I am so paranoid of being replaced with a lower wage employee.
Posted By: I cannot stand it! (nm) on 2005-09-06
In Reply to: I am, too, wonder if it's just because of the Labor Day holiday? - memt
dd
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She probably cares because as long as she is on 100% QA, she is receiving a lower wage, in addition
to holding up her eligibility for benefits (if she is entitled to them).
Does your program change lower case to upper? If so, type all in lower and
it will change the ones it is supposed to.
I wouldn't lower my rates. Should I request a lower CPL from my employer
because I use a ton of normals, templates and such to increase my line count?
As far as being replaced by VR
pitching it to the larger institutions. These so-called American companies are just as much to blame for facilities/physicians going with VR. If you really think about it, the national can pitch VR at a pretty low rate since they have editors/QA to do it for 3 cpl and at the most what 5 cpl. If you are doing VR, you are probably just as much part of the problem. Of course as an independent you probably could not handle an account for a hospital by yourself, so you would have to hire MTs, hence a company comes to form. Larger companies have more capital and can market their product (platforms). It is not just India taking this market over, it is the large American companies as well taking the pie from the little guy. You also see posts of people gaining their own accounts still, so this tells me that not all physicians feed into the larger national/India deal. Look at Diskriter, just as one example, they are practically begging people to come and work for them. Look on any job board, VR/editing is what these companies are seeking, but they unfortunately only want to pay 5 cpl at the most, which is very sad. Money maker if I've ever seen one. Makes ya' wonder.... 
Not when it's replaced by
VR or some off-shore worker.
being paranoid about
I totally agree. I am always checking, double, triple checking things and worrying about commas and hyphens, account specifics and my line count shows it
No one was being PARANOID except the OP
Someone inquired if she were in India, no accusation, just a question. Someone else posted to ask if Curious had a problem with the OP being in India, to which Curious said not at all. Then a couple of other posters pointed out this is a board for AMERICAN MTs ONLY.
I'm failing to see where anyone except the OP is paranoid (or just defensive, which is probably more accurate since she indeed does not type as the usual American MT, at least not to my eyes).
I normally agree with your posts, Robin, by this time I'm failing to see why you are accusing other posters of being paranoid when the only one who has expressed ANY paranoia or accused others of being paranoid, etc., is the OP.
I think maybe you need to re-read the thread again. Even the one where she refers to you as being smart is oddly written.
Nope, I don't smell any paranoia here, just perhaps someone who detected an odd syntax, asked a question, and the OP blasted off into orbit.
I'm starting to get paranoid....
I've been with Medquist only a short time and have a good experience so far. After reading some of these posts, though, I am becoming paranoid that things are not so good. Someone please fill me in on what is going on. I received the letter a couple of weeks ago from the CEO and just assumed it was a hand full of people involved with this lawsuit. Now what is up???
off subject -am I being paranoid
I have some genealogy information on my computer and my grandfather had a very unusual first name and middle name- today when I was going through my junk mail there was junk from someone with that same name- just kind of stopped me in my tracks I didn't open it ---but is that a coincidence How does that happen - I should have better Spyware I guess . maybe Im just paranoid
I have never replaced my headset -
When I worked in someone else's office, rarely but occasionally a headset would/might break. However, since being at home doing same work 10 years, I have never had to replace my headset (the one that came with a transcriber years ago); however, I have had to replace several transcribers over the MANY, MANY years and think I'm on my 3rd one now......finally got a Lanier (they are the best in my opinion for transcriber machines).
Er, I mean WE replaced our Linksys
with a Netgear router.
My first post wasn't very clear.
No wonder we're being replaced
Perhaps I'm just having a bad moment because I'm in the midst of a job hop, but I'm venting/ranting just a bit. On another board, a newbie MT writes a solitary paragraph, and in that one paragraph there are three errors, one a grammatical error, one a spelling error, and one misuse of a word that spellcheck would not have caught. If we can't show that we have an edge that VR doesn't, no wonder we're being eased out.
