Oh and FYI, there are a LOT more quality-driven newbies, than seasoned MTs!
Posted By: tmt on 2008-10-04
In Reply to: No, I am not the original poster, smarty-pants! - tmt
Just my opinion!
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The Purpose Driven Life...
I have felt very overwhelmed too over the past several months, and my DH gave me a book for Christmas that is the most wonderful gift he's ever given me...."The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is written to be read at the rate of one chapter a day, so it is very managable in our busy schedules.
Anyway, this book has made a huge impact on my outlook on life already, and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone who is questioning their purpose in life. It is a wonderful book, and if you can't afford to purchase it, you probably get it from the library.
Hahah!a! Funny typo: not quality 'scAre', quality 'scOre'. LMAO!...nm
nm
I'd be furious if I had driven 5 hours to get fired..sm
Absolutely unnecessary. Is there and age discrimination issue in there somewhere??
I think that depends on the quality. Do you honestly think there is good quality just throwing every
MT on any account like they are. I also think QA has been told to not waste a lot of time on blanks so I think the hospitals are getting a lot more blanks. I certainly have more when I get in a hospital I dont know and they talk 100 miles an hour.
I thought quality was a given. Speed and quality are not mutually exclusive. sm
I maintain 99% accuracy above on my reports. However, the original question was regarding personal preference, and I have stated mine, and I respect your opinion as well. :-) I do think if I was working in an office or hospital setting, the setup you mentioned might be more profitable in the long run. There are too many interruptions and such when you have other people running in and out, phones ringing, etc.
I doubt that anyone but me really cares about the lines per hour it takes for me to do a report. They just want an accurate report in a timely manner. I take pride in my work, and would never just slop something out for the sake of the almighty buck. And, as an added incentive, I work for 2 companies, and one of them has my name on each report. I don't have a problem with it, but I did think it was a bit unusual at first.
Oh well ... I must confess that what I'd TRULY like is to be paid lots of money to just sit and play Battle Phlinx on Pogo all day long, but as of yet, no such luck. 
you just described the hourly fram of mind, production is driven, or lose.
period. You could benefit from in-house-paid-breaks employment and the pay that comes with it.
the difference between being business and being someone else's business.
Well you know what? Maybe they should care! maybe we seasoned MTs actually need something to
distinguish us from those who either aren't really good MTs. This could give a lot of us a sense of real accomplishment to be not just an MT, but an RMT. I think it would be great. I would go for it. I mean, come on, isn't that was credentials are all about nowadays? To SHOW everyone just how important you are? Hey, why can't our field have one??? I like this idea much better than CMT!!!!!!!!
Speak for yourself. This seasoned MT can't do
nm
Question for seasoned ER MTs....sm
I am very curious to know if those who have been doing ER work for a few years usually find a summer slow-down occurs at some point, in terms of work volume. I'm on my first ER account, busy as a bee for months, but for over a month now the work has dwindled down to a trickle. Have heard it's a seasonal low, but find it hard to believe it goes this low! And if it true, please tell me it could pick up soon!  Thanks for sharing your experience.
Need some advice from some seasoned MT's!!
Can someone PLEASE give some tips or advice: I have been testing with companies, but every dictator they throw out there is an ESL dictator and my ear is not as trained as I need it to be. I really want to get better at typing ESLs and have been transcribing for 1 1/2 years. Problem is, I am just missing so much of the dictation I don't even want to send it in. Does anyone with a trained ear have any tips???
Oh please -- the recipe for the seasoned taters?!
.
any seasoned MT can do 2000 lpd no problem.
I had training. I was trained by seasoned MTs who knew what they were doing. nm
All training does not have to be in the form of formal education. I didn't just decide to do this as a lark. This is my profession. Those ladies took me in hand and trained me well. I just had the basic terminology that I needed and they taught me the correct way of transcribing reports.
I had training. I was trained by seasoned MTs who knew what they were doing.
All training does not have to be in the form of formal education. I didn't just decide to do this as a lark. This is my profession. Those ladies took me in hand and trained me well. I just had the basic terminology that I needed and they taught me the correct way of transcribing reports.
We have a lot of seasoned MTs interested; it is the newbie crowd that wants to be
at home only. I have to admit that was the biggest shock to all of us that are working on the set up of this. There are a lot of experienced MTs that like the socialization and structure of working in an office or hospital, as long as the pay, benefits and conditions are good. We are going to make it as close to (or better) working in a hospital so that it is appealing to all.
First , I am a seasoned MT, no need to train, tapes are picked up, i type 'em. and that is about it.
dd
Medical records are data driven. Numerals are data.
.
Oven-roasted chicky bird...with possibly seasoned tators in oven and ? for veggie nm
nm
newbies
I applaud your attitude towards mentoring (especially since I'm a student and crave that!). To hold employees that are worth having the employer would only benefit by training the way he/she wants the employee to work.
