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where do you work that you just do lines, not hours?- nm

Posted By: would like to know on 2005-10-24
In Reply to: I don't take jobs that have an hourly quoto unless... - sm

nm


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Do you work outside your scheduled hours to get extra lines?
Or do you stick to your schedules and just roll with however many lines you make during that time?
I do 2000 lines in 6 hours - so maybe 3 hours - nm
x
But in transcription, if you are good at what you do, you can do 8 hours of work in 4 hours. So eit

you slice it, both companies will still get 8 hours worth of work out of you.


That is the problem I've been having lately being an MT.  Companies want to pay us on production and they set minimum productivity standards, but want us timed in for 8 hours a day.  My thinking is, if they want 8 hours of work out of me, pay me hourly with production incentive.  If they want to pay me on production and tell how much I have to produce in an 8 hour period, then when I hit that mark, I should be able to call it a day even if I've only worked 4 hours.


Seems these companies want it both ways and it is simply not fair to us MTs.  JMO, tho.


462 lines in 2.5 hours.

need lines not hours
do you do radiology?
Hours/lines
I personally have never run across a company that pays by the hour. Most companies assign you a shift, but you get paid by the lines. So, it is UT to you if you take a lunch or breaks. How long you stay off your computer will have an impact on your line count of course.
2200 lines in 3-4 hours?
IMPOSSIBLE! NO WAY! unless you are counting lines with 5 characters as a line?
For all the extra hours I put in on DQS to get my lines, no way.
:
1,100 65-character lines in four hours.
I was doing 1,100 65-char lines in four hours. Unemployed now and big nationals don't pay enough. Why do all the great accounts go to VR or newbies and I get stuck with ESL garbage?
Hours per 1200 lines

Just want to get some feedback on how long it takes to do 1200 lines.  I did clinic notes and was an IC for four years and work on and off throughout the day, so I really never had to work straight through the day to produce.  I am now going to do acute care-hospital work minus lab and radiology reports.  I have about four years experience.


Thanks,



Well, I just transcribed 1500 lines in 3 hours. sm

I work on the same account every day, same dictators, lots of templated reports I did myself and put them into auto correct.  I get up early, start at 7 am and today I was done by 10 am.  Cleaning the house now.  Also, the line pay is slightly higher than most, so 1500 lines is fine for me today. 


On harder days when the account is really behind,  I get up and vacuum the house after 3 hours of transcribing then come back for 1 hour.  If things are caught up, I stop for the day.  If not, I will go back in the evening. 


I can't sit for 6-8 hours straight.  Making $160 bucks in 3 hours is good for me and enough.   Tomorrow is another day!


Use templates and short cuts - that will help!  I have whole reports in my auto correct, but you have to listen through and change and correct things as each patient is a different case. 


I do have to tell you, I do not get this many lines every day in such short a time.  It just happened that today was a good day.


 


Hope this helps.


Yes, I'm back. 3 hours=255 lines. Think I'm just a little upset here!!!!

Yes, I am - worked 7 hours @ 3218 lines.
It all depends on your account and worktype you transcribe, as well as your expander. I am an MT with 25 years experience also, transcribing all acute care, mostly op reports.

As far as tricks, I don't have any. I consistently do at minimum 2500 lines in 5-6 hours daily. I think the key is the account you transcribe.

I have been where you are now, and it is not fun. I finally found my company/account and have for the past 6 months. I have to enjoy while it is here, tomorrow may be a different story.

Keep looking for that right company/account. You will come upon it soon. Good luck.
3000 lines - 6 hours- VR editing. nm
x
I type 1000 lines in about 2.5 hours (sm)
I type on a gross line and I can type 1000 lines in 2.5 hours +/-.  When things were good at MQ on the Cottage program, I could type 450-500 lph.  Everybody's situation is different.  Sure some people stretch the true, but it is still possible, but you have to take into account all the different variables.  I utilize my word Expander to the fullest.  Any little thing I can think of to save me Keystrokes I use.  I checked my stats for my shortcuts the other day and in 3 hours I had actually saved 56% of my keystrokes.  Can speak for anyone else, but on most days, I can type 900-1000 lines in 2-2.5 hours.
That's it??! Doesn't sound like a lot of lines to me in 4 hours. nm
x
It took me 8-10 hours for 100 charts 1000 lines sm
This was with ExText, 20- to 45-second (give or take) reports. I did have distractions. I was completely bored with soooooo many short-short reports. Also took some time in the document info screen because company I was in did not have their act together. Had to search and recheck that I had the correct visit and location.

