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

Am I Abnormal .... - sideline poster

Posted: Feb 19, 2010

Let me start out by saying I have been in the MT business since early 1985. Started out working on an IBM typewriter, driving to the office picking up tapes, delivering work actually on office letterhead, slowly advanced to the "computer age" and am still here.

I did not start my job at home as an "alternative to daycare" for my child because I had a husband to help support my household, because I was lacking the latter. I will say I did start working at home so I could be there to help my daughter along the way, monitor her schoolwork and just in general be there for her, but I had other support systems who would have done the same had I not chosen this path. I have seen on this board how some take offense to the term "single parent", but, by my own choice, I am an "unwed person raising a child". I have no support from anyone else as I pay my bills every month and we all know what they are - mortgage, electric, blah, blah, blah....This, however, was my choice and I have never asked anyone to pick up the slack for my choice.

Here is where I get out my fireproof suit and get ready for the flame-throwers. There are some of us who are actually making a living and doing okay at this gig. While I understand there are a lot of changes I would like to do without, contrary to popular belief I earn a decent living, pay my bills, am not on food stamps and not on my way to the homeless shelter. I work hard, avail myself to learning new things, adjust my schedule when need be, take note of my mistakes so I don't make them again and just do the best job I can.

Let me assure you, I am NOT in any way shape or form associated with any management of any company...just a happy little MLS who is glad to get up in the moring and still enjoy what I do. Just curious if I was on the endangered species list. Thought about ducking under my desk to avoid all the daggers that will come my way, but you know what...I've been around as long as most and I'm actually happy I like what I do, respect all of your opinions and hope that you can respect mine too. It's not all bad !!

I see things like you do, but I'm also afraid to speak up and say I'm happy - No daggers from me

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I know other medical transcriptionists who are happy and satisfied with their work. They never post messages because they don't want to be attacked.

That said, I think there probably are some companies in really bad shape financially just as there are in other kinds of business. The people who work for them are suffering. There are also some that are not people I would want to work for and people who do work for them are rightfully unhappy, as long as they do something to change their situation. I think working in a bad situation is worth maybe 1 or 2 posted messages. One message would say, I've gotten a raw deal. The other one would say, I've found something better. What we are really seeing though is people who are hanging on way too long to a bad employment situation rather than moving on. Things are rough everywhere, but if you have good skills, there are jobs out there. There are no perfect jobs out there, but there are jobs, and that's more than many people can say these days. Look at the homeless shelters. Those are not all former MTs. Wishing everyone the best and that all will find something that makes them as happy as possible in these times.

I think you are awesome...love your positive attitude :) - Glass half full

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n/m

Well, if you're on the endangered species list, I'm right there with you. nm - MT4ever

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xx

Endangered species? - itype2

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I'm with you, thanks for the positive message.

100% agree! Could not be more happier and feel blessed to be working from home! - me also

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Thanks for you message!

I'm happy too! Thanks for the positive post!! - nm - Tara

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nm

Not abnormal - mt

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I've said it before and I will say it again. There are thousands of American MTs out there. There are probably a few hundred unhappy ones that frequent this board. This profession has been very good to me. I still make a good living at it and hopefully it will see me through until I am ready to retire.

I also love my job, even when I am called on an error.. - BeNice

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No, you are not an endangered species. You may be an in dangered species "smile". I have given thought to going back out in that hectic world, but no, it is only a passing thought. I look forward to the next 5 years when my skills as an MT are fully at it's peak. I had worked in a hospital as an MT, got fired at what now seems like the best time. As a result of being fired I was able to bringing my mom who had taken seriously ill here to live with me, landed a job as an at home MT and still going strong. My job afforded me the opportunity to take care of my family/mom and be able to work in the next room. I could not have asked for a better opportunity.

To you and all who are on the MT endangered species list. - Wise up to reality

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I know where you are coming from. I am happy with this gig also. I have always made more than $40,000 per year and loved my jobs. I have been in this business for 30 years, and I feel too old to start something new.

The reality here is; there are about 3 generations in this business right now - all with different technology experience - and it is still changing. We change with it or we don't, but in the end I believe technology will wipe out half the MT population. Heck, many MTSOs are selling out to bigger companies or going under. It may be that more than half of the accounts are offshored. More than half of what is left that cannot be offshored is going on VR. There is no other way a company can remain competitive and profitable without it. Some say it's good, some say it's bad, doesn't matter, but definitely many will be gone because of it because that is what VR is designed for, to eliminate the MT workforce needed, which is profitable. None of us are immume to this.

