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They still need experienced MTs so that plan may backfire on them.

Posted By: nm on 2005-08-25
In Reply to: Makes sense. The new plan will cause a bunch of us (sm) - Agree

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Be careful what you start; this could backfire

Some of us like working as ICs and are willing to give up employee benefits precisely for the flexibility to work when we choose.  To trade a few rationed sick and vacation days for this freedom would be a poor swap for me.  To have to go, hat in hand, pleading for a day off would be intolerable. 


My current MTSO actually gets the distinction between employee and IC.  A couple of former ones did not; they wanted the savings of not paying benefits along with the scheduling control of an employee work force.  This does not compute.


While I would happily have raked those twits over the coals, I would never do that to my current MTSO and risk what I consider to be a sweet deal. 


And back to the OP and her problem boss.  Stuff happens!  It happens all the time and without warning!  Any boss worth her salt ought to be able to compensate for life's little 1-hour surprises.  That's what she gets the big bucks for. 


Don't worry just find out and then have a plan A and plan B
I have gone through something like this but not with that company. I too am the insurance provider for my family and there are preexisting conditions, so a private policy is no good.
First of all, I work elsewhere but had the same situation. I fell short of line count, but not because of me, because they did not have enough work, and I like many others cannot make quota because of the way they count lines. Then, on last paycheck there was a negative on insurance money taken out of check. I thought I lost insurance, but found out at the end of the year, they did an audit and found out that I overpaid all year and so I actually was owed money that check.
In the meantime, I found another job but have to wait 90 days for insurance. Can't find a policy to bridge the 2 jobs, insurance is on my mind all the time. My heart is with you. Personally I am getting the 90 day meds, working on my second job which will become my real job and if I lose the insurance, Cobra will kick in in case of disaster so that is like major medical.
Sorry such a long post, but I suggest: Not to panic. You probably did not lose insurance. Call the benefit provider to see you are still covered, not the employer. If you are not still covered, get 90 days of Rx if your plan covers by mail and be billed, immediately get another job which is a better place to work anyway (I found one) and in 90 days you will be okay. Some places like Disriter cover the first of the following month, but I would not necessarily suggest you work somewhere which is not so great just for insurance. You can consider TransTech. That would be my suggestion. Sorry for such a long post. But this hit a nerve and I wanted you to understand some options, as I have gone through it. Good Luck.
Experienced MTs.
I need input from seasoned MTs.  I have been doing this 20 years.  What companies can you make a decent living with, decent insurance?  I just started with a company a month ago with great bennies, but something is definitely up with line counts. I have to work like a dog to get 800 lines, when I normally hit 1200 to 1500 on a good day during my 2nd week of employment.  Even with the learning curve, this is not adding up, I believe they are "stealing lines".  I don't have much more time to switch from company to company trying to find a fit.  I guess what I am asking, is which companies do not steal lines and have good bennies.  TIA
$1.50+ experienced ......nm
nm
You obviously are not very experienced at this.
surgery center, you can put anything you want on your bill and they still pay you on THEIR terms, which is usually net 30 days.  They also many times (not always, but often) request invoices once a month.  Now if you are doing piddly clinic stuff, or you are subcontracting, that's  a different story.  But when you're playing with the big boys that's the way it is.
LOL. They cannot keep experienced MTs. sm
Most of us can't wait 4-6 weeks for a paycheck. If you have the ability to wait a long time for a paycheck, then I recommend them. They have good accounts. I wish a well-managed company had those accounts.
Is it possible for an experienced MT to do 250-300
Please let me know what service you work for if its possible.  I'm paralyzed about making a decision because I'm hearing such awful things about all the MTSO's.
I have never experienced this, but...
If you have a 3 minute job opened up and it looks like your typing it and an hour later you still have it open, wouldn't that make them wonder and wouldn't they have a right to make sure you are going to finish it.  They have a responsibility to keep these jobs in TAT and if an MT holds a job for an extended time or takes a break in the middle it can slow things down - How are they to know if you had an emergency and didn't have time to call in unless they check up.  If you need to take a break, it should be between jobs, not in the middle of a 3 minute job that should take at max 9 minutes to type.
Maybe she is not experienced in ESL's? (sm)
I have yet to encounter one that would leave me in tears.  I have at other places, though, but not that often. 
experienced

She has over 15 years with several large well known teaching hospitals and several of the largest services with multi-accounts -- she is revered by MTs in this large city. Maybe all those who are having such an easy time should be grateful for her taking the horrid dictators rather than seeking to denigrate her skills. There are those in the field who yelp at the slightest bit of difficulty and demand to be given a different account (i.e. EASY stuff) so that those of us with integrity end up cleaning up the dregs. Could be -- who knows?


