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Only about 8 more years till retirement, but I AM going to take the test. (sm)

Posted By: sm on 2008-12-27
In Reply to: any thoughts (please keep it respectful) - curiousMT

Have never felt the urge to do so in the past, but the company I am working for now reimburses the testing fees and you get a small raise because you are a CMT. It all adds up to being beneficial for me money-wise, so.... I chose to do it for that reason and that reason alone.



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Nope, hope to supplement my retirement years.
x
2 years ago I took the test and ...

the person recruting called me to ask if I would consider the QA manager position because I had scored higher on their test than anyone had before.  So, they fly me down, put me up, I rent a car and take a look.  It is a slave house.  Everyone but the person who was acting as the recruiter was great.  It was a slave house.  They record off RERECORDED work...talk about listening through the sounds of Pink Floyd!  They say they wanted to offer me the job but don't tell me how much they will pay me.  I go home and sit back and wait.  THREE weeks later the recruiter calls and gives me the details.  I tell him I'm no longer interested.  It had taken over 2 months from the time I took their test to get an offer.  While I was their, the person boosted about infidelity...that was what really got me.  First time I made a mistake, there wouldn't be anyone there to catch my back.


I walked away and never looked back. 


d~


Is 7 cpl test/3.5 cpl VR for someone with 13 years exp a good amt.
Does not sound like it. Depends on their definition of line and whether they count spaces, but unless it's an awfully short line (most are 65 char) and they count spaces and headers and footers and supply the computer and have really, really cheap insurance (and you said there were no benefits), I'd say definitely NO. 8.5-9 regular and 5 for VR for acute care for experienced. And that's with benefits. Without, I'd say 10-12 or more. Have never heard of more than 5-6 for VR, though.
I have 15 years experience and I had to test with them.

Now they offer no testing for experienced MTs? 


When I applied, they said they had no PT hours available unless strictly weekend.


Also, you have to work 1 weekend day, and supposedly Mondays are very slow.


I was offered a very low rate and was told that would mostly have to do VR.


Politely declined and will leave the work for those happy TTs who like to work weekends for next to nothing.


Never know till you try!
Thanks - that is exactly what I am going to do......what is bad for one person isn't necessarily bad for someone else. I have 20 years of experience with all sorts of systems, so I'm sure I will be okay.
I have had two offers and this interview/test so far. I have worked for Q for 14+ years with
another two at a hospital and one at a clinic before then. I graduated from a cc with a trans cert in 1991. So, I have a bunch o' experience and love this job, but hate it now at the Q. I never cried WHILE I was working before this month! LOL! What about you?
I have 14 years of experience and I bombed the transcription test. Where oh where did I go wrong..
Oh well, I was offered a QA position at our local hospital so it worked out.
I have 19 years experience and was told the same thing. I think their test is incorrect.
x
It may till the next increment of that big acct.
nm
ADP/ MW, yes, but not effective till February.
nm
Wait till you find out the pay. nm
xx
Just took a test today for a company and I am amazed how rusty I am after not testing for years and
years.  I had to really think about things again.  I guess after you test enough you get used to it.  That is the first one I took in about 13 years.  I just more or less did it to see how it was.  Should be interesting to see how it went because I really dont want to work for the company I just wanted to take the test.  A lot of tricky questions in it.
Thanks for the info. Guess I will wait till Mon.

s


After all these years, if I use Media Player, I just have my test outline ready and play the voice
m
Once you forward resume, how long till Futurenet gets back with you? nm
 
Usually a spelling test, a punctuation test, and maybe 3-6 test files to do. Sometimes done using
s
Retirement
I will retire in four years. I always advise people who ask me to look at other careers than MTing. Its golden era is long past. I really loathe those matchbook schools (you know, the ones with Sally Struthers in their advertising copy) telling people they can make 40K by taking their pathetic little course. If I had a dollar for everyone who has come to me crying about how they cannot get a job with their so-called diploma from some such school, I could retire right now very nicely. Meanwhile, I hope people will really weigh their options carefully before becoming an MT. It looks to me like MQ really messed up this field for so many in so many ways.
Retirement? What is that?
I start drawing my retirement this year- not quitting MTing- just want to have twice as much coming in per month as I am getting now. Cha-Ching.
Retirement
I believe that people who work hard all their life deserve to retire.  They should not be forced into retirement with nothing to show for their hard work.  We had dinner guests last  night and the topic of conversation that someone brought up had to do with some complaining about older workers taking jobs away from younger workers.  None of those in attendance are employed, all have a fairly comfortable retirement.  My question was how many people of retirement age do you suppose actually want to work and how many HAVE to work to be sure they have food?  Not everyone is physically able to work after reaching retirement age.  It should be a choice.  How many 70 year olds do you suppose actually want to work or would they rather pursue things they weren't able to do when they were younger and had the responsibility of a full-time job?  I, for one, am thankful that I am still physically able to work full-time (if I chose to do so) and still pursue other things as I have done all my life.  I've always had more than one basket, my favorite when I did MT and was also a livestock broker.  Unfortunately, I am no longer physically strong enough to pursue the livestock brokering.  I find that I am just as happy working for free for things I truly believe in.  Some on this board say that I should go back to painting gourds (which I still do) but I also have a heart for my MT sisters and brothers who are hurting and if I can make even a little difference in their lives, I will do what I can.
Unless you are retirement age now, I doubt your
hee..hee
I don't see retirement in my future, unless it's the
:(
Me too. I have stopped even considering anywhere else. I am here until retirement.
And that is such a stress-free thing, never to have to retrain for a new company again!
fat cat may be close to retirement sm
but she still has some humanity about her! Probably why she still has a job so close to retirement.

