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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Dont let it fester for too long as you

Posted By: Alma Brewer on 2007-10-18
In Reply to: Feeling down, need advice - tiredofthis

will find you will resent his fun and freedom that you allowed to happen. In my case, this went on all during my career, with my DH doing all the fun things, taking little trips with his buds.. Well, now I am old and Kids are grown so I still sitting here transcribing. He is off on a 7-10 fishing trip again..but I am fooling him this time. I got plans with my sis (my MTSO boss) and brother-in-law, we are taking off for a few days to casino and other places. We will probably sleep for 2 days before we acclimate ourselves..Oh but we doin'it..Finally after so many years Duhhhhhhhh


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Hi, im new here, long question.. dont know where to post it!

Hello everyone.. I don't know where to start and I'm just taking a quick break from my work
sorry if this is long, i want to get the best answer and help so i'm gonna give some background (and i dont bother usually with capitalization in my friendly emails, but i assure you it is not how i type my work).. .LOL

Anyways, I am 25 years old, have been doing transcription for seven years (my mom taught me when I was in high school). I love my job and work for two places. One is a hospital so I don't know how negotiable that pay rate is. The other one is a doctor's office.

Urology. I started with them September 11, 2001. (crazy, sad, i know)... I started at 12 cents a line.(the hospital pays me 10 cents) They are located in California, where I used to live. Two years ago, they got a new office manager (i was pretty close with the first one). Well this office manager happened to be someone I had previously worked with, who had screwed over my mom and I because they sent their work to India without EVER telling us until two days before hand (even though we told her to just tell us when it was going to happen). Well that practice eventually broke up... and what luck I had, she is now AGAIN my office manager. Well a year ago I decided I was going to move away and I bought everything for the office that they needed to go digital (we were doing tapes before). Now I live in Nevada and do their work over the internet, returning their work within 24 hours.

My question is, I think I deserve a raise, and I have no idea how to go about it. I have been with them for five years, obviously the cost of living has risen, including health care. By the way, I receive no benefits from either the hospital or the office.

Is this reasonable, and does anyone have any suggestions or pointers? I still feel pretty young and vulnerable because I have never been in a position to ask for a raise. Since I am an independent contractor, I suppose it wouldn't be asking, rather than just telling... but I want it to be more appropriate than that.


And I'm basically wondering what others are making as independent contractors, i know companies don't pay as much, but they also offer benefits...

Thanks for taking the time... back to work for me.

Emily


My "quess" is Drs. dont care as long as there is
x
Drs dont care as long as report in folder. They
x
Why dont you stop coming in and agitating everyone under all your different names. Dont you work.
:
Dont you think MQ will just keep hiring new people who dont know they lost lines because they are

new. I betcha.


If you dont try to fill in blank or research, dont
x
The way I understand it if you dont keep below 10 to 15% QA you dont get the bonus even if your QA
score remains above 98% so you see as the other poster said you are between a rock and a hard place and I expect this is MQ way of getting out of paying a bonus to people. I see it this way anyhow. I plan to continue to send unclear things to QA and that is the way it is. I expect depending on the new pay scale on top of this they will be losing a lot of MTs anyhow as they continue to miser everyone out of money.
Do you honestly think they do. I dont. I dont think some of them can even understand some of the

 reports they listen to quite frankly.


If you dont want to read a thread, then dont.
x
Most Dr. dont care and dont know how they get
x
Since dont know of any cars that dont use
x
I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some.  Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not.  I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position.  Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this.  Thanks again for any advice. 
I dont know. I didnt care then and I dont care now.
Just me

Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!

Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000.  Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts.  Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved.  I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc.  So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type.  Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one. 
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...

I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 


Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....

I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.

You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.

Good luck to you!!
Hello....YOU dont get it!
She is 18.  She is an adult.  Her parents didn't "send" her there.  She went with her friends.  Her parents, I am sure, instilled values in her.  But she, like most peoples young teenage children, probably was acting like all the other young teenagers there and having fun.  No one said she had no values.  She made a bad decision.  Your children could do the same, no matter how you have raised them.  Should you be persecuted because of it?  I think you don't have a clue. 
I dont know
I do not carry it now with the company I am an IC for, but I am new in the field so I rely on asking you guys
I dont believe you
I really doubt you transcribe that many lines in an 8 hour day five days a week. You must do a single ESL dictator. You must be one of the lucky ones who gets to use all of those "normal" reports. Since I moved to DQS all I get is ESL dictators and NO use of normals or canned reports.
Still dont believe ya
If you are doing straight typing and not using normals, let us in on your secret. I concentrate! I have a positive attitude! I can also type 120 words a minute! You must type 300+ words a minute. Well, just stay happy because soon you will not be getting the same type of work and you will be in ESL h-e-double toothpicks! Enjoy it while you can.
No I dont. I am from the NE.
:
DONT go to SPI.
nm
you dont' know.

This is why I think the old "page" and "half page" method of pay was better for everyone.  I think it forced everyone to be honest. 


Do you think they'll ever bring back 'per page' method of billing ?


usually dont pay anything in
and last year managed to get 1800.00 back.  Love the write-offs!
I dont know but sm
A couple of them work in the office and I dont know if they put two and two together when I went to the office a couple of times or what. Or maybe he was just lying. I think it has to be the most rotten thing to do to anyone. What if something would have happened to me on the Interstate on the way home all because he couldnt just save me the trouble and do it over the phone? I have a husband who was highly upset that I drove all the way there for that.
dont know about

your Word problem - would seem that if you change it once in your transcription platform, that should hold from day to day.


but to post a new message - if you look up at the first message, right above that the admin has a message about the santa house, then look above that and to the left a bit you will see a box that says * post a new message *, click on that and you will start a new thread.



