You make some good points.
Posted By: . on 2006-02-14
In Reply to: I really don't know what he was thinking......I just think he is - GAtrans
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you make some good points
Your post is encouraging. Maybe we need to study these people you mention and learn the ropes from them.
Yes, I've seen the pictures of the MTs in India. Reminds me of typing class in high school. And that's what I'm saying, just like you -- how long can this last? You question how long before they get carpal tunnel. Great point! How long before they get burned out? You can't work people like that, not at this job where you have to listen so intently and be so absolutely correct. Transcribing a difficult dictation is akin to doing a hard math problem. The brain can only take so much at a time. Couple that with trying to understand a dictator whose language is not your primary one and speaks in slang or idioms you never heard. If they work the overseas MTs like that, there's going to come a point where something has to give. The quality of their work might suffer, even the good ones, due to burnout. Will the American companies still want them? How desperate are they for our work? Desperate enough to endure those conditions? Do they have other choices? We see them as the foe, and yet as you say, we are turning into that kind of situation with many of our companies but we do have other options, fortunately for those who want to pursue another career.
The medical record must endure. There must be good MTs. You can't work people to burnout either here or overseas. In this country, you need to make the job inviting in order to keep the workforce up. Lowering salaries here is not how to do that. Running sweatshops there is not how to do it either. Something has to give at some point. Then maybe people will take us seriously again and this job will be what so many of us want and need it to be.
You're right about the middle class. Something has to happen -- this is affecting too many jobs, too many sectors of society.
You make some valid points; HOWEVER,
telling an MT to use the BOS is not really helpful. Many of us transcribe "verbatim" accounts where we are told to reference the BOS. Scuze me, what's the line between verbatim and the BOS? And if the BOS says one thing but the client specifics say another thing, then what? Pretty much NOTHING in this business is standardized. Not pay, not line count methods, verbatuum vs nonverbatim...
As far as looking things up, I will look for a name or address (if I'm given enough information to do so) for 2 minutes. I'll relisten to a potential blank 3 times on its own and then in a final run-through of the entire report to see if I can get it by context. But this is a PRODUCTION job and I do not get paid to spend all that time looking things up.
And there are a lot of words that really are not words that doctors use. What do we do with those?
I've been doing this 12 years and still occasionally run across things that are wrong that I was told to "do it this way" by one client or another along the way and the "wrong" way just stuck. I'm always happy to have those pointed out so that I can correct any old bad habits...
But here's another thing. If we, as so many of us are, are required to work on 3-5 accounts to get the equivalent of full-time work, and those 3-5 account all have different specs, then it should be expected that screwups are going to happen.
Again proving my point that NOTHING is standardized and the BOS is, at its best, a fundraising tool for the former AAMT and, at its least, a very general sort of guideline.
You make really excellent points. sm
When somebody tells me what they do for a living, I usually try to find something positive to say about it; but what you said are very common responses and when you think about it, they're probably about as true as the sentiments people think about us.
You eloquently make excellent points.
I also think many health care jobs suffer from similar pressures. Nursing, for example. The main difference is they are visible; we are not.
A lot of good points, especially one (sm)
I also like to stop and do other things. Constantly popping laundry in and out of the washer/dryer, running back and forth cooking in the kitchen, etc. So I agree that by the line is probably the best.
And very good points. nm
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Good points. nm
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Good points, another consideration is (sm)
whether or not a service does correspondence work. I worked for a small MTSO that began doing a 65-char line before most of the others, and she chose to do it because we had clients who were requesting certain fonts and type sizes. Going to a 65-char and adjusting rates meant that she could offer different fonts and styles and the pay would be fair across the board.
It was funny, though, we always had certain clients who wanted tiny little type fonts no matter how many times we explained to them that it wasn't saving them any money. Didn't matter to us typing it; we were in WP51 and so it looked the same, the only difference being it "ran off" the right side of the page and made proofing harder!
There are good points and there are bad and ugly points. Unfortunately, the bad and ugly get
deleted. Just the other day there was info and it seems to be more positive. Like any MT job, some love it, some hate it. But, having been employed there, the bad parts are/were true. The changes sound great but not great enough to make me change my mind about working for them. I do say she pays well for the area. She is one of the rare business owners who actually started out as an MT..I think that makes a big difference in pay.
