The good old days were not so good for me. sm
Posted By: vtmt on 2006-02-02
In Reply to: Tell me about the good old days.... - MTG
Transcribing from tapes on a Selectric typewriter with 3 or 4 carbons and white out, no spellcheck, no expansion program, no internet for research.
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Actually the good old days
were in the 70's and 80's when MT was first being outsourced. Then the companies who were pioneers in the field would kiss the back side of an MT or do anything else to get and keep them, provided, of course they produced quality and quantity. Editors and Q.A. hadn't been heard of, we were expected to edit and Q.A. ourselves. Many of the companies in the good old days provided full benefits and the pay was much, much better than working in house and much more than it is today.
This is from one who started MTing when it was a MINIMUM WAGE job in the clerical section of medical records located next door to the morgue in the hospital, rose to the peak in about the mid-80s just before the advent of computers and I guess everyone knows about the decline since. Guess it'll have made full circle in another 10 years or so.
Good old days
I worked for a mom-and-pop MT service who gave bonuses, Xmas parties and gifts, and were good people. We never worked holidays unless we asked to and a lot of us never worked weekends. There were no line count macros. DOS counted the lines. We were paid very good wages and were told we were appreciated. Hard to believe but true!!!!
Tell me about the good old days....
Hi all! I've only been doing the MT thing for about 9 months now......so I need to know: What were the good old days like for the MT business? Were you really able to make good money? Did companies really take care of their employees? Did you really have the feeling of family?
And, more importantly, how can we get things BACK to the good old days?
Good ole days?
Let me think back,,,,,back,,,,, back,,,,,,, I started about 6 years ago and have worked for 2 companies, a large national and a small national. My pay has gone down at each company, causing me to tell the large national that I didn't want to take a pay reduction at this stage of my career and I gave my two weeks notice. At the small one, couple of years ago I took a 50% pay cut because the company was just starting out and there was a chance it would have to close altogether. That pay has gone back up a little but certainly don't ever expect to be making what used to be made. Am figuring out ways to work smarter, since I can only edit and type efficiently and correctly at a certain speed, though I expect that to slowly get better. I am afraind we are at the tail end of the quickly vanishing "good ole days."
good old days
 Ah.... I remember them well. My first transcription job for a service was in 1983, owned by a local m.t. and had about 4 transcriptionists. She treated us well, the second year I was high producer and she took my husband and I to Las Vegas for 4 days (all expenses paid of course!). I worked for her for 5 years and then she moved away and quit the business. I think of her often. Wish there were more like her who knew us, we weren't just a #, and she didn't hesitate to tell us (and show us with extra $) how much she appreciated us. Those were the days!
good ole days
 Sadly enough, I do believe you are right! With very few exceptions, employers don't give a rip about their employees anymore (not just M.T.'s, but ALL employers). It's a shame. If we don't have integrity, there is not much incentive to do our best and do a great job. But we CAN and we DO!!! AND we can sleep at night!
These are the good old days....
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still making darn good money. The trick is you have to know how to sell yourself and then make sure you deliver consistently good work. Now I'm talking IC, of course. Working for another company, I don't know. But MT is like all other jobs when you work for someone else. You get what THEY decide to pay YOU! And the sense of family? I think that probably all went out years ago, not just in MT but most fields, wouldn't you think?
GOOD OLE DAYS
yes - i had told the first doctor i worked for that i should have been a painter - i used so much white-out i would go home with my hands covered - used a selectric typewriter, and dictabelts. I swear I got hired for the sundress i was wearing - ahhh to be 18 again.......been doing this 30 years!!
the good old days
Oh Boy! Do I every identify with you! A selectric typewriter, 24 hour turn around, doing this in my garage! My then husband getting up at 4:00 a.m. to deliver and pick up work. One doc wanting me to transcribe his daughter's thesis! Two little boys, still asleep, three hours sleep for me. Eighteen docs! Fun, fun, fun! Bless your sweet heart, I was there too! Still doing it, but for a hospital, fantastic salary, boys raised, one a Gsgt. in the USMC, the other a Lt. in the USN! Divorced, thank almighty God. During those days I was working to pay his child support and alimony! I got skunked in the divorce, but nearly 70 and still going strong! The Lt. is getting married next month...the Marine is married to a stellar you woman and I have one adorable grandchild. My moto is, never stop, never give up, I have "mountains to climb and promises to keep", and believe me, I will!
GOOD OLE DAYS
A dictabelt is what came before the standard size cassettes.
Ahh yes...good ole days!
