MAKE GOOD $$ AT THE MOMENT BUT I WANT OUT
Posted By: CC on 2009-03-17
In Reply to: Sorry you are so disgruntled but many of us, myself included, are still making money... - MtMommyof2
Have just landed a great job. Good $$. No nights, weekends, or holidays. How long do you think that is going to last? Look at the trend 6 months ago, now, and 6 months from now - or a year from now. The face of the MT business is changing. No one is secure and one thing is for sure - we can not all stay. I have a good client in a specialty I love now. I guarantee you, this client is going to obtain a cheaper source than me in the next 12-18 months. I am at the age where I need steady, secure, decent paying work. When this one goes, I am hanging up my headphones too. Hope to get my social security figure up first though.
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my fav moment
was when Taylor won and he was so overwhelmed! During the whole show last night I felt like he thought Kat was going to win but he was having a good time anyway. He's been my favorite the entire season. I just loved watching his reaction when he heard the news! Kellie Pickler was always annoying to me, but I have to say the little skits of her were funny last night. Like her hair short that way too--it's very cute. Was that her dad sitting beside her? I heard he had been released. Didn't see her grandpa I don't think. He was usually always there to see her.
Fav AI moment
I thought Clay's appearance was great - the other guy was so surprised. I also wondered about plastic surgery - but it may just have been the longer hair that made him look different. He looked more "built", too. I am so glad that Taylor won.
I actually do make good $, but....
I don't care for VR. When you are a fast and accurate Transcriptionist you are already topped out when you start editing. My QA averages 99% and the institution I work for is REALLY strict with QAs. We have an average of 10-12 per year and they look at 20+ reports each time. I would rather do straight transcription, but I have good benefits so I suck it up and work. I fear eventually our work will go completely to an outside agency and our dept will be eliminated, saving the institution $$ for not having to pay salaries, insurance, etc. It also depends on what VR system; we use eScription.
One at the moment, but looking for second as getting slow--nm
nm
Oh no, senior moment sm
Am I describing the right state? Could I mean Utah? So confused. Anyway, I've been to both states and they are both beautiful.
Some need to step out of their box for a moment - eh! LOL. nm
x
Surreal moment this a.m./CNN
Today on CNN they had on the phone a doctor by the name of Tony Asher, a local (Charlotte) neurosurgeon.
I have been to him and I work at a hospital where he practices, so ironically this a.m. I recognized his voice before I looked on the TV and saw his name during interview with Sonjay on CNN. For me, it was a weird experience, but only one that another medical Transcriptionist could fully appreciate.
Also I have seen him as a patient. I was misdiagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia and he verified it wasn't that diagnosis. In long run, it was a bad tooth - I actually went to Duke for a consultation and they couldn't figure out the problem, BUT the first thing the doc there asked, "Are you sure it isn't a tooth?". AND it was a tooth, but that didn't happen until a x-ray by dentist later on (which contradicted findings of x-ray when this first happened).
I will always remember the resident that was in with the doc (whose name I long forgot) - the resident looked just like Raymond's brother on "Everyone Loves Raymond." And talked like him.
These are my issues with VR (at the moment, that is)
I say this because the platform I work on has changed from 1 of really, really good to now: No periods even though starting another sentence and the next letter of next sentence capitalized so it knows; numbers can be completely haywire from 4,4, 3, 1, 4 and 5 to perfect for some dictators, mostly not though, doctor's names no longer in although previously had them in; no matter what the patient's name is, completely opposite from what is being said; sometimes throws in categories capitalized not even said and in wrong place. Now the good thing about VR, I am my own spell check now. Everywhere I go I am seeing misspelled words and I find literally hundreds all over the place. Just found 1 this morning in the doctor's office, surgeies. I guess the person making the sign did not have or use spell check. I do not think literally possible to do that many lines per hour myself.
At this moment I have 5011
and that's just in my ShortHand dictionary. All of my spelling correction type things go in the autocorrect file, and since I work in DQS, I'm not sure if there's a way to count those....
I'm adding more expansions every day, as I think up new and different things that need expanding. And not so coincidentally, my average daily line count is creeping up as well... although I am sure that is partly due to just getting more and more familiar with the dictators as I go along.