 


 


Experienced MT2
One of the reasons I left OSi is because the QAs people and the ACs made me feel about 2 high. They would talk to you in such a downgrading manner it was totally unbelievable. (during the conference calls). They would not answer e-mails, even with sending a receipt request and this was to QA, AC and also the person who the ACs would answer to. Nevertheless, I did not feel this was appropriate business practice. (I have been transcribing for years, 15+, and ran my own business prior to working for OSi.)
You are right. Pay for experienced MT's
... is very little if any over what these new people make, those who can't even construct a sentence and don't know the basics for doing this job properly. And experience doesn't necessarily mean they are a heck of a lot better than the newbies. It's all about speed - and you know who proof reads and who doesn't. I have seen horrific reports from the most experienced MT's. Yes - working privately is the only way to go.
Too experienced and you will
cost them money. Many companies rather go with less experienced MTs and pay a lower line rate. Good luck with that.
I have experienced the same, however (sm)
so many benefits outweigh the negatives. I worked with my liaison and my issues were finally ironed out. Also, QA is more than willing to admit when they have made a mistake, and they have a sense of humor as well. I keep my eyes open, as is wise to do, but MDI keeps me in work, keeps me happy, and I'm thrilled to have found them so soon in my MT career. (I'm at 3 years and counting with MDI, 8 years as an MT).
Maybe they REALLY want less-experienced MTs that
Those of us who not only have the skills & the experience are sometimes a 'threat' to those in charge. Some prefer the newer ones who think working 7 days/week without a break, bennies or a raise is a good deal. But we know better.
Here is what I experienced...
You are trained via an internet conference meeting call, with 5-6 other transcriptionists. The account manager walks you through the platform and shows you how it works. After about 45 min. to 1 hour that's it...you're on your own. Of course, you always have your lead person to e-mail or call if you have questions.
if you are experienced and let them know sm
you can't do both days, I bet they will hire you as long as you will at least part of one day and maybe Friday too. I did.
I have experienced
this problem.  You also have to back up your macros every time you go into Medrite or it will wipe them all out.
Because they will lose more experienced MTs...
And they need to ensure that they have enough people to handle the accounts.  If they bait the newbies with the good $ now, then they can put them on editing and cut the pay later but will have a large enough work force to handle the work.  That is the reason for the lack of work right now.  They have overhired in anticipation of the mass exodus that is currently happening and will continue to happen over the next couple of months.  The newbies will be brainwashed with the good pay into believing that Transcend is the best thing since bubble gum and will try to make it work because, as you may know, when you are a newbie, you are happy to get that first good MT job and are more willing to put up with the BS while they work the kinks out of the system, etc., whereas seasoned MTs aren't going to put up with that crap.
Yep!! I have experienced that first hand.
On more than one occasion, the company I worked for knew that I had worked 22 days in a row without a day off. They were so back logged and desperate that their response to me (CEO's response) was so, I've worked 24.
and *experienced* Sheesh.
x
pay on the low side if you are experienced

nm


I agree with Experienced MT ---
You will be expected to work on many accounts with VERY different account specifics. Some are even re-records! Some will use data tags, some will not, on some you will expand headings, on others you will not, etc,. They are SO unorganized right now. I have work flow issues on a daily basis now because of their endless changes. You will get too many generic e-mails from them to even keep track of telling you to do this and not do that, without regard to the fact that what they are talking about is not even on an account you ever do. Yes, sound quality varies wildly by account and dictator. Also, good luck trying to get an answer to a question in a timely manner from them. Their pay is okay, always on time, but their so-called PTO is very low. The health benefits they offered to me were something in the range of $800 for 2 people. My 2 cents...Do with it what you will.
I have personally experienced this.
You say that you have a job with meaning and subsance. What is so special about the job with Sten Tel. Did your other MT jobs not provide meaning and substance?
If you are a 2nd shift, experienced rad MT, I bet
Keystrokes would go to 0.10 or .105 per line.

Are they hiring for an experienced MLS? (nm)
x
I have had no problem nor experienced any changes. sm

So, you really make me curious. 