For the record, you ACCEPT not except a position. You PURSUE other offers, not persue. And when listing a grouping of people, English is polite and let's the other people go first- so it's my family and me, not me and my family.
I think she should have replaced the semicolon with a
comma and should have taken out the other comma you have in there.
Becoming paranoid about work and QA
I would like to find a job that I do not have to proof report 2-3 times as when audits roll around QA dings for more grammar than actual medial terms. I would just like to sit and type. I have done this for 29 years, and we all make mistakes, but it is just rediculous anymore. This company I work for now is so picky about even the smallest thing such as hyphens, comas, colons, etc that a few of MTs on the same account are becoming so paranoid that we are wasting too much time on each report and IM each other that we are not getting anywhere. I have lost my rhythm with jumping around so much for each WT. I love to do Op reports and have asked twice and that is about as far as it gets. I used to enjoy transcription, but not anymore. If I could afford financially to quit I would. I used to do over 1200 lines a day, but not anymore. I feel like I am back in high school English class. Those days are gone. Jobs are hard to find anymore with the economy the way it is, but at least I have something coming in, but just not enough and I still am working two jobs. Just getting tired, frustrated, aggravated, you name it. Thanks for letting me vent.
And folks think I'm paranoid
If someone is sitting in a corner at Starbucks or the library or whatever on a laptop working, I'm not sure I see what the problem is. If you're that stringent about things, do you jump from your chair and throw your body across the monitor if you feel a family member approaching your work area? If a person isn't doing their work on external speakers and does not have a 26 inch monitor facing the room at large, I do not see there to be any more of a 'security' risk than there is at home.
I am american so someone is paranoid here. but sm
I still cannot get the proper search.. doing what everyone says. Try it. Search for TTS the company and you will get nothing new even though a month ago I saw a bunch of recent stuff. Where does it go?
Feeling paranoid but...
Has anyone ever felt as though they are set at a certain amount or say a cap per hour... if though I get .09/65 seems I never ever can make more than 14 or 15 hr... even if it is the easiest reports... I hope I'm just being paranoid!! Just wondering if anyone else has thought this.
feeling paranoid...
Yes - I have worked for MQ since 1999 and have always been able to get 13000+ lines in a 2-week pay period (except for illness/vacation). Since Dec 08 it has been a struggle to approach and pass the 12000-line minimum, and now since half my reports are ASR, my line count has plummeted. Am not sure if perhaps this is one way to weed out the number of employees meeting the requirements for full-time with benefits. Did wonder if there was something off with line counts, but ws never able to get a response to that question, either by email or by phone. At this rate, I am going to lose my benefits, and my line count as it is disqualified me from full-time employment. From 200+ lines/hour to barely 131/hour. I'm frustrated and worried.
Excuse me but federal taxes are paid as employee by employee
The ONLY difference in IC is you pay the ENTIRE amount of the SS which is the 15.25%, as an employee you only pay 7.75%. And you can easily make up that difference in deductions. As an employee you just have someone else manage your withholdings and as an IC you do it yourself. I have much more usable income being an IC and not an employee and I am strict about putting aside what I need to. But everyone always says you have to pay your own taxes, well your employer does not PAY them for you -- except 7.75% of SS, they merely withhold it for you. As an IC you are the employer.
Not totally replaced...only for Katrina
nm
Perhaps they meant replaced as in these companies
apparently have the mistaken belief they will be able to replace experienced, knowledgeable, skilled MTs with minimal wage proofers some day. I hope to be around to watch that catastrophe.
