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you raise such a valid point...

Posted By: Emily Ayn on 2008-12-17
In Reply to: Nursing is more lucrative - GhostMom

"If money is your goal"...

I too thought about the nursing program... It's really the only other thing I could see myself doing long-term... but I don't want to give up MT because of all the freedom I have. Granted, I get no benefits, it's hard to scrape by sometimes, but I basically get to do whatever I want as long as I meet my TAT...

Money, however, is my goal for the things I want to continue doing. Plus all the money I'd go in debt for for schooling... will it ever equal out. I just feel like I'm too old to start a career, by the time i want school over with i would hope im married with a baby. HAHA

Oh I Hate being indecisive!!!


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unfortunately, you have a very valid point sm
and unfortunately, there is nothing we are going to be able to do about it. Of course, we can choose to shop at American owned stores-I do-we can choose to speak to Americans only-never tried asking for an American, but in the end, this is all a futile effort on our part! It's the wave of the future, and the bottom line is all that matters to corporate America! That's why we have to bring up our children with good values, excellent work ethic, and high moral standards, so that when they get out into the "real" world, they can out perform the, um, what do I call them, foreigners!
valid point
This is a valid point and I am not happy with the cut in pay either. On the other hand, I do love what I am doing and accept that it will take some time for me to reach my full earning potential, although I am not too sure it will come to the 41,000 I made in the past. The point I am making is that although it is a cut in pay, I am still paying the same household bills I was contributing to with my other employment, although it is not as easy and I have never been the type of wife to rely on her husband for pocket money---I have always had my own and this has not changed.
This has not always been the case, hence it hurts more. Merit raise/cost of living raise
dd
The raise you're describing is a merit-raise, - (SM)
and I agree that a worker has to go above and beyond in order to get them. But what doesn't seem to happen in this industry is COST-OF-LIVING raises, which should automatically come to workers either in small increments yearly, or in larger increments every 2-3 years. Without wages that are at least somewhat *realistic* (and modern-day MT wages are a pathetic joke), it's no wonder quality workers are harder and harder to come by, and much harder to retain. An MT should not have to work sweatshop hours for 7 days a week just to keep their head above water financially.
Is this a valid thing? sm
All of a sudden one day this box appears at the bottom of my computer stating....Repair Registry Pro has found 466 errors, click here for more information...I clicked it and it wanted to charge me a lot of money for this...I think maybe it is something not like a virus but not anything good either.  I clicked on Microsoft website to see if I could find anything about this, and while there ran some tools to see if I had any errors which it did not report any.  Has anyone ever came across this and is it legitamite (sp?)?
Another very valid reason
First let me say, I am so sorry for what you have been through.  I hope and pray you find your child.  This is just one of multiple reasons credit reports should be personal.  The next thing you know, they will want sexual histories before hiring someone.  It is just PERSONAL and PRIVATE and should be respected as that.  I wonder how many companies that do credit reports for potential employees would like to have credit reports pulled on their business practices.  Really, again, it is private and very personal.  I believe every one has good intentions until proven otherwise. 
Your concerns are valid, unfortunately : (

EMR and voice recognition has put me out of a job.  On my former job, there was one other Transcriptionist besides me.  Because she had been there longer, she got what was left over after most of the docs jumped on the voice recognition bandwagon.  They use Dragon Naturally Speaking.  I have seen it at work myself and it is quite accurate.  There is no editing being done on their work.  Now, I'm doing a job that is just that, a JOB.  I enjoy transcribing and am looking for another job, but MT jobs seem to be few and far between where I am.  I can't get high speed internet where I live, so most services are out.  I may move onto a different career if something doesn't come around soon.  I thought about legal transcription.  Anyone have experience with that?


 


It's a really valid question.

I've seen a lot of posts on this board from MTs who said their accounts went to EMR and they were out of a job.  I haven't experienced that, though.  I worked in house for an oncology practice that had a software program that was designed for EMR but everyone still dictated.  The account I'm on now has EMR and they'll put things in the dictation for the meds, and review of systems that say "detailed review of systems in electronic medical record" or that the meds have been updated and a full list is in the EMR. Other times they dictate the med list and dictate a review of systems.


Personally, I don't think it's ever going to completely get rid of us.   There are still too many variables in some reports.   We may end up not typing things like cataract reports, or some surgical procedures which are pretty routine, but things like H&Ps, consults, discharges, and office/progress notes are still going to need something more than point and click.


