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Actually, I've seen Anon post negatively about other posts regarding SS.

Posted By: So, no that is not the right assumption. on 2008-03-11
In Reply to: I assumed anon mean testing regarding - mt

yyy


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Thank you, anon, for this post...

I appreciate your comments and it does give me more insight into things on this board and particular MT's replies. I pray very much for all the women here (and men, if applicable) who are being so stressed out and overloaded with unrealistic expectations, and feeling they are somehow lacking if they don't meet more demands of any kind placed on them...by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Work more, work harder, faster, better...God did not mean this for us. He loves us, and calls us into His Sabbath rest. Our families and children are suffering because of this, as mothers and wives are being worn out and overloaded, and feeling guilty about it on top of that!!! "Be still, and know that I am God."


Anon, which post are you replying to?
????????????
YOU GOT IT, ANON - GREAT POST....nm
x
I don't think so. I've seen just as many posts
on the seeker's board. I didn't notice any that had left either...the same ones that were posting before are still posting. As far as those 2 above, 1 is owned by someone who lives in India, but the MT company is run out of TX and employs US MTs. The other does have offices offshore but also in California, and again employs US MTs.


Probably because she posts, you post, she then
posts, then you post. Are we missing something here??? Get a life, oh negativity spewing poster!
I don't respond negatively to someone asking for help . . .
whether they are asking for something that would be incredibly hard (i.e. finding a job where you could work between diaper changes, naps, etc.). However, he could find something that has a split shift or like a 10 hour window to get 8 hours of work in. There are options out there.

In regards to someone posting about wanting to work around their child's schedule? I would respond the same way. I would try and help.
I wish we could 'edit' our posts, even after we post them...sorry, it is 6:30 a.m.
I see a few errors, but you get the general idea...

Thank you, ladies, and have a nice morning.
Why do you remember who posts what and when? Why would you go and look up her old post? AND...
Most importantly, why do you care?
Don't understand why not. I thought I've seen other posts similar to this before. I'm not t

cause any problems, but as I work for DSG, so I'm naturally curious. As I said, I liked working with them both. Is it a secret?


 


I've seen a lot of posts on AI, does anyone watch Nashville Star?

On Tuesday Nights, USA Network... Chris Young is so amazing!


Had you read my post you would see that I knew someone would say that. When all the posts are about
it gets kind of old. There is no way to skip them because all of them are them! If I ignored the posts, the whole MT Stars would be ignored! Can you comprehend that?
(above post got cut off, meant to say read posts above this one
x
I stopped posting for the most part, because some S.A. always has something to say negatively about
I they don't like your post, why not just ignore it?
MY posts were sarcasm. Don't blame me for every single post.

Nobody even knows what you're talking about with hatred.  I don't see any hateful posts here.


People didn't respond negatively to you here. Don't take it out on the folks here. nm
x
I've seen sooo many posts about this....Listen, the 5000 lines isn't a typo.
It's some type of project. If you search the board, you will see the posts and then maybe we won't have to keep top-posting it all over the place?
Oh he reads this board alright. I used to post my e-mail in my posts.
I use to post on the offshore board a lot.  He took the liberty of writing me and telling me his opinion several times. I finally just blocked his e-mail. He reads here.
1) Plenty of positive posts. 2) QA post was not a Simple Question; you know that.
nm
Answer to all recent posts . . . sm . . . and my own summarization of reasons as to the first post -
To the poster accusing me of lying (SEE MESSAGE):

I am not. However, I have to mention that I have been working at least 20 hours of OT a pay period. My end amount for the month before taxes is about $2200 (give or take a few hundred depending on how much OT I can work).

Thus, I take home from that about $850 per pay check. That is $1700 a month of take home pay. Like I said in my first post, my husband is able to bring home some money. So with his help, our monthly income is about $1900 after taxes and benefits.

Below is the list of our expenses in a month. Obviously, we are not living comfortably and are pinching ever penny we have, but we are still making it.

