The real shortage is good MTSOs
Posted By: MTPockets on 2005-09-12
In Reply to: Is there a shortage of experienced MTs here in the USA? Am I blind and deaf? sm - Need to vent here for a minute.
First of all, congratulations to you for having the guts to stick up for your convictions. I am really proud of you for telling them like it is. There is no shortage of good MTs, there is, however, a shortage of good MTSOs and national MT companies. Fortunately, we have boards like this one to tell us who those are, the ones who pay peanuts, the ones with inferior equipment/platforms, and the ones who outsource their work overseas and think the foreign MTs are "far superior" to the American MTs. Most of us experienced MTs who have been in this business for any length of time, would not work for them. The ones who cry that "there are no more good American MTs" are the ones who are outsourcing overseas or otherwise abusing their employees - that is why they have such a hard time attracting "Good MTs." They need to look in the mirror to see the reasons why!
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
And the MTSOs say there's a shortage of
But yet they can't understand why. Go figure. 
Unfortunately MTSOs now do good if....sm
they collect 15 cpl. With the pressures from overseas vendors the pricing has dropped to 12-14 cpl. In the "old" days (prior to say 5 years ago) the going rate was 20-25 cpl and of course companies could afford to pay 10-12 cpl easily.
Good MTSOs are even
more difficult to find than good MTs. Many of them have negative attitudes and expect indentured servitude in exchange for peanut wages. Many of them have limited, at best, technical or MT knowledge. We get tired of the ranting emails that don't even apply to us from a PMSing or menopausal females. Disorganized, poor communication skills, cheap, selfish, zero management skills, lack of a formal education, lousy platform, personal life issues conflicting with job performance. You'd be able to find good MTs if you were a good MTSO.
Are there any smaller MTSOs/nationals that offer good health ins.?
I may be needing my own health ins. coverage in the future and I was wondering if anyone knows of any good companies that don't require acute care experience (and preferably will accept dial-up - but that part could change). I have 12 years of multi-specialty experience and have always worked as an IC but may need to consider employee status. I need to work from home due to health issues.
Thanks so much.
She's got a real good way about her, doesn't she??!!! nm
s
Maybe they didn't here real good.
xx
Welcome to the real world. Good MTs do it every day!
If you are an IC nothing has to get ignored. There is a time for kids and a time for work. Get real, it happens!
Any For Real Good MT Schools in Houston?
I'm looking for a real good MT school or some sort of MT on the job training or willing to train a person to work out of home. Have been LVN since 1984 but now disable, need something to do out of home. Please reply, disability not enough income. Thanks!
Lon
Once you are real good, you can think about supper, lists,
I know that sounds nonproductive and error prone, but it's entirely doable. The work can take up your limbic system, and your upper cortex can solve the problems of the world. I can read notices on my cubby wall, and never falter typing, and get it perfectly right.
Well I, for one apparently, don't think that's a real good idea.
I definitely don't think you should be checking yourself into a strange motel alone for a week with all that medication on hand, now Oxy, Pherngan and Xanan? You really probably should be under a doctor's supervision, but that's just my opinion. At least you'll be near a hospital. Good luck.
1400 - that's about my limit - and a real good day
nm
Thats real good. I wish I had that offer! nontender
What an awesome post. Real good
advice.
You people are having a real good time condemning me....
Don't you know that you can DEACTIVATE your current OS when you upgrade to the next level? Obviously not. But then, most people here don't seem to be all that computer literate. I asked a couple of computer questions below which got absolutely NO answer.
Don't go jumping to conclusions that someone is a "scammer" and "ruining it for everyone else" until you do your homework.
Yup ... smaller MTSOs, local MTSOs (sm)
local doctor's offices or clinics! Don't get discouraged!! :)
Cook it real slow at real low heat; simmer, don't boil.
nm
No, just a shortage of US MTs who will
s
No shortage out by Akron, OH
s
lol they eat dog too, i think they were just having a shortage of dog at the restaurant so....
they had to do a roundup. Next, they will report the feline virus is out of control and do a roundup on them as well and that's all I have to comment on this post. Take care all!
Finish the course. I think there will be a shortage sm
in the future of all medical personnel from MT to MD. Looking at the whole picture, those of us from the baby boomer age are pushing 50 and as families, many of us had 3 or fewer children or none at all. So, in my opinion, that leaves a much smaller volume medical personnel to care for the aging in the future. So, finish that course so you can type my reports when I need them.
