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

Question for the upper echelons - s/m

Posted: Jun 30, 2010

I know we've got some management that read the board and occasionally respond, and I just wondered if one could answer a question for me. Having been in the healthcare field for about 40 years, I understand that it is a 365/24/7 industry. But I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of everyone working either Sunday-Thursday or Tuesday through Saturday.

Why can you not have rotating weekends? Then an MT could have entire weekends off to spend with our families and take care of some things, but the way the schedules are set up nobody ever gets an entire weekend. It just seems pretty unnecessary and set up for no reason other than to lower the quality of an MT's life.

Your post - Just a peon

[ In Reply To ..]
New comany 4 pm to midnight with weekends off. I you wamt M-F days with no weekends -- good luck

I would be interested in that, can you tell me where? - I work Thurs thru Monday

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so my weekend is Tues and Wed which is a crock isn't it. I can never do anything with friends or family because I am tied to this job and I need it. This, with 25 years of experience of doing every speciality. Everytime I ask for something different in adjusting my schedule, they cannot do that, yet they are constantly training new people. I really feel like a slave to say the least. I also work noon-9 which is just enough to really wreck my day, as it is not enough time in the morning to get anything done. Please, sometime come to my rescue.

PS - anon

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Sorry breezed through the post and first day of traing. These "newbie/prima donna MTs" have ruined the profession - they are the ones who don't want to work weekends (even a few hours) and then cry and whine when work is NOT available. Yes, even as an IC, they want a scheule. It is called COMMITMENT to work -- if the work is not there, okay, get up, clean, whatever, been there done that but I periodcally check for work and grab it when I can. Right now, I am working as an IC and employee and in these times, unless hubby or signifacant other can support you, quit griping and whining about working weekends -- put four hours in or thereabouts on Saturday and Sunday - DONE

I work M-F - sm

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I work M-F 2-10 pm on VA accounts.

It's not that hard to find if you keep your eye out.

I have it, too, but...... - s/m

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While I'm happy with my hours, there is not quite enough work to keep me "flush" (although they're working on getting me more). However, it isn't acute care, and I really like my hospital dictation, but after doing this for 30 years, I'm at a place where I feel like I've earned my M-F/9-5, and don't want to be chained on my desk just for the joy of sinking my teeth into a juicy transplant or aneurysm resection.

M-F schedule - happyMT

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I currently work M-F and have had this schedule on 2 previous jobs. They are hard to find but they are out there. However, I will say that all but my current job were less than wonderful regarding the amount of work available. My current job is great, with lots of work.

It's too unstable. People sign up for weekends only - and do not regularly show for shifts. sm

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Making weekend days part of the regular workweek keeps the MT showing up.

I know. I know. You show up for your shift and most of the posters here claim they do, too, but the overwhelming majority do not when they are on unpopular shifts. The worse the shift, the worse the attendance.

Former Manager

I'm not talking about part-time - OP

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I'm talking making every transcriptionist type a full weekend a month or every third weekend. If you can "force" them to come one weekend day the same magical technique could be used to get them there on their turn on the weekends.

Im Not talking about part-time - anon

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If you are an IC, you work the hours you want. Howvever, if you don't work at least part of a weekend, be prepared for no work. Working both as an IC and employee, I have worked PART of a weekend -- and have been an MT for close to 30 years -- weekends off come normally with "company seniority," and not with what someone who is a "new hire wants." No, I am not management (although I have worked in management in the past -- not MT) -- THINK about being in the "real world," interviewing for a job, and recruiter asks if you would be willng to work " a set schedule" its no different in MT - its a job, and even as ICs, there is TAT and coverage.

And you apparently are missing the point. - OP

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Why must every weekend be ruined? Why can there not be rotating weekends? The same thing is accomplished, but the MTs would actually have a chance to be able to spend time with their family and friends. And I've been with my company long enough that I know I've got have seniority over quite a few people, especially with all the new hires they've made of late, but nobody has dropped me an email to say thanks for your 10 years of service. You can have your Saturdays back now that we took from you three years ago.

Not missing YOUR point at all - anon

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Get off your horse which right now is EXTREMELY high. Hmm our firefighters, police, paramedics, docs, work 24/7 -- do they gripe and whine about weekends? No, because they are MATURE adults. If you are an IC, and know in advance on a weekend, that you have something planned, then do work ACCORDINGLY with meeting a line count and letting the company know that you will be unavailable. If you are en employee, well hate to tell you Dorthy, but you aint in Kansas any more -- I am working M-F 4 to 12. That was the schedule that I agreed on -- and so far, here in FL, all is well and good.

Um, firefighters, police, etc., all rotate weekends. - Just Sayin

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x

LOL And they get paid whether there are any fires on their shift or not. - nm

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x

I find you to be extremely rude... and you do NOT work - every weekend the OP does, nor I

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So everything is well and good for you in Florida, good for you, all is NOT good for me in Minnesota who works every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Maybe you would like to trade? I was offered this and nothing else. I had no choice, that is, if I still wanted to have a roof over my head and food to eat. Do you really know what the MT gives up working every weekend? I think not... oh, and this is coming from someone who has definitely paid her dues with over 25 years of experience in all specialties with over 99% QA every single time.

How would you like to work 7 days a week plus every holiday? - Backwards Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
I did that for 9 years. My family knew it and we planned accordingly. On family days, I would work earlier hours to have half the day off. On holidays, I did the same thing.

Of course, I would get permission from the higher ups a week prior to the planned activity to let them know that something important was happening and ALWAYS made the time up.

