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

Bureau of Labor Statistics Inaccuracy? - Meh

Posted: Jan 13, 2014

I'm a pretty new MT. I've only been working for about a year. I didn't know how little I was going to make when I trained for this--more or less minimum wage. If one were to research it even today on the Internet, they wouldn't know either by looking at government site Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to its site, the median wage in May,2012 is $34,020. That would make it about $18.00 hour, which I'm sure would make you all stop complaining. So has medical transcription pay gone that much downhill in just about a year later? Of course, it says MEDIAN pay is that amount, which is a little tricky. But still, it sounds misleading.

Oh boy, you just opened a can of worms - let the bashing begin

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nm

Average Growth? - Meh

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Oh, another thing the Bureau of Labor Statistics says on website is that job outlook/employment is expected to grow 8% from 2012 to 2022, whieh is average for all occupations. I thought medical transcription is supposed to be extinct in a couple of years, according to some people here.

pay - SM

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$34,020 is $16.50 or so an hour.

Many MT are making that. They just donâ��t come here and announce it. Those who arent making it, are here complaining about it. There are many reasons for someone not being able to make it. I'm guessing those doing VR and agreeing to be paid peanuts are the ones not making any money.

If you are new to MT, and you researched the field from real transcriptionists prior to enrolling, you'd have learned that MT schools are closing and that earnings have gone down as the job is redefined.

And median is just that- which makes that $34k an abstract number, not a guarantee of any kind.

I CURRENTLY MAKE - +22.00/HR

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Not for long, you don't. (sm) - In-House Lead

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Don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Even the system manager here knows her days are numbered. She's figuring she's got 2, possibly 3, years. At that point, we'll be left with NO manager and just 3 leads to handle multiple hospitals and 25 clinics -- one lead for day shift, one for swing, and one to float and cover weekends. I won't be one of them; I know this. Two of the other leads were already laid off earlier this year. All the MTs who, yes, were making over $20 an hour, were all laid off a long time ago. That's close to 200 middle-class jobs that vanished into thin air. Very few of those are still working in MT at all, and the few who are are scratching out a subsistence living. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has neglected to delete these MTs -- and so many others across America -- off their rolls.

I am so sorry this has happened to you but - what I stated is my current situation

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When the gloom and doom you mentioned, I'll deal with it but as of right now, this minute, this day, this month, I'm earning what I stated. I'm sure we do not work for the same hospital.

This is the trend across the country, not an isolated incident - In-House MT

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If you live in the middle part of the country, it will take longer to trickle down to you. But trickle down it shall.

I am not one of the perpetual Debbie Downers around here who like to sit in their dirty diapers. I'm an optimist and an opportunist who has already taken steps to secure my future post MT. I'm also a realist who's seen the ebb and flow of this field for more 20 years now.

I've never said MT would be wiped out entirely. But it will be significantly, drastically cut. If you believe you'll be the very few left standing, then good luck to you. You'll need it. I don't believe you are being realistic or paying attention to what is going on around you, but it's your life and you can live with the consequences.

I can tell you right now there are many, many MTs working on our accounts at this very moment who have no idea what is about to hit when we pull the plug on them. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

Surely we all knew this day - was coming

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same ebb and flow for 34 years now. I have been preparing for this day for 34 years. When I started in 1979 Xerox was working on some form of SR. Surely we all knew this day was coming. Between my pension (from mu current and other employment, including VA pension), 401K (which has not been wiped out) and social security I fairly certain I will be ok. My planned retirment date is 01/02/2016. Preparation is everything. I am very much a realist.

blanket statements - huh

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I'm a MT working for an MTSO. I make greater than $30/hr consistently, sometimes more, never less. I'm not the only one. There are many, many transcriptionists who are still doing well in this field.

Yes, there is a downward trend but all trends bottom out somewhere and then they tend to rise again. So I think the median stated by the BLS is likely more accurate than you want to believe.

I am happy for you, good to see you still prosper - I never had

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the courage to work outside of a hospital. So for 34 years I have consistently worked in pathology with raises each year and great benefits. I just hate when someone posts about their positive experience some of our colleagues get offended and accuse us of being boastful and insensitive. Congratulations to you, you're clearly making more than I make and I and happy for you. I so wish this could be the experience of all MTs.

I previously made way over... - sm

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...the national average because I worked my butt off. My recent hourly pay has dropped by approximately $15 per hour. That is SOLELY due to a 40% cut in pay from Nuance.

not just one year ago. I saw that about 3 years ago - Backwards Typist

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and even went so far as to e-mail the BLS to question where that info came from and to check different companies for what they were paying...never received an answer and guess the data was never corrected so people wouldn't get the wrong impression of the downhill wages...

Too bad they didn't care to find out the truth.

At Nuance, it depends when your company was acquired. - SM

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Generally speaking, 6 months after an acquisition is when the MTs generally feel the pinch. The MTs are led into a false sense of security right after the takeover, but then 6 months later, they're eating Top Ramen. This is sadly not an exaggeration, but the truth.

Here are the facts... (sm) - Rose

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I started in 1987 when the going rate waS .10 cents per line. Over the next 20 years I increased to .14 cents per line when the standard was .12 to .14 CPL for ICs. I now work for .04 cents per line editing, which takes me the same amount of time per line as it did transcribing using expansion software. So in the last 27 years as an MT I am working for LESS THAN ONE THIRD the line rate I charged 27 years ago. Those are the facts.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics must go by are the few MTs who are still transcribing rather than editing, and work directly for hospitals and clinics without the middleman (MTSOs). I also recall when looking at their figures that they base it on studies years before.

^ Spot on. (nm) - In-House Lead

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.

partial facts - sm

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You're stating YOUR facts. I work for an MTSO. I make a very nice paycheck. I know many other transcriptionists who do the same.

Likely the BLS IS talking about transcriptionists and not editors (who I believe if you look may have a different classification).

The field is changing and morphing into what it will be. We need new people coming into the field or else that truly will ring the death knell.

those are your facts not everyones - mtr

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nm

As I stated, those were the facts for an Independent Contractor - Rose

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Not someone who worked for an MTSO over those 27 years I quoted. The only MTs I knew of who would tolerate the MTSO low pay of 7 CPL back then, and still today, were newbies without experience, to get experience so they could charge the going rate for ICs that I quoted.

That is based on the "old" transcription and most likely - in-house. Transcription now has

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been replaced with editing and those statistics probably haven't been compiled yet, or they're being shoved under the rug. Remember, the biggest part of transcription is research ability. If you had really researched the "profession" prior to training, you would have realized the majority of traditional transcription jobs have gone and are replaced with editing.

It is accurate in my case - sm

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I only worked as an at-home MT until only 5 months ago. A huge hospital system based in Wisconsin decided to take their entire transcription department back. Thus, they hired a ton of MTs to work directly for them, paid hourly, full benefits, but able to work from home. I really lucked out and landed one of these jobs. I get paid just over $18 an hour, fabulous benefits and work M-F. This is definitely not the norm, though.

Please, Tell Us More! - Rose

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I'm curious how big this hospital was, if it was a general hospital or specialty, if they used an MTSO with EMS and if they took their MT department back after problems with VR? If so, there's more hope for us. Thanks for the info.

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