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For a newbie, that's pretty good pay. Works out to about 10.5 a line, nm

Posted By: Anon on 2005-10-22
In Reply to: Newbie pay... - Help needed please.

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Good education works. sm
The reason why most newbies can't get a job is because their education is lacking. The top 3 AAMT approved schools have a proven track record in producing employable graduates. Those are the facts and they'll never change. However, it's unfair for you to spread the false message that you're spreading of how education doesn't count. It does count and there's enough unemployed newbies on this website alone to prove it.
That is pretty good.
That is a lot better than what I am making. I am making only 3.0 cents per line independent contractor status, which is ridiculous. This should be a crime to pay an MT this low of a rate. I am currently in the process of looking for a new job.
Pretty good money
You can make pretty good money as an MT, but it takes time. You might be ready posts from people who have only been in the field a couple of years. I read an article recently that gave a pretty accurate account of what can be expected for pay. It was called "How much money can you make as an MT" It was on the articles page of this website www.help4mts.com and there were other articles too if you have not gotten started. There are many factors involved in MT paid, i.e. inhouse, SE, contract, benefits, etc. Good luck.
being able to make 40,000 year without a college degree is pretty good. I'm happy.

OSI pretty quick, MediVoxx pretty strange
I've applied to both. For OSI, I scored a few points too low to start, but was invited to retest in six months. For MediVoxx, it took about a week for them to get back with me and let me know I tested well. That led to several other things (confidentiality agreement, their company info, a personal telephone interview with an offer to test for QA after I downloaded software from their site). There was a seven digit code to actually activate that software to enable me to test for QA, which would be the final step in the pre-employment process. But, they never gave me that code and did not respond to any emails about it. It was if - POOF - they were gone!

I don't know what that was all about, maybe a recruiter problem and not a company problem. MediVoxx seems like a really nice and well put together company otherwise.

No one I've ever tested with otherwise took near as long to respond, though.

Good luck to you. You will find something. Don't give up.


Newbie posting resume here, is .09 too much for line pay?

Not sure what to put for my line pay in the resume section.  Anyone got any suggestions?


It is .06 per line. That is good to know.
Thanks

when every newbie gets a job right out of school at 6 cents per line, I will say they are worth 6 nm
nm
I think you can expect to get 5 to 7 cents per 65-character line as a newbie. I started at 7 cpl as
nm
Nothing is good for a newbie.
Ya, I think I won't take the job because it may be a little difficult. That's real smart.
Gross line means anything on a line is a line, even if just one word
it is counted as a line.  Not sure what exactly you are asking, but if you are comparing gross line to the usual 65 characters plus spaces gross line is better.  If you make 7.5 cpl per gross line that equals approximately 9.5 cpl based on 65 characters. 
For a newbie $10 an hour is good I would say - sm
granted if you have always typed 175+ cpl then it is not good of course. But say you get .07 line-65 cpl then 175cpl would come out to be $12.25 an hour. Starting out I made about $7/hour at .07/line, now I make average about $12/hour, but do about $9-16/hour depending on the dictator. I do not get paid for spaces as well so that cuts into the bottom line as well. I would think after a year they should bump you up to at least $12. Where I work the higher the line rate you make means you get the harder dictators, so that hurts too when you are on payment by the line, but where hourly pay would "pay" off.
Yes, that is how it works. I have..

looked at class notes for classes that occurred several years back.  There is a wealth of information there since the classes are led by various experts in the field on a wide-variety of MT-related topics.  I learned a lot about making time-saving macros and keeping my computer running from Mike DeTuri's tech classes, and I learned a lot of helpful shortcuts from Laura Bryan's MS Word classes.  However, the classes are really not the core of the M-Tec course.  The core of the course is transcribing the SUM program dictations, taking tests, and getting feedback from your instructor.  You also have various textbook exercises to teach you the anatomy, physiology, etc., that you will need to know.  The classes are really a very helpful extra, one of many that you get with M-TEC. 


Glad it works for you

You sound like you have a system that works for you. I tried getting more hours in at night after the kids went to bed and found that I was too tired, would get bad eyestrain and was just not that effective when I did not get enough sleep. 


I actually make more money at home as an MT than I would in an office.  Like I said below, mine are in dc. If it were just my 3yo daughter, I would be able to do it with her around.


Even though I have a 2 and 3yo in daycare, the benefit of working from home with a flexible schedule (have to get 35 or so hours in per wk, but whenever as long as its steady) is that I can pause my workday at 3pm when my 7 yo gets out of school - I pick him up, then I pick them up. I am also able to send my 3yo to preschool 3 mornings per wk and take the time to drop her off and pick her up.  I have also been able to work on sick days.  I estimate that since December, I would have had to take 8.5 sick days to care for my children if I worked in an office.


After being a SAHM for a long time, I am enjoying having some time where I am working and the kids are in school. 


To each his own - I have fielded opinions from both sides on this one. 


