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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

It's not so much the school, it's the individual.

Posted By: nm on 2006-03-07
In Reply to: So what if you are an Andrews graduate, big deal - Sowhat

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he's not looking for individual MTs
He's looking for a group that collectively can handle 5000/day.
I have the individual coverage
and it's about $17 per week.  United Healthcare, good plan.  250 deductable.  I wish I could help you more but I know my regular doctor is on the plan so I am quite happy with the coverage.  Hope that helps.
CUT-THROAT INDIVIDUAL
I know who you are too, and what goes around comes around!
What a pathetic individual

I know what you're alluding to, even though you are too much of a coward to say it outright.  If you can't say anything nice, or heaven forbid be supportive of this individual, then just keep it to yourself.


 


I, too, work for OSi and have for a few years.  It's bad enough that you come on here and trash the company, now you're making personal attacks?!  Go crawl back into your hole! 


Oh yes they can! It depends on the individual sm
QA person, of course. There certainly are some with very strange ideas on the interpretation of transcribed work (they don't take time to read the entire report to get the proper context) and some with vendettas. There are rotten apples everywhere.
How can you know for a fact how much another individual is capable of doing? sm

I have tried to ignore your constant negativity, and I do feel sorry for you because you must have an unhappy life to want to always rain on everyone else, but enough is enough.


I average 300-350 lines an hour, at 11 cpl that equals over $33/hour.   I have been an MT for over 30 years now, and have been blessed with a natural ability for speed and spelling, and, although there are new things to learn every day, I do not have to spend the majority of my work day looking up things. 


I am not trying to be adversarial, and it makes no difference to me what you believe.  I cannot believe I even got sucked this far into defending myself against some stranger.   I wish you well, and hope you have a job that you enjoy as much as I do mine.


 


Merry Christmas :)


I have individual coverage and I pay less than $100 per month. They pay
the rest. I think it's definitely more for family coverage and I am not really sure what those rates are. I would just call and ask them. They're really nice and helpful.
I have BCBS individual policies for myself and
my last home-living son. When all my children were still at home, they had individual policies that they could take with them.

It was cheaper for me to do buy each of us an individual policy and know that I can keep us insured 100% of the time regardless of whether I changed jobs or not.

The plan I chose for ours has a $5000 major medical deductible but we have not ever had to use hospitalization and I can pay out $5000 one way or another. Office visits are covered 100%. That was my main concern as I wanted the routine items covered. I can handle facing the other big ticket items. I also wanted the lowest premium possible. It was a great bargain for us.

Reports for any individual company. nm

Is that individual or family and what is the company?
nm
This is why I prefer group over individual..

The bottom line is that.. When you have group insurance, you have a set rate, along with everyone else, regardless of your health insurance..and when it renews each year, it will only go up based on the group's rate, nothing to do with your personal health history and it is generally better benefits overall. Now, you have a private policy, can only afford one with a huge deductible (major medical)..well, during the year, you had an emergency surgery, heart attack..whatever.. Well, first off you have that preminum which is high, then you have all of that deductible to meet, upwards of $5000..THEN, your shocked at renewal time that they jacked up your preminum about $200 a month..and then your stuck..You can pay that outrageous amount or go without insurance because another private insurance wont touch you will all of your medical claims in the past 10 years. If they do touch you, it won't be cheap. So, your bad to square one.. crappy insurance at a bad price or signing up with a company for okay rates but better insurance.


I thought I was smart not keeping my group insurance through work because it was $400 a month (deductible $1000 etc..) so I went and got myself a family plan through private insurance for ONLY $196 a month.. Yes, then I had a $5000 deductible and come to find out my prescription benefits were only 50% instead of the $10-40 I had been paying. One of my son's prescription cost us $100 a month with that great insurance, and it would have only been $25 on my old group policy. Yes, I was saving a lot of money..NOT. I did check into my private insurance to get a policy similar to my group one.. and imagine that.. they wanted over $1000 a month for decent insurance. So, no thanks. I'll stay with group..It's worth it in the long run.


