So your answer to the the OP's burnout

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After about 12 years of being an MT, I found myself suffering from burnout.  Right about that time, I was offered the job of 1st & 2nd grade teacher at the tiny Christian school my kids attended.  I was really looking forward to something new.  After only 2 months, I was over my burnout but I was committed to finish out the rest of the school year.  It was the longest 7 months of my life.   

I think the burnout came from having had the same account for so long (nearly 10 years).  Every day was the same.  Maybe just learning a new account or a new specialty would help you get over the burnout.  Although I hate the pay cut that invariably comes with any new account, I always feel proud of myself for rising to the challenge and learning new things.  It keeps things interesting. 

This may sound silly, but do you have any scenery where you transcribe?  I sit in front of a picture window in my office and watch the birds and squirrels.  I have become quite an avid birdwatcher while I work.  It doesn't take a lot of time out of the day, but it gives me something else to look at besides the computer screen. 

Hi:

Is anyone out there dealing with burnout due to their transcription job? I have been doing this for 7 years as an Independent with only 1 vacation in that time. I work weekends and holidays and feel like I am about ready to yank my freaking hair out from the responsibility!!!

Lynn

I just can't do MT anymore.  I've been doing it for 30 years, the last 6 with a national that begins and ends with an S.  I so tired of their lies and garbage.   I also edit as an IC which I enjoy but can't get steady hours.  I'm presently on intermittent FMLA from "S" for my mom who is a paraplegic and they're giving me all kinds of grief over it.   My supervisor is doing everything she can to put roadblocks in front of me. She won't me change accounts permanently.  I get put on an account I'm good at and can get good line counts on for awhile and then I'm put back on the account I told her I hate and can't make money on.  This happens over and over again.  She also won't let me taking an editing job or change my hours.   I received their "certificates" for quality and attendance, but not for production which is the only thing they care about since only 62% of the company made 98% or more quality.  Some days I just can't sit and work.  I'm totally burned out and the above doesn't help.

I'd leave in a minute if I thought another place would be better, but I'm not convinced it would be.  Add to that the fact that I only have dial-up, need health insurance as I am single and can't afford a good computer at this time. 

Sorry for the long post.  Just needed to vent.  Has anyone been in this situation?  What can I do?   I'm working 50-60 hours a week and still can't make a living.  I'm really ready to go on welfare rather than keep working.

I used to carry two pagers for two hospitals all by myself, 24/7.  They went off maybe a couple of times a month.  The chore of being on-call is now shared with a few other people but now the after-hour pages come in nonstop and I don't know why.  Me thinks some deal was made to keep an account or something but I really am just pulling that answer out of my tuckas.  It's gotta be costing the hospitals a mint to have us at their beck and call like that....either that or they got a really sweet deal. 

The other issue is it used to be a much more laid back environment.  You logged on, did your work, and you were left alone.  You kept an eye out for stats yourself and took care of them, because you are there because you are responsible. 

Now you log on, strike up this thing called Instant Messenger, and sit there at your desk working your alloted shift but can't get up because you must be present if you get an IM for a stat...even though you are already on it because it's your job to be.  Want to take a break?  Yeah, sure, once you finish up this stat.  Oh wait, I've got another one here that needs to be done super duper stat....you know what I'm talkin' about too, lurkers.

Ya know the movie, Office Space?  I'm always referring to it with this company.  You know the scene with the TPS reports, where the fella has 4 bosses telling him the same darned thing even though you already know your job?  That's what I'm dealing with and, yeah, I've been reduced to the mumbling dude who worries about his stapler.

I don't blame my bosses at all, but the micromanaging thing is out of control and I have no idea why it has come to be, because it wasn't like this before.  The days of a happier Hayseed with high line counts and company pride are long gone.  I don't know who works there anymore as the folks I knew have all left, and that's made an impact as well.  Ask for new scenery because of burnout, and all you get is a strokin', nothing more. 

Was at a major company that I liked for a year, then they made some changes and it was a nightmare for the second year.  I went to a smaller company for awhile, they were great but I found it harder and harder to sit down and pull reports.  I got to the point I was only doing about 300 lines a day.  I made a change to a small company as IC, and chose one where so many minutes were dumped on me for the day.  I knew I had to finish those minutes, and before I knew it I was back to about 800 lines a day, six days a week.  That is all I can do without developing CT myself; I have learned this over the years.  Now I'm starting some editing part time, so I can earn more without losing the use of my hands.

If you already have CT, you might have to get into something different, like editing.  It doesn't seem realistic to keep working, knowing you're doing more damage and will shortly be unable to work anyway.  I'd be looking for a change.