 


An expander works much the same as

auto-correct, though your space is limited with auto-correct.  It may take you a year or more, but you will eventually reach your limit.  I really haven't used auto-correct that much but I don't know if there are character limitations so that you could only enter a sentence, where with an Expander you could enter entire physical exams.   Also with an expander you can automate some of your functions such as automatically spellchecking, copying and pasting, etc. 


I don't know if you can transfer auto-correct entries either, so when you get an expander you may have to start from scratch and rebuild your expansions, though I don't know for sure about that. 


I'm not a fan of ShortHand, but lots of companies use it and it is compatible with most platforms.  You can do to their website and download a 30-day free trial to see what it is like. 


Not all software works with the same pedals.
It's just a software issue.

not everything works for the every person, but what i have found.....
I started out many years ago working for a few doctor's offices (neurosurgeon, infectious disease, oncologist, urologist) in the same building. I would pick up tapes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and deliver work those same days. I worked seven days a week back then (probably still do). After years of doing and the cost of gas skyrocketing, I realized it would be more beneficial for me to work for a service (either independent contractor or employee). I signed on with a national company (MedQuist). I know there are a lot of people out there who are not happy with MQ, but I am. My accounts are good, so I can make a good line count. The only problem is that my accounts are so good that there are many MT's working on them, and I tend to run out of work early in the day. I have signed on with an additional company to fill the void in my day.

I think I saw somewhere that MQ was hiring MT's with little or no experience. If that is the case, I would consider MQ or another national to get started.

I don't know anything about the benefits offered, as I rely on my husband for that.

Good luck.
Are you getting your line count from your program or can you use the line counting software to do
s
Just be careful not to get Office Works or Suite
that is advertised as compatible with MS Word. I accidentally bought that once, the packaging was similar and the box said it did everything MS Word did. Well, it sort of did, but that software changed every document I had in my entire computer upon installation to its own version. That certainly would not have worked in transcribing and transmitting reports. While it did work with Word as the packaging said, it did so by changing Word to something else. I don't recall the exact name of this, but just read the packaging carefully and get Microsoft and not a lookalike. Just wanted to give you a heads up to avoid one of my many mistakes. Good luck.
Auto correct within Word works great. nm
 
I'm pretty sure it does

:)


Getting pretty bummed
hey everyone. i've been searching and searching for a job but it just doens't seem to happen. lol. i finished college in dec. and haven't come close to finding anything. i'm pretty bummed. i took this course so i could continue to stay home and raise my autistic son, but i'm not so sure it was the smartest idea. i've never wanted a job so bad in my life! haha. anyways, just wondering if anybody else was feeling discouraged.
pretty bummed
I understand how you feel.  When I first got out of school, it took me about three months to get a job.  I would try Focus, I worked for them for a little over a year.  Although there are issues with an Indian based company, they do hire new grads and as far as I was concerned, I would take what I could get.  I also know that New England Medical Transcription will waive the experience requirement if you do good on their test.  I don't know much about them but take anything to gain experience then look for something better in the future.  Hang in there, something will come along.  Just keep sending resumes and testing with whoever will let you.
Don't know the course, but it's pretty in depth to do
x
Usually and they are pretty strict

I'm pretty sure it isn't recognized, as the other person
said, it is just a basic course and in way prepares you for being an MT. 
The CMT is pretty worthless and all it means
is you passed the test, doesn't mean you are a good CMT.  Some people get stuck on the initials and use then every possible opportunity as if it were MD instead of CMT.  I've been told many times that my work is better than lots of CMTs and I've always been paid the higher line rate, same as CMT.   Very, very few MTs have any respect left for AAMT - whatever they are called now.  If it makes you feel better to have it, got for it, but you don't really better yourself by having it.  You have to have 2 years of experience first.  If you really want to better yourself you'll find another line of work.  This one is going down the tubes so fast that I wouldn't waste any more of my time with it.  
thought it soundy pretty scammy...
thanks for the heads up...thought it sounded pretty fishy/scammy.  I just need to find something ASAP and am really getting aggravated with the whole job search drama.  Any input or help would be greatly appreciated.
I disagree. Allied has a pretty decent program.

Good. The lab book was a good choice.
Be sure you look through each book when you get it. Put tabs on sections you will want to refer to quickly. I know my lab book (not Stedman's) has all kinds of extra sections. I think my next purchase would be the cardiac book. Then neuro or OB-GYN after that, depending on which you are getting more of in your work.
I'm sure you'd be first in line for it, right?

The VLC has had numerous complaints against them and people demanding refunds.  I was in a position to KNOW that people that couldn't get jobs because they couldn't pass MT employment tests after the VLC course.  How is that being immature?  Evidently, you're one of the VLC reps lurking on the boards so you can jump in and refer your school.  Otherwise, you wouldn't be taking it so personally.