I have been in the business for decades and I have NEVER quit a job in my life - I lost it! I have never been fired from a job or even had a discrepancy with an account manager. My jobs have been eliminated. I have always averaged 2000 lines a day with audits 98% to 100%. They let me go because they know I will find another job and/or will only be on unemployment a matter of weeks.

There will not be much straight typing left in this industry. Again, half the workforce needed is a lot of $$$$. There will be VR on accounts that are not offshored, so if you have the opportunity to train on that - you better do so. The remainder will be all stat work, operative notes, and work with a TAT of 2-12 hours, which seems to be many these days. I have also heard it said that on a national level, clients move an average of every 18 months. I do not know if that figure is true or not. I had one account that lasted 7 years - that's the record. The rest have only lasted about 12 months.

I lost my job last week to VR. I was not invited to remain on the team. They had to let 5 go and I was the last one hired. They knew I would not be unemployed long. I think I will try to work directly for the client now and make it last until retirement. I'm tired of starting over. I need to have an income, benefits, shift, workload, PTO, and retirement contributions that I can count on. These positions are getting to be less and less and less.....

Wise up - not a negative post but certainly factual reality. - NM

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V

Amen. I'm generally a positive person, too, but - this is the reality. SM

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If it hasn't affected you yet, thank your lucky stars. Trust me when I tell you that it's not a matter of if but when.

You forgot to mention EPIC and GE EMR. - Doctors not happy with VR/ASR

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There is a third part of medical transcription. The EPIC or GE Centricity EMR that is advertised now on TV. Providence in the Northwest use it. It is more efficient and they do not have MTs.

Some doctors/hospitals are not happy with MTSO costs nor do they want their work done overseas and so doctors are now doing their own dictation. I saw it first hand last week at a doctor's visit. Nurse/doctor type everything in the computer while you have your exam at the same time. Huge savings with hospital costs. Your whole report about a patient is right in front of their fingertips and all done by computer. No charts. No more need of MT's to type or even edit the work.

Yes, losing work to this on a weekly basis. Sorry to say - but it IS the reality. sm

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Especially as the younger doctors who are not afraid of computers come up through the ranks. MT is going to become obsolete. My own physician enters his own chart notes rather quickly and doesn't mind doing it one bit. It is coming. Be happy as long as you possibly can but it's also wise to be prepared.

Do ya think surgeons will ever be cutting and typing - L&L

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at the same time. The HARD work will always be here. The fast easy stuff is going the way of dinosaurs.

When I went back into MTing in 1995, I was warned that in 10 years they would need only 25% of the current MT force.

I bet in another 10 yrs they have apps on phones that do medical records.

They don't dictate while they're cutting, either. They - do it afterward, same way they..sm

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do EMR. Many I've seen have nurse or office staff plug in info for them, no MT or even much skill required, just point and click on what doctor wants.

I don't even think the "hard" work will be around long. Technology keeps improving. I agree about the phone app though. Seen too much writing on the wall now not to face the facts.

Not trying to burst anyone's bubble, stating what I know to be fact. I'm as disappointed about it as the next MT. Been doing this over 20 years and hoped to retire doing it but I don't see that as reality any longer. I'll stay with it as long as I can make a living but that gets harder and harder to do by the MONTH.

I agree with you! - metoo

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I am with you, and (gasp) I work for Transcend! I have work every day, get paid on time and make a decent amount per hour. Some of the work is tough; I have had to learn new hard dictators (sometimes I wonder if all the tough ones get directed to me!), but...I can do it and with practice, they get easier. I am also willing to adjust my schedule, if need be or if asked to. I've been with them since a prior merger, am no one's "pet" and certainly am not management (I'm only part time).

I even like BeyondTXT! Maybe not when a dictator first crosses over, but after a while and the system "learns" the dictator better.

Have been doing transcription for over 20 years and have learned to "roll with the punches."

Metoo - I think that is a big thing, got to roll with the punches or get out - GHFull

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I've been an MT for 13 years, with a hospital for 8, and they just outsourced lots of work to a big national, so I'm going to work 3 jobs (single parent with 2 kids) and see which one works out for me. I can't make what I make doing anything else right now, $75k a year. So to wise up -every situation is different. I am wise and doing what I need to for myself and my family. I will go back to school for something else soon, but I hope that our jobs never completely go away because I still love it.

