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A friend of mine wants to try this, can she make $30.00 an hour doing transcription - L

Posted: Nov 02, 2009

A lady I have talked with wants to train in this kind of work and is planning on going to Andrews. Would she be making at least $30.00 an hour when she gets a job? Thanks.

Sadly, No. - Old part-timer

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There was a time when I made better than $30 an hour, but not any more.

Only if she can persuade somebody to pay her 25 cents a line... - GeezerChick

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... the chances of which are infinitesimally small....

hahahahahahahaha - --

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Tell your friend she cannot make 30.00 an hour straight out of school. Even an experienced MT would have a very difficult time making that kind of money. Sorry to burst her bubble.

why does friend think she can make $30/hour? - n/m

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n/m

Nope - Happy MT Robin

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You'd have to maintain 300 lph AND be paid 10 cents a line. Not even experienced MTs are getting 10 cents a line these days and the only MTs I know of who can do 300 lph have expanders that they have built up over the years and are really fast typists.

So, if Andrews is telling your friend she WILL make $30 an hour they are flat out lying to her. If they say she COULD make it, then yes, theoretically it's possible..... see above. So unlikely as to be impossible, though.

Somebody LIED to her........n/m - kiki

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x

not anymore - 7DayMT

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and not right out of school (when you start you spend lots of time looking things up). Who told her that?

She told me she types 45 wpm and her boyfriend's - L

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MIL or mother- forgot which one it was. She wanted to know if she could do VR at 45 wpm.

lines per hour not wpm - 7DayMT

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is how we think in MT. Most MTs are fairly fast typists but VR is not so much typing as correcting - you type in some words/phrases that don't appear in the draft, and delete the stuff that shows up in the draft that should not be there. You correct the punctuation and reformat. You still have to know just as much so you can tell what is wrong in the draft and put the right thing in. It pays less per line than regular transcription and usually not able to do it fast enough to make the same income. Depends on the program, the dictators, and the day. I have days when I make 8 dollars an hour and others when I make close to 20, but never 30.

But as she has not done this she only knows her wpm - L

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She was told another person making $30.00 and she told me her wpm. Thanks

holy cow... only 45 wpm? I did that fresh out of school and only made 8.00 an hour. - been around the block

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I do make 10 cpl on transcription and 6 on VR...

I usually average 13 to 16 an hour, only because my VR program sucks and I rarely get transcription anymore. Also, I type about 95 wpm.

Three years ago, before all the pay cuts and VR, I made about 30 an hour. Not anymore.

holy cow - MT17

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Wow! Where do you work now that you make such a great rate.......well, GREAT compared to what is out there now......??

that is not a great rate - been around the block

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I work for a large national and have been there for 12 years.

I have not had a raise in 10 years and the VR is awful... I have to correct every single line and struggle to make that 13 to 16 an hour! That is not a great rate.

Well...... - MT17

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That is more than I was making at a big company, where I worked for almost 20 years, AND just got laid-off......so you aren't doing too bad in my book. You/we ALL should be doing much better, but............. Oh, I was laid-off because my work went to the Philippines.....oh joy!

Sorry your job got deported... mine will soon also. - been around the block

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That is what all the biggies are doing.
Eating up all the little companies and giving away american jobs.

Very sorry and I wish you luck finding a better company!

deported... - MT17

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Thanks for the well wishes. I hope your job continues to be there for you. It is such a SHAME! But thank goodness my hubby has a good job and I can actually take some time for myself.....decide if this is still what I want to do after all is said and done, but wishing good-luck to you too.

45 wpm is about half the speed you need to - be an MT. You need 80-90 wpm.

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With VR, you aren't doing very much typing - just sitting and trying to stay awake while you listen to dictation and try to follow along reading what some machine transcribed. If you're lucky, they might pay you about 3 cpl. The MT business is putting a whole new wave of American workers on Food Stamps.

I do VR but in between there is that straight work - VR lover

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I could never do VR at 45 wpm, would never make anything that way. I have to VR as fast as is possible and then when I have the occasional straight the same exact thing.

staging - anony

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I forgot, AIN is it stage 3 or stage III? thanks

See below about how she heard and her wpm - L

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She wants to know with her speed of 45 wpm can she do VR then but she really is wanting to do MT work.

you mean See Above. - n/m

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n/m

This board does not always work the way you think it does - L

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You are right but I posted under a top posting and it came to the bottom.

