You get a pin now? To stick in your eye out of disgust at the industry? :-)
Posted By: big wup on 2007-11-27
In Reply to: Following the directions is very - winnie
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I sympathize with your disgust..
all the time, but I will not let ANYONE tell me I am just a typist. I may not be a doctor(wouldn't want to be one anyway LOL)but I take pride in my work no matter what, 'cause at the end of the day, I'm the one who can look in the mirror and not cringe at the person looking back at me. I don't screw over my fellow MTs by cherrypicking and I don't short-change patients 'cause I'm angry with the stupid dictator or stupid employer. Yes, I get very angry at how we are treated and compensated but I still feel the bottom line is I need to do the best I can at least for now. Try to keep your chin up; remember all is flux and temporary....just a little Zen philosophy that helps me survive.
not only the MT industry
making changes with insurance. DH works for one of the large telephone companies. We now have to pay for a larger portion of our Rxs when previously they cost us nothing, plus office visit copays also increased. It's still better than not having insurance at all. But, the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer!
What does this mean for the MT industry? sm
I saw this *** and wanted to share this with other MTs. What is your interpretation of this? Are we going to be out of work for good because I'm thinking electronic medical records are going to replace us, or am I misinterpreting this statement?  What is your take on this?
"...President Obama has also talked about the need to computerize all medical records in five years, creating a huge opportunity for information technology jobs and data entry jobs."
It's the same as any industry...
You have the bottom, the top, and the in between. I happen to be closer to the top, but there are so many others who are not at the bottom. And if you knew me, you would know that I do not have the 'screw everybody else' mentality... and it's not really fair to accuse me of that based on my post, which did not mention anything even close to that mentality. I just do not believe that we have it so bad in this industry, that's all. I think we should spend some time looking at the positives versus the negatives. There are so many people out there who have it way worse than majority of the MTs here.
Not to stick up for the guy, but
at least he threw a "sorry" in there (unless, of course, it was a sarcastic-sounding "sorry"). Maybe he just couldn't hold it back? Guess that's kind of another "universal language."
Ah, yes, I do know where you can stick it...
but your head is already in the way. 
I feel very sorry for you and your pitiful outlook. Personally, I like to find the lighter side.  It makes for a much happier life.
But I'm an IC because I don't want to stick to SM
a schedule. So I should do what you want? I want to work when the work is there.
My regular position assigns work. I do that and when I'm finished, that's it. So there's no cherries going into this bowl. I detest cherry-picking anyway and would never do it, nor would I skip a job because it is "hard" to do.
But you guys are thinking everybody should do what you want to do so that you can be elsewhere to do whatever it is you want - drive your kids somewhere or wake them up or whatever - and not have to pay a price for it.
And if you think your MTSO isn't thrilled to have that work done in double-time, think again.
FYI, I usually STICK UP for WM. You don't know who I am.
x
Way to stick it to the man! sm
Yes, I have learned in order to keep up, sometimes you must "stick it to the man." Otherwise, they will try to get away with as much as they can. I have been at this hospital almost 7 years, and you would be amazed and some of the things they have tried to pull. The only reason I'm still there is because it's my comfort zone and the pay is competetive, I work from home. I am a single mom and must have the stability they offer of an hourly wage, benefits, etc. More Power To Ya!
Stick it out sm
I would hang onto that job as long as they are willing to let you struggle along. You will never be sorry. Where else can you pick up that kind of experience and get paid at the same time? Be sure to keep a notebook, alphabetize it and study it when you get home. You will be invaluable in the future. Most hospitals are outsourcing these days and you will be multi-talented and the future will be yours. Please take my advice and tough it out. Been there and not sorry.
Stick with it....
I agree with Gloria. But what may surprise some (from my experience anyway) is that even though I've been doing this for 15+ years, I still have to leave blanks, in fact, a day without any blanks is a red-letter day for me. I should add I do 95% ESL docs and it amazes me that QA is able to fill in the blanks most of the time (yes, there are some even they cannot get). And to any new MTs starting out, most of the blanks turn out to be regular words, or are routine phrases that are slurred over. And, until you have done a huge amount of varied transcription reports it takes a while to become familiar with the thousands of drugs, and then there are new ones coming out. We just can't know it all. That is why there is QA. It does get better, so hang in there. As Gloria says, if you care enough and are smart enough to ponder about it, you're doing fine!
