few years... ...but hey, I've done it this long, what's a few more, huh?
Cuz you've never made a typing error?
you always type without an error?
Okay, Amanda, you've made your point..sm
How about giving it a break and get on something else? Other would like to be heard, too!
You're okay making LESS than you made 10-20 years ago?
I'm not. No, every "job" doesn't work itself DOWN the ladder of success. I'm working to earn a living, I'm working to have goals, to better myself and my way of life. I would never settle for a job that keeps paying less and less. Sorry, but I disagree with you but to each his own.
Same for me, I made more 10 years ago. It depends so much on account, SM
work type(for me), and expanders. I find it hard to stay motivated when report after report is ESL and a work type I can't make money on. The above poster likes radiology, I like OPs. It is easier to stay motivated when you have that.
You're the one that sounds angry. I've made sure
If you need to stoop to that level to live, apparently the one who's made a wrong turn on the pathway of life is you.
People get angry about the prospect that they failed in life. Time to reevaluate, regroup and see why you feel so angry and take it personally when people make statements such as mine.
so far no one has posted they've made 100 grand a year. nm
xxxx
I've never made a negative comment about newbies.
I always try to help out whenever I can. It's not easy to work from home. The matchbook schools and scam ads have people believing they can do something that is a bit more complicated than just taking a correspondence course and immediately knowing everything you need to be successful in this career field.
Believe me, I was desperate to work from home, too, because daycare costs were phenomenal. I started out transcribing TV shows for a media company at first. Then I did worker's comp and insurance letters for a small MTSO on the east coast at $.05 per line. They liked my work and transitioned me to clinic SOAP notes. As for working in-house doing transcription, I worked in an office for ONE WEEK before they allowed me to go home. If I can do it, so can you. It may take some searching, but persistence pays off. That's being proactive. Venting here on the boards and accusing people of things they didn't do are being reactive.
You've made my point with your inspid argument
And clearly if all you are doing is "correcting doctors spelling" you are not a transcriptionist..not sure what you are doing. I stand by my demand for appropriate compensation. Ya'll be happy being categorized as typists and making your $8.00 to 11.00 an hour. Unbelievable you would justify this...simply unbelievable.
They (AAMT) made the rules for years until the internet
and those of us who had been isolated in the past got to know each other on line. We started to discuss this and other issues, and figured out that AAMT is a bunch of bottom feeding scheisters ripping us off while enjoying themselves in Hawaii at their "convention" most likely being paid for at least in part by the dues, fees, and other drummed up charges for useless crap they've gotten out of us before we figured out what a huge money-grubbing hoax their "organization" is.
I haven't made that kind of rate for at least 20 years
Don't know where you live. In my area, that is not good money at all.
I absolutely agree with you. You've made it grammatically correct
hope this all comes through.
Your change is much better than the one suggested below which totally changes the sentence and would not be correct in my opinion.
Fresh out of school 13 years ago I made 8 cents gross/clinic/no ESL
x
Thirteen years ago made 9 cents gross/clinic straight out of school
you've been an MT for four years,
so, based on this information, that would imply that you are a grown woman. If this is true, does your handsome husband know how immature you are? Does he know that his hot wife is on this board making juvenile and childish remarks? Just curious, what makes a babe such as yourself do something like this?
gee, I've been doing this nearly 27 years
And the clients have always liked my work.
That is the only CORRECT in my book ... he who signs the paycheck.
I've been doing this for 25+ years. SM
My problem with changing accounts was not the terminology, the dictators (I do 4 big hospitals even now), but it was shuffling around to remember account specifics. That is ridiculous.
It is another case of an MTSO (not the client, the MTSO) treating the MTs as a cost center instead of a revenue center. The "money" was for the suits and the editors (no offense) and the MTs who did the work were at the end of the money line.
I've been with BTS for nearly 3 years now.
I've never run out of work, been slow at times, and asked for more. If you are a well-rounded MT the work is there. If you are limited to one or two specialities well, work is limited as would be anywhere. As for the pay, my check was been screwed up twice in 3 years. I had the difference in my hands the next day, the fedex the check to me.
Question to you? How did you treat BTS? Where you there to work if and when they needed you? Was your work 98% or better and within TAT? Most employers will treat their employees they way they are treated. It's a give and take situation people. I sign on do my work, send it to the clients and have no problems. If they need extra help somewhere I usually (but not always) say sure (who can't use the extra money anyway). When I want time off, they say no problem.
Did you ever try talking to the owners about your problem with pay or work or to your manage? You can't complain if you don't try and solve the problem first.!!
I've been using it for at least 4 years now and never
had any problems. I love it. It makes it so easy and it's a lot cheaper than paying someone to do it. You can load it on as many computeres as you want as you don't need the disk after it is loaded so me and my mom always go in half on the deluxe version so that we get state taxes included.
I've been in this biz for over 10 years
and can honestly say I've never had a background check to my knowledge. They really should let you know beforehand and I guess it is possible I've had one and not been aware but highly doubt it.
I've been using an erg for a few years.
It took a while to get used to but it did help with wrists. I have a really hard time typing on a regular keyboard now.
I've been at it for nearly 15 years
I consider myself seasoned, not because of my years of experience, but because of how many different types of work I have done. I think that being flexible, versatile, and maintaining a good attitude is what makes a seasoned transcriptinoist.
I've been doing this for years...sm
I have been saying this for years. If they would just contract it themselves.
I've been doing it for three years
I don't really have anything special I do. It's just something I'm used to. I work between 13-14 hours Monday through Thursday and take Friday nights off. I do have to have the TV on though. If it's too quiet, that's when I get tired and start to fall asleep. I don't like coffee, but I make sure to take some form of caffeine. I'll get up and walk around every few hours though.
