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My opinion... see inside

Posted By: anon on 2007-01-12
In Reply to: Contractor vs Employee - Mary Ann

First of all, you should be charging them for any inquires.  Get that contract written up and include the fees.  Charge them for each phone call, e-mail, etc.  Watch how fast they quit calling you.  However, if your contract states a certain turnaround, then you must provide that or it is a breech of said contract. 


Secondly, you should not have to tell them you are going out of town.  Independent contractor means they cannot set your hours.  Sure, they can try and call, but your response is not up to their discretion. 


Your daughter is correct in that you should probably try to keep that until you find something else, but don't worry yourself too much about not getting back to them in a timely manner.  They obviously like your work or they would find something else.  There are plenty of options, and obviously you are the best/cheapest, whathaveyou, etc., etc.  They would not get away with making inquires to an outside service and NOT being charged as such. 


Lots of MTSOs seems like the best way to go for most physicians, but they nickel and dime them to death.  Your time is just as valuable as their time, and until you realize this, you will struggle with this issue.


I had a supervisor that wanted more from me, and I told her that would require more $$ in my paycheck, and she said she had to go to a meeting, and I haven't talked to her since.  That was 7 years ago.  I left that department and have since left the entire place.  Hang in there, as it sounds like you are definitely a team player, but somewhat of a pushover (like myself).  Live and learn... 




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e:poverty..opinion from the inside out

I am one of 6 born to parents who (yes, the same for all 6) who were both born in the same low income area of town, little education past 6th grade, yet what attracted my parents to each other in the beginning was there committment to do better for themselves and get out.  Yes, they started having us kids at a young age (hormones, lack of sex education, etc), but they raised us all with love, in the church and the strong faith that with hard work, we all could do better.  It was'nt easy, going to school in hand me downs, not having the nicest things, but with love and committment,  all of us kids got our education and all graduated from college, some 2yrs, some 4.  My parents were so proud of us but as we got older and dared to speak up to daddy (very firm man), we kinda said...you demand the knowledge for us, then we demand the same for you.  My parents did eventually get their GED's and you would have thought they graduated from Harvard.(I swear daddy did it as a challenge more to not let us kids down).just the same in our book that they even took the challenge. It has opened up such a world for them both, if we can't find mom, she's usually at the library lol.


As I got older I realized that yes, we did get help with food stamps when bills were high but both my parents worked long hours to make ends meet and we were loved and cared for, sometimes rebelling against the strictness, but looking back, I see why. 


On the other hand, I can look at some of my aunts, uncles and cousins, the ones who kept believing my grandmother, who beat it into my dad and his siblings heads that they "won't mount to much, ya never gonna make it out here, so quit dreaming and just let the govrnment folk take care of you"!  I love granny dearly but that is the mentality that She was raised with.  The cycle broke with my Dad and one other Aunt, but ironically, that has caused an uneasy distance from the rest of the family, including granny who not once attended any of the graduations.  We're the "high falooting book smart kin" who are too good to come home...not, we just would like to have them at our homes sometimes and it hurts.  It hurts to see my extended family living in the lowest part of town, can't watch the news anymore because of all the shootings, drug busts, etc and we tend to hear from the cousins and their kids when they call from jail needing bail.


Thank God some of my cousins did come to live with us over the years and they are now educated, productive citizens, living a decent life who have broken that cycle of mentality & poverty.  It's a struggle when you are born into nothing, are told you never will have anything, look around you and see nothing but the projects, drugs and poverty and see the programs that are offered but your parent or parents are suspicious of, therefore keeping the chains on.  This coming from my cousins.


Ok, sorry, did not mean to ramble on and on, just wanting to answer from the inside that I've heard about growing up.


k, that is your opinion, i stated mine. poor quality in my opinion shows bad work ethics if they do
;
Why not? I have a right to an opinion and it is what it is. (nm)
x
Ah, of course, an OPINION. Uh-huh.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. However, the statement "it is what it is" indicates that you don't truly consider it your opinion. You have decided that's the way it is and your mind is closed.