You would be surprised how flexible some companies can be. It's just a matter of treating them with as much respect as you would want them to treat you. (Of course, there are certain companies who don't give a darn, but they are few and far between).

Hear, hear. I have always had to work a Sun-Thurs and SM - observer

[ In Reply To ..]
always end up working Fri and Sat too. All holidays also. I just take it as part of the business and yes I've missed some BBQs and parties, but the people having those events aren't paying my bills, lol. I just plan my life around my work, it's all you can do when you work in a field like this.

I hear you, but why do we have to? - sm

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I'm just making up numbers, but say the MTSO has 600 employees. 300 work every Saturday, 300 work ever Sunday. On any given Saturday, you have 100 more employees who are working one of the weekend days to make up for no work available during the week.

Why can they not just alternate weekends? This weekend, the former Saturday 300 will work Saturday and Sunday; same number of people working. Next weekend, the Saturday 300 are off and the Sunday 300 have the weekend; same number of people working.

They have beaten us into submission, holding the job over our heads and telling us how lucky we are to have a job. And I'm not arguing that; I'm also not arguing that hospitals are an every day/all day industry. My point is why can we not alternate weekends so we can have a weekend to go camping or go to family reunions or just spend an entire weekend enjoying our family?

And up to this point I've avoided mentioning the fact that we spend a lot of time on weekends, and particularly the holidays, doing the same thumb-twiddle waiting for jobs to role in that we do through the week.

Rotating weekends is unmanageable when you are SM - observer

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dealing with any more than 25 people or so. Then someone also has to babysit the undependable staff who don't show up or sneak away. It's simply too much of a hassle.

How is it any more unmanageable? Same number of people filling - the same number of hours. n/m

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x

If they do not show up for work why not let them go? - lindawordlady

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That makes sense to me. Why should some of us have to work every single weekend because of the undependability of some? Do they honestly NOT fire these people or at least give them a warning? I am almost at the boiling point myself with this nonsense.

I just sent you an email Observer - hope you get it and can respond

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I also work Thurs to Monday though, miss the whole weekend and I would love a Friday or Saturday off. I do of course rearrange my schedule but it is just not the same you know? Bt the time my shift is over for the night, I am past prime-time TV too which really bugs me as there is nothing on any channel worth watching.

I do not respond to emails from this site SM - observer

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because I do not want to reveal my email address to anyone here. Sorry.

If you ask here I will respond, though. nm - observer

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x

I think the OP's point was that the ONLY thing offered nowadays - includes every weekend.

[ In Reply To ..]
It's not a matter of having an option to whether you can agree or not to working every weekend. That is ALL that's offered anymore. I think the OP was simply asking why.

The OP's point was why don't they offer rotating weekends? Years ago while in-house we always had rotating weekends and we were 24/7 then too. In fact, I know several who are still in-house and have rotating weekends. Nothing has changed about the 24/7 coverage that hospitals need, EXCEPT the fact that MTSOs have agreed to extraordinarily short TATs. I think that plays a huge role in why there aren't rotating weekends anymore.

To describe someone as sitting on an extremely high horse simply for asking WHY we don't have rotating weekends seems pretty hypocritical when you're not even working weekends yourself.

I do not mind my Tues-Saturday EXCEPT... there is NO WORK - on saturdays.. costs me a LOT

[ In Reply To ..]
of money missing 2 full days of work... I WISH to be working on Saturday. I certainly understand the OP and I don't know why anyone would get mad at her and DEAL WITH IT attitude. We are all dealing with a LOT with this "career"...

I, however, have a different reason for wanting a Monday shift... and that's as stated above, because there is no work on Saturday. I mean... honestly maybe 5 or 10 jobs, where I normally would do 35-40. It's horrible and it really brings my line count down tremendously :(

and YES I have asked for backup account, etc. etc.

UGH!

PS - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I was reently hired by a "national" and my schedule is from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. with weekends off. So don't be too judgmental when it comes to the fact that I am not working weekends. Quite frankly, in my near 30 years in this business, there have been very few weekends or holidays that I have taken off.

Sounds like a management problem, then. - s/m

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I used to work in a hospital, worked third shift, rotated weekends once a month. Maybe managers were smarter then, because they knew that if it was a crap shift, they had incentives that made it worth coming in. But in their race to see who can turn over employees quicker, they've all but eliminated shift and weekend differentials. And they wonder why nobody wants to work and why their new hires don't bother to pull their resumes off the boards.

well said. that's how I see it. wkends used to be a PRIVILEDGE. (sm) - mimi

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And we shared in that - when the higher-ups made it worth while. And guess what? you never felt the 'dredge' because it was only once in a while.

To original poster - most places offer fri/sat off or sun/mon, which gives you half the weekend. Your tue/wed weekends is just, well, tacky.

I would suggest looking into clinic work only jobs - anon

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Most of your clinic work jobs offer M-F with weekend work available (but only if you want to)....

Clinic work not just M-F - NYMT

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I work clinics and my company has the Sun-Thu or Tues-Sat schedule. That seems to be becoming the norm anymore.

I'm a long-timer too. The full-timers used to - sm

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get the Mon-Fri day shift, and they hired PTers for evenings and/or weekends. This "new way" the corporations have come up with is really awful. I have a lot of experience in every specialty, and I won't work weekends. I hold out until I find a company who still does it the old way.

When I worked at the MQ -- worked there for - sk

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12 years, left almost 3 years ago, in the beginning that is what we did. We had to work every 5th weekend which is not bad at all. You knew when you had to work and they were really good about putting you in touch with someone to switch given enough notice. Why companies all of a sudden switched to mandatory weekend days I don't know. Some companies used to just hire for weekends only.

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