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

no set schedules? - VC

Posted: Jun 08, 2013

Are there any companies anymore that do not require you to set in stone your hours that you want to work? The company I work for now has a 12-hour timeframe that you can do your 8 hours in, but its one of those things that when you start, if you get up or get a phone call or have to do anything whatsoever, the time is counted off of your productive time, and you have to add it back on the back end so you end up working throughout the whole 12 hours to get your 8.

What if I don't want to put in a full 8 hours today? I work from home so I can have that freedom. Are there any companies that allow this now? I have been an MT for 22 years and all of a sudden, I see this almost forced issue of making your hours take longer than 8.

It used to be that when you wanted to work, you did, as long as there was work and when you didn't want to work, you didn't. I dislike the way this is now.

Any help?

try running a company - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
with MTs who only want to work when they want. Clients just LOVE that kind of consistency.

I did - VC

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I did run a company. I had to give it up because a national beat my prices, but I didn't require set schedules. I just had the girls (18 of them) call in and tell me how much work they wanted for the day. We had 24 hour turn arounds and we did just fine. We got everything done the client wanted and we had a good company.

That client did LOVE our consistency. They just didn't LOVE the cost. But tell me this, why are people working from home if not for flexibility?????? Wouldn't it make MORE sense and cost a LOT less to drive in and work for an 8 hour shift and be done with it?

I have tried to get a job at our closest hospitals. These people die in their chairs. They LOVE their jobs and wouldn't work from home for anything. After my 22 years, I am beginning to see the sense in that. Just wish I could find one now.

Schedules are the new norm for employees. - Pffft.

[ In Reply To ..]
What you describe WAS one of the perks of working from home. Now that's long gone. All the time you read on here about even ICs being forced to work a set schedule, which to me is whacked, but you gotta do what you gotta do to put food on the table and pay the rent.

You can thank the corporate bean counters for this new way of doing things. Can't even blame the MTSOs...they are just meeting demands set forth by the insurance companies and hospital CEOs.
:(

sad - vc

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That as American citizens we have set idly by and let this kind of thing happen to us. Our homes are now the sweatshops that used to exist. Now they can cause us to cower in fear because of our pay. It just isn't right and it's really a sad statement.

set hours - against the labor laws for IC's. - pp

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Transcend is now being sued in a class action for doing just the same thing. you DO have a recourse.

Transcend - Been around

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Personally, I hope the MTs sue the socks off Transcend--and win!

I never had a schedule as an IC - only 24 hr turnaround (sm) - Angie

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So I'd stay up as late as needed to get the days work done, often until 4:00 AM. Clients were always happy. However, when you have to give up your business to an MTSO who pays slave wages, your incentive to meet TAT is about nil.

The MTSOs will need to learn through lawsuits that they can't have the best of both worlds. They can't save the overhead of having in-house staff AND dictate a set schedule for their ICs.

so how is it - VC

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So let me ask you this, do you just come in in the morning or whenever and request a certain amount of work or do they tell you how much they want you to do and you just do that throughout the day without any communication with them about when you will be doing it as long as you meet the turnaround times?

This is working as a "real" IC, not what an MTSO calls an "IC". (sm) - Angie

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There was no discussion about volume unless a new doctor was added or one went on vacation. I picked up in the AM, worked until it was finished and dropped of at night (or used courier).

Currently I'm an IC for an MTSO that wanted me to have a set schedule, which I cannot do. I offered them a window of hours I could get my time in and this was acceptable to them. They need to know what hours you will be putting in and what days worked so they don't risk losing the account due not maintaining TAT.