Not all companies have the attitudes that you post. In this business, there is absolutely no call for that kind of attitude. The companies can cover their butts. Half of them don't have work anyway.

I have been through exactly what the poster posted and I told MQ to stick it after 23 years. Have not had a problem getting a job and have been upfront and honest about the situation I found myself in.

When an employer calls someone at hospice and starts ragging on them, knowing full well there is no work to do the 8 HOURS I WAS SCHEDULED PER WEEK, then its time to get out. I did and never looked back. Probably was the boost I needed to get out of that place.

I applaud the OP for doing what she did. Family comes before any doggone job. She won't have a problem geting UE either. She applied for FMLA, they denied her, what else can she do? FMLA is there for situations just like this.

I don't blame her for telling the higher-ups. I would have let them know too before I left that place and never looked back.

Wish I knew waht place it was!
Go back to retirement s/m

I'll ignore that juvenile comment.


I didn't SAY that anyone with a dictionary could do VR or anything else ACCURATELY.  I have, however, SEEN companies who used non-MTs to do Q.A.  Are you absolutely certain YOU aren't being Q.A.-d by such a person?  Furthermore, with companies ever looking for ways to cut MT pay, they might just do that doncha think?  I'm sorry to enlighten you to the fact that MT isn't nearly the big deal some of you try to make it.  Most of us old-timers received OTJ training in a HOSPITAL which gave us an education you'll never dream of getting in any of the MT schools.


IMHO you need a few more years experience as an MT and maybe, just maybe you could learn something from us old grandmas if you weren't so wet behind the ears that your hearing is impaired.


 


Retirement and taxes

Here's the scoop on SS and taxes.  They  do not penalize you once you reach full retirement age, HOWEVER, if you continue to work they will continue to deduct SS from your paycheck and at the end of the year if you make over a certain amount, you also pay taxes on your SS benefits up to 85% of what you receive from SS..


Contrary to what chatty says, they do not want you to take early retirement.  They encourage you to wait until full retirement age.  That way you might die and they never have to pay a penny.  The death benefit to your beneficiary is a whopping $225.  If you do the math, you are much better off taking retirement at the earliest possible moment.


QUESTION RE. RETIREMENT - sm

 


I know about this 1-dollar-for-2 for taking early retirement - but I was wondering:  Do they take 50% of your Social Security benefits or 50% of your paycheck?  If they take half your paycheck, you're essentially working for nothing.  If you're working for low wages, it won't pay to go to work.  If you have a fairly decent salary between ages 62-66, then it's a TOTAL ------g ripoff!  Just wondering.


I have 7 yrs until retirement and I doubt is any MT work SM
will be done in US. I am thinking of other jobs. Instead of some work going to India, or perhaps some other country, most of the work will be done offshore and we in the US will be left little. I'm not hysterical over this, I just consider it a fact of life.
MDI-MD employees, how are you funding your retirement?

To those of you who are working for MDI-MD, have any of you found alternative ways of funding your retirement since the company doesn't offer this benefit? 


Any and all positive input would be appreciated. 


I am past retirement and do not care anything
about leaving. I want to have my pay from my job and also draw from my social security. Those are my plans and working independent, still travel and do what I want to do and have the money to accomplish.
You're past retirement age
and you only have 36 years?  One can say anything they want annonymously but I do believe a person who is past retirement age would have better sense than to tell a fellow MT to go back to retirement.  LOL
I think if you test well they will consider you on a case by case basis without the full 5 years.
I would definitely contact them anyway.
The only people that are going to make it with VR or ASR are MTs that are nearing retirement and

dont mind the lower wages and who probably already have problems with muscles and tendons from years of MTing or others who as people said are slower transcribers or part time people just supplementing their income who just want to plug along and make a few bucks. Anyone who is self supporting and needs a good income will not make it on those rates without killing themselves and if one company gets away with it they all will because I am sure MQ is next when they come out with their new pay plan and ASR rates and then they will all follow suit. Why send this work overseas and then have to edit it again so I guess they just hope they have everyone behind the 8 ball.