GHFull - yes every situation is different. - Wise up

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Some people need the $75K a year and some don't. Some like VR, some don't. The fact remains, a large portion of the MT population is being wiped out. You are doing what you have to do (3 jobs, with kids?, sad).

Too many unwilling MTs to take the pay cut if that is the case, and/or learn VR. If you want to stay in the business, wise up - it's gonna happen. Adapt or you will be eliminated. That is the best choice for some. Unfortunately, I am too old to go back to school and to keep starting over. I will learn anything I have to in order to remain in this business just a couple more years.

Ladies, don't blame these MTs for bringing the business down. That is not the way it happened. Not everyone has a second income. Everyone looks out for number 1 and they do what they HAVE to in order to survive.

Yes, agree wiseup do what you have to.... - GHFull

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and thank you, but don't be sad about the 3 jobs, temporary until I see which one works out to get me down the road a little further. Kids and work for me right now, and I'm happy.

Another happy Transcender who also (gasp) - likes BeyondTXT

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Where else, on what other platform, can you actually give feedback to the tech people who work on the platform? I actually talked to a tech a few weeks back and told him I really, REALLY dislike that sodding search box at the bottom of the screen, and I'd like to be able to turn it off. He said they had polled the MLSs and most of them liked it, so the rest of us are stuck with it. I said, please consider at least giving us an OPTION to turn it off, and he said he'd put it in the hopper. We shall see what happens.

But again, I say, where else can you actually talk to the platform developers and give them your feedback??

Not management, not a suit, just another down-in-the-trenches MLS here, still happy despite being told many, many times by the naysayers that sooner or later, they WILL screw me over, because that is what they do. Still waiting for that shoe to drop, and thinking it isn't going to at this point.

Me too, so many negative posts..... - Lovin Life

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I make a VERY good living as an MT. I do not HAVE to do this job. I have a degree in nursing and am also a paralegal. I CHOOSE to be an MT. I make more money than I could at my other options, I get to choose my hours and my day is flexible.

I would LOVE to be a paralegal. - Been an MT for 30 years, had enough.

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Ha! I guess everyone is wanting change. So why not nursing? Just wondering. I went to college to become a nurse. I had 900 hours put in and just needed pharmacy to become an LPN and then continue to RN. That of course was years ago when there were a lot of LPNs. Decided to go to college to get a degree as an MT. I feel like it was a joke and wished to God I did something else. Hope this continues to work out well for you in the future.

I can't make as much in nursing..... - been there, done that...

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I seriously make more for LESS of a headache as an MT. When I stopped working as an R.N. 7 years ago I was working 12-hour shifs, supposedly three days on, two days off, but OF COURSE they are ALWAYS short-staffed, make you feel guilty for being off of work, call you in to work more, etc. My MT salary in the beginning WAS less than nursing, but that was fine with me to avoid the headache. Now though, I make more per week than my aunt does who is an R.N. I get nursing job offers a lot, and the salary can't compare and of course the headache can't compare.

Before I saw your message I was going to say pretty much the same thing - Nurses are pouring into MT because they are unhapp

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This is not a good time for nursing careers if you can do anything else. Hospitals seem to be bringing in nurses from overseas. I'm not sure what's going on there, but go to a hospital and you'll find much of the nursing staff barely speaks English. The money isn't as good as it used to be. The hours are awful. The working conditions are deplorable. The stress is high. The respect just isn't there.

Really? That's hard to fathom since RNs in our area - make $35 an hour in small town. sm

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Never made $35 an hour as an MT and I'm quite fast and get good rates with own accounts. Sorry, I don't really buy that there are individual MTs making $75K. Service owners maybe but not individual MTs. But hey prove me wrong.

Sure, I'll prove you wrong - Anon

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I am an experienced MT, have worked for decades and work 3/4 time for over 50K a year. If it were not both gauche and unsafe, I would post my tax return here, which I filed today. I tell you this only so that people will know it is possible.