House - $1350/mo
Phone Bill - $80/mo
Electric - $125/mo
Heat - $110/mo
Diapers - $40/mo
Gas - $50/mo
Food - $140/mo

Total - $1895/mo

I know the food amount seems low, but we grew all our own vegetables during the summer and have a connection with relatives on farms for eggs, chicken, and beef. We have made an effort to keep our bills as low as possible.

Next poster (My Take):
Yes, $11.50/hr is very low. However, if I were to go outside the home with my education, I wouldn't be able to find a job at more than maybe $16.00/hr. Yes that is quite a bit more than $11.50/hr, however, that does not include the $$$ that I would be having to pay to put my son into day care and does not include the $$$ that I would be spending on gas (would have to travel about 100 miles a day to find a job that pays that much). All that added up, ends up making my horrible pay of $11.50/hr equal to or greater than the $16.00/hr pay. I do not consider myself to be working for peanuts. I could make more if I wanted, but I chose to have family benefits, an employee status, and produce work that I can be proud of (not that I am saying those of you making more money than I aren't producing good work, I just know if I rush too much, I tend to miss things that I wouldn't had I slowed down and took my time). In the position I am at right now, I can easily make $24/hr, but because I tend to make more mistakes at this pace, I choose to slow down and send out great work. I wouldn't want my medical record to be incorrect. I completely understand that there aren't many, who would like to be in my situation, I am just trying to show people that you actually can live off of lower pay, whether you want to admit it or not. I do know that where you live makes a big difference, but if I have to chose between a roof over my family's head and food on the table versus living in a certain area, you better believe I will chose my family.

Next Poster (Hawaii MT):
Hawaii is a much more expensive place to live. I don't think I could be an MT and live there due to that fact. However, I wouldn't put myself in that situation. Your post is correct, I don't think you could live off of $11.50/hr down there, which is why if that was all I was bringing in, I would have to move. Better to be miserable and support my family than be happy but not have a house or food to eat. IMHO. In regards to clothes, I am lucky because I have my sister, who gives me the stuff she doesn't want any more. I haven't bought one article of clothing for myself in 5 years now. In reference to your next post about moving and then moving back, that is was your decision to put yourself in that situation of living in a more expensive area. Thus if you aren't making enough to survive, isn't it your fault then? Why complain about the industry? Granted, I am not sure if you are one to be complaining, but just my thoughts.

Next Poster (MTT):
I never said I was doing well off of $11.50/hr. In fact, I am not doing well at all, just getting buy, but I am able to make it, so that is why I am happy. I can't believe you make almost as much as a nurse. You must be awesome. Nurses in my area make $35/hr minimum. I do, however, agree that the lack of pay raises in this industry is frustrating. The more experience I have, the less my pay seems to be. I went from making almost $14/hr with a local hospital to $11.50/hr with an MTSO, but didn't have a choice, so made it work.

Next Poster (MT):
I know you can't live in California or New York on my wages. However, if I were living in those areas and making what I make, I would be working 2 to 3 jobs if I felt I absolutely had to continue to live in those areas. I doubt I would do that though. I would much rather live a more comfortable lifestyle somewhere that is less expensive.

Next Poster (thought about moving?):
My thoughts exactly. For those complaining about their wages and the cost of living being so much, I don't understand why they complain, when there are other options. JMHO.

Next Poster (50 miles inland):
Florida is cheaper than California, as well as a lot of the southern and east coasts.

Next Poster (income):
My rent went from $500/mo 3 years ago to $1350/mo once I bought a house. This was my choice, but I know what it is like to feel a shock from rising payments. I have adjusted to this though, and actually since our payments have gone up, our income has gone down by over half of what it used to be. Not much fun, but the whole point of my original post was to let people know that it still can be done, just that sometimes drastic measures have to be taken. I don't know of many who can get their income to go up, so instead of complaining about how low it is all the time, why not do something about the extra expenses you do have?

Next Poster (I would be happy at $25/hr too):
If you can't afford to live off of what you are making and you live in a high cost area, then what I meant by reevaluate your lifestyle might actually be that if you want to continue as an MT because of all the other perks, you might have to sacrifice and move so that you can afford to live while working as an MT. That would be one way of reevaluating if you can't afford to live like you currently are on your pay. Personally, I wouldn't be moving. I would be finding a different job or getting more jobs. I like where I live.

