Need advice on line rate
Posted By: Tomatoe on 2007-06-23
In Reply to:
I have someone asking me what line rate I would be willing to work at on a 13 words per line basis, and I have no idea what to answer. Can someone please give me some advice on this?
Thank you!
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Line rate
I believe that means 7 cents per line for a 65-character line. If it does, that is not a good rate, especially if you have experience. Also, you need to find out whether that is 65 characters with spaces or without spaces. If without spaces, that is really a bad rate! Good luck to you!
line rate
I have never heard of someone asking a rate based this way. Find out what the margins and font (etc) are before you sell yourself to short. Then I would calculate any document based on those responses and see what the would equal up to so you get a decent rate.
Going rate per line as employee
Can anyone tell me the going rate per line for employee status? I am currently IC, but looking for employment. Any help appreciated. - Newbie!
Average is 1/2 the line rate for straight transcription.
Companies say that you should be able to edit twice as fast as you can transcribe, but most VR editors I have talked to say that is rarely the case. So the 1/2 line rate hardly seems fair.
Gross line means anything on a line is a line, even if just one word
it is counted as a line. Not sure what exactly you are asking, but if you are comparing gross line to the usual 65 characters plus spaces gross line is better. If you make 7.5 cpl per gross line that equals approximately 9.5 cpl based on 65 characters.
Are you getting your line count from your program or can you use the line counting software to do
s
cpl rate for new mts?
I am thinking about going to one of the top 2 schools. If I graduate and am hired as a FT employee by one of the nationals, what do you think would be a reasonable/average rate of pay per line?
I am trying to get an image of what my finances might look like in the year following graduation. I need to sell this idea to my husband as it is a considerable financial outlay and I need to assure him it will be worth it. I assume I will have a minimum line count per pay period (say 10-12,000 every 2 weeks). Is it reasonable to think that after a month or two on the job FT a newbie from a good school could possibly make 120-150lph production?
Thanks for any feedback.
Pay rate???
Okay, I just got an offer for $40 per dicated hour by the doctor with a 48 hour Turn Around Time per hour's dictation. It is in allergy/immunology. Is this a bad pay rate? I've always seen line count before.
That is still a low rate,
I get 0.01 cpw and a word is counted as every 5 characters. So hepatosplenomegaly would be counted as 3.5 words. But if you have had problems finding a job, I would take it, get some experience, and then start searching for something better. Good luck to you in your new position!
Pay rate?
I'm a student MT who will graduate in May. Right now at my current job I make $15/hour. I decided to become a MT for a career change. I'm worried after reading the post below that new MTs can start out between $5 to $9 an hour? I just don't understand why anyone would take that as acceptable pay as an MT when it is a obviously an important job. Don't we deserve more than that, even as a new MT? Minimum wage in my state is $8.07/hour, why would anyone accept less? 
Going rate
for an IC is around .09 to .11 cents per line. I would first determine how difficult the specialty and dictators are then quote them a price. I'm sure there are others on here who can be of better help than myself, but that's what I've seen on the forums.
average rate
what is the average rate per line or cpl? I am just finishing school and getting ready to start out.
I rate the VLC very high
I just could not let this pass unanswered.
What you forgot to mention Dianne is that you also paid for the online course and some great Instructors. I should know, I graduated earier this year and I had two job offers within two weeks. They really know how to teach MT!
One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch.
Brenda
Rate of project Bid
I am wanting to bid on a project, since I'm really quite new at this I'm not sure what to bid. The project is a 4.5 hour audio. They don't have it set up to bid on the price per line, just a amount. I was trying to calculate it per word but I can see from this board that most places pay per line. Any ideas?
...with a VERY low starting rate, way low, but they do take
s
Determining pay rate
I received an e-mail from a company that states their rate is 83 cents per 1,000 bytes (characters and spaces). I'm new to production pay & am confused by this rate. How do I determine what the cents per line rate is?
Thank you.