I strongly object to the sweeping across-the-board statements from you and the OP that MTs working for large national companies are either clueless or gutless.

There are many MTs working for large national companies that are paid well, treated well, and have no complaints. That does not make us "gutless." That makes us productive members of society.

What do YOU suggest? What are you doing to show YOUR guts? What is your plan for change? Where do you think all these MTs should go to work? You and the OP are very quick to say what YOU would do instead - but that's a solution YOU find acceptable and/or workable. Personally, I would NEVER work as a telemarketer again unless I was truly desperate.

Working outside the home also isn't a feasible option for me and many others. What is your solution in that situation? Stop working altogether?
My opinion.........sm

I believe many MTs stay with these Nazi-like companies* because their self-confidance has been pummeled into the ground by the abusive, demoralizing treatment they are subjected to every day.  It's like the well known pattern of an abused child who clings to the abusive parent.  What they don't realize, or refuse to see is that more and more MTs are putting their foot down and refusing to stay with companies that offshore, cut our pay, treat us like dogs, and then have the audacity to use us to help them achieve their ultimate goal of eradicating our profession.  Why is VR technology becoming more and more sophisticated with each passing day?  Because we're helping them do it!!  Kind of like digging your own grave. 


I truly believe that if enough of us take matters into our own hands by showing them that "We're mad as hell, and we're not taking this anymore" we can together turn the tables on these money hungry vermin.  Do the math.  We are "still" the backbone of the industry.  We need to take action NOW while we still have the power.


* No ethnically based offense intended.  Just trying to make a point.


opinion
Figure out your pros and cons to keeping your current job and the pros and cons to having a home-based job -- consider your need for medical insurance, gas money, clothing allowance for work outside of the home, eating out for lunch, not having to deal with co-workers on their crabby days, et cetera. Most likely you will not start at $15/hour but with saving money elsewhere while being home-based it might make it worth the loss of a few bucks to be home. I do have two children (7 & 10) whom are very active in extracurricular activities and it is a huge bonus to be able to split my shift when needed with no questions asked. My employer is very flexible. When school is out for the summer, it does slow down my production...but children aren't home forever...so I'll deal with it. There are a lot of jobs available but only half of them are worth the time...be choosy and check them out thoroughly before deciding. Good luck with your decision.
So your opinion is okay,
but no one else can give theirs.  Yeah.  Wrong. 
Want my opinion - here it is anyway
You wany my opinion, either way, here it is. Yes, for all of those that CONSTANTLY, AND I MEAN CONSTANTLY bash Medquist - find another hobby. You have already done and beat the darn horse dead - let it alone. Personally, I cannot wait for the phone call to tell me what changes they have made. Already the bashers are criticizing their plan and yet no one knows what it is. On the other hand, if there was no plan established, the complainers would be at it again - COMPLAINING THAT THERE IS NO PLAN. What is it going to take for you unhappy MTs to just quit already - I mean both quit your job and your complaining?

To all you complainers take my advice and "just zip it already"


I am always right and here is my opinion
Why, Dr. Phil here. Is there a problem. These people are living life to the fullest, something we ALL need to do. If you die tomorrow, can you say your last day on earth was spent having fun - probably not. GO HAVE FUN AND LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST.

I say HOORAY to these nasty posters for having fun!
My opinion

I apologize to you then MQx4 if all these posts were not yours.  It is very difficult to determine who is who anymore.


 


Although, in those crazy people's defense, I actually did find those posters rather hillarious!  I am just your average MT and no I am not disturbed in any way, just enjoy a raw sense of humor now and then.  Please don't bash me for saying that, it is just my opinion.  A raw sense of humor is not grounds for being in the psyhiatric ward.  A good laugh every now and then does wonders for the body (burns lots and lots of calories you know).  With that being said, we should welcome everyone here and as long as I am personally not being threatened, then I really am up for any conversation and/or jokes or whatever. 


It's nice to know who you are talking with, so MQx4 thanks for being consistent with your name.  Sorry if I addressed some of those posts to you!


