keystrokes not good. Think about when you use

Correction MQ USED to be a good company to work for nm [2008-09-07]
nm

Good luck w/your job interview [2008-09-05]
I need to get out of transcription. I hate the Q, hate the medical BS words. I really think that if instead of getting out i just switched to another transcription company, i would eventually just end up with the same old cr@p again.

Anyone good at math problems??? [2008-09-03]
I happened to get a 520-second ASR report followed by a 520-second regular straight transcription report. Both dictators were clear, so didn't have to slow down for either one and didn't have to stopto look anything up for either one. I decided to time myself to see exactly how much ASR increased my production.I see it did; however, the % is what I'm interested in.BTW, this was a way better than average ASR job, whichis a rarity really. Here are the specs: ASR report took 9 minutes Regular report took12 minutes What PERCENTAGE increase in productiondid the ASR report allow? There will be extra credit for this one!!!

Good Examples [2008-09-03]
I'm trying to have my MTs NOT run together 2 sentences. If the second phrase can make a new sentence when you say it outloud,then a comma doesn't work--that's basically running 2 sentences together.

good one [2008-09-02]
Sounds like some of my dicktaders, I believe Dr. Dicktadingistheworsepartofmyjob.

So you make $30 an hour ?? - wow good [2008-08-31]
nm

Oh good, then you can tell doctors [2008-08-27]
There's an important difference between diagnosis and diagnoses. If it's diagnoses, we can start numbering and don't have to wait for them to say number one at the end of the first sentence. Past history is redundant. It implies other kinds of history, perhaps future history? If a patient has a history of MI, he's alive. If he had a history of MI, he's dead. There are a bunch of others. I'm sure you know them. Oh, and a transcriber is a machine. A Transcriptionist is a person.

Good work to bad work [2008-08-27]
OMG! I thought it was just me!

good tip -- I do this too! :P [2008-08-27]
c

Good luck to you. I left a little over a [2008-08-27]
year ago and had 3 job offers the first week I sent out resumes. I have now been with a company for almost a year and absolutely love it. Also, not to sure about an hourly rate however, you can normally make a bunch more money on production.

good one and agree. nm [2008-08-27]
nm

Good luck in the unemployment line. [2008-08-26]
x

Doing a good job [2008-08-25]
When you go into McDonald's you get McDonald's service. When you go into the Four Seasons in NY, you get Four Seasons service. It is all related to what you are paying. Nevertheless, I can guarantee you that the work is do is superior to 99% of the MTs working for MQ.

A good tip [2008-08-22]
Don't be fooled into thinking you're not good enough. You are and you'll get better. It sounds like you're conscientious and you care about doing a good job and that speaks volumes. Lots of these big nationals have a way of making folks new at this think they're just not going to cut it. Keep working at it and you'll do fine. We all had to start somewhere and for most of us it wasn't easy.

good luck to you [2008-08-21]
Signal was a great company. I enjoyed working there very much before it got bought out by Transcriptions, Ltd. and finally MedQuist. Themswere the days. Sigh.

i hear ya...remember when they were TL and JOHN screamed at everyone?? those were good old days [2008-08-21]
argh

Good Grief [2008-08-16]
even in returning equipment they cannot be consistent with their rules. I had to return the tower AND the monitor. But, like the above poster, got to keep everything else. There was no expense, but I got UPS to pick it up at my door. Darn, would have liked to have kept that monitor.

LUCKY YOU -- GOOD LUCK! [2008-08-16]
x

GOOD FOR YOU! [2008-08-16]
Hope you will be happy! I left in January- never been happier!

You can save yourself further keystrokes sm [2008-08-15]
by using the dictator's ID# rather than the name, forget about the t as you know that it's going to be a template, anyway. For instance, Dictator 000 is doing an EGD, use 000e, for a colonoscopy, 000c. Using their numbers is much easier than trying to distinguish dictators who have the same last name. As I transcribe each report, I keep a log with the report number, dictator number, and date. This way I have the dictator number handy and don't have to look it up.

good luck to ya [2008-08-14]
Oh, I know that sound quality isn't the only problem and yesterday it took me an hour to do 1 report for a line count of under my 100 lph requirement. I hope you get the job that you interviewed for and that it is a better place for you -- anything has got to be better than thedirection that MQ has taken.