State of the MT industry
Obviously, you work some place that pays very well and you might even have secure employment. If so, that's great. Some of us worked for companies that were sold or sent all their work offshore and we had to take jobs where we could get them. Don't be so quick to judge other peoples' choices. It's true that in some companies, wages are lousy, but do you really think you'd be a fry cook at the clown's over working from a home office? If you are earning great wages and have a good job, I sure hope you're able to help other MTs find something as good as what you've got.
If this industry has become amoral it's because:
MTs for the most part have always been treated poorly, no respect and low pay. We have to stand up for ourselves and not back down from our line rates because no one is going to look out for us but us. No, not even the docs and/or the OMs, surprise, surprise! I say she should go for the full monty. They get to see more patients and therefore have a higher income. Why should she have to settle for a lower income because they're smart and use time-saving macros?? 
Men make more than we do in any industry.
Sucks, but that's the way it is.
What is the industry standard...sm
Tried to post this on Wednesday, will try again...I need to know what is the industry standard conversion for minutes dictated to minutes typed? Not how much do you do - but what is average for one hour dictation - how many hours typed. Bosses think we're taking too long but we do not get automatic demographics and need to look on log sheets (if they arrive and if they're correct) for everything from patient name to referring doctors, addresses, patient #'s, etc. So I need to give him an "average" number of hours dictated equal "X" amount of hours typed taking into consideration the lack of information, the searching we must do and the various typing speeds. I'm not going to "judge" anyone's advice - just need some input from those that have been there. Thanks for sharing.
I agree - as with almost any industry (sm)
you have to find your niche and the place you can call home. IMO and experience, you can make $60,000-$120,000/year in MT if you find the right hospital, your own accounts, MTSO and/or area of transcription and increase your skills constantly. After say 4-8 different gigs and nothing works out, then MT work is probably not for you. Same for any job, whether it is tech support rep (my former career), mortgage broker, service tech.
Industry Standard for VR Pay?
What is the industry standard for VR pay? Specifically for someone just starting out.
Industry pay is sinking.
With 9 years experience, I was offered 5cpl for straight typing. Nuts if you ask me. Yet the company filled the positions with that pay.
The going industry rates are....sm
Around 14 cpl, 65 character line for transcription, 6-7 cpl for editing.
You can "thank" overseas competition for these pricing because they actually will quote around 8-10 cpl for transcription and 3-4 cpl for editing.
Stinks, doesn't it?
I remember when we used to be able to get 18-20 cpl, gross line and could pay the MT 10-12 cpl and all were happy. Gone are those days - I wish they were back!
You could mention where the industry is going
at all because it may offend someone. The funny thing is that some of the course outlines on line may give you some great material to go by as it explains it pretty well on some of those sites. I think it is a great career, so I may be biased.
Please do this industry a favor sm
CHARGE WHAT YOU ARE WORTH AND NOT A PENNY LESS!
I mean it. The last person I talked to about this has her own company. Clinics she charges 14 to 18 cents a line, depending on the difficulty and the logistics of the office. Nope, does not include printing or tapes, they have to call in, period.
For hospitals, she charges 22 to 26 cents a line and she gets it. She usually types as many of the OP notes as she has time for and doesn't sub them out because she likes that. Any lines she does herself goes into the corporation at 100% and she pays herself a salary for all her work, not by the line for MTing she does. She has 20 yrs of experience, all of it in acute care.
She says, DO NOT sell your skills short. Don't try to undercut someone to get the job. Remind these people that they get what they pay for and deliver on every promise, but don't make promises you can't deliver on 99.5% of the time. Incorporating is good, better than not and I know all of the reasons behind that too.
I wish you every luck.
yea but it is industry standard!
and also as i put in my email to my doc... the templates and macros BENEFIT YOU!