Spheris- do they pay well for very experienced MTs? sm
Is their pay ontime?  Are their benefits affordable?  Are they dependable in having plenty of work?  All info would be greatly appreciated.  TIA!
Experienced Professionals
Totally agree with the premium pay and well seasoned MTs. That should go as well for QAs, managers, supervisors, etc. When you hire inadequate staff, the company just barely humps along, requiring many more editors and QA people to clean up the mess. Are they saving any money this way? Not in the long run. At minimum an MT should have 3 years of acute care hospital experience. Those skills should be well developed and tested before employed with any company. There are plenty of very skilled MTs out there but they don't work for 6 and 7 cpl. They are skilled, fast and can crank the work out like nothing else. As a suggestion in referring to a previous comment from an earlier post; theres a lot of dirt on here about companies, of which I don't doubt, but.... What if people could actually bring to this board, the companies where they absolutely love where they are working and pass that info on. That would be so much more helpful when looking around rather than telling us all the bad places. And, one more thing, if you believe you are worth more than what you are being paid and believe you should be treated better, why not move on? If people would keep moving on and up away from the companies that do not treat MTs fairly then we would either force them to change their ways or put them out of business, its up to you. One person can make a difference, let it start with you.
everything you just said is the difference between you and experienced.
Experienced is a broadened mind. You are thinking just medical words and typing mechanics.

Experienced is pretty much being trained from an account profile (that's on paper, doll, no questions allowed) and making 200 the first day; knowing how the system works INSIDE the hospital on the doctor's end having never set foot on site; being familiar with tons of platforms, systems (theirs/mine), software (theirs/mine), and dictation AS WELL AS transcription equipment (there is a difference).

I other words, not having to take by the hand and walk through the next 3 weeks while backlogs climb. You get what you pay for everywhere but here.


Keystrokes wants experienced MTs, and they pay well for that sm
experience. Maybe there was not an opening for the days or shift or type of account you wanted. Too many variables to pass judgement because you did not get a job. They did not say you are a bad transcriptionist, they just say that someone else was a better fit.
OSI is best for newbies, not experienced MTs
.
You probably experienced this when the old HR person was there - SM
She is now gone (for that exact reason), and they have a much better person doing it now. I had no trouble getting a backup account when I needed one, and now I have 2 great accounts.
Do MTSOs run away from experienced MTs?

I have a great MT day job.  I was looking to get a few extra hours a week on another just to fill in my time and to begin IC so someday I can go full time IC and set my own hours. I have a lot of years under my belt.  I just tested with 3 IC firms for part time anytime you want work.  One of them responded and said my test was perfect and they sent me the document compared with their style only corrections.  They said they'd get back to me.  The other 2 companies never did and I know I did well on their tests.


Come to find out, I was speaking to an MTSO owner this week who said really did not plan to hire me because MTs with my experience are hard to control, and it is easier to work with people right out of school, yet she liked my experience and was tempted to work with me.  Really, how is that supposed to make me feel? I have paid my dues, worked for years, done every shift, worked in every situation, including on site hospitals and now that I have a lot of experience people are not calling me? I get lots of calls for full time work, but I already have a job I love.  And they are not afraid of me being demanding.  Because I am not.  We are not all alike.  Just because one person may be a prima donna does not want to follow company regulations, that does not mean that I wouldn't.  If I found out that I were being controlled yes I would leave, but wouldn't anyone?  Then, I realized they also wanted to pay me less per line, a beginning rate.  I did not act insulted. I just did not take the job.


So, to get called back on a p/t position if you have experience, you 1) should not scare them so dumb down your resume. 2) Act very flexible like you will do anything and then proceed to do so 3) do all the above at a lower rate.


Okay, so I got the message. I quit testing for p/t and IC.  I will just work harder and longer hours for the company f/t which does trust me, is not afraid of me, and treats me well.  I am just writing this to say, isn't this some kind of prejudice? What we are supposed to quit in midcareer? Is anyone else out there getting these answers? I learned my lesson. I am not looking anymore, wasting my time doing well on tests, or dumbing down my resume to be paid less. I will probably just sell junk on e bay.


 


It's not just DeVenture..unfortunately, probably everyone has experienced this once.
And..for me, it's a deal breaker. I just take it indicative of how well they communicate with their employees. If nothing else, they should at least put their best foot forward from the beginning. Then, they can do the typcal bad communication thing down the road. I would look at this long and hard. Say, you work for them and having software problems etc so that you can't work, I can only imagine how long you will be delayed from work...if you even get started. For me, it'd be grounds for moving on.
They probably think you're experienced enough
that you're going to ask for what you're skills are really WORTH, rather than what they're willing to pay you. It might make an interesting 'experiment' to apply to a few places and put your years of experience as 4 or 5, instead of 17, just to see if you get a different response. If you do, be sure to let us know!
I have NEVER experienced that, sorry you had a bad time
:)
Any experienced MT knows you can make more
lines in clinic work because doctors say the same things over and over again so you can create macros. 
That has happened to all of us experienced MTs
We have all had to accept less just to work and we have all lost work to overseas, EMR, and SR. 
Experienced DQS users: How long did it take you to get your
nm
Where are the VERY experienced MTs (20+ years) happy?

