My Two Cents
Posted By: sm on 2007-08-01
In Reply to: Suggestions - Ann Marie
Almost every reputable company that hires new graduates provides full QA and training at no cost to the employee/IC. A reputable company that provides quality product to their clients will not let newbie loose on an account with it. Of course, you do have to have an education from a good school and the knowledge and skill to be able to pass their employment test. Take some time and check out some other companies using one of MT resource sites. It should be very enlightening. Remember, many companies will waive their experience requirements for graduates from schools such as Andrews and M-Tec. Very few, if any, of their graduates have ever had to pay to work.
This crud about having to pay for or not being paid during an internship/training is a direct result of AAMT/ADHI's push for apprenticeships for the profession. There were very few of these "opportunities" prior to the apprenticeship talk, and the ones that were out there were known scams. Now it just another way to maximize the bottom line while taking advantage of newbies who are lacking proper education or confidence or ability or are just desperate to get a foot in the door.
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9 cents per 65 character line and 9 cents every 65 char are two different things.
do they take your character count and divide by 65, or do you have a line length of 65 and you are paid for however many lines are on a page.
Thanks 2 cents
sounds good to me.
My 2 cents
While I do agree it is important to get a good education, I have to disagree with the people on this board that seem to think that the only way to get a job is to go to one of the top three.
This has not been the case for me, or for many people that I know. In fact, the school I went to is quite frowned upon, but I feel very good in how I am doing. Yes, if I had done my homework before starting school I probably would have taken a different course. The fact is that those of us that did not go to the top three deserve the chance to be viewed as an MT, not as a school project.
If someone were on here asking what school to go to, I would tell them that the top three are the best place to look. However, if they are here looking for guidance after the fact, I would never tell them that they are second class, and that is the viewpoint that I, and probably more people, see when we read this board.
My 2 cents...sm
I don't think it's meant to be a negative thing. I will soon hit my 3-year mark as an MT, so it makes me wonder how long one is considered a newbie. I consider myself - experienced - in that I can do a lot of work types and specialities, but I am absolutely still learning something new nearly every day, which I think is a good thing.
my two cents
I also have spent 2 years of my life and $16,000 to be trained in the Medical Office Field. With the negativity and attitude from the experienced MTs at these sites I am realizing they soon may no longer need sites like this. Overseas MT's will be the only MT's receiving any training...how sad!!! I can't figure out why someone with a talent would not want to mentor others!
My two cents....
I graduated in August as well, and after applying to dozens of companies I finally accepted an IC position with a company. I figured at least I would be getting some experience until something better comes along. I have only been working 3 weeks and I am glad I made that decision. You have to start somewhere, and it is so hard finding that first job. I figure once I get some experience, then maybe a better offer will come along such as a position that pays hourly rather than by the line and one that will hire me as an employee and provide benefits. I am just as new to this career as you, but I think we need to gain experience before we will find something better. Good luck in your endeavors and hang in there!!
My 2 cents.
in your post. For anyone who is interested, not all documents need be prepared to perfection. Some dictators like you to transcribe what they say and have coined phrases and refuse to have it transcribed any other way. So please, do not put forth that this profession is based solely on proper ANYTHING because it isn not. I have 19 years of experience in this field and was trained in a 4-year program. No, I am not a CMT because it is not a requirement to be an accurate transcriptionist. Thanks for listening. 
P/S: Any nurses, I feel, would be fine with transcribing since they are used to the medical terminology. However, typing speed is a plus as well, but not necessary. Accuracy is the key. Speed comes with time!!!!
I got 6 cents right out school.
Even as a newbie, I think 3 cents would be an insult.
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.
Here is my 2 cents worth
Sometimes clinic work won't really be for a few doctors, it'll be for a system of clinics often with very, very short reports with just as much fact checking and account specs as any other place. You might be surprised and find your speed much slower for a while, I know I was.
Teaching hospitals often have the best and the worst of dictators. Residents are honing their craft and learning to dictate well is a part of that. I think we all have to bear with them. Eventually, they will improve.