What is the future of IC in this industry?
Wide-spread IC, I mean, such as we've had in the past? Sorry for your situation, Blondie. The reason I ask is that the company I'm working for is making it a real priority to make employee MTs work their agreed-upon hours so the work can be kept in TAT and the clients will be happy and not break off blocks of work to send elsewhere. I'm wondering how you think the end of the work-whenever-and-as-much-as-you-feel-like era would affect the large numbers of IT workers. ??
More industry lies...
1200 lines per day at 8 cpl is only $96.00 per day. At that rate, if you worked eight hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, you would earn just over $35K. Who does that? Anyone working full-time for an MTSO can expect to earn less than $25K and you will rarely, if ever, see a raise. This survey is, as they say, in no way scientific. It is all designed to make people think it pays to be certified, which it does not.
Do you have any connections in the industry?
If not, you might as well forget it. The people/companies that land accounts are the ones that know people and have connections at the hospitals, offices, etc. If no one knows you from Adam, then they aren't going to give you the time of day.
I really hope you stick with it
If you ever want to talk to someone who understands this, i've left my email. I have many coping strategies that seem to work for me that helps me be around people more, so I don't get too isolated like I used to. Being alone is just too depressing for me, even though I need to be for the most part. Take care. 
Let's see now...it means stick it...
hmmm...stick it....gosh! I haven't been in banking for a while, so I'll have to get back to you on that. 
Stick to your guns
They all think being a grown up is so great until they get there. Stay strong. If you give in and let her jump ahead then tomorrow she will become bored with this and want something even more. They grow up soon enough.
I'd say stick with teaching.
This is not an industry I'd recommend anyone to enter anew for so many reasons:
1. Inconsistent pay and work available.
2. No respect from employers who lie to us and treat us like second class citizens. Slavery went out in the Lincoln administration, people.
3. No respect from people whom I tell what I do for a living.
4. No future in this job. Voice recognition and outsourcing are putting it in the same category of obsolete occupations as the blacksmith.
Be glad you have a career to fall back on in case the MT one doesn't pan out, but I sure wouldn't put any money into learning how to do something that's going to cease to exist in the next decade.
tell them to stick the BOS2
down the garbage disposal.
However is in charge of this book needs to get on Tegretol, to control their bloody mood swings.
What next? You can only transcribe using the DVORAK keyboard?
We should make a stick about this
on the New MT board. My recommendations are: apply and test anyway and every single place that will let you. You will get turned away by some, but others will let you test to see how you do. Also, call/visit/mail every phys office, clinic, hospital in your area and inquire about open positions. Even just fill-in for vacations/sickness will get your foot in the door. Best of luck!
Stick around - you will find out. sm
Basically, it is a hostile reply to whatever you post. Most are insulting and in the reply is a lot of jumping to conclusions you never meant in the original post.
I am trying to do the same, tho DH is a stick (5ཇ @ 163) - sm
plus our 2-year-old lab is a bit wide in the girth herself....her name is Maggie though considering changing it to Hoover as she sucks in everything and anything (don't think she even chews). So I have about 60-70 pounds to sweat off and she has about 20 probably (80 pound female lab). Interesting idea about the meals....I am just doing protein shakes, salads and lots of chicken, DH cooks for himself and the kids (I am not a good cook, great baker though). Good idea with the dogs though (we have 2 I can take turns with), I need to get a set routine myself and do the same thing!
Definitely need to set some rules and stick to them -
I also had contractors working in my house a few years ago, so I can totally relate. The phone was also ringing off the hook. I had people knocking on the door (contractors) at all hours because they knew I was here. I finally just about had a nervous breakdown and told my husband if he did not take some of these calls or come home to meet some of these people I was quitting my job. Low and behold, he took the wheel and I got to actually sit and work. He said he did not realize how stressed I was over all this. Maybe this will work for you? Good luck. :-)
I usually stick with buying........
...mine from the tattoo shops. However, I most recently bought one at one of those little jewelry stands in the mall and I haven't had any problems with it.
