A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

VR editing - it's time to give - DT

Posted: Feb 03, 2012

I have never done VR yet but after looking for several months I've come to the conclusion that it's time to give in and apply for VR positions as that's all there seems to be in this industry. I'd much rather have half the income than no income. I'm looking for opinions from everyone that reads this: Are most of these companies advertising willing to train to do VR? I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks everyone.

vr - all different

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All the VR platforms have to have some training for their MTs, they are all different in how to go about getting the jobs and sending. Otherwise you listen to the report and read what kind of crap the system thinks it heard the doctor say and you just have to change the words to what the doctor really said. Lots of stopping and changing, and listening, a few words and change 2 out of 3 of the words as they are wrong. That is basically what you do. Not much training for listening and changing the words that are already on your screen to what the words should be. Just a major pain to have to change every sentence. And get paid half as much.

I totally agree. - lizzie

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I had never done VR either. Found a job with a new account - told me 50/50 VR and straight typing. Well, I have 90% VR - at 4 cents a line - and 10% straight typing. It takes longer to fix a messed up report. After a few hours, it's mind numbing. I'm so bored with this I almost want to quit. Yesterday I made a whopping $8.75 an hour doing VR. No, I'm not a newbie. I've been a MT for over 30 years. I think this is a crappy way to transform dictation and pay cheap wages. Oh - and I also have to make sure the header is correct, google doctor names, search for correct PT info and I DO NOT get paid for this part. I have spent up to 10 minutes searching for patients that the dictator didn't bother to insert in the header.

VR - Seasoned MT

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WOW, it sounds like I could have written that note. Same here, 30+ yrs of experience, etc. Three wks ago I actually had to restore my computer and when it was all fixed, my platform did not restore. Needless to say, I am no longer doing VR editing. I would just get SO angry while doing it knowing that it took a lot of time to do, I wasn't getting properly compensated, AND someone at the top was getting rich quick. The gaul to pay 4 cents. :(

You guys, VR doesn't HAVE to be like that. It can be - set to put out editable copy. SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Editing can be swift, wonderfully productive, and enjoyable when the reports put through are actually of editing quality.

When companies instead send us stuff about as readable as a plate of macaroni salad, it's because they can send us what is really transcription work as editing and we transcribe them--AT HALF PAY.

The problem isn't SR--it's employers using SR to cheat us to increase profits.

I have a suggestion: Audit your earnings on your really bad reports. Working for $3/hour? Don't stop there. Subtract the OPPORTUNITY COST to do them: that is, what you would have earned doing a properly editable report during that time. What's your bottom line? You actually lost $2 over that hour, paid them $2 for allowing you to work? Are you literally subtracting from your income by doing those terrible reports that're not balanced out by unusually good earnings on others?

Once you're angry, DO something about it. I am and do a number of little things which have lightened my burden a bit with some these reports, and increased my earnings, but I won't say just what because I don't want to give my employer a clue. If others would help themselves even a bit, a little passive resistance here and there, working smarter where it'll help, I'd personally really appreciate it. I'm not in a position to switch fields right now (neither too lazy or too fearful, BTW, just shackled) and hate allowing them to cheat and abuse me because I'm competing for work in a pool of victims. You can't turn this all around, but doing SOMETHING will help us all.

OP, plan to enjoy editing when it's good. It can be even more satisfying than transcribing. You can also help yourself best by planning and working to make as much editing as you do transcribing. That's equitable pay and some in this field are paid equitably. Why not you?

VR doesn't have to be like that - VTMT

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What are you trying to sell?

VR - Karen

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I agree with Lizzie. Recruiters at my last job told me the work was 50/50 MT/VR when it was actually almost 100% VR at 4 cpl, not to mention that it was also heavy ESL and I didn't get paid for research. I've been doing MT for 20 years and used to make $25+/hour, now I'm lucky if I make $7/hour. I made $11,600 last year. That's it. I now have such a dismal view of the future of VR/MT that I'm getting out. And when people tell me they want to take a course in MT so they can work at home, I tell them don't bother.

VR - VTMT

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I used to make $29,000/year and last year made just under $12,000. I got out and this year I will make double what I made last year. They don't give a crap about the MTs because they will just outsource to India.

Some questions to ask about VR - You may or may not get answers, though

[ In Reply To ..]
You want to find out what the acceptable draft percentage is that the software allows. Some systems allow the draft to come out at only 75% which means you're correcting 25% of the text. Other companies have a higher standard - Transform/MD Network is one of those. This is all about how the company wants to manage the software, not the ability of the software to produce accurate records.

Ask about if every single one of their dictators is on VR or are there exceptions made for dictators that clearly should not be in that type of environment.

Ask them about how they train their MTs and how many MTs they have on any given account. The thing with VR is the MTs all have to be doing the editing the same way. Things like when the doctor says kilogram if the machine puts kg you have to change it back to kilogram, if that's what the accounts specs say, etc. The other thing is if you have a whole phrase that is wrong, rather than deleting the whole phrase and inserting the new phrase, the way I was taught was that you have to delete each word and replace each word - otherwise the software doesn't learn the individual words in that garbled phrase.

Ask them how long the typical training is and if there is someone who can work with you in addition to that if you need it.

Find out how long the account you are being hired for has been on VR. If it's a new account, then the VR will still be learning (as will the MTs, very likely) and so the drafts will require much more correction. If it's been on VR for a while, then theoretically, it should be much more accurate. Theoretically.

Most companies will train you. Some, like Nuance, have designated training people or a training team.

The big thing with VR is you may have to retrain the way you actually read. I know I did. When I read for pleasure, I tend to skim and so as a result I read very fast. With VR I had to completely retrain my eyes to look at every single word. That took a while, but once I did that I noticed I picked up quite a bit of speed. Still didn't ever make as much on VR as I do typing, but it is what it is.

Oh, please, your changing each word doesn't correct voice recognition - VR learns voice, so if the, sm

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company is not having the physician train the VR to their voice, they need to be putting the corrections back through the VR with the physician's voice. VR doesn't know that you changed one single word in a document unless it is trained with the voice. MTSOs would like you to believe that you are training it, but wise up. VR stands for voice recognition, not transcritionist keystrokes.

I have a different experience... - sm

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When I started my job, VR was consistently misspelling a tool name. Well, I was consistently correcting it. It took a few months, but I started noticing that VR was putting both the misspelled term and the correctly spelled term in there. Probably because some MTs weren't correcting it, VR didn't know which was correct, so it put both in there.

Wouldn't this be an example of VR learning/changing from our corrections?

If you can type, you can do VR, every company trains on software - whether it is VR or not, nm

[ In Reply To ..]
.

you must be on a gravy account... - sm

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...because I use all of my MT skills when I'm VR/ASR editing, particularly grammar and terminology/A&P much, much more than just typing.

So, unless the MT is on a gravy account, i.e. VR that actually does what it's supposed to do and/or a dictator who does what he/she is supposed to do, then being able to type just isn't going to be enough to get the job done CORRECTLY.

I agree. VR is like doing QA. You need to proof the report. - nm

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nm

VR editing - DT

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Thanks everyone for all the comments. It's very helpful.

HALF THE INCOME - MLS

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If I had to get half of what I already get which was already cut in half, then I would qualify for foodstamps. Anyone else on foodstamps?

I wish. - lizzie

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My husband is on disability so his income plus the crappy one I make disqualifies us for any help even with his medical bills from Medicare. I took this job because I was told the account was 50/50. Well, no it's not. I do 95% VR paying 4 cents a line. I'll make much less this year than the previous years doing straight typing even with slow periods.

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