how to advance in the MT field ...
Posted By: Cookie71 on 2006-07-12
In Reply to:
I am wondering what it takes to advance to another position in the MT field. I've been an MT for about 13 years, acute care for 12 of those years. I'm tired of typing and have done QA as well, but the pay is horrible. What does it take to move up the ladder to another position, such as MT supervisor or account manager? I'm just curious. I know there are probably many more qualified people than I out there for any such position, but curiosity has got me as to the general qualifications and average salaries of each. Anyone know? Thanks....
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Advance
I too saw it and was as angry as you are! I'm canceling my subscription, how 'bout you?
Thank you in advance it should be !! nm
TYIF -- something like Thank goodness it's Friday, but not that either. OOOPS !
thanks in advance..................nm
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Advance is another one.
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Since ADVANCE is free, there would
be little immediate impact if we cancel our subscriptions. Contact the advertisers and express your displeasure. They're the ones who provide the income stream for ADVANCE. They need to know that the people they're trying to reach are displeased and that their companies are associated with an extremely unpopular position.
Article in Advance
Did anyone read the article in Advance: Is Mandatory Credentialing Next?
The article says: "we have more and more companies paying premium for credentialed MTs." Is that true? The author is president-elect of AHDI. You all know what that is? Never heard of em. Or is it that new organization that used to be called something else, what was it... I think it had the words Medical Transcription in it. Maybe we should write a letter to tell about the reality of working out here.
how is Advance irrelevant?
nm
Advance article
Thanks for sharing this article in Advance - don't get magazine anymore since I dropped my AHDI membership. Proud to be part of ATA - we MTs deserve an assocation that will advocate for us.
did anyone see the article in Advance magazine
about how wonderful it is to train Indians to do our job. OH YAAAYYY, LET'S HERE IT FOR SPHERIS AND HEALTHSCRIBE Let's give a big whoopie and cheer them on while they continue to post for transcriptionists on this board and yet outsource and TRAIN Indians to do our job. I guess I'm angry about the article on other levels, such as the fact that it seems that Advance magazine is constantly promoting offshore transcription. This is not the first time they have printed articles like this.
Our hospital used Spheris and Cbay and we spent hours up hours redoing the reports, yet these companies got paid in full. Where is the logic in that? Thank God, administration wised up and brought the work back in. Now we can go back to doing what we've always done ... OUR OWN TRANSCRIPTION ACCURATELY!
I sent Advance magazine an email
I think if enough people did, then maybe they will stop glamourizing the overseas work. This is the third article in a year's time that they have done. A few months back Advance actually interviewed an Indian owner, picture and all, about his company!!!
If we cancel our subscriptions, Advance won't be able to
sell as much advertising. THAT is where they make their money, not by promoting offshoring. If they can't distribute XX numbers of copies per month, the advertisers will go elsewhere. Boycott ADVANCE and spread the word. Shut the traitors down.
Great article about this in Advance (sm)
early this summer -- explained the 3-prong test (instead of the old 20+ questions).
If the service insists you use their software, if the service tells you when you can invoice them (instead of the 2 of you deciding together), if the service, not the client, decides turnaround time and quality, and if the service says you can't subcontract the work and insists on a noncompete clause, then you are an employee.
You can file a form with the IRS if you want your status clarified. Also contact Dept of Labor office in your state.
If you don't have an attorney and accountant on retainer, then you aren't professional enough to be an IC.
Also check the Nolo Press site as they have some excellent reference books regarding IC/employment issues.
lol=laughing out loud, tia= thanks in advance
b
Current ADVANCE issue is MT pay
Cover story: Are MTs Paid Fairly. This story needs rebuttals. (I don't know if I spelled that right -- too mad to look it up.) There is another article about MTing as well as some good letters to the editor. No, I didn't write them. Not promoting self.
Look, this magazine wants feedback. Controversy creates publicity which creates readership. Please think about sending your own letters to the editor. Write what you write here. Let more people involved in our field know your thoughts whether they be MTs or not.
No, I don't work for ADVANCE. I'm just an MT just like most of you. I just want our voices to be heard by more people who call the shots that affect us. This is one venue. Even if you don't like the publication, fight back and make your voices heard!!! What a lot of you write here would be fantastic letters to the Editor which would reach a wider spectrum of our associates than this forum for MTs. We've got to keep the topic of the MT situation HOT in the media. You can submit articles to them as well. Get busy, PLEASE!!
