I used to do books until 1995.

At that time, I charged $3 a page. I had no trouble getting that amount, and most books would be around 200-300 pages. I was a lot faster back then and could crank out a book in a couple days.

After I would type it, I would have the author check everything out and would make changes for an editing charge. If the error was mine, then no charge, but if he wanted changes, I charged editing.

There is a bit of a difference with books (unless it changed now). You would have to follow a manuscript style of writing so the book could go straight to the publishing company without the publishing company setting it up, which would cost the author more bucks.

I had worked for a publishing company that generated university textbooks back in the late 80s and that was really profitable. On those books, I was paid by the character! Sadly, my computer crashed and had to give it up. Computers back then ran around $2500 and there weren't too many gurus around to fix them. It was buy another one or do without. I had to do without since I had young'uns at that time and just couldn't spare the cash.

Hope this helps....and, BTW, if I could get back into this type of work again, I'd jump in really quick, especially the textbooks. You also get "a college education" for free.

• Typing a Book - Shelly
  • I used to do books until 1995. - Backwards typist

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have Stedman's Medical Dictationary on CD and I do use it quite a bit, but that's more because the actual print dictionary is so darn heavy to pick up and look a word up!

Wasn't even done with schooling yet, but picked up a doctor for $.12 a line, clinic work.

Then went to a hospital in house to get more experience at ? wages (don't remember) and at the same time, picked up my second account for ENT employee w/o benefits for $200 a month (yeah, that's cheap) but it gave me experience.

Family member got sick, had to quit the hospital after 4 months, but they asked me to be the guinea pig for on-line transcribing. It worked and they kept me for 9-1/2 years at $3500 a month (no line rate, MINUTE rate- their choice). I also worked for the ENT service for 5 years and my own doc... well I'm still with him. He forced me to up my rates (yeah, that's right). He yelled at me for not charging more. He is now charged $16.5/65 cpl and he is happy. Huh? Where do you find a doctor like that?

I tried to quit the hospital to go with a national service but the hospital wanted me to stay, so I still worked for them part time for another 2 years. Then I had it with everybody and quit all of them except my own doc. It's been 15 years with him and I don't intend to give him up.

Have I been lucky? You bet!!! I have to say, for all those that don't want to work in house, there are lots of opportunities to go on your own. I got the ENT job and could have had a job with urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology and/or physical therapy had I not been only one person. 

I could have stayed an IC but needed medical insurance, so went with the national service. Private medical insurance was absolutely kiling me.

Wasn't even done with schooling yet, but picked up a doctor for $.12 a line, clinic work.

Then went to a hospital in house to get more experience at ? wages (don't remember) and at the same time, picked up my second account for ENT employee w/o benefits for $200 a month (yeah, that's cheap) but it gave me experience.

Family member got sick, had to quit the hospital after 4 months, but they asked me to be the guinea pig for on-line transcribing. It worked and they kept me for 9-1/2 years at $3500 a month (no line rate, MINUTE rate- their choice). I also worked for the ENT service for 5 years and my own doc... well I'm still with him. He forced me to up my rates (yeah, that's right). He yelled at me for not charging more. He is now charged $16.5/65 cpl and he is happy. Huh? Where do you find a doctor like that?

I tried to quit the hospital to go with a national service but the hospital wanted me to stay, so I still worked for them part time for another 2 years. Then I had it with everybody and quit all of them except my own doc. It's been 15 years with him and I don't intend to give him up.

Have I been lucky? You bet!!! I have to say, for all those that don't want to work in house, there are lots of opportunities to go on your own. I got the ENT job and could have had a job with urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology and/or physical therapy had I not been only one person. FYI, when a doctor needs a Transcriptionist to do their work, they look to hospital MTs first. All my co-workers at the hospital had jobs on the side.

I could have stayed an IC but needed medical insurance, so went with the national service. Private medical insurance was absolutely kiling me.

Like you and so many others, I have watched my wages as both an IC and an employee go down, down, down.  I worked for a company owned by an MT.  She paid very good wages but sold the company to an Indian company, who got rid of all the Americans except for a few who would accept very low pay.  It's funny...clients want 100% accuracy but they don't want to pay for it.  They agree that they can't just randomly pluck people off the street to do MT, that they have to hire experienced or trained people.  But they don't want to pay us for our experience or our training.  I am doing my last MT job. I have my bachelor degree almost completed and I'm outta here.  The lack of respect for MTs, from employers, other MTs, from offshore companies, from clients, from AAMT, is so disheartening.