$ per line?
As a recent graduate and new MT, could someone tell me what a fair salary is, per line of transcription? Thanks so much.
How much per line?
I also do voice recognition as well as straight transcription. I have been an MT for about 2 years now and started off doing voice recognition and I love it. I now do about 1800 to 2100 lines per day (voice recognition). I started off with a company doing vr and was only making 2.5 to 3 cents per line and I stayed with them for about 18 months and after the raises I was making 4.25 cents per line. However, that was an IC position and I wanted benefits so I started taking as many online tests as possible with companies that offer employee status and not IC. I wanted to get benefits. So, eventually I passed the tests for about 6 different companies and I got to pick which one I wanted to go with instead of begging for someone to hire me.

I would take some tests online on the days that you are not working perhaps on the weekends or evenings and see if you pass the tests. It can't hurt at all. I am now working with a new company and I am currently making 6 cents per line and this is for voice recognition, which is pretty darn good doing about 1800 lines per day. You will not know until you try. E-mail me if you have any other questions.
Maybe not out of line...
but not a very good *cooperative* attitude.
line count

Can someone please help me with the whole line count, WPM, total dollars concept. I'm trying to figure out my potential income doing MT. I know there are a range of answers but there must be some averages. I would be brand new at MT. What's your best guess of amount of work in say a 6 hour/day schedule? After 6 months experience? Thanks in advance for your help!


best on-line courses?

Hi all,


I'd like to take an on-line MT course; can anyone recommend one over any others? I plan on doing an internship for experience when I'm done for a while so I can get an actual paid position. How hard will it be to start working from home as I have a 20 month old that I want to stay at home with.


Thanks!


How is line counting done?
I know it is based on a 65 character line, often including spaces, but how do you line count your work and get an accurate number?
Gross line

Hi! I got offer of 7.5 cents per gross line. No idea is it better than 7.5 cents per line including spaces? Please advise!


7 cents a line
I graduated in Aug - my first job finally came in Sept/Oct they started me out at 7 cents doing orthro clinics.
Line rate
I believe that means 7 cents per line for a 65-character line. If it does, that is not a good rate, especially if you have experience. Also, you need to find out whether that is 65 characters with spaces or without spaces. If without spaces, that is really a bad rate! Good luck to you!
line rate
I have never heard of someone asking a rate based this way. Find out what the margins and font (etc) are before you sell yourself to short. Then I would calculate any document based on those responses and see what the would equal up to so you get a decent rate.
HELP--On-line course information..??
I have been an MT for 13 years and have a friend who is trying to enter this profession via an on-line course.  She asked me if I know of any.  Can anyone tell me about an on-line program that includes training in Expander programs that is a legitimate program and recognized and accepted by employers?  Thanks in advance for your assistance.
line counts
as a new grad is 90-100 lc/hr fair or should i get a job flipping burgers
compaired to .065/line more.....
So many newbies I've seen post on here are paid .065/line when they are first starting out. Many say that is very average newbie pay.
All you can go on to compare is the $7.43/hour that you made. Divide that by .065 and you have 114 lines/hour. If your not actually typing that many lines/hour, than your making MORE than average newbie pay.
I hope this helps.
It's the only way to compare the standard way (cpl) newbies are paid.
Christy
What do you mean by the contract seemed way out of line?
You don't give an example of what you are talking about, but I doubt anyone here would knowingly sign a contract that was detrimental to them or way outside industry norms.

I love my ESLs. Even though I do acute care, they tend to be fairly repetitive in their phrasing, and you get used to them after a few reports. In many cases, I would much rather have an ESL than a doc who drops entire syllables from words and words from sentences because he is in such a rush to be done with his dictation. Or spellers. I hate spellers.
Line counting
I would like to know who out there started off with a low line count and exceeded to the max of a 1000 lines or more. How many reports are that usually.?And the appropriate hours it takes to get it done.? Would you please share your story with me. that would be great!
Line counts
If you can create normals this will help tremendously with your line count. Also be sure to utilize any samples that you have available. If you are not using a word Expander already, that will definitely help your speed. The biggest factor in being fast and getting a good line count is to know your stuff and that just comes with experience. When you are first starting out there are a lot of things that you have to look up and that takes a lot of time. Once you get more experience you will find that you don't have to look up as many terms and your speed will pick up.

Good luck!
Cents per line...

Yes, at 6 or 7 cents a line, that is strictly training wages.  Don't settle for anything like that, especially if you have experience and you know you are good at what you do.  These companies make anywhere from 14.5 cents on up for the work they receive throughout outsourcing so, in essence, whatever you make, they make, except you are the one doing all of the work, paying for your phone line/internet, etc.


If they only want to pay 6 or 7 cents a line, let them get new grads or someone with no experience, that way they will get what they pay for.


Cents per line
This is a post of new graduates or soon-to-be graduates, who need to gain experience. !!!
PT line count
How many lines would you type to be considered PT?  300-500? more?  Thank you 
Line count
I've seen PT listed for as little as 2500 lines a week, minium 500 lines a day.