Advance is irrelevant. Who cares what they say?
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Letter to Editor-Advance
I will write a letter...
Lasted Advance MT article
I was wondering if any of you have read the latest article in Advance about MTs? It's called The MT Critic. Color me stupid but I did not know MTs had to go to medical school to do their jobs? How many of you know the average size of the left atrium of the heart? How many of you would contradict the doctor's vital signs because the patient had a fractured ankle and you just knew that because of his pain, those vitals could not possibly be correct? It is no wonder we are not attracting qualified people to our profession. What are your thoughts?
Advance to the 21st Century and get a new job
I couldn't believe it either. Advance has gone the way of offshore, just like AAMT
I sent a comment to Advance and heard back from them
supposedly, they are going to put my letter in the next edition in Letter to the Editor .... we'll see. But I did not cancel my subscription.
Link to Advance IC v. employee article (sm)
which discusses the 3-fold test that the IRS is using instead of the former 20-factor list.
I know of very few MTSOs which really treat ICs like ICs.
My best friend successfully challenged the company she worked for -- she got unemployment and a nice tax credit; the company owner got hit with huge penalties.
You mean that MSN link to Melbourne IT? (it comes up each time). Thanks in advance. nm
nm
Regarding the Advance article, here's how I would have handled the examples
I'm curious how other MTs would have handled them?
1. Hemoglobin 9, hematocrit 39. (I would have flagged this with a blank for the hemoglobin and sent to QA).
2. The nose and mouth were suctioned on the perineum (during a C-section dictation). (I would have changed "perineum" to "abdomen" and sent it on).
3. SKIN: Without lesions, rashes or scars (Patient has HIV and kaposi sacroma). (I'm not the doctor. I did not examine the patient. Therefore, I would have transcribed as dictated and sent it as usual).
4. Left atrium is normal, measuring 4.6 cm. (I don't get paid enough to second guess the doctor on whether the LA is "normal" or not. You get what you pay for.)
5. VITAL SIGNS: Heart rate 70, respirations 18, BP 120/70 (in an 18-year-old with a comminuted ankle fracture). (Again, the patient may have gotten pain medication by the time the doctor saw him, so perhaps he/she didn't have pain at the time of examination and so the vitals were normalized. I wasn't there, I don't know. Type verbatim and send it on!)
Try off of the Advance Magazine web site, pasted inside. nm
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/main.aspx
Mayo Clinic in AZ has an ad for in-house MT in Advance Mag, $19/hr base pay. sm
Plus shift diff and bonus, plus $1000 sign-on bonus, and relocation $. What a great offer if it's true.
Anyone read Letter to Editor in ADVANCE see message
February 26, 2007 issue? Two letters regarding MT and AAMT.
Advance magazine? Anyone notice the letter to the editor?
It's on page 5 entitled Does Walmart or Home Depot pay better?......Gee, I wonder what company this person is talking about? Okay, which one of you sent this in? hahaha!
Well, while everything the writer of this letter says is true about the company, I think we all know most of us make a bit more than 8 to 10 bux an hour. For myself, it's about twice that. If I really were only making that for what I'm doing, I WOULD head over the the Walmart or Target. I would NOT do this for 10 bux an hour NO WAY in HE double toothpicks!
Idea in letter to Editor in Advance magazine (sm)
Just last night I read a letter in the Advance for Health Information Professionals from a former MR who is now a cancer registrar and loves it. I had looked into that myself a few years ago, although I chose to stay with MT. At the time there were on-line courses through community colleges.
What about coding? I have a friend who works now for a local hospital at home doing ambulatory coding.
Just some thoughts.
BTW, the letter to Advance can probably be found on-line at advanceweb.com/him. It's the Nov 5 issue.
don't cancel ADVANCE subscriptions - just send an email or letter
detailing how disgusted you are with the fact that they are promoting offshore training and offshoring transcription. This is the third article on this sort of topic that the magazine has done in a year.
I find this particularly offensive because so many hospitals/medical record departments get the magazine and if they see this, then companies like Spheris, CBay, Healthscribe, and others will be getting called to come do their transcription!