That's my experience, anyway.


Definitely not...how do you know if it's a valid complaint?...(SM)
This happens very often with abuse claims. A case is started, the claim is false, someone's reputation is wrecked, and it costs them a fortune in legal fees to restore it. If you are worried she is not getting help or advice, the only discrete way to find out is fake a spontaneous meeting and get into conversation with him/her and go from there. You could never let it be known that you read her/his records...records that she thinks are confidential. (Boy, are a lot of people in for a shock.)
My license is valid again. Yay! I called the

numbers on the suspended license notice this morning and was told to go to the courthouse, which I did. I told them I was contesting the ticket because it was not me who got it but I know who did get it. I explained what my sister did and the lady told me to go to DMV and file identity fraud charges where I fill out a form saying someone is using my name and give their name if I know who. That's done! She also cleared my name in the computer and gave me a copy of the ticket which says issued in error. The ticket was issued at 3 in the morning so she's lucky she didn't get a DUI on my name. The ticket shows her car and her license plate number. Gee, wonder how that happened? I now have a court hearing middle of September where I explain my case and the officer who wrote the ticket will be there. You can bet I'll be bringing life size photos of her to show that it wasn't me. Now I can breathe again, at least until September.


There would never be a valid reason to go to her clients - ever. sm

Remember - those clients are her bread and butter. HER business is to protect HER BUSINESS. Late TAT one time would not be enough reason to stop using your services. Late TAT enough times that SHE is getting uncomfortable with the client is ample reason.


You have no business relationship with the clients. Your business relationship was with the MTSO.


Tried to e-mail and said addy was not valid.
Most likely you would need a USB pedal or an adapter to convert any other type of foot pedal.  There are numerous options available as far as internet - cell phone, dial-up, WiFi, satellite, air cards.  It depends on how you will be traveling and where you will be staying.  You need to have a primary plan and a backup. 
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.
Know is old post - but valid concerns

I don't kow what they could do to help you RE: Katrina but companies need to verify the NEED to cut back or do it across the board, at least in the department / job level. I worked for this company for 6 yr & had several cuts in my take home. The platforms used became slower & slower because of the amazing amt of data in the programs. I had 3 gig memory & STILL took forever & you aren't making a dime for that several minute while a report is sending & the next coming in & then doing the demographic page.


I've been trying to find out if there was anything of that investigation - I never did get that paper that so many other employees got. And I had a definite beef.


this was maybe 20 years ago valid, but not nowadays
with such a low line rate and VR, when transcribing's speed has to be tripled to get the same pay.

Newbies can still learn and profit from the answers given on the word help board.

CHANGE is inevitable in every field.
FYI - Internet petitions are not valid in most
x
Plenty of room here! Your thoughts are as valid as all the others.
.
Her points are valid, true, and very appropriate to discuss here.
The only thing I would add to that is that in addition to discussing this age-old medical "dirty secret" here, it should also be discussed with anyone and everyone, until the issue can be brought to the forefront in the medical industry. A lot of terrible medical mistakes are being averted because of skilled MTs catching them.
We are an important line of defense in the medicolegal risks every doctor & medical institution faces every day. Yet because very few people know this profession even exists, we're continually being kept in the medical industry's darkest closet, and many of them get their hides saved from financial ruin every day -- literally at our expense.
Bitter? I think the recruiter/owner had some valid points. nm
x
I didn't apply, so that's a moot point. The point I was making is that
she's ranting here about something that doesn't even pertain to most of us. You can't come to a MT message board railing at MTs without getting a response. That's why it's not called MTSOstars. Also, it's unprofessional of a business owner to let her emotions overrule her common sense. As for the newbies, they'll learn. We were all newbies at one time or another. None of us was born perfect, not even the MTSO.
You missed my point. My point wasn't perks but prestige...nm
nm
The point wasn't that it was copyrighted. The point the poster tried to make
:(
That's not my point. My point is previous owner hired
nm
not my point, actually. My point was the bigotry is the same.
The bigotry's always there. Not all "Mexicans" are Mexican, nor are they all illegal. My point is, though, people used to make remarks about cabbage smell about the Irish just like comments are made now about how nasty Mexicans are.