As a baby boomer, I think the majority of us will work well past the retirement age set forth by the powers that be. I don't see that my retirement funds will pay for me to live another third of my life unemployed. Not to mention, the need to feel productive that many of us have. MT is the answer, allowing many to work at home (or in our RV's - not that I'll get one, not my thing).
As far as education goes, some schools are most likely sub-par, in it for the money only. Some are developing, some are downright outstanding. However, even a student attending one of the 'lesser' schools might be worth mentoring. Perhaps they attend that school because of fund shortages (I know that's why I am), that does not mean the student is sub-par. Yes, I agree some are looking for an easy buck, but some are looking for a CAREER, not a dollar. I know that's my goal.
ok - I'm getting off my soapbox, and hoping someone someday will give me the chance to work and help others too, when I get enough experience!
Newbies
Good luck in a field where our pay goes down each year, and our business costs soar. I received an e-mail that offered to transcribe my overflow for 3 cents a line. How can we compete with that? It seems the doctors just care about cheap labor instead of quality work....
It isn't that most of us have anything against newbies. sm
Just as in any field, when people have trained and worked hard to get where they are, they expect to be rewarded. Forlorn hope. As newer people come in, they are eager to learn, willing to take less money while they train. That means those of us that have been at it so long (18 years here) have to sometimes cut our prices to compete for the jobs. I won't even mention the off-shoring. Eighteen years experience means little to a company that only asks for two years. We do get bitter, not necessarily at the new people, but at the situation we're in.
People in all professions find this. New people come into teaching making as much as people that have been there 15 years. In other professions, a long-timer is replaced by someone new who works for much less. Do you think there isn't bitterness over this? The list goes on.
We all feel cheated, even those of us making a decent living, like me. Yes, I can make $16 an hour, but have to buy my own equipment, software, insurance, pay employment taxes, income taxes, Medicare tax, internet, long distance, etc. I'm lucky if I really make $8 an hour. Not much above working at WalMart, when you look at it like that.
Don't take it personally, most of us understand being new. But the money was easier to make then, and the competition wasn't so stiff. We're sympathetic with you, but we're also worried about our families. Ten years from now, when you're fighting to make what you make today, and utilities have tripled in that time, maybe you'll understand better. Good luck.
newbies
It's because so many newbies want to work M-F, at their own chosen hours and want to make $50K a year to begin with. They think because they took a course, they know everything and have nothing to learn. They resent established MTs who learned on the job.
I'm from the days when MTs were hired because of their good spelling and typing skills. They trained us on the job. We had very few resources, about 5 good reference books to use, but we were able to get feedback from the doctors, who actually respected us and what we did for them.
Now, too many newbies think that an online course or a couple semesters at the local community college put them on the same level as an MT with 10+ years of experience. Not true. There is no substitute for experience.
To the newbies who think they are too good to work holidays and weekends, I just say, why on earth did you take a job in healthcare, which is 24/7 365 days a year, if you want a 9-5, M-F job? Go to work for an insurance company or an accounting firm.
If you can't raise your family and hold down a job at the same time, then quit and let someone else have the opportunity.
There are so many newbies who cannot get a job and would
probably take that and not think twice. Twenty years ago I was making 6 cpl/gross line.
The newbies always do.....
d
Newbies.......
I have been in this field for 17 years and on 'another board' I was ridiculed beyond reason for posting a problem I had with a vendor who advertised on that site. Little did I know I was a site where there were cliques present, you know like high school. HEY we were all new at one time or another and how do you lean if you don't ask questions? Compassion, patience and understanding goes a long way.
we were all newbies once...
so what's with the vets vs. newbies attitude that has taken over this thread?
Sheesh people - it doesn't matter how many years we've been doing this - we're all in the same boat here. Just because some of us have more experience than others, that doesn't mean we're any better or that our opinions are more important.
I have to take back what I said earlier about having not seen any nastiness here because now I have - and it's right here in this thread.
Newbies
Like you, I had a mentor in a former R.N. who started a small transcription company. I knew some medical terms but not much. I did have the advantage, however, of being a very fast typist at that point. But I had never worked with any type of dictation equipment. I started when I was 26 and more or less retired at the age of 67. To say that this profession is on life support is probably the most accurate and honest statement I've heard in a long time. I was able to work at home with young children and it was a God-send at that time. For years I worked full-time for a large group as a salaried employee plus worked several nights a week at a local hospital because they had new computerized equipment and I wanted to learn that. I still love the medical profession and all that it entails and am truly sorry that now all the bits and pieces stored in my brain won't be used any longer for transcription. I still try to read about medicine and get on this site frequently just to "keep up" but, again, the profession as we oldies knew it is dead in the water. My own family physician has already switched to EMR. In fact, he types his own notes as he sees the patient. He said the group could not afford to hire a transcriptionist. To put it mildly, transcription "ain't" what it used to be, that's for sure. So sad, really.