As for the group of seven hospitals all with different specs, sure it will take you a while to get up to speed. It would take anyone a while to get up to speed. Granted it would be very nice if the company you work for would just give you one hospital per month to get a good grip on the specs before adding another. But, unfortunately, MTSOs are not so considerate anymore. You do sound to be learning them and basically doing okay.
My first MT job was for a teaching hospital too, only there I could do operative notes, but no ER. I had to look up a lot of words/phrases here and there. I looked up things just to make sure I knew what they were. I probably wasted a lot of time. For my efforts, I started off making less than minimum wage and was stuck at about $4.00 per hour for close to a year as far as speed goes, so I would work 12 hour days or as long as I could in a day. But after a while, I broke that and started to make a bit more per hour and in my day. I discovered I was flying through some dictators, while others still held me back. Eventually, it does get better if you hang in there. We who work at home are production employees or ICs and not hourly employees. I started feeling better about my speed, production and myself once I put that into perspective. I also increased my speed and production once I got it off my mind and concentrated on each job at hand. I also set myself line goals for the day, say 800, 1000 or 1200, whatever you feel comfortable with and worked steadily until I met that daily line count, which increased my pay also.
I did not start using ShortHand until I was working for about a year. It certainly does help. Anymore I do so much editing that it is not as much help as I had hoped it would be. I think that really depends on the account(s) you have. Shorthand is nice, but is limited with editing. And as far as editing goes, it is crap everywhere. I just decided to bite the bullet and accept it. I actually don't mind it so much now. But, again, that really depends on the account as some are better than others.
I sincerely do not think you should beat yourself up over your concerns. Despite what schools and MT advertisements tell us, it really does take a while to learn to be a really good MT. We all have been where you are (and some of us never thought we'd get through it to make decent money), but with continued practice, patience and confidence in yourself, it will all get better. I myself would think twice about leaving any job right now in this economy. I've had enough jobs so far to know the grass isn't always greener in another pasture.
I hope my perspective was helpful to you. It is, after all, only my opinion.
God bless you.
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. !!!
I charged 14 cents per line.
I drove every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to pick up and deliver work. I had six accounts in one building and had them for seven years. I recently let them go because I moved and no longer wanted to drive. You definitely charge more. Think of how much time you spend printing, delivering and picking up. It is much more cost on your part than working for a service and doing everything on line.
If I get paid 7 cents per 65-Character.....
by electonic character count, do you think that would be with spaces or without?
Anyone? Not sure!
Thanks!!
Oooh... 3 cents per line.
.
Yes, 9 cents per 65-character line.
nm
6 cents a line and happy
Hmmmmm....you must not have any real bills, just blow by money eh?
6 or 7 cents a line for EXPERIENCED transcriptionists? SM
I don't think any self-respecting experienced MT will work for you for that kind of money. I know for sure I wouldn't. Do you think we're all that hard up for work? It's an insult to our intelligence, knowledge, job skills, etc. You are a joke.
when every newbie gets a job right out of school at 6 cents per line, I will say they are worth 6 nm
nm
6 or 7 cents? :::snorting::: I made 7.5 at the job I landed even BEFORE I graduated from (lm)
The School That Dare Not Speak Its Name. I then left that job for another one making 8 cents. I am now making 8 cents a line from home, and my one-year anniversary of graduating from MT training is not until May.
Six or seven cents? Not in THIS life. And I have had NO trouble finding jobs. I still get people calling me based on the resumes I sent out back when I first started looking, and I have to tell them I am no longer looking for work.
Nice try, MTSO. But trying to convince people to work for 6 or 7 cents a line shouldn't play as long as some of us are here to bring a little reality into the situation.
Are there companies offering 7 cents a line to new graduates? sm
This person has been offered 6 cents a line but I know the company and getting a raise will be like pulling teeth even if you do excellent work. This graduate will be doing acute care and feel like 6 cents is okay for clinic but 7 cents is more in line for acute care. This student graduated with honors from MT course.
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
4 cents per line for speech editor/voice recognition
Is this a decent pay?
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