Every time somebody says something about "those people," something bigoted is coming out. That's all I'm saying.
MQ raise
My last raise was in 1998.  When I asked for one last year, I got one quarter of a cent.  Then three quarters of a cent were taken away from me when I started DocQscribe, as I was told I was gonna make so much more money with DQS.
raise
May want to follow up with a phone call, sometimes if they get a lot of email it is easy to overlook them. That's what I do if they don't get back to me as soon as I think they should, anyway :)
getting a raise
How does one go about getting a raise as an independent contractor? I am not even in the same state. Shoud I e-mail or phone and how long should I wait before asking? In the past, I could always ask a co-worker, but my kids are my co-workers now. Does anyone know the correct protocol?
anyone with DSG ever get a raise?
d
Raise
I've been with MQ for a good while and I'm happy (just because my office is awesome), but I'm an intrigued with their production comparisons (ASR vs non-ASR) and interpreting polls (after the first one I sent that they "interpreted," I never sent another).

My theory on raises: Since the ASR rate will be reduced, you already have a "built-in" raise by not doing ASR. This is not to say they won't give raises eventually, but if you ask for one because you are doing the scum, they will say, "Well, the ones who do ASR don't get paid as much."

My advice to you would be to do ASR. Or get a different job because with MQ, this is the future. At least if you can master it and as the ASR improves (you'll get faster), you won't have a continuous diet of bottom-feeder material. That would absolutely drive me crazy. They probably eventually will eliminate all non-ASR'ers anyhow once the system is more refined.

Just total speculation on my part.
raise?
I hope whatever they gave you in the form of a raise compensates for what you have to go through, day in, day out, without any reprieve, and without even a good doc thrown in for good measure.  Does it?  Was it at least a buck an hour, and preferably two bucks?  Or was it two bits?  Keep your eyes open, MQGuy.  It won't be long before you are OUTTA THERE!   (Will the 0.050 cents per line, or whatever paltry sum it was, pay for your psychologist to keep you as sane as you are now?) I wish you luck, and I mean it sincerely.  They got you hook, line and sinker.
Do ICs ever get a raise? -sm
I work as an IC for a great company.  I have been with them almost 2 years now.  I  would like a pay raise.  As an IC, do I ask for it?  If so, how is this approached?  I have worked as an IC for almost 10 years for various companies.  Some give you a raise, most do not.  I would stay with this company either way.  TIA
Have been there over 4 yrs and no raise other than
across the board raises that everyone gets, latest being $0.002/line.  (No that wasn't a typo, it was actually a very insulting .002cpl).  Was told upon hire there would be merit raises.  Asked about one after a year of exemplary service with 100% QA and was pretty much laughed at.
pay raise
I was wondering when it is appropriate to ask for a raise?  I was thinking around my first year anniversary.  Also, how much is usually given? Do they up .5 cpl or 1 CPL? Just curious. 
MQ raise?
and how might I ask did you accomplishment the acievement of 2 raises in the past 3 months for MQ?
Wow, I need to ask for a raise! I am 1:2
5 min of dication takes me 10 min to transcribe.  If I have to re-listen to something, or look up, it may take 11 minutes. 
to ask for a raise?

To make a long story short, I've had this account for 4 years, and am on a salary.  At first I didn't think I would make any money since it was a salaried accout, but as it turns out, some days there is much to do and other days there is not as much, so it rather evens itself out, but then there are days when I'm working from daylight until dawn, but those days are rare.  Four years ago this was great money.  However, the COST OF LIVING has gone up exponentially!    I love this account, but it's my sole income; I have no other accounts.  Thus far I've been able to make it on this account and prefer to not take on anymore work because, as I previously mentioned, some days there is more work than I want, but it has to be done.  It would just make life much more difficult to take on more work for the days that they slam me, which outweigh the light days.  My problem is this:  I really want to ask for a raise, but afraid to rock the boat.  I realize all they can do is say no, but then, once I've mentioned wanting a raise it might plant the seed that I might be moving on if they don't give me a raise, which I have no intention of doing, but how do I tell them that?   I can't just say when asking for a raise: "Can I have a raise?"  (them) No, you cannot.  Me:  Okay, just thought I'd ask.  I am at a loss as to what to do about this situation.  Any advice would be so much appreciated from anyone with experience in such a predicament as this.  Thank you very much.


to ask for a raise?
I own the account personally. It is not through an MTSO.

