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I haven't made that kind of rate for at least 20 years

Posted By: not good here on 2005-09-22
In Reply to: 14.00/hr for radiology private contractor job/PT, internet based. Good dictation. - Sound fair to you?

Don't know where you live. In my area, that is not good money at all.


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If you haven't done MT in many years, that is a very good rate...sm
Many things have changed and companies usually require more recent experience. I say go for it!
Haven't read any other posts, but isn't that kind of premature? sm
We have no idea what they are offering. Might be good. Might be bad.

I know some MTs hate the build-up and the "here it's coming... guess what it is?" scenario, but if they just sprung a change on us, would we still complain? I think so, and more so at that.

Why can't we just be patient? The only thing that ever remains constant is change. I accepted that a long time ago (yeah, I'm old) and having done that, I feel better equipped to handle more things than had I not come to that "revelation."
Boy, you sound so perfect. I guess you haven't made any mistakes then, huh? sm
Wow. Even though you have this so-called knowledge about her and her son, or whatever, you don't have to come on the internet to say that she didn't love her son in a "traditional sort of way." What does that mean? We all love in different ways. I'm with most of the other posters on this board that you do sound harsh, whether you want to admit it or not, and even if you DO have knowledge of her past, you definitely cannot tell anyone of us here that you know what she is going through. No one knows.
Thank you! That is all I wanted was someone to understand and be kind! You made me feel better with
future and get better, just BAD luck so far. 
Kind of like an introductory rate? Well, then there's no room to gripe!
Good grief.

If it was said up front there would be reductions or adjustments later, then what's to complain about?

You have options, to opt out, right? Or work somewhere else, right?

Seems pointless to be upset over this.

the last time I made 4 cpl was in 1974 and that was the going rate then. There's really SM

something terribly wrong wtih this industry today.  While other industries are getting raises, we are having our work devaluated to the point where we can hardly earn enough to live.  It's not like just anyone off the street can do this kind of work, it takes a lot of training.  It's not even treated like a profession any more. 


Personally, I will not feed into the low pay.  If a company offers me 7 to 9 cpl, I let them know that it is an insult to expect an experienced, highly skilled Transcriptionist to be offered such low pay and I refuse to work for them.  These companies need to come on in to the 21st century and offer pay that is more in line with the economy. 


I really think some of these MT companies should read the comments on these boards with regard to the cpl they are offering.  It might (?) give them a wake-up call.


haven't done that one right in years
excuse me - Have not done that 1 right in years!!!
No! I'm 48 years old and still haven't had a new car!!!!
I don't think kids should be given a new car. That is a good place in life to teach them that they have the ability to work hard, save their money and buy anything they want. It gives them the incentive to want to make more money, which gives them the incentive to take care it (the car they finally buy) and also gives them the incentive to work hard in school/college so that they will get a very good paying job when they are finished with their college, so they can afford the expensive things they desire, like in the "real world" where everything isn't given to them.
we haven't had a tv in 9 years...
got rid of it when our kids were small and it's been w o n d e r f u l. No nameless, faceless shrieking box taking over the whole house, with its subliminal messages about happiness and new cars and happiness and thin bodies and how teenagers in the sitcoms are smarter than adults, bla, bla, bla. It's all mindless crapola if you ask me. BTW, my daughter in 4th grade reads at an 11th grade level. I think they read out of boredom LOL
About 23. Some I haven't used in years, some I

use on nearly a daily basis.  What you need depends on the type of account you work on.  If you are only doing clinic notes you can get buy with a drug book and a book like Sloane's Medical Word Book.   If you are doing acute care but only doing one speciality then again you could get by with a drug book and whatever Stedman's book for that speciality.   I don't know how people function without books.  Google is not always a reliable reference and to have to spend time googling when you can open the book and found it in 3 seconds is so much easier and productive. 


