I've made a decision to leave MT...
Posted By: sm... on 2006-05-11
In Reply to:
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?
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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.
You made the right decision nm
Crass.
Have made a decision that
when dictation is too fast to decipher and doc is an ESL, will leave blanks without hesitation. I am responsible for accurately transcribing what I hear. I will no longer take responsibility for dictation of that which cannot be dictated. If they ask why so many blanks, I will tell them.
I am trancribing for a new doctor. No sample notes. NO IDEA WHAT HE IS SAYING. But, will no longer make it my responsibility.
Guess I have snapped!
decision made
Well I got told today right before I left work that my transcription i do for my department is being sent away anyways. That pretty much made my decision for me. I am getting a lot of support and even from my boss right now. I am going to go ahead and take the at home job and use my left over vacation that i get once I quit and save that for my leave when i have the baby. I feel happy yet scared but i just can't work there anymore. My whole reason for having that job was to do the transcription and it has just dwindled for the past few years and now its going to be gone!!! Most of it is going to this company i am going to be working for. hey maybe I will get my own transcription back that i am losing!!! Thanks for listening and please keep giving me your take on things!
So Toni, have you made a decision??
?
Thanks for your help everyone! I made a big decision yesterday
And I am happy with what I have realized. I realized that what makes me nervous is the seeming unwillingness of my present situation as an IC where this company (perhaps all companies are this way when you are an IC) will actually make sure to keep me working. Their goal seems TAT which of course is to keep the client happy. That means they want very little jobs on the system at any given time, and they will hire as many MTs to keep that true around the clock. At least that is my take on the situation.
So, I made the decision to be an employee at a company which is more of a mom and pop type company. They are hiring on for 2 new accounts and have the full time amount of work slated for each MT they hire, straight transcription. I will keep the IC on the side for now, to make sure this company as an employee works out, but since the IC company does not care how much work they have for me, I have little worry how much I do for them. So, there will be no pressure on my conscience. If they don't bug me, I will do as little or as much as I want on the side and make sure to keep the employee job happy (which has incentives and bonuses). Either way, I guess what I was seeking was a more stable situation. I know I won't find the exact answer in this economy, you are all correct, but I do believe my worry was about mistrusting the company where I am an IC, and even if they were the best company in the world, they probably are not a good match for me if I do not trust them. Thanks for reading this long post. And a million thanks for your advice and suggestions.
I have made a decision. I am going to drive the school bus.
If the best an in-house position can offer is $12 an hour, I might as well make $12 an hour and NOT cripple my hands any further. I will just type part time on the side. Maybe that will pay the bills. This profession has gone down the tubes and I am getting out.
Martha Stewart made a GREAT decision...
Jeffrey was plain WEIRD. His story sucked...
Good point but I have made a decision, this is what I am talking about!!
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The easy part is making the decision to leave, the hard part is
actually doing it. Been in your shoes and it took me a year and a half to leave after I had made the decision to do so. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself and my girls. I had family and friends and a counselor telling me what needed to be done and I knew what needed to be done but until I had the courage on my own to do it I stayed. One day, we had an argument and he spit in my face and that was the last straw for me. Even though it is something that I will NEVER forget, that day is also a day I will never forget because it is the day that I took my kids and left. I am a single mom of 2 and have been single and supporting us for 5 years now. I have been healing ever since and still am to this day. You can do this. I know that if I hadn't have left and I would have stayed one of us would be dead by now or both.
Actually, it was the crummy raises that made me have to leave my job.
Daycare rates doubled per kid in one year, so I couldn't afford to work any more with my oh-so-generous $.25 per hour raise. If you want to get technical, I'm making the same exact money per hour now as I was 10 years ago. So please don't tell me to be grateful for having a job because with 20 years of work experience and a college degree, I definitely should be making way more than I am. Daycare, utilities, gasoline, clothing, groceries, everything has gone up except wages around here.
You should never leave a company until you've had
a chance to try out the new company for this very reason. I know lots of MTs that work for 2 to 3 companies because none of the companies has enough work.
I've always asked if I can leave right away or if 2 wks is mandtatory. Sometimes they just say Go
/
I've never had anyone want more info when saying I wanted or needed to leave. Just
s
Should've held out for the candy bar and refuse to leave till you get it!
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!!!
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.
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.
Cuz you've never made a typing error?
you always type without an error?
I've been at it for 30+ years. 'Back in the day', I too made
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.
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 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.
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.
i made $15/hr before and didn't stay long because i made so much more on production. sm
that was with full benes too. i wouldn't do it for less than $20, but i think even with $20, i'd want benes. are you in-house?
decision
Why not just be honest and say, hey, I have a better offer. Either pay me what they pay me or I'm out of here.
decision
I would have to consider the headaches and extra responsibilities of "lead" and the UNPAID hours you will work if you are salaried and do you still have to type a minimum of time/lines.
right decision
Tinkerbell, I think you made the right decision.
Independent contractors will eventually be forced to move to Vista when their XP boxes die, and they need to get a new computer. But if you have an option of staying with XP, I think for most MTs that course will avoid lots of heartache and problems.