Boy, my husband is paranoid too but not to that extent - sm
If I were you I just tell him I am coming and that is that. You miss him, the kids miss him, etc. I find it hard to believe he has a girlfriend on the side already (its only been 14 days). It could be he is just very tired and wants his 1 day to himself, granted I am sure he has unwind time at night. But he shouldn't be that selfish about his free time since he has a family to consider. Can you get one of those video cams for the computer and at least have the kids be able to see their dad that way since he is unwilling to drive 5 hours to come home every 2 weeks, or unwilling to let you "get in harm's way" by driving to see him? You have every right to be pissed, but as suggested wait until you calm down, then ask him WHY and that it has to be a credible reason, not because he thinks there is too much traffic in the area, or some such crap like that. As I said, it is probably because he is tired, being selfish about his time off and (here's the big one) probably enjoying being by himself for the first time in a long time. I actually take my kids up to my dad's about 3-4 x a year to give him some down time, granted I never get any except for a few hours here and there when he takes them to the movies or something, but at least it is something!
So ideally, how often should a keyboard be replaced?
I'm on of those who eats and drinks at my computer :)
I never considered this as a regular expense, maybe I wouldn't have shelled out for a wireless keyboard. Don't they have those vacuum/brush thingies that can clean keyboards?
Netgear replaced our Linksys.
The same thing was happening to me when I had Linksys, so DH replaced it with this Netgear one has never had the problem.
The cable company said the router was causing the problem.
I've encountered a strange situation and I don't know if I'm being paranoid or not.
I worked at the same company for 17 years, left in 2003. Since then, I've been job hopping. The problem is, any company can tell you anything they want about how good they are. You can't really find out the actual workings of a place until you work for them. So, I get hired, no problem, work for 3-4 months, and if I'm not happy, I start looking again. Since 2003, I've tried 5 different companies. I'm looking again.
This is the weird part: I always seem to get responses because I have extensive experience. This time, I applied 4 places, got 3 responses, one of which I immediately ruled out after searching them on the company forum, so I applied and tested with the other 2. Passed both tests, they were both "very interested" and passed me on to the next step. Talked with the next person in line, received e/m from one "will call you by such-and-such a date." The other, message on my answering machine, called them back, person was busy and would return my call. Then.... nothing! From either one. It has been one week and no contact from them. So I'm wondering if there is a blacklist of MTs. You think it's possible ... names of MTs who have had more than a couple jobs in recent history and left after a few months? I just really don't know what to think.
One of the companies that I was really interested in, I even wrote to the last person I had spoken with and asked them to let me know if I was still being considered or not, because I had other offers to consider and needed to make a decision. Nothing. What do you think? 
If this isn't the case, this is all extremely rude! Don't you think?
You sound paranoid .."they are trying to take our supplements away". lol nm
..
You are one paranoid woman (?), rather obsessing over cherrypicking.
Her post had not the slightest to do with cherrypicking, you have egg on your face, and you SHOULD apologize. Though I doubt you will, as you get to hide behind your anonymity. 
No, they're not. Fan is getting ready to die. Disconnect it and have it replaced. nm
.
Staff will be reduced and equipment not replaced
Care provider will attempt to maintain their income and will attempt this by reducing staff/overhead (that includes transcription by the way).
The medicare/medicaid patient should have copays that are reasonable.
Reasonable is the key word here. But there is a sense of urgency that is taking place due to the state of Social Security and the aging baby boomers who are beginning to retire, who will due to good medical care for a lifetime, perhaps live for 20 plus years on Medicare benefits.
wife OMs are always trouble -- jealous, paranoid
poor hubbie lol
Don't give anyone your MACROS... You ultimately will be replaced... sad... (sm)
but that's how docs work, at least some of them.
The electronic medical record has replaced MTs at my job..it's all over!
My job has been scanning all the medical records over to electronic medium and the doctors are now taking laptops in the exam room with them and typing in all the info, so basically, my job will be obselete once this transition is over.
Our boss has been doing a comparison of the clinics who now have the electronic medical record--those docs went from dictating thousands of lines in a weekly period to less than 50!!! Of course this is a tremendous difference and it's "lights out" for us MTs. We've got about a good year before it's all done.
Have any of you been affected by this new technology?
P.S. I didn't care so much anyhow...I hate this industry and this job, so I've been looking for other employment anyhow.
