been doing MT for a long time!!

• Question for the experienced - Polly
  • been doing MT for a long time!! - oldie
  • Hated my first year - pumpernickel
  • Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but why on - earth would anybody NOW get into this business?
    • You said it!! Exactly my feelings! ...sm - blondie_1147
  • Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm - JJ
    • Agree... - Cindy M
  • I have been doing this for 16+ years and... - Amanda
  • I have 13 years' worth here and sm - Trying to encourage you
  • easier yes, but a job - sm
  • No Fun at All - Terylyn
    • hi - kranthi kumar
  • Yes, I do feel this way... - MtMommyof2
  • going on my 17th year of it and feeling good about things sm - Lorie
  • That depends... - GothMT
  • Well I have only been at it for 1-1/2 years...sm - blondie_1147
  • No responses ... a bad sign? - Polly
    • Would be more fun, if more money and better dictators.sm - WISE1
    • You are not wrong - Long-time MT(NY)
      • Polly - Siren
        • The Answer? - Alice
          • I think you are right... - MtMommyof2

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I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 

And, I must confess to a bit of stupidity ....... the description talks about foot switches or whatever -- what's that about? 

Thanks for sharing! 

I try to encourage new MTs to learn as much as they can from their experiences.  The reason that companies do not hire new MTs is because they worry about production and having to utilize their QA staff.  I know it is a catch 22, but that is why it is best to try to work on-site for at least a year to gain some experience.  Most companies require a certain line count each and every day, which can be tough on a new MT that has to research and look things up.  I'm with you, not against you, and wish you all the best.  With anything, take the good advice and leave the bad advice alone. 

I was working for an attorney and he wanted me to get into court reporting so I would be able to travel with him as his private court reporter in his cases. I checked around and there was only 1 school in my state. It was a 3 year course and cost $10,000. Of course, I had to say no, as I couldn't afford it.

I had also checked at our county courthouse for transcribing the tapes and they showed me the ins and outs. For a job there, I didn't need schooling, just the smarts, was told that type of job is solid once you get in the door, but not to depend on it (waiting), as nobody quits. They retire...and the girls I talked to were my age, so that bummed me out, too. Gave up that idea, too.

MT was my 3rd choice. It's okay, but too stressful anymore.

My cuz kept telling people to call me because I worked from home...they would ask how easy it was to make 2300.00 partime from home (you know all those ad's all over the place).Grrrrrrrrrrr.

I finally just got fed up and when folks would ask what I do I'd tell them that I was a medical language interpretor!  ha shut a lot of them up caus they can't scratch their heads and be rude at the same time.

and let it sit overnight, and the next day it worked fine.  I think as long as it wasn't anything sticky like a soda or something, you should be okay.  It just has to dry out.  Of course, I'm not that technically oriented, so I don't know, but I'll certainly cross my fingers for you. 

am I reading this right as 1 cent per line??

"For all other states we offer IC status only and a competitive line rate for ICs up to $0.010 cpl."(From the All Type Inc position on the Job Seeker's Board)

I am assuming it is a typo on the job post, but you never know....it made me laugh

I would like opinions from everybody but especially those that have 20+ years experience in MT.  What are your opinions on the Book of Style?

This is my opinion.........I think its a bunch of crap!  Seems to me a few people got together and decided to come up with this BOS and then put it on the market as "the law" of medical transcription. Of course they make money from it.  I have wondered who gave this author or authors the authority that everything they say to do is correct and anything that deviates is incorrect?  

On top of that, every now and then they decide to change it MTs learn this baloney all over again, thus more money for them.  I see so many questions and comments on here about the BOS that it seems to me it has become the
"end all, be all" in the medical transcription profession.  Horse puckey!

I literally have seen companies especially the BIG ONE let excellent MTs get away simply because their test scores were not what the "X" wanted with the reason being a comma here and a comma there when the content was EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!

If I were hiring folks again, that BOS would go out the window and I would take an MT based on their MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION SKILLS!  The preferences for punctuation and other things can be learned on-the-job.  Not all companies think the BOS is the BIBLE of Medical Transcription.  Personally I think BOS is a crock!.

I forgot though, AAMT started all this and they are not AAMT anymore.  That tells me a whole lot too!  Money, money money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No CAD for me, will buy my own CABG. 

Speech recognition (i.e. Dragon) is not for everyone.

If you are an expert at templates and programs such as ST and IT (IOW, you have the capability of memorizing thousands upon thousands of abbreviatons), and you're a reasonably fast typist, then I'd recommend against using speech recognition software unless you have to (i.e. CTS, broken wrist). When the need arises, the program can make the difference between making a decent salary and making practically nothing. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing.

However, there are those of us who don't understand how to create templates with pop-up boxes, who don't have the capability of remembering thousands of abbreviations (AutoCorrect is about the limit for us), and who don't fly across the keyboard "with the greatest of ease." For us, speech recognition (SR) can boost our production to a level higher than what we would with a keyboard.

I feel that those who give the thumbs down to SR have not been sufficiently trained on the proper use of the product (i.e. how to speak correctly, the proper way to correct errors, using the global commands features), and/or the department utilizing the program has not used the features to allow the product to learn enough about the terminology and context of phrases (out of box, into computer, and off you go). NOT!!!   

I've been working with SR consistently since November 2001. Some days I use it all day and other times just for a specific specialty, It all depends upon my mood - whether I would rather vocalize more to produce more or prefer "The Sounds of Silence" and would rather keep my fingers limber and type, even if it means a lower production.

Either way ... I rarely have more than two errors per page, and sometimes even less than that. And for the record, I'm doing acute care reports with a wide variety of dictators and specialties.

So, if you want the "real story" behind SR, I think you need to speak with more people who have been successful with product and compare their stories against those who chastise the product ... and find out the specific differences. I'll guarantee you that it's not the product that is to blame.

Been through the daily grind for over 20 years.  At one point I even had all four of my kids in different schools, having to drop them off before leaving for work.  I don't miss it one bit. I still laugh when I'm lying on the couch in my pajamas reading the morning paper while all of the commuters are fighting for a place in line at Dunkin Donuts.

But with 4 kids, 3 still at home, my house has always been like Grand Central Station. I have never been able to complain about the quiet for sure. Hubby works nights so is here during the day and starting early afternoon there is an endless stream of hungry teenagers in and out as well as messy little grandkids.  I don't remember the last time that I was completely alone for more than an hour.  I wouldn't know what to do.