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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

It's one of the tricks that companies play on us

Posted By: Sagittarius on 2008-11-21
In Reply to: Well, if that's the case, then I won't feel guilty for - - something odd with QA lately

so that they can control our productivity, penalize and pay less, despite getting their work done.  The same thing happened to me a year ago, we were asked to follow dossier given by the client, but then a few QAs followed AAMT BOS, etc.  Nevertheless, we were penalized left and right and eventually when we stood up and reported their actions, then it stopped completely.


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Two companies that do not play games
are MDI-MD and Landmark. Good honest people at both companies.
Just click on Play then click on Play again to pause dictation
I'm working in Bayscribe right now and that appears to be the only way to do it.

Play to play
Play again to pause
Play again to start play again

Hope that helps.
There are a few tricks.
1. Type the report all the way through and leave blanks as needed.
2. Relisten to the blanks and you'll catch a few of them after having listened to the whole report.
3. Copy and paste the report into your Expander or into Notepad and save it as a file with the doctor's name and report type as the file name.
4. Next time you get that dictator and type of report, expand the report and edit as you listen. You'll always pick up more of what he is saying. After a few dictations, you'll have a complete, or almost complete, copy to use over and over.
Dirty tricks

If they tell MTs that an account is going away and that the MTs need to find other jobs, that's the equivalent of a lay off, at which time the employee would be entitled to unemployment benefits.  However, if there is no work and the employee does not show up, the company can claim that the employee was fired due to a no show.  With this scenario, the employee might not be able to collect unemployment.  Employees need to show up, count all hours worked whether actual jobs were available or not, and report all of those hours on the new timesaver website. 


If you receive any complaints about reporting all hours worked on the timesaver website, keep the documentation, like emails, etc., and report this to DOL.  Also worthy of reporting would be the fact that you are not receiving minimum wage from the company for all hours worked.


Then, file for partial unemployment benefits, especially if you were earning substantially more over the past several quarters.  The partial unemployment benefits are calculated according to the average of what was earned in several previous quarters of work.  Then, you receive the difference between what you are actually currently earning and your calculated weekly unemployment benefit.  These benefits may be different in each state.


I learned about these steps after I left the company 2 months ago; wish I had known back then.


And the team leaders learned the same tricks
from them. Learned fast not to believe them or trust them, either - they all learned how to talk out of both sides of their mouths.
Any tricks on making your hours when there's no work? sm
If so, please share. Feel free to share tips on making your BILLS, too, when there's no income.

Seriously, do you work off hours to make up the difference?

thanks much.
Sadly, its one of the oldest tricks in this business.
Always has happened to me, whatever mode of delivery for the work. In the days of tapes, I would get double or triple what I requested. Now its the same thing, thus why I don't take any jobs on the side now. I would always, always ask for a minimum amount of work, which the owner gladly agreed to, only to be bombed. Then the whole guilt game would start...Not for me anymore! Its so counterproductive in the long run - makes us resentful, right? Why not just give the MTs what they agreed to, right? Oh well!
Resume Tips & Tricks for Seasoned MTs!!!
We should all add these qualities to our resumes.  It's what they expect anymore anyway:

 

- An outstanding ability to take muddy, garbled jibber-jabber and severely fractured English in 155,000 dilects and turn it into unbelievably beautiful transcription, with no blanks!

 

- Oh, and don't worry, Mexican, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Indian, or even rabid auctioneer doctors who speak so fast they could not understand them self on a play back . . .  no problemo!  It doesn't matter, because I am so good if it sounds remotely close with even one syllable barely audible or intelligible I will struggle until I get it.  I do this eagerly because I know you are selling me pride in my work, not a decent wage and because I dread your miserable QA autopsy of my work.

 

- Will work as hard as a slave for $3 an hour average with a college degree on the most gut-wrenching work you have, and all this without an occasional can of salve for the whip marks on my back.

 

- Will also fill in hundreds of entries for free on patient information, courtesy copies and researching things like how to spell Waccamaw even if I don't live in South Carolina.  Things  doctors could spell, or dictate clearly but won't because they are too lazy. 

 

- I will also run those dates of service through my magic crystal ball formula to know when the doctor says The patient was seen today, I should look back on the ADT screen and see when he dictated it to know what he means by when it was dictated.  I will do it because you will bonk me on the head and tell me, It's your job to do this for free!