Changes were gradual.  First, we were allowed to start working at home at 12 cpl, instead of the hourly wage.  We still were employees and had the same benefits.  This saved the hospital money in overhead and we were all happy.  Then they started using outsourcing services for holidays and weekends.  Gradually, the whole MT dept was phased out and we had the option of going with the service handling the hospital transcription or finding another job.  The service kept us at this rate of pay for a short time and then gradually started implementing "incentive bonuses" and lowering the line rate of pay.  It evolved over the years to what it is today.  Starting line rates were lower and incentive bonuses done away with.  Health insurance is contingent on production, but their platforms crash regularly (as do many, many others) and we either have to work extra to make up the loss or just eat the financial loss altogether.  The services overhire to make sure that their TAT is met, which means unstable availability of work, which in turn affects production, in turn affecting benefits. 

The logic today behind all the changes is the "lack of experienced MTs in the U.S.", thus the need to hire people outside the country, who have even LESS experience with the English language and slang medical terms, at half the price of hiring American MTs.  The MT field in general has to be able to compete and so must lower their rates to keep clients from going offshore at half price.  And now with the advent of VR, the MTSOs using it try to justify the cut in line rate to the fact that we're no longer "typing", we're "just editing."  It's been a gradual evolution, but not in a positive direction.

And in all of this, AAMT has not come to the aid of the transcriptionist.  It has furthered the promotion of offshoring and has developed ways to enhance the MTs adjustment to VR instead of enhancing the MTs value and amount of worked involved in VR.  When the AAMT doesn't step up for the very ones it says it represents, why would the ones using the services respect, understand, or value the MT either?  

John Grisham, Terry McMillan, Dean Koontz (sp), Eric Jerome Dickey.

Some may feel this is dishonest, but honestly how are they going to know? Do you have to send them a picture of the book or a copy of the receipt or are they asking you to purchase this book through them? I have purchased many books over the years and have found the Internet as well as the many, many specific sites for anything I have ever wanted. Yes, I have one specific book for my specialty that I adore and use all the time for those weird names that I sometimes cannot figure out how to spell and it has helped, but with all that is available on-line I don't see how they can expect this of you. I too used to send away for the yearly drug book, but have not had to do so in many years since I started using the Internet. Good Luck and too bad for them.

I used to work in Miami - had my own service for many years.  One of my clients was a complete jerk, an OB/Gyn guy.  Okay... here's the deal... I went in to pick up my tapes (back in the day). The receptionist handed me three tapes. I went back to my office transcribed the tapes, printed out the work, took it back the next day.  When I arrived at the reception desk, I told the receptionist that I thought I heard a funny noise on the tapes, like someone scooting around in a leather chair - (if you get my drift).  She laughed and said "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday.  Dr. Yada Yada told me that when I gave you the tapes yesterday, I was supposed to tell you, "Give these to (ME) with three fa_rts and my love."  How disgusting is that?.  Why do we have to put up with the mud they sling us?  I don't know if they will allow me to post this message, but I get so fed up with the slurs and disgusting things that these so-called professional physicians do when they dictate.  I am certain that you have all been there and done that.  How about a little respect.. Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Most schools will not use corporal punishment any more period.  Believe me, there are some kids at our school that could use a good whack on the backside.  However, the school district then would have to worry about assault charges from parents.  Teachers aren't willing to risk their entire careers over a bad apple.

The 4th grade girl who brought a handgun to my child's nice suburban school got suspended for three days and counseling.  The 5th grade boy who brought a knife was led off in handcuffs by police, but he was back in school the very next week.  Now, he's an angry high school kid who has to take a special class with other "angry" kids.  The kindergartener who stabbed my kid's teacher in the face with a metal mechanical pencil last year wasn't removed from her classroom at all.  Instead, they brought in a "behavioral specialist".  It wasn't working, but I told the principal if my children were in any of these kids' classes again, I'd be sending all my kids to private school.

After changing carrers from our Home based MT business here in Summerlin-Las Vegas, we have collected a few dozen current and past MT and Medical-Word/Terminology books.

If you are having a somewhat hard time starting up yours, we know how difficult it can be and would like to donate these manuals free to a serious MT newbie in need if you can pick them up here in Summerlin, Las Vegas. 

Please send us an email stating your true need and aspirations for MT carreer. We want to give the books somewhere where they will be most needed and used.

PLease send the email by Aug 12, after midnight we will review what ever emails we get and send further instructions for pick up. Thank you.

I use my pharmaceutical word book most often, then Stedman GI/GU & Stedman Equipment.  I have a used 2004 Pharmaceutical word book (Drake & Drake) if you would like it.

If you bought the books that was selling whose husband was in Germany -- did you receive your books.  I have not, she at first was corresponding with me but now she has not answered all last week and so am wonderng if anyone got their books from her.     Thanks.

Patti

www.abebooks.com

Well worth getting.  Also research online for Expanders -- there are lots of lists out there to give you an idea how to make your own. Some are free downloads.  But you do definitely have to have your own system and just use these to give you an idea how to set up one.  No two brains work the same.  I refuse to work without my list!!

I prefer reference books, as all my work stays in one spot in my office.  Have tried the CDs in the past but didn't care for them.  I can understand wanting the convenience of having everything on a laptop since it sounds like you move around frequently.  Guess it depends on the work sutation.