Working for a company or IC
Posted By: anon on 2008-09-07
In Reply to:
For those of you who are ICs, have you regreted taking that giant leap of working for a national company versus working as an IC? I know there would days of feast or famine, but at this point I need the flexibility. I am in my late 50s and do not yet qualify for Medicare.
The other problem is too that I will have to buy my own health insurance. Would anyone recommend a good national insurance company for getting medical/surgical benefits for myself and spouce that do not charge a fortunate?
I still get to type hospital dictation since I am an acute-care MT with 29 years exp.
So undecided.
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
Hey, she's the one working for that company
not me.
Birdie, dear, no company (even well organized ones) can put all expectations up front. Feedback is how that is conveyed.
Obviously, the changes they want are not "petty" or they wouldn't want them.
Did you ever think about that?
I'm new to working for a company (m)
as opposed to for myself where I set my own schedule and TAT. When a company tells you that you work from 9-5, etc. what exactly do they mean? Do you literally have to be at your desk transcribing for those hours? Or once you meet any line count requirements are you done for the day whether you worked 2 hours or 8 hours? I'm just trying to decide what avenue to go. I have a certain amount of freedom that I enjoy right now as in I can work until noon, go on a field trip with one of my kids, and come back and work at 5 and complete my work, etc. Or I can work at 10 at night if I want/need to. I just wonder what to expect from working for a company and would appreciate any insight!
Working for more than one company...
I've always worked for more than one company. I encourage people to not put all their eggs in one basket.
Working for company, not my own
accounts. I appreciate the information. Guess for a trip in July, now is not too early to tell them what days I will be gone. Thanks!
For those of you working for more than one company...
I am looking to move some of my eggs into another basket, if you know what I'm saying... I'm wondering how those of you who work for more than one company juggle the work load. I am talking part-time, IC work here.
The company I work with now is great, but like I said, I would just like to have a little something in my back pocket. They do call me and email me all the time asking if I can pick up this job or that job. What if I'm bogged down with other work?
Do companies look down on IC's that have other companies they work for, or do they kind of expect that?
Thanks for any advice.
What company are you working for?...sm
I have also found it hard to make any money on VR and asked to be taken off of it.
what company are you working
Your company may give you instructions on the basic use of it.
You probably are working for a company that
has oodles of employees working on ASR, right? I work on Escription and probably not as many on my account but it is almost perfect. You cannot teach the computer IF you have lots of people who type in things differently, just will not LEARN. What system do you use and how many working on same acct?
It all depends on the company you are working for. sm
If you are the only recruiter for a company, you are not competing with anyone in the same company, but you are competing with the other companies out there. You have to know the way to sell your company hopefully that your company has something to sell, you have to have strong people skills, be able to administer whatever kind of test is appropriate, and I think it is imperative that you have experience as a medical Transcriptionist as well as a QA specialist. I think both of those positions go along with making a strong recruiter.
Until you know which company you are interested in working for, sm
or will be working for, it is useless to worry about equipment. Many companies have specific equipment they require. Either they will provide this, or ask you to buy/rent it. It is impossible to buy equipment for a job you do not have. Some companies use transcribers, but most of them use internet platforms, often provided by the company. This platform will determine which pedal you need. Unless you have a lot of money to throw away, get a job first, then be prepared to buy/rent the equipment. MTs that have been working awhile usually have equipment sitting around, but they don't buy it hoping to get a job; it is usually left over from a former job. My advice is save your money until you get a job. Good luck.
Are you doing this fulltime and you working for more than 1 company?n/m
x
I think she is working for a company that provides insurance.
Sounds to me like she can't afford the premium thru her employer -- the place I'm leaving in a few days, for my daughter and myself it cost over $300 a month. I guess to some that's reasonable but I have had a very hard time with it. I'd prefer to eat.
I started out working for a company ...sm
that gave you everyone who worked there's IM and then the company who bought them out isn't that way. They don't encourage contacting other MTs working there. Which has not stopped me. I still have managed to get email addresses and then get their IM. It does help tremendously when you are able to talk to others on the same account as you.
Do you have a specific company you'll be working for?
They should be able to give you specs.
If you are working for a company that totals your daily sm
lines for you then I wouldn't worry about keep track of it on word. The characters must be basing it on something else - like no spaces, spaces, 65 characters, no characters...that kind of thing.
I would just look on your company statistic board and keep track of it that way. That way it is not as confusing.
Sounds like total opposite of the company I am working for...
My pay is quite good, rarely talk to my manager, been very flexible with me. Goodness, sure you are talking about the same Medware?
Should clarify, I was an IC for a company working a split shift. nm
d
What about benefits? I make 50k a year working for a company
out of my home full time. No gas money, no traveling, no printing, faxing, and I get full benefits. How is making 50000 as an MTSO good money? I really just don't get it!
Just started working as an IC for a company, found out something I had been transcribing for
years was wrong. When I questioned it, they explained it to me, but for 20+ yearse no one else had seemed to care. You learn something every day in this business.