Newbies
Hi! Where does a newbie get started? I am working at a large local hospital in the Transcription Dept. and have been here a year. I transcribe 2 days and I do tech work. I just finished my internship and I have my MT certificate. :) I do not know where to start to find MT work as a newbie. Anyone have any advice? I am able to get 2 days transcribing at my current job but I want a second job transcribing. Any adivce is greatly appreciated! :)
I think 100 may be a lot for brand new newbies. nm
nm
Message for newbies
Please go to www.careerbuilder.com. On the left hand side, enter into 'keyword' box, 'transcription work from home'. Do not enter a city or state or category. Now click on 'search'. There are several jobs her for transcriptionists with little experience. Some of them require that you live in a certain area. Many of them do not. When you call to inquire about these positions, make sure that it's not some sort of school thing that requires you to pay a fee. I hope this is helpful.
I think the newbies who are just getting into the business sm
need to hear the truth about this organization before they get taken in by them.
No, why do you ask? They are very good with newbies (nm)
a
Taking on newbies.
The company I worked for took on newbies who had completed an MT course or had experience in an associated field. They were hired on at a slightly lower rate. Some were raised up in about a month when they proved to be good transcriptionists, and went on to become excellent employees. Some realized very soon that they could not cut it, and usually quit on their own. They were given only as much work as they could complete, and only were let go if their quality was awful and they did not improve over a few weeks time. It can be done and is often very much worth the money and time spent.
I know of svl newbies who get offered what I get now with 13+ yrs in!! Sad..and
s
Well, I will tell you newbies make
the same as you! That's pretty sad considering how long you have been doing it, but I made that right out of school
Why do you accept low pay for newbies?
I said it below but trascribing is a higher skill than alphabetizing.
The low pay for new MTs is unacceptable. Even after the huge discussion I do not understand the idea that putting in your time = working for low wages. I don't expect a new MT to make as much as an experienced one but they still should earn more than a file clerk or housekeeper.
Hospitals pay for *months* of training when a floor nurse goes to the OR. The floor nurse requires one on one training in the OR. They also pay for months of training for OR/"scrub" and anesthesia techs before they are considered productive. I don't understand why a new MT should work for $9/hour when a file clerk earns more than that. I understand the file clerk is productive after a few hours but the hosptial pays training time for other positions.
I am honestly asking this. I do not want a MT strike, MTs to type their initials on screwed up reports or a MT sit in at the medical director's office. Why is it accepted in the transcription community for a new MT to earn less than anyone else in the doctor's office?
Most newbies ARE screwed.
I personally know two people, one of whom I mentored through her training program, who could get jobs in the field. No one would let them get a foot in the door. So I understand that frustration from that point of view, because these people have had to count their training money as a loss and go on to other things. I was so sad for them, and angry at the penny-pinching MT profession as it is today, which has few opportunities for in-house training for new people to learn what they need to know to succeed.
I think a lot of the bitterness you sense is really toward the big companies and the direction that the profession has taken. There is no place anymore for newbies to learn and "pay their dues" the way many of us had to do it.
I also agree with the poster below who said this is something that is in EVERY profession nowadays. My own father was pretty well forced into retirement, and yet they had the nerve to call him afterwards trying to pick his brain because his successor, half his age, couldn't figure something out. (He informed them of his consultant rate, take it or leave it.) As the other poster said, you find it in teaching and other professions, as well.
What concerns me about newbies is
that often they write these excited posts and reveal how tiny their working English vocabulary is. That's a terrible place to start out from. I try to be polite, but I do remember being a newbie for hospital work and how appalled the trainer was with the other MTs who had tiny English vocabularies. She about dropped her teeth because the first time I had to spell shotty adenopathy I spelled it right. I couldn't believe anybody would think "shoddy adenopathy" would make any sense. It's not logical.
How do you train people to THINK and be logical in their transcription? Those are things the person should bring to the table if they want to go into a career in the written word. Then you can build on that logic as you interpret MD slurring.
newbies beware
TO ALL NEWBIES, AND STAY AT HOME MOMS:>>DO NOT CONSIDER EVEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ON-POINT MTS.....THEY PREY ON PEOPLE OF INNOCENCE AND MORAL CHARACTER. THEY WILL NEVER PAY YOU. THERE ARE 34+ PEOPLE VICTIMIZED. THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, THE POLICE, AND VARIOUS INTERSTATE ATTORNEYS ARE ALL AWARE OF BAWNIE BARTLETT THE OWNER OF ON-POINT MTS. REMEMBER THE NAME, BAWNIE BARTLETT, ON-POINT MTS. UNLESS YOU LIKE BEING VICTIMIZED, AND TRANSCRIBING FOR FREE DO NOT THINK ABOUT WORKING FOR THIS CRAZY B----.
