Maybe I'm from old times, but I doubt employers could get away with that...
Posted By: Not sure on 2006-07-10
In Reply to: READ the post! I did not say IC avoided - SS taxes - I said
if the EMPLOYEE has proof they are really an employee and not an IC, especially when it came to tax time. They'd need their W2. That's why I ASKED. I'd flip if an EMPLOYER did that to me. There were no need to get snippy about it. I was stating a fact.
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I doubt your brother has won more than he's lost. To win that much he's probably lost 3 times
So he probably has more bills than money. Otherwise the casinos would go broke.
employers
I was just looking at the available jobs, and I noticed all of them require at least 2-5yrs experience. I also noticed that some of the employers can't even spell, yet experience is required. This seems kind of silly to me.
Just tell prospective employers you...sm
Stop behaving like factory workers on piece-work, demand a fair "hourly wage" for what you do. Find out what is paid in your area, 13.00 to 17.00 dollars is what I often hear as a range for MT pay. Decide what you want, be willing to give an honest days work for an honest days dollar" and then only work for an hourly rate. You will say, but no one pays that, and I will say that is only because no one demands it. We are not migrant workers being paid for how many bushels of apples we pick, why should our take-home pay depend on whether or not the doc is ESL, or is just having a bad day? I don't know about the rest of you, but I need to know how much I will earn to determine how much I can spend. When we start acting like professionals, I think we will be treated like one.
My 2 cents is that I wish all employers - sm
of MTs, whether MTSO or inhouse, would realize that their MTs are an ASSET, not just another 'unnecessary' expense that somehow needs to be eliminated. And then treat them as such! A very intelligent & highly respected MD I once transcribed for told me he couldn't understand the whole downward spiral of the MT profession, pay, etc., because we were the MD's 'first line of defense' against malpractice. He said his job was to practice medicine, and our job was to help him document it accurately.
The wages most places offer are an insult right up front. And then all the sleight-of-hand when it comes to cheating MTs with 'doctored' line counts, late paychecks, etc., adds injury to insult for the MT.
I think part of the problem lies in the fact that because most MTs are home-based nowadays, it's just too easy for them to become faceless, nameless, non-persons to the employer, and it's just too easy for them to cheat someone they don't have to look in the eye every day at work.
I don't see why employers are so afraid to ask for ... sm
at least the minimum lines each day. I used to work at a hospital where the required minimum was I believe 40 minutes, which ain't a lot of work. Most times (and this was when we were in house) the girls would chat and chat and chat and go for lunch and chat and chat, etc., and never work. And they got by with it because they were too scared to demand that these people stick to the guidelines by which they were hired. One day I went in to work OT on a Saturday and worked 4 or 5 hours, and I don't remember what my line count was, but one person typed 12 lines. And she was supposed to be the regular Saturday morning person. Some saturdays I would go in to work and there would be NOBODY there. NOBODY typing in a hospital transcription dept. just because it was Saturday. They got by with it for years, continued to get by with it, and we lost our jobs to MQ because nobody worked and nobody made them work. Me, I worked. I worked a lot. I had (still have) goals, meet them, exceed them routinely because I happen to like paying the bills and having money left over. Like I always say, people whine on here about no work but when there's a lot of OT to be worked they are nowhere to be found.
I think most employers have just left
this board
Well, it costs sometimes. I have had to change employers before because
they were not going to negotiate with me. HOwever, there are plenty of places to work and I have luckily landed in 2 good ones.
I feel very fortunate today with my employment. I know full well it may change tomorrow but I am prepared - emotionally and financially - and will not let that disrupt my life. Too many options out there, folks.
What is FTP site and do employers provide this?
I heard that they have this site and will give you a username and password. Or is this something I have to put together myself. If so, anyone have any information on how to set this up? Thank you.
Most employers are fine as long as you tell ...sm
them when you're interviewing the dates you'll be unavailable. When it usually becomes a problem is when someone says something like 2 days before Christmas "oh by the way I need the next week off...." and they wonder why you tell them no!