Are you looking for individual or family coverage?
X
A flyer for individual docs:
*If you're like most doctors, you never read dictated medical reports, anyway! Yours, or anyone else's! So why pay through the nose for something you'll never look at?*

*At AchooQuist, we understand the needs of busy docs like you.... men and women who laugh in the face of malpractice suits. That is why we've tailored our MT services to suit your busy, careless, greedy lifestyle.*

*When you joint the AchooQuist team, you'll pay what YOU want. (next-to-nothing). And you'll get exactly what you pay for.*

*We GUARANTEE it.*
Maybe you could solicit work from individual
and give them a good rate for paying CASH. Then no one could prove who you were working for.
No, Diskriter is owned by an individual - they have never been linked to MQ - never will -
never ever ever ever never - if they ever did join with MQ, I would quit in a heartbeat and never go back to the field of transcription.
Their individual insurance is $52 a mo and their dental and vision
run it up to about $60 a month. If you leave, you also get to Cobra the dental and vision together at $30 a month. I know because I left and went back. Nice folks.
Can anybody recommend where to get individual insurance affordably sm
for self-employed MTs that doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions?  My husband just lost his job and we haven't received the COBRA papers yet and it has been over a month.  I have health problems and really cannot afford to be without insurance so I thought I would ask if anybody here knows of good reasonable insurance for the self-employed but more importantly one that actually will cover something!  Thanks so much!
What a charming individual you are -- thanks, and Merry Christmas to you. :-) nm
x
Yes, my husband is self-employed so we have individual plans but...
the preminums keep going up and up. I realize they also do when you work for a company, but since they get a group rate, the hit isnt as hard as when you are self-employed. Once you have a medical condition and your self-employed, the rates are horrible. I am going to check into some of our plans here locally just to see. My husband and kids are on their own individiual plans and they do have a copay but all we could afford was the cheapest plan which does not cover a lot and like I said every year we get hit with higher preminums just to end up with less coverage. It is very discouraging.
Very affordable for individual, high for families, sm
but I think all insurance is high for families. 6 holidays, a few days PTO until you've been there over 6 years. (and they keep changing the PTO yearly).
Pros and cons dependent on individual (sm)
In my own case, I was never a power producer MT. There were several reasons, but suffice it to say that though I always made quota, I never really soared past it. My transcripts were always nearly perfect, though, and that got attention and I got asked to do QA.

I am a better QA person than I am an MT, both because I have a knack for hearing things other people can't, and for finding the answers in books or on the Internet. And it allows me to do my typing in shorter bursts, which works better in conjunction with my health issues and honestly, my attention span. (I joke that I'm both OCD and ADD, and my QA job is easier on both of those than straight transcription.)

I have a friend who's just the opposite. She's a fantastic MT but hates doing QA. She hated dealing with others' mistakes and was uncertain of herself when having to make a judgment call about something. She also can transcribe fast enough that she makes more money on the hour transcribing.

So, overall, yeah, I personally think it's more a preference. Different strokes...
That is individual and the company is paying a big portion. sm
That is the employee portion. They were having problems getting enough people interested last year but I guess they have enough now!
To answer your other question, they may hire MTs for individual departments
like Renal Transplant, Orthopedic department, etc. They do not have hire for their MR or radiology department as those departments are outsourced.

You could probably get in a specialty practice.