What is the average rate for VR?
nm
pay rate considerations
I respect what each of you have written. Many benefits that this job gives us ARE truly priceless. But that is beside the fact.
If the companies keep seeing people posting here saying that they essentially are willing to trade decent pay for these benefits, then that pulls EVERYONE down to a lower level of pay -- which includes people such as myself who have this as their only income. There is no incentive to companies to even CONSIDER paying us more if we basically tell them give us our candy and we'll be good little kids and then let them walk all over us. We can't demand higher pay and say we're satisfied with what we have at the same time.
For some of you the pay may be just fine. You have husbands or savings or family, etc. There are others who MUST make a living at this for one reason or another and MUST make as much as they can. Some of us are caregivers, some have disabilities, some are trying to attend school, etc. It hurts us when people make compromises and send that message to the MTSOs.
I've said it before and I will keep saying it -- anyone who works from home can have the benefits you mentioned but they also deserve a decent salary for their work. They are two completely different things. No home accountant, dentist, car repairman, electician, physician with office in their home, lawyer with office in their home -- you think they lower their rates because they have the above-mentioned benefits? Think again. I use quite a few of them and they charge no less than anyone else.
Working from home = good for the employee/IC.
Working from home with decent pay = good for the employee/IC and just as well. (as in "justice.")
Working from home for less pay just to get to work from home = a compromise that affects more than just a few and overall not a sound decision because you are not fighting for what you are worth (whether you feel you need it or not). You are letting emotions override reason. Yes, there are savings in gas, etc. but we still deserve more money.
People who take public transportation to a job outside their home save money in gas too but they are not paid a lower wage because they take the bus or ride the metro! People who wear uniforms are not paid a lower wage because they don't have to get dressed up! People who are allowed to bring their kids to work (I worked for such a firm) are not paid a lower wage because they can bring their kids to work. So what makes that acceptable for us?
Same goes for the question of benefits. You may not need them. Others do. It matters very much what a company's benefits are. Good for those who don't have to worry about it. They can decline. But all of us should be offered the best so that those of us who do need them can afford them.
And if you reply, well, if you don't like a company you can change jobs, it's not about that either. It's about the salary range overall for the transcription profession period. Benefits come second and are an entirely different category. The standard of pay affects each and every one of us from the most experienced to the newest newbie. Benefits affect some of us but they ARE important and are also worth fighting for. If you don't need them, there are enough who do.
Companies watch one another. They watch this board to see what we want. They watch this board to see how little they can give us and still retain us. Right now we have people saying "unionize!" and others saying "It's okay. I get to stay home which is something I'm willing to take less pay for." You honestly think the MTSOs are taking us seriously???
Look, I'm not trying to come down on you -- good for you for what you are able to have. I'm glad for you. Just please look at the overall picture, look at us as a group of professionals who deserve what any professional deserves working from home or not. Why should we be treated any differently? Why should we make compromises? You are deserving of a decent, living wage and all the benefits a company can give period. Anything else is icing on the cake. At least, it is in other professions. Let's NOT be "specialists" in compromising.
Are we a team or not? We're giving the MTSOs mixed messages here folks! Let's look out for one another. 
how can you rate a "car" you haven't taken out on the "highway" yet?
x
&that rate is experienced MT. Figure you making
x
100% placement rate is like guaranteeing you a job when you finish.
NO reputable school would do that.
They are also frowned upon because they use/used their students to spam all over the internet about their school. WAHM message board actually deleted the MT area because of them.
I'm sure you'd be first in line for it, right?
The VLC has had numerous complaints against them and people demanding refunds. I was in a position to KNOW that people that couldn't get jobs because they couldn't pass MT employment tests after the VLC course. How is that being immature? Evidently, you're one of the VLC reps lurking on the boards so you can jump in and refer your school. Otherwise, you wouldn't be taking it so personally.
$ per line?
As a recent graduate and new MT, could someone tell me what a fair salary is, per line of transcription? Thanks so much.
How much per line?