Some of my books are an older edition, but unless it is a book that I need frequently I don't update with each new addition.  I'm partial to Stedman's books, as I think most MTs are.  They have specials throughout the year.  You can also buy books at half.com.  You can get a brand new book for a fraction of the cost of new, though be sure to check Stedman's website to make sure you are getting the most current edition. 


I haven't had a normal in 2+ years now. (nm)


 


haven't been to brooklyn in years
But didn't know it was trendy at all. There are a lot of really bad parts and a few ritzy parts as I recall. Very crowded and a place not desired although I am interested in the new trend.
I haven't be a newbie for 10 years
I am a slow typer, I am only paid 7 cpl, and have 20 different doctors on a daily basis.  I am feeling like maybe I have wasted the last 10 years as an MT.  I hear so many talk about their perfect accounts, making $100+ a day only working 8 hrs a day, and I the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I am home for my kids when they get home from school.  Where are those good accounts, good platforms, and good paying MT jobs that we experienced MTs deserve? 
agree - haven't had a car payment in years
paid $6000 cash for a 93 Volvo wagon back in 2002.  Too many people think they need a new (or pricey) vehicle and really have better things to do with their $400-600 per mo. Every time I look into getting something new or simply newer, I decide that I neither want to take that much money out of savings,  nor do I want to have such an outrageous car payment.  I would totally prefer a brand new car, but it seems like such a waste of money. 
I haven't missed a day of work in 10 years
I can't believe so many ICs do this, taking days off! It's unheard of to me.

I don't blame you for getting frustrated. Seems no one has a good work ethic these days.
I've been hearing this for years, haven' t you.? It gets boring.
x
I haven't had taste or smell for over 10 years due to chemotherapy.
Sometimes that's a GOOD thing. Seriously.
Besides, that donation is squarely out of MTs' pockets. I haven't had a raise in the 3 years
x
I haven't bought a drug book in 2 years - I use Google ...sm
and the FDA website. Both are faster than flipping through a book and free.
Haven't heard in years. Supposedly making it harder to get money
xx
Made more 10 years ago
Better dictators back then and the company/facility you worked for didn't give with one hand and take with the other.
Ive been doing this for 4 years and made
37,000 in 2008...A lot of hard work though to get that.
Unfortunately, this rate is so 5 years or more ago.
Ever since offshoring started, our wages have gone down.  I tie it directly to that and thre greed of the companies who offshore. 
How many MTs made more per line 10 years
nm
made more money 15 years ago than I do now. nm.
x
Like I am saying, what I made years ago and what I make now
sooooooo much different. I do not have to raise a family though now and my quest towards making money is not like it was at 1 time. IF I HAD TO support a family, I definitely would not go into this business now or I would plan on working as I did in the past, 2 full time jobs, then I could make ends meet. I am so glad money is not the #1 thing anymore that drives me.
15 years ago I made 75 thousand
a year, but not anymore. To do that, I had a very good paying FT job, and a home business. I worked 7 days a week, sometimes 12 hour days. Now I just work regular, and sometimes PT. I doubt I could make that again unless I want to be a workaholic.
Yes. I made that my first couple of years.
Now it's at least twice that when I'm lucky enough to have a half-decent account. (Those are getting fewer and farther between.)
Waited 6 years to buy one could have made
and now I can't imagine living without it. I took a job recently and I could not use Smartype on their program, they had an Expander but with nothing in it LOL and I thought I was going to die!!! Get one...it is NOT faster typing it.
Average rate for 10+ years out here is now 9 cpl...:( nm
.
at this rate, this world isn't going to last another 25 years. no lol
nm
You're okay making LESS than you made 10-20 years ago?
I'm not. No, every "job" doesn't work itself DOWN the ladder of success. I'm working to earn a living, I'm working to have goals, to better myself and my way of life. I would never settle for a job that keeps paying less and less. Sorry, but I disagree with you but to each his own.
Same for me, I made more 10 years ago. It depends so much on account, SM
work type(for me), and expanders. I find it hard to stay motivated when report after report is ESL and a work type I can't make money on. The above poster likes radiology, I like OPs. It is easier to stay motivated when you have that.
I've been at it for 30+ years. 'Back in the day', I too made
about $42,000/year (gross). But the accounts keep getting crappier, and the pay keeps going lower. Meanwhile, I saw gas a $4.10/gallon on the interstate Sunday evening, and I'm slowly becoming a forced vegetarian because I can no longer afford to buy meat or fish.

