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

GREAT post. I feel the same way. nm

Posted By: MTSO on 2006-01-29
In Reply to: MTSOs also have the option - PJ

nm


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

yes, D and D are both great. Feel bad
for being so negative. They have certainly been good to me too. I just hope this all turns out okay for all of us, no matter which way we go.
You should feel great now! All good news.
It's a relief for all of us Ex-Qers who are used to being abused.
and you feel the need to post why?

Thanks so much! I feel better since reading your post. I have had experience with
unreasonable QA in the past so it is nice to have a heads up in that regard. Like you, my primary interest is paid on time, good accounts and plenty of work. Sounds like OSi meets those basic requirements and that is all I need. Thanks again!
no email came through, but feel free to post ?'s here
x
Feel free to post here or email Natalie as well. nm
xx
What a good post MTIM - Feel your pain

We all feel like that from time to time, but it doesn't matter whether you are an MT or working in any other profession - some days a job is just a job.  You sound like you work for a company like I did.  Too much management getting in the way.  That said, look at it this way.  At one point in my career I made 0.075 cpl for many years (raises unheard of).  I took that rate and turned it into $40,000 a year because I typed by fingers to the bone.  Minimum line count of 1,200 was not enough for me, but some people will only type the minimum and then quit. This is where their problem is.  It's called ambition.  Of course the pay will be low if you quit at 1,200 lines.  Being an MT for 5-10-15 years you certainly should be typing more than that.  If you are not, and it is not YOUR fault, but because of company dynamics, it is time to find a company and account that helps you reach your full potential.  Please do not cheat yourself.  The first thing I would do is not answer phone calls or e mail during your shift (do this before or after) because you are going to have enough to deal with to slow you down while you are working as you described. 


I do not move from company to company, never have, but I certainly would if I felt like I could do better than what is being offered to me, for whatever reason.  Again, no one is going to take care of you - except you, so don't cheat yourself.  Since you already have a job - go with the flow until you find what is absolutely perfect for you and you can make lots of $$ no matter what the rate ( to a degree of course).  It would be nice if we could all make 11 cpl or better.  I never have.  I have found a company and account that is perfect for me, making good money and love the work.  The kicker is, I would have taken that job for 7 cpl and because I am very good in that specialty - I could still make a decent living with it.  Don't go jumping at the first thing offered to you.  Think about it - and yourself.  What is it that you do best as an MT.  That's what you look for.  Being at this for 15 years, maybe you should just throw in the towel where you are but I think you do have the potential for something else.  Go for it - and good luck to you. 


What a hateful post. Hope your rant made you feel better. nm
x
Merry Christmas mlstoo!! & All! Beautiful post, feel the same!!! nm
nm
Well, I fall above the average I guess. Would rather not post as not to make others feel bad or thin
x
Feel free to post your questions here. The only criteria we ask that posters follow

is not to post other people's personal names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and no client specific information.  Regarding crass posts by others, this is an anonymous board, which means anyone can post without identifying themselves.  We do moderate the site for content, but I would advise ignoring the trolls and negative information and zone in on the positive.


Thanks,


Administrator
MTStars


I feel like I had my life sucked away sorting through this condescending, judgmental post. sm

While I do not disagree with some of your points, I am not sure what you hoped to gain by posting all of this.  The ones you address almost certainly will not recognize themselves, and even if they do, they will not change.  And for those of us who are NOT that way and do strive to be the best we can be in all respects, it is just a stating of the obvious. 


I am an old timer too, although I hate to think of myself in such unflattering terms.  I started with carbon paper and a Selectric typewriter, transcribing dictation from vinyl belts.  I do NOT long for the good old days in that respect, although I do miss the days when line rates were higher and being paid by the gross line was the norm ... sigh.


As we all know, the times are tough now in the MT industry, and it seems we would be best served to help and support one another rather than chastising and scolding others for their posts.  Of course, as I type this, I realize my post could be seen that way as well, and for that I apologize.  I very much believe in the laws of attraction and the power of positive thinking, and I have never seen negative energy attract anything other than more negative energy.


I cannot seem to sleep tonight, so I guess I might as well transcribe a bit more and make my insomnia profitable.  


Great post. ....sm
Very much appreciated after all the negativity.  
Great post!

I post my opinions on companies when people ask, but always try to remind them that that is just my experience, might not be the same for everyone.


 


Thank you for posting this. It was well said!


