So you do 15,000 lines per week at $.10+ per line?
Posted By: curiosity on 2005-07-14
In Reply to: Read carefully to understand ... - Busy MT'ing
That's $1,500 per week, or $78,000 per year. How many hours do you put in per week? Do you have a life outside of work? Kids, S/O, hobbies, family, friends? Not being snotty, I just find it hard to believe that anyone can do that many lines without other aspects of their life suffering.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Gross line, also including blank lines because my line rate is so low. It all works out in the wash.
x
I'm up to 5,000 lines per week.
Now I just wish it didn't take me all day to do it. I'm not sure how many days I actually worked this week, whether it was four or five, because all the days blend together into one now. 
I only recently started using an expander, so I do spend some time each day adding to it.
that would be 75K lines a week for each
insane
1,500 lines per week is not much.
There are some companies out there that will let you work at will from a pool, which is really what IC status should be, but so many are taken advantage of by being asked to commit to a schedule. STay away from those companies; they are crooks.
In saying that, you may want to do ask which companies allow you 24 hour TAT as opposed to a set schedule unless you'd like to be an employee, and then you could accept the shift work.
Cardioscribes offers 24 hour TAT. I cannot think of any others off hand, but the other thing you could do is contact an IC position that is advertised and ask if they would be flexible. I think Zylomed also offers IC status and some flexibility, but I'm not sure.
Good luck to you... Best wishes to find what you are looking for!
are u sure that's 1000 lines per WEEK for them? NM
n
goal is 10,000 lines a week!... :) nm
x
How many lines per week do you transcribe?
Do you think shooting for 9000 lines a week is way over the top? I need to work as much as I can and I am thinking I may commit to 9000 lines a week (can do that over 5, 6 or 7 days or however I want) - but I'm afraid of burnout. I have been an MT many years and in my younger days I did that much on a consistent basis; just not so sure I can keep up that pace anymore. Just wondering how much others are doing.
12,000 lines per week for me - consistently. nm
x
how many lines per hour/day/week do you do?? NM
???
I typed 600 lines more this week than I usually do
(working extra hours) and my pay for the week is still 50 dollars short because of the VR pay. I don't know if we should say something to our companies about this or what or if it would even help but it really ticks me off!
OTI. So many lines per week. No schedule. No benefits, either. nm
x
Lines typed an hour or a week?
I know this has been talked about a lot, but I was offered a chance to test for an IC job, and I'm required to type between 2,500-5,000 lines per week. Since I'm an employee and haven't been paid by the line for about five years, approximately how many hours does it usually take for some of you to type 2,500 lines per week?
TIA.
Depends -- usually 2500-3000 lines per week - sm
though where I work does not have a minimum, but they are considering changing that shortly. Still won't be a firm # as they go by minutes, but the min. will be 60 minutes a day which will be approx 500-600 lines a day.
2-1/2 hours a day, 1300 lines/day, $150 a day, 7 days a week, IC status
a
Hand pain - needing to cut back lines per week. Anyone else done this?
I have so much hand and wrist pain from all this typing. I only do 5000-6000 lines per week and that is torture. By the end of the week I have slowed down so badly it is ridiculous. I think I am going to have to cut way back before I trash my hands and wrists for good. Has anyone else had this problem and cut back on MT work? I'm trying to think of other jobs I could do for a few hours a day to make up the difference ($$)that don't involve typing.
I type around 2300-2600 lines a day, 5 days a week.
Yeah, it does come out to $6,000 a year.
Yeah, many of us do it on a regular basis.
Yeah, it is worth it to me.
No, there is no magical single tip that can give you that kind of production.
No, I'm not interested in talking about production with anyone because all I ever get back is all the reasons you can't do it. So, if that's your mindset, you're exactly right - you can't do it.
My experience pays off for me and having the CMT gives me an extra income boost (which I save and makes a tidy nest egg padding) and the CEUs are very, very educational and worthwhile.
Oh yeah, I did 2800 lines last Thurs and I had 10,500 for week to my usual 8K sheesh I'm a
nm
What is the minimum lines per week required by employers for part-time for transcription?
nm
No. Your line count is per week. You can
in a better line count another day.
If you are having problems reaching your line counts consistently, contact your supervisor. I would do that even if it were one day just to make sure I was in good communication with my management team.
I agree - no shopping for me on BF. I will go next week or 2 or on line. nm
x
At 40 hours a week? Is that gross line or 65 char?
You'll never get an accurate comparison unless you have every single detail lining up, i.e., same rate per line, same amount of hours, same type of work, same doctors dictating, same amount of Expander entries, same typing speed, same method of payment, etc., etc.
It just doesn't matter what anyone here posts -- it's going to be different for each individual. There is no real true way to predict what you will make at this profession!