Illegal immigrants do it as well as their employers and....sm
they're oftentimes working "x" hours a week or even full-time. It's a big problem here in Georgia because it's not fair that these people not only get the jobs that they're being paid cash for but then they show up in the ERs when sick and are given Medicaid to pay the bill, even though they're not US citizens. Their kids are given free education and right now the illegal immigrant groups are mad because the state of Georgia is planning to start making them pay out of the country tuition to the universities if they aren't documented legal residents - which I think they should be forced to do. Heck, if I were to get on a plane to say France I couldn't walk off the plane and demand that I be allowed into college at the local tuition rates just because I'm there - whether or not I were there legally.
There's some legislation going forward in January here to put a stop to some of this but of course the illegal immigrant groups are fighting it.
I don't mind paying someone cash if they're doing something rarely for me (i.e. once or twice a year).
For those of you who use say teenage babysitters do you really report every dime you give them to the IRS? What about when you go to a restaurant and tip the wait staff in cash? Do you make sure the manager knows you gave them a cash tip so it's reported? Ever have a neighborhood kid rake leaves for you? Do you pay Little Johnny and then demand his SS# to report you gave him $20 to the IRS?
Still INFJ. We had to take these at a few of my previous employers.
I actually got denied promotion for being an INFJ. Go figure. Then another supervisor told me I was the exact type of employee they were trying to avoid because INFJs are two-faced backstabbers. I've never been like that. If I have a problem with someone, I'll measure the severity of the situation then tell them to their face. Nothing two-faced there. I don't think those personality tests are an accurate projection of a person's future actions or successes. They shouldn't be used in employment or managerial decisions.
Do employers not realize that a little explanatation
low work volume would go a long way? Nothing special, just to notify us. Just like they expect to be notified if our schedule changes, it would be nice if they let us know about volume and if they were trying to do something to get us more work, etc. Rather, they let us sit here and wonder what the problem is!!! 
Pity my employers? Furthermore, grow up!
x
My employers forbids us to have VoIP because...
it fouls up lots of things. Also, I have a friend with Vonage and we are constantly cut off, or it sounds like she is talking from the bottom of a fish tank. She hates it.
Part of the reason employers are getting away with - sm
turning MT into cheap sweatshop labor is because most people don't even know this problem even exists. It is the healthcare industry's "dirty little secret". If this skeleton in the closet of doctors & hospitals throughout the country were to be made PUBLIC (i.e., 60 Minutes,) maybe it would give us a foot in the door to getting things turned around, before we all have to move to India in order to survive in this business.
How valuable is the RMT credential to employers?
x
Did you notice they DON'T recommend that employers
Well then, gee -- I guess that just leaves the MTs! (Why am I not surprised?)
most employers use the Book of Style sm
for standards and I would get one and read up on it to know the latest info...what did you fail on your testing? Speed? accuracy? You can certainly brush up on these things with practice tapes/dictation. Have you thought of typing independently for clinics in your area? Don't forget about psychiatric clinics, physical therapy clinics and other, less obvious places where documentation is necessary. Go personally to a doctor's office, speak only to the office manager there and tell them you are looking for work, perhaps at first only as a helper/coverage for their current Transcriptionist (I cover many doctor's offices for vacations). It will get your foot in the door at least. I have had two doctors ask me to be their full time transcriptionist after their own had left because I was their vacation coverage and they knew I could handle the job. Keep your head up! Perhaps working at a local hospital is the way to go. Good luck to you!
I get extra incentive from my 2 employers too.
nm
Until employers start thinking of us humans again
sunk.
And the American Way seems to be "bottomline" all the way.
I wish Bill Gates had his computer stuck up where the sun doesn't shine and
the person who invented the "hold button" could be on the next space shuttle.
Those 2 objects set us back a million years in treating each other decent.
I know what you mean about even hospitals getting cut-throat about "produce,
produce". Seems like nobody cares if the product is a stinker or any good - just so
a warm body is in the chair and some black ink is on the paper so as to
collect money.
Having MQ experience on resume is appealing to employers.
I think the new employer realizes you have just come up from the bowels of the transcription field and will work hard and be dedicated if you actually survived for a few years with MQ.
That was my perception anyway. Whenever I would state MQ was a past employer, they seemed pleased and anxious to talk more.
