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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

back some 15-16 years ago when I first started

Posted By: MTcurious on 2008-12-24
In Reply to: Yes, I have heard of same for years, too. - But

MT, wasnt the AAMT at the heart of changing the name of 'typist' to 'medical language specialist' and werent they involved in raising the pay scale etc, because cant we do that now what they did back then? How did they do it? I remember the old typewriters and being taught by a CMT, and they told me it was not more a few years beforehand that they were just a typing pool but when I started they already had their own office, their own 'respect' in the hospital. However that happened, we need to do that again because I feel we have regressed, even past that point of a 'typist' -

My last couple of years working in the hospital setting (which then I could not wait to work at home!?) are filled with memories where especially at holidays the doctors would send flowers, gifts, candy, toasters, I mean they treated us pretty good.

Now we are treated less than human beings, this has to change. I realize the doctors do not control the money anymore, and that is a big part of it because in my opinion I think they spread the money around a little bit more than the insurance companies/government who now control it. We will never see any of it...

I would not mind getting involved, either, if you have any ideas.

Know what you mean about the coffee - speaking of which, gotta run and get mine too!


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Be careful, this is how it started with MQ a few years back
when they cut VR pay. I saw a tremendous cut in pay and I did leave after really trying to make it work for me. I think the only ones who are able to earn the same or near are those on a different VR system than MQ and have extremely easy accounts with easy formats and extremely clear dictators. I actually think you need to be a more experience MT to do VR reports well and I'm sure lots of inaccurate info gets through because of just reading and not really transcribing. I did it for many years and it sure didn't progress for me, only less money to do it.
I just started back with them...
and would be curious about what you are talking about.  I work a strange schedule, so the work load issue normally is not a problem, but was curious if there is something I need to know.  Thanks.
You obviously do not work there. They started paying the extra a while back for OT. sm
nm
I sent it in the first day, heard back in a few days, took the test and started last week. sm
I know that they are very busy and it sounds like they are getting even busier. It took about a week after I took the test to hear, but I was told there were over 100 people taking tests and they were picking the best scores.
I have 15 years in. I just started with them
4 months ago and was started at .10/line.
I started at 10 cpl also- 20+ years experience
NM
I started at .09 with 5 years experience.
I only work part time, not sure of full time requirements
I always have enough work on it and have been on it since it started 3 years ago. sm
I do a minimum of 100 minutes every day. My goal is 120 minutes every day but I am not as fast as I once was. I do not run out of work on there but I work 2nd shift, which might be the reason. Glad you got an account you like better. I personally love this one because of the doctors, except one.
Umm, AAMT started years ago for AMERICAN MTs. You

seem to be implying that since AAMT happens to be located in the US then that is why the association is named the way it is.  You are incorrect in your implication and it is not right to post it in that manner on a public forum where new visitors get the wrong idea. 


Established company, started six years ago. They have
not grown at all through acquisition but rather just plain old fashsioned good business.
I have worked M-F day shift since I started MT-ing 3 years s/m
ago. Is it really that hard to get? (Just asking, because I never had a problem).

I work at Webmedx M-F day shift. I asked for it, and they gave it to me. That being said, it may have been because I opted for a 90% ESL account. (?) Who knows. Good luck in finding what you need, though. It is out there.
Ya know what? I started doing VR about 5 years ago mixed with standard and

really did okay, bout 80% VR.  Not sure what it is but lately the reports are coming in such a mess and such bad quality I am now not able to make a decent line count.  I believe  the push was on and they added facilities way too fast without everything being in place and lots of docs needing to learn how to use the durn thing and the system not used to the dictators (and with some dictators never will) that these accounts are now really so bad MY counts are even way less on VR  than they were 5 years ago.  The system has to have so many reports in to make the words come up correctly in future reports but is supposed to eventually get used to things.  But like I said, way to big a rush and push for VR and I don't believe companies or the system were ready. 


BUT the sellers of these systems who make quite the profit don't care and the MTSOs certainly don't care that we make such a pittance being paid by the line or if we can pay our bills and probably never will.  As MTs, we are certainly taking the brunt of all of this.  Pathetic.  Wonder what they will all do when more and more MTs move on to a job they can make a living at and the hospitals tell them they can't offshore??? 


 


I worked that shift for 7 years, ever since I started doing
MT work. Fortunately, I was always able to juggle events, etc., by being able to flex during the day, taking a PTO day - they called it that even when I was an IC, or switching for another day during the week. I also made more money on the weekends, so I didn't mind a whole lot as the money was a huge issue when I started this job.