45 wpm - 7DayMT

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she can do VR if she learns to be an MT but won't be $30 an hour.
I guess 45 wpm is okay as there is not as much actual typing in VR.
I guess my wpm is about 80 but I have not tested my wpm in many years and I don't think about it. Even with regular, non-VR transcription a lot of the lines per minute comes from using word expanders and templates (stuff you save so you don't have to type out every single word/paragraph).
I said I make from 8-18 dollars an hour depending on the day. That is 4.5 cpl.
Think about lines per hour:
Straight - 150-200 (with word expanders)
VR - 300-550 (my experience, others may do more or less).

More important than her typing speed is can she learn the terminology and understand the dicators - much harder than people think. You have to make sense of the dictation from doctors who don't speak English well, mumble, yawn, dictate in noisy areas, etc. etc.

$30 hour - Greenjeans

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Oh come on, you're pulling our legs, right?

This is absolutely no lie, she does not post here but I told her I would ask - L

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The lady was told about the $30.00 an hour and of course that looks good, to me and everyone else on here. I am telling the truth. I told her I would post and she could come here and read what others had to say about it, not just from me. HEr ex-boyfriend's MIL or mother does this and from what this lady is seeing the lady has a housekeeper, got high priced car, taking nice vacations and the woman sees that and thinks, hey why not me? This is absolutely on the up and up.

Why do people think anybody can do this job? - unbelievable

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Yeah... We just sit around in our jammies, doing our laundry, babysitting the kids, preparing dinner, and here and there, type a few lines and make 30.00 an hour. It is the easiest thing out there. It is kinda like winning the lottery, no skill, just happens, dumb luck.
Tell your friend GOOD LUCK!

Consensus is - no way Jose - believe what you want

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She would need time and practice to build up her speed and expanders whether she was typing or doing VR.

And then she would have to get a job that pays decent, which are getting rarer every day.

And then she would have to get a decent account with dictators she could understand.

Oh, and there would have to be consistent WORK on that account, or none of the above would matter.

If the planets align perfectly in the sky, she might make $30 an hour for a week, a month or a year, but the planets will move on and her earnings will drop due to outsourcing, clients coming and going, etc.

Personally, my job went from heaven to hell in the blink of an eye. I made 50k last year with a combination of good client, plenty of OT, and good expanders.

This year I'll be lucky to make 20k...I didn't change ANYTHING (same employer, same hours, etc.) but I have lost 2/3 of my income with no warning - surprise! - the client is gone, there is no work any more, "hang in there" (if you can afford it) until we find more clients. I might never get that lucky again. Its a crap shoot. Your friend might have better luck taking her college money to Vegas.

Even in MT's best days, which were about 15+ - years ago, no one made $30/hour.

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Not that what we do isn't worth it, but until MT's can go back to working directly for the doctors, and not for the PIGS in management and MTSO, then it'll continue to be nothing but a third-world sweatshop job.

$30/hr - mtmt

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Sure they made $30/hr. I used to do payroll at the Q 15 years ago and we certainly did have people making $30/hr. There still are folks making in the high $20s, me being one of them. It can be done, not for a newbie or someone who has to watch her kids while she's working, but it can be done.

I made $18 to $32 an hour - no more but I did

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You can't make that money now unless you get a great account, no matter how fast you type. All these bad dictators and ER type reports where you are jumping around and filling in lines... no good.

I made this money last year but we lost the account to overseas and now I have to suffer low pay.

that's funny - Leaving Mting

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It may be possible, but highly unlikely.

there are independent consultants that claim they make that much, but they must be very technically savvy and have awesome marketing techniques on top of being good at MTing. Not many fit this mold.

If your friend is just looking for making good $, I would recommend she not get involved in MTing.

Will she make $30/hr? (sm) - Long-time MT

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BWWAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA. Oh stop, you're killing me with your leading questions.

I've been an MT for 43 years, I can type 120 words/minute, and I've never made that in my life.

The answer is: No.

YES, you can make that money on CLINIC accounts. - MTANR

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I do and have made $30/hr on CLINIC accounts at a basic line rate. On clinic accounts you can do A LOT of copying/pasting, so it is not very difficult to achieve that. Acute care I make less. It IS possible though.