 

While I am at it, I will run a medical quality assessment through my head to see if it sounds logical and reasonable for all medical sciences and diagnoses.  I will happily verify those medication dosages are correctly dictated because even if the doctor has been to medical school and I haven't . . . I should identify that 325 mg of Coreg will kill someone and correct it!  Again because, It's my job, to run around behind doctors and wipe their butt for free!!!  I'm happy to do that, even if I haven't had the benefit of medical school because . . . . yes, I'm that good baby!!

 

- And at the end of two or three years of struggling to make a wage above the poverty level learning all this garbage, if you find some foreigner will do my job cheaper to make you more money, don't sweat it!  Just fire me . . . in a conference call with 101 of my coworkers in mass humiliation.  No problem!

Silly wabbit, tricks are for kids!
Really, you haven't been in the MT world long, right?  No problem!  We all have to start sometimes.  Better you get over your naiveity (sp?) sooner than later. 
They play a lot of games. Pay was on
time, but they do have their favorites who get the good work. Used to run out of work all the time and have to wait for more overflow to come in, so bailed out.
Play favorites.....
pay is good, but they still play favorites and some typists make off like bandits on cream of the crop dictators while the rest of you get the scum.
It all boils down to who will play the game
There have been a lot of good MTs at OSI. Most of those who do excellent work and have years of experience have left OSi because of tactics such as this. She may have a good work ethic and sunny disposition and do good work but is not in a better position to supervise other MTs who are better all around. The point is that people new to either the MT industry or to OSI are most often the ones promoted because they are most assuredly YES people since they don't have enough experience to know any better that OSI consistently does things such as break the wage and hour law among other things.
make sure your player is set to play
xx
Unless you have another way to play your voice files, use
s
Can't play the game unless you have the equipment.

Express Scribe does play that!(sm)
Not sure about Gear Player, but in open Express Scribe and go to settings, and then settings, and go to the tab files, and you should be able to check the box there. You can also go to the WMA file right click and select open with and then select your Express Scribe. Good luck on the test!
The beauty of this job has been that I can play with Junior (sm)
and still make decent money. It all depends on the company you work for. And 20 years from now, I'll be doing something else.
Help! How do I play this test file?
I'm taking a test for a job.  I was sent a file that opens in Creative MediaSource.  How am I supposed to transcribe this when it's going so fast?  I need to use my foot pedal but there is no option.  Please someone help me!  I want this job!
our fund of knowledge comes into play

with each report we type.  If that doesn't justify a decent compensation, I don't know what will. 


Should we just hop to the problem parts of the report since we are only getting paid for that part of the report, eschewing the rest, not making sure it makes sense?  It's outrageous, and we should all refuse to do it unless we get paid the same as straight typing.  Why should technological advances cause us to lose pay?  No one else is taking a cut except us, yet we are the glue that holds this profession together.  I know it's all been said before, but it's wrong, and if the MTSOs read this board, they will at least know where we stand on it. 


We earned our knowledge through blood, sweat and tears over the years, and we should be compensated for it.  Why shouldn't we?!


Ask about what role American MTs will play versus their

I'll play - EZ lunch decisions
I don't have to make the decision the night before or in the morning whether to pack a lunch or buy. Can decide to make rice in the cooker, microwave a meal or just eat a sandwich, or even not eat till I'm famished, all up to me and not a clock.
I know, that wasn't the point. It was simply the play on words....
......simply the play on words in the Google blurb that fit the situation, not the whole related article.
Can you download Express Scribe and play the file thru there? nm
s
ho ho ho but the hosp can play Russian Roulette w/going to court with

Those medical records became cheaper for hospitals how?  When they go to court with those expensive incorrect records and LOSE, wonder if they think it was cheaper?


 


Or the voice files may already be there "somewhere" for you to click on and play and you
s
I had that happen and had to play them in Windows media player-nm
xx
You'd play lousy poker - obvious bluffer.

Don't have to have the last word to have the last laugh, and I'm having a good one.


Such an easy mark. . . such a short fuse.  WOO!  I am laughing out loud. 