I dont think there's much else I can add
to all the great posts below, but you MUST know that you DO indeed have a job(s) and are working very hard. Sometimes parents can be so harsh and thoughtless.  Give yourself a big pat on the back and affirm to yourself that you are doing a GREAT job with everything in your life!  You are home for your kids and husband after all, and what's more important than that?!
Why dont you

post this on the gab board



Just joking!!!  I have been following your posts and noticed you have been told where to go all weekend.  Poor guy.  But you seem to be taking it well!  Good for you.


and good luck to you!


You dont have to have a CMT to be an MT - (nm)
.
just dont know
I have been doing this for almost six years. I know that to some of you, this isnt long, but considering I am 25, to me it is a good chunk of my life. I have loved every minute of my career as a transcriptionist.

My first job out the gate, with no experience, I made about 18,000 the first year. I stayed with that company for almost five years. Contractor status, no benefits, yada yada yada. the income fluctuated a bit in either direction, but overall it was okay.

Now I am a single mom of two. I work for a different company now that does actually offer the option of employee status with benefits, PTO, et cetera..i turned that down..i know i am crazy.

just to give you an idea of the potential and possibilities, i made almost 250 in two days. 1600 lines one day, 1200 the other.

There is a but..I often work twelve or more hour days...That is my choice, and no one elses...my line committment to my company is between 500 and a 1000 a day, but i think i am on paper as 500...i worked for 5 months without a footpedal and without a medical spellcheck/expander..so i did EVERYTHING manually

But ya know what, I still love every minute of it.
I'm an IC so I dont know if it is the same...
I made the mistake of "asking" for a raise just last week. I have been with this same office (a three doctor practice) for seven years. Not only was their response not to give me a raise, they want to make it so I'm actually making LESS. So I'm not sure how it works with a big company, but I know in my situation, I'm disheartened and upset. I figured with a big company they would say no, or they dont care about you, but in a small practice that I have felt part of the "family" so to speak... it was a shock. So much for loyalty in this industry! The problem comes in that I don't make enough money anymore to cover the expenses of inflation over the past seven years. I understand the need to cut costs in times like these, but how bad could it really be by not giving me a minimal raise? It's quite a slap in the face. I laid out the points of why I should be receiving the raise...(like 7 years alone without one isn't enough) but that's what you would normally do when asking for a raise, show your dedicated work, your accuracy, etc. If you do ask, I'd really love to hear back from you how it went so I know in the future what to expect. Good luck!
i dont really want to know!!!
haha
Dont know about anyone else...sm
What I do know is that if I pass the test, my company reimburses the cost of the exam, and then gives me an extra penny a line. Doing just the minimum lines they require, that works out to over 2000 a year pay increase.

I am planning on taking the exam the end of June, as said company also requires all QA personal to have or attain within three months and had thought about applying fot QA in the near future when there is another opening.
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.  
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year

dont know where you have worked
dont know where you have worked but the hospitals and trans services I have worked for would NEVER help a doctor speak better.  They are the bread and butter.  The doctor is essentially the boss.  You would never bring to a doctors attention that he does not speak correctly.  You obviously are a newbie.  I have worked at hospitals that have thrown wine and cheese parties for doctors just to get them in to do their charts, bought them scratch off lottery tickets, gifts, taken them to lunch, even though they could have suspended them but, of course, they would never.  You do not want to lose a doctors business, that is what keeps a hospital and trans service open and profitable.  You know what would happen if you suggested teaching a doctor how to talk correctly, you would be fired, nothing would happen to the doctor.
Up to the parents, but they dont do it
Hey, I feel like this, the parents have the only ones who have a right to spank or otherwise discipline kids
Dont believe me, who cares?
How silly you are.  Dont believe me, I dont care.  MQ has been sold.  I will post again once you get the news from MQ.  I will post *I told ya so*.
It dont exist
!
Dont miss it at all......

Been without it for a year now.  I have a greater appreciation for PBS!!  And, I find that since I have the television on less, I am much more productive.  My kids are out of the house now, I currently live alone, so did not need cable. 


I do get my fix of viewing when I spend the week-ends at my fiances place tho.


What? I dont get the joke.
x
AccuScribe in CA DONT DO IT!!
I agree w/ the other post, there are more than one AccuScribe companies out there and the one run by Susan Rojo is not a good one! She does demand work in right away and does not pay on time EVER!!! She has no people skills and does not treat her employees with respect at all. Not recommended if you like getting paid and respected for your hard work.
thank me. i tried, but they dont do hawaii :(
/
Use meditech but dont like it...
Meditech is horrible.  I use it, but dont like it....If I had known this was the platform, would NOT have accepted this acct.  I use shorthand and that is a life saver... I have also when typing regular medical (I do both gen med and rad) since they are so much longer type the report in word, use all of word features such as spell ck, grammar, stedmans goodies and when done cut and paste into the Meditech screen.  While it does take a while to peck it out, it still saves my sanity for not having any of the tools needed to type the darn thing....I also save my templates in word and use them from there.. Short ones i do put in shorthand.  Good luck.....
Is this so you dont have to LEARN which is which?
If so, no, theres no way.

If you need a shortcut, just put the nongenerics in your Expander as capped. Put your others in like ddiphenhydramine and it will catch on spellcheck and you will know it is generic.