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

How many of you have become totally DISincentivized - by the way MTs are being compensated?

Posted: Aug 31, 2012

...and yet the MTSO's just don't get it, do they?

me. i just don't care anymore. - mt2long

gave up a while ago - lost the fight

[ In Reply To ..]
I no longer have the fight in me to care. I do this job until I can get through school, which will take me forever becuse I can only take 2 classes a semester, but whatever.

I have to work, so I guess that gives them full rights to walk on my face.

no fight left either - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
The irony is that I get a somewhat decent line rate...when the work is there. I'm in the same boat as you. Just doing this until I get out of school. Can't afford not to work, so doing this while taking 2 classes a semester too. If this job holds out for a few more years, that's all I'm asking for myself at this point but I'd be surprised.

Yeah, they have full rights to walk on our faces because they know we'll take it rather than not be able to pay the bills. And if we don't take it, they'll happily send us on our way and hire some newbies who think 5 cpl is fair. The newbies will get discouraged after a while, and then in come the new newbies. They keep the revolving door spinning, pay cheap, and make money.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck while working this hard.

I wish you success with school.

I'm in the same boat - How are you doing it?

[ In Reply To ..]
I am going to school also, but expect to be done by the end of the year. I am having the most difficult time making it through each day. I know I have to work, but its so hard just going through the motions. I just don't care anymore. I am offered OT, but don't see the point of working extra time for just a few dollars. How are you getting along? Any strategies you can share? I feel like I am hanging on by a thread in this job, can't wait to get out.

some food for thought... - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
It's great you will be done with school soon, I just started. So I got a long haul ahead of me. I hear you about being offered OT. When it's there, my brain is so fried, I just can't stomach to work extra for a few bucks either. Actually I feel guilty not working OT because I keep one or 2 things going, some kind of outside activity I like to do every week, and there are times I could cancel those and work extra. But I think the key is if you want to hang in there, you can't totally cut out something fun to keep you sane. A job shouldn't suck the life out of you, which this has been doing to me recently. Even though I just started school (sigh), I keep in mind that I cannot wait for the day I do not have to clock in for this job. I get heart palpitations...only on the days I have to work, if that tells you anything. The reward at the end is just getting the heck out of the rat race.

I've actually felt a little less stressed since starting classes, just because I know I will have an option other than this. There was a time a few months ago where I really did not think I could do this much longer and I was almost mentally paralyzed at the feeling of being trapped in MT until it simply bombed for good and then what the crap would I do?

I know classwork will get more rigorous, and I'm nervous about working full time and trying to fit studying in. I probably couldn't handle more than the 2-class load, so I hope that plan doesn't completely overwhelm me.

I look at the sacrifice as not only am I working towards a new profession, I'm working to get out of one that has NOTHING to offer anymore. I'm digging my escape tunnel out of this cell with a spoon. I'd like a shovel or a backhoe or a stick of dynamite, but sometimes the smallest option is the only one available. It will work, just takes so daggone long.

For those of us who have had it with this job (I know some on here say it's still great for them), and are working to get out like you and I, I would say hang in there until the day you can walk away from it and never look back.

Thanks for posting - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
so true, you want to be able to steamroll your way out....and you can't....it's so hard. It's a tough way to go.

But I congratulate you on having a plan and sticking to it. You can do it!

Thanks - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I have such a hard time finding time for fun stuff away from work and study. I feel guilty, not studying, like I am falling behind on my plan, making me more anxious. I get palpitations too and today feel an anxiety attack coming on. I need to do something because this is not working. I get anxious every month when its time to pay the bills and I have to dip into my savings, watching my savings go down. Looking towards the future when I can quit this job is not helping me get through today. You're right though, I think this job is sucking the life out of me. I will try and reevaluate how I am spending my time, make time for fun. I have a hard time letting go. I like to read books and watch movies, not enough time to do those lately.

tough times - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I know about the anxiety that builds when bills are due. Sometimes I don't know if I can keep myself parked at this computer any longer or I'll go crazy. Seems futile. For myself, a quick anxiety relief is just petting my 2 dogs. Since you have such a busy schedule, maybe you could multitask. I know it's not the same as sitting down and reading a book, but the library has books on tape and CD. I listen to those when I drive sometimes. Can't fit leisure reading in my schedule anymore either. But I can lose myself in the story while listening to it in the car.

I wish I had some magic phrase to help you or anyone get through when it gets overwhelming. Knowing I'm not the only one struggling, knowing I'm not just overreacting, knowing it's not that I'm not working hard enough--it's that I'm doing all I can and still spinning my wheels, and other people know what that is like, is a help.

I wish there was some job I could go to school to learn - that I could realistically believe would - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
hire a 64-65 year-old newbie. No wonder so many of us end up at McDonald's, asking people if they want fries with that.