So please, don't cancel your subscription, just voice your opinion and comments. Thank you.
MODERATOR - I am apologizing in advance for my nasty remark to a poster, but I had to get it out of
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DocQscribe and Dragon Naturally Speaking.. Can they work together? Thanks in advance.
nm
There was an excellent letter to the editor in Advance Magazine last month sm
that spelled how why, but here are some of my reasons:
1. In all their years in existence, the AAMT has yet to make life easier for the AMERICAN MT. In fact, the state of MT in this country is worse than I have seen it in a very long time.
2. The AAMT chose to align themselves with MTIA whose board of directors is largely composed of Indians. They also support offshoring and have adopted the motto "work smarter" which to them means pay hundreds of dollars for a CMT that most companies will not even acknowledge and then hundreds more dollars to join AAMT yearly to get their crappy publications.
3. They are now certifying offshore MTs. Yes, nothing like opening the cover of the AMERICAN Association for Medical Transcription and seeing the names of the Indians who have received their CMT.
4. I get less pay than I did 20 years ago and offshoring is the main reason. So pardon me if I am a little testy that I just paid so much money to an organization who stabbed me in the back.
5. I certainly think they SHOULD change their name to something else. How about the I SOLD THE AMERICAN MT DOWN THE RIVER ASSOCIATION FOR MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION. Bitter? You bet. Gosh, they made so many promises and all they did was take our money for a piece of paper rarely recognized by anyone at the same time extending a hand to the reason I am making less money than I did 20 years ago!
6. It's a bloated association full of lots of people who "do things." Everything except stick up for the American MT.
7. Oh yes, and the BOS is ridiculous.
Advance for Health Information Professionals. Mostly geared toward coders now. nm
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Auto Text entries on word. Is there a way to copy these or print these? Thanks in advance. NM
nm
Emdat platform?? Good, bad or ugly? Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance. NM
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In the back of Advance Magazine you see all the coding jobs. Can access it online, too.
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Sombeody actually wrote a really good letter to Advance a few issues back. sm
It was in the Jan. 12, 2009, issue, letter to the Editor titled, "What Good is Change for MTs?" by Wendy Keller. She does attack AHDI in a very intelligently written letter.
Not new to the field either. Been there and seen it. (sm)
However, routing is NOT ALWAYS the only problem. Times when bonuses are out show a vast difference in dictators that are left to type and number sequence of the jobs. There are some who do cherry pick and return these jobs to pool. In a smaller hospital setting this was not so prominent because others could see it, print out a report and show the boss who would address it in one way or another.
Unfortunately, we are such big organizations now and the people in the digital rooms are just worried about keeping TAT that they don't care who does it as long as it gets done.
Then world is not a perfect place and you cannot be pleasant and assume good things will happen always. People do cheat, people do send back reports they don't make good money on.
It certainly is not the company I am distressed about, it is the few (or I assume just a few) little prima donnas who are doing this "me, me, me" thing. You can choose your company, you just can't choose your co-workers.
Until a wand comes down from the Heaven's and casts a Pollyana spell on all of us, I don't think your new attitude idea will work.
are you new to this field or are you just
uninformed? A few months back, the AAMT subject was brought up on this board. One single question was asked: What has the AAMT done to help improve the pay and overall career for the American MT? After days, I don't think there was one, single positive post to that question. Oh, yes for sure, there was a lot of "spin" but not one direct positive answer. Do you know something we don't? If so, could you please share it with us?
Welcome to the field!
I've been in the field for about 22 years. Stedmans Words Books are a great resource and easy to use. Google words when you get stuck and best of luck!!! Stay away from Amherst....
another field
I often think about another field as I am tired of transcribing (going on 9 years now) and then there is asking my PS questions and its like pulling teeth to get an answer because honestly I don't think she knows and also not feeling like I'm being pay for what I feel is a hard day's work. So maybe for me something in the beauty industry like esthetician where your also providing a service for people that want to feel good about themselves.
What field? (nm)
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how best to get into the field
Hello. I am reading the messages about certification, AHDI, AAMT, etc and see that you have a very reasonable message. My sister wants to get into the MT field and I want to help her as much as I can. What would you recommend in today's employment outlook, for her to do to pursue this? I was steering her towards accredited schooling and the RMT or CMT, but after reading this Board, I am now very confused!