So, are you working for the same company. I have worked for 2 companies and I have noticed a huge
difference in the lines I got from each company. The accounts were similar. I never ever got what your talking about but I would average 600-700 lph at one company and the other one I was lucky to get 400 lph so then I figured out they didnt pay for spaces, footers, headers etc.. and that does factor into your line counts on that platform.
Your company will dictate whether working off line via recorded work is even
s
You get more working the evening or night shifts and working w/o benefits. And producing like a mad
,
Ditto....granted I am not working much these days, but am currently trying out a new way of working
when I do work which seems to be helping. I am timing myself and keeping a log of how long it takes to to type however many minutes. I am averaging anywhere from 13-18 minutes of dictation an hour now doing this. Granted the time fluctuates between who I am typing, and if I have to look up names, addresses, etc., just depends on the division I am doing at the time. But work that used to take me 3 hours to do is now taking me under 2 hours, I am also trying to put in more macros as I go along, which slows me down initially but pays off in the long run of course. I was working "all the time" before but took forever to get done since I was not applying myself. This new "attitude" has helped me a lot. My goal, in the Fall, is to do 90 minutes a day consistently at 6 hours, and then maybe get up to 120 minutes a day at 8 hours, still while having at least half of the day free (do 60 minutes at night, and the other 60 by Noon). Thereby doing 1200-1400 lines a day. I have never really buckled down and done more than 8000 lines per pay period, so it will be a nice change. Maybe you can do something like that and have a specific knock off time as was suggested below. 
Working holidays? Out shopping in stores where someone IS working
that holiday you refuse to work? Grocery stores, food joints & seems any store is open on holidays and you expect them to be fully staffed, so why shouldn't we?
Yes, I took off for the first time on Christmas day, in 18 years and it was great, but I worked Christmas eve and this whole past weekend.
Someone has to do it!
working IN A HOSPITAL is different than working at home.
Someone can steal you identity from the internet if they want to. Why would you go to the time and trouble to jeopardize a job that requires some level of skill to steal someone's identity or medical records? You could get a job as a retail clerk and get info easier than going through the testing required to become an MT.
Somehow working at home translates into not really working
My in-laws are the worst. Whenever they plan something last minute and my husband says that I had to work, they say, "but she works at home!". When I one time mentioned I had a "schedule" and basically punch a clock and work full time, I don't think they believed me. They will sometimes call mid-day during the week if they are in the area to see if I want to go for lunch, etc! The best is, my husband doesn't make all that much money, so where is it coming from, the money fairy? I am ready to strangle someone! So I know how you feel and I'm sorry it upset you. You are not alone.
What Company is This? I have been hired by a company that is sending a foot pedal.. Don't want t
.
The company cutting cpl, the company stopping paying for headers
:{
Good of the company? As IC, I am my own company. Not my problem if she has problems as long as I do
:P
Accepted a job with a new company, gave two weeks notice to my old company..
Old company, let me go before two weeks was up. New company, said they were having trouble getting me set up and my equipment ready, but they would pay me while I waited. It's been a month, still no check from new company even though I was told it was "in the mail." I have no income and am at a loss.
I have a signed offer letter from the new company, contracts, etc. I applied for unemployment, but old company is saying I quit and technically I am currently employed with the new company! New company is not returning calls or answering email.
What should I do!?!?!?!
I started sending my resume out today, but the process of getting a new job will take at least two weeks and I need money now to catch up on what I'm behind!
You don't want to work for this company. Call your current company and
tell them that you have decided against the new position and tell them that you would like to stay. It is cheaper for them to let you stay than to train someone new. A company who could be so tacky as the one you just spoke of is one you do not want to work for. You can rescind your resignation. If you are a good MT, they will be glad you did.
With my company, ICs use their own emails, employees have company email.
x
COMPANY INQUIRIES belong on Company board, please!
Goldbird
....3 months later my old company rehired me; can you return to your 1st company?
nm
Local radiology company, not transcription company
who has only 5 transcriptionists and are not hiring at this moment. We all work at home and get great benefits, no insurance out of pocket and 22 days paid vacation in the first year, after that it goes up. I feel very fortunate to have found them, but again I chose them because they did not do production, so now that they are, I'm a little disappointed.
I daydream about NOT working while I'm working.
There are so many other things I need and want to get done. I've been working way too hard lately, and summer is just slipping by again. Well, I'm outty.
I think it varies greatly from company to company...sm
I was hired five months ago by a national straight out of school at 8 cpl. I think it just depends on your knowledge level and ability, and of course, what the company is willing to pay.
i think it varies from company to company and/or location
VR company? Not when the MT company owns its own VR equipment. n/m.
xx
I have my own company email with my new company.
I can't answer your questions in your original post, I can tell you that with my new company, I have my own company email account, and I much prefer it. My old company had us use our personal email accounts, and they listed everyone who received emails in the cc line. They really never maintained those lists, and I received emails from them for a full five months after I quit - that despite my repeatedly asking to be removed from lists. Because the list had been passed from one person to the next in the company, I kept having to block sender after sender. Finally I replied to all, for each and every email I had gotten over a month's time. Well, that pretty much ended it.