I also do voice recognition as well as straight transcription. I have been an MT for about 2 years now and started off doing voice recognition and I love it. I now do about 1800 to 2100 lines per day (voice recognition). I started off with a company doing vr and was only making 2.5 to 3 cents per line and I stayed with them for about 18 months and after the raises I was making 4.25 cents per line. However, that was an IC position and I wanted benefits so I started taking as many online tests as possible with companies that offer employee status and not IC. I wanted to get benefits. So, eventually I passed the tests for about 6 different companies and I got to pick which one I wanted to go with instead of begging for someone to hire me.
I would take some tests online on the days that you are not working perhaps on the weekends or evenings and see if you pass the tests. It can't hurt at all. I am now working with a new company and I am currently making 6 cents per line and this is for voice recognition, which is pretty darn good doing about 1800 lines per day. You will not know until you try. E-mail me if you have any other questions.
Maybe not out of line...
but not a very good *cooperative* attitude.
Would really appreciate advice
Advice
The employer DOES know how well you'll do. At least, he thinks he does. He knows that you have the same training that other failed new-hires had--all the new MTs from that school who didn't work out and wasted his money.
You can do well in your course, but if your course did not teach what you truly needed to know, you've learned little. Your opinion about the quality of the education isn't important at all--you have no basis to know if it's good or not.
You hope it is, but employers are telling you that it is not.
It's unfortunate that you spent your time and money on a bad choice, but that was your choice. At this point, the best thing you can do is try to salvage what you can from it.
Yes, someone might be surprised, but complaining about the injustice you have received as a result of your decision isn't going to inspire anyone to want to give you that chance.
It would be better for you to improve your capabilities and apply again. The employers are telling you that you are not ready to work.
Another choice would be for you to write up what your course did cover, in detail, with a comparison to other schools' coursework. Present that to the employer and ask if they will test you.
You'll have to present yourself very professionally for this to work. You have a number of language, grammar, and punctuation errors in your posts, so you would do well to pay close attention to that. You don't want that to alienate an employer. That may, in fact, already be what has alienated them.
I need advice!
Greetings;
I am a new MT attempting to start my own service as an independent contractor. My issue is this, my husband deployed for Iraq yesterday, he will be gone for 8 months. I will be returning to my home town for this time period. Can/Should I start my own service in that area, or should I try to obtain work with a service until I return to my current home? How does one handle a situation like this when moving is enevitable. What do you think? What would you do?
I need advice!
Greetings;
I am a new MT attempting to start my own service as an independent contractor. My issue is this, my husband deployed for Iraq yesterday, he will be gone for 8 months. I will be returning to my home town for this time period. Can/Should I start my own service in that area, or should I try to obtain work with a service until I return to my current home? How does one handle a situation like this when moving is enevitable. What do you think? What would you do?
Need advice
I need some advice. I have a 5 yr old and a 3 month old. I going through a mentoring program right now and I am also close to completing school and get my certificate in med transcription. My situation is that I take care of the kids during the day (5 yr old pretty much entertains herself but of course the baby doesn't) and I'm exhausted to the point that if I try to stay up until midnight or beyond transcribing I'm grouchy in the morning from lack of sleep. My boyfriend isn't much help. Please, I'm not looking for advice dealing with him but advice on how to juggle the kids, mentoring, and schooling. I appreciate it.
Need advice
The school I am going through provided cassette tapes to transcribe the homework reports from. I do not have a transcriber and don't feel like purchasing one since I will more than likely never use it again and I only have 7 chapters left to do. Does anyone know how I can record them onto my computer? My sound recorder only records 60 sec at a time unless I want to pay for more and I'd rather not if I don't have to. I figure if they are on my computer than I can use express scribe to type them up.
Advice...
 Sell your self. So you don't have experience but you have knowledge of the field. Check the offers on the job board. That is how I found the 2 MTSOs I work for. I've only been in this field for a month! When you email your resume to them type a little blurb that shows how eager you are. Worked for me.