How it is - MT

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For me, I have never guaranteed hours or had a minimum line count requirement. I get work when they send it to me and I turn it back in within the turnaround time. If I know I'm going to be gone for a day or two and won't be around, I let them know and they don't send work. Once I type what they have given me and I turn it back in, they send more. Some doctors that I work for only do dictation a couple of times a week and they send it when it's finished and then I return it within the TAT. I work as an IC for five different companies right now and every single one of them work that way. Some have 24-hour TAT and some have 48-hour TAT.

that is a fallacy - sm

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Set hours are not against labor laws for independent conractors. The Transcend lawsuit has nothing to do with this issue.

to this is a fallacy - pal

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You DO NOT know what you are talking about. The ONLY way that companies can get around paying benefits such as insurance, work comp, social security, etc is paying as independent contractors so with that being the case, they cannot have it both ways....EITHER you are an employee and can set hours, days, etc or you are an "independent contractor" who CANNOT have set hours, etc. About Transcend...I DO know what I am talking about....This is just the case. Transcend tried to "make" IC's work many hours, try to set their hours and then when there was no work...NOT pay them...Again, you cannot have it both ways....YOU need to read up on labor laws honey.

Set hours - MT

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Yes, there are plenty of companies who just require turnaround times and that's it, but in order to do that, you have to stay away from all the nationals. Look for a smaller MTSO. I refuse to work a schedule and have never done so....still don't. I apply for jobs literally, a couple a week, that do not require schedules, and trust me...I watch for that in the ads.

Really - VC

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I can't find them on here or the other site. Would you be willing to email me with some names? I am in need of just such a place....BADLY

No schedule - MT

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You just have to watch the ads carefully. For instance, the first job listing on this site is for Documed. It says right in the ad that it is a 24 hour TAT. The second job listing is for Keystrokes and it says flexible hours. There is an ad for world wide dictation that says minimum of an hour and a half a day...which sounds to me like you have to type that, but not necessarily in any given timeframe. There is also a job listing a little further down for general transcription that has a 2-day TAT. On another site, Clear Choice Transcription is hiring and they have a 4 to 6 hour turnaround time. I work for five small companies and not one of the companies I work for require a schedule...either 24 or 48 hour turnaround. They are out there...just read between the lines in the ads.

Yeah, however - VC

[ In Reply To ..]
Most of those companies still require you to tell them when you are going to be working and, how many hours you will commit to. I have applied to some of those before and its the same old story. Just because they have 24 hour TAT, doesn't mean that you don't have to set a schedule with them. It just means that any work that is received by the company MUST be back to the client within 24 hours, so that's a bit of a mistake in reading their ad. Another point, most of the ones that WILL give you an open schedule require you to be an IC. I know I'm asking for the moon here, but I would want at least statutory employee, so I don't have to hold out taxes. I'm not great at that.

Set hours - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Any company I have ever applied at that says 24-hour TAT has always been "no set schedule." If you are looking for employee status, then I would say no, there are no "come and go as you please" jobs. I've always seen employees have set hours, just like they would in an office setting.

Anymore, no - VC

[ In Reply To ..]
That's all there used to be, but again, it has changed so much, its really not the best field to be in anymore. I used to have a bit of pride doing this job. Now. not so much. Oh well, I wish I could afford to just quit. That's what I would most like, but of course that won't happen until they dig a hole for me.

IC - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I've never held out taxes. I just bring my 1099s to my tax guy during tax time and do my thing from there. With all the deductions that I'm able to take from being self-employed, I never have to pay in. I also find that being an IC allows you to work for more than one company, which in turn allows you to make more money. You aren't sitting around with NJA and you almost always have work. When you aren't required to work a set schedule, but have a TAT, you can work for more than place and always have work that you can do at your own pace. Also, if you are self-employed, you can deduct 100% of any health insurance premiums that you pay out of pocket.

yeah - VC

[ In Reply To ..]
I never run out of work where I am. In fact, they are always in danger of not getting the work done because there are not enough folks working, so I can work all the overtime I want. Having enough work has never been a problem on the jobs that I have worked on. I have truly never seen that. I don't have a tax guy, and can't afford one, I figure my own taxes but I loathe it. We don't itemize so that's of no benefit to me, not enough deductions for us to do that. My problem is my life away from the computer. I'm ALWAYS at my computer and can't make enough when I'm here. I don't want to give my life for this work, just to make enough to eek by, which is what I'm doing now and having to put in 12 hours to do it and only being paid for 8. Its because of the "productive time" which doesn't allow for looking things up, going to the bathroom, or anything else, and I have to get up and move due to a back problem for at least 5 minutes each hour. I have eliminated all interruptions. I work at night this way nobody interrupts me. Of course, I have no family life and can't go anywhere because the weekends are taken up, and still not enough money, even with shift differentials and weekend pay too.