It wasn't until this last year when there was no work available on the weekends that I couldn't justify every single weekend any more. There definitely seems to be more staffing on the weekends than what is necessary, and I think MTSOs could easily switch to a weekend rotation every 4 weeks. As someone else said, there are many departments that are not open on the weekends, so having a full staff of MTs seems a little ridiculous.

If you reconsider the offer, I would ask them if they can guarantee a full day's work EVERY day on that schedule. If you start to get the song and dance about not knowing when doctors dictate, etc., I would make my point that 1 weekend a month is plenty given that hospitals and clinics also run a light staff on the weekends.

I started 18 years ago and gave up a very good career
at a major medical association where I was just starting to move. I was 26, married three years and having my first child. I wanted desperately to stay home with him, but back then, my husband was not making quite enough to keep us afloat.
I just fell into MT when I saw an ad in the paper posted by a local MTSO. I thought, I've worked with doctors before and I know how to type. Well, I failed their test, but they were running an in-house class that cost $100 for six months, and the promise of a job as long as I could pass the test at the end. We had $123 in our savings account, and against my husband's wishes, I invested $100 of it in that course. It was well worth it!
Socially, it was hard at first to be isolated at home with children and work, but it's great now that they are all teenagers. I've always known where my kids were and been there for them when they needed me. I worked part-time for many, many years, and that gave me the chance to relax, not be stressed, go on hikes in the afternoons, or have a paddle in my kayak occasionally while the kids were in school.
I have a bachelors degree from Temple University and majored in marketing. My husband is a CPA, and we'll be married 22 years this January. He is now a partner in a small firm. He gets very good medical benefits and insurance, but no vision or dental plan. I'm sure that if I had worked for 20 years and attended to a career rather than a job, I'd be making six figures these days. I certainly don't make that doing medical transcription! But, I worked hard at raising my kids, and I have three great ones! I've saved bushels of money because I've not had to buy an office wardbrobe, pay train fare to the office, or send my children to daycare.
I have been very, very fortunate in that we no longer need my income to survive, but now I have the time to work full-time, the kids need me less, and I can still be reasonably flexible and unstressed. And, I'm still here when my teenagers need me, even though that's not as often as before. Yes, the industry has changed, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!
HELP!! Started VR yesterday after 30 years of straight typing

How in the world do you guys make any money.  I am thinking of calling company up and telling them no thanks.  I trained for 2 hours then was let go to work another two.  Did 350 lines at 4.5 cpl.  What are the keys to making money with VR. I am using Dictaphone Express Editor.


In REPLY TO: What do you call 6.5 cents?? - Geeze, when I started out 15 years ago, I made 8 c
6.5 was the offer for one place and the second offer was 9 cents. I chose the second offer :). Rough out there indeed! There are even places paying per report now... I saw 75 cents, $1.10, $1.15 and $1.25. Ain't good for Rad.
They were doing that years back when I sm
worked for them.  Same as you, though.  The CPU was new, monitor brand new.  The speakers were new.  Then they sent this grody keyboard and a pedal that wouldn't even go down because there was some kind of hair (??), maybe cat hair, under the pedal.  I am really allergic to cats, so I had to call them and tell them to send me something without hair.
I have said it for years! Back in the early
90s when my employer tried to do a business meeting with us then and did not say a word about the variable fonts, I asked the question because I do that. I think to ask when I know the outcome is the bottom line. I knew true type fonts were variable and could produce double the amount of characters on a line depending on the font. So, I asked the question in front of all their employees...so what do you do when you are transcribing more per line Mr X...is that such a deal for we MTs? I did the math on how much more we would be transcribing per line and as opposed to the 60 characters we are getting paid to do now with our standard pitch font, the change of fonts can reap as much as 123 characters per line. That's basically how I phrased the question. He evaded the question and then on the elevator leaving the room (that was a full elevator), said to me X...you WOULD have been the one to ask that question! He lost most his employees within two months. They think you don't know to ask, but I think still the older MTs are wise to this so they do ask, but someone new into the field might not know about the gross line situation.


I worked for them a few years back
Never had any problem. I was on a surgery center acct, loved my supervisor. I ended up quitting to go back to an in-house job.
worked with them quite a few years back...sm
owner and her husband were great people and fair. Plenty of work all the time. I just could not get used to NOR did i like that EMDAT platform. it was taking forever for my lines to add up. I detest Emdat.
I applied a few years back
..... what an experience.  I have been a psych Transcriptionist for 20 years.  I tested, with basically no instructions.  I formated the report as I would my other psych reports.  No errors as far as terminology, English, punctuation, etc.  However, she said I did not follow directions (what directions?????) as far as my formating went.  She said if I could not follow directions she would not hire me.  She is a trip.  I wouldn't work for her for all the money in the world.
I worked there a few years back.
There are good and bad. My experience is from a few years back, so I can't say how they are now. First, they have EXCELLENT trainers and support staff. Very professional and the owner is very kind. I really liked her. The bad was that I think when I left I had about 4-5 accounts and still sometimes ran out of work. They would just keep throwing another one at me. I would learn it, and it would be low. This may not be a problem still. I don't know. You have to set a schedule and work that exact schedule if there is work but flex if there is no work. You have to have a time clock, which I did not like at all. I think they only give about 4 days off the first year and you CANNOT take unpaid time off, so I did not like that either. They may have ironed out some of those things. They are very nice people though. Hope this helps.
I took this to LD's a couple years back and
x
A few years back I worked for