Advice
I am currently in the office from 3 to 5 days a week, depending on the amount of work. I am unable to work from home with his current system. I also think he likes having me there to help with other duties like receptionist work, billing, etc.
bad advice
I am upset by you telling this potential MT that she should look elsewhere. Leave that to her to decide.
I am also a new MT and used to really enjoy this board and its wonderful advice and information, but because of such negativity, I have been getting on less and less. This, of course, does not apply to everybody. If this is true that in 5 years, we are all going be jobless, then why aren't all MTs going back to school now? Why wait for the inevitable?
If I want depressing information, I'll watch the nightly news. In the meantime, I am going to relish in the fact that I am able to earn a living and be there for my children when needed. If this completely dies out in a few years, so be it. I'll deal with it then.
As for which school to attend, they all seem very credible and well-accepted. I would go to whichever one seems to appeal more to your liking.
Good Luck and welcome to our world!
bad advice
then if this is the case and we are all up you-know-what creek without a paddle, then why is anybody even being encouraging at all? I took one of those fly-by-night courses because I was tired of being an admin assistant and a friend of mine was taking the course, so I signed up as well. My instructor suggested this board and I felt even more confident after reading many posts on being an MT. From the experience aspect, it seems that getting your first job is the biggest problem.
So is life. I guess your better off becoming a nurse, if you can't handle the blood, become a medical secretary and deal with the office politics while making $8 lousy bucks an hour.
If this is such a serious issue, why aren't we doing anything about it? We all know (even the newbies)that outsourcing is a serios threat. If none of us are making money in this lovely country of ours, then how are we supposed to put back into the economy that makes it what it is?
Why don't we all just sit here and whine and cry about it. That's how things get done, isn't it?
My advice
Apply everywhere, even if they say x-years of experience. Some will let you test. Take full advantage of these opportunities and do your very best. One of them will hire you and give you a chance. An alternative is to visit/call every single doctor's office, clinic and hospital in your area and inquire as to open positions. Be open to both in-house as well as work at home opportunities. Best of luck to you!
HELP, I need some advice......
I am still a student. I have 2 more classes before I get my certificate. I recently started working part-time in a doctors office doing entry level work. She wants me to start doing here transcription already. This is a fantastic opportunity for me, but I don't know what I need to get started. What type of software or equipment should I invest in. I need some advice from an experienced MT. Thank you in advance!
advice
Okay, the doctor I will be working for has a new patient sheet and office visit form that she made herself. She just goes through and checks off the ones that apply to that particular patient. She doesn't like to dictate into microcassette but she has mentioned voice recognition. It seems really simple. Almost too simple. I have all the necessary research material. I just didn't know if there was a special software I needed to buy or equipment. Thanks in advance for your advice.
No more advice from me
I've had it. All over the internet, people keep asking about this school or that school, all less expensive than Andrews or M-Tec (or Career Step). And no matter what they are told, they insist on signing up with the school they asked about.
Then they come back to all the message boards, whining that "everybody wants 2 years of experience" and "how am I supposed to get experience when nobody will hire me."
They seem to forget that they were told all over the place that MANY employers will waive the 2-year experience requirement if they know that you went to a GOOD school that teaches you what you need to know to get a job. And that they won't even bother to test "grads" of many of the "cheaper" schools.
So why give advice, when people don't really want it? All they want is for me to say that they will do just fine going to a crappy school that shouldn't even be allowed to teach MT, just because it is CHEAPER. Occasionally someone does do okay and gets hired, but ONLY occasionally. Just like people used to be taught by their friends, neighbors, or family. Just try to apply for a job nowadays and tell them "my mother taught me." See how fast it gets you hired.
I'm just tired of people whining that they can't get a job without 2 years of experience, when they were told that was what would happen, and exactly which schools could get that requirement waived because they are excellent schools that teach you what you need to know. Of course they're more expensive! They get the job done! They earn their money. They turn out ready-to-work MTs.