I stopped being an MT...and got a dollar an hour raise - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, I should probably be making 3-4 more dollars an hour...but hey, after being an MT for so long, a dollar an hour raise...I'll take it!!!!!!!

My advice to one and all: Get Out!

*I know it's not possible for everyone. But I went from over $18/hour starting out as MT - boom! down to about 10 overnight with VR, then 9, then we were heading down into the territory of 8 dollars an hour.

And now I'm doing something else - and just got a dollar an hour raise.

Took a job in a local clinic doing transcription - and clerical.

[ In Reply To ..]
I got a $6/hr raise. Was making $11/hr average and now $17/hr.

Oh, that's great! - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm a little nervous of being parked in front of a computer hours a day - my job now is "on my feet" a lot, and I like it, built-in exercise.

I'm even thinking of moving in October to a city with good public transportation - more built-in exercise.
Don't know if there's a $17/hour job there that for me, though, we'll see.

Thanks for posting - your story is inspirational!

I never ever thought anything better was in the - cards for me either.

[ In Reply To ..]
I was so depressed and worn down, but this job was in the newspaper. I had applied for several administrative assistant jobs and then just plain old clerk jobs at the hospitals and never even got a "thanks, but no thanks" reply. I almost didn't apply for this, but I am so happy I did. This week was busier and the most stressful so far, but still soooo much better and every time I start getting a little stressed, I remind myself I am getting paid by the hour. Makes it a LOT easier to handle. I even have some downtime when everything is caught up. I feel absolutely guilty because I am so used to having somebody always looking and making sure my fingers are on the keyboard every second. The other girls in the office just Google on the computer or iPhones or "chat." I had forgotten places like that existed. Hang in there and keep looking. It CAN happen for you, too. P.S. Don't use that excuse that you have to drive to work and dress in office casual clothes keep you from applying; it isn't that bad. Takes no longer to put on the business casual than jeans and a T-shirt. I shopped sales racks and thrift stores and got a week's worth of office attire cheap.

funny how we all want to get back to the office - downtime

[ In Reply To ..]
10 years ago we all wanted to work from home. Now I'm just dying to get back to an office. I'm not asking for the moon. Just a clerk position will suit me fine. If I could just get an interview.

I've been trying to find something like that. They all - tell me I dont have enough - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
medical office experience. (Actually, I have none - I've been an in-hospital, on-site service, or at-home MT for 35 years.) Same with receptionist jobs. I've been a receptionist before, but they don't seem to want to count any experience along those lines that was gained before 1980. The "secretary" jobs seem to want Wonder Woman: One who can do professional-grade graphic design, CPA-grade bookkeeping, transcribe while operating a switchboard, coordinate trade show exhibits, and still make good coffee. All for $10/hour.

Oh... And BILINGUAL or TRILINGUAL, as well! - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Yep then getting bashed because I dont have those qualifications - olde one

[ In Reply To ..]
Yep, posted about the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Here in the Miami area you have to be at least that, but of course, I get the "well learn the language." I am more than willing to do that, but learning a new language, enough to be somewhat proficient, does not happen overnight.

That was holding me back also. - I even took

[ In Reply To ..]
a class at the community college in Excel, but I was not proficient, didn't know the Microsoft calendar programs, Power Point, etc. That really is a blow when you are not even qualified to be a receptionist anymore.

Wow, a raise! I cannot imagine it! - Leaving MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Hard to imagine getting raises after being an MT for a few years. I vaguely recall getting regular performance reviews and raises with non-MT jobs, but there is no such thing as a rate increase in this profession (I learned the hard way...)

Congratulations!

When my pay hit the 4cpl mark, I just stopped caring. - Meerkat - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I know that no matter how hard I try, I will no longer be able to make my rent every month without raiding my savings. I know I'll never qualify for their mythical bonuses. On one end, I get told I'm an "inferior MT" because I can't make an inflated line count on their quicksand-like platform. Yet, since QA can't seem to decide from one day to the next what actually constitutes "correct", and what constitutes an error, trying to cut any more corners and speed up won't do me any good. Nor will slowing down and double-proofing everything. Because sometimes, no matter how you type some things, in QA's mind, it's still wrong. There IS no "right".

I'm just treading water until either I can find another way to make a living, or I qualify for UE. Whatever happens, happens.

Did you see what came out of ADHI convention? - tinear

[ In Reply To ..]
They want us to disseminate information about how valuable what we do is. My favorite is the part we have "honed our eyes and ears to detect the may nuances within medical terminology and pharmacology, speech patterns and accents that affect the outcome of a patient's diagnosis.." and yet the whole position paper is about EVERYONE needing credentialling. GAG me.

Didn't see it, but I think I smelled it. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
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