If you get 600 lines that is only .03 a line - sm
pretty crappy....I would not take less than $60 for a 60 minute tape
I'd go for at least $60 a tape; if 600 lines then .10 a line - sm
but I would not go any lower than that. If you can get a sample and do a count that would be the best way of course to figure out a fair rate so you don't get the short end of the stick. Obviously try to use an Expander to its best ability so you can maybe get your time down to 4 hours, which would be a reasonable time to do 60 minutes of work. Plus printing and delivery, yeah, no lower than $60. Think I'd go for at least $72 since you are doing printing and delivery.
Gross line is actual lines. sm
9 cpl if count is by 65 chars is not too much, IMO, for an experienced MT. If counting by gross lines, 7.5 c on a gross line equals about 9 cpl on a 65-char line, so if they use gross lines, it might sound low per line but it equals out in the end. A gross line is any line on the page. In other words, you can use your finger and count each line on the page that has words on it, and that's your line count. Most don't count blank lines. However, a lot depends on what they are including in that line, regardless. Are spaces included if 65-char line? Does the line count software count formatting changes (such as bold, underline, etc) If so, that will increase total line count. If not, it will decrease it. Gross line is usually a better deal unless the company is using a size 9 font or something or decrease the side margins. 11-12 size font with 1" margins is good with gross lines. The only thing that affects gross lines is the side margins or the font size. With 65-char line, font and margins don't affect it, which is why most go with that now. You take total characters (incl spaces if they pay for them, as someone else said) and divide by 65 to get total lines. Another thing to ask, if they use templates or normals, are the lines in those included? If not, that decreases total line count, too.
It's really hard for someone to say "this is the rate you should ask for" though, because there can be so much variability from company to company as far as what they count as a line. Also, is it clinic or acute care work? If clinic, generally easier and same docs all the time, so even at a lower line rate, you might make more in the end if you use expander, normals, templates, etc. Is there a platform or can you use Word and your own expander? If acute care where you have different docs all the time, a lot of ESLs, clunky platform, no Expander program, etc., it might slow you down so even with a higher line rate, you might not make as much in the long run. Therefore, you have to take all of that into consideration to arrive at what line rate you should charge or ask for ... almost have to adjust to each different company or client, really. For clinic work, 8-9 cents per 65-char line can net some good pay. For acute care, you might want more like 10-11 to get the same pay. Hope this all makes sense!
1500 lines per day? Is this a realistic line
count to be able to make daily in the current MT climate? I have been in MT field for 30 years, with last 10 as QA. I hate it, and can't wait to transcribe again. I am still really fast, never lost my skills thankfully, and can easily hit 1500 lines per 8 hour shift IF the work is there, though. That is the target I would have to hit to even come close to what I am making currently as QA - things are tight on this salary, and can't get much tighter! Do you think most companies have this sort of workload to offer MTs? I used to work for 2 companies 15 years or so ago. Maybe do you think it would be more realistic for me to try to work for 2, or is 1500 lines steadily daily not a big deal? I'm just so used to getting paid hourly, and never having that gut-wrenching fear of running out of work. I don't need benefits at all, so IC is a big possibility. I hope you understand, and I really appreciate your thoughts.  I'm so scared, but have to get out of my current situation at "you-know-where" before I lose my "you-know-what"...  Figured I'd peddle myself off as an MT rather than QA - worry about that down the road at a good company.
Made 60K last year working 50 hours a week being paid on gross line
nm
How about 1 cent a line being cheap. That equals only $10. for 1000 lines which
is really not an incentive to work either. Why not make it more like time and a half, i.e., if you normally make 10 cents a line when you would get 15. They could even offer 1/4 pay incentive so you could make an extra $25 to work a holiday but the $50 would certainly make me think more about working a day when I usually wouldn't. Yes, it would cost the company more but I'm sure more people will be working that weekend for such an "incentive."
what is the .065 cents per gross line equivalent to in 65 character lines?
Would it be about 8 cpl 65 characters or higher?
Line rate isn't the only factor -- your lines/hour average is key, too.
Even at 7 cpl, keeping about 275 lines/hour average keeps you at $19.25 an hour and that is $40,000 a year.
It is a myriad of factors involved. You have to have the knowledge, be decisive, self-sufficient and very focused. Then, you need to negotiate as high a base rate as you can and look toward the incentive plan to increase your paycheck.
With our incentive, it was not worth it if I couldn't hit high lines in a day. So, I changed my schedule to hit those lines.
I am tired after my work days but having the 4 days a week off and a good income makes it worth it for me. It allows me to spend my days off doing things I want to.
Chars aren't counted in gross lines. If you have a 4-line paragraph...sm
you have 4 gross lines, no matter how long or short the sentences are. A heading on it's own line is 1 gross line. A signature on it's own line is 1 gross line. The date at the top of a document on it's own line is 1 gross line. Anything on a line going from margin to margin is 1 gross line, no matter how few or many characters, or if there are spaces or not, even if there's only 1 character on that line like 'A' for instance. Does this help? :)
Paid hourly, req'd 1000 lines, anything over 1101 was 0.04 cents a line
//
Two companies, both 65 char lines including spaces, one pays 0.10/l and the other 8.5/gross line. n
x
The phone line has to support DSL signals. Most rural lines don't due to distance from central of
x
Is there engineer week? Astronaut week? Veterinarian week?
x
65 character line versus gross lines versus pay by word
I am checking into other options for transcription. Can anyone tell me how to compare all of these types of lines & also payment per word? I know companies use different scales, so I wondered how they compare. I have been paid on a 65 character line with spaces, but I may be making a change in the future - don't want to get burned.
