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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Remember that new "graduates" enter the field every day, so lots of "companies" will

Posted By: be brand new & w/o any history to speak of. nm on 2007-06-30
In Reply to: yoursafeandhappyhome Seattle? - MLSMachine47

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oops sorry for the typo - meant "companies" . nm
3
Lots of promises, no follow through. Lots and lots of internal sm
problems. She is recruiting heavy right now as she has a CHANCE at getting a big account back. Even if they get it back, they'll blow it again from poor management.
I have had to enter them, as there
were barely any.  But once I put them in I have no problem.  Just click on tooks and auto correct, type it in, click add and okay.  That is all I have had to do.
But I would have to enter it all in under another
instead of two separate ones in shorthand.  Either way I had to replicate my entire list of abbreviations.  And I'd rather be able to type in the same thing and get the heading - bolded or not bolded - in both instances instead of having to remember to put an x after it for one and not the other.
I would say enter at own risk...
They are great at first but run out of work very easily...emails go unanswered..switching from account to account...
a hard return is when you must hit the enter key
x
Ah....the voices of intelligence enter
You are so right-on!!!  There are those who complain that they couldn't get any work at TT.  I'm not going to call them liars or anything else but that has NOT been my experience.  But then.....I will type on ANY account, do any type report, any ESL no matter how bad and even if after all these years some of them look like Swiss cheese, and a few of them still do, I'll do them anyhow.  I can work for any company, even now, and my money will be about the same.  I paid my dues.  I started doing MT at 50-freakin-cents per hour!!!!  The problem these days, IMHO, is that people believe those ads that say, take our course and immediately make $35,000/year while you rock your baby.  LOL  There are dues to pay in every career.  I've paid mine, reaped the rewards and now............I'm painting gourds.
Enter phrases by using the first letter of each word.
Resize your platform window so you can use Shorthand's suggestion window. Having up to 9 shorcut choices and using a consistent system for abbreviation will make it almost impossible for you to forget an abbreviation.
We enter our lines daily on the intranet SM
You don't enter the minutes that you type, just the lines for the day.
I read all read all the threads in the "companies" section
of another board, MT Chat, and Googled each one that got positive reviews. If they had a website and a way to apply online, I did so. And that was how I got hired at TRS. They were not advertising at the time. By sheer coincidence I applied to Transcend just before I applied to TRS, and they were not interested in what I had to offer at the time. And now they've got me anyway, since they bought TRS. Interesting how things work out sometimes.

Companies with negative reviews, or company queries that got only a terse I sent you a PM reply, I passed over.
I have to enter an extensive amount of information in the headers and

footers and look up doctors' names, patient info, etc., and not getting paid for that work.  I work for the Ohio office.  You're lucky to have the correct line count.  From what I've read, others on this board aren't as fortunate as you.


It is an expander, so it is up to the user to enter the words and phrases. nm
nm
C-phone, yes you dial into the hospital system, enter

your code and the work comes off.  You sign off one report and the next report comes up.


I don't work on Meditech, so I can't speak for that.  Some love it, some hate it depending on what version it is. 


My Virus Protector would not let me go onto InHealth's webpage. Enter at your own risk!
s
I totally agree, your story is mine and lots, and lots of others, please
believe me when I say Keystrokes has been honest like we used to have in this profession. If I can help one Transcriptionist avoid what we have, this will all be worth it. I worked parttime for Keystrokes at the time I was fulltime with ____ and quit, 2 years later I begged them to take me back after once again my paycheck was cut in half, and they did with open arms. I don't mean to run down anyone but a lot of these transcription companies are getting obscenely rich while paying below minimum wage to transcriptionists, playing with dictation and after working for a couple of them you know who is honest and who is not. Sorry I came down so hard but the reality is there are single mothers out there that I bet cry themselves to sleep not able to give their children a decent life because it is easier to steal from us. When companies have millions of dollar to pay for other transcription companies, open transcription schools in other countries, ect., ect., you know there is a lot of money in it. That is all I am saying.
I don't think we work at the same place, but I have been working lots and lots of hours.
Very thankful to have a decent job.
Lots and lots of recent stuff in archives.
 
