Taking on newbies.
Posted By: mtathome on 2006-04-24
In Reply to: And where does the $ come from to help those SM - Blu
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.
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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
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.
check out what MTSO's are saying about newbies...
it's a nightmare finding someone qualified and then all the training you have to do...
And which nationals are hiring newbies?
That's a first. My niece graduated at the top of her class and there wasn't a national out there that would even talk to her.
She took on horrid jobs (4 to 5 cpl) for a year and THEN got an interview with a national, got hired, and now runs out of work all the time.
Dream on. In this business, even with experience, it's the luck of the draw.
My niece only does it as a side job, as her husband owns a business and she is a stay-at-home mom. That's all she needs it for is a little extra and something to fall back on just in case. But starting out to do this to pay the bills most often doesn't work out, especially for those with little or no experience.
If you've got the experience, the accounts and the stamina, then sometimes you get lucky.
Newbies are begging for jobs at 6 cpl or they
So sad isn't it? I agree that the companies do not pay what they should, but they get away with it because more and more want to stay at home right off and not get the experience they need so they can go the bargaining table with a handful of ACE's, if you know what I mean. 
i subcontract work out to newbies too sometimes. sm
depending on my work load, occasionally i will take someone in and train them. have done this x3 now, 2 with no training and 1 with schooling. here's what i would do.....i would pay her 0.05 and you 0.03 until she reaches the point where you are not proofing every single report and then bump her to 0.06. you didn't state whether gross or 65-char, but either way shouldn't matter much other than making sure she is bringing in something for her time or she will get very frustrated at making no money. since in your office, i would also consider utility expenses too. maybe even do 0.04 and 0.04 til she gets the hang of it some and then go to 0.05 and 0.03 given your utility expenses and when on her own at her own location, 0.06 and 0.02. i usually make 2 cpl off them, but they aren't ever at my location either. if doing extremely well, sometimes i'll bump them up by 0.005. you'll know in the first month if she is a keeper or not and really takes her own time to learn and research things herself, gets down the corrections you tell her, etc. sounds like she will do really well, but still you never know.
If they are newbies wanting to get into the field
they really haven't a clue. I have a major case of burnout, but I have also been doing this for 20 years. I haven't had a raise in 5 years. It isn't that I can't do the work, I can do whatever is thrown my way, but I certainly don't enjoy it anymore. My options are just limited right now because I have to be at home, but I sure am exploring my options.
Everyone's situation is different. Some may be having to take care of sick/elderly parents or have a child with special needs who requires lots of care, etc. All these things suck up your energy, but you still need a paycheck. Someone who has children in school all day or has grown children and doesn't have any of the other issues above can focus on their job, get it done and not have to deal with it until tomorrow.
You can't know what someone else's situation is and it isn't fair to say they can't do the job.
What is the name of the company. I don't want this to happen to us newbies either n/m
x
Many newbies and even oldies and VR - Americans only.
nm
well, some newbies are getting 5-6 cpl; so, 1200 lines day = $16,000
nm
In my opinion, give the newbies the ASR.
just about where a newbie should start. I'm not being unkind either. I just think if the words are there, then let the newbies listen and look at the clues on a whole! Not all ASR reports are bad right? So when a good dictator is on ASR, there will be good samples to go by and a new MT could learn a lot.
let her hire all newbies....see where she is in a few months.
nm
Cardioscribes/Mediscribes and Newbies!
I am new to the world of transcription and I know how hard it is to find a job out there. Hang in there. I finally got a job with cardioscribes and they are wonderful. They have been about as patient as one can be with a brand new employee! AND they are getting so many new physicians wanting to jump on board that there is going to be gobs of work. So all I can say is have patience when waiting for a call from them. It may take her a bit to get everything together and give you a call, but with the way they treat their employess, it is well worth the wait!
What companies are good with newbies?
nm
I'm not discouraging newbies. Quite the contrary,
I am telling them that they can save money on their education and still be able to break into MT.
And here's what I do know. I have 7 years in QA. I have trained new hires who were fresh out of school and I can tell you that not one of them was in any way qualified to work from home. Every single one of them desperately needed to work in an office along side some qualified MTs who could give them the benefit of their years experience and their vast knowledge all acquired the old fashioned way, they worked for it!
The reason that MTs cannot earn a decent cpl wage is because of the enormous influx in underqualified newly graduated MTs who have degraded the profession of medical transcription with their lack of experience, minimal knowledge base, and extremely poor grammar skills. I just don't believe any of the online schools are worth what they charge. I don't believe anyone can get a decent education online. And when I speak of a community college, I don't mean a "vo-tech school" as someone mentioned above. I mean an accredited junior/community college. Not some fly-by-night, you-can-earn-$70,000-a-year-as-an-MT-from-the-comfort-of-your-own-home-in-your-pajamas-with-your-babies-on-your-lap school!
I mean bricks and mortars, computer lab, books and teachers, fellow students and classroom school.
Newbies have degraded this profession???
What gives you the right to say this? Every MT is a newbie at some time. YOU were a newbie at some time. But I guess when you were a newbie, you did not degrade this profession like us newbies nowadays do. Get off your high horse lady!
and you know all of the newbies in this industry to speak for them???
I have been in this industry for 10 years and I love it just the same as when I started...
Thanks cj! Great thread for newbies!
We just went over this before I graduated my MT classes!
I was shocked to see that so many companies are willing to hire newbie ICs! I had previously thought that an MT would need tons of experience to gain IC status; however, new ICs are hired more often than employees. This all makes sense to me now. Thanks a million for starting this topic!
I disagree! If the questions that some newbies
ask on the word board irritate you, then just ignore them.
A newbie and every MT will try to get the answer as fast as possible, as we all work on production.
If a newbie thinks asking on the word help board is for her the fastest way - in an particular case - let her do it. She will learn, anyways.
Who are you to dictate MTs how and when to use the word help board?
Just look the other way and stick to your job!
And, BTW, most newbies do not ask exclusively their question on the
world help board.
They ask their question on the board, while doing at the same time research themselves with their references.
They do not sit there waiting for the answer, twiddeling their thumbs.
Or they continue with the transcribing to save time becausee of production, what's wrong with that?
yes, it has turned into a sweatjob, especially for newbies....nm
nm
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