There is supposed to be a shortage
of American MTs I am reading in a large national information management magazine, and also according to our own gov. and our national association. So why are wages falling if we are so desperately needed? After 20 years, I am also seeking to get out. I am at the height of my career in MT and find this is a losing profession. They took a survey and were surprised in the article that wages have gone down. They said a reason might because so many MTs work at home and so are part-time. What a bunch of "you-know-what.!" Wages are dropping because we do not get paid what we used to be paid. I am making less now than 10 years ago. I was recently offered an IC job for 7 CPL! That was starting wages 15 years ago for FT. Now they want to pay that for experienced and IC to boot, so you have higher percentage of taxes. I have even seen 6 CPL. These companies are trying to outbid each other by charging less and less, so they pay their MTs less and less. They also must cover those big salaries and bonuses for the CEOs.
is there a shortage of American MTs?
nm
There is not a shortage. A lot of work
is being sent out of the country.
I live in the NE and let me tell you, there is NO shortage of trees.
cc
gas shortage/leaving for ohio in the am
Here in Brunswick stations closed at 6 pm and not open until Friday and can get only 5 gallons then. Trucker said Atlanta was getting $5 a gal and now Atlanta is completely out of gas. I am leaving for Ohio in the am and concerned if this shortage is just here or all the way up. Any info would be appreciated.
There's a shortage of US MT's because the skill is becoming obsolete
Schools don't even encourage anyone to get into this field anymore because they don't want to have someone take a course and then be out of work in a few years when this skill goes the same direction that shorthand did several decades back.
Like someone said on the Company board, education is the key. Don't allow yourself to be a one-trick pony and learn how to do something else while you can.
What a shortage of medical transcriptionists
Whoever says that needs to take a look at the job board and the posting that has over 1,000 views.
There are no transcriptionists looking for jobs either.
Nursing has created their own shortage
by severely restricting the availability of classes for students and refusing to make the class time available in the evenings, weekends, etc.
They also created their own shortage by making so many of the jobs papershuffling jobs rather than hands on care, and many of those jobs could easily be filled by a trained technician rather than an RN.
I do not feel sorry for nurses.
What holiday shortage? None this year
nm
About "US qualified MT shortage" and s/m
claiming that MTs won't work nights and weekends, I don't know about you, but at my job, God forbid I have a technical issue that's not between 8 AM and 5 PM. It's the office staff that won't work nights and weekends, not the MTs.
Unfortunately, this company has no shortage of workers.
I know they hired a few new grads after I turned down their offer. As long as someone will work for that, they have no incentive to raise rates. Companies now don't seem to care about experience and quality, only concerned with the $$$. They didn't care that I can transcribe 2000 lines a day with 99% accuracy. They would rather stick to their cpl and hire new grads. Well, good luck to them.
Is there a shortage of experienced MTs here in the USA? Am I blind and deaf? sm
I was talking to a prospective employer today. First off, it is a start-up company in US. They already have a base in the Philippines. Well, that turned right off; however, we continued the conversation. My question to this person was this.....so, if you were to get contracts for MT here in the US, are you willing to just hire US MTs? Answer...Well there is such a shortage of good quality MTs here in the US and we would like to have the work done in the Philippines. My next question, and if the contract specifically states all work is to stay in the USA, what then? Well, then we would hire only US based MTs.
Finally, I had to stop him in his tracks....I told him I emphatically disagree. There is not a shortage of US MTs. The problem is that you or any other Internationally based company is not willing to pay the US MTs what they are worth. You want cheap labor, and you won't get that in the US. Our MTs here in the USA produce such a high quality patient record and you have to be willing to compensate for that. If you are interested in USA contracts but want to use cheap labor with no concern for quality, than I am not the person for this position.
I am so furious right now as I mull over the conversation......am I just blind or is there really a shortage here in the US of quality-driven MTs.
I am an MT myself as well as QA Specialist and I just do not agree with this mentality. I think they use this excuse to justify their wanting to offshore. I see through the smoke screen; however, I guess I just need to hear it from my fellow MTs.
What are your thoughts on this issue of not enough trained and experienced MTs here in the USA? Personally, I don't agree.
This was an executive-type position with an awesome benefit package and salary; however, I turned down any opportunities with this company. I will not encourage or support giving our MT jobs to the Philippines, India or anywhere but the USA.
I am the orginal poster asking the question about the shortage. I am under 40.
I started MT while in high school in a VoTech program and have been doing it ever since! I am 35. Not every MT out there is "old".
Shortage on multiple accounts through a national. nm
x, nope, none, zip, all EMPTY
my point is -- not like there's a shortage of people to talk to.
dfkus
Question to ponder...If there is such a huge shortage of MTs, why is everybody always
nursing shortage includes nurses for instructors...sm
you can't teach nursing classes without nurses to teach the classes - that's part of the shortage and part of the reason why the shortage continues. Also more nurses are going for the bachelor's degree (4 years vs. 2 years) and that is extending the time before they are out in the work force.
I live right off I-75 in Richmond, Ky and we haven't had any shortage yet, but price is definitel
up at $2.99 a gallon. Good luck to you!
