Is it worth it?

I posted a message yesterday on the New MT board.  I haven't seen a response.  Can anyone give me advice?

I am disabled and need to train in a new profession.  After some reading and researching, I wonder if I should learn MT.

With so many jobs going to India, Philipines, etc is there really work (and I mean work that will pay me enough money to more than survive) in the US?

With Dragon, is it easier for non English speaking persons to transcribe?  I am really nervous.  I can't waste time and money learning something that is no longer offered here.Is it worth it?

I apologize for the redundancy.  I am new to posting, and this is my third try.

• Is it worth it? - R Williamson
  • I just emailed you the link. Yes, it's worth it. Good Luck. - lynn
  • go to the job seekers board and about --sm - kps
    • I was wondering about that . . . haven't had much - time to check it out (sm)
      • No I don't work for them, nor do I know anyone who does--sm - kps
  • I think it is worth it. - sm
    • TO the person who emailed me about their experiences on the multispecialty clinics, etc. - PLEASE SEE MESSAGE

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To do business at this rate, the hospital would have to be contracting the jobs themselve.  Most hospitals I am aware of, go through a service, which has overhead.  So to that 7 cents you have to add pay for management, building, utilites and all the other costs of doing business.  The services I work for charge anywhere from 11 to 13 cpl, so it really isn't any cheaper to go through a service or have your own accts from the hospital point of view.

In my opinion, it would be better to wait for something that pays a little more.  At 6 cpl you are going to work your butt off.  I mean, if you think about it that's what the people in India are getting paid, either 5.5 cpl or 6 cpl.  I think American MTs are worth more, much more, but that's just my opinion.  If your current job is not too, too bad where you can't wait it out, I would say look around and give it a little more time.  Gook luck!!

Hi everyone. Been reading your postings and thought you could help. I presently work in a clinic but have been mulling the idea of working from home. Would it be reasonable to assume I could make at least $9.00 an hour working from home (realizing I would get paid by cpl) Should I quit my job and go for it?

Thanks

I used to do what you do....I felt like I had a lot to offer, never had a problem getting a job that paid a good wage, great insurance, great vacation.

I got into MT as a fluke and for the 1st 5 years I made a ton of money and worked at home.  Along the way, I became less desirable as an administrative assistant--had been out of the field for too long, I think. 

When the MT pay started going down and I found I had to work 12-14 hours a day to make less than what I was making in the beginning, I really have tried to get an admin. asst. job again, but I am losing the job to people who have been employed right along the way while I was here at home.

Stay with this job--ride it out.  You are likely to have to work 12 hours a day or more to get your lines in and keep your benefits if you come home to work.

Hi - I have been a Transcriptionist for 9 years and have considered testing to be a CMT but I want to know if it really matters?  I'd welcome any opinions either way. 

Thanks!

Can one really make a living working for this company???  Is the pay worth while?? Are the benefits there???     

I am a single mother of one and am thinking about going into MT, but with all the downsizing that is going on do you think it is worth it?  I've seen a lot of posts lately about veteran MTs being worried about their jobs.  I don't expect to get rich, but right now i'm umemployed and have been making a living selling on ebay.  I would like a career with more consistency and benefits.

Thanks for any input!!

Kelly

You might want to consider working in-house for a year or so to start out.  It gives you an opportunity to have a "mentor" and get a real feel for how things really work.  In-house also provides better pay and better benefits usually, though not always. 

Working at home is great.  You get to stay in your PJs and save on gas, eating out, etc.  There's none of the cattiness you get in an office setting.  It also requires a lot of discipline.  You have to get used to the solitude and not being able to run to someone for help with something.  It's just you and your computer. 

In the end, I'm not sure if I had it to do all over again that I would pick this field.  It works for me now b/c I don't want to have to start all over again, so I make it work.  But given the chance to go back in time, I think I would have chosen something more along the lines of a physician's assistant or medical administration.  But that's just me.   

:(

I don't charge extra for using my call-in system.  I absorb the cost of the phone line myself. I figure it's the cost of doing buisness,  For example, I wouldn't have gotten one of my clients if I didn't have the system.  He has no Internet connection (yeah, hard to believe!) and it was too far for me to drive to get tapes.  So, I figure it's worth it for me.  What I make off of him alone pays for the phone line.  Plus, the phone line is a deduction at the end of the year on your taxes. 

If you have these corrected reports available with conflicting QA corrections and being given a date that you must be off QA, I would via telephone speak not to a QA person, but the owner, team leader, some higher up and get some clarification regarding this. If you need to call 10 times I would do that.

I have years and years of experience and once fell into a company that would sent me corrected reports, One would say don't put the word The before a CT scan at the beginning of a sentence,, one would say put the word The before CT scan when starting a sentence, and one would say to transcribe The comuterized tomography scan, and things such as this. I spent a day on the telephone finally with some higher up. I will say the situation kept continuing, It was extremely frustrating to say the least,  and I left and took a different job, but I had a lot of experience so it was not a big problem for me to move on.

I agree with some of the posters here, try to straighten this out, but start putting out your resume in the meantime too.  There are companies that have these type of practices, I know as I ran into one, but in the main, most do not.

I worked inhouse and then at home for a one-doctor pain management practice. She was female and her husband was the office manager.  He only had a limited knowledge of medical terms, but I had to go through him or the front office receptionist if I had a question or could not make out the handwriting.  The husband did not understand that ETOH was alcohol use.  He argued with me about a certain drug's spelling.  I can't remember what it was, but one spelling was a veterinarian drug.  He flat out told me to type exactly what was written, even after I pointed out the error and could prove it. 

Inhouse, he wanted to me to help answer the phone and make appointments, take care of medical records requests, file, as well as get several months' worth of office notes caught up--checking w/me every afternoon about my production.  Most of the time the templates were filled out by the medical assistant and she could not spell "Cat."  I did personal typing for another staff member at home--actually for her husband.   I finally caught on they wanted 2 people for the price of 1 and found another job, thankfully! 

Before ASR, when I used to type like a crazy girl, I would usually do 275 to 300 an hour consistently for an 8 hour shift.  I really could rake in the dough at 10 cpl.

Now with ASR, I usually make 17 an hour.  SUCKS.

All MTs have taken a pay cut, does not matter what you make per line, it is still less than 5 years ago.

Sure, there a few companies that will pay slightly more for the CMT designation, but, in my experience, the majority of doctors, hospitals and employers either never heard of AAMT or don't care.  They want capable MTs, and if you can do the job they're happy.

Also, the other poster is so right about AAMT supporting offshore MTs.  That seems so wrong in so many ways, and I just don't buy the "MT shortage" garbage.

Honesty, where the AAMT gets off setting MT standards is beyond me.  I don't see that they truly represent the vast majority of MTs either.

A very small percentage of MTs are member of the AAMT.  That says something in itself, doesn't it?  I would not be at all surprised to see the organization fold in the near future.

These were my thoughts as well.  I have been reading both your posts and I must say I do agree with you.  The last statement of hers certainly made no sense and I am glad you addressed it.  Better just leave well enough alone now - she is worthless - don't waste your good transcribing hands on her - perhaps she will just go to bed, or we can only hope so.