And the bad thing about clinic accounts is - VR here

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more and more are going to EMR and people are being dropped like flies from those accounts as more techs and the physicians themselves entering the information, thus doing away with the transcriptionists.

sigh .... read the post again, Friend Wants To Try This. - no, she will not make 30.

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n/m

Not for long - Leaving MT

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Enjoy it while it lasts. Really, don't get too comfortable counting on this for long.

30 an hour - me

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I average 28-35 an hour but have been at it for many,many years.

Lucky you - Leaving MT

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xx

A FRIEND ... - MS MT

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NO WAY

That's a funny! - old mt

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Not today Honey. She was definitely sold a bill of goods by someone!!

No.....the most I make is $18 an hour and that - sm - XXX

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is not consistent. I only type about 60 wpm, and about 165 lph on average. I average $12 an hour which I deem acceptable for being at home, no gas to use, no clothes to buy, I don't need health insurance as I have it through my DH and I have my freedom to attend school functions, get kids off to school in a.m. and meet at p.m. There are trade-offs. I am certainly not getting rich doing this, did $18K last year and that was with working 50-65 hours a week....can your friend hack that? Also at first she would not even make that, probably $30-$40 a day if she was lucky.

money to be made - 10-year mt

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I disagree. I think there are certain cases where you can still make great money. I make average of $25 per hour, 200 lph rate. I have done hospital and clinic work for over 10+ years. I think that considering I work at home, no driving, no lunches out, flexibility in scheduling that even $12 would be a great wage. Sometimes I think people forget that. I dislike all the negativity all the time. Yes this job can be stressful, yet it is scary with all the changes, but that is LIFE. You just have to roll with the punches, and honestly can you make a lifetime career out of anything anymore? The world is constantly growing and changing now with technology. Each has to find their way in something they choose.

Yes you can make good money but not at first - sm - XXX

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and all the circumstances need to fall into place too. If you can get your own accounts that tend to be on the easy side with a good cpl rate, then yes you can probably do quite well. I have one account on my own (0.13 cpl) which has been slowly dwindling, plus the Dr. is 70, so the writing is on the wall there, and I also work as an IC for someone else. Doubtful this lady's friend could make $30/hr consistently every day = $240 for an 8 hour day ($61K a year), she'd have to do 375 lph at 0.08 cpl, unlikely for a newbie. I can do 225 cpl an hour depending on which doctor I am doing (straight typing), and 600 lph when I am editing, but again I am not consistent which is my own fault. I used to have a gravy account but my MTSO took it back for herself as she needed the money, I loved it, it was an easy account and I got 14 lines a page extra for the letterhead/address, etc. I was raking it in with that one. I am sure there are some MTs that do make very good money doing this, and there are others who work 12 hour days for $100 or less, struggling with horrible ESLs. I am lucky as I only have 1 ESL and she is not that bad. I am content with my $12/hour average and know that is good considering I am at home with no expenses other than my equipment, etc., no gripes there. I'd probably be making about the same if I ventured out and got a job outside the home, with the added expense of afterschool care for my kids, gas, wear-and-tear on my car, clothes, etc. I do have an iron in the fire for a state/county job but due to budget issues it will not be "open" until June 2010. I am on their short list of candidates luckily and if I can land it I will be taking it as it is $35-$40K a year and will not interfere with my kids activities as well. Will I keep doing MT if I get the job?, probably some but I would only be doing probably the 2 smaller of my current 4 doctors probably, just to keep my hand in it and as a backup just in case to cover my butt.

I make $30 an hour - and I do that with speech too

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BUT I have been at this for 15 years!!!!

Right out of training? I made about $4 and my line rate was higher back then. You heard me, I was paid more a line 15 years ago, but I STILL make $30 an hour NOW. A tough week is when, oh dear me, I had to actually stop and look up a word once. I almost never have to stop to look up anything, which is another reason I am fast (photographic memory for medical terms).

No, I don't have my own accounts and I never have. I am an employee with one of the smaller nationals and I have to flip flop between 2 platforms as well as between speech and typing. I probably type about 60 wpm, but I know my expander so well that my lines per hour is out of sight.

If she think she will make that out of school, she has either been misled or she is an idiot.

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