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

Brighter Future? - Kaci H.

Posted: Sep 01, 2012

You know, I just stumbled upon this website a week or so ago. Reading some of your post have really opened my eyes as to how lucky I am to have my position. I am semi-new to the MT world. I work for a wonderful company, but it makes me sad to see everyone has to put up with just insane working conditions from other companies.

I hope all of you find companies that realize you are their biggest asset. They cannot make deadlines, or quality goals without the hard work that all of you put forth. It's just a shame that some companies don't see the value in their employees instead of focusing on the bottom line.

I am still on the fence as to weather I will stay in this career for the rest of my life. I have a pretty high certification that isn't recognized, even though I have the same knowledge base. Also, I really enjoy the possibilty to move up in a company. Don't get me wrong my company is awesome, but sometimes I think I just want more out of a career. Other than those things being a MT has been wonderful, and I am not going to leave the field anytime soon.

I really just wanted to post something positive, and to let you all know there still are companies out there that care about employees. Maybe one day, in a perfect world, everyone can just stop working for the bad companies and find work with the really great ones. It isn't all doom and gloom, and I wish everyone the best. :)

You know, I just stumbled upon this website a week or so ago. Reading some of your post has really opened my eyes as to how lucky I am to have my position. I am semi-new to the MT world. I work for a wonderful company, but it makes me sad to see everyone has to put up with just insane working conditions from other companies. I hope all of you find companies that realize you are their biggest asset. They cannot make deadlines, or quality goals without the hard work that all of you put forth. It's just a shame that some companies don't see the value in their employees instead of focusing on the bottom line.

I am still on the fence as to whether I will stay in this career for the rest of my life. I have a pretty high certification that isn't recognized, even though I have the same knowledge base. Also, I really enjoy the possibilty to move up in a company. Don't get me wrong my company is awesome, but sometimes I think I just want more out of a career. Other than those things being a MT has been wonderful, and I am not going to leave the field anytime soon.

Anybody care to name the really great ones? - Weather?

[ In Reply To ..]
nm.

Rarely - and I mean RARELY - will anyone actually provide - the name of a good company.

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This is one of the things that I think is so terribly sad about this forum. Everyone's so paranoid that others will take their job if they mention the name of the good company that they work for that most "happy" posts are JUST LIKE the original post in this thread:

"I work for a great company - which shall be nameless - and I hope that you all find a great company too some day!"

To which I say: Ummm....thanks ever so much for the (totally unhelpful) good wishes!

I think she posted on the VR board - whatever

[ In Reply To ..]
About her accounts busting at the seams. Would really like to know the name of THAT company.

I don't want to be mean in response to a positive message, but at this point, I don't find the "I work for a great company and hope everyone does someday" post to be encouraging. I get more of an "it sucks to be you" feeling. Even if that isn't what they intended.

brighter future - also leaving

[ In Reply To ..]
I think my brighter future will be found getting out of MT.

When someone who's been in the MT trenches 10, 15 or 20+ years and still sees a brighter future in it, I might listen.

Sometimes I have to laugh at myself. - Kaci H.

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HA! That's what I get for typing that on a cell phone. I fixed it as you said something.

Your grammar and syntax sounds Indian. - That because of the cell phone, too?

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Maybe that is why you are so happy?

High certification - Inquiring minds

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"High certification that isn't recognized." Does that mean in the US?

wondered about that too - downtime

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what exactly is a high certification? and why would it not be recognized?

sounds like it to me - anon

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I thought the syntax sounded Indian too. I wonder if she is laughing all the way to the bank?? At our expense, no doubt. If so, let's all hold hands, join our comrades offshore and rejoice in this great profession we "share." I'll start us out singing Kumbaya. You got to be kidding me.

Sarcasm - Inquiring minds

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I'm getting rather cynical and sarcastic since my employer laid us off - she probably works for the company that landed our account.

cynical - and cynical

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Where is the wheres_my_job poster? I think we found it.