Lots and Lots of info about them in the archives. nm
 
Lots and lots of work. You will love
XY?Z
Lots and lots of posts in the archives.
 
Lots and lots of info in archives and several
posts just down the page.  Open your original post and near the bottom click on the blue see related posts and you'll get the most recent posts. 
Getting out of this field -
It's just a matter of time before my company sends works oversees, and I REFUSE to correct Indian, Irish, Phiillipino, or any other foreigners work for half my pay.  It's just a matter of time before this all blows up.  Let them figure it out.  If they want us Americans back - they will have to PAY big time!  I'm looking into another field as well.
I'm obviously in the field too...
I've never seen all of these so-called problems you are talking about and I do plenty of those same reports everyday as well.  Slippage occurs when someone with a Lap-Band decides to eat so much they force themselves to vomit.  It's extremely rare.  I'm willing to take the risks rather than be morbidly obese and hardly living as it is.
I don't think it's just this field

I think it's human nature.  I used to hang out on the General Hospital board on ABC.com (I'm a soap opera geek) and it amazed me at how nasty some of those women would be to other posters who weren't quite up to snuff.  I've seen all out board wars develop.  If it was a full moon and I was PMSing, I enjoyed the spectacle, but most of the time I got a little disgusted with them.  Don't even get me started on how nasty it got before the election.  


I do get surprised at some of the negativity that is posted here, but I can understand how it's hard to be really super positive in today's world. 


You know what's going on in this field, right?
This is how MTSOs are going to squeeze ALL American MTs out of the field. We are an 'unnecessary' expense for them. They don't care about quality transcription. They care about driving quality cars and living in quality homes in quality neighborhoods. And who cares about the client, and screw the worker. The sooner they can price us out of the field, the sooner they can ALL go 100% to India.

If they do that, I think it should be mandatory that they, TOO, must leave the U.S. Set up their godforsaken offices in INDIA, and move there themselves. It's a travesty to our country that these MAGGOTS feel they even deserve to live here.
So that it narrows down the field when they look into

It really shouldn't be that hard to find out which female MLS started 4 months ago with 15 years experience and is making 10 cpl, since 10 cpl is NOT a normal starting wage at Transcend.  You are aware that discussing your wages is ground for termination, right?  You really have to be careful when trying to get those referral bonuses that you give accurate information.


That is the problem with the MT field...

Everyone is always bickering and knows it all.  I am by no means a recruiter.  I was just reading the posts, had been there myself, and thought I would offer some friendly advice, but some people think they know everything and try to discourage others from something good.  Sad world today.  Sad people.


Disgrace to the whole field!
x
I have been in this field for 17 years sm
and am still working one job IC for 8 cents, just because I like the company.  Only made 8 cents on my last full-time job, but did have benefits.  You can sometimes make more on an easy clinic account at 8 cents, than an acute care job at 10 cents.  Count your blessings.
I could have written this myself. I'm looking into a new field. nm
x
Finding another field
My heart goes out to all you Heartlanders along with all the others in all fields who  have lost jobs to cheap overseas labor.  It looks like there is soon going to be absolutely NO JOBS for Americans.  Seems all the jobs that can't be offshored are considered jobs Americans won't do or there aren't enough qualified people,  the dandy explanations for greedy corporate America hiring illegals, or what is it?  HR2 visas? to fill the jobs that can't be exported.  America is in a world of hurt and God help those trying to raise children and give them a better life than you have, which is the true American Dream.
It is just a different field to break into now...
I have only been an MT for 4-1/2 years, and I am happy to hear that you found a job that you are happy with and making a good wage at.

However, to say that because MTs are not happy has something to do with their skills does an injustice to hardworking MTs. There are some of us who do 12-hour days, too.

The field is totally different that what it used to be. You can ask a majority of seasoned MTs, and they will tell you that wages are going down and the cost of benefits is becoming outrageous. It can take you almost 2 weeks to earn enough money to pay for family insurance. Couple that MTSOs who are making contracts with companies for acute care work when they have only hired transcriptionists with clinic experience, and you have some very overstressed MTs just trying to make a living. I have felt since starting I am being pushed to gain 10 years experience for each year I work. Some days you just wake up, go to work, and you are on a totally different account, totally different work type, and totally different part of the country with no warning.