Opinion of what

UH OH - Just watched FOX News and they indicate that Rita may become a category 4 or perhaps even a 5 once she hits the warm waters.   From what I heard, it is heading for Texas - how awful considering that there are hundreds of thousands of evacuees already there from Katrina.  Any thoughts or has anyone heard anything different of what could or might happen in the upcoming days? 


Share your thoughts with us.


My opinion
To me, it is like watching a good movie, however we have no video to go with the audio. I am not so much for the swearing, but c'mon it is hillarious to hear people's reactions and comebacks.
my opinion
In my opinion, if you do not need to make a certain amount of money each week and you have another source of income, i.e. spouse, then going the IC route may be for you.

But if you depend on the benefits, certain pay amount, dependability in that pay, etc., then stay at the hospital. All the MTSOs can tell you "oh we have benefits and plenty of work, blah blah blah..." but guess what?? You do not know what is going to happen to that account you start out on. You could end up sharing it with 10 other MTs, then all of a sudden, 10 more MTs jump on that account because the MTSO lost a particular account or has no work on other accounts, etc. That changes your pay. I could go on and on about the ups and downs of working full time for an MTSO, but I would be here all day typing.

But one thing is this - very rarely do you get to "set your own hours" as a full time MT with an MTSO.
My opinion.....

If you want to be proficient in MT'g, you can't unless you know business English inside and out.  Check out your local community college. It will be time and $$$ well spent, and remember, knowlege is power.


Also remember, grammar is very important in this business.  A simple hyphen can completely change the meaning of a sentence.....


Case in point:


 


I saw a man eating shark.


 


I saw a man-eating shark.


 


See what I mean?


My opinion...

What your step-father is doing is horrible, but I don't understand your reaction towards your mother.


You expect your mother to "see" what is going on without directly telling her.  If she has no idea what's going on, how could she possibly understand why you are treating him the way you are?


Do you think it is fair to end your relationship with your mother over something that she has no idea about?  If you are going to end your relationship with her, she at least has the right to know why.  You are not "saving her the embarrassment."  You are taking the easy way out.  I think it is mean to do this to her.


It is not fair how your step-father is treating you.  It is wrong.  But 10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you respond to it.  Do the right thing.  Tell your mother and everyone else what is going on.  Keeping silent only protects him. 


Personally, if my daughter ever told me what you just said about someone I was with, he'd get the boot right out the door.  I don't think I would even wait for an explanation from him.  Give your mother an opportunity to do just that.


My opinion is....
Go for it, just say you were wondering if they got your email, as you haven't heard back from them. That gives you the excuse to get one on the phone, then maybe you could get down to the nitty gritty of what positions they have open, what shifts, what are they willing or planning to pay, etc.
Please help! Really REALLY need your opinion SM

I have been asked to transcribe some training material for my brother-in-law.  He puts together training manuals for addiction medicine counselors and has a lot of things that he needs transcribed into Word.  (They are on tapes, VHS, DVD, etc., but he is going to put them all in a wav file format for me to transcribe.)  He wants to pay me the normal going rate.


He wants to know how I would charge (word, line, job, etc.).  I have decided to do 65 character lines including spaces, but need to know how much per line would be appropriate.


I don't know if this makes a difference, but he's in Minnesota.  I am leaning toward 14 cents per line, but wonder if that is too much?


Please let me know what you think.


Chickadee


I did it, here's my opinion.
I was in QA/QA management for many years. I lost touch with what being an MT was about. It happens.

I regret many things I corrected while in QA because, quite frankly, being an MT is a very hard job and QA shouldn't sweat the small stuff. Anyway, I went back into transcription part time and felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. I enjoyed working again.

Now I have the fun of laughing over the tiny **** that QA finds to pick on in order to find errors on a review (hyphens, commas). Heck, I got a major error for not putting a capital letter in the middle of a drug name! Yikes! Did the patient die? No! But it's a major error. lol.....

I hope that someday the person who is QAing me will have the same "a-ha!" moment I did, but in the meantime I'll just smile and be grateful I'm not in her shoes. Or working for the manager who insists on such silly scoring.