You must have the good ASR accounts. [2008-08-13]
The ASR for my primary accounts is terrible. The other day I had a report that I should have just erased the entire ASR and typed it myself as the ASR was so bad that it took me 3x as long. Live and learn.

Good one. NM [2008-08-10]
xx

Keystrokes only has ASR for radiology. nm [2008-08-09]

Good to know. Was beginning to think I was the only one. [2008-08-09]
I don't understand why I'm being sent reports with extremely minor errors. The only time I hear from QATL is when I get these reports. People do make mistakes. A person can simply not be 100% accurate all of the time. With those minor one letter errors (1 per report), my report is still 99.9999% accurate and yet still they keep sending them to me.

Medquist may not be for everyone.... [2008-09-07]
but you will learn more from working with MQ than any other company out there. If you can do different work types, you will probably have no problem making money. I have been with them for 12 years. The last 2 years have been tough with so many changes....but I hung in there and I'm glad I did. :) Good Luck.

atlanta--that's surprising [2008-09-07]
It must depend on the UPS or Fed-Ex guys for each service area ?? Actually, I've gotten everything UPS from MQ so far.Houston is much bigger than Atlanta, so that is truly odd. Every zip code on the map has good and bad areas, as far as I know... I obviously stand corrected. My bad.

You're right I ask myself that question just about every day sm [2008-09-07]
I work only flex parttime doing 2000 lines a week. I can't get another job making what I am making. Most of the jobs pay less nowadays and I am struggling on what I am making as it is. Would like to keep the same software as it is easy to use and really need to work more than 40 hours a week so a full-time position does not work either, need IC status and not everybody offers that. MQ used to be like that and used to pay for IP service, phone service and had very good incentive pay. That is not the case any more. All they worry about is how to address your emails to your supervisor, if you get a ticket for no jobs available or stupid piddly little stuff like that. You're right I should be gone. Just have not make the move yet. I'm slow I guess.

It's very simple. Just go to their website... [2008-09-07]
Although I would question whomever told you MQ was a good MT employer.

getting a job with medquist [2008-09-07]
hi, i heard Medquist is a good MT employer and i was wondering how to get a job with them, who to call, who to test with, what the process is, yada yada. someone said sometimes it gets complicated for everything to coordinate appropriately. can someone help? thanks!

You're not the only one [2008-09-07]
Do the best you can. Transcribe with blanks and go over it a couple times to see if it's any clearer and leave it at that. Chances are you are not the only one having problems with this dictator and they are making a lot more than we are. We can't allow them to continually take money out of our pockets. I'm not sure about the entity, but the PSs are aware of this and will back you if you have a good one... and if she/he is human, that is the qualification ;-) If it comes back to you? and it won't... just say... you do it.

I'm glad to finally see more morale [2008-09-07]
support going on between the MTs on this board instead of somebody always coming on and telling us how we should be grateful and how their being paid more and they have these really great line counts and how they have a primary, yada, yada, yada. We are so isolated because we do work at home and we don't get the same opportunity to stand around the water cooler so to speak or go to lunch together to vent or to even know that others feel the same way, or that even the same things are happening to most of us and we are not alone in this awful time. Good for all of you who are offering your support for those of us who are having a really, really, really bad day, and letting them know they aren't alone and that we are all in this together. Way to go and I hope you all keep up the support of each other.....A kind word goes alot further then some mean come back and we all need a shoulder to cry on at some point or another.. Again I am proud of all of you who support whoever needs the day to vent and to let them know they aren't alone out here....