 


retiring from Spheris? Gonna get retirement pay from them or Social Security? nm
.
since I didn't pay into social security as an IC, I started a retirement plan to cover me.
x
I took a test for a company and my foot pedal would work with the test and I had keep going back
over the dictation time and again to get all the words because I couldnt stop and start it by the foot pedal.  What can I do about this.
Just took the test myself. No actual dictation to transcribe. Just a written test.
For 13 cpl, I might do it if the dictators aren't a total horror.
I just took the test today - thought it was a great test of MT skills.
x
There is no written test. Must have been a different company. I took their ortho test sm
and it was easy. You had to know your terminology but it was easy to understand AND I used my foot pedal.
Is the test through mttest.com a timed test? Thanks. nm


I talked to them today. They want 3 years in a hospital or 5 years combination sm
hospital and at home or clinic and at home. For radiology, they want 3 years full time radiology. I thought they were very nice and I have a few friends that work for them and are happy. The pay seems average to high for what I am seeing now. I think they are 0.08 per line or 1.08 for radiology. Beats what I will have with the new MQ program.
Honda is 11 years old, 190,000 miles . Toyota was 15 years old and 279,000 superb
x
I worked on site for many years. I've been doing this for 10 years... sm
I've worked on site, at home, for small MTSOs, for nationals, for hospitals. I've been paid per line, per minute, and per hour. I've been an MT and a QA. I have ALWAYS worked weekends and ALWAYS worked nights for the shift differential because MTs can't survive on 6 or 7 cents a line. At least I can't and I type 105 wpm.

I've BEEN dedicated from day 1, sister, so you are barking up the wrong tree.
15,000 lines per pay period. 8 years with KS, 6 years on this account! nm
Not going anywhere else!
30 years - this WAS my career. The last few years you guys have ruined it.
You work 9-5? Big deal. I work more than you do. I bet I work harder too. Treat US with respect, lady!

Don't talk to us like that and don't expect us to kiss your feet. Kiss ours for a change!
See if you'll be producing more after 30 years of MT'ing and at 50+ years old.
I don't think so. My income increased every year also, until I reached age 50 and 30 years of MT'g, been downhill ever since.
It wasn't tough 5 years ago. Or 10 years ago, yet
How to you spell
G-R-E-E-D ???

All the shifty, dishonest, greedy pigs in this country belong in JAIL.
Did MTfor 10 years; QA for 2 years and now
doing editing of speech/voice recognition.  I find all three to be very different.  MT you start with a blank page or a template, QA you have the whole document and you need to give a good quick read and check for correct name, MRN, formatting, and all blanks, etc., and if you know the MT you do not necessarily need to give the whole document voice to typed - editing is a whole 'nother thing.  From what I have seen so far - you have a document and you cannot count on anything being correct - you need to change almost everything in some cases - which is more difficult than a blank sheet as there is a lot of deleting and it is confusing.  It can be helpful because some of the medical words are in there and some of the drugs can be correct - and although I have found easier on the wrists some days - still very, very difficult.  You must match exactly voice to type because you cannot count on anything to be correct - JMHO
I think it just boils down to years and years of
If you kick a dog often enough, it's going to not only turn on you, but other dogs as well. Even though I made more money as an in-house MT, our managers were the worst. All greedy, self-serving women who lied, cheated, and made their way up the management ladder by stepping on those of us who worked under them. They created hostility, distrust and ill will in the office by pitting MT against MT (I suppose they figured it would keep the MT's from turning on THEM!), and the suspicion it bred created a hostile workplace like no other. I finally couldn't take it anymore and quit to work at home, for less than half the money. I'm lucky - I have an employer that at least treats me well, even though the pay stinks. But from what I've read here, that isn't the norm at all. So it's little wonder so many at-home MT's are ready to chew someone's head off. They're tired of being lied-to, cheated on line counts, disrespected, and at the same time expected to produce more and more work, with little to no mistakes. So it's little wonder we're all a mite cranky.
Some of us have been at MDI for years and years. Why should we have to start all the way at the bot
x
MQ Test
How long does it take MedQuist to get back to applicants once they have completed the test??  It has been a week for me now and have heard nothing.  Is that good or bad????  TIA
What are they asking you to do? What is the test?
MTStars? Maybe there are some posts that may tell you something.