I've gone back to transcribing full time with a hospital (yes!), and I'm making more money than I ever have in my life--even more than as a QA manager.

Do it! Go back to your roots, your first love, and enjoy the PEACE that transcribing brings.
My opinion is that you should
Go visit the family and come back. I think this is a great opportunity for you to be able, somewhere down the line, to have a lot of freedom in your life. When you finally get the house and aren't taking care of this person anymore, you will have the freedom to go visit them whenever you want and even stay there for long periods of time and still have the peace of mind that you have a home to live in that is paid for and that is a major expense that you won't have. Lets face it, not a lot of us have a retirement and most of us will work until die just trying to keep up the house payment. That is a real load lifter you've been offered.
My opinion
I know that what's one man's poison is another man's feast, but I wouldn't give you two cents for the Bahamas - the natives are ruder than heck and everything is priced beyond belief.  UGH!  If I'm going to see water and beaches, I want to go where it's worth looking at; i.e., the Pacific Ocean - The Oregon Coast and/or Southern California!  Now THAT's a BEACH, and the food?  Oooh LA la!   
it is my opinion that you are very ill....sm
do you need any one of us to make an appointment with the nearest psych MD?  Maybe we can book you a room in Bellevue Hospital.....
just my opinion

First off, let me say how sorry I am that you and your children are going through this horrible experience.  I completely understand your range of emotions.  I left an abusive alcoholic many years ago with 4 children under the age of 9.  At that time I did not have any means of income, so I went on welfare.  After the kids and I settled into being a "family" without a father figure, I got three jobs and went to college to be a paralegal.  Let me tell you it was far from easy, but well worth it! I refused to allow my children to think that his way of "love" of normal or appropiate.  I also did not have family or friends to lean on, I only had myself and my children.  You need to find the strength and resove in yourself to do what you know is right (if you didn't think leaving was right, you wouldn't have posted).  You need to lay out a plan, and then outline steps needed to fulfill this plan (make a real budget, find housing, etc..) Also you need the abuse documented in case child custody is an issue.  Next file for FULL custody and child support.  Please go talk to an attorney, many offer first consults free.  I wish you courage through this.


Just my opinion, but
it sounds like you are bragging.
my opinion
really ask yourself how badly you want to do this. Read this board carefully and know where the MT field is headed and all the pros and cons- then decide.

my personal thought is go back to school to do something else
I would like to add - those asking for it, in my opinion,
are lazy and don't want to do the footwork themselves. No time for those who sit back and want things handed to them!
Just an opinion
Does anyone else think that all dictators should have to listen to their own dictation once in a while - I am so tired already this morning of dictators on cell phones that are so muffled you cannot understand them, horns blowing in the background and the dictation coming and going because of losing the signal.  I think the physicians should periodically have to listen to some of their own dictation.
Need opinion...
I am currently a newbie doing transcription for a very high volume acute care hospital.  I am having a hard time meeting production, and they are opening a position with a psych hospital. To be honest, I am bored with what I am doing now. I am wondering if I decide to take the psych position that maybe it might give me a chance to improve on my production and mix up my day a little better. Since I have such a wide range of doctors right now and such a wide range of reports, it is hard for me to make any templates or anything that can help with my production. Any advice would be much appreciated.
opinion
I would think that if you are bored with your current job, getting a different one would be the thing to do. I am a newbie to,working for one specialty, and I am very glad that I started this way first - not quite as overwhelming as to take on so many terms at once.
My opinion...
Find one that will work with you and treat you good!!

A small MTSO is what works best for me personally for those very same reasons!
Let us know what your opinion is!
nm
My opinion
Chris rocks the house and is soooo consistent week after week. However, I enjoy Kellie Pickler and Paris as well.

Personally, I think this is the toughest season yet....in other words, lots of excellent singers and performers.

I enjoy listening to Taylor, but I have to say that looking at him just throws me for a loop. So darn hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Even his demeanor and personality seems more like 40s.