I have 25 years of acute care experience.  I have worked in house for a hospital, I have been an MTSO, I have had my own accounts with and without subcontractors, mostly acute care but some clinic.


I am thinking it may be best to switch to clinic rather than acute care.  But where is it possible to make at least somewhere approaching what I could with my own accounts?  Any ideas?


Maybe I just need to go out and find my own accounts again.  I thought working for someone else would work out okay, but I'm not making enough money and when there's no work I sure can't make any. 


Pay scale ridiculously low for experienced MT...NM
NM
Good for internships, but low IC pay for experienced MTs.
nm
Experienced and proficient MTs should have no problem..SM
I find it unbelievable that there is so much lack of confidence in obtaining an MT job. I will share my story in hopes that others will find benefit in it...I lost a large clinic after 16 years to voice recognition. I have operated a small MT service for just over 20 yrs. now, hiring several subcontractors with overflow. Yes, I busted my rear averaging a 12-14 hour day. I lost my large clinical client several months ago, and was quite upset. However, I weighed the pros and cons of operating my own service. Just having a toll free 800 number for digital dictation for my clients to use an FTP site was costing me over $300.00 per month because they dictated many minutes per day. If the system went down, and trust me with the FTP carriers, it is common at times, the MTSO had to take the brunt of it. Anyway, after losing this client, I decided to work for a company as I had done many years ago. I was hesitant at first after reading numerous messages on various MT message boards. But honestly speaking, after sending just two resumes, I had two job offers the following day. To summarize my point, if you have the experience, skill, and drive to be a good MT, you will not struggle with finding a job. I make as much as I did working for myself. I was offered a very high line rate because I was able to prove there was very little to no editing needed on my work.

For those who complain of low wage and disrespect, please consider this may not be the profession for you. If I had to estimate, I would say probably 15% of MTs are successful long-term. Sorry if I offend some, but I believe this to be the fact. If MTs are unhappy and cannot find a good match for what the believe to be their skills, quite possibly your skills are not what you think they are. It's called realism! Good luck to all of you in your endeavors.
experienced and professional MT poster

You are just wrong.  I started over 10 years ago when one could make good money working productivity with bonuses and benefits.  The behemoth -- the Walmart of transcription -  came in and bought most everyone out and reduced line rates and decimated benefits.  All others had to also to stay in business.  I have a devil of a time making the same wage I made 10 years ago.  I recently left a place because I was making $12 an hour - working as hard as I could (less than 1/2 what I usually make).  The HR person called and asked why I left.  When I explained, she said those days are over and better get used to it.  If a CEO increases productivity and profit -- they get millions.  MTs are expected to double their productivity while making about half what they used to with VR.  Sorry poster, this is reality.  If you have prospered, be thankful, but don't put the blame of the dismal working conditions of transcription on disgruntled workers.


 


I wonder if it would be possible to find a university that would need an experienced MT to just do
OR reports.  Is this possible. 
In buyout, wouldn't they want the experienced SM
MTs to work on established account? Or is that account lost or (God forbid) sent off-shore?

I feel for you. We are all in this thing together.
Never heard of them but their ad says experienced, 30-40hrs/wk, $10-20/hr, and be
,
Some testing "MTs" have more experienced MTs sm
take their tests for them.

Besides, if they require x-years' experience, they mean it. They know what their accounts are like.




Need employment suggestions from experienced MTs

The company that I am currently working for is great in every respect except one--it just doesn’t have enough work to keep me busy.


 


I’ve been with my current company for the past seven years, and after being in this business for 20+ years, I have no desire to start job hopping, so I thought I’d ask if any of you have any advice as far as which companies might be best for me to contact.


 


This is basically what I am looking for:


 


--Number one consideration:  A company that is willing to give top pay for a top transcriptionist


 


--Preferably full time employee status with good benefits package, but might consider IC if the pay is right


 


--Lots of work with little to no clinic (I prefer acute care, ER or radiology)


 


--Easy and personable support staff with good communication


 


--And hopefully, a company that doesn’t micromanage, but will leave me alone so I can get my work done


 

Anyone have any suggestions?  Please feel free to email me if you don’t want to post.  TIA
An experienced MT knows how it "feels" to type a

50 line report, especially if you have been an IC for years.