Since starting in this profession, I have worked on over 20 different accounts in all areas of the country. Not only have I been required to learn medical transcription (and I have done all report types right through the OP notes), I have had to learn umpteen physician groups, hospitals in those areas, nursing homes, drug stores, county social service units...you name it.

I have consistently good quality scores, and I usually work at least 1-1/2 times my required production. I have been with my company close to 3 years, work nights and holidays, and have given up more family time than I care to consider. However, I just saw an ad where my employer is offering 10 cpl to do discharge summaries while I am doing consults for a clinic no one in the company wants to touch because of the difficulty factor, and they will not raise me above 7.5 CPL.

On top of that, I had to darn near beg today to have a technical problem taken care of that was preventing me from working. It was a 2-minute fix that took almost 40 minutes to resolve because our customer service kept telling me I wasn't even working as I had no jobs checked out and my boss kept switching her MSN messenger to say she was busy or away.

Do I feel disrespected and underpaid? YUP!

That is my reality.
yes, but when you have to go from field 1 to 20 it's "faster" to use
x
From out of left field....
Sent my resume to, received an email from, and then a telephone interview with Landmark. They made me a very nice offer which piqued my interest, so I went with them instead of either Superior Global or Diskriter.

Thanks so much for all of the advice on SGS and DR. I was seriously debating between the two when the Landmark offer dropped into my lap.

I started today and so far everyone has been fantastic. I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks again!!!
"I have been in this field for over 3 decades..."
BUSTED!!!!
I am 30 years old and have been in the medical field since
I was 19.  My first 3 years I worked as a certified medical assistant and then I fell into transcription and I have 8 years of experience as an MT.  Can I ask why all the personal questions, not that I mind answering?
Just so you know - the subject is a limited field. SM
If you hit Post Quick Reply, put a little bit of text in the subject, SM for see message, and then put the rest in the box below.

Just trying to be helpful!
In our field of work, its never been openly
shared with the MTs what the status of accounts are, etc. Only time we hear things about account specs is when an account/client is unhappy or after they are gone. I've been in this industry for 30 years, and its never changed. The company who lost the client is not going to give you advance notice - its not to their benefit, and its naive to think they would tell you in advance. And as far as contacting the account and trying to work for the new company - think about it. An account often leaves a MT service due to quality issues - like they think the work stinks. So most times the account wants less than nothing to do with the old MTs on the account. If the client was all that happy about the MTs, chances are good they would not dump the service. I have known few accounts who took on old MTs, at least permanently. Sometimes they will screw the MTs as well and take on the old MTs just to get the account up and running with their company, and then all of a sudden, BAM, they don't need you anymore. Its the nature of our industry. And clients come and go and come and go all the time. I've lost many an account, and thought it was the end of my career, only to get a new account and be comfie for a few years. I'm not trying to belittle your upset - I understand. Just trying to point out the flip side and that you should get used to it. We MTs have to look out for ourselves. No company is gonna help us out these days - probably in all industries. Good luck!
Ummm, ever see the original MT ID field?
.
It's exactly this attitude that is allowing the MT field to go -
.
There's not much of a "choice" anymore in the MT field -
Then of course exploitation, cooking the books, cheating on lines paid, etc. etc. can run rampant because the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing.

So working at home is NOT 100% 'voluntary'. I'll quit my at-home job in a minute if I can find a full-time, benefitted inhouse job.
She can get better help at Spheris, but this field is dying. We all need
NM
Hostility in the transcription field

Hello everyone, I have been reading the posts on this board for the last couple of weeks.  Most of the postings are helpful, but there are some who just break out into an all out war with one another.  I have not been able to tell if it is the majority or not yet.  Why do you think that is?   


 


Do you think this field makes you feel that you have to compete one another?  Do you think that is because of the isolation?  Working at home is isolation, but even in a hospital setting you are isolated.  Let's face it, we have those earplugs stuck in our ears all day.   We have the ongoing pressure that we have to get our line count, or more.  Do you find that there is a lot of hostility in this field, or is it just because we are women?  Do you think it might be that we feel unappreciated?  We were even told by a coder, at the hospital I worked at, that we were nothing more than glorified typists.