sorry - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
but it really sounds like it's time for you to get out of MT. If you can't make work work for you, then it has such a negative impact on everything else in your life. If you're making so little income, then finding a job out of the house that allows you to make that income or more sounds like a viable option for you. Good luck. I hope your situation changes and you can find life enjoyable again.

Not true....sm - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
Two years ago, I worked for a medium size company doing straight typing on a pay scale. Made pretty good $$.

We never had to clock in or out. There was a "full time" line requirement and once you hit it, you were done unless you wanted to work longer. I worked 6 hours a day usually and still made twice what I make now.

I am still in contact with a few of the MTs there - they ran out of work for a couple of days and finally, their largest (and pretty much the only account they have left) admitted they went to Epic. They might have 30% of the work load left to type - for now - so probably not worth applying there.

GOOGLE! Look for MT IC jobs - I just found one...sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I did a Google search for MT IC jobs and have stumbled upon what appears to be a great company (I haven't officially began working, but from all the info I've received, seems legit!). The job you are wanting is out there, you just gotta look.

Are you an IC or employee - sm

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And just because you work from home, it doesn't mean there's no structure.

Set schedule - MsMT

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I've been an MT for about 30 years and for the last 10 years had been working for an MTSO as an IC. There was no set schedule there, but we each had to agree to do a certain minimum of lines a day/week, whatever we agreed to when signing up. Now I've just been hired for a company who only offers employee status that has set schedules of 8.5 hours a day, and I'm worried if my arms/hands can take it. I have a rather delicate musculoskeletal system and have always needed to spread my typing out over about 12 hours in a day to avoid pain and possible CTS. Do you think my new company would be open to this and be flexible for me? I'd like to work from 3:00 p.m. to about 2-3:00 a.m. rather than their set 3:00-11:30 schedule. I don't know yet if my work is going to be mostly straight typing or VR editing, but if it's mostly typing, I don't think I can take a strict 8-hour schedule. I can't see why extending my schedule a few hours late at night to early morning/after midnight would compromise them with their clients. Thanks for any feedback.

one answer - noname

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Silent Type

ST - VC

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I am an employee where I am at now. The companies generally do give the 12 hour window for folks to do their time in. My problem is, my life doesn't fit in just the other 12 hours, and like you, I have problems now with my hands. I want to work a couple of hours, stop and do something else for a while, come back and work a couple hours, etc. I also have a hip and leg problem and sitting very long causes extreme pain for me and then the pills I have to take for that cause me to sleep. Yesterday I worked from 7:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and by the "production" rules, I didn't have 5 hours in, and that was in 7-1/2 actual hours. So what's up with that? I took two 15 minute breaks.

Now it isn't just that this work doesn't fit with my life, it is that this work has come to a point where it is RULING my life. I can't go here or there because I have to work. I have to give up enjoyment, evening with my family and now, I am having to work 7 days a week to be sure to get my 40 hours in. How would you like to do that? Never a day off? Doesn't seem quite right to me.

I am going to try some of these IC companies. I talked to lawyer friend at church today, he's a tax lawyer and he is going to help me set things up to have it done just pretty much automatically. So maybe that will work for me, but we'll see. And just so the one poster knows, I WOULD DEARLY LOVE TO GET OUT OF THIS BUSINESS. I HAVE HATED IT SINCE I STARTED IT, but when I started, NOTHING could make the money I could make doing this, and no job was so compatible with my life. Now it is totally opposite, and only one thing has held true through it all. I STILL HATE IT!

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