I guess you don't mind working for $5-10 an hour.
Posted By: New MT on 2007-11-13
In Reply to: Well, some of the companies here that post ads - offer 5 cpl for experienced MTs, so
I don't feel 5 cpl is worth my time. Even doing 200 lph (it took me 7 months to get to that point), I would only be making $10 an hour. Why would anyone waste their time? Their are companies out there that offer new MTs much better rates. But if you don't feel you are worth more than that, by all means, go ahead and accept minumum wage.
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Used to do QA for $20 an hour -
Would not even consider less than that because I can make that much doing straight transribing and have a lot few headaches.
How much lines per hour?
Thanks everybody for providing me information few days ago, but I still dont get it how a new MT can type 75 to 100lph because I am able to type hardly 350 lines in 8 hours, this is after the correction i mean grammer, trying to find drug names, etc.
How *many* lines per hour...do you have a
nm
you can make up to $40 per hour.....
if your speed is good and you have a good expander. anyone who types less than 70 words per minute, will probably have a hard time earning over $20 per hour. Those who are making $5 to $9, well that's just crazy. Terrible account, terrible dictators, terrible expanders...something is definitely wrong.
Something else to keep in mind ...
AAMT supports and even encourages the outsourcing of American MT jobs to places like India and the Philippines. They are perfectly happy to facilitate the loss of American jobs and the destruction of American families to fill their coffers. With that in mind, one wonders what value AAMT endorsement of an MT course should have to an AMERICAN MT. Just a thought.
Do you mind my asking...
...how long ago this was? Was this recently (since this economic meltdown)?
$12 to $13 an hour are poverty wages
x
For a newbie $10 an hour is good I would say - sm
granted if you have always typed 175+ cpl then it is not good of course. But say you get .07 line-65 cpl then 175cpl would come out to be $12.25 an hour. Starting out I made about $7/hour at .07/line, now I make average about $12/hour, but do about $9-16/hour depending on the dictator. I do not get paid for spaces as well so that cuts into the bottom line as well. I would think after a year they should bump you up to at least $12. Where I work the higher the line rate you make means you get the harder dictators, so that hurts too when you are on payment by the line, but where hourly pay would "pay" off.
$9 an hour starting is really good for a new MT.
As the poster said below, most new MTs do not start that high. It took me months to get to $9 an hour.
Hope you don't mind
I really hope someone chimes in with the answer to your question but I wanted to comment that I have heard nothing but positive reviews for MTEC and the reviews have been mixed, but leaning towards the positive for Career Step. There are some CS students and alumni that will defend their school tooth and nail that it is not a second class stepchild to MTEC, and some that feel that MTEC (or Andrews) would have been a better choice.
I had a friend who could not afford the down payment for Andrews, and either could not or did not want to try to get the Sallie Mae loan for MTEC, and I steered her towards the CS program at Everett CC because she had pell grant and student loan eligibility.
You might want to ask some national companies whose grads they hire. I asked a few (you could certainly ask more than I did, and I recommend that), and one listed a few schools I had not even heard about up to that point.
It seems that the companies have some thing going on with CS because many of them have a link to request training info from CS. Not a guarantee of employment by any stretch but worth asking what that is all about. (hopefully not just about getting money from CS for advertising and referrals).
If it were me I would choose MTEC over CS. But my decision is made - I chose Andrews over both of them and as soon as I can bring myself to send in the $1500 down payment(its just a scary amount of money to plop down), I am doing it!
I don't mind saying where I live.
I live in Granbury, TX. If thats nowhere near you then they probably wouldn't even bother w/ me, right? If you live around here, let me know, if not then let me know too. Thanks for helping!!!!!
No, they didn't mind at all that I was new.
In fact, I think they preferred it. That way, they can train me to do things their way. And no, I won't be the only one transcribing. They have one Transcriptionist that has worked there for 6 years and I will be helping her out. I will only have to work in the office for approx. 1 hour per day and the rest at home. They said I could work as many or as few hours as I need to. I've thanked them very kindly every day this week for giving me this opportunity.
I hope you can find something soon as well. It is so frustrating trying to get the required experience.