I suspect employers are being forced to care. SM
Since it's a new platform, it's a new problem that probably a lot of companies are just waking up to. My sympathies for people who find themselves effectively "forced" to use it as it apparently is now.
With serious compatibility issues with common brands of the Expanders that have become vital to so many of us, at this point I would not apply to a company using it, and I suspect few other good experienced transcriptionists reading about it would either. This seems such a grave flaw that it will have to be repaired, or this platform will end up a dead end used by only a few institutions.
How about contacting the company that developed the platform directly for answers and fixes? Also the developer of your own expander, who must be well aware of the issues Chartscript raises for them. The ShortHand tech guy (not my own MTSO techs!) fixed me up promptly when I was put on eScription and developed glitches. Best wishes with this.
No way. Univ. of Phoenix is considered a joke by employers!
http://uopsucks.com/negletters.html
The best way to obtain an on-line degree is to attend an accredited university that was already well-known for its academic program way before the internet was invented.
Check out University of Massachusetts, Temple University in Philadelphia, University of Minnesota.
The fly-by-nights like U. of Phoenix are the equivalent to the crap that used to advertise "degrees" on the back of matchbook covers and have no credibility in educational and career circles.
Seriously, stick with an accredited, well-known school, not some bogus piece of crap like that.
You get what you pay for.
Yes - I agree - my 2 employers didn't even acknowledge MT week - so this was very nice
DH & I started new jobs & his mom died. Employers couldn't care less. nm
.
One of my employers told me to just add a 0, i.e. 30 minutes would roughly equal 300 lines. sm
Of course, if someone talks fast, you'd get more lines, and if you get one of those guys who stops and turns pages and/or talks slow, the lines would be less. Seems to be a pretty good rule of thumb for me.
As for the length taken, when I started doing MT work 30-some years ago (back in the days of the vinyl belts and carbon paper -- eek!), the quota was that you should be able to 15 minutes of dictation in 1 hour. However, I think anyone with experience would probably do it in much less time.
Hope this helps. 
WebSense is a filtering program that blocks certain websites. Usually used by employers... SM
to give their employees access to the internet via their network but only allow certain surfing criteria.
I work for a hospital and I connect to their network via a VPN connection to work. I can get on the internet and access certain educational and work-related sites, but Websense blocks me from any sites classified as "entertainment", "shopping" etc.
So the question would be who do you work for and do you connect to there network via a VPN? If so, then Websense is their way of controlling the network.
So totally and completely false! Plenty of employers test who are not partners with top 3!
nm
Not *discussing* your line rate is a bunch of baloney....encouraged by employers....
They don't want us all to know what each other makes so they can keep paying as low and unfairly as possible.
How is the WORLD can letting someone know your line rate hurt you or anyone? It doesn't--only benefits employers.
Not *discussing* your line rate is a bunch of baloney....encouraged by employers....
They don't want us all to know what each other makes so they can keep paying as low and unfairly as possible.
How is the WORLD can letting someone know your line rate hurt you or anyone? It doesn't--only benefits employers.
What is the minimum lines per week required by employers for part-time for transcription?
nm
hit left Shift key 3 times, then right Shift key 3 times -
nm
i am like you, i doubt it was even sent given her sm
flakiness it sounds. i would send her a certified letter demanding your money back within so and so days or you will contact the police dept for theft as well as sue her in small claims. however, small claims doesn't help much. you have to file in the county she lives in, which you can do via fax, but around here it costs like $60-70 just to file. then i assume you would have to go to OK for the court date so a lot of added expenses adding to much more than the $100. even if the court orders her to pay, there is no follow through with small claims. hey, you can contact judge judy, lol, and might even get a semi-vacation out of it for free. i would threaten her though and call her with a blocked # or use someone else's # to call her.
yep, when in doubt
 Just laugh at them. In the olden days of the Lanier stations, we had a female dictator that would keep cutting herself off like that. The report would be in like 20 pieces, and she would keep coming back on, didn't even sound frustrated or anything, just kept saying, "I am continuing." What a DOPE - SPEAK UP!!!!