Actually, - MT

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In defense of wheres-my-job, I think she posted that she found a non-MT job on another board, so I don't think this is her.

clarify - and cynical

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I like wheres-my-job. I'm glad she got a non-MT job. Always got a kick out of her nickname. When I run out of work, I wonder where's my job too. Meant if she was affected by offshoring, we found where her MT job went.

Good grief - Paranoid, much?

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I didn't get any "Indian" sounding syntax out of the OPs post.

Good grief, I swear people are going nuts these days.

lady I'm not nuts - but cynical

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FYI, I slog through heavy ESL accounts ALL DAY, enough to know it sounded that way to me.

If you think I'm "paranoid, much?" you must be on one of those dream accounts with non-ESL docs.

Good Lord!! - Kaci H.

[ In Reply To ..]
Good grief! I was just trying to be positive for a change and make people smile. No, I am not Indian. I am from Louisiana. So, whatever it "sounded" like to you, you're incorrect. I am a Certified Court Reporter in the state of Louisiana. We have to know the same terminology for our test that you guys do in order to be prepared for doctor depos. I am not anyone else on the board; I just found this website. I make a nice income from home, and I wanted to try to let people know there is still hope. There is no hidden agenda, no sarcasm, generally trying to be nice.

I was typing from a cell phone while I was on a car ride to help evacuate family from flood zones.

All negativity aside, I generally just want to wish people the best of luck.:)

I'll be the first to apologize - but still cynical

[ In Reply To ..]
I am sorry. Worked 15 hours yesterday and 12 today, but my shift is supposed to be 8, just trying to stay full time and have to grab the work when it's there. May not be any tomorrow. I have grown very cynical in this biz. Not sure why you would get out of court reporting to be an MT.

If you have a company treating you that well, you are truly blessed, and I hope it continues. If you spend some time on this message board (and I hope my erroneous accusation doesn't deter you from doing so), you'll see you are in the minority. Lot of people here in desperate situations because of the changes in the MT job climate.

I once was semi-new to MT and thought is was rosy. Several years later, getting half the pay I used to and working ungodly hours to make ends meet has made me jaded. Sorry to have taken it out on you.

Keep up the good work.

The terminology you know for court reporting is nothing - Like MT

[ In Reply To ..]
And depositions are nothing like medical dictation done at auctioneer speed from a cell phone in a noisy room with banging, clanging, and people screaming.

I know court reporters and have seen their medical terminology books. They can't transcribe surgical procedures or much of anything else and those books are only a small fraction of what an MT knows.

Claiming you know the same body of knowledge as an MT is a lot like a lawyer claiming he can practice medicine because he handles doctor's divorces.

There is just something ever so slightly patronizing about it.

Are you an MT or a court reporter? - confused Leaving MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I am very confused. I thought you were a semi-new MT, is that not correct? Are you both a court reporter and an MT?

I wondered if you were ESL as well based on that last post. LOL! My apologies as well.

I am so sorry that you are having to evacuate your family. I hope you folks in Louisiana are able to recover quickly from the storm.

Whatever it is you do from home, I hope you have long-lived success.

Last post for me - Kaci H.

[ In Reply To ..]
I am a MT now. Court reporting pay works in crazy ways, and I couldn't just sit around waiting on attorneys to decide to pay their bills. I know not all MT companies are the same. The first one I worked for expected me to be okay with $60.00 a pay check. So, I understand where a lot of the doom and gloom comes from. I have been at the same company for about two years now, and it's just great. So, my only goal was to let people out there know there is still some hope.

Thank you for the well wishes. Some of my family members lost their homes, but they are safe and that's all that matters.

The court reporting school I went to used the AHDI CMT Exam Guide as one of the outlines for the medical terminology class which took a year to complete. I did a lot of medical depositions focusing on complex surgeries and surgical procedures for malpractice lawsuits. I did not work in a court room, I was a freelance court reporter. When I bought a study guide book for the AHDI certification test it was almost the exact same book as the RMT Review Guide that was required to take the medical terminology class I had at school. This is what motivated me to become a MT. All I did, and all I was trying to do was give some hope to the message boards. I am so not replying to anything else attached to this post or even looking at it. I am moving on from it:)

Have a great day everyone and good luck:)

This is from my cell phone again, so I am sorry for any typos.