I just hope Kevin goes home tonight. If not Kevin, then Ace!
My opinion...
Love is a choice. We choose to make the effort, and it goes both ways. He is obviously not making much effort. The fact that he is willing to go to counseling is a good sign though. Be sure and tell your counselor the reality of it all.

Would and could you get a housekeeper? That would take a lot of stress off of you - even though he really should help.

This is not much in the way of advice. Just hang in there. I am sorry you are going through this. You must feel the weight of the world on your shoulders.
My opinion

It is impossible to "spot reduce" one area of your body, but doing resistance training and building muscle helps to burn fat more quickly than aerobic exercise alone.


I need your opinion, please.
If you were given the option of either working at home on a schedule with a little flexibility for production with benefits or working outside the home on an hourly rate which is reasonable with benefits, which would you choose and why?  Please give feedback as to why you would choose one over the other, pros and cons.  I really need your opinions as you all know what is involved in this type of job.  You may think of something I haven't already thought of and I value your opinions.  Do you prefer to know your doctors personally so that you can get personal feedback from them or are you comfortable just knowing them as a "voice" and getting feedback from QA?  Thanks in advance for your responses.
In my opinion....

..I think they are pretty good to work for.  They don't really bother you, so you're just left to work in peace.  They have several platforms, so what platform you use will be dependent on what account you're assigned to.  The people are very nice.  Pay is pretty decent and always on time.  They can come across as a little disorganized in the beginning, but all-in-all I'm happy with them.  


Hope this helps!  


In my opinion......
It sounds like arthritis.
Here's my opinion....sm

  • They support off-shore transcription.

  • A lot of employers don't pay a CMT differential, and if they do it's generally not enough to cover the costs of being certified or keeping it, much less the yearly membership.

  • If you like to meet and talk with other transcriptionists then you might like it.

  • A lot of their meetings are held on Saturdays, so you'd need to plan for that if you joined.

my opinion
I like both of them, but I am a CY fan myself. CR was awesome last night for sure! I think that both will end up with contracts, but I do think CY will win it. I didn't really care for MM or NJ, but I sure couldn't believe NJ lasted longer!
Just my opinion, but.......
I have worked out of my home for over 20 years as an MT. Of course, I had to attend to my children, school, outside activities, etc., but when we get home, they would know that after playtime, homework, dinner, baths, etc., mom may have more work to do. Most I would do while they are at school, but if extracurricular activities took me out, I had to make it up when I got back in. They understood this, but the clincher a lot of times is the hubby.

Unfortunately, mine seemed to think if he was done for the day, everyone else should be too. And, if the other parent doesn't make any comments to the children such as "mom is really busy right now", "please play quietly for a little while", and by the way, that means him making an effort to not play with the dog LOUDLY, decide to play a harmonica LOUDLY, move something in the attic LOUDLY, turn the TV up loud enough to be heard throughout the entire house, etc., then what does that really tell the children....if dad doesn't show respect for mom's job, why should they?

I truly believe if dad is in the home, his responsibility is to also convey to the children how important mother's job is, not just his. I've heard this same complaint from many friends who do this work at home...they feel as if their own husband doesn't think what they do is a "real job" and, therefore, doesn't deserve true respect, though hubby doesn't complain when the paycheck comes in and pays the bills, kid's activities, car notes, vacations, etc.

Some of my own family members, after all these years, still think what I do is just "type" at home, and call whenever they want (especially mother) for 1-2 hours, as if I can just make it up some other time. Heck, I have a niece who works 3 days a week cleaning teeth, no children to come home and take care of, no other responsibilities, and you would think, according to mother, she works hard labor and is "exhausted". I just can't make sense of it.
Long story short, you need to set the boundaries and keep them. I told my husband if there couldn't be quiet once in a while, there will be no paycheck and he can bring home ALL the bacon. That got his attention. Sometimes I wonder if we bring this on ourselves by not putting our foot down earlier on, setting boundaries, and making sure they are understood.
In my opinion...
It would benefit you greatly to take a course in medical transcription.  You may be able to find a hospital or clinic in your area that is willing to train you from scratch, but these are few and far between.  MT is very difficult when first starting out.  It is not just about sitting and typing what is said.  You have to know anatomy and physiology of the human body as well as tons and tons of medical terms as well as what they mean and how to spell them correctly.  Add that to a list of 20 medications you have never heard of before being dictated by a doctor who is foreign (ESL) or talks 100 miles an hour (they love to do that) or dictates while eating, mumbling, whispering, shuffling papers, driving, or even using the restroom!!  I love my job very much and was very fortunate when I started out to land a good job making a decent line count with a national company so I could work from home.  I went to my local community college to get my MT education and was able to take almost all of my courses online.  The money that you could potentially make varies widely in this industry.  Please don't put too much stock in those ads that say you can make $40.00/hour.  I have personally never heard anyone say they make that much, and if there are people out there that make that then they are rare.   
My opinion