As wtih every company, they have their good and bad points - sm
As long as you do not end up with L.L. as your account supervisor, you will do just fine! There is more bad than good about this company, huge turnover, etc. But you can easily make $$ with them, especially because you get paid for spaces and returns.
I did well $$ with them when I was not being moved to different accounts all day long. If I was on one or two accounts for the day, I did great, but needless to say management has other ideas.
Well, I will say this for you, you have the AAMT talking points down really good! sm
It's still BALONEY, but you repeat it well.
Thanks for your response. You made some very good points. sm
I guess I have to figure out what is most feasible for me. Luckily, I have had the same transcriptionists with me for a long time and they are all quality workers, but I still like to quickly check all reports before they go to the client.
Thanks for your input.
On 2nd thought, if you're NOT a good Italian style cook, make something you ARE good at. Leave th
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I actually do make good $, but....
I don't care for VR. When you are a fast and accurate Transcriptionist you are already topped out when you start editing. My QA averages 99% and the institution I work for is REALLY strict with QAs. We have an average of 10-12 per year and they look at 20+ reports each time. I would rather do straight transcription, but I have good benefits so I suck it up and work. I fear eventually our work will go completely to an outside agency and our dept will be eliminated, saving the institution $$ for not having to pay salaries, insurance, etc. It also depends on what VR system; we use eScription.
I make between $14 and $20 but good accts. sm
Been at it for almost 20 years too. Lots of templates, shortcuts, etc. Depends on who I'm transcribing. With some ESLs I would only make about $7 an hour if I had to do them all day. My average is right around $17. With some of my local work (on tapes) my templates are so huge, and I'm so used to what they are going to say, I've made $23. But that's onlywith certain dictators. It all varies and some dictators are sooooooo bad, you just lose money.
For example, if I had the $23 dollar an hour guy from my local and then did the $7 ESL from my national and combined 8 hours of work for both, I'm down to $15 an hour. If I get stupid dicators all day from both sides, sometimes I can only average $12. I guess it's the luck of the draw, if you know what I mean.
That's definitely good money. I wish I could make that much.
I'm making about $1,400 a MONTH working 25-30 hours per week. ESLs, run out of work often, lousy platform. What's the point any more? I definitely need to pick up some local accounts and never work for another national.
Oh man....that is NOT good...how do you make any money?
Four. And they make very good money.
But I get your point. But you asked!
Oh, but I make really good money
so I did not understand where this was coming from. You see, I have no children at home, only 2 of us, no bills, I only work part because that is all I want but still bring home about $1500.00 every 2 weeks, so no need to feel sorry. I said I type fast.
Good for you, too bad you won't make anymore than you already do,
your own self satisfaction. Jamie
it asked what you think is good, not what you make
nm
You make a good point
Keeping track was doable but you have to keep track. I still am not making that much hourly counting lines though. I'd better invest in some new tools.
AHDI is just trying to make MT look good, so
Good for you. Did it make you feel better?
MAKE GOOD $$ AT THE MOMENT BUT I WANT OUT
Have just landed a great job. Good $$. No nights, weekends, or holidays. How long do you think that is going to last? Look at the trend 6 months ago, now, and 6 months from now - or a year from now. The face of the MT business is changing. No one is secure and one thing is for sure - we can not all stay. I have a good client in a specialty I love now. I guarantee you, this client is going to obtain a cheaper source than me in the next 12-18 months. I am at the age where I need steady, secure, decent paying work. When this one goes, I am hanging up my headphones too. Hope to get my social security figure up first though.
I used to make really good money.
Anywhere from $28-50 per hour. Same few dictators, lots of templates and Expander usage, pay averaged out to be $.12 per line. I only wanted to work part-time, but the company would have worked me full-time. One particular doctor was so easy, I could do 400+ lph for him. He only had maybe an hour of work per day. Voice recognition has my job now. I've been unemployed for the past six months. But 537 lph consistently? I don't know about that. It would have to be the same pool of dictators and the MT's expander stats would have to be HIGH!