I began typing clinic notes on Avery sticky paper using a reel-to-reel machine and an Olivetti typewriter!! I used to get up at 4 a.m. and drive to LA to pick up and deliver tapes, too (I was 18 back then)!! I remember when I purchased my first Lanier word processor with great, big floppy disks to save and make normals on!! That thing was huge, 'bout 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep!! Now, I use a laptop and can transcribe anywhere, anytime and have my docs using a digital call-in system on a website! Thanks for the Internet..what would we do without it? 
the good ole days
I used to have a provider that every day he would start his tapes with a joke, usually pretty corny, and at the end of the tape would always say "i hope this wasn't as boring for you to type as it was for me to say, have a great night"....made me feel very appreciated :)
Good ole days.
Hear you! Been there and done that and times have certainly changed. The hospital I worked at didn't outsource too much but they let go the long-time manager of 30 years and hired a CEO right out of college, no experience and tripled his income. Then they became real picky as to whom they wanted on their payroll.It was great for the chosen few but not for some of us who had been there 25+ years. Sadly, it was the final curtain but most of us were ready to move on after the change in management.
the good ole days
I remember at MRC when we were going to have clients or upper crust visiting, a sign would go up on the bulletin board to please wear a bra and shoes to work when we had visitors.
Those were the days!
My version of the Good Old Days
My "old days" started in 1985 working for the first HMO I'd ever heard of. Yes, electric typewriters... hard copies, white-out...learning other aspects of medical records when MT work slowed down...knowing and seeing and being appreciated by and sometimes teased by the docs I transcribed for. Then on to a mom and pop company, highly appreciated for my work (the first computer/word processing for me). Then onto the first transcription service I'd ever heard of - I loved it. I worked in-house, was paid well, was regularly appreciated, got reviews AND raises. Line counts and pay all made sense.
The next larger service I worked for was even better, started working at home for them in 1991, same company since (well, bought out by a MQ).. back then, felt like so much of a team player, like what I did really mattered and counted. These were years of annual picnics, Christmas parties, review and raises, knowing who I worked with and for by name and face, meeting with other local MTs (this was encouraged!), getting cards or flowers from the owner for helping out on a brand new account. I too felt I could count on my job, my skills, no matter what.
The changes, the "good old days" becoming just that (old and no longer current!) have been coming on for a while now. I guess I'm finally taking my head out of the sand and, though I wish it wasn't this way, take some small comfort in finding I'm not alone.
I will always take pride in my work though, that won't change. Twenty years 20 years of MT work is hard to just throw away! Wish I could be more encouraging to those entering the field, as the "guts" of this career still fascinates me.
Hey, thanks for letting me have my say.
oh i remember the good ol days
I could never stand working with people a straight eight hours a day, i'm not an "on" type of person and not gossipy either. Just not my thing. A lot of backbiting went on and you could just feel the negativity in the air. At home I don't have that. My dog/cat never talk behind my back nor are they fake. They really and truly like me. Just kidding. But I remember those days well, couldnt get out fast enough.
My good old days were great..SM
worked full time for a local hospital from home, making 14 cpl, 1 month off a year to start, full health insurance, short-term, long-term disability, all equipment and phone lines supplied. Those 2 years I made more $ than ever and haven't been able to reach that level since. They outsourced.
The good days started unraveling when
The nationals started buying up the mom and pop MT businesses that started cropping up in most cities in the late-1980's and early 1990's. Most of these were small businesses with a few local doctor's office accounts and hospitals, had a guy who ran back and forth picking up and delivering tapes, and everyone got along fine for the most part aside from the expected competition between local companies. Then came Medquist, Transcend, etc. who swooped in and started scooping up these companies by the handful, and pretty soon we had what we have today. It happens. What started out as a good thing (computer networking) making us able to leave the offices and work from home, continued to evolve into what this business is today. Now it's taking off in another direction with voice rec and overseas MT's who work for peanuts. I've seen this business evolve from the IBM Selectric, a tape player, and a bottle of white-out to what it is today, and it's amazing what changes there have been in the last 27 years. Who would have known!
1200 to 1600 on good days (nm)
x
Do you guys ever feel like just a number? Remember the good old days...
When if you had a problem, you could go straight to the manager and they'd take care of it right away, making you feel secure in your position and important? When I talk to my supervisor, I feel like her main focus is to get off the phone with me asap, being very short with me, and quick to say she will get right on something when in fact she never does. I just feel so remote and always worry about how long i'm going to have a job in the MT field because of how uncaring the supervisors are, not knowing us personally, not having a face to go along with the person, being able to yank us off an account we're comfortable with onto some ungodly thing where our line count goes down to zilch, and having NO control over it. I was never one to work around people because of all the backstabbing that goes on with women in the office, but I would love to have a home office to report to periodically throughout the year, and maybe work in-house a couple times a month, just to put a face with people and not feel like a number that would be easy to dispose of.
That is a good offer. Pay is not that good at UIMC. Good luck! nm
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I heard good things about Knockout Rose but they don't smell too much like traditional rose. Supposedly blooms all season.