The basic point of my post is that there is no point in complaining about how "little you make". If you don't make enough money to "survive", then you should be looking at either a new job, another job, or finding a place where you can "survive" off of what you currently make. There is no point in coming on these boards to complain about your "horrible pay or no raises" when you are making twice as much as a lot of people. Besdies with the economy right now, anyone with a job doesn't even have a right to complain IMHO. I know too many people laid off right now, who are struggling to keep their house. So to see people complaining about what they make when they have a job is not fair.

My whole point of my original post had nothing to do with how much I make (trust me, I am not proud of it, but it does pay the bills, so I am grateful for that). It had to do with the fact that you should be happy you have a job.

To those of you that said I was happy making $11.50/hr, the reason I am "happy" is because I can support my family. I don't like the amount and think it is quite low, but I am so happy right now just to have a job it isn't even funny. This is why I am happy with my $11.50/hr. Seriously, with the way the economy is, I would be happy as a peaches pie just to be making anything over minimum wage.

Also, I like being an MT and being able to work from home and be with my family. I think the fact that I am able to be home with my family everyday is well worth my lack in pay.

I do understand that we aren't getting paid what we should be and that the wages are continuing to go down, but that is happening everywhere. Just be happy you have a job. Seriously.

Any more comments . . . I am just trying to make those who are complaining realize how lucky they actually are to have a job and to be making as much as they do.
Posts are up for grabs. Private message is not. You would only post publicly to what, stir SM
something up? If you had an honest question, the proper thing to do would have been to ask the question privately. Otherwise, you look like you are trying to rile people up when you already know how everybody feels.
I suspect that unless you post like-minded sanitized goodie goodie posts,
x
Just a thank you to all who answered this post. You've been a great help!!

Best post I've read in a long time.
I tend to go back and forth with my feelings about this profession. In the mornings I am glad I do not have to get up, get ready and go to an office. Many times in the evening, after I have during the day and still have work to do, I feel like stuffing it all. Many times I am disheartened when I get my paycheck, but I am glad to be getting one, while my sister worries about getting laid off from her manufacturing job. MT has advantages and disadvantages.
I meant to answer your post earlier, but I've been trying to catch up on

housework before school starts.  I cannot WAIT for school to start.  I'm so tired of the kids' bickering and attitudes this summer.  They've taken to ignoring me whenever I ask them to do anything.  I threaten them with grounding, loss of privileges, or slave duty.  Then they bicker about who did more chores or who made the mess to begin with.  Instead of cleaning up after them, I leave it sit until their Dad gets home.  If they don't want to listen to me, they'll darn well listen to him.  


They are usually really good kids.  I think it's mostly cabin fever because a lot of their friends went on vacation or stayed with their biological Dads for the summer.  The kids are so bored.  I'm just so tired of it every summer.  I have all these grand plans for finishing work early and doing something fun each day, but I get the same garbage every year.  Too many kids over here, too many interruptions, too much bickering, too much mess.


Let me tell you, I'm celebrating on the first day of school.  I'm going to the coffee shop and buying a big mocha latte.  Then I'm going to sit there all by myself and read a book.  On the way home, I'm grabbing lunch for myself and watching a chick flick by myself.  No McDonalds either.