Great post!
They should state this upfront- and not wait to be called. This years' winner in a field of ___ contenders, is ___


Great post. nm
/
Your post is GREAT
I would only add that perhaps new MTs be allowed to mentor with a seasoned MT. I think it would be difficult for them to get in a hospital or clinic setting.
Great post
My biggest complaint is an MTSO that will attempt to obtain cooperation from bad dictators. Too many companies think that they'll lose an account if they ask for cooperation/consideration, but this work should be viewed as a team effort. Offer your clients a better rate for clean dictation. I'd take a slightly lower rate of pay to keep from pulling my hair out over dictators from _ _ _ _. :)
Great post. . . nm
Z
Great post, thanks!!! nm

nm


Great post! (SM)

I've been trying to take a look at the really big picture lately.  I see almost daily tornadoes ripping our country apart.  Wildfires doing the same thing.  God only knows what we have in store regarding hurricanes this summer, too.


In addition to that, we have, on almost a daily basis, reports of someone at a school, business or courtroom killing innocent people.  We have missing children at an alarming rate.  Crane operators and miners are being killed because there's no longer any push for worker safety, and if anyone tries to sue for negligence over the death of a loved one, THEY become the enemy.  Our bridges are crumbling from beneath us as we attempt to drive across them.  Our children and pets are being poisoned by imported food and toys.  There are more people than ever visiting food banks because they simply can't afford to feed their families any longer.


America today seems to be resembling war-ravaged Iraq more than the healthy, thriving, prospering USA I remember.


I honestly don't blame Indians for wanting a better life for themselves and their families.  Instead, I blame a GOVERNMENT that would permit such personal items as the transcription of medical records to be outsourced to other countries.


A couple years ago, I worked for a company that (thankfully) didn't outsource (to my knowledge, anyway.) 


I began to transcribe the note and started giggling because the patient's name was the same name of a politician whose name was being mentioned at the time as possibly running for President in the 2008 election.  I thought, Wow, this person must be teased a lot, but I KNEW this couldn't be the same person because Washington politicians certainly have the best security the USA has to offer, right?


WRONG!  As I progressed through the note, my heart sank when I realized that this patient, indeed, WAS that politician.


I have to wonder how many members of Congress have had their personal medical notes transcribed by someone living in perhaps a less than friendly country.  If there are any, they probably don't even know, and their physicians, as well, probably don't even know.  All these physicians know is they pick up the phone, dictate the note, hang up, and it magically appears in print a short time later.


I was prepared to send mass emails to EACH member of the House and Senate, warning them of what I had just experienced, without divulging the name name or gender of the politician; however, the way their contact emails were set up, if I didn't live in their district, I simply couldn't communicate with them, so I abandoned the effort.


Just as it's recently been discovered that our ports aren't secure, now (along with our borders), almost seven years after 9/11, I wonder how many other lapses of security are present in the USA today.


Outsourcing is okay for some things.  Private medical records isn't one of those things.


Great post!
You are 100% correct. Very brave post!
Great Post!!

It is refreshing to hear someone look at the positives for once.  I, too, have found a company that I am happy with.  I have been with them for almost 3 years now and I am very happy.  I feel I am extremely lucky to have such a great employer.


I always have work, a make a good line rate and I have excellent benefits.  Do I have to stick to a schedule?  YES!!  Do I have my work audited and have to provide quality work? YES!!!  Do I always agree with everything??  NO!!!  Can I support my family and make a decent wage? YES!!!  Do I have to pay for clothes to go out to work?  NO!!!  Do I have to pay for childcare?  NO!!!  Do I have to pay for gas?  NO!!! Most importantly, do I have to put up with the constant drama of working with a bunch of women?  NO!!!!


I feel sometimes people in this profession want to have their cake and eat it too as they are always complaining about sticking to a schedule, QA being too harsh and people hurting their feelings when they do something wrong, etc.  I think we are lucky to have the opportunity to work at home.  We do not have to deal with gas prices and all of the other things that come with working out in the real world. 


This is just my opinion. 


Great post!

Many companies take the chance to say you're appreciated to their MTs at this time of year.  I work for 2 companies-- One sent a card, one send rather expensive (greater than $50) gift.  It's nice to be thanked for doing a good job.


It's not at all greedy or any other negative adjective unless you're an MT that does little but kvetch, rarely hold up your end, etc.


Keep holding on to the positive and let the negative posters simmer in their own words. 