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Good for you! You sound like a very nice and generous person and you deserve all your good luck! nm
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Agree with other poster.. good price..good service
I definitely think they are one of the best out there. We also have been talked through issues over the phone and also had a warranty in which they came out and fixed it right at our home. My only complaint..and I am sorry for saying this.. but... when you call their customer service 9 out of 10 times...you get someone who barely speaks English and I just hate that. I think that is true of a lot of customer support centers these days, ironically they are rarely American anymore. I am not prejudice at all. I just find it frustrating to call in for help and the help you get barely understands you and you do not understand them, thus making the experience very frustrating..
Expensive is right -- around $300 per credit hour! But they do have a good rep. Good luck! nm
I believe Pilates is good for shaping and strength, but you still need some cardio for good fat
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Maybe try to find a good web site to refer to! Good luck NM
.
Good for you. Sounds very interesting and a good chance of pace - sm
but I live in the northeast and not much need for that where I live. I also live in a small town so that limits my options. I have spent the last couple of years as a substitute teacher to supplement my MT job and just completed 4-1/2 months as a long term sub which I enjoyed and was a change of pace from MT. The only problem is as a sub or ed tech you only get paid during the school year so I would have to keep my MT job for summers and school vacations. With the way things are going in the MT world I hate to rely solely on that. I don't want to find myself without any job whatsoever.
Thanks for all the responses.
8 is NOT good if never going any higher - good to get the rust out in the short term though
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Is the dictation quality good, are the dictators good, are you
a newbie and you still have to look up lots of words .... The very first day I typed, with absolutely no education way back when, when you didn't have to have a degree/certificate or previous experience, I typed 665 lines. This was without an expander and I was not a fast typist. I can do 1000 lines in about 4 hours now on average.
LOL! Well, good! I've done ONE good thing today, then. NM
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You have a good, realistic attitude about it. Good luck to you. nm
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So? Take the good will and good wishes and smile. When the first day of Hanukkah comes up, SM
have a doughnut and a latke on me. I'll wish you Happy Hanukkah then. You know we spread Christmas out over a month!
Good money? Can we ask how much is considered GOOD in your books????
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Especially for Iowa, that is pretty good. UI can get good over time, but that's because of the u
No I did not sit here all day and wait for you. I have a good job that pays me a good wage for an e
I am sure MQ will change their policies now because of the actions you took. Congrats.
Yep, a good MTSO will get rid of the crappy doctor, not the good MT...sm
unfortunately, there aren't many MTSOs out there who will confront a poor dictator and nip it in the bud to begin with.
In the old days we used to do this all the time. A doctor was put on report and told to shape up and if he didn't he would either be charged more because they had to pay an MT more to do his lousy dictation, or he was always given the option to do his own reports if he wouldn't comply.
Believe it or not, almost every physician my former company did this to straightened up their act became good dictators and found that it was actually less stressful and less time consuming for them too!!
The MTSOs just don't have the guts to do this anymore... and they should. I can make more money on good dictators with a lower line rate than crappy dictators at a higher rate, and would rather have the better dictators and lower rate than the other... it's a win-win for both the MT and MTSO because the MT is making more money per hour and the MTSO gets to pay less for her MTs and make a better profit. I can't believe the MTSOs haven't figured this one out.
This is not a good choice. There are too many good schools
that have proven their worth. Andrews, MTEC and even Career Step, but I would not choose a school that has spammed the internet in every crack there is as the one you have mentioned. Find some graduates and see what they have to say. Go to mtchat.com and do a search of this school.
Thank you too! A good laugh is a good thing.
I really wish you good health and good luck!
I know that what you are doing is a major undertaking. Just remember that this is what you want and that you CAN do it! It won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but once you have accomplished it, you will truly know what you are capable of. I think you are very brave. Please know that all of us are pulling for you and are here to help you if you need it. Go to the hospital if you are feeling at all unsure or unstable. Don't give up because the reward will be great. Please let us know how you are doing.
Pulling for you!
good for you; you'll get more from it, with good socialization,
nm
Very good...very good answer. Right on the money! (nm)
x
Without too much effort?! A good yard sale takes a good deal of effort, IMO.
:+
Company newsflash: THOSE WHO RETAIN GOOD STAFF RETAIN GOOD CLIENTS
Hight staff turnover = high client turnover if you don't pay attention.
I agree! To be a good MT we must take the good with the bad!
It sometimes takes longer to learn ESL docs and is a pain in the butt, but all that does not kill us makes us stronger!! I don't love doing ESL docs by any means, but if I want a job - I need to do what my employer asks of me. Take the good and bad - or find a new job! I applaud you for working with your MTs, but you really shouldn't have to! I have only been an MT for two years and I cannot imagine telling my boss that I am not willing to learn something. How rude!
Oh, that's good! Cruel, but good! LOL!
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Good for you. Good enough reasons for me, too!
nm
Good for you. Good luck in whatever you do next. nm
nm
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