thanx for all your input.. A new MT friend of mine asked about it, said I'd post it.. You've
x
I've been meaing to post on this subject, but have to work too many hours now just to pay the bil
I've been at this for 16+ years and when I started, there were few big nationals, just small transcription companies that cared about their MTs and paid very well.  Once I got trained on an account, I usually averaged over $30 an hour, always had work, and was proud of the living I could make in this profession.  Now, pay keeps going down, down, down and I am panicked by how little money I am able to make, and even more panicked when I read the jobs for MTs and see the pay being offered is insulting and dismal.  I cannot believe this is the pay being offered for those of us trained in highly technical medical terminology and responsible for the accuracy of  documents that affect people's lives.  I urge everyone with experience in this field not to accept this kind of pay - maybe if enough of us make a stand, something will have to change for the better.  As it is, I might just have to take a job at Wal-Mart. 
Just do a search and read the posts. There are plenty of posts about OSI on this board. nm.
nm.
Anon
Amen to that!
Anon
Where in the world do you work that you have never made less than 50,000???? I have done this for 15 years and the most I have ever made is 31,000 and I am considered very fast and knowledgeable. Let me know!!!
Anon
I cannot believe how mean and nasty you are.  You need to get a life.  How do you know that my weight problem is not health-related?  I am truly sorry that you lost your husband.  I cannot even imagine that!  However, there are no circumstances in life where you need to be so negative and hateful.  I for one will not post anything on this board again due to all the unfriendiness.  I thought this board was to assist MTs in work and life issues.  GEEZ!
Not Anon
I am sorry that you took my post as directed to you.  I was just floored at the remarks that "anon" posted.  Unbelievable.  I was just asking if COBRA could take away dental coverage that I originally had when I started with COBRA and ended my employment.  I am going to be on the phone looking for other coverage.  Insurance can be a real pain.  I thought I was covered with everything I had for at least the 18 months of COBRA before I had to move on.  My plan was to lose the 70 pounds at least and then try to get on with my husband.  I have 25 pounds down and 45 more to go!  Wish me luck! 
Sorry, No Way, but anon and the others are right. NM
nm
TO ANON
I respect the right to her opinion, but I am not ignorant and I will not sit quietly by while someone refers to me as such. When the namecalling begins, the gloves come off.
TO ANON
the thread is out of line, the she I was originally referring to was gspal and no, her opinion did not matter as much to me as a fellow American. The original post was meant to be informative and it was for American based MT's. This whole thing is fast approaching ridiculous and I just realized you were responding to the earlier part of the thread, so for that I am sorry for my response.
anon
thank you for your understanding and quick forgiving nature. I need to calm down, I don't what possible difference I think jumping in the fire will make! and yes, we agree. I really don't mind other countries improving; they live in terrible conditions. I just think we should be put on a sacrificial alter. It seems not to matter that the inflation is killing us and to tell you the truth, not everybody is offering 9 cents a line; that would almost double some of them I have heard. They want to come down to 4 and 5 because we know they can get it even cheaper over there, but our bills are not coming down commensurately. Thank you again. L
Thanks, anon!
I have not been able to get any autotext entries to save.  Or I can save them, but when I reopen the program they aren't there.  Even my employer didn't know and thought it was a conflict with the platform we use.  I just did this tip you listed and so far it is working.  We'll see how it goes tonight though once I am actually working.  Thanks!
I see why you posted Anon
That's nice that you are prejudice.  I have three children who are mixed.  They are wonderful children.  I know this has nothing to do with your post about the little girl, but your admittance of being prejudice really offends me.
Thanks ANON (see inside)
For bringing this publication to our attention - and giving us the opportunity to write to the editor.  Our job in no way can be compared to any of those you listed - and I haven't made a profit in several years as an MT, much less ever been offered benefits, time off with pay, etc.  I have been offered a minute amount of money extra to work holidays - but not ever company even offers that to ICs.  I will definitely be sending in a letter to the Editor on this subject - we need to ban together and take our profession back from those who have taken it from us - or abandon it all together and let the big companies suffer through it - while trying to keep up the work with newbies.  My motto has always been - if you can't resolve something with a phone call - you should then write a letter.  Thanks again - for bringing this to our attention.
anon, my apologies, not down on you,
but I do see a lot of posts reflecting what I was talking about, so I did not mean to direct it all at you per se, just saw an opening for my "soapbox."

It is great that things are good for you and you are not seeing the issues a lot of us do in this profession, but for the rest of us to make light of them and pretend they do not exist is not going to make it any better.