LOL-guess I will just stick
with the laptop. That is if I can get my transcription platform loaded. Had trouble yesterday and haven't had time to try again! Thanks anyway!
Just stick it out until your contract is up - sm
then they will offer you all kinds of deals to keep you and their competitors will offer everything under the sun to win you. Use the VCR until then.
Why does it take kahoonas to stick up for
x
Stick to it, don't quit sm
You have to stick to your guns and keep your chin up. I think your husband does not appreciate what you are going through. No one completely understands this profession unless they have walked the walk. It's very difficult work but it is also rewarding (to me anyway). I fully understand because my family did not completely understand what I did or what I went through either, but you get better and faster with time and you hopefully will earn a decent wage with more time. I have known many who work at home, or in a hospital or office and no one understands or appreciates them, they think they can run errands, answer phones, take kids to appointments, etc. They do not understand turnaround time, client demands, ESL's, job stress, etc., they don't think it's a "real job." Hang in if you really like this profession, you will not get accolades from many or perhaps never from anyone at all, but you will have the upper hand once you gain more experience. I used to want to have a day where all the docs were locked in a room and made to do some ESL's dictation all day. They would rip their hair out. Docs are not always the ideal spouses. My son went to grad school with a doc's wife and he kept calling her using the "F" word and telling her to "quit" and my son encouraged her to stay and get her master's degree in a health-related profession, I think she probably makes more than he does now. Don't let it get you down, please.If you plan to have a family, it will work out. I put my kids through college with my MT money. It was worth it. Just don't work for nothing, charge appropriately and don't work free for your hubby or his buddies! 
you cannot stick a post anywhere;
nm
Stick with your tapes for now
With your years of experience you should get plenty of work. Most small private practices use tapes. Once your business starts to grow and you have more operating capital, then you can invest in some digital equipment if you want.
Good luck to you and don't be afraid to go for it. I did and never looked back. Let us know how it goes!
Stick a fork in me....
In the past 15 years, I have worked for no less than 20 (yes 20!) national services. Some are still around and some have been gobbled up by the giants, but almost all either ran out of work, shorted my paycheck, or just plain sucked (no communication, crappy supervisors, screwing with lines, or just plain dishonest). I've worked MT and QA. I've worked for a three hospitals in my time, one of which laid all the MTs off to save money by outsourcing, and two I had to quit my jobs because my husband was in the military and we moved around quite a bit.
In the last year, I've been laid off (from the hospital mentioned above), took a QA hourly position and was fired from that job due to downsizing (code for sending work to India), and as a VR Editor which eventually just turned into MTing. My last two paychecks were screwed up and I had to fight for my money.
I am now at the end of my rope in this career and I'm ready to just euthanize my dying career. I came into this career a wide eyed innocent girl with high hopes of working at home and being my own boss. I'm leaving a beaten down, used up, cynical woman. It's like a bitter divorce -- my husband (industry) screwed me over so badly, I won't trust anyone again.
So I've taken an in office secretary job at a hospital and in 90 days, I can take advantage of their tuition reimbursement program and go back to school. I should be excited, it's all wide open for me, but I all I feel is bitterness at being back at square one after all these years.
So to all you MT newbies or wannabes out there, think twice and then think some more before jumping into this career field. It's a trap.
Try the Department of Labor and Industry.
You can turn them into the State Attorney General's office, BBB, FTC, as well. And small claims court. I would send a certified letter demanding payment first with the threat that if they do not pay by XX date, you will pursue further legal action against them.
Heartland - the heart of the industry!
Heartland is the best company I've ever worked for in the transcription business.
Check out mtjobs.com, find a post for them, you'll be really glad you did. They are fair, always there to help you. They have great benefits, and one of the few companies where you are not just a number at the other end putting out reports. When I call them, they answer. No automated lines. When I have a problem? They fix it, right now. It doesn't get much better than that. :0)
Men appear to be making more income in this industry
I have worked with a guy here and there. It amazes me that they are able to make more. In one position, there was a guy in a position to distribute work who funneled the canned op reports (vasectomies primarily) to one guy on my account. Another is one I am working with now who somehow convinced those hiring him that he required a certain amount of money to raise a family. And he gets it. Seems to me that this is favortism. The "it's a man's world" frame of mind.