--vJoe
My decision is my own....
I'm not looking for anything from anyone other than just to see if this has happened to anyone else. The fact that she did not allow me to explain the position, account specifics, what I expected, etc. tells me she is a difficult person to get along with. It's too bad too, because this account pays up to 14 cpl, so it's her loss, not mine. There are many other good MT's out there and I have several other resumes I can choose from.
Obviously, your decision
You don't mention benefits...I don't know whether you need them, if you have them with the at-home position, or whether they're a non-issue. I would love to find a hospital where I could get in for 3 days a week typing radiology. It would be great to have at least that much guaranteed money (although, admittedly, if you're part-time they could call you and tell you not to bother coming in unless you're actually covering a shift). Plus, after 20+ years of doing this at home, it's kinda nice to get back out there among people again. I worked for a very brief time for a temp agency and it was actually pretty nice; I felt like a little kid playing dress-up for the 2 days a week I went into an office!!
If you really like the current large company you work for, I would probably hold on to that as well, leaving the door open so that if you found after a month you really couldn't bear it, you could go back.
I use EXText with my current job and I've used at a couple of other jobs I've had. I've ne
used DocQscribe, but I have used Meditech, Cerner, Vianeta, the Precyse platform (I can't remember the name), Dolbey, and Lanier platform I think was called Cequence (?).
Out of all the different platforms I have typed on, I have liked EXText the best. In my opinion, it's very user friendly, easy to learn, and I really like ESP which is the built in abbreviation expander. Plus it is very easy to create your own normals which I love. My fingers literally never leave the keyboard because there are macro keys for everything. You can use your mouse if you prefer or learn the function macros. I love it. I think I'm more productive on EXText than with any other platform.
Thanks, I agree......I am okay with his decision, but will
absolutely miss watching him play. He has so much talent and to see a young man walk away from a game he once loved so much is very upsetting. He will be fine and is so intelligent. I always tell both my kids, academics are more important than anything else while in school. He gets that drive and push from me.
I am very proud of him, always will be. He has so much character and courage to actually face the coaches and explain his feelings.
Inside, I am sad just because I am feeling sorry for myself cause I won't get to see him play anymore.
Thank you so much for your help with this! I just needed to hear some opinions and hope I am doing the right thing by supporting him in his decision.
I will get over it tomorrow - today I want to sulk!
Only you can make that decision.
Will you be looking for another job any time soon? Will you make more money as a CMT? Will it make you feel good about yourself to have the certification? Will you have time to study for the test? Make a list of pros/cons and decide from there.
Personally, it's not worth it for me. I don't want to support the AAMT because they're supposed to be for Americans, but they promote offshoring. I have enough certifications and education papers kicking around that I don't need another one. CMTs don't get paid any more at my employer. I also don't want to drive 300 miles each way to take the test. It's expensive, and you have to recertify every three years.
It's a personal decision.
I prefer IC as well. When you're an employee, they pay you less per line than as an IC. You still pay taxes, federal, state, Medicare, Social Security as an employee. However, the employer pays for Worker's Comp and matches the social security and Medicare only portion of your taxes, which I believe is only 7.65%. That social security percentage is quite small when you consider the fact that self-employment taxes are only 15.6%. I don't remember the exact percentages because it's been a while since I had to manually figure it all, but you can look it up on Google.
As an IC, I get to deduct every little thing I can think of. I can deduct my home office, a portion of my utilities, a portion of my Internet and phone, any mileage, office supplies (and I love office supplies!), furniture, software, computers and other equipment, paper, reference materials, everything.
The issue is that when you are an employee, those taxes get taken right off the top so you don't even miss that money. Most people don't set aside a percentage of their pay that should have gone to those taxes, so they grumble when they owe at tax time. You actually get to see how much you're paying out in taxes. However, they got to use their money all year instead of loaning it to the government interest free. That's a perk.
Yes, that is a wise decision. (nm)
dd
Trying to make a decision
I have just been hired with a super good company, who is offering the right amount per lines and have an abundance of work, but I work for a company that pays only pennies and I mean literally pennies and I've been working for them for years, trying to keep them on float. I feel loyal to them but with the new company's demands with the workload, I am not going to be able to keep up with the company that offers pennies. I just don't know how to tell them good-bye....
At the end of the interview, the decision
was up to Mr. Trump, not Randall. In the business world, you protect your own position and interest, and he showed Mr. Trump that he was indeed tough enough to do that. This is not "Survivor," taking someone to the final two.
As far as Rebecca goes, she is indeed a very impressive 23-year-old. Her exposure from the show will take her far, perhaps farther than the Trump organization. However, she is still quite young. The right candidate was selected for this position.
Decision on taking a job
I took 3 documents in Word and the program calculated the amount of characters with spaces and without spaces. I divided the character counts by 65 to get a line count. I then multiplied the line count with spaces by 8 cents per line and the one without spaces by 9 cents per line. In all 3 cases, you are better off taking the job at the lower rate counting spaces.
Example: 1 document 4339 characters without spaces, 5179 with spaces. Divide each by 65 comes out to be 67 lines without spaces, 80 lines with spaces.