I'm currently looking to get out of the MT field too
I can see it going down hill really quick and it worries me. I don't know what I will do if MTing isnt around even long enough for me to get out of the field first. I wouldn't just go get any job though. I would need to go to school for something so I can make sure I would be making more money than I do now and have better insurance and benefits. I would love a job where I could just work 8 hours a day. Some days I sit here from 8 am to 8 pm or later just to get enough lines in to pay my bills. It sucks and I'm sick of doing it.
I'm currently looking to get out of the MT field too
I can see it going down hill really quick and it worries me. I don't know what I will do if MTing isnt around even long enough for me to get out of the field first. I wouldn't just go get any job though. I would need to go to school for something so I can make sure I would be making more money than I do now and have better insurance and benefits. I would love a job where I could just work 8 hours a day. Some days I sit here from 8 am to 8 pm or later just to get enough lines in to pay my bills. It sucks and I'm sick of doing it.
I don't know if any particular field is more difficult
than the next, if all you do is type one speciality. I think ER and Psych are mentally hard because with ER a lot of the patients die and it is depressing and then psych is depressing because of the severe dysfunction of the patients and/or their families. Oncology can be depressing too cause outcomes are not always great and like the previous poster said frequent new meds.
I used to transcribe for a teaching hospital connected to a medical school and that dictation was very hard, much more technical than your normal hospital, lots more dictators too and a new crop every July.
I wish I had read this BEFORE getting in the field
It may have been great once, but it looks like dog meat now.
Returning to MT field
I went through a training program and then worked one year for a national - Spheris. Had some health issues (and a young son paying daycare for) so gave my notice and got done. That was several years ago. My son is now in kindergarten and want to do medical transcription again.
What is IC and how does that work? Do all nationals have this? How does part time work for most of these companies?
Any hints on brushing up on my skills before I return.
Thank you for your help,
Hopeful MT
But you have to look deep down within you and ask why you are even in this field and
why being an SE is so important to you? To be honest, I've been an MT for quite a while and an SE MT for MQ for over 6 years now. The flexibility has been, well, too good to be true. I, too, can say that I haven't been a perfect MT because I havent keep to my "schedule" even though I have on as an SE. I just pretty much come and go as I please. Can you honestly say you do the same with your company? And are you with MQ? Well, that is just not really fair to them, if you really want to dig down and get honest here. They need to know that their clients will be covered all around the clock and their SEs just really are not consistent and I think all companies need consistency. It's funny, I am in the process of looking for another job, and have interviewed with quite a few folks and once they decide they want me - it's all about - hours, hours, hours. When can you work, what time of day can you start, can you work weekends, can we have that in writing?
Ok, I just had an ENTIRE post of great advice on 401 K programs for part-timers and it got deleted in this very post! That stinks!!!!!
Bottom line is: If you are an SE MT you have nothing invested and when you want to retire you will have nothing. It is sad. No one in my family who is retired or going to be retired have 401 KS and they will be living off the govt. or me, or other working family members. I don't want to be them in 20-30 years. Don't count on Social Security ladies! (and gents).
My husband works for a large corporation and they project when he retires (they send us followups monthly) that when he retires we will be millionares. Well, that sounds great, but what if leaves me for another woman? It happens everyday. And then where will that leave me and my kids? We are devout Christians and I know he is committed, but you just never know. I've seen church members leave their spouses before. I ain't takin the chance! Hence, I will seriously consider investing in 401 as a part time employee (first time in my life) just so that I can have some kind of cushion when I retire, even if its just 30, 40, or 50,000! Hey, if MQ is willing to match earnings, etc, why not? Why just take them for a paycheck? You should seriously, seriously consider all your options if you are an SE, which is what I am right now, and start protecting your future. Especially if you are stay at home mom with little kids. I am a Christian and I feel really led to start doing this. Don't just transcribe your little heart out so that in 20 years you have nothing to show for it.
SE is GREAT for flexibility. But it is NOT a great long-term thing to do to ourselves.
For PT MQers to qualify for 401 k, you have to work a minimum of 1,000 hours a year. You figure out the math. I don't have the time right now! Keep on keeping on girls.
45 yof, MT 10+ yrs, med field 20 yrs Alabama nm
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