I like to keep work and personal separate as much as possible.
It can vary from company to company.
If a company is on one coast and you on the other it can affect shift time, meaning usually if you want to start work 9-10 instead of 11 you could for 3rd shift, etc.
Buy your own... company computers are for that company only!
x
some of what you want to know varies from company to company,
client to client. The services each have their own QA grading system and you will get a copy at hire that tells you everything they deduct, and for how many points. This usually also includes formatting, such as wrong dates, right exam/wrong patient, etc.
You will need to know your punctuation and grammar first and foremost and use it properly, this is what you do. THEN if the client requests garbage in/garbage out (usually because they don't trust leaving anything up to us), you give it to them even though it hurts -- and should not be marked off QA for it.
Where do you study? Colleges with the 2 yr transcription course in my state make you take a year (or 2) of English grammar. No offense, but it's pretty much a 5th/6th grade review (is vs are, doctors' vs doctor's).
blanks will be limited, usually to 2, before you cannot send the report to client.
Wrong shortcuts - pay attendion to detail.
Varies from company to company
My first company I chose specifically because I knew they had a mentoring program and you had 12 weeks of "mentoring" to get up to speed. The training was very thorough. The first week was all training classes. There were very limited samples (1-2 per doc if at all). I worked there 6 months and never made their production quota, but they didn't care. When I asked my account manager about it, she said they knew the account was very difficult 95+% ESLs) and she wasn't worried about my production, that I was doing well.
I have also worked with companies that just did a training over the phone (usually about an hour) just to learn the platform. Then they did full QA for a day or two and then I was on my own. For both of these companies, I could review all the past reports of the doctors on the platform. That was really nice. I didn't have production requirements with these positions, just a daily schedule that I had to stick to. They just wanted to know when I would be working.
My recent company gave me a 10-minute training over the phone and gave me a couple of samples of a couple of the harder docs. I then had to submit 3 reports to the account manager to review, and then I was off on my own and was required to meet production immediately.
So it all depends. Each company is different. Good luck on the new job!
Try the company board with name of company.
x
Working. LOL What else? nm
..
working out
Spinning is great if you only want aerobics, but a personal trainer deals with weight training. That's for building muscle, which speeds up your metabolism. You really need both (aerobics and weight training) if you want to slim down and shape up.
In either case, make sure you drink ice water. The body's reaction is, "What the heck is this stuff?! I'm getting cold here. Turn on the shiver mechanism." That's another way to speed up your metabolism. 
Working for self
It is harder now to break in than it was 15 to 20 years ago when I started but there is still accounts out there. I got started part-time when working for a local hospital -- not even doing medical transcription. I was an Admin Ass't but had done this in the past and one of our physicians on one of our boards could not get anyone to do his transcription so I started doing it part-time. I had been a CMA, CMT, x-ray tech in the old days. But had not kept up on my certifications when I went to work in the hospital. But this started the ball rolling. Since my hubbie then was a truck driver I did it to keep me out of trouble when he was out of town. Then I started doing it full time. I get accounts from the private docs that no one really wants, larger companies, and still do tapes, printing, delivering and pick ups. I advertise and send out flyers and seem to get a bite when I need a new account. I have 2 Surgical Oncologists, 2 IM's, 1 Plastic/Hand surgeon, and 1 Psych. I have one permanent part-timer and one that helps out with overflow. I charge from 10.5 to 12.5 cents a line depending on the account. My rates are going up this month. I also work in a clinic doing electronic charts but that is as an employee. These docs are small and I keep my prices lower because I know what they get back from insurances, etc. are not that great. I am paid within 3 days of receipt of invoice (usually the next day) have never had my line count questioned, have never had a check bounce and they make me a part of their team. And yes, I am the one from six months ago that said I would bake them cookies and you know why. But all I can say is look through the County AMA directories or phone books or if your hospital has physician offices in them, see who works alone and try sending out flyers or going door to door -- never hurts to bring cookies either. But have been doing it for 15 years fulltime and make enough to support myself through a yucky divorce and pay an attorney $10,000 -- barely but did it. Good luck. Maybe if enough would do this for themselves much cheaper than the nationals we could all go back to making a good living. Am going digital here in the next six months or so, but only to pick up a new account as my docs still prefer the tapes. Trying to get them to change.
You can E-mail me for any more questions.
It will get better--just keep working..nm
nm
why because I tried working for both
I have nothing really bad to say about SS, I have had no lines stolen, I just dont understand what is being dictated I'm sort of new I have about a year's experience but in my opinion this is easier to learn in English before you go to extreme ESL work, I will say that SS gives you back all of your reports so that you can learn your accounts but they almost have to so you know what the people are saying
are you working on?
Been with another office 8 years myself. Was a top producer for many years, then got put on DocQScribe over a year ago, now cant get my line count (???) - plus HATE the account. Requested to change accounts numerous times and pretty much got told to be quiet and type. Do they ever transfer MTs to different offices?
|
