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contracting versus employee

Posted By: Kari on 2008-05-22
In Reply to:

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of contracting versus employee?  I have plenty of time throughout the day, but my husband works from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  This is a large chunk in the middle of shifts.  Is contracting setting the amount you will do for the day?  Like I would be able to work 6 hours but at split times throughout the day?  Any help on this would be appreciated.


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IC versus employee has nothing to do with either
IC is just a tax status.

There are plenty of MTs who get paid hourly.

It won't make any difference if you are an IC or an employee...you can get paid whatever method you are successful at negotiating with your client or employer.

Independent Contracting questions
I am currently subcontracting with a company and I enjoy the work, but as a new transcriptionist, there isn't much of it. I was wondering if anyone had any experiences to share with how they found an independent contracting job.

I'm actually searching for something to supplement the job I have. I would like to work with one doctor if possible, but I don't know if that is possible. I'm hoping that someone had started out working with one doctor and then added on doctors when they felt their work with the first doctor was consistently good.

I am really just looking for some information and advice to figure out how to do what I have mentioned above.

Thank you,
Dara
question regarding independent contracting
Hi. I am a new MT and worked for over a year as an independent contractor for an MT transcription company. I would like to know what form do I need from them that is required in filing for my income tax return? Thank you in advance for the info.
IC vs. Employee

When I was hired by the national I am working for I was given a choice, IC or employee.  I was hired by this company right out of school.  In order to be an employee with them they required 12,000 lines per pay period (2 weeks).  Being an independent contractor had no minimum line count.  Since I was fresh out of school I knew that there was no way I could commit to 12,000 line per pay period, so I chose to be an IC.  Once I got my production up to speed, I was able to switch to employee status.  I am not sure how other companies work, but I do believe that most will give you the option to be IC or employee.  I just don't know if you can switch mid-stream or not.


Hope this helps you some!


Heartland employee

Hello, I am not a Heartland employee, but I did take their test and passed with a 92. They said at the time that their training class was full  and as soon as they had an opening for training, that they would get in touch with me. I have not heard from them and that has been two months. I am a CareerStep grad. Wanda 


if you are hired by co, usually employee...sm

If you are *hired by a company* then usually you are an employee...it is when you score your own accounts that you can become an IC....but I'd brush up on typing skills, no offense.....it's truly detail- oriented work and you misspelled pursue and independent...and again, no offense....


Employee Position

Hi Lori,


Check with someone at Career Step.  They should offer you a listing of employers who will test their graduates.  I am an M-Tec grad, and there are many job opportunities available for graduates.  I would think that Career Step would offer the same thing.  Since you have some experience under your belt, I am sure you would have no trouble finding a job!


Good luck!


its employee status only -disregard my ? NM
nm
You didn't say if you are an MTSO or IC or employee or what. (nm)
nm
So I'm still not sure ... but the MT is a hospital employee, sometimes they will "weight" m
dictators so you get a little extra credit for unusually bad dictators. But that may not be a common practice everywhere.

If you are an IC, or at least once you are experienced, you might be able to negotiate a better rate for a particular MD if nobody else can or will do his dictation.

But have faith - some dictators who sound just horrible the first few times will suddenly be a breeze once you "crack the code." You will probably do that much more quickly if you have an experienced MT helping you out, listening to the difficult spots.


5.5 as an employee is good to start! sm
I started my first job at 5cpl as an IC, no benefits.  If you are offered 5.5 cpl plus benefits to start take it.  You will get more later on but you need the experience.  I've been working 7 months now and just took a new job at 7cpl.  You have to start somewhere and cannot expect to come into the industry making what experienced people are being paid/offered.  Yes, many companies post ads and say they offer 7-9cpl, but you'll also notice most of them are also asking for the MT to have 3-5 years experience.  Taking a lower wage when you are new is not belittling, it is reality.  You can always work your way up.  Also you can continue to job hunt while working and if you find better, great then switch companies.  You have to start at the bottom, but you would be surprised how quickly you can move up if you are good at what you do.  Good luck!
Going rate per line as employee

Can anyone tell me the going rate per line for employee status?  I am currently IC, but looking for employment.  Any help appreciated. - Newbie!


If you are an MT employee or MT employer pls EMAIL ME!
I need all the help i can get.  I'm submitting my package to get into the MT program by the end of June 2009 and the only thing I haven't completed is the informational interview.  I have to ask 3 MT employees and 3 MT employers a few questions about this line of work and I'll be able to get my package processed and hopefully get into the program right away.  I am on maternity leave and it's difficulty for me to leave the house and search for people.  Please help me out so I can get into this program and finally make something of myself that I can be proud of.  Thanks everyone who has taken the time to read this.  My email is carpio_cat@hotmail.com
IC or employee? There's no way you're working for a national
and making more than 8 cpl in your second year of MT. 6 is an OK rate for a newbie who's still wet behind the ears. You've never seen her resume or school transcripts. How can you tell her she's worth as much or nearly as much as experienced MTs? I won't nitpick, but newbies need serious feedback.
MT versus nursing
Pamela, this board may seem negative, but overall MT is not a negative profession. With the money you can make, and the ability to be at home with your kids, it is definitely worthwhile as a "transitional" job. You may find yourself 20 years down the road still doing it, as it works well with a family. Be patient, find the right company. It can be done. I see a lot of positives along with the negatives on this board; if a company is good, then the employees will let you know, if a company is bad, listen to the people telling you not to go there. When it's 10:1 against a company, something HAS to be wrong . . . Good luck
Vista versus XP

I recently started working for another company and the computer tech is EXTREMELY knowledgeable when it comes to platforms and such.  I was informed that Vista is basically another version of Windows ME which, most people know, was a HORRID version of Windows and Microsoft is planning on coming out with yet another operating system early next year. 