Fatcat, didn't we play chain socks once?
I hope you're the same Fatcat from the other board.
DocQ, hmmm, how to play audio from keyboard??
Can you share.  Didn't know, worked on platform twice and nobody ever said this.???  Can you share?
FTP is just to move files around, not play them. That would be software like ExText, ChartScript,
s
Very similar thing happened to me. They play head games.
Your friend is better off moving on - but I am so sorry this happened to her - they really are a horrible company.
Odd way of doing business. Most places dont have time to play those games. They just get rid
of people and move on. 
If offshore owned, they want to play by their rules, treating MTs like slave labor, much like
:+
No experience because I couldnt even take the transcription tests. The voice files would not play.
How about you? I was bummed. I was really interested in the job but I tried everything to get the voice files to play but they wouldnt. Oh well, I guess if it were meant to be, then I would have been able to take the test.
Anyone else have problems taking USA Type test? Cant get my comp to play the sound file.
Any suggestions? I really want to take the test but their sound file keeps loading onto my music program, and when I try to load it on Windows Medial Player it tells me I need codecs, so how would I find that to load?
The company hiring you should provide the Dictaphone pedal or the adapter to play the ExText
s
Don't need to record files. Pull them into Express Scribe (free on line) and play them thru there
s
After all these years, if I use Media Player, I just have my test outline ready and play the voice
m
how are you supposed to work and watch your mail all the time to play a stupid contest?
Transcend cares only about the big pay for its managers and corporate people, nothing for its MTs. Pay used to be decent, is less than mediocre for that horrible editing platform we are forced to use. ROMs have nothing to do but yell at the MTs and invent first grade games to play. I would rather have had the $1.48 postage and $1.00 it cost for the mouse pad and strip calendar.

Remember the old days when Edix used to give the Drake and Drake drug book for MT week? That was when Edix was a good company, too.
Yes, but there is play time and there is work time. sm
You volunteer. Awesome!! As long as you are volunteering during nonwork time that is great or during time that you have scheduled to be off. Again all great!!! We all have to take off with our kids when they are sick. Did it today as I had both at home and took PTO time for it. If you do these things in this manner, no big deal, but I am talking about the ones who constantly do not showw up for work and have excuses as there are more of them than there are of people who actualy take this job seriously.

As far as retirment from the other poster.... please. I am nowhere even close but I can say the downfall of this business is NOT because it is going overseas. It is because we do not have well trained American MTs. I have been here for 18 years. I have watched it go down. It is sad but we can't change it YET!
TransTech and Medware, are these companies considered large, medium-sized or small companies? (sm)
TIA
Yikes.. That is only inline with companies like Focus and such. "Real" companies pay their MTs
decent rate.  I make over 5 cpl editing. So, if I got that slap in the face, I'd be outta there.
Do the research...most companies, and not just MT companies, do not pay for maternity leave...
we get time off but not paid...and I really don't even understand the point of you posting this...
How do you know which companies are Nationals and which are smaller companies.
Is there a list somewhere? I'm new to this.
By "most of the companies", I meant MORE than MT companies.
clarification
Sten-Tel is the platform. Different companies use it, pay and how companies run are different. nm
:P
Nobody said MT companies were not for profit companies. (sm)....
As MTs we are an important segment of what it takes for the company to thrive, but we are still just part of the whole structure.

Not trying to be argumentative, just think sometimes we get that "I'm the quarterback" attitude and forget that we can't get anywhere without our line men.
Companies that outsource to other companies?
Anyone know of any reliable companies that will outsource to American companies and pay a decent line rate? I am amazed at what the companies charge and then want to offer in this business anymore.


2 companies with that name. Was this the NJ job? nm
.
I have been through a lot of companies and
they are all the same.  I just found that out not too long ago.  I am with a company now that everyone cheers about.  They are just the same as everyone else.  Nothing to cheer about IMO.  This business has gone downhill fast.  Sad.
What companies, if any,
. . .

. . . hire and actually promote professionals who have forgotten more than many MTs know, have years and years of experience, work when needed, don't rock the boat, and produce excellent work?  At my company, the editors and managers usually have just a few years of experience as an MT, if any, and many have no management experience.  Some managers have never even seen a typed document.  That doesn't make sense.  What companies give one a chance to actually grow with them?  Any of them?  How do the promotions go to those who took an on-line class and have been an MT for 2 years?  Kudos to anyone who could answer this . . . Bewildered