I've been doing this for 20 years
Been in healthcare since 1972 :) Got halfway through my Masters in HealthCare Administration and stopped because I was NOT passionate about that. Got into this instead.
I am still passionate about my house and everything else I do. I'm 55. I'm not naive, or dumb. Passion comes from inside you, if you're not passionate, it's because you make yourself that way.
Thanks for the tip, but I don't have anything to get over. I don't waste a lot of time whining and complaining though. :)
It's been a few years since I've
been IC, but one of the things I did was to have my husband claim zero and at the single rate. If you're already doing that and it didn't help, you might want to have him pay in a little extra per pay or pay estimated taxes yourself. I thought with federal income tax, my employer did take it out because I was considered a statutory employee but still IC status. I think I had a little extra taken out and claimed zero and married at the single rate. A lot of things go into determining whether or not you owe taxes.
You say you adopted a child this year and will get that tax credit, did you have any children before? If not, then you likely didn't have much choice except to pay estimated quarterly taxes and have both you and your husband claim zero and the single rate. We have 3 children now, which definitely helps, but even still we continue to claim zero on our W4s just to keep ahead of the gov. We like that little "bonus" we get back for vacation, etc.
I know I always paid estimated state taxes. In some cases, you can end up paying penalties if you don't. Talk with your accountant. He/she should be able to give you ways to avoid having to pay in. You probably can't reduce what you make anymore than you already have. It sounds like you've got your deductions covered. Your only option may be to pay estimated. Good Luck!
I've been doing it for many years.
I work a few hours in the morning before kids get up, spend time with kids, do housework, fix dinner, etc. and then I work a few hours after dinner. I get up at least every 2 hours and do something, may put on a load of laundry, may lay something out to thaw for dinner, may take a power nap, etc. I couldn't sit for an 8 hour shift if my life depended on it.
It works for my and my family. My husband works 12-15 hours, a lot of them overnight and he is home by 11 most days, so my schedule works for him too.
I've actually been doing this for years!
i produce 500 lines an hour consistenly and average 3500 lines in an eight-hour day. Anyone who does not believe is jeolous, but that's JMHO.
I've been doing this for 28 years
And I get paid less now relatively seaking than 20 years ago. I've seen line rates as low as 5 and as high as 13-14 (if you're lucky).
MTs are not getting paid according to their experience, not anymore. Our pay has been so undermined by offshoring, if you find a company paying 10 cpl and up, good luck to ya. It is frustrating I know but that's the truth of the matter. I wish I could sing you a better tune.
I've done MT for 35 years, don't know how to do
to learn a new career, I'd be a 70-year-old "newbie". I don't think I'd get any job offers.
I'm with you. I've been doing this 20 years and
was a supervisor for semi-large company at one point, and I don't think it's possible to consistently do 4300+ lines of straight transcription per day...
After you've been an MT for years, have
experience with all the different foreign accents & high-speed/mumbling dictators & develop an ear for them, memorize the BOS rules, JCAHO, etc., then you'll be qualified to do what you're suggesting.
I've been in MT 15 years & have never
paid AAMT/AHDI a dime and never will because they're right in the big middle of selling us out to India. And you know what? Not having my CMT has NEVER been an issue because I know my stuff, have the experience, and test well. They need to rename themselves the Indian Association of MT.
Yes, I've used one for years
Ever since they first came out I have been using. I prefer some of the cheaper knock-off brands to the MS though. Does anyone remember the Wave keyboard? It was the precursor to the MS and also there was an actual split keyboard and one time, where the keyboard broke in half so you typed with your hands vertically instead of horizontally. I also tried learning Dvorak and that was an interesting experience!
I have an MS at work and one at home. My hands hurt less and my shoulders are not as tight. I can't stand to use a regular keyboard as I tend to hunch over and my shoulders get tight, not to mention make all kinds of errors! I don't know about using the "B" with your other hand though. Never heard of that. I just use a standard technique.
I've been doing this for 3 years
and have never made anywhere close to $31,000.
I've been saying this for years. Unfortunately,
all too often, whenever an employer pulls another fast one on us, or in the case of Acusis, pulls the rug (our paychecks) right out from under our feet, we're furious about it for a few days, and by about the 5th or 6th day, we suddenly become complacent and unwilling to stand up and fight against the status-quo.
That fight doesn't necessarily mean quitting your job (or getting fired). Fighting back can be done in your spare time. It can be done on your cellphone on the bus. It can be done next time you're in the waiting room at your doctor's office. A revealing and poignant letter can be written to a local newspaper's editorial page, an internet blog or chat room, a state governor, a congressperson, a hospital CEO, etc. The number of things we can do are limited only by our imaginations. If every MT in the country sat down and wrote a letter to Congress or their Senator (not a cookie-cutter email that gets deleted the minute it's received, but a real, hand-written or hand-typed letter that tells your personal story, of the stories of people you work with, or that you chat with on MT Stars, maybe someone with more clout and a louder voice than we have will see it, grab onto the story and run with it. When a country goes to war, it ultimately boils down to each individual fighting his own personal war. When the state of affairs in our field reaches almost-rock-bottom, which is where it's at right now, the only way for the MT species in America to survive, and not be wiped out entirely, is to network, talk to or write to as many MTs as you can, set up chat-room, or send out emails when possible, and help MTs start a movement. It takes time for a movement to build up momentum, but every little bit helps towards that goal. Even one letter is better than no letters. One person in your doctor's waiting room told what's happening to their medical records, and the quality of their care when their records are offshored, is better than no one told. We need to start making our voices heard. Not too many of us are going to last another 2 years in this business at the rate it's deteriorating.
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