Congrats on the new account!


But keep it all business; i.e., the doc says he prefers to pay by the page.  Well, when you go see this doc, do you tell him how you prefer to pay or does he tell you?  When a plumber comes to your home to fix something, do you tell him how you prefer to pay or does he tell you?  See what I mean?


My advice would be to charge however you like, but if it were me, it would be by the line - gross line - more profitable to you.  I would never charge by the page, but that's just me...


Good luck on the account, and do let us know when you're taking us all out for a group dinner after you get your first check!  (hahah!)


Best wishes.....


My opinion....
I've been an IC MTSO for over 11 years and have had a booming business and still do. In fact, I'm totally over worked!  Anyway,I've never been a member of AAMT and don't care to be either. To me, I think it's a total waste of money and time.
my opinion
I would go to the 1st cousins get-together if you want to and will KNOW the people attending. If you have no real relationship with the 2nd cousin don't feel obligated. If you feel you should do something then send a gift. That is what I would do. You not attending is no more ~inappropriate~ than someone you don't know actually inviting you to their wedding IMO.
My opinion....

Earning $9.00 an hour working from home is an outrage and insult to this business and more importantly, to you.  Don't do it,  Honestly, you'd come out fiancially better if you flipped burgers at McDonalds.  At least there you'd get bennies and vacation time!


my opinion
Remember "Country Roads"???? Taylor is NOT everything the Soul Patrol makes him out to be.

Kat, well, you got it right so I won't go there. Ick!

If American Idol is a program to FIND undiscovered talent in America then Elliott would be the AI. Or Chris. Neither was really out there. Sure Chris had been doing some stuff musically but Taylor is performing all the time. Kat too and would be even more as she gets older.

I just don't think either of these "final 2" will make it very big. Truthfully, MAYBE just Chris has potential for huge success from this years idols :-(
in your opinion

Tier level/pay based on years of experience OR based on harder dictation.  Seems all the dictations now are not only bad, but impossible to understand.  One dictator for two whole sentences, an ESL doctor, said what sounded like zzzsssszzzzz...it was so fast that is all I heard.  I've been doing this 11 years now, the dictation is unbelievable.


So, what do you think?  Tier pay based on experience or harder dictation?  Make me a Tier 4 because I've done this for years but leave it an open pool to balance out my day, or make me a Tier 4 and let me not understand absolutely anything, or at least 99.99999% of the stuff.  Is higher pay worth it?


Why? He/She has the right to his/her opinion
.
My opinion
She doesn't need defending, she needs professional help!  She's the one who's always starting trouble on this board.  Most everything she writes is totally negative because it's clear she can't handle anyone else's opinion but her own.  It's also very clear she'll double post too under different names.  You can always tell her style of writing when she does that.  She seems stressed out and tight as a rubber band and always looking to start something.  It gets real old and takes the joy out of coming to this board! 
different opinion x2
I have enjoyed MT work for 20 years and still find the actual work interesting, but fewer of us are paid well these days. Consolidation, technology and outsourcing are all at play in this industry as they may be in yours.

The AAMT journal and web site have been relevant and helpful to me.
My opinion
I am not an MT, I am A Quality Assurance analyst, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
And? Do you have an opinion?
I know it is *my* call. I just wondered what others would do in a simliar situation.