65 lines x 9 cents = $6.03
80 lines x 8 cents = $6.40
The others came out with a discrepancy of 78 cents and $2.16.
I did other size documents and none of them came out where you were getting a better deal by being paid the higher line rate with no spaces.
I hope this helps.![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/shake.gif)
They should post their decision
on one of the 'sticky' messages so it is always at the top of the boards...all of them!
Tough decision
I have been an MT for just over 20 years. I don't think I would ever consider QA. Knowing the poor quality of many (not all) of the MTs these days keeps me from even considering it. Knowing that the reports that I personaly end up sending to QA are the worst of the worst, I would think that is what other seasoned MTs are sending.....which means YES you are getting nothing but garbage coming your way. Inexperienced MT work *plus* don't-give-a-crap-except-for-my-line-count MT work *plus* really tough stuff from experienced MTs *equals* NOT FOR ME!!!
When I get ready to sit down and work I HOPE there are some good dictators in my future.....being QA I could almost bet I'm going to have a crappy day. I for one could not take that day in and day out. Plus the money is so much better in MT. I am going to try ASR soon, so a mixture of ME and MT. We'll see how I like that. Good luck with your decision.
Another thought would be that I might consider QAing for a hospital that has their employees at home, NOT a national company. Like the university hospital where I used to work. If I knew the quality of the MTs was up there, and that the MT supervisor tries his/her best to get onto the horrible dictators.
Best of luck with your decision.
Difficult decision
Hi,
It sounds like, despite all the problems, that you love him and want to remain a family, particularly for the sake of your son.
Without disrespecting that, what I would suggest is that you tell your husband to either grow up already (and pull his weight around the house while he is at it) or please go ahead and divorce you and marry his mama.
In the meantime, make sure that your name is not on his credit card bills, etc. and that you DO expect him to provide child support while he is absent from the family, the home, the marriage. If he fails or refuses, take him to court--that should make him wake up and smell the coffee and grow up fast. Otherwise, let mama figure out how to manage his payee check with that new expense.
HTH.
editorial decision
I think combining the measurement with the unit of measure is an editorial decision. I personally like it, for I think it is more clear, and you never have to worry about the measure and the unit being on different lines (with auto wrapping as in all word processors). I believe its origin stems from the scientific community.
You would never see 2 " for 2 inches, but it is 2". By the same token:
10mg, or 5cc or 1L seems more clear than:
10 mg, 5 cc or 1 L.
10mg qid. Seems very clear. It is just an editorial decision. No right, no wrong, just an attempt at greater/unmistable clarity.
Same editorial factors are working in writing 0.125mg and never .125mg without the 0. Leaving the 0 off can lead to misunderstanding: To the fast reader the . could be a fly speck, the the 0.125 is unmistakable. I think clarity ought to be the goal, and not strictly historical considerations.
vJoe
again editorial decision
Not an issue of right or wrong, just an editorial preference/decision.
You prefer:
1 tab 10 mg p.o. t.i.d.
Other prefer:
1Tab 10mg po tid
To me the second is easier to read and is clearer. To you the first is.
vJoe
questioning decision...
Can any of you that have been at this for a long period of time answer me this question? When you first started out...did you feel overwhelmed? How long does it take a person to really see if this is something they'll be good at? I find myself getting headaches really easy and only after a few hours of typing. I feel fatigued. Is it normal to feel this way in the beginning and what suggestions do you have to help? When do you feel that things are finally settling down and you start to move along at a normal pace? I'll give it a few months I guess...I'd think at that point I would have a pretty good idea if this is something I'm going to be productive at or not.
Sorry for all the questions.....I guess I am feeling uneasy and was hoping for some reassurance or words of wisdom from none other than another MT. ![](http://forum.mtstars.com/medical_transcription/smileys/smile.gif)
need to make a decision....help pls
I have tested this week with Medware, Execuscribe, and JLG. Offers from all, not heard much current info on any of these. Any input would be appreciated TY!
I would certainly base my decision around what
What are your hobbies or activities that you really enjoy? Look for a way to find training/employment in those areas.
It's not too late to go back to school at all. Though it will take some time and investment. You might discover your perfect interest along the way!
I'd open an Internet Cafe that serves gourmet baked goods, sandwiches, etc. :)
Help in making decision
I would like to know: are there jobs for MT's that you can work PT as in: log on, take the work you can do for the day, turn it in, and get paid for it? What I'm wanting to know is if PT work is available to work at your convenience or is it always told to you when and how much you need to work?
Thank you in advance for your response. I feel like I have read so much about MT's but can't seem to find this out!
Decision Process.....
I am in the process of taking on some part-time work, along with my account that I currently have. I have had offers from several good companies, two of them are paying me 10 cpl, another 8 cpl per gross line, one 9 cpl and another 8.5 cpl. The two that pay 10 cpl are super-nice to deal with, really they all have been great and that's what's making this decision so hard. I'd like to just accept them all, but know that's just not possible. These are all IC positions, so other than the pay difference, what else would you look at to determine which to go with? BTW, all are for flexible shifts and are all IC positions. Thanks for the advice.
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