If you insist on saving money with those "other" schools, go ahead. But stop whining about not being able to get a job without experience. Because that's exactly what you were TOLD would happen. If you're going to roll the dice, don't EXPECT to win just because some people get lucky.
I'm outta here.
more advice
Hi ladies I just thought of something else you could try also. Pick up you phone book and see if there are any local agencies or MTSO's that you can talk to about work. I finally got a job myself. I am excited but I won't be getting paid much for awhile. I got an internship. I am so excited and I wish you both the best of luck.
Need advice...
How do you get through the seven minute speed round portion of a test. I am having difficulty with this. By the time I am done reading the question once, have "sometimers" during the process along with "personal summers/hot flashes", the test is done before I am even completed with it.
Advice from me to you..
I have read your post and understand your desire to work from home so that you can be with your young children. This is not an easy field. I have no young children in the home, and find it frustrating at times to concentrate on all the new things you have to learn and never taught in school. My husband can be a cause of distraction just because he does not fully understand the amount of concentration required to do the job well. I can not imagine just starting out and having children around. My loyalties would be split, and ultimately my job would suffer.
Do not get me wrong, I love my job. I love learning new terminology and the challenges that being a MT presents. However, in order to do this job well, I have to pretend I am away from home (no household distractions) and always keeping in mind that I can lose this job, just like in an outside work place.
I do have a grown child who is married. I wanted to be an MT for a long time, but the requirements of my child were greater than the time I could devote to a career change, deep down I knew I could not chose between the two.
Pray… Ask that the doors you do not need to enter will be closed, and that the path you are to take will be open to you. Good luck..
Need some advice
In what ways is this job demanding or hard? Would someone hire me without working in an office? Would they hire me part time?
I am on disablilty, but able to be at the computer for several hours a day. I can only work up to $800 per month of I lose my social security. I need supplemental income and it seems you need specialized education to get a legit job online. I cant work an office job, I need to be able to take breaks, so being at home is crucial for me.
So, anyone know if someone would hire me for that little amount of money per month? Sounds like the school you go to is critical, but they are pricey. How to afford tuition when Im already low income?
This is a great board. Would appreciate any feedback. Dont know if going into such debt will be a mistake or not.
I need advice too
After finishing school, I too am finding it difficult to find employment. Would becoming Certified help?
Need Advice
I need advice about doing MT fulltime. I have a job outside of MT World that has paid my bills for the past 2 years while I have been in M-TEC. I am now done with school, and I'm still working my job, and I have an IC job that just started. I got an offer for a fulltime position, and I am afraid of leaving the comfort of my job since I have a baby to take care of. You know how it is when you first start and being slow. Any advice?
advice from MT if anyone wants it
Hi all. I was just going over this forum, and was thinking how lucky you are to have this place. Many moons ago when I first started out in this field, there was no such place. I attended a school (physically drove there) five days a week, four hours a day, and after nine months graduated with my certificate. I applied at a few hospitals, none of which would give me the time of day without experience. There were no services back then; every transcription job was inhouse, and no-one would hire you without at least two years acute care experience. This was the small bit of information the school did not give me.
Anyway, I interviewed at a hospital (my fourth) and I was a bit desperate. I begged the Medical Records Director for the job. Offered to work for free if need be until I proved myself. Promised not to ask the same question twice and told him I would take diligent notes. He offered me the job at minimum wage, and I grabbed it. I knew the money was not much but had faith that I would learn all I had not learned in school, get those 2 years of acute care experience, and be well on my way.
Well, it all worked out great. I stayed in that transcription department at that hospital for 7 years...until they shut the doors of the transcription department and outsourced. I was offered an at-home job which was unheard of at the time, and even though I was scared to death I took it. I have been working at home since, raising my children, loving and appreciating the chance to do so.
I know that some of the starting pay is low, but I found it was worth it to take the low ball money to start if the training and experience was worth it. I started training with ER notes, then moved to discharge summaries, then H&P's, then consults, then procedures, then op notes, then pathology and finally radiology....All in six months time. I had great mentors at work and working eight hours a day really pushed me to be a success rather quick.
