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

Been a while since I left the profession - janine68

Posted: Aug 27, 2012

It's been 7 years. Thinking of doing an at-home AHDI program for "recent" experience. Are experienced MTs having difficulty finding jobs? I read a post of an experienced MT on this board claiming to have difficulty finding work. That was not the case when I left this profession 7 years ago. There were more jobs than qualified MTs to fill them. What has happened?

India happend. - thats all.

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Nothing else to say.

happened - this did

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ASR happened and paid less than half of your straight transcription, offshoring happened, MAJOR cut in pay (half what it was about 5 years ago), and EMR also happened. MTSOs dont care what we MTs have to go through and the bottom line is saving money on the hospital and MTSO part. Hard to find work, yes, that will give you any money at all.

7yr ago is an eternity. Everything completely different from what - it was then. 100% different. nm

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x

ASR, EMR, ADHI, India, 4cpl/8cpl, Nuance, MModal happened. - Look elsewhere for career. nm

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:<

It's a shame! After 30 yrs being an MT I'm changing professions.. - MT2

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And, I agree, India, EMR, ADHI, VR it's just too ridiculous! All of these companies selling out. All of these companies not appreciating a good transcriptionist when they have one. Treating so many so poorly. I have decided not to apply for fulltime to work from home. I can't make enough money and I don't have a husband to depend on. I must get back on site.

It's funny thinking about it. I went to Career Step in 2002... - ndmt68

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and I transcribed for 2 companies for 5 years to get my core experience, but I found myself with carpal tunnel in my left hand. I was interested in trying a company with VR technology. I think it was the summer of 2007 I talked with a Spheris recruiter, and she said they were considering implementing VR but hadn't done it yet. Meanwhile, I was working on my current employer to raise me to 10 CPL.

That was only 5 years ago. Now, the best offer I've had on a user-friendly platform is 4.125/8.3 CPL, and that is with experience (well probably for every warm body in the door - not sure there's a distinction anymore), and I'm afraid most companies will be either off-shoring or doing VR exclusively at some point in the near future. That is how fast it changed.

datahand helped my carpal tunnel nm - janine68

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nm

And the split COmfort Keyboard helped mine. - nm

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x

UGH! I had a recent in-house interview where my - typing test was on a split keyboard... S/M

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... and I just could NOT for the life of me type on that thing! At least not in the only 15 minutes I had for my transcription test! I spent more time backing up and retyping mis-types than I did going forward and transcribing. Made me look like an inept hunt-and-peck fool. Needless to say, I didn't get the job - that stupid keyboard blew it for me.

:(

Maybe not same as mine. Mine splits and raises like a drawbridge. - Type in neutral, hand-shake position. Love it. nm

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x

keyboard - CALIMTDV

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Splits and raises like a drawbridge..I think I would love that. I got used to the split ergonomic keyboards...the wider apart the better and now when I try to type on my laptop or regular keyboard I can barely function. Can you possibly share the brand of heyboard you use?

it would have been perfectly okay for you to say you were - not at home with the keyboard...nm

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I did. They didn't care. I felt like they were just "going - thru the motions" of my interview. S/M

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I had this happen at another onsite interview, too. Both were teaching hospitals. Both seemed to prefer to hire from within. That being the case, I'd sure like to know why they wasted my time, and their time, even placing the ad and interviewing outside applicants. It was totally retarded.

When I test in-house, I always bring my home keyboard, wrist rests, and headphones with me. Even to - the interview.

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nm

That's a great idea! I only thought to bring my - headphones. HOWEVER.... S/M

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it's already kind of embarrassing to pop out my own headphones, which are ancient metal stethoscopes (which I love.. can't stand the other kinds) that are held together with a big rubber band and have duct tape on the sides so my earrings won't clank on them. (LOL!)

And then there's my keyboard. Half the keys don't have letters on them anymore, and since I eat at my desk, the thing is a veritable BIOHAZARD.