an MTSO that asked for suggestions from all its MTs on how to make our working experience better.  So I made a few recommondation, one of which was for some kind of forum where its workers could get together, get word help, share tips on the platform, accounts and difficult dictators, and kvetchz some.  The response that this has been considered but voted down by management because such forums tend to become negative. 


My idea had been that if it were a company-sponsored board the comments would be more constructive than anonymous bitching and ranting on a board such as this;  then management would have a handle on what was bugging people, and could respond and maybe remedy some things.  Apparently their fear was that people would be frank about problems they were having, others would agree,  and the suits would then have no way to claim they were unaware of problems.


So we had to turn to a forum like this and management definitely monitors what is going on, yet can deny that knowledge and not feel obliged to respond or fix anything.


EVESDROPPERS SELDOM HEAR GOOD OF THEMSELVES. 


I worked for them a couple of years back sm
Nice bunch of people, all IC. Nice platform. Always had plenty of work and I think they paid 7 cents a line. I did weekends and always had work. I'd go back to work for them if I could. They had lots of radiology and acute care and tons of cardiac.
I have 15 years editing exp. they never called me back.
I'd not even try there again. everyone i know who is there is miserable.
I worked for them a couple of years back... SM
They are a pretty good company to work for.  Pay always on time.  Work flow waxes and wanes sometimes, but pretty consistent.  I liked them.  Only reason I left was to take a job in the office which didn't work out.  I'd go back to them in a heartbeat if I didn't need bennies.
And to think a few years back, I considered moving
Interesting that they're being fed the same line: 'Not enough medical secretaries in the UK' to do the work. (They must have attended that 'MTSO-For-Dummies' workshop in India, as well.)

This Indian transcription error totally cracked me up and made my day: Below knee amputation became baloney amputation.

I sure as he11 hope I never have to have a baloney amputation......

Abosolutely satisified. Been IC for 18 years - hopefully will never go back to employee. nm
x
I live in NY and sent resumes twice over the years. Never heard back. nm
s
I'm back in college part-time after 24+ years
I figured this is the only to get my foot to the right job. My daughter will be 11 soon and by the time I finish my school that I did not finish after 24+ years, I could definitely be making 2 or 3 times more money than 7 cents per line. I can work at my local Starbucks part-time making $10.00 an hour with excellent benefits!!!
I tested a couple of years back; never heard anything...
I emailed them for update; still never heard anything.
I was feeling bad that they didn't get back to me with my 35+ years of experience, sm

but if that is the pittance they offer for pay, I'm glad they saved me the trouble of turning them down.  Pretty soon, scrubbing toilets will pay more. 


Why should I go back to making 9 cpl when I make 11 cpl now?? I made 8 cpl over 12 years ago.
nm
I worked at TC about 3-1/2 years back. I found everyone to be helpful and friendly. sm
The pay was pretty good and the account was easy. I just had some sound issues and got a better offer elsewhere. Does PY still work at TC? She is a great lady and I thoroughly enjoyed working with her! I'd say to anyone looking to give TC a chance! They are one of the better companied out there; small by mighty!
I worked for them years ago, back in 1994. No one was working from home then... SM
Well, if you were working from home, you were coming in and picking of tapes.  It was a pretty good place to work.  I was just starting out as an MT so it was really good experience for me.  They paid me hourly, but I was in house back then.  
I've sent resumes twice over the years and never heard back. Have experience, too. nm
s
That referred to the MT's applying where I was a recruiter a few years back not to my current te
xx
About 1-1/2 years ago I tested, aced it, heard back, only to be told with....sm
28 years of experience, formal college education, experience in all areas, all work types, etc., that I would be started at 6cpl, then if I got off probation at around 3 months, I could make 6.5 cpl, and then another six months later perhaps 7cpl. Set hours, you can guess, I passed this one over very QUICKLY, and also informed them nicely that if they wanted truly good, top-notch, first-rate MTs (as their ads say), then they really have to come up with a few more CPL, that what they were offering for someone with a perfect score and all the experience was actually an insult. They nicely said okay, let us know if you change your mind. Yea, right............
I left Amphion a couple of years ago and never looked back.
It was one of the best moves I ever made.
It was a great company before othey sold out to Medquist years back.
Now it's crap.
Apparently, you got a call back.. Not me.. over 9 years of ortho experience and nada
Oh well, best wishes to you. Let me know how it goes once your through the process. I had asked before about information on them but no one seems to have any.
I worked for Keystrokes a few years back. There were some problems but was told they were working on
I had heard that before, too many times to count, so I left.