I have also done internet research and there are posts regarding the fact that you can partition your hard drive to where you can have both XP and Vista running on the computer, however, in my opinion, that is best handled by an expert and not something that anyone should attempt on their own without extensive computer knowledge. 


Right now, I would say your best bet would be to try to find a computer with XP on it as far as a laptop, or if you can hold out, stick with the dinosaur for a bit longer.  Also, it may help to get registry fix programs etc, many of which are free and extremely good programs and might help to optimize the older computer in terms of speed, etc.


 


 


ACUTE Care versus other.

What defines someone to be an acute care MT as to a multi-specialty MT.  What is the difference?  Sorry if this is a dumb question..


Thanks!


 


clinic versus acute
acute care consists of patient care in the hospital from the time they are admitted until they are discharged (emergency room, history/physical, consultations, progress notes, lab/imaging data, transfers, and discharges are the most common). clinic notes are office visits (sometimes include consultations and maybe lab/imaging data). these are usually shorter dictations than the acute care.
To AJ - editing versus transcription
Hi AJ - Have they requested that you switch to VR editing yet?  Do you know anything more about how they are handling transcription versus editing? Thanks!!!!
Teens versus adults
All of this thread reminds me very much of the conversations that happened between my teenagers and my husband and I.

They insisted they were adults, they had the maturity, they knew what they were getting into, they were right, etc. My husband and I knew better; we were adults who had already been teenagers and been there, done that.

Were we hateful and rude by not giving them full rein and encouraging them to act like adults when they weren't? NO!

We did the responsible thing: We told them as fairly and truthfully as possible that while it might seem they know what they are talking about, their insistence about it showed their immaturity. It would not be fair of us, as parents, to not be up front with them, etc.

And so the story goes here. We have young ones in this profession and those who have matured in it. We simply know because we have worked for years in this industry, seeing the ups and downs of it, worked inhouse and worked at home, and already raised our children. We already know what you're facing and what you WILL face.

Lisa, however, is that teen and so are you, Dreamer, who is insistent that she knows everything already. She makes demands and thinks her way is the only way. Not so. Not so at all.


Per Line versus Per Report
In a 7-hour day I can type 2000 lines or 200 reports. Most companies expect 1200 lines during a full-time shift, so that probably would equate to 120 reports if you are going by the 1200 lpd standard. Another way to look at it...the average "decent" (not exceptional) MT should be able to type 20 minutes of diction in 60 minutes. I don't proof after typing, I proof while I am typing. Hope this helps.
Template versus document
The poster above is right, but there are definite advantages to using a template.  The biggest one is that you don't run the risk of saving over your basic document when you've made changes/additions to it in creating a new document.  You have to remember to change the name of the file when you save it or it overwrites your prior document.  With a template, this isn't an issue.  If you want to save out a basic document as a template, just remember when you save it to change the file type ("save as type")  with the drop-down menu to "Document template (*.dot)."  You'll be able to pull it back up when you create a new file by chosing the "on my computer" option under "Templates" in the task pane.  Hope this helps!
MT versus working at Wal-Mart

I have been an MT for 16 years.  Twice I've taken time off (over a year at a time), because of being burned out. 


Working as an MT at home is much better than working at Wal-Mart, or any other retail-type job.  I have much more flexibility in the hours I work.  I can be at home with my children, so that I can take care of their needs.  I've never had to have babysitters for my kids.  Now that they're all in school, it is easier, and I can still schedule my work time around their hours.  How in the world would working at Wal-Mart be better than that??  And even though the amount of pay I've been offered recently is less than my best job 5 years ago, I am still making 3 times as much as a Wal-Mart employee! 


I never went to school for training.  I am just an excellent speller with good typing and grammar skills, and I learn quickly.  I worked at my college health center for one year because of the above skills.  I didn't work after that for a time.  Three years later, I started sending out resumes to a bunch of local MTSOs and, after several months, one asked me to come test.  My persistence paid off.  I did very well on the testing and was hired.  I struggled those first couple of years.  Because I worked hard to learn new specialties, the MTSO was always asking me to take on a new one.  I probably worked a lot of hours for low pay as I learned each new specialty (I guess you COULD say I paid for my training! Lol!), and I shed a LOT of tears as I worked in the wee hours of the morning (because I didn't work until after my kids were in bed).  However, I am grateful to her for that experience.  I did eventually move on into acute care and did fine because of the opportunities she gave me. 


I still think MT is a good opportunity for people who just want to be able to be home with their kids and/or have a flexible schedule that allows them to run a forgotten lunch to school, go to a child's afterschool game, etc.  How many workplace jobs offer that??  It's still worth it to me!


NOW versus KNOW - Learn the difference as you will need to KNOW it at some point.
Trust me, you don't scare us.  As experienced professionals, we know what happens to MTs with delusions of grandeur; they are in for a very rude awakening, to say the very least.
local hospital versus national
Hi,
I was with a national company and, like you, only did about 1200 lines per day at 7.5 cpl with 18 months in. I felt like I was never going to make the big bucks!

In May, I resigned from the national co. and went to work locally. After a short 1-month in-house training, I am working from home again. This hospital has some great normals to use and yesterday, I did 2200 lines!!!!!

Finding a good fit is the hardest part. Thankfully, I think I have found mine!!!!! Just keep in mind that there are other options out there. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Shorthand versus Instant text
Looking for a great word Expander to work with. I am clueless at this point as to what is out there and how they even work. I have had ShortHand and Instant Text suggested to me, but not sure which one will be better.

Thanks for your help.
Hearing actual dictation files versus professionally read ones was a major plus
s
No it is a typo, to versus do, is a typo.