As soon as I walked into the hospital carrying that thing, they'd have Haz-Mat on my case in a heartbeat!

suggestion for carpal tunnel - OHMT

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You know how most keyboards are angled up away from you (higher at the back)? Look at the position of your wrist. I started having wrist issues, and the wrinkles forming on the back of my wrists gave me a clue. So what I did was put the front of my keyboard on top of the wrist rest. Now the keyboard angles down, my wrists are straight, not bent up at an angle, and I haven't had any problems since I did that a few years ago. I also have my keyboard tray as low as it will go, basically sitting right on my lap.

Hope this helps!

Heck - I can only work with...sm - KC

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my keyboard sitting directly ON my lap! That way my wrists aren't cocked up and my shoulders can relax.

35 years' experience, here. Thanks to offshoring - and VR, I only make 3.5 cpl. (sm)

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The obvious answer? "Find a better job!" Been trying to do just that, now, for almost 4 years. Most MTSOs not interested in MTs with my kind of longevity or experience. Have also been trying to find an out-of-MT job, but am finding most employers not interested in a 60-yr-old "newbie" who has done nothing but MT for the past 35 years.

I, and many like me, are now only in this business because we have yet to find a way out. But we're still looking, every single day! If you're looking to get in, my advice would be to read every single post on these boards, especially the Main Board and the Company Board, as far back as you can, and you'll see why my advice is not to even think about getting back into MT, if you can find anything else to do, instead.

For the situation in-a-nutshell, read M*Modal's board. It was formerly Medquist, the biggest and baddest (and I don't mean that in a good way!) of all the MTSOs. What they do for their own gain, and to the detriment of their MTs, usually happens in short order at all the other MTSOs, who copy every move M*Modal makes.

Also, note that within a short period of time, it's highly likely that there will only be 2 MTSOs left: M*Modal and Nuance.

Finally, read up on all the evil AHDI (formerly AAMT) has wrought upon MTs in the U.S., before giving them even one thin dime of your money! Because, in addition to India and voice recognition, AHDI happened.

I dont get this 3cpl business. I guess I live under a - rock because I had no idea

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so many MTs were making 3cpl or a little over. I find that I am reading this more and more lately. Its crazy and why anyone would attempt to go to school or spend money to take courses only to be reimbursed at 3cpl for their hard work is beyond me.

I dont mean this as an insult to anyone who is in that situation either, but perhaps eventually as the older MTs retire, find other work and fade away..there will be no more MTs. I know if I was looking into a new career I would most definitely not be likely to choose one that only pays me 3cpl and Im thinking thats how the rest of the world will feel too. You cant live off 3cpl unless you are just doing it for supplemental income. Thats insane.

7 years ago... - lm

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I could get a job in 5 minutes. Even four years ago, I had 3 part-time jobs. I have 20+ years' experience in acute care and clinic and it's still hard to find a job. I make over 1 cent per line less than I did 7 years ago.

In 1977 I made 6 cpl. In 2012, I make 3.5 cpl. - "Time marches backwards!" -sm-

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In 1977, a decent 1-bedroom apartment in my area was about $180-200/month.
In 2012, that same apartment now rents for about $1200-1300/month.

In 1977, a gallon of gasoline was somewhere around +/- 65 cents.
In 2012, that same gallon of gas costs about $4.15.

In 1977, a candy bar (which was larger in size than it is now) costs around 10-15 cents, maybe 20.
In 2012, that same candy bar (a mere shadow of its former self), now costs about $1.25.

In 1977, bridge tolls here were 50 cents.
In 2012, it now costs $5.

In 1977, you could do a load of laundry at the laundromat for a quarter.
In 2012, that same load costs $2.50. (Which means if you're going to do a couple weeks' worth of laundry, your bag of quarters has to be wheeled in on a hand-truck because it's too heavy to lift.)

In 1977, you didn't have to take out a personal loan to buy a bag of 12 frozen hamburger patties.
In 2012, meat or fish is a luxury I can't afford.

Only been in MT for 4 years - Getting out already

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Even in the 4 short years that I have been doing this, I have seen the profession deteriorate. I think what the other posters have said hits the nail on the head, especially with those 2 big MT companies gobbling so many smaller and mid-sized ones up and setting the pay standards so low. EMR is definitely playing a role, and offshoring, especially sending the easy work offshore and keeping all the hard stuff here makes it tough to make much more than $10 or $12 an hour.

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