ConcernedtoBMT, if you don't mind me asking...
Which school did you go to and who are you working for now?
I was lucky if I made $1 an hour my first week! sm
It was horrible! After a month, I am now up to $8 an hour.(I know that is still not much!) I would look up every single drug and doublecheck the dosages. Now, I am familar with many of them and it feels good not to have to look them all up. It is great that your company thinks you are doing good work!
200 lines an hour is way beyond minimum expected
s
keep in mind when doing entertainment transcription - sm
this is faaaarrr different than medical. The companies that the poster referred to that are in California require VERY ACCURATE transcription. Thus, you must be excellent with punctuation and 100% accurate with transcription. In the medical transcription industry, hospitals allow for mistakes (both grammar and spelling). Go figure, the entertainment industry does not!!
possibly changing my mind
I think this is more than just a little discouraging. I am still working on my transcription course as well and the future doesn't look too promising from what I am hearing. I originally wanted to go into a radiologic technologist program, but it is full-time for two years. I cannot quit my full-time job to go to school. I thought MT would be something I could do from home while I went to college full-time. But it doesn't sound like I would make enough money for it to be worth my time. Very disappointing.....
Keep an open mind when looking for your first break.
For a first break into the business, you really need to welcome an in-office position. Not only is it a job doing what you say you want to do, but you may actually get guidance from an experienced MT and learn more than you could ever learn alone.
keep in mind that lines w/o spaces
average of 30% - so if you are getting 150 lph w/o spaces, it is the equivalent to 180 lph with spaces.
Hmmm, interesting. If you don't mind me asking *sm*
was it a paid apprenticeship?
Jen, would you mind emailing me info too?
I do have some MT experience, mostly VR, but just haven't been able to break into a really good MT position yet. I could use some help too. What costs are involved?
But that 1 hour of dictation could take you 3-8 hrs to do depending on clarity, the setup, etc. nm
s
I remember my first job quite a few years ago and making about $2 an hour until I learned...sm
the account, got used to the doctors, learned how to efficiently research etc. I also needed to create my own expansion program as the system I worked in back then would not allow an outside expander. Keep at it and good luck, it will get better.
That wage per hour is a crock, no matter what! Look at the 3 recommended
s
It sounds like your mind is made up that you don't need an adequate course,
and that hard-working MTs in your area are just waiting to complete your education so you can be of help to them. But you did say you wanted advice, so mine would be that your future co-workers, supervisors and customers will all wish you were ready to transcribe when you got out of school, which can only be guaranteed by two schools: Andrews & M-Tec. So instead of wasting a few hundred dollars on an education that won't land you a job, spend what it takes for a real education. At these schools you can learn at your own speed with lots of support from the teachers, and when you graduate you will be an asset to the profession.
How to compare MT training classes? I have 3 in mind...SM
For comparing M-TEC, Andrews, and Career Step, what is the easiest way to narrow this down? A person would hate to make the wrong choice, but how do you know before starting? Is one of these more flexible as far as time frame to complete? What if a person started the course and had to stop it for a while before resuming (such as taking some time off while caring for a newborn)? Are payments made as you go or do you have to pay ahead?
Is picking any of these 3 generally a safe bet? They stand out to me as the 3 that I hear the most about that aren't the scams that I have been warned about.
I guess a speedier time frame for completion would be a plus, but then is that shortchanging the education?
Any advice would be great.
Thanks!
20$ an hour?!!! I couldn't make this as a nurse where I live! You are VERY blessed! nm
s
i'd guess
that employers are always looking for those willing to work weekends, evening or night hours; of course, someone with common sense, English skills and terminology knowledge, and esp someone they can depend upon. But above all, someone that does quality transcription, not just someone going fast for the money they can make. Blanks are much more acceptable than errors. When looking for a company, there are so many factors to consider. But definitely beware of any outfit that requires money up front of any kind (and avoid). Try to go with a company you see represented on this or other legitimate boards. Age should not be a problem. Most will try to hire cheap so have enough confidence in what you bring to the table that you don't sell yourself short, even while trying to break into the field. Good luck!