I always thought that the reason CR wasn't replaced -sm
by tapes/videotape, recordings, etc. long ago, was that there was some major legal reason for having an actual live person there that could SEE and HEAR each participant in the case do the court reporting, and the same for depositions. Something about the veracity of the resulting printed document generated by a live CR, as opposed to one generated by a machine (that could be tampered with.)
I'm paranoid by nature, I guess. :) I agree that not all of the services out there are bad. SM
I've just not had much luck with any service and the one I spoke about above was the worst. That was early in my career and I felt like I was pretty close friends with the supervisor and then to be treated the way I was treated, really just hurt. Ever since then, I've distanced myself in my work life. Business is business.
I will say, though, that I am a loyal person. If I'm treated fairly, I will give 110%. I think that's what happening these days in the MT world. MTs aren't getting treated very fair and there are just bad feelings everywhere. You're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. If a job offer is too good to be true, then it probable is too good to be true. And now everyone is playing cover your behind and making sure contracts cover everything. I just think MTs need to play hardball like the big companies. If you are working as an IC, you should have a ready made contract for whatever service you contract with. Why should you be the only one signing rights away?
I've also had the opportunity to read the contract between a big service and one of their hospital clients. The line rate that this particular service charged was mind boggling. I don't feel bad about stealing accounts away from services like that.
You can go to BioLife website and read that I think, and no you do not sound paranoid! nm
xxx
On a positive note, with dictators like these humans will never be replaced. sm
No VR program will ever perfect the ability to cut/paste, or add necessary punctuation to reports. There will always be a need for editors. Of course, it still doesn't alleviate the frustration of having to deal with either one, ASR or horrific dictators.
I keep the minimum amount of cash in the bank. I may sound paranoid but I fully
there to be locked up. The banks are scampering around if you notice. They have written notices that they can raise your interest rate to 28% or more for just about no reason on the credit cards. I think they have let way too much money borrowed out be on the books, and now the little man is having to pay either with money, or his financial credit.
If you read about GOLD, gold is selling for a lot, all over the world, even in this supposed stable time. That's a sign they say that things aren't as steady as the powers that be want you to believe.
Can anywone recommend a good vacuum cleaner? My old one broke and has to be replaced. Thanks. NM
nm
Upper case is lower, lower case is upper. Using InstaText. Anyone know how to fix this?
Aargh. It happened all day yesterday. When I brought in text that was all caps
IMPRESSION:
and had lower case on keyboard (as always do), it reverses keyboard commands. This is driving me c-r-a-z-y.
You an IC, statutory employee or employee?
That designation, and/or forcing the IRS to designate you, can make a diff. Are you a corporation? Partnership? You need WAY more help than we can give you.
If you are employee, unless suit against your employee
otherwise the posts on here as far as I can see telling it like it is. I think a lot of the posts are so young they just don’t have a clue as to what it means to be an employee. You do as your employee wants (I am talking reason now, not stupidity as far as sexual advances, etc) or else you find another company that fits your personality better. You do not confront, you do not tell your employee no, that is their job, not yours. This is such a simple thing for people who have been in the work force for any period of time.
Low wage
that seems awfully low. For instance if you were making even 9 cpl you would be working for 11.25/hr. Who can exist on this? My current supervisor tells me it takes about 30 or more charts to equal 1000 lines. That would take an entire 8 hours and then some maybe. This is very discouraging. I don't like this platform so far.
WAGE
Of course it is lousy. Illegal aliens in my city make more than that flipping burgers. What an insult to us that someone would offer that amount.
Wage vs Need/Wants
At first glance, yes, $12.00 seems low. However, I live in the northeast and I know I cannot survive on that rate of pay. Maybe in other parts of the country $12.00/hr is very survivable. It all depends on your needs/wants.