Wow, sounds like you've gotten the really short end of the stick, and I feel so bad for you. I hope you'll get what sounds like a well-deserved raise, or be able to find another company who will appreciate you for what you really do. Good luck to YOU.
Are you asking for a raise or trying to get an
s
What's a raise?
I'll take the one dictator. I haven't gotten a raise the entire time I've been at the company I work at right now (several years) and I never know what will land in my workpool. One dictator by choice? I'd give my pinkie finger for an account like that and gladly look up everything! What a fool.

we will never get a raise
they will just crack the whip harder...work faster, longer, all day long, all night long so you can make more money more money more money. it is a vicious (brain freeze, is that how you spell it)?
Asking for a raise sm
Speaking from experience, this is not time to rock the boat, so to speak. With the economy the way it is, perhaps they will pretend to go along with you and start searching elsewhere. Been there, done it, think it over very carefully!!! Everyone is replaceable, I found that out the hard way after 20 years of faithful service, and they told me I was the best in the state! Be very, very careful unless you think someone else will pick you up right away. Under-bid by 1/4 of a CPL!
can an IC ask for a raise? nm
nm
No, no raise here, either.
I still make the same rate with my local doctors that I did when I started in 2000. With the company I am an IC, I actually make 4 cents a line less, but the work is abundant so I am still thrilled.

It sounds like you are lucky to still have a job where you are. I wouldn't push it. If you are not happy, start looking for other doctors. If you are content where you are, don't rock the boat.

As ICs, no, we never get raises. If I need more money coming in, I raise my production 100 or 200 lines extra a day, improve my shortcuts, push my speed to the limit. There's always room for improvement. If there is not work sufficient enough for you to do more, then take on another local doctor, if you can.

I try to keep myself thinking of the blessings that come with my job, what it allows me to do for and with my family. This is not a profession where we can dwell on what we are not getting, cause we'd all quit, even the employee status MTs.
Ask for the raise

You should ask for a raise...if you have been working there for two years with no raise, no bonuses, and of course, I'm sure you don't get any insurance or anything like that, you definitely deserve a raise...don't short change yourself, you can bet the office raises their office visits, procedures, etc. when things get tough on their end...you deserve a raise, and besides, if you don't ask, you will never know...the worst that could happen is they say no....but at least you asked.  I recently asked for a raise, and got it...I work from home as an IC and type for a local doc...I pick up tapes and deliver the transcription, etc., but I got the raise.  Even if I worked in the office, I would have asked for a raise.


We as MTs need to get the idea out of our head that we don't deserve a raise...if you're doing a good job, have experience, and do the work that they expect from you...ask for that raise! 


no raise??
Cost of living???  Who gets a cost of living raise as an MT?  I want that job!!!  I have done this for 35 years and no cost of living raise for me.  Raises when I was working in a hospital and was a supervisor in the early 1980s and still transcribing and only got raise because my line count increased within a certain period of time.  And believe me I was making much more THEN than I can possibly get now, due to no work, and the amount we get paid per line is going down and we still have to work more hours to get that.  But I still hang in there.  What is to do at 56??
A raise!?!
Heck, I've been taking regular pay CUTS for the last 10 years! They laugh in your face when you ask for/expect a raise.


pay raise - not
Not only are we NOT getting well-deserved raises, but per-line wages are being cut!
You definitely need a raise....sm
I was a Transcriptionist for about 7 months when I got my first raise. I started out at .065 cpl almost 2 years ago. Then 7 months into it I got .075 cpl without even asking. Then when I had been an MT for 1-1/2 years I asked for another raise and got 8 cpl. I am supposed to get another one in June I believe to .085 cpl. I have a very nice boss.

I would ask for a raise and if they wouldn't give one I would look elsewhere for work.
When was your last raise?

Do you get bonuses?  Look, I work weekends, and also don't work when I don't feel like it and I still make a decent wage.  As an IC, I can pick and choose and who is to say that just because someone doesn't work weekends they aren't going to make any money. 


The only thing open on weekends are facilities and hospitals; no clinics.  There is a skeleton crew.  You are working nights because India has taken the days.  So, please come down to Earth a little here.  We've all done our time especially the oldies when life wasn't so easy for an MT. 


We need to work together and not belittle each other for someone who would like to have weekends off, etc.  Some like it hot and some like it cold.  There's no real difference there.  Some like working weekends, and some like working during the week.  There's no harm done, really.  It's all the same.


Thanks to the 2 responders regarding DSG and getting a raise
d
no raise in 3 years
same here -- have you asked for one -- i did and was told that I was sending over 20% to QA - imagine that with the docs that we get -- there is no way to win at MQ and if there is would someone please let me in on the secret!!