I know Rothmann Institute hires on-site MTs for their Hand Center - Orthopedic surgeons. They have an office in Center City, a satellite office in King of Prussia, and another one in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Hope this helps you!
agree,the pay is going to vary based on individual experience
nm
ExText line count for individual reports? Is there a way? nm
 x
You know, its just so much dependent on the individual posters. That's what ruins the thread whet
good or bad about a company, and wish as we might, we just cannot make some MTs have any class, or behave like an adult.  I don't think people would bash the positive posters. In fact, normally they don't, but its how the positive posters post! Most times, they just come in bashing and defending their company, and that never works! In fact, if they just realized how bad they are behaving, while they are so outraged and trying to protect their company, they actually make the company look worse - know what I mean? We all shudder and think, Uggghhh, glad I don't work with her.  Or whatever! Or if they just post totally out of the blue, like "Gee, ya know, Joe Blow Transcription is just the BEST - a dream job, and I am just sooooooooooooo happy here. (and then you can bet your next paycheck that there just happens to be an ad for help at JBT on the job board, posted 60 seconds before the "cheerleader" post. Those happy posts are just insulting! And same for the negative posters.  We all love the infamous "Joe Blow Transcription Sux", and they don't even have the brains to put "nm", so we all waste our time and follow the thread to see WHY JBT sux, and there is no message! These are the obvious disgruntled MTs who got the axe, and for probable good cause! But when people are upset enough to come on the board and post their grievances:  a. we SHOULD lend them a sympathetic ear, even if we work for the same company (perhaps more if we work with them - they are a coworker on the same team after all), or b. we should at least let them voice their probable valid grievances. We could all benefit from their grievances, as these companies really do have a history, or pattern, of behavior.  And when there are runs of these battles over a company, as upsetting as it may be for some of you to read or see, it is a very big RED FLAG and indicator that something is wrong in these companies - maybe it gets fixed, maybe it doesn't, but SOMETHING is wrong, and I sure like to know before wasting my time!  Been there, done that, and have even not listened to some valid grievances about companies, applied, been hired, and crushed to find all the complaints were 100% true and still not fixed! So, negative as the posts seem, sadly they are indicative of the condition of our industry! Let these companies know we are communicating about them - it turns up the heat for them to FIX themselves!
Haven't noticed - do you keep track of individual report counts?
nm
I've had private individual policies and you pay a fortunate for bad coverage.
You either get stuck with an awful deductible or a policy which limits coverage. So, that is not always a good option. If you want a decent cheap premium, you get what you pay for.
For decent private individual policies, it is very expensive for a family.
Unless, you have a $5000-7500 deductible and a 50% copay on prescriptions which is bad for us because my son takes medication that costs $160 a month.  If we went with a policy equal to what my job provides, the premium is over $1000 a month. With my job, I am paying about $400 a month for family coverage.
ooops. I mean that individual plans suck..not stick as I stated in previous post...NM

Well, in J-school...
they taught us to NEVER hyphenate after any word ending in a "y"...but who knows if that applies in MT land...
What's the name of that school?
xx
Yes, but are you just out of school? sm
I understand it being possible with experience, but it is presented as being available from home directly out of a course.  I have yet to hear of or see that happen.  If so, please share!  I see more often than not people having trouble even getting that first job out of school.  I've been working my butt off with no raise and no appreciation now for almost a year and am sick of it.  I am currently starting a job with a new company and hopefully will find things better there.  Hopefully, for me and others, I just had a really crappy first experience. 
If the school was A or M, you would have SM
had a job coming out the door.  I am guessing the school was C, and now you are finding out why C isn't the great school they make it out to be.
Which school did you go to?

A and M, as you put it, open the doors to companies that otherwise would not speak to a newbie, and  I did not have a problem securing a job.  You missed the point because you did not take the time to read my message.  Instead you judged me!


It is not fair or realistic to expect an MT that has just graduated to be as good and productive as someone that has been an MT for several years.  It is not right to ask the applicant to reveal social security and driver's license numbers along with granting permission to do a background check and to test before the applicant receives basic information about the company and/or job.  Also, a number of companies, recruiters and MTSOs have been complaining about the bad quality of some MTs, that they do not show up for work or constantly need time off while at the same time there are numerous graduates from the top two schools that are eager, willing and knowledgeable that are not given a chance despite the good name of the schools and a good GPA.  Many companies overhire which leaves some MT to find an empty queue at work sometimes.  Account managers make promises to give you more accounts but never find the time to do so.  It is also very difficult for a newbie if the QA people have less knowledge of the BOS, grammar, punctuation and terminology.


Many new grads post on the various boards that they send out a number of resumes and/or tested and never hear anything or after several weeks.  Any honest MT with several years' experence will confim that even after going to one of the top two schools it still takes up to a year before it clicks.  You never stop learning as an MT.  How is a newbie supposed to learn if he/she receives no feedback?   Some companies post on their website that they accept newbies but that they will treat them like MTs with experience.  Like the other responder stated, they seem to have forgotten what it is like as a newbie.  These people forget that at one point in their life they started as an MT with no experience.  How many of those people were grateful for that opportunity that enabled them to get where they are today?