hope you're blanking the h___ out of the jerk's report [2008-09-06]
I'm sorry, but that's all these idiots deserve -- sure, I really feel sorry for QA having to struggle through as well, but you can't tell me that they realize one iota of how crappy they're dictating -- I'm tired of making under minimum wage per hour trying to make sense of them. If we were compensated as we should be for difficult dictators like we once were supposed to be but even that was somewhat of a crock then I would put the effort into it, but it's just not worth it and management just doesn't care. If they did they would stand up for the crap that we MTs have to put up with. Bottom line, the suits want their huge salaries and take the credit for the company's success, but they sure don't want to acknowledge that there wouldn't be a company if it weren't for the MTs who have been shoved to the bottom rung of the ladder for respect and crappy compensation for what we're subject to on a daily basis. I wish some MTs would bring a law suit against them for physical and emotional ailments, which I'm sure every single one of us who works at MQ has because of the hoops they subject us to and just keep on pushing and nit-picking about crap that they shouldn't be caring about. It's money, money, money and the MT doesn't fit into the equation when it comes to the compensation part of it. Do any of you remember when the bonuses were really simple and they were really motivating for you to want to put in more time as it was really feasible to attain them -- now, the bonuses read like a legal document -- there is no fricking sense for that -- they want the work out of us and then pull the plug when we get right to attaining the bonus knowing full well that it's impossible most of the time to get them as we get thrown into the national cesspool. Oh, golly, I guess I better stop -- just had to vent, and the d___ audio is about to drive me insane -- it just distracts from concentrating on trying to figure out the d___ bad dictation --- I'll stop now. Hope all MTs working today have a somewhat good day, but with MQ that is just not a possibility any more -- it's a fricking struggle just to motivate yourself to log on knowing that you day is just going to be like all the others -- you think I sound negative, well, I used to didn't be but trying to be positive with this company is just not working for me any more. And like another poster previously said you'd think that WHEN management reads these posts that they would get a clue -- but as I've always said about this company LOGIC IS JUST NOT IN THEIR BRAINS -- MONEY, MONEY, MONEY FOR THE TOP!

I got up this morning without a headache.. . [2008-09-06]
Did my 2 hours of absolutely horrible dictation (3 reports done in this amount of time due to length ofreportsandquality of dictation)and once again have a splitting headache. I have one ESL resident that is so bad you literally fight for every word. He will spit out about 5 words in a row that are so fast it is impossible to pick it up, and along with that only says half sentences while changing his wording. . . Wording, now mind, that you can't make out in the first place.. I'm gonna make a cup of tea the size of New York. Have a good weekend to all MTs and MEs who literally are champions for doing this job under these circumstances and still trying to get it right.

i never was tested. I was acquired with another company [2008-09-05]
and I stay only because I haven't found another job. I'm not looking for another MT job. I believe in time it would turn out the same. I've been going to school part-time for the last 8 years and recently applied for two jobs through my school - a credit analyst and a collections specialist - neither are what i really want to be doing, but they both sound like decent enough jobs. A relative offered me job running a cash register in his store Friday, Saturday & Sunday night for minimum wage. I turned that down. I'm going to leave Medquist for a good job, not another piece of cr@p one that just like Medquist. I've also been taking tests with the state civil service, and I've down well on most of them. I'm at the top of the list in several jobs in several counties, so there is hope there. & they are really good paying jobs. If I could get an accounting job with the state, there is a good possibility that I could be making close to $100,000 per year by the time I hit retirement...oh... and then there is also the possibility that I would actually retire, which is not so apparent with this job.

My experience in the old days was the same. [2008-09-05]
Unfortunately AAMT was and has been busy trying to make the organization look big and important to others rather than focusing on and working for what the membership really needed - fair pay for good work and allowing us the time to do the job right rather than let the profession sink to quantity. I used to enjoy my job because the work was interesting and I was paid a decent wage. I have always taken pride in my important role in quality patient care and, in the end, the patients will always be my primary focus. Unfortunately, I find myself focusing more and more on finding a new profession because I am not being paid a decent wage anymore and just scraping along even though. I was a member for 13 years. During that entire time, the AAMT was busy trying to impress doctors with what our profession does for them, but too many doctors still don't get it and the bottom cash line rules their choices. The AAMT was busy designing and touting education requirements with dreams of needing a 2-year degree to be qualified to be hired. That never happened either. I remember when AAMT was pushing that transciptionists needed liability insurance. Since that time, the profession has pretty much gone to nearly absolute verbatim which drives me crazy at times. I took pride in assisting some doctors with making their reports readable and they appreciated that There were even some doctors who actually requested me and I felt proud about the quality of my work rather than just being a production number like I am now. The last straw for me regarding the AAMT was when work began going off shore and they have never appeared to have found for our jobs. Various off shore MTSO companies may claim they are HIPPA compliant, but, truth be told, HIPPA cannot be enforced beyond our shores. Remember the off shore Transcriptionist who held medical documents hostage with threats to publish them on the internet? US laws are difficult to enforce when the infraction has been committed in another company. The US can punish off shore companies who produce tainted products that do not meet safety requirements by denying entrance into the company, but the same is not true with patient medical documents.

