We are not involved in "patient care". The dictator is responsible for that.

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By allowing people to do piecemeal transcription at below livable wages, and them thinking it is a GOOD tradeoff -- it has diluted our profession down to nothing livable.

When it was considered a livelihood and it was something we did  to have as a job, we were paid decently.

We were taken seriously.  It was a skill that had respect.

MTs are just a bunch of women working from home (out of sight out of mind), somebody to be ridiculed, with nobody out there representing us to legitimize us.  When we worked in offices and hospitals we were THERE - we were REAL - they had to deal with us.  Now we are a mirage, they can talk bad about us and have no repercussion.  We are not there to defend ourselves.  You yourselves know how much easier it is to talk about somebody who isn't there than it is to talk about them to their face or to talk about your friend. 

When so many are allowed to just drop in an hour or two a day for spending money, with a second person picking up the overhead expenses (living with hubby, etc) - it messes it up for this ever being able to demand a REALISTIC pay for the skill.

Just a reminder of why we have to accept things like 6.5 cents a line  as an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.

Do you think my son with his PhD and who acts as a consultant has to take a reduction in his fee because he works out of his home.  HECK NO!  A skill is a skill.  He charges and gets paid for his value, not for whether he wears blue jeans or a suit to provide his expertiese which it took him years to learn.

It took us years to get these skills -- and now we are having to give it away basically because we work in PJs and can go to the store when we want to?????   THAT'S HOGWASH, but it's exactly what is happening.  Think about it the next time you are asked to provide a skill you paid dearly to learn - and you are asked to do it for less than minimum wage.

As an IC, is it my responsibility to contact the doctors offices to notify them that I may be gone for half the day due to a personal appointment.  Is this necessary?  Is this something IC's do normally?  I feel obligated, in case someone calls for an urgent report or something else related to a past report.    I somehow feel on the other hand, that I am my own boss, I make my own hours, so I should not have to notify them. 

What is your perspective?   

TIA

Well, aren't you just grand! Wow! You have three whole years in at your company! Boy!  I have about 20 at mine - does that make me grander than you? Or at least MORE responsible?? Or fabulous? Your post makes no sense - why am I answering?  Who knows!  If conditions are deplorable at a new job, shall MTs stay to cover the cost of our training? Feel sorry for the poor company?  That's what you are saying, and I think you are TOTALLY WRONG. I think most MTs would agree with me. An IC can't try out a job with a doctors' office to see if its a "fit"??? She'll be IRRESPONSIBLE?  Talk about sounding like you're management.  Is this Lee??? Since you are now calling me on my character, I can assure you that the company I was trained for totally misrepresented the job to me on hiring me.  Had I known the truth, I would NEVER have accepted their offer.  You are calling me irresponsible - I assure you, I am the complete opposite, though shall I debate it with you?  I'm so responsible, I'm boring. But I am also learning to stand up for myself, INTERVIEW THESE COMPANIES BACK, asking everything from A-to-Z upfront (which still doesn't help), and NOT stick with a creepy new job more than a few months because it cost THEM $$ to hire/train me.  What about the MTs??? So many of us lose big $$ by trying a new job.  Read the posts on here daily - companies that promise to pay training pay, and then don't. Or they word it ever so cautiously, so you THINK you're gonna get paid X amount, but you don't.  Or the companies like a large national who FAIL to mention that you might not get your computer set up (provided by them) and actually running for a week or two, waiting for techies to get their act together, while the poor MT sits there INCOMELESS.  Or the companies who fail to mention that for the first solid 2 weeks of employ, you will be on 100% QA hold with a maximum of 5 jobs per day. Nothing based on quality or experience - no exceptions - just "the rules".  Wow! I can really feed my kids on that $$!  Or the account they promise will be like 50% ESLs and a "great one" turns out to be the squat account from you-no-where that NOBODY will type.  Or they hire you at 9 cpl, with bennies at certain production, and you find later that NO ONE EVER meets the line counts, thus, no bennies!  Which is why you took the job!!  And, by the way, did you NOT read the fine print that says your cpl rate plummets if you DON'T hit 2000 lines per day? Gee, didn't the recruiter mention that??? Please. I could go on and on, and we're supposed to be RESPONSIBLE and worry about the company's costs?? Give me a break!  Spend the months and months on end literally that I have interviewing, testing, and being hired by several of these companies NOW and then you'll more than understand why my attitude is not sympathetic to those who hire us. I've been told I'm the best thing since apple pie, a shining example of what an MT should be, and offered 6 cpl!! Ha!  Unreal. I am responsible, and would like the same from these potential employers. I also would expect a modicum of respect from my fellow MTs, even those with "fabulous" jobs.  I can assure you - fabulous jobs can disappear literally OVERNIGHT.  Happened to me and about 10,000 other MTs, or rather 9,9999.  Thanks for the support. If you ever hit the job market, save me email and write me.  I can save you the time and effort by steering you clear of at least a dozen companies.