I make between $14 and $20 but good accts. sm
Been at it for almost 20 years too. Lots of templates, shortcuts, etc. Depends on who I'm transcribing. With some ESLs I would only make about $7 an hour if I had to do them all day. My average is right around $17. With some of my local work (on tapes) my templates are so huge, and I'm so used to what they are going to say, I've made $23. But that's onlywith certain dictators. It all varies and some dictators are sooooooo bad, you just lose money.
For example, if I had the $23 dollar an hour guy from my local and then did the $7 ESL from my national and combined 8 hours of work for both, I'm down to $15 an hour. If I get stupid dicators all day from both sides, sometimes I can only average $12. I guess it's the luck of the draw, if you know what I mean.
That's definitely good money. I wish I could make that much.
I'm making about $1,400 a MONTH working 25-30 hours per week. ESLs, run out of work often, lousy platform. What's the point any more? I definitely need to pick up some local accounts and never work for another national.
Oh man....that is NOT good...how do you make any money?
You make some good points.
.
Four. And they make very good money.
But I get your point. But you asked!
Oh, but I make really good money
so I did not understand where this was coming from. You see, I have no children at home, only 2 of us, no bills, I only work part because that is all I want but still bring home about $1500.00 every 2 weeks, so no need to feel sorry. I said I type fast.
you make some good points
Your post is encouraging. Maybe we need to study these people you mention and learn the ropes from them.
Yes, I've seen the pictures of the MTs in India. Reminds me of typing class in high school. And that's what I'm saying, just like you -- how long can this last? You question how long before they get carpal tunnel. Great point! How long before they get burned out? You can't work people like that, not at this job where you have to listen so intently and be so absolutely correct. Transcribing a difficult dictation is akin to doing a hard math problem. The brain can only take so much at a time. Couple that with trying to understand a dictator whose language is not your primary one and speaks in slang or idioms you never heard. If they work the overseas MTs like that, there's going to come a point where something has to give. The quality of their work might suffer, even the good ones, due to burnout. Will the American companies still want them? How desperate are they for our work? Desperate enough to endure those conditions? Do they have other choices? We see them as the foe, and yet as you say, we are turning into that kind of situation with many of our companies but we do have other options, fortunately for those who want to pursue another career.
The medical record must endure. There must be good MTs. You can't work people to burnout either here or overseas. In this country, you need to make the job inviting in order to keep the workforce up. Lowering salaries here is not how to do that. Running sweatshops there is not how to do it either. Something has to give at some point. Then maybe people will take us seriously again and this job will be what so many of us want and need it to be.
You're right about the middle class. Something has to happen -- this is affecting too many jobs, too many sectors of society.
Good for you, too bad you won't make anymore than you already do,
your own self satisfaction. Jamie
it asked what you think is good, not what you make
nm
You make a good point
Keeping track was doable but you have to keep track. I still am not making that much hourly counting lines though. I'd better invest in some new tools.
AHDI is just trying to make MT look good, so
Good for you. Did it make you feel better?
I used to make really good money.
Anywhere from $28-50 per hour. Same few dictators, lots of templates and Expander usage, pay averaged out to be $.12 per line. I only wanted to work part-time, but the company would have worked me full-time. One particular doctor was so easy, I could do 400+ lph for him. He only had maybe an hour of work per day. Voice recognition has my job now. I've been unemployed for the past six months. But 537 lph consistently? I don't know about that. It would have to be the same pool of dictators and the MT's expander stats would have to be HIGH!
Better yet, if it's REALLY good, make an expansion for it. sm
Especially with op notes ... once you get a feel for a dictator's normal patter, whether that be an operative procedure, ROS, PE section, closing, or whatever, make a shortcut/expansion for it ...
I do the same thing for letter addresses, since the same addressees seem to keep popping up over and over (i.e., docsmitha would bring up all of the Smiths I have saved with a first name starting with an A) -- saves a lot of time in the long run.
Wow, getting far afield from the original question here; I must need that first cup of coffee.
I would please like to know how you make good money at it.
Would you care to share your cents-per-line and lines-per-hour with us? Roughly?