Better yet, if it's REALLY good, make an expansion for it. sm
Especially with op notes ... once you get a feel for a dictator's normal patter, whether that be an operative procedure, ROS, PE section, closing, or whatever, make a shortcut/expansion for it ...
I do the same thing for letter addresses, since the same addressees seem to keep popping up over and over (i.e., docsmitha would bring up all of the Smiths I have saved with a first name starting with an A) -- saves a lot of time in the long run.
Wow, getting far afield from the original question here; I must need that first cup of coffee.
I would please like to know how you make good money at it.
Would you care to share your cents-per-line and lines-per-hour with us? Roughly?
It would help alleviate the anxiety about it for some of us if we can hear from the horse's mouth (no insult intended) how this can be a good living for us. Especially when there are so many things to slow us down like ESLs and poor dictators and bad sound.
Thank you.
not true, I make good $$$ and manage to come
nm
It is "speed" and yes, it will make you very moody, not in a good way either! nm
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Elvis? LOL! Did he ever make a good movie?
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You can make more than that per line, but at 125 lph, not a good living. Have to do at least 300 lp
x
Is it possible to make good money working for someone else?
.
I think that is all attitude. I make very good money at MT.
Lisa, you make a very good point. sm
I guess I should have been a little more specific. If ALL MTs were to go on "strike" and not accept the low wages these MTSO's are offering, they eventually would HAVE to offer a decent wage we can live on. But, the other side of the coin is, if the MTS WOULD STRIKE, then the MTSO's would no doubt just hire those non-U.S. MTs anyway, because that is the reason in the first place they are paying so little. The U.S. MTs have no support, that's for sure. (and I apologize for the misspelling of a word in my previous post.)
or make sure its a good google source.
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Because MTs in the US become the "editors" to fix their work and make them look good. nm
;
This would make a good Seinfeld routine.
Of course probably only MTs would understand the jokes. Somebody needs to write a book about MTs and what they go through. It really would be touching and funny, and a bit tragic, I think. It could be marketed in the Stedmen's line of books or something. It could have cartoons. This title where did QA come from? This makes me want to be all creative. Of course, this MT is full of talk, but not a whole lot of action. LOL.
I can make good money without overtime
I posted below but when I saw your post and it said crap- I type mostly VR and I work 8 hour days 4 days a week. I make at least $160.00 per day- add that up if I worked full 40 hour week or lordy if I worked overtime like years gone by. I get paid no more because of my years of doing this- work for national- the pay is low but I am fast. I just wanted to make about the same as when I worked in the office and set my goals accordingly.
I do VR, love it, make good money at it
and I have no idea why people who do not do, have not done, don’t plan on doing talk so much against it.
You will make it just fine. Good Luck my prayers are with you. nm
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It is worth it though. I couldn't make a good living without.
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Depending on who you work for.... you can make good money
I usually average between $15-25 an hour doing VR. That is enough for me. I think it helps if you have companies that pay for footers, headers, spaces etc.. Good luck.
Really? I make a good living transcribing tapes.
Just because it's not the way you want to receive your work does not mean it is worthy of contempt. As far as I'm concerned, practitioners who are reluctant to give up their familiar dictation methods are less likely to give in to the blandishments of VR or EMR salespeople.
You are free to work your way, and I am free to work as I see fit. If that makes you cringe, well, I guess that's just your problem. It doesn't bother me at all. Cringe away.
Good grief. You'd make an employment decision
Honey, you need to get a grip!
Good advice, but make sure to check 1 thing
When I did this a few years ago, my company had a policy that stated if I did not return after my leave, I could be responsible for any benefits received during the leave. Make sure to check with your human resources on that. I ended up coming back to work out a 2-week notice, which wasn't bad.
I make very good money at home with a small MTSO
Is ExText user friendly? Can you make good lines?
I will be using a foot pedal - ? Transnet.
I'm using Meditech Magic now and I can't imagine anything being worse.
Can you make good money with radiology? I'm thinking of switching
nm
They make darn good money at most large grocery stores
No, I don't tip them. If I thought they weren't getting paid hourly, then I might. I might tip someone who gave extra great service, like coming home and carrying them in the house for me, (j/k!) but most places where you are expected to tip, people just expect the tip and take it for granted anymore and don't always treat you well enough to deserve one!
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