Meanwhile, the suits at the big hospitals that whine about a 1-cpl increase in the cost of MT have six-(and some seven)-figure incomes.
I just had to laugh - after 3+ years of no rate increase SM
I gave my MTSO 4 weeks notice of going up to 12.5 cents (IC) - they do no QA on my work (returned directly to clients) - only have to pay for call-in system. Accuracy rate is pretty near 100% according to my docs (and my own proofing) MTSO said my proposed rate was OUTRAGEOUSLY high and I was living in a dream world compared to area ICs (Chicago land area). Now I read I am not so far off after all. And MTSOs wonder why their ICs tend to believe what they are told with a big salt shaker! BTW, I got my line rate increase - my MTSO leaves me alone, my doctors love their accuracy, and I am happily typing while the kiddos are at school. Win-win for everyone! Just my thoughts FWIW. Nice to see I am still in the ballpark for ICs!
They (AAMT) made the rules for years until the internet
and those of us who had been isolated in the past got to know each other on line.  We started to discuss this and other issues, and figured out that AAMT is a bunch of bottom feeding scheisters ripping us off while enjoying themselves in Hawaii at their "convention" most likely being paid for at least in part by the dues, fees, and other drummed up charges for useless crap they've gotten out of us before we figured out what a huge money-grubbing hoax their "organization" is.
I didn't increase my line rate for over 10 years!
I am an IC and have one office of three physicians as well as work for a smaller MTSO and have to totally agree with what MTSO said. You have to take into consideration so many things. Do we deserve a raise, you betcha - I think most of us do. However, if you are making good money, love the accounts, and things are working well for both sides, are you willing to jeopardize them shopping elsewhere? I haven't been, but due to the increase in gas prices which are now going to be reflected in many other ways in our cost of living, I find I really need to increase my rate and I did. I sent a memo and simply stated that in 30 days the billing would reflect a 1 cent/line rate increase. Yes, I held my breath waiting for the phone to ring or the OM asking to speak to me in her office but so far I have not heard anything. I am not sure if this is good or bad but I think they have had a great deal for 10 years and I deserve a raise and I need to increase my rate just due to cost of living. 
Fresh out of school 13 years ago I made 8 cents gross/clinic/no ESL

x


I just left after 16 years of marriage. Hardest decision I've ever made, but something that I ha

My husband doesn't want to work.  Never has and probably never will and it took me 16 years to figure out that nothing was ever going to change.  He has been in and out of college over the years with a number of different majors and when he is on the verge of actually finishing something, he up and quits, because I believe he doesn't want to actually go out and get a job.  He loves the going to school part, the studying, etc., but the actual finishing and putting his education to work, that's too overwhelming.


For years I made excuses for him, supported him, and actually believed that as he got older he would mature and finally find his way.  He's 42 now and runs off every day with one of his unemployed friends to play frisbee golf or go hiking or water skiing or fishing while I'm sitting at home at my desk typing until my nose bleeds!


I was one of those women afraid of being by myself.  I recently had a major depressive snap where I cried nonstop for three weeks.  I found a great doctor who became a great friend and she helped me find the right medicine to get my head clear and then she helped me realize that I don't have to be afraid of anything.  I was already supporting myself and my kids without anyone elses' help.  What was so frightening about leaving my husband behind?


