Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

What do you make of this? Sorry so long

Posted By: Paulette on 2006-09-21
In Reply to:

Hi All:


I am a little upset about something and needed to vent.  First off, I have been with the same company for 12-1/2 years.  I was recently promoted to shift manager about 3 months ago.  My indian nation tribe decided to build a very large casino across the interstate where we currently are.  I had actually put in for a transfer to the new facility, but the general manager of the one I currently work offered me this position.   This woman is very critical of people, quick to judge and a very emotional type of woman.  I accepted the position because the start out pay was not bad.  I would have full benefits at the end of 3 months, which consists of the company paying 100% of my insurance, for my dependents it will cost 25.00 a month. 


Well, my mother had been in ICU from May 20 until August 23, which she ended up being taken 2 hours a way from home to an extended-care facility.  So, about every 3 weeks or so, I like to have off on a weekend to be able to go down and see her.  I have been arranging my time off with the assistant general manager, mainly because she is easy to talk to and most people feel comfortable coming to her when there are any problems, and she KNOWS what she is doing. 


I had spoken to the assistant GM 2 weeks ago about me taking off this weekend to go visit my mother.  She arranged it to where I could do that.  Well, Sunday I became ill with a cold and I called the assistant GM at 6 am and asked her if there was anyone who could cover my shift, there was.  On Tuesday, I had to call in because my son was running 103.4 temperature.  I didn't use any of my vacation time or sick time for these days, but was planning to fill out the paperwork to do this when I returned yesterday. 


When I arrived yesterday, assistant GM, pulled me to the side to let me know that the GM told her to tell me that I was not going to have off this weekend, that the days I called in could be my 2 days off for this week.  Actually, it worked out well since I have been ill and my son has been ill, but it is the principle of it.  She did it out of spite.  Even the assistant GM thinks that.  So, I will work 9 days straight in order to have off on next weekend.  She also told the assistant GM that if anyone needs any special time off that they have to go through her to get it.  She (GM) does not work her fully scheduled hours during the week--in fact, she was just off for a week and a half for her daughter's wedding about 2 weeks ago.


I have not done MT since June, and I have really been thinking about quitting the casino and finding another MT job, but I feel trapped mainly because of the good benefits I get at my current job.  I make 28157.00 salary, and my benefits will start on the 24th of this month.  Not to mention the fact the length of time I have been there.


Also, during the time the new casino opened and was moving to the new facility,  she did not have a shift manager for 3rd shift, so I was working 12 to 16 hour shifts to cover until they got one, which was about a month and a half ago.  Because I am on salary, I got no overtime for it.  Plus, she knows nothing about the electronic gaming of the casino games, just the bingo. 


 


Thanks for listening,


Paulette




Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

How long to make decent $$$??

This may seem like a stupid question to all of you "veterans" out there, but how long until a "newbie" can expect to make a decent wage in this business?  I have only been employed for about 5 mos, so I am trying to cut myself some slack, but minimum wage is hard to swallow.  I do reports from a pool of doctors so I can't seem to utilize the full benefits of expanders, and on my best day, I can type about 110-125 lph.  Again, I know I just started, but I can't keep making this kind of wage forever.  Are there tricks I am missing?  Any insight would really be appreciated!!  Thanks in advance!! 


It does make one wonder how long this is going to go on or is this just the norm now? Terribly sad
I lost my QA job 3 weeks ago because a US company bought the offshore company my original company was using and now brought in their own QA people. Apparently they hope to get these MTs off QA here real soon.... I just gotta laugh... I've been QAing the work for over 2 years and it is the same mistakes day in and day out... they just don't get it and don't care to 'get it'... they get paid no matter what so what is the incentive to learn? These MTs actually argued with me about contractions, etc., like I had no idea what I was doing.... I know you are venting and I hear you and totally understand... it's a sad place MT has gotten to over the last 5-7 years or so in my mind
your welcome! make them sound like chipmunks as long as you still are 100% sm
accurate on what they are saying and if you have done this particular doc for 2-3 years i am sure you will be able to understand. start out at 120%, work there for a few days, increase to 150% and so on. i bypass all the wasted time with hmm, hmm, flip the page, hmm, etc. simply by speeding up the dictation and my fingers fly right along with their words. just FYI, don't immediately jump it too fast where you will spend more time slowing it back down to figure out a word here and there as that defeats your purpose and is more time consuming. adjust the speed periodically where you are comfortable hearing 99% of the words with 100% accuracy and build on that speed.
How long does it take to make decent line count?
I am considering joining an outsourcing company. Can you tell me how long it took you, as an experienced transcriptionist, to get up to snuff that you were making a decent wage? And what is your average rate per hour when paid by the line of 65 cpl?
I think hitting escape at the end does it, or make other shortcuts for the long
s
I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some.  Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not.  I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position.  Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this.  Thanks again for any advice. 
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!

Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000.  Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts.  Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved.  I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc.  So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type.  Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one. 
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...

I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 


Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....

I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.

You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.

Good luck to you!!
You spending 3K in gasoline to make 4K plus all that time on the road?That doesn't make sense Pat




How nice that the world revolves around what you make and no one else could possibly make more. sm

Marla in So. California pays 11 cpl for a 55 ccl, Oracle pays 9-1/2 cpl, MDI-MD 11 cpl, JLG 10 cpl for gross line, etc.


Of course, these are rates negotiated and paid to qualified MTs.


