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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

What do they pay experienced people to start? -n/m

Posted By: Jes' Curious on 2008-04-08
In Reply to: I have been with Axolotl for 2 years. - MEMT

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Does Sten-Tel start their experienced people at a low wage, too, or just the newbies? Thx. nm
s
Maybe they are tired of hiring so-called experienced people sm
wwho get someone else to test for them. Maybe they want to hear the correct answers straight from the horse's mouth so to speak...
6.5 cpl ???? They START people higher than that. sm
I think they start at 8 cpl or 8.5 cpl and they do raise up according to account and time with them, etc. I make 9.5 cpl with them but have been there a while. I average 20,000 lines a pay period. Radiology is great because of shortcuts and macros!
6.5 cpl ???? They START people higher than that. sm - RAD-KS
i may just apply!  6.5 is not good at 10 yrs of Rad experience.  I got offered 9 somewhere but as an IC and this company I dont think cares because I have yet to hear from the lead Transcriptionist about training i.e. welcome to the group etc... I am just confused about IC companies today..  At least with employee status, it is much more organized about when things will take place. 
Most generally lots of people on here to start trouble????

Bringing this back up from below posted by Babe  People come here to get advice, and seeking opinions on companies good or bad.  Sure, there are a few bad apples that will not be happy anywhere they go but I think most of us all want the same thing, an honest and good company to work for.  To post only the positive would be great, but then as we all know, there are companies that do their advertising right here posing as MTs, only to find out later when we get burned and have to start the entire process of testing and bouncing yet to another job.  You are either very naive about the MT world we live in today, or more likely you are a company official that doesn't like anything negative posted about your company, specially when its lots of it.  I don't think anyone is stupid enough to believe everything they see here, but if you see a  lot of  specifics about a particular company and you experienced it yourself, then you have to give that some credibility and back that person up - this could be good information or bad information.  My assessment of KS personally is that I have not seen anything that would sway me in any way.  Any information I have seen here leaves me as feeling neutral.I think people just want an honest opinion, thats all.  I guess you perceive a negative post warning about another company's ripoff techniques starting trouble  Hmmm.. makes me wonder what chair you're sitting in, sure don't sound like an MT. 


Over 14 years expierence and offered 7.75 cpl to start. I had to turn it down but the people were
very nice. I just couldn't take a pay cut like that.
Great advice. Is people stop working for them, maybe they will start paying attention. I wonder if .
their clients know they do not pay their MTs to do the work. You can bet that Rapid Transcript is getting paid by the client. What a ripoff. Just the fact that they have an F rating by the BBB woudl be enough of a turn-off for me. Crappy business practices.
TransHealth has some that start the next month after you start work. nm
xx
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. 
They still need experienced MTs so that plan may backfire on them.
:
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.