If I had the opportunity to thank any of those ladies who trained me at that small MT Department in Anaheim, California, I would love to. We all lost contact, but I think of them often.
Good luck to all of you here in this forum. Use this forum for positive information. Don't rely too much on what is written by someone else (including me), as everyone has a different story or opinion. Mine just happens to be a positive one.
Need some advice!!
I am an newbie, started working P/T for a company for about 7.3 cpl. The doctor is an orthopedic and very easy and I really like him. The only problem is I have little kids at home so I can only work part time. He averages about 900-1200 lines a day and it takes me about 8-10 hours to get these done. I have been contemplating looking elsewhere for P/t work but am scared of geting an ESL doctor which I don't have much experience with. Are these line expectations full time work? Can I expect to at least cut my time to at least 6 hr or less? I have only been working for about 5 weeks.
Advice please....
I got a job offer with Focus Infomatics and am sort of on the fence about going with them based on all the things I've read about that company. The pay offer was 4/8 for days and 5/10 for nights. I also got an offer with another company that I've worked with before for strickly 4/8. The latter would be primarily VR with some standard mixed in. I have no idea what to expect of Focus. No real benefits with Focus, a few with the other company.
I'm leaning toward the latter company (American owned) than Focus (think Indian owned). Does anyone think the one cent difference with Focus might outweigh the other company by pay? Does anyone know enough about Focus to make that company a really good option? I'm looking for a company to work with for a long time.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Advice
There is no one fixed "rule" for how to do these things. If you see variations in styles, it's just that there are . . . variations in styles. I understand your frustration, though, so I'll try to shed some light on the things you asked about.
Some H&Ps need headings, but a very few do not. It depends on how they're dictated. Usually, though, headings are helpful to the reader. They provide good signposts to help other providers to recognize and pick out parts of the report that they may be interested in reading. They're particularly helpful for coders, who are able to scan for what they need and home in on it using the headings. You may have noticed that physicians don't always dictate material in the same order, so those headings really do help the reader.
Hospitals often have a standard format for their H&Ps, and they almost always use headings. The MT will arrange the dictated material in the appropriate place, adding headings as necessary. They may even have to change the wording of the headings the physician dictates.
Usually, if a physician dictates some of the headings, but not all, you do fill in the ones that are missing. The headings you add have to be correct and consistent.
There are two styles for the physical exam itself. One has it all in one paragraph, while some facilities and providers prefer it broken up into separate "lines" by body system.
I'm not sure what you're asking about the blood work. Diagnostic testing is not a part of the physical examination that the provider performed, so it would be in a separate paragraph. It often comes after the PE. (There is a style of H&P which has the history portion separate from the physical exam portion, in which case the lab is on the part with the physical exam, but it's not part of the physical exam per se.)
Advice I need it bad!
 I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I recently just started out on a job where I have to average out 1000 lines a day. I'm in training to get there in 3 months. On days I have English dictators its quick but I only get in about 12 reports.The days that I have ESL I'm lucky if I make it to 6. The reports are short which have 60 to maybe only 50 lines. How am I ever going to make enough money If I'm stuck at around 6 to 10 reports a day. It is a 65 character per line or something like that. I need help seriously. I'm taking all suggestions into consideration. So please be honest and upfront. Also I want to know for the experienced MT's how long did it take for you to accomplish your lines.
Your advice...
is about reverse of anyone else I have spoken with. I realize I do not have the hands-on experience and that is why I can't get a job with one of the big national companies. I had interviewed with Transform before I graduated but because of lack of experience they would not give me a chance. I was advised by several people that I should instead try locally to get overflow or vacation fill-in work to get my foot in the door....
And as for the comments about USCI, yeah, I know all about it... it was actually recommended to me by an MT that runs her own business now for 9 years.... so I went for it. Probably wouldn't recommend it though.
I was really wondering about equipment....
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