At $12/hr you are grossing $480/week, $960 bimonthly. Around here, health insurance coverage for one ROUGHLY averages $50/week. Now you are netting $430/week before taxes. Dental plan? Deduct another $10 or so per week. Down to $420/week before taxes. Figure out your monthly expenses and don't forget that ever present anvil-over-your-head factor for unexpected bills. Also, don't forget you need to save some $$ too - after you buy food and pay the monthly bills! Hmmmm...I am getting this image of a rat on a treadmill.
The question you ask is not simple. You have to figure out if $12/hour is good for YOU. It is just not a survivable wage in this part of the country, especially if you have dependents that eat like horses, go to colleges far away, and you live in a state that taxes you up the wazoopie and only has two seasons: winter and 4th of July.
wage
Oh yeah and the wages being offered are even insulting for a newbie. Can I say how disgraceful this is for "trained professionals" to be offered this. The newbie wages run around 8 cpl...but why at 5, 10 or 15+ years is it fair to still be offered that?? Employers please show us some respect and pay us what we are worth. Remember everything in life is "you get what you pay for." These companies wonder why they have such a HIGH turnover rate, HELLO pay us decent wages!!!! Just think if you broke a typist wage, proofreader wage, English major wage, and everything else we are considered and added it all up it is WAY MORE than we get!
min. wage
Oh yeah it is possible to make minimum wage on some accounts especially when you are a newbie. Start out as a newbie and have one of those hard learning hospitals with a lot of ESLs who you hardly ever type the same one twice and add in many residents. Also add in more than just the basic 4 work types on that account such as psych. discharge summ., echo labs, holter monitor reports, treadmills, etc. that you only do every once in a while and aren't familiar with. With all those factors which I have on one of my accounts it is possible to make min. wage. But I have gotten better it seems. I know some people will say why do an account that is so difficult for you? If I can conquer this I can say I have done something I think. It is just a job and as a newbie I can't pick and choose without much exp. so I put on my big girl pants and do it. Just explaining how you could make min. wage with the right factors.
I had a lot of trouble with static in my C-phone. I replaced the phone cord and that made a big
difference. Also, have you tried a different headset? Also someone told me one time that there is a microphone under your volume control on the right corner of the C-phone. It's a tiny hole. If you break off a Q-tip and stick that into the hole that will squelch a lot of background noise and that worked as well. As far as getting your C-phone service, I heard that Dictaphone is "sunsetting" C-phones at the end of this year. Meaning, they aren't going to service them anymore as they are considered an obsolete technology. So, I would contact Dictaphone and see what your options are.
I know very little about Lanier equipment. I've not used it as extensively as Dictaphone. Is there a local appliance repair place in your area? You might ask one of those places to take a look at your equipment and see what they think. Kinda scary, cause they could do more harm than good, but maybe worth a shot.
Not much help, I know. But I thought I would share what tiny bit of obscure knowledge I do have. 
minimum wage is Fed
I know some cities/counties and I guess states have their minimum wage requirement to allow a business to operate. I know some cities in NJ (where I live now) won't allow a business to operate unless they pay minimum around $9/hour. But minimum wage is a Federal standard and is set at $6.XX an hour - that is for all 52 states.
And it is illegal for anyone to pay less. Actually, I found out that if you are working for someone on a production basis and it comes out to less than Fed. min. wage, you can actually file a complaint and recoup wages.
Minimum wage in NY now $6.75 hr - sm
Working at Burger King is looking better all the time!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/nyregion/01minimum.html
We do get hourly wage
during down-time and the only approved down-time is meetings and computer malfunction. Lack of work was not approved so if there is lots of work available we have no worries, if not then we will be scrounging around for work. I don't have time for that. 
I will have to ask my supe if that is how it is because that is how I understand it. If so, I maybe putting in my 2 weeks notice.
At least minimum wage
I worked inhouse for a company. We did not have to be there at any certain time, but we did clock in and out to show how many hours we were there. This was, as the other poster said, to make sure we made at least minimum wage. Also, they figured this by the pay period, not by the day.
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