Whatever you do, try to find the motivation that works.  I didn't find thinking about unpaid bills or setting a financial goal each month helped, it just made me depressed when I couldn't reach it.  I focused on the positive, like being able to do 50 lines more daily this week than last, adding minutes each week until I reached my goal.  I also make sure to take two weeks off at different times each year and go some place at least once, something I neglected for years.  I come back refreshed.

Best of luck to you; it's a difficult situation.

Yes, of course I'm half afraid if I leave him I won't find someone else and half afraid that I will!!  I'm old enough and had enough good and bad times with men that I really don't think it would be the end of the world if I lived the rest of my life alone.  It's maybe what I would not choose but it might have some positives in the long run.  At least that's what I tell myself when I'm feeling good, during the middle of the night is another story....

Break-ups are tough.  How do you stay on course.  You get lonely, you miss him, you doubt your judgment, you want to try again, you tell yourself maybe you were too hard on him......

I think I should go to a counselor, it's just that it's quite expensive and as I said, I'll be paying for it out of pocket.  I think they will tell me pretty much what you have.

It sounds like things have worked out for you.  I thank you for your insight and help.

but again, you should go for it.  You might love the challenge and have a really great team that will help you not have to roast over the flames.  Its always possible! 

Godspeed my friend, do it if you want to.  It really might be the best thing you ever did!  Or not, but either way, you will know for sure! 

leaving off the "jerk" comment, and recommend that people contact the MQ office they are affiliated with to see what that particular office wants them to do.

When I need to enter a NEW HEADING, I type it in, then it brings up a new box that says "type in new heading"...I finish typing it, hit OK or whatever, and it puts the new heading in my report.

BUT...it doesn't KEEP The new heading!  ARG!  It stays on the drop down list of headings for THAT REPORT ONLY but then when I do a new report, the new heading never shows up.

What am I doing wrong?  Help!! 

Does your mortgage company - the telephone company - the phone company - the cable company, etc. discount your bill if you pay on time or do they add a late fee if they don't receive your payment on time?

I don't agree you should reward a company to do something they should normally do - something that's considered a basic in good business - paying on time.  

I am currently researching keyboards, too.  I got an Ergo Flex something.  It was three separate units mounted on a metal base.  I THOUGHT I would be able to take units off base and put back on if I wanted but once those things are off, they are off for good.  It didn't matter though. I had my brother rig up a dowel for each arm chair and then fix the keyboard pieces onto those dowels.  Then I ace wrapped dowels to arms ( and that was much steadier than I expected) and off I went.  The problem was the units were fixed on the end of the dowels and they need to be on a swivel of some sort to allow for fine tuning the positioning.  Also, the units are a faily smallish keyboard, smaller than what I am using and that was an issue.  I also found that kicked back in the chair and comfy, I was almost too comfy. It seemed to slow me down. True, all of these things alone wiill slow you down, but I think even with practice, I wouldn't be as fast. I finally put them away as it was taking up alot of time and line count.

Now for the second issue.  As far as keyboards that separate completely or are connected at the top.  If you have a bit of a protruberant belly (as my doctor so gently puts it, lol) as I do, the kind that separate completely would be better.  Also, I think being able to have the units at shoulder width would be better.  I am currently using a Gold Touch which I love because it does separate an okay amount for me and like that it tents up, keeping my hands in a more neutral, hand-shake position.  I think a big comfort issue is having your hands in a hand-shake position as opposed to having to turn them flat down as for a flat keyboard. 

If transcription is sent to the Phillippines (and yes it goes there too) at 6 cents/line (which is what I was quoted to have them do my work - though I won't send it to them - I was just curious about what they charge), and they have 3-tiers of editing; as an MTSO I get 12 cents/line, I would stand to profit 6 cents/line. Compare that rate to the rate MTs expect to get of 10-11 cents/line, and there is your answer. No matter who does the work (US versus offshore) MTSOs still need to have editing, right? So why not pay for the line rate as cheap as you can since the work has to be edited whether US or offshore MTs transcribe it? As a small MTSO, all the editing is done by me as nothing gets to my client without going through me first, so there would be my profit. I think these companies also truly believe that eventually India and Philippines will get MT down...makes you wonder, huh? Large Nationals are probably only having to pay 3-4 cents/line for offshore work, and they pay editors 3-4 cents/line, and suppose they are making at least 12 cents/line on their accounts (I expect they get more than that though), there is still a profit for them of 4-6 cents/line. It is a heck of a lot cheaper for them to outsource offshore than to pay US MTs 9-10-11 cents/line which is what we are worth, right?

Dear Unhappy Camper,

If you will email me at my email address, dove003@comcast.net, I would like to tell you the solution to your problem. 

First, please, can you tell me what part of the USA you live in? 

Linda ');>