Hope this helps somewhat.
Absolutely. If I need someone to transcribe 500 lines between the hours of
8 am and 5 pm, it's up to you to take on that contract as an IC or not. But if you agree to do it, it's your responsibility. You don't have to accept the position as my IC if you can't or don't want to provide what I need.
I type no less than 1500 lines in 7 hours

On my slowest day, I will not allow myself to get less than 200 lines an hour.  Depending on the worktype, I can type up to 400 lines an hour.  It is hard for me to consistently stay at that speed as I have orthopedic issues!!!  I also can type extremely fast, (120 wpm).  I also use a lot of Expanders and shortcuts. 


I had 2256 lines yesterday in about 7 hours...
I just had a deadline I had to meet and worked my butt off...I use my Expander to the max...I can do 1200 lines in 4 to 5 hours...
Average about 2300 lines in 6 hours but
this is a mixed bag of editing and straight typing. The split is usually about 75% editing and 25% typing, If that helps any.
What do you call it when you do your 1100 lines in 4 hours? sm
and I call it normals and I call it lots of canned dictation.

Unfortunately, I am employee and I can't take the rest of the day off. Had this Saturday, had this today. IT NEVER HAPPENS and I have had it twice in a week.

Looking for my super streak to end now, go back to being a typing machine on a chase for work.
I must say, I work long hours, sometimes 12-14 hours a day.
I thought it was important to mention that. However many hours it takes to get the work done is what I do. Some days 12 hours, other days 6 hours and sometimes 14 hours. So, I guess there really is no easy answer.
I just type 250-275 lines per hour and transcribe about 6 to 6.5 hours a day.

I am a seasoned MT who back in the day 2000 lines was nothing to achieve.  I sat for 8 straight hours, barring potty breaks and 30-minute lunch.  But now that I am pushing 50, I can hardly stay in the chair 2 hours at a time.  I have set my goal at 1600 lines per day as that is what my employer pays 9.5 cpl for.  If I drop below that, my cpl drops also.   In addition, I have a backup up IC position with another company (to compensate when I run out of work on my FT job)  that pays 10 cpl.  I type 2 hours  on that account  (usually at night) and get 600 lines per day.  Fabulous account, fabulous "internet software" everything is right at your fingertips, and they count spaces, headers and footers.   Actually both jobs count spaces.


My advice to anyone wanting to get more lines- first and foremost priorty is check out the software the company uses.  If it is not user-friendly... forget it.  There was this one company who paid 10 cpl, and I could hardly get 500 lines in a 2-hour period.  They said they counted spaces, but it was hard to tell, and they surely did not count footers or headers.


Usually lines produced and not hours. Have seen 600 lpd for part-time min. nm
x
Good so far, 1000 lines in 2 hours. Busy!
So sorry to hear there is now work for you MTs at MQ. Maybe time to find another job with another company.
Darnit! Should read 񟼨 lines in 8 hours?!'
Poop...hate it when I do that.
I have more than paid for VR. I achieve 1200 lines in 3 hours. No need to hate sm
the MT to use technology to its full capability. Do you think a company cares if you type everything no. The bottom line is you have to get you line count.
2-1/2 hours a day, 1300 lines/day, $150 a day, 7 days a week, IC status
a
I can do 1200 lines in 5 hours so with 2 full time jobs
I work on average of 9-10 hours a day.  When I sit down to work, I do not do anything but work.  I do not surf the net, etc.   Also, I am single and I live for my weekends so during the week I work hard.  I also have 2 kids so most of my work is done during their day at school and after they are in bed for the night.  I have a ton of short cuts in my Expander program too.  If I type something twice, I come up with a short cut for it.  Its not that hard.  I would try the one full time and one part time and see how your time is first and if it is okay, then I would bump it up gradually.  You don't want to burn yourself out but if you can do it and you have good accounts, go for it!!!!
I have a friend who consistently does over 3000 lines in 8 hours on the basic four, so yes it is pos
z
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
I have 17 years acute care experience and don't make 1200 lines in 6 hours. sm
I work for a company that is VERY picky about their work, 100% QA everything.  I have been with them over a year, and have to go back and listen to my work a second time while proofing.  I only make 160-170 lines an hour, but the pay is good for that, and I have learned so much in the year that I can go to work anywhere without problems.  For me it is worth the extra time to put in the few extra hours a week to have really top QA.  There is room for all types in this business, the really fast ones, and the slower ones who work differently, you just have to find your place.  Ideally, we should all type 200 lines an hour and have 99%+ QA, but I don't thank too many of us make it.  Good luck to you.
IC sets their own hours. As long as the work is done by the deadline, you decide when to work.

