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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

OUR attitudes sadden YOU?

Posted By: Just how wet behind the ears are you? on 2009-02-07
In Reply to: My goodness! - TTD INC

Who do you think you are talking to? You could use a little perspective on exactly what you are doing.

I received in-house OTJ training at MD Anderson Cancer Institute back in 1974 in the radiotherapy department, back in the day when MTs were valued at least enough to be given the chance to train while making a living wage with great benefits. Back then they did not have to go into hock for a couple of years at some community college or technical school to learn a trade that requires nothing more than a few hours of terminology etymology instruction, a good dictionary, an endless source of dictation and a healthy dose of blood, sweat and tears to hone the skill of a trained ear.

I advanced into medical records in less than a year where I was trained on that new-fangled contraption called a word processor and worked for another 3 years before receiving an irresistible offer of a 30% pay hike and better benefits, NONE OF WHICH I had to pay for....zero deductible, I might add. When my son came along, it cost me a mere $18 per paycheck to add him.

I continued in-house for 6 years or so until the dreaded O monster (outsourcing) reared its ugly head. The hospital where I was working provided me with the referral I needed to chase my account as it kicked its MTs out the back door in the middle of the night, stripping them of employee status, benefits, good hourly pay and self-respect.

I stayed with that hospital account as it was pitched around from one new MTSO to another for the next 10 years...the same amount of time it took for any of them to even BEGIN to entertain the idea of restoring even the most basic of benefits. During that time, I had NO sick time, NO vacation time (and hence worked 8 of those 10 years without taking one a SINGLE day off), NO holiday pay and NO training provided, despite the fact that we were expected to negotiate the onslaught of advancing computer technologies. I missed 8 out of 10 Christmases with my son, worked all other holidays every single year, and 48 to 60 hours a week. The only way I could get a raise was to job hop.

By the time benefits started to emerge, I had a full-blown chronic pain syndrome from endometriosis (which I had to tolerate since I could not afford the surgery), had developed high blood pressure at age 33 and finally suffered a physical collapse from degenerative disk disease at multiple levels which showed up shortly after the high blood pressure. None of these medical conditions had ever been present in my family. I also got caught up in the MTSO schemes that kicked us out the back door once again (trying to avoid that benefits thingy) when we were sent home and expected to buy our own equipment and stay current with that according to whichever way the wind was blowing back at the home office.

This was not that easy as a single parent, once my divorce was final. The marriage could not handle the hours, stress and the fact that I was missing in action in my own home, holed up behind a closed door typing my brains out at all hours of the day and night, trying to make mortgage payments on a modest duplex to keep my son out of gangs and off the apartment complex parking lots when he got older.

One morning, when I tried to get out of bed my back pain was so severe that all I could do was crawl around on my hands and knees. With the next 6 consecutive nights of near total insomnia and worry over losing my job, I was forced to resign. By that time I had neglected my health (and the rest of my life) for more than a decade. I did manage to check myself into a county facility where I was diagnosed with chronic clinical depression. I lost my car and my house. My son had to move in with his father and I had to move back home with my aging mother who was on a fixed income. We became each other's caretakers for the next 7 years until she passed. My son became a man during that time and went away to college.

After 7 years, I returned to transcription in 2001. At first, the pay was not too bad and the benefits had improved in my absence, but lo and behold, not for long. Outsourcing had taken on a whole new meaning and as jobs were exported in ever increasing numbers, our line rates stagnated for a while before they took their current free fall tumble...for me, 20% in the past 3 years. In the past few months, the jobs that offer benefits have all but disappeared from the boards and at age 60, I am not really sure that I can relive this nightmare yet one more time.

So here you are, whining about our attitudes while you just inch your way between me and my measly 8 cpl, sticking your fingers in the penny pie and pulling out a couple for yourself while you think nobody is looking. WRONG. We're paying very close attention to you and your ilk along with the rest of the disintegration or our profession. Don't you DARE ask me for my understanding. I've paid my dues time and time again. The well is dry and there is no place to go from here except straight down to the bottom. Make no mistake, you will be tumbling right along with the rest of us, despite your best efforts to paint that rosey picture and that fairy tale your are trying spin. Enjoy the ride while you can. Time is short.