Your president Bush, whom you *sound* like you voted for...is most definitely responsible for fulfilling his family's nearly 30-year pact with the Saudi's at ALL AMERICAN WORKERS expense.  They had a deal from nearly 30 years ago and now the Bush dynasty is paying them (the Saudi's) back by selling ALL OF US OUT, including our  PORTS!!!  He has jeopardized ALL OF US due to his NEED/WANT for global acceptance of HIM.

If you cannot *see* this - time for you to get some serious help.

asdf

volunteer work.  Let him do for those less fortunate and maybe his life will seem pretty good.  If he feels needed that may change his whole attitude and everything else with just fall into place.  

He might also need some adjustments in his meds.  It s/l there is some depression involved, but it could just be situational and the counseling will help with that.   Meds could possibly diminish his libido and it would be worth talking to his doctor to see if that could be the case in his situation. 

Maybe you could make him a list of little things to do to help out, or plan the meals and have recipes on index cards so that he can actually prepare the meal.  If he is home all day he needs to at least be doing the daily chores. 

I think it's ridiculous that your team leader would post such a thing.  Every MT's situation is different--different accounts, shifts, work types, hours, etc.--and a team leader should know that.  As far as working for a national goes, I feel less "communication" is better.  Why stir things up?  These companies ought to just let us transcribe and keep their silly emails to themselves.  Don't they know the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt?"  Maybe your team leader needs more real work to do.  Don't let it bother you.  Just do your part and forget about it. 

One time I told a national bigwig (because my opinion was requested) that if I were asked to draw a cartoon which described this company's relationship with its MTs, I would draw the MT in a cage, sitting at her computer, with a (particular) "suit" poking the MT with a big stick, saying "They produce more when they're angry." 

Fortunately now I am a happy IC with a very nice company that treats its MTs with respect.  Ya have to kiss a lot of toads in this life, ya know? 

really can't compare things.  A lot of the people making that money have their own accounts or are working many hours.   You don't know if the person making 60,000 is an IC and has to pay their own taxes.  IC positions generally pay better than an employee position.  One acccount may not pay for spaces or headers.  You might actually be doing the same amount of lines, but they aren't being counted. 

At one time it wasn't that difficult for someone to make that amount of money if all the variables were favorable.  These days it is harder because line rates are overall lower and companies are always reconfiguring how to count lines in their favor.

If you are pleased with the amount of $$ you are making that is all that really matters and I would not feel that you are inadequate. 

and I mean it.  Every time I've had contact with an office and the wife works there, things are not as they should be.  They like to hole the money up as if they'll miss a shopping spree they could take on that cash or something!  It's sooo true!

These physicians are loaded, and the wives don't take kindly to the money flying out of the window or at least that is their perception. 

I'd leave that sucker like he was yesterday's trash....  He deserves nothing and didn't even deserve the cut in rate..  what a jerk!

Worked in a local office for one doctor and took a laptop with me into the room and documented the encounter while he and the patient talked, etc.  I learned a lot and I LOVED that job.  I had to quit due to babysitting issues at the end of May.  He then bought the Dragon Nat. Speaking and told me he was very impressed with it. I heard this week that he now has an ad in the paper for an MT......LOL.   The DNS slows him down and he hates to type so having an MT in the room with him was faster.  I think there is a chance this type of thing will really start becoming the norm.  Every doctor's office here is already using some type of EMR.  Most of the time it's the nurses that do the typing from what I've seen.  I'd love to go back to that job because I always felt I was working in the future of MT.  I still have a hard time thinking that it  will work in  a hospital setting though.  I can't see a doc there taking the time to sit down and log in and do all that, but then if you think about it they're already having to stop and dictate, so who knows.......

How easy is the platform, how are lines counted, do you have reference books or do you use Google to do all your research?  Do you have lots of normals/macros, do you use an expander, do you spend too much time on-line or are you up and down frequently? 

I make $40,000/year working 5 to 6 hour days/5 days a week.  I have an easy platform, lots of macros, an expander, multiple reference books.  I do work for a national, but I am also an employee and get paid by gross line, so my $40,000+/year is better than an IC making $40,000/year. 

I guess I was blessed.  In my entire 20+ year carrier I've only worked for 3 companies and each one has been better than the previous one.  

Is $40,000 what you think you s/b be making based on the TV commercials say you can make or is that what you need to be making?   If you don't need that much money to live on then don't worry about it.  You have to look at pros and cons of what you are doing versus working in an office and you might come out even by the time you factor in clothing, food, gas, etc.  (I'm assuming you work at home.) 

Most likely not.