I came back 2 years ago and it was like night and day.

All of the old problems are gone. They blamed them on growing pains and never denied them. Instead they fixed them. They have my vote!
Isn't Wal-Mart the company that lied/replaced labels several years back with Made in USA? nm
,,
I was hired and started in 1 week. That is not a long set-up time. When I started with our local h
I needed to get a physical and go through orientation at the hospital which is only given two times per month. This is a 900-bed hospital, so it cannot be an unusual process. MQ took 2 weeks. KS took 1 week. SoftScript never got me started even after repeated calls and emails.

I have only been with KS for 9 months but would never put them in the same catagory as the others you mentioned. They are the best company I have worked for, and unfortunately, I have bounced around a little in the last 5 years.
I was hired and started in 1 week. That is not a long set-up time. When I started with our local h
I needed to get a physical and go through orientation at the hospital which is only given two times per month. This is a 900-bed hospital, so it cannot be an unusual process. MQ took 2 weeks. KS took 1 week. SoftScript never got me started even after repeated calls and emails.

I have only been with KS for 9 months but would never put them in the same catagory as the others you mentioned. They are the best company I have worked for, and unfortunately, I have bounced around a little in the last 5 years.
I was hired and started in 1 week. That is not a long set-up time. When I started with our local h
I needed to get a physical and go through orientation at the hospital which is only given two times per month. This is a 900-bed hospital, so it cannot be an unusual process. MQ took 2 weeks. KS took 1 week. SoftScript never got me started even after repeated calls and emails.

I have only been with KS for 9 months but would never put them in the same catagory as the others you mentioned. They are the best company I have worked for, and unfortunately, I have bounced around a little in the last 5 years.
I worked in QA for Transcending back in 2000-2001. They were paying hourly back then. SM

The accounts weren't too horribly bad.  The reason I ended up leaving was because slowly but surely they began to inch closer and closer to paying QA by production.  When I first started, the quota was something like 30 reports a day.   We simply had to make sure that we QA'd all reports that were close to being out of TAT first and then do the rest.  Then, my supervisor left and they hired a new one who immediately called a big teleconference meeting and said we had to up production to 60 reports a day.  Then, they started counting lines.  Which was fine because they were still paying hourly.


Next, there was an MT who used VR software because she was blind - yes blind.  Again, when I first started, I was told we had to edit her entire reports because she used the VR software and we had to make sure that everything was correct and made sense.  Then, we are told only check the blanks.  I wasn't comfortable with that and I continued to completely proof every word.  Then I was called on the carpet not because I wasn't meeting the production quota, but because I was ONLY meeting the production quota.  I told them I was proofing all of the MT's work that used VR, I was told that no one ever told me to proof every word of the VR reports and that I needed to fill in blanks and move on.  When I voiced my concerns, I was told that was my job, to fill in blanks and I should move on and strive to product above the standards.  Next thing you know, rumors abounded about changing the QA staff to being paid on production.  So I left. 


There just seemed to me to be too little concern for quality and more emphasis on quantity and I just didn't want to be part of company who would take money out of my pocket just to line their own and that's what they were doing by putting QA on production.  I also am not comfortable with the job of QA being thought of as a blank filler.  There is much more to the QA profession than just simply filling in blanks. 


I don't know if Transcend ever did start paying QA by production, but I could see that the idea was being floated there.  Maybe there was a enough protest that they didn't change from hourly. 


Good luck to you!


Phoenix Medcom- Another apply a few months back, ask to take a test and never heard back??
I applied a month or two ago, received an email from someone asking if I would take a test and said she was getting ready to go on vacation for a week, so I hurried and immediately and told her I'd love to take the test. I never heard back. I waiting thinking she went on vacation and would contact me when she got back to do the test but nothing...very strange..Just wondered if this happened to anyone else.
Has everyone heard back from Keystrokes yet regarding the email we received a while back?
Just wandering why I haven't heard any response yet.
I sent them an email back in August and never heard back sm
Is this company on Long Island? I checked out their website and even tried calling once. Were you successful in contacting them? All i know is that the company is owned by some doctors.