It would help alleviate the anxiety about it for some of us if we can hear from the horse's mouth (no insult intended) how this can be a good living for us. Especially when there are so many things to slow us down like ESLs and poor dictators and bad sound.
Thank you.
Say "I'm having a MedQuist Moment" instead of "Maalox."
My only "where were you" moment was JFK assassination.
I was a sophomore in high school and was in English class. I remember being devastated and the guy sitting next to me made a rude comment and laughed. I wanted to knock the heck out of him. 
My favorite moment of the night was
when Simon made that remark about Ryan with the Desperate Housewife look. Did everyone see those pictures of Ryan and Terry Hatcher? It may be a shock if Katherine or Mandisa go. I hope it's not Chris.
HA!!!! Lucid, don't you mean "Lucy" moment. LOL. nm
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LOL. It took a moment to realize you weren't
nm
Please don't flame me, I'm having an Alzheimer's moment, but what is the (sm)
basic 4. I know it includes H&P, discharge summaries, and operations and procedures, but what is the 4th. My brain is just not functioning today...it's my only day off and therefore I don't have to think right??? TIA
I am drawing unemployment at this moment
due to being laid off my primary job. I can earn up to one-third the amount of my weekly benefit without being penalized. I have to be available and actively looking for work every day of the week, and I must be willing to accept work on any shift. I was specifically told that enrolling in school would forfeit my eligibility for continued UI benefits unless I was accepted into a state-endorsed training program because I have to be available for work 24/7. Tomorrow I have to attend a 2-1/2-hour job-search-assistance class and will ask about this again, but I know things worked the same way in my previous state of residence.
there are a bunch of these on ebay at the moment. NM
not true, I make good $$$ and manage to come
nm
It is "speed" and yes, it will make you very moody, not in a good way either! nm
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Elvis? LOL! Did he ever make a good movie?
x
You can make more than that per line, but at 125 lph, not a good living. Have to do at least 300 lp
x
Is it possible to make good money working for someone else?
.
I think that is all attitude. I make very good money at MT.
Lisa, you make a very good point. sm
I guess I should have been a little more specific. If ALL MTs were to go on "strike" and not accept the low wages these MTSO's are offering, they eventually would HAVE to offer a decent wage we can live on. But, the other side of the coin is, if the MTS WOULD STRIKE, then the MTSO's would no doubt just hire those non-U.S. MTs anyway, because that is the reason in the first place they are paying so little. The U.S. MTs have no support, that's for sure. (and I apologize for the misspelling of a word in my previous post.)
or make sure its a good google source.
x
Because MTs in the US become the "editors" to fix their work and make them look good. nm
;
This would make a good Seinfeld routine.
Of course probably only MTs would understand the jokes. Somebody needs to write a book about MTs and what they go through. It really would be touching and funny, and a bit tragic, I think. It could be marketed in the Stedmen's line of books or something. It could have cartoons. This title where did QA come from? This makes me want to be all creative. Of course, this MT is full of talk, but not a whole lot of action. LOL.
I can make good money without overtime
I posted below but when I saw your post and it said crap- I type mostly VR and I work 8 hour days 4 days a week. I make at least $160.00 per day- add that up if I worked full 40 hour week or lordy if I worked overtime like years gone by. I get paid no more because of my years of doing this- work for national- the pay is low but I am fast. I just wanted to make about the same as when I worked in the office and set my goals accordingly.
I do VR, love it, make good money at it
and I have no idea why people who do not do, have not done, don’t plan on doing talk so much against it.
You will make it just fine. Good Luck my prayers are with you. nm
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It is worth it though. I couldn't make a good living without.
x
Depending on who you work for.... you can make good money
I usually average between $15-25 an hour doing VR. That is enough for me. I think it helps if you have companies that pay for footers, headers, spaces etc.. Good luck.
Really? I make a good living transcribing tapes.
Just because it's not the way you want to receive your work does not mean it is worthy of contempt. As far as I'm concerned, practitioners who are reluctant to give up their familiar dictation methods are less likely to give in to the blandishments of VR or EMR salespeople.
You are free to work your way, and I am free to work as I see fit. If that makes you cringe, well, I guess that's just your problem. It doesn't bother me at all. Cringe away.
Good grief. You'd make an employment decision
Honey, you need to get a grip!
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