We should be standing together. Even if you are doing great, you have a lot of sisters who are not. In fact, many are hurting real badly right now.
Anon that is a really good...
...advice. It is one that many people should pay attention to.
Anon, question...SM
What new jobs are they being put in at Kaiser? Are coders being displaced too? Thanks!
You're not alone, anon - sm
It seems like we are limited in this profession because IC status is an absolute MUST for us because we have health issues. It's not that we cannot work or do not want to work. We can work every day, including weekends. It's just that becaue of our health situation, we need a very flexible schedule. We work when we are able to and not necessarily "when it pleases us," as one recruiter stated to me recently.

I still have a job, but it has been very difficult because the company I work for over hired and work has been coming in, in dribs and drabs, and they don't pay when they are supposed to. They don't pay ICs through direct deposit, either.

I have over 5 years experience as an MT, but my experience is mostly in clinic work. I was trained in the Basic 4, but now they are getting real picky and I was told by one recruiter that although I did exceptionally well on the test, they need MTs with recent acute care experience, so "Go get the experience and when you do, let us know." Talk about BS!

Now I see something happening to my present company and there seems to be a lot of work all of a sudden and it looks like the reports are just sitting there, which is not hurting me because now I don't have to scrounge for dribs and drabs. It would be an okay company to work with if they would only get their heads out of their butts and pay on time.

In my opinion, the MT job market is saturated now. Have you looked at the Job Seekers Board lately? For each job posted,there are like 800+ views which means you might as well try to win a lottery if you want to find a job.

I absolutely refuse to be sold up the river with VR (and there are plenty of those out there). I am told that VR is here to stay. It's not a bad thing, but at least PAY a decent rate for mercy's sake! It takes about the same amount of time to edit a report as it does to type it in most cases!

I just wanted to say that I feel for you and don't give up. Something has to come up sooner or later.
They are still there today! Thanks again, anon!
I am so excited about this that I have to post another thank you message to anon! I opened Word w/o the MT platform and did the tip and then every time I saved something while in the platform when I was working it still saved it. They all appear to be there today too. I have searched and searched for a solution to this and now I have it. Yippee!
anon...this information changed me and

...sharing the information was the only way I could live with having it, if that makes sense.


We are expected to accept so much in our world/society (violence, pain, suffering) these days, and in our hearts I believe we know some of these things are not 'right'; yet, our voices have become smaller and smaller, for some reason, and when someone does speak out they are labeled one thing or another, or dismissed, or worse. 


In my opinion, I think some of it is fear...it seems to harden us, as you mentioned. 


This is a terrific board...very 'colorful,' and by that I mean a lot of different points of view, which I find thought-provoking. 


MTStars does a great job and service, in my opinion.


Only work 8 hours a day?? (Anon)
I honestly don't know how you do it. After 17 years of doing MT, my C-spine is a mess, i.e. DDD, bulging disk, bone spur, cord compression, disk dessication, etc. Four hours of transcribing IMHO, considering the intensity of the work (eyes on screen, hands on keyboard, foot on pedal, headphones on, glued to chair) is equivalent to the 8 to 9 hours I used to put in daily as a medical secretary with the breaks at the water cooler, and just having different tasks to break up the day. An MT can't even listen to a radio while working. Four hours is my limit. Friends and family will comment on how lucky I am to only work a 4 hour day. If they only knew how much work I do in those 4 hours...
This is not the Company Board, Anon. nm

Do you always answer a question with a question? 


With all the anon posters, how would you sign?
Lots of talk but when it comes down to it, how many people are really willing to sign a petition with their real name in an open forum? I would be willing to bet that the idea of possibly losing a job that pays the bills and puts food on the table would win out over the ideal.
Extremely welcome, Anon. Just passing it on like much came from others. nm
x
I assumed anon mean testing regarding
post against offshoring. Anon didn't say anything about SS. Maybe you're just looking too deep into it.
I think anon is same poster with kid problems
x
Well anon at least you're batting 50%!
Mine are not there--but I did figure out how to save my normal.dot in a different file in a different place, so now I just have to build it up again.  Truthfully I suspect tech support.  Last time this happened I asked them and they said something about "unauthorized macros" or some such BS, which is none of anybody's business how I do my job as long as I do it and do it well just leave me and my autotext alone!