GREAT POST!!! nm

Great post
It actually helped me calm down a bit from the past couple days since I received the email.  I too have not answered the email to jump in and train on VR, but I do feel it is just a matter of time before they contact me directly as I read it as a direct statement that everyone would have to incorporate this into their daily work...and also I have had next to nothing to type since the day that email appeared....so that is my panic.  Has everything gone to VR at TT all of a sudden???  I do 4 different accounts and am only minutes ahead of the dictation for the past 3 days.  This has NEVER happened before.  I too am single and provide for kids, so I absolutely cannot take a pay cut, but I also do not want to make a move to another company either.  So what to do?  And you speech presidents, do not bother by responding and calling me a baby, suck it in, learn it, etc.  I know that I definitely make more money typing, even though I have not done VR.  I have looked at it, and the reports that came up were God-awful.  I mean it.  The only light I am seeing here is maybe a break in the hands that could ward off carpal tunnel.....but living paycheck to paycheck, I would rather have carpal tunnel release and be off work a couple of days than have no future in earning what I am now!  I also am not willing to work any more hours a day than I do now...I just don't know where I would fit them in and still be a hands-on mom...
Great post nm
nm
Great post. And the reason is . .
that people are generally "not nice" is because it is a lot easier to confront someone via phone or the Internet than in person. I bet at least 80% of MTs who do home transcription would not be so quick to judge or "BI*CH" about these big MT companies if they actually had to see their supervisors, bosses, etc., IN PERSON on a day-to-day basis. Ya think? JMO. Something to think about anyway. Of course, same goes for the upper management working for these large companies. Communication goes BOTH ways.
touche and GREAT post...thanks...nm
x
Great post! In the same shoes you are! sm
I'm not worried anymore, though. I made it through my probationary period with lots of ups and downs, a lot of tough dictators, one that I STILL cannot understand and I do this guy EVERY DAY!  But I like the job, like the QA people I have and have finally made it up to line count and I've been there since December. Now, to stay there....  Nice group of people. I like it a lot.  Don't know what account you are on but I logged off just a while ago and the stats were still coming in. LOL 
Great post, steph
Dear Tired: They aren't giving you any choices by your description, so beat em at their own game. You should make *at least* as much at home and possibly much more than you think. Play the game for now; learn how to work at home. This transition is not as difficult as you may think, and it shouldn't take long to learn. If the pay works out with the current employer, you are set with a hospital and doctors you *know.* If not, you will then have the know-how to work for other services as a remote scribe.

Most experienced rad MTs make upwards of $18-25 and even more per hour, depending on bennies, etc. So in a short time, you *might* be seeing this situation as a godsend.

Unless you are the only MT at this hospital, perhaps you can get support and help from the others who have been put in this same (unfair) boat.

Good luck!
I so agree w/you - Great post....but....n/m

we can only lead a horse to water, we cannot make them drink it....if they choose to be intolerant, it's their choice as sick as it seems.  I choose to go through the life as a loving, compassionate person.  Others choose not to go this route.


Yes, racism and neonazism is, unfortunately, alive and well, in the USA and all over the world.  So, if we raise our children with our awareness and our love and compassion, hopefully the future generation (our kids) will Do The Right Thing!! 


You got it! Great post! Odd thing, though, is
I have always been paid on production, but boy you made me remember the joy, absolute joy, of digging around in med book after med book and finally finding that obscure term! Or drug! It was such a tremendous feeling of accomplishment! And nobody knew we did it, right? It was just a personal triumph, and knowledge gained. Knowledge is so wonderful. But somehow that's what I feel seems to be missing these days - so many MTs don't care about knowledge, nor want it. They have no interest in searching for a term or even trying. That's the part that I don't understand. Again, I was on production, at first holding a baby on my lap while balancing my IBM Selectric, lining up all my colors of paper with carbon, and my bottles and bottles of Liquid Paper in matching colors. One typo and you were looking at half hour of whiting out each copy in its particular color - and trying not to let your tears smudge the rest of the job. But boy did we learn, and boy did we produce nice work! And over the months and years, my production grew and grew with my knowledge. Wish more MTs operated the same way and cared about the knowledge first, production later. Nice meeting you, by the way! Another crispy critter here, too!
I agree -- great post.

I started in a clinic but quickly moved to a large teaching hospital, and the mentorship and listening parties was very valuable.  Another thing that works that I particularly like is to walk away, go have a cookie, then come back.  Sometimes then you can hear what the doc is saying!  At least as bad as ESL are the docs who have a 15-minute report but by the time they're done uhh-ing and ahh-ing and emm-ing through the report you have about 40 lines. 