Thank you in advance!
Typically this week is a slow week in lots of places
because it is a big vacation week. Typically things slow dow a bit in the summer too because people are putting off elective surgery, but at the same time lots of people going on vacation so it should balance out.
Lowest runs $900 week, highest $1400 week (sm)
Get paid 12 CPL. Been doing transcription for about 12 years.
A gross line is anything on a line is a line. A line set at 65 characters means it sm
has 1-inch margins on each side. The maximum number of characters on that line would be 65 and that includes spaces. If there is 1 character on that line it is a line.
A standard 65-character line usually consists of 65 characters with spaces unless, of course, the employer does not pay for spaces and then it would be 65-characters without spaces.
I work 6 days a week every other week
Due to my company's payroll (it runs Sun-Sat), I'm able to work a rotating schedule with every other weekend off. Week 1 I work Sunday through Thursday with Fri, Sat, Sun off. Week 2 I work Monday through Friday with Saturday only off. Then I'm back to week 1 and get that following weekend off.
I've found that I'm more productive with shorter shifts and I have kids in school anyway, so I work a lot of split shifts during the week. If possible, you might want to consider cutting back your hours to 30 hours and just work five 6-hour days in split shifts, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening.
Aaahhhh, now I get it. Gross lines vs. Character lines. I guess I've just been conditioned to
think in terms of character lines. One of the perils of working as an IC for somebody who defines what a line is versus owning your own company and defining it yourself. After working for someone else for 15 years, maybe it's time to bust out on my own.
Anything on the line makes up a line even if just one letter or number. Every line of print is a
s
Gross line = each line on page counts as a line, even if it's only 1 word. nm
x
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
900 lines is below 1100 lines, where the bonus starts.
x
Gross line means anything on a line is counted as a line.
You can get an idea in the difference using documents you have already created, assuming you're working in Word. Simply open a document and check the properties. Click on the statistics tab and you will see the number of lines as well as characters with and without spaces. If you're currently getting paid by the line and a line is 65-characters with spaces, do the math and see how that number of lines compares with the number of lines in your stats.
One thing to keep in mind: if you have a blank line between paragraphs, instead of hitting the enter key twice, format your document to give the appearance of blank lines between paragraphs.
Gross lines include all lines containing
printable characters, so a full line and a line with one word on it are charged equally. Straight lines are basically the same as gross lines, but with this method of counting the blank lines are counted as well (again, equally). I have only had one company pay this way, and they are a middle man. I would think the charge would be about the same as for gross lines, and that not too many offices will want their lines counted this way (the one I worked on was probably inherited from someone who had counted the lines that way, so just continued).
The norm is 1 minute = 10 lines; 10 min = 100 lines - sm
granted this varies per dictator. More lines if a fast talker, less if a slow talker.
I went from 2400 lines to 1800 lines
a day when I switched from clinic (through an MTSO) to hospital work. Not only was the clinic work easier with more macros (and less providers to learn, 12 vs 300+), but I was typing in straight Word (as opposed to Softmed/Chart Script). So you see, it really varies depending upon the type of work as well as the platform used. That said, I am so much happier typing the 1800 lines per day (I make over $15 per hour plus an incentive for any lines in excess of 1200 per day) plus a great health package/benefits, AND approximately 5 weeks of paid time off per year. In my opinion, hospitals really are the best employers WHEN they appreciate the work we do.
My advice for you is not to judge a job by any one criterion but rather the entire picture. The 'extra's can really add up.
Good luck in your job!
Which is the one where they are sc*&ing us the standard lines or the qualified lines? SM
Mine show up as STD when I pull up my transcription log. But I see now there is STD/QT.... So which is the one where they are ripping us off, standard or qualified? Need to know. I am about to switch companies and I will not do if they are actually taking lines from me. Thanks guys.
Question versus gross lines versus 65-character lines....
I have always charged or been paid by 65 or 60 character lines or per letter or space typed, but have never been paid or charged per gross line.
What is the advantage of this? If I were to charge 11 cents per 65-character line including spaces, what does this figure out to for an average line rate and how do you do this calculation?
I'm wondering if it is financially beneficial for me to bill by gross line or to keep it the way I have it. I do know some accounts will only pay per 65-character line, as this was the deal my first own account I recently acquired. They were adamant on a 65-character line, but didn't specify with or without spaces and I personally would never not charge for spaces.
Thanks for explaining this. I appreciate it and hope everyone has a speedy day.
$.06 gross line / .70 = approximately $.0857 cents per 65 character line.
A gross line is anything on a line versus 65 gross characters per net line the other way. You make more money working for the gross line than for the 65 gross character line, as long as the line rate's OK.
|