So quietly I made my plans to leave.  I let my husband know that I was going to move back home to the area where all my family still lives when school let out this summer.  He didn't believe me because I had said it all before.  So I just made sure he knew I was thinking about it again.  Then May came along and miracously a job opened up at the hospital in the small community I wanted to move back to.  This hospital never has openings because they virtually have no employee turnover whatsoever.  Everyone's been there at least 5 or more years.  I took it as a sign and made my move.  Within two days of submitting my resume, I had an interview set up.  Without even waiting to see if I had the job, I packed up my kids and our stuff and told my husband "I'm going.  I love you, but if you want to be with me you need to get a job and actually be my partner not one of my kids."  And I left.


I got the job, thankfully.  I've been here a month and I know without a doubt that it was the best thing I've done in a long time for me and my kids.  My teenage son had built up a lot of resentment towards his father and their was a lot of anger and tension between the two of them before we moved.  Now, my son is happier than I've seen him in years.  He's more social, made a lot of friends, and even has a girlfriend now.  My daughter misses her dad, but she has always been remarkably wise for her young age and is very open about saying how calm everything is up here.


So there's my story.  I would never encourage anyone to divorce or leave their husband, and I haven't actually taken the step to file for divorce yet myself.  But sometimes separation is liberating and therapeutic.  It has been for me.  I can't remember the last time I felt so peaceful.


Thirteen years ago made 9 cents gross/clinic straight out of school

i made $15/hr before and didn't stay long because i made so much more on production. sm
that was with full benes too. i wouldn't do it for less than $20, but i think even with $20, i'd want benes. are you in-house?
Charge him an hourly rate. The current rate is
between $15-21/hr. according to your location. If he had to use an independent secretarial service, he would be charged much more. You can look in the Yellow Pages in your area under Secretarial Service and ask them what they charge, then charge accordingly knowing you can back it up.
I don't know how it made such a small diff in your invoice... made a $100 diff in mine! (sm)

If it were only adding up to three bucks, I wouldn't sweat it. $100? Yeah, that's baseball registration for my son for this year. I am not giving tabs, returns, etc. away free when it adds up to that much difference!  Why should I charge less for a Return than I would for a"K"?


 


 


ME rate 80% of baseline MT rate
are you happy with the 20% cut to do ME work or are you going to just do MT work (which will be those dictators that ASR can't do) at your baseline rate?
Cross off old rate, put in your new rate, (nt)

Employee rate/IC rate......
I work at home for a hospital account that I make .11 cpl on 60-character line. I also do IC work for a clinic where I make .14 cpl. I am from Missouri.
58, AHP/self-taught, trained at hospital 5 years, now with 2 of my own accounts for 10 years, employ
Also worn out 2 keyboards in 4 years. I will never retire. DH will come home some day from work and I'll be slumped over my keyboard. I put in 14 hours a day 7 days a week.
take a cent of their rate and a cent of your mom's rate. I'd do it to keep the account or the

You already charge a fairly low line rate, but I'd definitely cut it to keep the account.  JMO


Pack years = packs smoked per day x years of smoking - sm
25 pack-years = 25 years of 1 pack a day, or 12-1/2 years of 2 packs a day.

I don't think pack-years applies to someone who smokes only cigars. But I don't know for sure.
I worked for Cbay for 3 years. I was also part of their lay off back many years ago. sm
Even though I got stuck in a lay off era, I still love the company. They paid well then. The people were nice (exception of 1 person) and if I had the opportunity I would go back again. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how u look at it), I have a great paying job right now, so I am not looking for a change. I do know that at one time, they asked management to accept late paychecks, but never sure of the reason why. My check was never late.
Haven't actually done it yet, but...
I have been wanting to do it and had looked it to it several years ago.  I do believe that old concrete has to be etched first in order to open up the "pores."  I was looking at using a concrete "stain" I believe it was made by Behr brand and was sold at Home Depot.  It comes in lots of colors. It was my understanding that the etching and then the stain would basically allow the color to soak into the concrete rather than sit on top like paint and wouldn't have the problems with peeling.  However, unfortunately, I haven't tried it yet but just wanted to offer another suggestion for you to look into.  Good luck!