 


Let's face it, with the amount of time that it takes to master this occupation we could have all had a degree in something.  Some of you already have.  If you work by the line - if you have the experience, the typing skills, use your abbreviation expander, and have a steady work flow - you can make a decent living - but based on the typing skills, work flow, etc. etc. it is not a guarantee.  That is a lot of pressure when you think about it.  That is a different kind of pressure than other jobs.  I am not trying to be negative, I just noticed that there seems to be a lot of hostility and I noticed that at the hospital, where I worked, for 15 years also.  I got along with everyone I worked with.  In order to be able to get along with the transcribers I use to work with, I had to become very thick-skinned, because basically they were just mean.   Has anyone else noticed this?  Do you think it is the job?  What do you think?  I am not attacking the transcription field, just something I have noticed over the years.       


 


 


The field of medical transcription

Why isn't there anything that we can do as transcriptionists to make our profession stable again?  I take this career seriously because I NEED full-time work.  There are so many companies out there that are using this forum to really take advantage of the members here and elsewhere.  I recently interviewed for a company who actually had the audacity to expect me to work for a week before being put on the payroll, and this was after extensive testing.  I have over 20+ years in this industry and thought that I had seen it all.  This encounter  nearly created a hardship because I would have had to give up another position.  When you apply for a TRANSCRIPTION job, unless discussed prior, you should be given a Transcriptionist job and not have editing at 4 cpl be given as your put up or get out.


Just my opinion, but I believe that MTStars should screen their employers before allowing them to post.  The content and frustration seen in the posts can attest to that.  We are real people who need to have an income.  If I was doing this for just extra money or wanted to be home with my kids it would be another story.  But this a matter of survival here. 


Thanks for listening!


Medical Transcription Field

Thank you for your response.  I have found that when a name of the company is mentioned in a negative way, the post disappears.  I am not a newbie at this, in fact, I worked for one of the major companies who actually tried to recruit me (for extra time after my QA job) to search the board to find out if any current MTs were complaining, etc.  I, of course, refused and luckily did not suffer any repercussions because of it.  I feel that this board is valuable and should not be abused, but you must be careful whose name you mention and in what way.  I am beginning to feel it is a never-ending battle to stay employed in this field with some of the stunts some are pulling.  A recent one was a degree in medical transcription?  I guess there possibly is such a thing now, but what are the rest of us experienced MTs supposed to do - lay down and die?  Where I live the majority of major hospitals including the one I currently work for are either outsourcing or cutting wages down, so many of us fall victim.


Thank you for just letting me have my say.


I'm so sick of this field. Supplement (sm)
your income. Find a way. First work volumes are low. Now pay is cut. And we're making more than ever! Did you know that? Do you feel like you are?
Best on-line school for MT - Please I Have A Lot of Questions About This Field!!!!!

I am leaving my current job as a secretary at the end of August.  I have been in this field for 30+ years.  I have pretty much decided that I would like to become a medical transcriptionist.  My typing skills are excellent (approx. 100 wpm with 0 errors).  I would like to work from home.  Can anyone tell me which MT on-line schools are reputable?  How long does the course take of you are diligent?  I assume that after training it would be best to work for a transcription service before branching out on your own.  Please, any advice, information on on-line schools, wages, etc. would be greatly appreciated!  Working from home is a life-long dream for me!


Oh my goodness! But, there are CRAZY people in every field
I am stunned at how many, shall we say, "different" people there are in this world. This is too funny that a MTSO wants to do psych evals on their prospects. Wow!

To be honest, it would not bother me as I am very sane and have no "issues" in life. If you want the job and the pay is good, than what the heck. Go for it. Don't be afraid of some evaluation.

Maybe it is a good thing. If you do have issues and you are not aware of them, maybe it will help you in the long run. Hey a free psych eval may be just what the doctor ordered!

If I wanted that job and the pay was good and fit my needs, I would not hesitate!
"Any time I see OSi in a field, I skip over it. "
LOL
10 total years in the medical field, 8 as a MT.nm
x
This field has the worst business owners. nm
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