Has anyone else experienced this?
They've done nothing in the entertainment industry
Time to double your dosage and take a nap, dear. Sounds like you've gone over the deep end and are taking this way too personally.
You need to get out more.
Tell that to the cruise ship industry.
dd
The industry is changing and as it stands
now I would not recommend this field to anyone, but I am not worried about not having a job, at least not in the next 5 years. I am good at what I do and can do any work type, can do ESLs with little problem, have done QA, so I feel like there will always be a job as long as I want it. The pay may never get any better though.
There aren't that many jobs available, but there are so many people looking for work that a lot of companies don't feel like they need to pay to advertise. Check with employment agencies or temporary agencies. I worked for temporary agency years ago and got offered full-time positions with every place I worked.
Not sure what your career of choice is in, but you can get just about any degree on-line, or at least do all the basic courses.
Not sure of your financial situation, but if still paying for technical school, going part-time probably won't work for you so you could go to school or get in some type of internship for whatever you wanted to do.
You can sit back and wait for someone to knock on your door and offer you your dream job, but you'll most likely die waiting, or you can get your goal and work towards it. If you aren't willing to do that, then you are stuck where you are.
Article? As in one? This is an entire industry, and
has been going on for decades - I believe it was the 1960s when the food processors and dog food conglomerates figured out their partnership would profit them both. Its not an article, and to think so is honestly just ignorant. Also most huge dog food producers are actually other companies that have no interest in dogs at all - Del Monte and Heinz are in the dog food biz. Have you seen labels lately of the name brands that now claim to have some tomato enzyme in them? I can't recall the name, but it is literally a tomato enzyme that they claim is a new discovery for being great for dog joints. Its literally the tomato swill that Heinz and Del Monte use to have to throw out as its the slop that lands on the floor after Ketchup production, etc. Now, they just hose it into vats and throw it in the kibble ooze with a fancy label that most consumers fall for- tomato enzyme. I only wish I was making this up!! And its not a scam industry nor are we extremists. Most of us don't promote any brand at all - best thing for Spot and Fido is boring old meat, marrow bones and a few veggies steamed, and brown rice. The leftovers that our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents used to feed their dogs - table scraps - were fine! Again, do the research. Decades ago, dogs used to have an average life span of 20 to 25 years - now its 10. Cats used to live longer - 30 years - now its 15. And our parents and their parents would have laughed hysterically at the thought of spending good $ on Gravy Train or Alpo. We have been "had" as American consumers, and you are actually gonna argue about it! Your vets - bet they support Pedigree, too, which is absolutely garbage - dead animals and loads of corn filler, which, by the way, most dogs are intolerant of. They don't digest corn well. But its cheap for the manufacturers! Pedigree is well known for keeping lots of vets on its payroll to praise its products - gee, ya think they might like the $$. There are thousands more vets who know Pedigree and the like is garbage and are finally getting the courage to speak up about it. They are getting sick and tired of treating the animals who are NOT benefitting from this dog food. Nope, sorry, but way more than 1 article - its knowledge, and knowledge is wisdom, and wisdom is priceless.
I'd love any advice also. I'm new to the industry...
... and anything that will help me up my productivity is greatly appreciated. I love this board and the ability it provides to get advice from those with more experience. THANKS!
No, we who have worked in this industry don't have a good
we've been sold up the river! Can anyone say OFFSHORE?! That is the very reason our rates of pay have gone down the tubes. How COULD anyone maintain a good attitude? What I post to newbies here is just fair warning. No one can make any kind of living on 5 cents a line. Newbies are also fodder for crappy MTSOs. It may sound negative, but it's the absolute truth. It's pretty sick when offshore companies are now training US MTs. My suggestion to anyone thinking about going into MT....don't. Find another line of work. There are other things out there you can do.
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