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

Is anyone making a living anymore? - Ugh

Posted: Jul 25, 2014

After 15 years I decided to hang it up and gave up MT work when VR pay was so low and the jobs were few and far between. My yearly income was cut more than half. I've often wondered if anyone is still able to make a living doing MT work. I don't miss it at all, just wondering.

living - not anymore

[ In Reply To ..]
just saw my paycheck for the second half of July and my 2 checks for July did not come close to covering my monthly expenses, they did a couple months ago, but no more. And I am on vacation this week so will have a smaller check yet next time. I just got my deceased husband's social security check last week, which is just enough to cover my expenses. This is so sad.

No :( - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm about 400 bucks short this month. That means I won't be able to pay a few bills and then I will be behind and will get late fees and then be even more behind. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have a small child to take care of and I'm so stressed out and worried about her. I've applied to so many jobs around my area from receptionist to data entry to babysitting and no one contacts me for an interview or anything. I just can't take this anymore.

Dirty Shame - Jo

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I've been doing MT for 17 years, now trying to get out for a year. I previously did AP/AP billing, was a claims adjuster, so those are the positions I am applying for. I took MT work to be home with my babies who are teenagers now. Cannot make a living doing this anymore, barely making minimum wage. Applying for lots of jobs, but everyone wants RECENT experience in other fields, can't even get an interview. I can't even get staffing agencies to call me when I sign up on their websites and attach my resume. My advice to anyone in MT, GET OUT and once you can STAY OUT. It's a joke what industry has done to us.

Not anymore. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I was one of the lucky few who had a great job with what I felt was a great company making $20-25 an hour. I had been on my primary account for nearly 10 years and felt extremely comfortable with it, so the work was relatively stress free. Then all of a sudden, the work completely dried up. I sat for a week with no work, and when I emailed the account manger, she said it was just the typical summer slowdown and it would pick back up. But after working this account for so long, I knew that wasn't true. It was never this slow, even when they overstaffed. The next day, we all got notice that the account went to EMR and we were out of work.

I have now started with a new company who wanted me to commit to full-time hours, which I did as I need to be working full-time, but in the last week I have only had work 2 days for a total of 1000 lines. I went from making $20+ an hour to $10 an hour and have no idea how we are going to pay for anything with my paycheck. We were already behind as my hubby has also been out of work. He has been doing temp jobs, but those pay very little too. I don't know how we are going to make it. Our car is on its last breath, and if it dies, we are really in trouble as then even hubby can't work as we live an hour from the nearest town. I have cried about every day since losing my job as I just don't know what to do. My family depends on my paycheck and now it is gone.

I really want to go back to school to get out of this mess, but at this point I can't afford it. I have the opportunity to get a scholarship for tuition but would still need to cover books and supplies. So that feels unobtainable. I have tried other at-home jobs, but the pay is so little, I don't know how anyone survives on that.

I am trying to stay positive, but it is so hard. I really loved my company, but they screwed us over by not giving us any warning when I hear they knew at least a month in advance. How can anyone do that to all these families? Just want out of this whole career now. Don't want to work for these companies that couldn't care less for their workers.

went from $25+ an hr to minimum wage - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
now poverty level and there is just me and my cat. It is a crying shame what has happened to our once GREAT profession. I have been doing this for 40 years and never in my wildest imagination did I see this coming. I was hoping to retire but can't. So I guess will keep punching keys till I die.

I was hoping NOT to retire, but to keep working - til I was at least 70+. SM:

[ In Reply To ..]
But MTSO work pay dwindled down to nothing, and I was staying afloat on side-gigs, any low-income help I could get, and handouts from friends & family. Then I lucked into a high-paying inhouse MT job, which was great while it lasted. Loved the job, the people, and especially the PAY. But then they suddenly switched to an EMR that needed no transcription or VR editing at all, and we were unceremoniously thrown out like yesterday's garbage.

A year later, I still can't find work. I'm not looking in MT any longer - that's an exercise in futility. But at near-retirement age, I can't find very many jobs that would use my existing skill set, with a minimum of other training. Those that do, always hire either a relative, or a young person.

So now I still do the side-gig, still accept handouts, have become an expert scavenger, have no health insurance, and will likely just bite the bullet and take my SS early, as soon as I qualify for it. It won't be much, but since I've already gotten pretty good at living on nothing, then "not much" will be a definite improvement.

SM...With you too. What to do when you still want to work, yet they tell you to retire at 70. - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
IF you make it to 70. Lucky now if your job is still there, you have your health, as otherwise you are a liability and they want you gone. American dream becomes a nightmare. After years one sees what health care has really become. Many are forced into early retirement.

yup - still hanging in

[ In Reply To ..]
Still keeping pace with last year, close to $60k. Working one job as an employee about 30 hours a week and a job as an IC about 20 hours a week.

Ugh...did that too, and not a good idea. You will lose in the end - maybe

[ In Reply To ..]
Worked the 2 jobs for many years, but should have done just the full time and gotten the benefits and the 401K with matched shavings. Now...no benefits. Services are a crock. Doctor's offices also gave no benefits to you doing their work. Now we are definitely being used. Should have, could have, would have chosen a different job.

lol who dislikes someone still hanging in - amazeballs

[ In Reply To ..]
I wish the OP would state only miserable people allowed to reply and agree with me.

There seems to be a few out there from what I've - read here, but obviously

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This line of work has changed drastically, the demand has decreased, payscale has dropped and hospital jobs are extremely hard to come by anymore. There are some MTs who live in areas where the hospitals still have their own MTs, but for the most part it's just not xommon; 95% outsource to MTSOs.

So that on top of the fact everything is centered around technology now has pretty much made this job only good for part-time supplemental income. MTSO jobs are the absolute worst in my opinion; more abd more of them are lowering rates to 3cpl for VR. I left MT almost 2yrs ago.

supplemental - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Nothing wrong with part-time supplemental income. Some people can use it. As far as 0.03, I saw that somewhere too. At least it helps us to be competitive in the world job market, which is good.

Competative at 3 cents!!! To what 1 cent? - rediculous

[ In Reply To ..]
Dumb comment. Nothing wrong with part time...not if you want to see retirement from years of hard work and dedication. Just chump change...then go for it. Don't leave your husband and your meal ticket then either.

LOL! I didn't quite know what to make of that comment - either. Sure supplemental is

[ In Reply To ..]
Fine if that's all you need, but not if this job is your bread and butter and your trying to pay the bills.

And 3cpl is hardly competitive here in the United States, where the cost of living is high and the economy is suffering. 3cpl is actually pretty insulting and depressing.

I came across - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
the same attitude from a woman whose husband was retired from an industry and had a pension. She was living high on the hog in comparison to us and still had the nerve to be out there looking for work and bitching. Last I heard she sold her house in Florida and was building one in New York. She was an MT from way back before we needed formal training and when the money "rolled in" (her words not mine). She called this "pin money." I, on the other hand, need this money to eat. Yes my husband works, but his pay barely covers the bills and sometimes not even then. We need this income and not for supplemental reasons. We juggle every week which bills have to be paid before services are shut off or we loose insurances. This is our reality and I bet the reality of a lot of other people out there.

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