Thanks for the clarification - helps to know where - someone is coming from

[ In Reply To ..]
We are kind of a doom-and-gloom bunch here, and I, too, used to be kind of a starry-eyed new MT up until about a year and a half ago. I have no doubt that there are great MT jobs out there to be had, but I also have started to caution people thinking of entering this profession that, if they are able-bodied and can work outside the home, not to get into doing MT from home. My experience is rather limited since I have only been doing this for a little over 4 years, but after having gone through a few companies and then finally finding a good one just to see the work drop off at that one, I just do not see MT as a viable career that someone could rely on for their sole income. Maybe it happens, but it is almost like winning the lottery to get a good situation in MT. It seems to be a very unstable profession at this point.

working at home - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with you, working at home in MT gives people a false sense of security. From your home office and computer, isolated from fellow workers, you never know what is going on behind the scenes. The rug could be pulled out from under you at any time. True in any profession I guess, but more so when you can't communicate with coworkers and can only go on what the company chooses to let you know in their emails.

but there is no hope - downtime

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don't you get it? There is no hope for this stupid stupid profession that we so stupidly got into and now can't seem to get out of.

Good luck in your career - semi-new leaving MT

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I am a semi-new MT myself working for a great company still doing only straight transcription. The only down side with my job is our work has dropped off in the past couple of years. Since I am not about to work editing difficult reports for 4 cpl or less, I have decided to leave the profession. In other words, my choices seem rather limited if I stay in MT, and my current situation is not likely to last forever, plus it is killing me to get the lines in each day I want to produce with the slower work flow.

If you want to stay in this career for the rest of your life, you might be looking at a relocation to a different country other than the US (assuming you are in the US). If you are not in the US, then you indeed might have a bright future in MT.

Good luck and savor the good situation while you can.

yeah, yeah, yeah - downtime

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes we'll all go work for those really great ones. Let's go people what are we waiting for. Then we'll all stroll happily off into the sunset. Forget it. THERE IS NOT A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR MT!

Don't know if it's Indian, but - but "pretty high certification"

[ In Reply To ..]
sounded strange to me. Of course here we go again with an "awesome company" where no specifics are given. Gotta wonder, but the post is sweet in a kind of odd way.

Pretty high certification? Are you related to - SuperExperiiencedMT? nm

[ In Reply To ..]
??

Not only that, - but

[ In Reply To ..]
it's "a pretty high certification that isn't recognized."

Whatever that means.

I'd be sweet too if I had JOB SECURITY - whatever

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

New here? - Strap on the armour

[ In Reply To ..]
Especially if you dare to be not miserable, not angry, not persecuted, or just plain old nice.

Kaci - Inquiring minds

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Thank you for your optimistic post. I gave you a thumbs up thinking that you were a new MT who had been lucky to find a great job right away. Now, I learn that you are a court reporter. You are not in the MT world at all and you cannot say that being an MT has been wonderful because you've never been one. You do not have the same knowledge base. The terminology you hear in court is nothing compared to what MTs transcribe; surgical instruments, medications and tricky foreign accents all day long, just to name a few things. In addition to that, our employers expect near perfect accuracy in addition to meeting or exceeding production quotas. I probably couldn't do your job either but I would never go onto a forum for court reporters and say that I was one because I had done medical transcription. I still thank you for your words of encouragement, but if you had been honest and stated what you actually did at the beginning, people might have been a little more receptive. They made assumptions that you were from India because much of our work is being sent there now and they get a lot of the good accounts. Have a nice day and take care.

Sorry, but now definitely not buying it. - Does it really make sense...

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that someone would take time to post a happy message on an MT board from a cell phone while trying to evacuate their family in a hurricane?

You are so right. LOL - nm

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x

And of course she never did post the name of this - sm

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wonderful company! lolololol!!!!!

I never name my MTSO here but even at that, she could have - just picked MTSO out a hat, made it up. nm

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s

Huh! I was wondering how long it was going to take... - alias

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before somebody started whining about the OP not saying who she worked for. I knew it wouldn't be long, and once someone did, there would be a ton of others copy-catting....gees.

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