NO DOUBT
This country is so screwed up right now it is not even funny. Do not believe the "lowest unemployment rate ever". It is LOW because people have RUN OUT OF unemployment and are off the books. He needs to be on unemployment, waiting for his checks and see how he likes buying gas at these prices. By the way, going up another 10 cents per gallon here today so they say.
Doubt it
Probably not qualified.
Doubt it.
x
Doubt it.
x
Doubt it!
I am sure someone else will come along before too long and enlighten us! At least we can hope so or this place is going to the birds because it is b-o-r-i-n-g!
No doubt....
Saw was scariest I have seen in a long time. Not for the squeamish!
I doubt it would help.
Not being negative here, but I've tried it. I don't think your company would approve of you using it, and I don't know if it would even work with their platform since it's not Word-based. Do you use an expander? Which platform are you working on? How many accounts are you bounced around on? Have to look up patient info?
I Doubt That. It happens all over.
8 years working for a hospital and we always had our "dry" periods around the holidays. Sometimes, it would be a month, sometimes 2 months. Last year it was 4 months! There was work, but very, very slow.
I now work for a national and am in the same boat. It started drying up around the holidays. I'm working a couple days a week, but not a full week. . . but I really don't care. I worked 7 days a week for 8 years and with everything else I do, time off is like heaven...but in the end, it will be like the 'other world' when the bills start piling up. 
without a doubt (OP)
I think the MT profession needs more respect, and no, we are not losers. Its work smarter, not harder. We earn what people with BA's earn, without the stress, in the comfort of our own home. Who wants to be stressed their entire life?? The corporate world is taking over, but they are all having heart attacks in their 40s.
My hats off to you for going back to school. Sometimes it takes a no choice situation for us to get out of our comfort zone, and just throw ourselves out there and see what income we can scare up. The past couple years I have really been exploring my passions, and that is what I want to take into retirement, something I feel fulfilled doing. Like you said, creatitivity. Even if I have to work 2-3 jobs. Thanks for your post, I figured I wasn't the only one a little worried.
Don't know, I doubt it - sm
but perhaps a system restore if you have Windows XP
good luck
I doubt it.
,
I doubt you need it
If you are an employee, you don't need it for sure as the finish product belongs to them, not you.
If you are an IC with a contract that the notes belong to them/the provider, you don't need it.
If you are working for a clinic on your own, always put a clause in there that either you don't support electronic signatures or the CYA "dictated but not read" at the bottom of the note.
In any case whatsoever, if you are doing your job properly you shouldn't have an issue. Also it is very plainly the physcian's responsibility to read their notes before signing. I know most don't but it falls on them. We are not the MD, PA, whatever. If you question things you think may not be right and don't guess, that should be enough.
Thanks, but I seriously doubt that she will--sm
It seems like she has already made her decision, as I have read previous posts from her on the same subject. Personally I think she knows this is a subject that is going to evoke responses and she is just trying to stir things up, but she is pointing her blaming finger in the wrong direction...in my opinion. I wish her luck.
Sorry, no doubt BOS says that..nm
nm
#6 without a doubt
I was a legal secretary in litigation for many years. Only time I worked under daily pressure like this was right before a trial and that wasn't that often and I got paid supremely well for it too, especially before a trial, and I didn't know squat compared to what I need to know to do this. Then I ran a word processing/editing service with an emphasis on doctoral dissertations. Compared to each, THIS is by far the most difficult. We are typing and UNDERSTANDING and CORRECTING DICTATED ERRORS IN a foreign language all day under pressure day after day. Our job requires education and experience and skills the former did not. Besides that, what we do affects human lives and our mistakes will follow them the rest of their lives so we must be accurate. By all means it deserves a least a #6, especially if we go EMR and most docs don't check our work and that's pricing it LOW.
I rather doubt that, but if that's what you
then go for it.
I actually don't send mine very much. But even if I send them just ONE question a month, they still gripe about it. Pulls them away from their potato-chip and cookie binge-eating and their soap-operas, I guess.
Yes no doubt you do
And if you are good at what you do, filling in the blanks, the more power to you. I am sure it is not an easy job unless you are a superduper MT/QA person with a ton of experience. There is no silver lining in QA work from your perspecti
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