When I see mistakes I repeatedly make, I make a quickcorrect for it (sm)
for example if I type we plant o instead of "plan to" I have a quick corrct so that if I type plant o, it replaces it with plan to, etc. It is hard - I was with the same company for 8 years. I do not work for anyone with an accuracy requirement though.
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.  
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year

When you make the copay, make them give you a sm
receipt for the amount you pay them.  I know they don't like to do this because it takes time, but if you are really stern and insist on a receipt they have to give you one.  Then, the next time you get billed for something you already paid, tell them to look for their copy of the receipt and let THEM do the work. 
Yes, unfortunately you do have to make a pest of yourself to make it work, but.....
as the years went by that is why I stayed away from those type of companies.  BTW, Noni is a fabulous product, I absolutely do not care for the "marketing techniques" they use.  One of the facts of this type of industry is you cannot just recruit to make it, you have to retail.  Ever since I "overhauled" my techniques and system...I never had to ask another person to some on board again.  Well, nuf for now.  Take care and have a blessed week!!
lol cut myself off. Anyway, I'll make close to what I used to make with MQ,
ddd
A gross line IS a gross line regardless if it's 90 characters long or 1 character long... SM

I'm very sorry that your lines are 90 characters line and you get paid by gross lines.  You are cheating yourself - that's not my fault.  You cannot change the definition of a gross line.  So I gues I'm not understanding what you are trying to say.  Now if you are trying to say that your line equals 90 characters and that's how you figure your lines, than you are not using gross lines.  You have defined a line to be 90 characters, whereas most MTSOs define a line as 65 characters.  If that is the case, then I must say again, you are cheating yourself.


So which is it, do you get paid by gross lines or by a 90 character line?


You can't make things worse and could make things better.
The skinny woman may be ill.  The guy might not know the dog is a nuisance.  Who knows?  Maybe it is not as forbidding as it seems and maybe they just need to be asked in a nice way. 
how long ago was that
I started working at a hospital, right out of high school, in 1969 and they sent me to college at night and paid for it.  From the first day in 1969, I was dealing with ESL's.  There were always doctors with accents.  When I was a child I had a Jewish doctor who could hardly speak English.  That was back in the 1950's-1960's. Your argument does not sound like outsourcing, it sounds like bigotry to me..shame on you.
Wow, how long have you been at it? I have 292, but ran out. nm

how long ago........
were you hired? I know now they won't look anyone that isn't experienced in the areas that they are requesting. It is MedQuist that hired you?
How long
have you worked for them. What specific pluses do they have?
how long
over a year. managers who are a help and a platform that is really easy to use.
yes, as long as
 you have not signed anything with either company that states you won't work for anyone else while working for them.   Always read legally binding documents carefully and thoroughly.
don't know how long ago that was,

appropriate anymore. I was taught "when in doubt, leave it out," especially if the comma is meant to add emphasis.


I have seen too many instances where too many commas have ruined a document.


How long have you been on DQS? SM
Why do you think the line count plunged so much? So, there is no way to use your own expander? thx so much
how long have you all been a MT?

I'll start:  Almost 27 years doing acute care reports, but I have about a year of experience doing radiology (hospital).

Care to share?


how long?? try 20+
I started doing transcription in 1983. Certified for 12 years. Still going strong. Hands perfect. Love this job.
How long

I have been official MT for 13 years, unofficially for about 7 years before that.


how long have you all been a MT?
Since 1962 - forever and ever amen
long day
I work 6a-2p and then 4p-12a.
Can I ask you how long you have been using
x
Long, long, long
Cannot type at all if they are short.  Almost 3/4 to 1 inch over finger.  Get them done every two to three weeks.  My one pleasure.   But if I get them cut down to just over my fingers I cannot type at all.   And I used to be a nail biter also. 
Long.
.
must be long
I've worn nails long for so long that I really, truly can't type if I break them or my nail artist files them too short.... I just bumble all over the keyboard
Probably anything as long as you have
a degree. My husband's degree is for teaching but he is a drug rep. Good luck.
Sorry.. duh.. long long day. I mean THEIR MTs..
MDI-FL that is..
Do you know how long will take you to get this out?
I'm not rushing you but don't want to miss it when it comes to my e-mail. Could you post here when it's sent? Thanks.
I would keep as long as you keep
x
so long, NM
z
How long
I've been in this for 30 years. I just gave my notice at a job where I've been for 3 mos. However, since this is your first MT job, I would say give it a year. I learned on the job and I was ready to cry every night at the end of my shift - but I stuck it out and by 6 mos., I had the hang of it and by 12 mos., I knew I was doing a good job.

ESLs are part of the job - if you stick it out and learn every accent possiblee, you will acquiring a skill that will prove very useful to you in this business. You can do anyone's accent, including Baltimore and Boston (ha, ha), if you practice them enough.

Good luck.
i just did this all not long ago.
but i called a local computer guy to hook it all up (his services didn't cost much at all). He gave me a router and a KVM switch. I should have done it years ago! I have much more room on the desk, i can just push the button and i'm looking at one system, push it, and am on the other -- can be doing maintenance on one while working on the other, etc. Its great. I couldn't say if the brands (ie, router) makes a difference. I have a Belkin router. For me, it was much less headache to call a computer guy. He also fixed it so both print off of one printer. Good luck!
How long does it take to get used to a new MT job?
In your experience, when you got a new MT job, how long did it take for you to get used to the new platform, docs, etc. 
As long..
as Chris stays I will be happy. I like Kelly and Taylor and Ace too though..