Well........ - aml

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In my neck of the woods, nurses only average around $27 per hour, not $35. I live in a small town. On one of my MT jobs, I type 300 lph at 9 cpl, making me make $27 bucks per hour. The other job has LOADS of templates (I am quite blessed) and I type around 400 lph making me make 36 bucks per hour. I have actually made $50 per hour on that second job, not consistently, but I have. I work full-time between the two jobs and YES, I make more than I could in nursing, AND I cut out the expenses of going to work PLUS the headaches of being a nurse:)

$60,000 is not uhheard of at all so $75,000 is possible, but probably rare - See message re Nurses

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Yes, it is definitely possible to make that much money as an MT. It isn't unusual to make $60,000, so $75,000 is possible, though probably fairly rare.

Regarding Nurses, they may make a lot or may make little, but they have a high rate of back injuries and it's really hard not to end up with a bad disposition to go along with it. I would say there are people who just are meant to be nurses and they wouldn't be happy doing anything else, regardless of the hazards of that job.

I'm with you - No flame-throwing here

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When I started doing MT inside my home, my son was already in kindergarten, so no babysitter replacement here either. I worked second shift at a local hospital. I didn't even know people did this from their home. lol I actually received a postcard in the mail at the hospital I worked from EDiX. My little kindergartener is now in high school, and I still love what I do.

I also make a good living at a company I highly enjoy working for, always averaging $19 to $21 an hour. This is both straight typing and speech rec. I've become proactive with all the changes to make myself more productive, and it's paid off.

Still proud to be an MT!

I'm glad you're happy - dc

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I honestly think most people on this board would be glad you're happy. Those of us who have seen huge pay cuts are usually only upset when people who are happy, tell us WE should be happy about our pay cuts, lack of responses from management, etc. There are a few very snarky people here, but most of us just don't like being told that we have no right to our opinions any more than you like being told that.

Here's what makes some of us want to scream - See message

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There are some really wonderful people here who have had a tough time. They have run out of work or lost accounts to EMR, etc. That's a truth.

However, the thing that turns many of us off is when we mention that we are doing well, making good money, having more than enough work, and like working as an MT. Then someone writes that no, we really aren't doing well. We're just too ignorant to know that we aren't doing well.

We're all very much aware that not all jobs in this industry, or any other, are good right now. Plenty of people are hurting. We get it. It is so pleasant though to just say that not all is bad, some are doing well. That takes nothing away from those who didn't or aren't.

My guess is that there are only a couple of unsuccessful MTs who post anywhere and everywhere about the sky is falling and everything is hopeless. Then there are sincere people who have had a rough time, post about it maybe once or twice, then go do something about it. It's the people who stay forever in some sort of rage that are offensive. They couldn't make it. With some of them it's obvious that it was because of their own disposition or work habits. They are the ones who won't go do something else. They spend all their time making sure everyone else is as unhappy as they are.

If a job doesn't work, Americans have traditionally tried something else. We're creative, innovative, and hard workers. Never in our history did Americans ever sit around and say that since it didn't work for me, you will fail too, and if you don't know that, you're ignorant. That is what makes me sad.

I don't know if you read what I said - dc

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I'm happy she's happy. What I don't like is when people tell me I have no right to express it when I'm UNhappy.

I also resent lines like how we should 'try something else' when we get screwed. Obviously you haven't been, and she hasn't been. Fantastic! The fact that so many of us on here have said otherwise implies to me that a lot of us have been. So instead of trying to do something about it (Management at a lot of these companies DOES read these forums), we should encourage the companies to keep on screwin' and just "try something else." Why?

Again, why? I'm really, really good at this. I've done it for 10 plus years. I enjoy it. I have every bit as much of a right to do it as you do.

You're getting dangerously close to the "reasoning" that everybody out of work is there because they want to be. Where are these other jobs that we should "try"? In case you haven't noticed, the unemployment rate is pretty high. Even if us terrible troublemakers who dare to express dissatisfaction WANTED to do something else, we couldn't magically make those jobs appear. Some of us live out in the boonies, which makes things worse.

Once again, though, I have every right to work in this field and every right also to complain when things are tough. Until you guys manage to take away the First Amendment, I for one am going to continue to do so when I damn well feel like it. I'm not one of the forum snarkers who always tries to rain on the parade of people having a good time, and up till now I've been exceedingly polite to anyone who's spoken to me on this forum. So please don't make any generalizations about me and I won't make any about you.

Point Taken. - No argument

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nm

I'm with you, no problems here.nm - Anon

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nm

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