This is to inform you that I have decided to decline the offer for FT Acute Care MT. I have accepted another position. The mitigating factor in this reversal is the insurance deductible amount and the CPL pay rate as quoted for both accounts.
While I fully realize all the ramifications of MTSO outsourcing abroad, it is becoming more and more difficult for experienced MTs to remain party to the deterioration of our profession that has occured (in my case in the interim since 1974, when I began transcribing) as a result of this decline. For most of us, this is a deeply personal issue.
The experience I bring to the table after 27 years of transcription is worth more than what most MTSOs are willing to offer. I do not expect to be become wealthy as an MT, but I do expect to make a living wage while still being able to preserve a family and social life. Because the wages are so low, the benefits are an extremely important part of the picture.
If you spend any time at all in the MT chat room forums, you know that these sentiments are shared by many other MTs. Most of us are at the end of our ropes in this regard. The work may as well go to India. They can afford to live well (the way American MTs used to) with the money they are paid. Not only are we driven by these dire financial concerns but, more importantly, it is simply a matter of honor and self-respect.
This job search has been different than the ones I conducted in the past. It used to take me less than a week to secure employment with a good company. This time, it has taken me nearly 2 months to find one who is willing to pay 10 cpl for full-time employee status and offer a $500 insurance deductible that I can live with.
In all the chat room chatter, the MTs are always challenging themselves and each other to step up to the plate and refuse to allow themselves to be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution, by refusing substandard wages and benefits. I am one who accepts this challenge.
I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused for you and I do appreciate the time you spent with me and the consideration you gave to my resume. |