Guess I still need
A LOT of help! ;) Thank you for everything. I will definately remember that one since I embarassed myself on here.
Guess what
My doctor recommended this course to me. He and his fellow doctors perfer AHP graduates.
And guess what? I am smart enough to research online and in other books about transcription. I love reading the word help postings and trying to find the answer myself. That is good practice. I have purchased extra dictation to transcribe too. If you want to do anything well you have to give it your all.
Sorry, I read the wrong post. I had way too many things on my mind.
but that said, I think the local hospitals would be your best bet. You can get invaluable experience there. Especially with acute care.
Good luck with your job search. WIll keep you and your family in my prayers.
Apparently, the AHDI can't make up their mind! See inside
From the FAQ on their website (as mentioned by someone else here):
"Two years of transcription experience in the acute care (or equivalent) setting is required to take the CMT certification examination."
Wow..how does that work. Your making $5 an hour. Didn't minimum wage go up? If you pay or line co
does not go up, I'd probably move on. I understand right now your probably just getting the experience but you work a whole day and make $40??? I'd be tempted to change jobs soon. I know personally I could not survive on $5 an hour.
It's okay for a newbie I guess
Generally (not always though), 1 minute of dictation equals 10 lines of transcription. So, a 60-minute dictation would be 600 lines. At $40 per dictated hour, that would be equivalent to 6.66 cents per line.
Thanks!!! =) Could be better, could be worse I guess!
n/a
Guess I got lucky!
I worked with a great group of people who were more than happy to answer a quick question if they could, and after a while it went both ways. I really didn't understand the competitiveness until I worked for a national inhouse when they had an office here in town. What a rude awakening.
I guess I have two questions?
1. Why is it such a shock to newbies that the field is so hard to break into?
2. Why aren't the people who sell these MT training programs telling newbies that it is so?
Well I guess I have never had a job then. I must have imagined that I did.
x
I guess I was lucky
I graduated in June from At-Home Professions. I had a job a few weeks before I was finished. Now four months later I am done training and making 10-cents a line! I had a mentor until last week and now I am completely on my own working for a hospital in California in Neurology. I guess I was just lucky...keep on trying. I could not afford the "top three" schools. I feel that my school was adequate, it gave me a start and I've had to work really hard, but it has been well worth it-I am making awesome money, work about 4 hours a day and get to stay home with my 2 boys. Find someone to mentor you-the best thing I ever did.
I guess no one, huh? Wow! Bad sign maybe?...nm
nm
I guess you did not understand
what I said then.
I guess I should proof my work better too...ha ha
guess it's true what they say about newbies...sm
a bunch of eager-beaver pants-wetters who know everything from their 20 hours of transcribing "real" tapes, plus entitlement attitudes
I guess I'm just not willing to work THAT hard
But you are right, if you are IC you have no health care benefits, 401k, etc, so you'd get paid more. Also working for 3 different companies helps. Good luck to you.
Should be exception....... I guess my emotions
i guess when they moved your post
they deleted my answer. Did you (OP) see it first?
I guess I should have clarified this since posts have been
what I meant was why anybody would go to the trouble of starting out now to be an MT..the intense training it takes. I certainly can understand those of us who have been in the biz for a while... but now I see the post above is about "being a part time MT" Do newbies not understand the amount of training it takes? That is my point...it takes years to be proficient to cover all acute care...and only to make a small wage...that was my point.. And I stand by it. It is a profession that absolutely does not pay off for new hires.
Agree with below, leave blanks, don't guess
You should never guess. If you are not sure, leave a blank. I don't know for sure, but companies will most likely hold you to the same QA standards as everyone else, but they may be more understanding that you have to send more blanks to QA. Ask QA to send the corrections back to you so you can review them.
Guess I didn't link it! Pasted inside...sm
http://www.unitedtran.com/default.htm nm.
I guess most of us weren't responding to that...just commenting in general. sm
...especially regarding the comments of the comment on the comment....ya know?
Guess what, it's not just the testing. MANY doctors are terrible dictators.
Sometimes the dictation they use for the test is from the actual doctors they are hiring MTs for. If you can't do it on the test, you can't do it, period.
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