From the old grey mare's mouth - nn

I for one am sick and tired of this profession and what it has become with MTSOs "dictating" that an MT has to do "X number of lines per hour, either with transcribing or with VR.  There are I  believe, MANY factors that need to be taken into consideration with this  -- including the fact that they may not be the fastest typist in the world, either due to a physical disabilitiy or age, etc., however, my QA scores with the exception of Nuance have been 98-100%).  Nuance as well as another company caused me to be evicted because of the fact that "I could not meet their minimum liine requirements.  My physical health and more so, mental health suffered greatly because of this due to anxiety with trying to keep up with day-to-day living expenses, which totalled about 1200-1500 a month and that is with FINALLY getting food stamps, no car, and just paying rent and utilities.  My average checks from both companies were at or below minimum wage requirements  -- there is no more QUALITY in this profession  --- only QUANTITY and having been in the business for 30+ years aand having done QA as well, it is disgusting to me.  I have seen BLATANT mistakes made in a medical record only because an MT felt speed was more important. 

Right now, I have landed a position with a company that only requires "X" lines per pay period and actually, the requirements are low.  What I have discovered however, is that a LOT of companies are no longer paying  for header information etc.  With the last company and doing on average 25-30 reports in an 8-hour period and only getting 800+ lines that is ridiculous.  I agree with some posters that factors need to be weighed in.  Difficulty of reports, dictators, sound quality etc.  I am not as strong with certian worktypes as I am with others and have ALWAYS been up front with a potential employer regarding that as well as telling them certain report types I would like to avoid, due to the fact that I may not have done that report type in many years because of the service that I worked for sent it to Radiology or had transcriptionists that handled those types of reports.

Maybe it is just me, but if a company would realize that an MT could be more productive doing "familiar/comfortable" work types, it would be profitable for both the company and MT  -- I am basically familar with ESL docs having learned on the job and having to deal with accents from day one. 

Another thing that used to happen in the "good ole days" of MT is the fact that if I or another MT worked on the same account, we could communicate with one another either by IM or phone.  I had a few instances like that, where a fellow MT would be stuck, she would call me put the phone up to the computer speakers and I would "listen."  Most of the time, I was able to figure it out, but as MTs now, we no longer have that capability for fear of the fact that HEAVEN forbid we talk to each other, we badmouth the company or a person etc.

Lastly, this profession has turned into those who want to stay at home with young children, thus the "flood" of people, who for that very reason, have gotten into this profession without FULLY realizig what it entails  -- I have had several people in the past tell me "well I type 120 words per minute, I can do that work or well all you do is enter data into a computer."  Believe me, many years ago, I had people listen to snippets of dictation and when they could not understand the dictator, they quickly changed their tune as far as MT as a profession.  I am VERY much in agreement with what "Old Pro" says and those of you who complain and moan about not finding work, wanting to be an IC and set your own hours  -- fine  -- as ICs, what many people have said still holds true.  You interview, you are asked what hours you are available to work and that is the way it should be. 

The service that I worked for lost a VERY large account because of the fact that it was IC status and people, who stated they would commit to so many hours on the weekend would not show up at all.  This was an MTSO who paid weekly and on time and there were possibly 4-6 of us who worked as many hours as we could to get this account within TAT.   

Please also keep in mind that your circumstances could change in an INSTANT.  My S/O who helped me was diagnosed with CHF - at age 62, knowing the job market and knowing he could no longer be physically active the way he was, got terminated from his job and subsequently filed for early SS  -- at the tune of $400 a month LESS than retiring at 65.

Thursday morning, I was getting set up for "new service," after having had "gotten help I needed," thewm calling the office on Tuesday, my getting funds for back rent on Wednesday, calling the office and telling them I would be in no later than Friday.  Well, didn't happen  -- knock on the door that morning, landlord, maintenance main and 2 deputies at the door  - they threw EVERYTING in garbage bags from kitchen to bedroom etc and threw them outside the door and promptly changed the locks.  I had to deal with a moving company to move things, $380 -- storarge $124 and lodging -- el cheapo motel at $350 for a week.  Right now, I would suggest thinking about my words and saying "there but for the Grace" go I."

I for one as well, am sick of the "Pollyannas" who state, "well if it's that bad, find another job."  It isn't that easy  -- I live in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area  -- unemployment here is 14-15%.  To find "an outside clerical job ANYWHERE, you have to be "triligual"  -- i.e. able to speak English, Spanish and Creole at least, if not more languages.