my heart and prayers go out to you [2008-09-05]
Since you've already been through one, you know just how disastrous it can be. I experienced the same thing during and after Hurricane Katrina. Eventually had to relocate so I could get back to work. Although I didn't get paid while being out of work, I didn't lose my job. That is one good thing I will have to say about MQ..they will work with you in helping you get back to work. My PS was wonderful. Just keep in touch with yours and keep the communication channels open.

outsourcing or offshoring? [2008-09-05]
Big difference. We like outsourcing. That's what we get paid to do. Offshoring, on the other hand, is not a good thing.

Supply has already started to become [2008-09-04]
a problem for MQ or they wouldn't be contacting people who are already working for them to beg them to join their company, but you are right about the fact that when our turn comes we should stick it to them good... I think we should give as great as we got and let them feel the pain for a change, and believe me our day is coming and it's coming in the not so distant future if MQ wants to keep it's top management in the green they all love so much......The writing is on the wall so to speak and all we have to do is hang in there and support each other through this awful time we are going through right now....

aamt [2008-09-04]
Back in the 90s I used to be a member of AAMT and got the journal, and even attended several state and national conferences and was even a CMT for a few years. I have since not renewed my CMT and no longer am a member. I was never given an extra pay or raise for being a CMT so that I did not renew. I used to be on the board of directors for the local AAMT when I was living in a major CA city. The conferences, which were 3 day weekends for the yearly conference, for me were to hear the speakers, mostly doctors on new procedures they were doing back then for different ailments. And of course, the vendors were mostly book companies and some of the major bigger services looking for employees. We were always trying to get through to AAMT that we needed to have some better wages and be treated as someone important. they also assured us that voice recognition would not be in MT's world in our life time. Well, it shouldn't be, but it is here I guess. Those definitely were the good old days, and we will never see them again.

IT [2008-09-04]
It's a good program but with a lot of work setting it up the way you like it and a long learning curve. The instruction book is almost the size of a Reader's Digest. It will slow you down for a while until you get it

Happy at MQ [2008-09-04]
I did not mean to sound like I was belittling anyone, I know each has her/his own experiences. Maybe what I don't understand isif so many are unhappy then why are they still with MQ? I was unhappy with others and moved on until I found the right fit. I was mainly looking for consistent work.I negotiated my line rate before signing on the dotted line with MQ, 8 cpl was the offer and I declined and told them what I would accept as tier 3, 12 cpl,and they called a couple of days later and we negociated 10 cpl. I knew from research they would not go for 12 cpl as employee, but started high and came down to what was acceptablefor both of us. True, I do not get in the cesspool but maybe once or twice a week and some weeks not at all, but I am grateful to have the work, even if it is unfamiliar,without having to call someone for it when my primaries are out of work.This is a big relief to me as the other places were often out of work and I would have to wait around half the day to get work from another account (cannot make money that way). It benifits me to have the work automatically there no matter what. My BOB is large, maybe 12 or more accounts, and Iget a mix of4 or5 accounts every day with ASR thrown in, not just one account. They are for the most part good accounts for me though, but I have many years experience and maybesomenewer to the profession would not think so. As far as my schedule, I work a split shift the hours that I chose and have had no problem flexing this on occasion when needed as long as I communicate with PS what is going on, but it is a fixed schedule.As far as clocking in and out/fixed schedule,I would have to do this working anywhere else at an outside job so no big deal to me. The only difference is that I can now flex these hours if something comes up and I need to. I understand that the company needs to know when people are working so they can manage TAT and having people working whenever makes it very difficult to do that. I do not have a problem sticking to my schedule because it is what I chose. As IC being able to work whenever I felt like it, I found I was working more hours for the same pay as nowhaving a fixed schedule mainly because of workflow issues. I knowseveral people who workfor MQ and are very happy, so not sure being unhappy at MQ is the norm, although I do understand thatworking conditions are not the same throughout the company. If my pay drops to the point I cannot live, then I will simply move on.

