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Company Board Today's Top Viewed: Meditech platform.. (Views: 80)

I am right there with Robin; as long as we MTs...sm - Cyndiee

Posted: Nov 3rd, 2009 - 8:06 am In Reply to: too low - Happy MT Robin

Especially very experienced, successful MTs in the field, continue to grab low-wage jobs and demand no more for ourselves, we are doomed to stay in this "barely minimum wage" prison. I have been an MT for 25+ years, all aspects, in-hospital, clinic, psych, radiology/nuclear medicine, and all types of special reports. I specialize in any type of OP. Two years ago I had to look around because the company I was happily working for lost several accounts and had to "lay off" MTs; I was amazed. I would test, they would tell me (prospective employers, and I am talking even large companies here), that I had aced the tests, I was wonderful, when could I start, only to be offered as low as 6 cpl/65 characters. And this as an IC!!!!! When I asked for higher wages because I deserved such, I was told "we'll see in the future." And so I just kept plugging along with resumes, tests, phone interviews, etc., and just when I thought 7 or 8cpl was all I could hope for, I got a call from a company who had read my resume, and I was offered, after successfully testing and interviewing, 8.5 cents per GROSS line, which is everything counts as a line, all on the page is counted in, and it comes out to around 13cpl on a 65-character line. I have been there for two years, I am happy, I am an IC, and I just count myself very blessed to be have these circumstances.

But then again, don't we EARN this type of pay when we work our hands off pounding away day after day, not only being medical language specialists, but English grammar specialists, ESL and "disabled dictator" specialists (mumble mouth speed demons), attention to every detail, investing constantly in software, reference books, updating our knowledge constantly.......when will we all wake up and realize that we are PROFESSIONALS, perhaps not MBAs or brain surgeons or Ph.Ds, but we have a WEALTH of knowledge and experience, we work very, very hard, and we continue to downgrade our own profession when we keep taking anything thrown at us. I was making 6cpl when I first started working at home (I was a hospital transcriptionist prior to that), and it has taken all these years to get even near the wages that all good, experienced MTs deserve. What other profession has taken so little, especially when you contrast our wages with the cost of living changes in the past 20+ years??

Not flaming, I just hope all MTs out there really think about how good they are, what they are capable of, how hard they have worked and for how long, and start to truly demand more. I know that many woman are single moms or just single and trying tp keep up with mortgage/rent, medical care, food, utilities, etc., but we are truly de-valued, and it is a shame. People laugh at unions, but just last year I was offered, from a union hospital in my area, one of the smaller ones, to work in the acute care department, $29/hr to sartt PLUS full benefits, medical, dental, vision, long term and short term disability, first year 2 weeks paid vacation, 1 week paid sick/personal days, incentives, life insurance, 401K program....and had to turn it down as I had a disabled child at home and needed to stay here. Who will change our wage scale if we do not, together????? I am sorry to go on and on, too many years of seeing this sort of thing. And you are worth so much more for 10 years of radiology experience, unless that is just a "training wage" and you will earn more soon after QA or something such. Just my opinion.

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