MTSOs
You are not wrong but in my opinion, you are giving them too much credit. The reason why they don't do what you ask is because most of them are not concerned with making your life easier; rather, they are more concerned with figuring out more ways to cheat you and to make your life more difficult. Then when you get disgusted and quit, they will just get somebody else in a very short time to replace you because you are very expendable. And it goes on and on in the same vicious cycle.
MTSOs
You know, there has to be a market between the dastardly corporate MTSOs and small transcription companies. It seems to me that if a talented, aggressive MT with a good business sense could find a way to create a "team" approach to the transcription business, perhaps one could find that niche and sell "team transcription" to good accounts that the MTSOs screw up and have cheated. After all, you have to believe that with the scandals in the transcription corporations - over billing, sending work over seas without informing the client, a lot of trust is lost by some of these unsatisfied accounts. I say, find a way to market to those clients in a "team group" and find the right price, somewhere a little lower than the MTSO charges and go after those accounts aggressively in a group. There is a market there you know.
more than most other MTSOs pay.
it is not kosher to share on public forums what a company pays.
I would not think many MTSOs would want to
x
No, it's not just the MTSOs (sm)
The actual doctors don't want to pay more than minimum wage for transcription either. As an independent, I've had doctors balk at 12 cpl (which is BELOW what the MTSOs are getting, believe me) and I've lost business because I wouldn't take $6 an hour or what equated to 7 cents a line.
So where am I at? Making peanuts working for MTSOs who are getting 15+ cents per line as a middleman for these same kinds of physician while I'm making a paltry 7-8 cpl. It's a no-win situation.
Help for new MTSOs? sm
I have questions about proposals, equipment, and what to charge in order to get started. Are there any web sites out there to help me in this? I have books that I have read, but they go over the basics of start-up MT services.
You should run this by the MTSOs and
see what they think.
This is why the MTSOs have gone so low
single mom, does not want to work away from home. I bet they love reading postings like yours. They have women where they want them, just lower the rates because these people are saying they cannot leave the house.
When MTSOs overhire, this is what happens:
There are actually MTs who work to support their family or supplement their income to meet the customary lifestyle. When MTSOs overhire, leaving the MT with very little work, I have observed this - Jobs are done hurriedly. When extra foot work is required (due to discrepancy in report, incomplete info provided, etc.), the MT who is desperately trying to meet their bills will skip the job or disregard the need to research and go on to the next job. This is extremely dangerous for everyone concerned. At times, it is weeks before the incomplete report is realized.
I do not fault the MT entirely. When the MTSO overhires, they are setting themselves up for this. I do believe 98% of us want to do a really good job, especially those who have been at this for years. But, I have noticed this more and more, and it will, MTSOs, come back and bite YOU.
When you have a dependable employee who can be counted on for production of a certain amount of work, provide that to them.
MTSO - When you get a new account and hire top shelf MTs initially to get the ball rolling and make a splashing impression, do not replace them with lower rate MTs afterwards - it is obvious when the company is hiring nonstop and they already have MTs sitting at home idle for hours at a time. And this creates, MTSO, the "disgruntled employee" who may make every attempt to ruin your reputation each time they can.
I have just come home after being in house for a few years and after three months, I see this happening with my company and, according to the board, it is widespread. It is an issue that needs addressed before someone, namely the patient, is hurt by it.
Wellll, I don't know about MTSOs, but JLG -- Please SM
was helping with our hospital transcription.
We got paid $1.50 a minute if we did 2500 minutes a month ($1.75 a minute for all minutes over 2500).
JLG got $3.25 a minute. I saw the bill. I saw it with my own eyes. I nearly fell over. And to boot, it was horrible transcription, FULL of ridiculous errors, blanks. And we had to convert the text files. It was such a bunged up mess.
I lost all my trust at all in the hospital since they were paying us HALF of what they paid a service. I even contacted JLG to see if I could hired to work on MY hospital's account. They were going to pay me 7 cpl. What a joke.
Any Medikin using MTSOs out there?
I am in the process of opening my own mid-sized transcription company. I am still in the process of deciding what TASP to go with as I do not want the hassle of maintaining my own equipment. I have been looking at Medikin's website and am very impressed with what they have to offer for the price. If anyone is currently using or has used them in the past, could you please post your experience here.
From an MTSOs standpoint
no, I'm not one ... just throwing a coin into the playing field ...
Wouldn't having only ICs working "for" a company mean less liability. IOW, if MQ phased out the SE status, could that take a potential monkey off their back?
OTOH, they can hire all the ICs they want, but if those ICs only work for MQ, they're still considered SEs ... correct?
small MTSOs
There's a great online resource for MTSOs of all sizes, varying benefits and pay, and variety of work. It's called www.MTJobs.com. Sign up to be on their mailing list. There are usually at least 50 companies listed on each newsletter, which comes out twice a month. Good luck in your search, and prayers for God's healing of your medical problems. :)
|