I have to agree -- great post. Plus, when you take the job, sm

you are told upfront what the benefits are and what the requirements are, so if they are not to your liking, why take the position?   I am quite happy here at TT, and am thrilled at the news about the 401k.  Of course, I've been doing transcription for over 30 years now, so I guess that puts me in the age bracket where thinking about retirement is a little bit higher on my list than maybe someone 20-something, although I wish I had been smart when I was 20 and started putting away.  Oh well .......


Again, great post ... thanks for sharing. 


great post...and I agree...
nm
great post....i think some here get frustrated
with what is out there and being offered to MTs that sometimes it is forgotten that there are really good jobs out there.

Good luck finding your MT for this account. Ophthalmology can be a high-paying field for the right docs.
GREAT POST!! MY REQUEST..

I wish that you would share your post directly with MTSOs who may not see it here, by anonymous email or some other method.  Actually, I just might send the link to the HR manager of some of these MTSOs, if that's okay.


Recently, my Indian manager was replaced by a female USA manager, who has some of these traits/habits, the worst of which is that we have received emails that indicate her inclination to always assume that 100% of the clients concerns are the fault and responsibility of the MTs, that MTs should be able to read minds, etc., etc.  Her communication style is very condescending.  If you email a question, you don't expect an answer unless she decides that it is important.  You know the type.  I can't wait to find out how it all works out in the months to come.


 


Great Post! I remember this all now.
rusty! OP was great, but you really explained it very well to those of us who had forgotten.... much to think about.
Great post. Super. Thanks so much!
I couldn't have said it better myself, though I've been trying for days and obviously making more people mad than agreeable. I am just so passionate about this, and just am to the flipping out point at the complacency and reverse logic I see. I so want all newcomers to the field to have a long happy fulfilling and fruitful career to look forward to, not the scenario that it has turned into of late. 
Absolutely great INTELLIGENT post. Thanks! :-)
And the poster going on about starting schools and training of MTs, to ease transition. The poster needs to read up more as this is way old news. Its happening right now.
Great post! Keeps us all grounded on what the MTSo has to put up with.

As an MT, IC for years, I have never had to rely on anyone but myself and am grateful for that.  There will always be a place for me in this field as an IC, as I stick to commitment.  Keeping my word is important to me. 


I have thought about venturing out and hiring a few MT's to help when my workload gets busy, but after trying it once realized I do not have the patience.  Thank goodness for the MTSO who has the patience. 


Good luck with your new hires.


 


 


Great post!! Amen!! Bravo!!!!
NM
Great, thoughtful, articulate post. Well said, and
are bashing and snidely judging new MTs at a company where there is no work. Its so sad to have no work, when you're only allowed to transcribe 5 jobs a day. Poster after poster of new hires, with not even 5 jobs a day. And, just like here, some nasty posters are blaming the new MTs - its their fault, some character flaw, they're lazy. Its heart breaking to read this stuff. We're all in the same industry, and not many of us who don't need the money and don't really want to work. Great attitude you have, and I'm sure you're a great MT. Thanks for sharing your experience.
And a great opinion! Good post. nm
x
thank you for 'stepping up' - great post (no message)
:)
Great post! I have gone through similar situations
But never give up... there is always hope at the end of the storm... just make it through the storm.
TechSupoort, I want to compliment you on your post, your great
insight, your assessment of the situation in the MTing field and your fair judgment. Excellent job, thanks!
Others will post that work for these companies, there are some great
people that post on this board, you just have to overlook a few.  Unfortunately I do not work at any of these companies, otherwise I would be glad to give you any information needed.  Good luck though!
Excellent post with great insight. (NM)
dd
Amber - great post!! I remember selectrics....sm

And stayed on the Selectric for nearly 10 years pre-word processing computers (pre-Internet).  I remember, we had no self-correcting - we had to use a white tape to remove a letter.  But in those days, I did 2000 lines PER DAY!!!  At 6 CPL. And I worked 5-1/2 days a week in their office.  I had 12 accounts there.  So, I know my value and I know I'm not making my line counts for the BIG national since 1/1/06. 


I agree with you that MTs will always be necessary. I too have been doing VR for about nearly 2 years and it all comes in terribly garbled via VR and we have to make it all nice and professional looking.  I love VR though today, I rarely get any VR reports. Don't know where they have been farmed out to either.


Thanks for your insightful post!!!  I, too, am tired of the moaning and groaning....something I never *indulge* in.  All this complaining is an indulgence in my mind. 


Be well and thanks again for your insightful post!!