Work for 1 hour, then count your lines of the completed work - sm
either check you total characters in word (with spaces) then total them all up and divide by 65, and you get your total lines per hour. 10,000/65 is 153 lines. Or if you have a line counting program us that to figure you count, either way will work quite well. Maybe do it a few times and then figure an average over 3 hours or something like that, it will vary with the ease/difficulty of the work you are doing.
What hours do you work?
I am having a hard time setting a schedule.  I would like to work early mornings, but it is hard ot get motivated.
So how many hours a day do you work? nm
xx
So-you work 13 hours a day?(sm)

I can't even get 8 in without falling asleep, most of the time between the hours of 7-9 a.m. My first 3 hours, I can do almost 200 lines an hour. After that, it's downhill.  I rarely hit 1,000 lines a day let alone what you do. Thick ESL account.


We are not allowed to work more than 8 hours a day. I use an expander, but I'm slow with it. Still have a lot of words that need to go in. The worse part of this is  remembering  that I have a short cut for the words!


Another problem I have is that I hate leaving blanks and I will take time to research and look things up.  I know I could cut the time a bit, but . . .I can't stand to do that. I freak out with an ESL if I have to leave 2 blanks.


It's the falling asleep I can't handle. Yet, we have to work our scheduled hours or suffer the consequences, so I'm stuck. I guess I'll be out the door soon.


I'm getting so-o-o depressed because of it. I left a job earning $1400 for 15 days for 1/3rd that I am getting now. Can't afford the health insurance, can't afford to save money. Heck, can't afford to pay my bills anymore.


I work about 5-1/2 hours a day, five...sm
days a week as an IC and make about $27,000/year contracting with a national at 0.0975/line.  I feel like I represent the norm, but I could be wrong.  Sounds like a lot of people on this board are doing a lot better, although I don't know of any personally. 
I work 24 hours
and make around $22-24,000. And I am NOT glued to my computer (because of small children). I could make $30-32,000 if I really tried.
How many hours do yo work a day
to get these lines? I would think it would take you more than eight. I would hate to spend more than eight hours working, but that is me.
I only work 35 hours and anything/ sm

over 35 hours is OT.  If I work before or after my scheduled shift on any day, I get OT pay.  This is before I have reached my 35 hours too.  Whenever I work when it is not my normally scheduled time, it is considered OT. 


No & if you work the same hours SM
and same production year after year, you will actually see a DEcrease in your income over time.  Isn't that nice?  The only way you can maintain or increase your income in this biz is to work longer and faster.
and work more than 40 hours/week you are due

compensation.  If your company requires you to work 7 days a week I'd find a new job.  They may ASK you to work extra as workload dictates but by no means should you be required too.  Many companies require 1 weekend/month or every other weekend, but there are off days during the week, unless you WANT to work.


If you are an IC you work what you commit to.  If a company can get you to work as an IC by holding over your head you dictate the hours you work, versus working a set schedule, why not.   With having to compete with companies offshoring they have to cut expenses where they can and cutting benefits, etc. is where they do it.  I don't like it, but in order to stay in business they have to, but they also can't require you to work 7 days/week either.  


 


 


 


Looking to pick up some prn work, about 10 hours per
week. I have Word 2000 and Transnet or can use FTP. Acute care or clinic. Email me for details if interested.
I take a 5-10 min break every 2 hours I work ...
barring that, I try to have as close as possible productive hours during my shift.
A little over 1100 - 5 hours work. nm
x
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...
sorry, but some ICs have specific hours to work (nm)
x
I work 8 hours a day and average anywhere
between 1700 and 2000 with 65 character line, spaces included.
I'm with you! So I work the hours people don't want
to work. Much too stressful to fight for work. Life is too short for me to take the money I already earn to spend on a physician prescribing nerve pills.