I see an opportunity to build a whole new generation of willing and capable American MTs.  If we want to have better working conditions, if we want to be treated better, then we need to have an excellent education and be reliable.  We need to deliver, and then we can make demands.  Companies and MTSOs make promises they do not keep.  What is so wrong about letting an MT do discharge summaries if that is what he/she prefers and train them on other reports and accounts when work is a bit slower?  What is so wrong about limiting the number of doctors the MTs transcribe for?  Why don't companies that require the MT to use their computer provide an up-to-date spellchecker and drug database?  How can a company offer 5 cpl for an IC job?  Why doesn't anybody approach the doctors about their dictation practices? 


Why can't we all just work together and try to change those things so many people are complaining about on these various MT boards? 


Which school?
M-TEC and Andrews are heads and shoulders above Career Step.
I know I am old school but it seems to me
that if you cash a paycheck from someone, you should not badmouth them at the same time. I hated the Q, yes, I did, but I left. I did not keep on taking their money while bashing them. Just sayin', that's all.
When I went to school for this MT career
What happened?  I barely clear $30,000 a year in this field working for a national.  I'm in debt up to my eyeballs.  Someone please help me.
Poll: school vs. OJT, etc.

I was just curious....


How long have you been an MT?


Did you attend an MT school, or did you receive on-the-job training?


That's all for now.


Both. If you do school, expect to do OJT anyway. nm
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I'd concentrate on school first (sm)
and don't even concern yourself on which companies allow flexible hours. You would be more concerned at that point on getting hired somewhere as a newbie. If you're serious about being an MT, then concentrate on school. Start now before the baby comes and see how far you can get. It's not just a few month endeavor. Then, when you have finished school and have hopefully done well, that's the time to worry about where you are going to work and the hours they will let you work. There are the big nationals, and also smaller MTSOs that might give you the work in the morning and expect it back the next morning, and you work on it when it's convenient for you as long as you get it back. But...the big thing will be completing school AND getting hired.
Nursing School

I never think it's too late to do what you really want to do!.  I am an R.N. and can tell you that there is a severe shortage of nurses who really care about the people. 


     Go to school!  Make a difference in somebodys life!


Never too old to go to nursing school sm
When I was at the hospital, there were new grads there in their 50s. Go for it. Plenty of jobs out there in nursing.
That's about the age my mom was went she went to nursing school.
Plus, whether you go to nursing school or not, you're still going to be 41. Why not spend this time following your passion?
Less than average school
But why would someone settle for a less than average school? Do they want to be content with producing less than average work? As a businessperson, that is what I would be concerned with in hiring such a person. I would want someone who cared enough to get the best education out there from one of the big 3.
I am getting a job driving a school bus.
That cannot be taken out of the country. They start at $13 an hour. Give my brains a brake, I mean break.
I have a boring last name, and when I was in school I always - sm
secretly wished a had a long, difficult to spell-and-pronounce last name, just so I could sit there and watch the teachers stumble over trying to pronounce it.
This is like in high school where
Why are these companies wanting to have initials for their names?  Do they think it will make them more popular?  For example, TTS, TT, MQ, KS.....  There are others doing the same, and looks like this one that doesn't pay wants to be FST now so they sound more important and fly under the radar as Four Seasons known as a nonpayer.  Professional to me equals proper name, and isn't that what the BOS preaches?  Let's be professional insteady of like small children with little nicknames that are like baby talk! 
Doing QA right out of school with NO experience????
That just doesn't sound right to me. Most companies require at least 2-3 years of experience just to transcribe! I can't believe anyone would hire a brand new MT fresh out of training to do QA!
Not just out of school. Are they hiring?
I have been working for over 6 months.  I know that they say 3 years' experience, but that's what my present employer also said and they hired me right after graduation.  I'm working in acute care on 3 different accounts and do basically every work type and subject matter.  I am doing more than 12,000 lines per pay period (every 2 weeks) with 99.6% accuracy on my last random review.  I would like to try to convince them to give me a shot if they have open positions.
You can do it ... (school + work) (sm)
I transcribe for 3 clients AND I go to school full time and have a family.  It's doable ... difficult but doable.  Keep your chin up!  :)