does it matter? [2008-09-04]
if i get fired? or should i quit? or does it matter? i'm so much happier not caring, but then i start feeling guilty and go back to trying to do a good job again, trying hard to make my line count. but then i just end up back to where i am today, on the verge of tears, nowhere near my line count, with horrible dictators and ridiculous ASR. god i hate this place.

{{{HUGS}}}....sm [2008-09-04]
I know a hug doesn't solve your problem, but I just wanted to let you know that even though MQ doesn't care about you, I do... Good luck in the job search and I hope your day gets better. Sorry for what you're going through... been there, done that, and am glad I'm outta there now... You will be some day soon too I hope!

the answer is not 75% - sm [2008-09-03]
since i can only compare by the minutes and not the line count, For the ASR you were doing 57.77 sec/min. For non-ASR, you were doing 43.33 sec/min. This leads to an increase in production of 33%: It's the change divided by the original number. 57.77 minus 43.33 all divided by 43.33 equals 33%. However, a 33% increase in production along with a 30% decrease in pay (which is the same as 70% of original pay) leads to a pay REDUCTION of 7%: 133% x 70% = 93%. So if you were making 7 cpl on the non-ASR job, you were only making 6.5 cpl on the ASR job. GOOD JOB Medquist - WE JUST LOVE YA!!!

It's still English; if I wanted to be rich, I'd use my BA in math [2008-09-03]
I enjoy transcription and don't want to be around distractions. I strive to do my best at is, as I would at any job. People with the attitude of just slopping through these reports have no business in this profession and give competent transcriptionists a bad reputation. No wonder we cannot get any respect with illiterates doing the job. If you want more money, do something else. If you can't work outside the home, quit complaining until you can. If you want to be a good medical transcriptionist, learn the English language. I'm tired of people complaining about how bad reports done by our Indian counterparts are when they don't have good grammar, spelling, or punctuation skills themselves.

bandersnatch [2008-09-03]
We have good skills. IT is when someone decides on preference rather than what is right or wrong that is the issue. You obviously have a lot of anger issues BanderSNATCH, maybe you should use your BA in math somewhere else. Medical terminology is the important issue here and there do not seem to be many issues with that, just petty commas, etc.

it's not only ASR, bonuses changed as well .. [2008-09-03]
I was not here but they abruptly changed their bonus/incentive plan, which from what I hear was good and motivating. A lot of transcriptionists were dedicated, hard working and were compensated for that. The current bonus plan is so convulted, I doubt even most of managemen could figure it out. Then, shortly after that, the push for ASR began and more and more clients/dictators were added. So, the combination of the two has drastically affected many's paychecks. Also, on ASR, the trend seemsm to be the faster transcriptionists suffer the most; slower transcriptionists on good accounts do see an increase. hope this helps.

I don't get it either [2008-09-03]
I also don't understand all the negative posts. My situation with MQ is MUCH better pay-wise and everything else than other nationals I have been with,especially with the consistent work flow, and I also do ASR.It has to be just what area you are in whether things are good or bad or maybe it is just some people are never happy anywhere. I too was making 12 cpl as IC just over a year ago,but the 2 cpl difference MQ pays meworks out the same as I am not having to set aside for taxes, paying for equipment,gas, clothes,etc. I no longer have to worry about running out of work and have a flexible schedulethat I chose.

they hire u for 10cpl; i've been w/them for years & I get 7 cpl [2008-09-03]
it's just so freaking lovely. I think I'll go apply for another job now - it's what i've been doing, but one more can't hurt - and NONE of them are transcription jobs. I want to be out of this for good.