Random thought - MT/GT

I do both medical and general transcription. I know there is much discussion about MTs standing a bit above GTs in the Invisible Hierarchy of Transcription because of the responsibility involved and amount of training required. I get that. I also know that general transcription is hard work and requires a lot of knowledge about a lot of things in order to do it well.

What I JUST got, though, is the fact that a good general transcriptionist (one who can think and knows how to research unfamiliar terms and phrases) SHOULD be able to do MT. The reason that doesn't track in reality? The mealy-mouthed, mistake-making doctors who can't talk and chew gum (or, in this case, operating a recording device) at the same time. If the doctors got their act together and actually paid attention to what they were doing and saying, then MTs wouldn't need medical training to do their jobs.

The more we do, the more we're expected (and required) to do. The better we get, the worse the dictation gets. We've taken on a disproportionate responsibility for making sure things are done right. For this privilege, we pay for an education and are paid peanuts.

So now somehow the tables are turned. GT often pays better than MT. Deadlines are weeks, not hours. And work is plentiful.

Where to concentrate going forward? It's a no-brainer.