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Attitudes. sm

I have never been able to wrap my thought around the theory that offshoring is good for the American MT. It has lowered the living wage of the American MT and allowed large companies to treat good MTs badly.  There is no denying the fact of this.  The fact that the AAMT has seemingly embraced offshoring as inevitable, all the while mentoring and certifying offshore MTs was their death knell for me and many others.  The AAMT never accomplished what it promised to do all those many years ago when I was deeply involved, i.e., raise the awareness in the medical community regarding our skills and professionalism, keep us at a decent working wage, et al.  AAMT sold the AMERICAN MT down the river.  Companies like Medware, who would feed pablum regarding offshoring is good for us have made that river an ocean.  I will no longer be a member of AAMT and will not be renewing my CMT. Frankly, I never got any recognition for that title anyway.  I don't know what kind of reception you thought you were going to get here, but I do think that since there are few people here whose opinion you regard, considering the anonymity, perhaps there are other arenas where your thought processes would be more appreciated.  It is curious that those of you who continue to defend offshoring never bring up the confidential aspect of medical records going offshore.  Is it so small a concern or do you really think that instances, such as with Lubna Baloch, cannot happen again?  Regards.


rotten attitudes
Who wouldn't have a bad attitude with the way some of these companies think THEY own their MTs. Thank God I got rid of the rotten companies out there and believe me there are several. Make you promises and never come through. I will never ever let another company OWN me. Something is stinky out there!
meant attitudes (sorry)
Sure I'll be slammed for misspelling.
these kind of attitudes are why I sm
quit working in an office years and years ago. Too much back biting and back stabbing. I always had the idea that if people would stop with the snipping and worrying about what everybody else was doing, they would make more money themselves. Good grief!
Posting attitudes here

I know that working from home as an MT is in itself an isolating job, been doing it for many years and enjoy it very much.  In fact, reading these posts remind me how much I enjoy it because of the back-stabbing, snide and rude remarks.  Would some of you say the same thing you post to someone's face in person?  I think not.  Just because we are *anonymous* doesn't mean we can hit and run and say things we ordinarily would not, without manners or consideration.


None of us will ever agree all the time, that's not the point.  Can we at least be nice to each other and have a debate without the nastiness?


Thanks...  Happy Memorial Day weekend y'all. 


I think that attitudes like yours are the reason companies are looking elsewhere. sm
You work from home to be with your family and not be treated like you are in an office? Give me a break. Act like an employee who deserves to get perks and maybe you'll be treated better. Follow your shifts (not signing in 2 hours late and ending early) and you won't get a mean email. You sound like a high school student with their first job. Where is your work ethic? I do not agree with te work going to other companies, but they seem to want to work while a lot of U.S. MT's do a lot of whining and complaining. No wonder they want to replace us. Less headaches and hassles for them. They want to make money.

We've chased our jobs away. Not all of us, but those of us with attitudes like the above poster.

Am I angry? You bet. Do your job and they will have reason to look elsewhere. The rest of us who work our shifts when we are supposed to shouldn't have to suffer because of attitudes of others, but those attitudes seem to be the majority.
I would have to agree. I've been the "victim" of such attitudes.
Gosh forbid but I actually dared to misspell a word on here about 2 months ago and got blasted. I've never seen such bitterness, and quite honestly my observation is this...I had always worked outside the home up until 3 years ago when financially I was able to and wanted to, just work at home so I could be home more for my last child at home and not commuting so much. Truly, I have seen so much bitterness and hostility that I never experienced in the outside workplace as a non-MT. Sadly, I have even have found myself falling into this negativity. I'm not sure whether it is the social isolation that brings you to this point, where you feel unable or unwilling to communicate appropriately with others or what. I have honestly found MTs to be a different breed, through no fault of our own. Again, possibly isolation, disappointment (the biz gets worse and worse as far as work and pay) or just the feeling stuck thing. Myself, I do feel isolated from the real world and I feel stuck because now that I have been here so long it is hard to adjust back out there and trust me.....I have tried, only to come running back home. In any event, for whatever reason we're all here..necessity or otherwise, we should be what this board was intended for...a support system. Yes, some days we need to vent because no day is perfect. I think we should all be able to do that without being called names.  Then, I think we could do some encouraging, and if I have misspelled a word or used improper English, punctuation or whatever, I hope I won't be scorned. We all are different and we're not perfect. Thanks
actions and attitudes speak volumes
....
The staff and the attitudes of the staff. Very helpful, cheerful. (sm)
They seem to work extremely hard to balance everything out, enough work, enough MTs and always making sure they let the MTs know they are a valuable asset to the company. That means a lot. Not to mention the bennies are pretty good, too.
No, not how many rotten companies -- how many rotten ATTITUDES are on here!
Don't be so gullable.