Wow are newbies really starting at...s/m
8 cpl? I have 17+ years experience and just started a job 3 weeks ago and 8 cpl is exactly what I'm making, I must mention that it is 8 cpl, but based on a 60 (yes 60)character line and she counts spaces. Would that be enough to make either a slight to significant difference? Math is not my area. Plus it is clinic work, that never runs out, with no ESLs.
I understand why you upset over your rate. My wav player just stopped on me today so there's 2 hours wasted.
I'm just happy to be working for a super-nice lady that is extremely flexible and knows the definition of an IC and what they are and ARE NOT obligated to do by law. She doesn't live all that far away, and is always easily accessible and happy to help us out. Thank goodness she is also our sole QA person too. Very nice setup, IMO. One more bonus is that this company has less than 15 MTs.
Yup! And newbies have to pay the rent and eat, too -
.
jobs for newbies
Does any one know which companies hire new grads?
I get so frustrated with the newbies here who
took the At-Home Professions course or other equally bad and then complain they can't find a job. They didn't do any research on the front end or they would have chosen another school - you do get what you pay for and most took their courses because they were cheaper.
In every aspect of the real world there is someone trying to scam us, so you should always research.
We all started as newbies. sm.
Everyone has to start somewhere. When I started, I was scared to death, but had a really good trainer and worked for a wonderful doctor who was very patient with me. His comment on my first day has become a motto to me. "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask and just assume your answer is right." Trust me I asked some pretty dumb ones but like he said you don't learn it unless you ask. No course is going to teach you everthing. On average, I learn something new almost every day. It comes with experiences.
Lindsay good for you. Hope you do well and Good Luck.
My concern about newbies getting a job -
In response to a previous post on newbies finding a job - I've been typing for almost 15 years and was lucky enough to "learn the right way" from a great mentor, learning all specialties. Editing speech rec jobs is relatively easy when you have the background in all specialties like "us old folks".
At least for right now, I believe speech rec is only as good as the experienced Editor behind it to eyeball and correct any errors. I hate to admit it, but speech rec has made dramatic improvements in its accuracy over the last few years. It's here to stay, it's improving - and surprisingly, the people I work with really enjoy editing.
My concern though is when the old folks like me in the field retire, and many of us are getting close. Newbies need the opportunity to get in the door and gain their experience in all specialties to take over as the older folks leave the field. There needs to be mentors to continue to be available to these newbies to guide them along the way. There are good schools out there, but to "learn it all" you really need to be actively working in the field on a job that gives the opportunity to learn all specialties.
This is my concern as speech recognition becomes more and more successful. We will continue to need quality, seasoned transcriptionists to become quality, well rounded editors in the future.
I've taught completely green people transcription, and I've taken newbies in and guided them along the way. It is satisfying for me because someone took me green 15 years ago and gave me this opportunity, and for that I am eternally grateful. Putting 3 kids through college was a lot easier thanks to my full time job and another part time job I had.
Best of luck to all you newbies out there - if you can get your foot in the door at a local hospital, even working in house to start, its a good place to begin. Gain all the experience you can. I'm not sure working for these big shlock houses, the nationwide transcription companies, is the best place to start - it can be frustrating when you're given all the ESL docs and junk work and try to plug through it.
Good luck newbies - keep on pluggin.
TTS, NH - do they hire newbies
TTS, NH - do they hire newbies? I have a whole 6 weeks of experience and am looking for a good company. Not fond of the big nationals.
If you have any additional suggestions for good companies I am open.
Looking for employee position, but realize that initially this is almost impossible to find. Will definitely settle for IC status.
Becuase most of them are newbies and don't
nm
I have over 30 years. Not only same pay as newbies,
nm
It varies. Newbies usually
start around 6 or 7, average experience around 8ish, and very experienced in everything can make anywhere from 9-11. (This would be as an employee with benes, spaces included. As an IC or without spaces, cpl would be more to make up for that.)
newbies don't want to research?
It almost sounds like it is crime to be a "newbie" reading some of the posts here. If you invest your money in a really good MT school you learn how to research, you have the basic knowledge, and you also have a good library of reference books. There is nothing wrong asking for help on the word board unless you are a student.
Yes, my plan is to hire only newbies who ...
have completed an MT course. Again at a slightly lower rate and increases as they progress. I too believe that those who cannot "cut it" will probably quit on their own. On the other hand if a newbie does not show progress within a month or so, I certainly would not hesitate to let them go and tell them that this is not the career field for them and/or suggest further training in a related field. Thanks for your input.
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