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

I am no longer going to blame myself as my MTSO does - sm

Posted: May 16, 2012

for lousy dictators!! I am just fed up with being blamed for the dictator's inability to speak fluently. I am just NOT going to blame myself any longer, nor am I going to shoulder the blame from the MTSO. I am going to tell them talk to the doctors and I do not want to hear it again!

What tightens my jaws... - Chrisi

[ In Reply To ..]
...is when something is pronounced indistinctly (like a lab value of "137" versus "157"), you listen to it over and over and believe that it's 137, but the QA hears it differently and you get dinged for a critical error (when NO ONE HAS ACTUALLY CONFIRMED WITH THE CLIENT what the value actually was!). In other words, the QA is PRESUMED to be right and we are PRESUMED to be wrong.

The answer, of course, is to leave uncertain values or words blank, and then you get criticized for that too!

ASR Prejudicing the Ear - Old MT

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You know, I used to do QA back when there was real transcription. We always politely asked the MTs to NOT put sound-alikes in a note, because it prejudiced our ear.

And now, here we have all the sounds-alikes right in our face and you can't get rid of them.

I have a much tougher time with ASR than straight typing. For one thing, I can type with my eyes away from the screen to concentrate better. Can't do that with ASR you're stuck there.

Anyway, getting out of the biz as so many are. MTSOs can't possibly be surprised about that.

I am getting out, too (sm) - OP

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It is almost better (maybe it is) to be unemployed than put up with their BS:(

MTSO - I work for

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has a mentor program, and by her estimation I am defective for describing exactly what it is like trying to edit the mess that SR produces, at slave wages, following colored cursors across a screen, trying to use commands keys and getting my hands all messed up trying to move from Alt (which I have never used before in my life--didn't even know where it was--except for soft boot control/alt/delete) and other command and function keys back to home row. The "mentor" is more like company thug. The calls come every two weeks to make sure it looks like I made minimum wage.

This mentor has never transcribed a day in her life. She has no idea, and I suspect she has mentored a lot of newbies who don't know any different, and think $50 a day is good for just starting out. She has gone from telling me she was a CEO at an MTSO, to being involved with SR for 30 years, and I suspect soon she will tell me she invented SR (like Al Gore invented the internet). Apparently the pinnacle of her career is lying to MTs that 4cpl is a dream job. It must be frustrating for her to be unable to manipulate me into the party line -- that I am defective.

Hey lady, it's not me, it's you, SR, and lying, thieving MTSOs.

Also - they cannot

[ In Reply To ..]
show me any proof that anyone in the company makes a living wage. Daily line counts unobtainable in 7-8 hours and bonuses you cannot reach.

What kind of a person adds injury to insult (the insult being the pay and the lies,etc.) by calling MTs up and acting like they are defective and blaming them for a system that is deeply flawed and rigged against us?

Well, how're others doing is the question, isn't it? BTW, our company just gave us - back primary accounts, and my LPH is

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climbing every day. Familiarity with accounts is critical to speed. Familiarity with the work is critical to speed. That's because every stop to find an answer costs significantly more lines than it did when you were transcribing. Nevertheless, I once again am able to reach 2000 lines in 8 hours, although that is far below what I used to produce, so I'll keep pushing--yes I can, yes I can.

BTW, you who never used the ALT key before? Huh? It sounds to me like you have a whole lot of room for personal improvement. That's good news because it's the side of this problem you can fixi--f you put yourself to it.

My good deed for the day is to suggest that you set yourself to doing everything exactly as your mentor suggests. You'll be slow for a few days until your fingers learn new keystrokes, but then you'll be significantly faster. No one ever offered me a mentor. I had to invent everything myself, learn by my own experience over years at great cost to myself, and I think it would be very foolish not to make the most of this opportunity. It doesn't matter if you like her, only if you can make more money by listening to her.

My second suggestion is to stay away from this board until you are working better and earning significantly more. Joining everyone in blaming all problems on somebody else fixes nothing and just makes you more and more angry--unreasonably, because, again, your biggest problem right now is your unacceptably low skill level. Fix that, then come back and tell others how you did it.

Wow I think you - have badmouthed

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me before. You don't know my skill level as an MT. Been in front of a keyboard for almost 30 years and have never had a command that required
Alt key except for a soft boot.

Yippee for you, you got familiar account back. I guess you don't have to learn anything new. Is that supposed to be some fair comparison between what someone else is experiencing and your rising line count? "Yes I can, Yes I can" YOU HAVE YOUR OLD ACCOUNTS. Get real.

"Your good deed for the day" is very smarmy, as is my mentor. You have slapped yourself on the back for doing a good job and slapped someone else in the face. Unbelievable.

The problem does lie with the MTSOs and speech wreck and our pay. MTs talking about their experiences is not the problem.

No I did not get my old accounts back. My primary is - brand new--and hard. My best advice IS a good deed

[ In Reply To ..]
because your message does not show you in a good light at all, I strongly suspect most of your problems are generated right at home. and you seem determined not to acknowledge, much less fix them. I'm guessing you got along for 30 years on an hourly wage with little job competition and, obviously, little progression in skills.

Regarding comparing with others, experienced MT/MEs train briefly, get off training on schedule, and then go work. No mentor such as a newbie might need, no QA harassment about following company specifics, nothing like that. Most have half your official years, if that.

SO, once again, now that hourly pay is gone and rates have crashed, you really need to stop complaining and start getting faster. That's what everyone who is still doing fairly okay in this field has done. It's hard, continuous work, too, that subtracts significantly from your daily line counts, but I promise it's far, far more satisfying than spending your days in failure punctuated by coming here to complain.

THEN, once you are once again able to do a good job, maybe you can get to work demanding the higher line rates all competent MT/MEs deserve. Otherwise, people who can't do the job are not exactly in a good strategic position to complain about being underpaid.

Re: MTSO I work for... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Good points! You described the unfortunate experience of many MTs. The poster (doubtful she actually is an MT) who was just amazed (''huh?'') with your unfamiliarity with ALT key prior to your mentoring really needs to get out more. Not at all difficult to understand that with straight transcription, many command keys, including ALT, are seldom utilized. Good for you for refusing to let your so-called mentor make you doubt yourself and for placing the responsibility where it belongs.

The fact is, some people don't have what 20 or 30 years' experience - implies, they essentially stopped learning

[ In Reply To ..]
after maybe or 2 or 3 then just did the same thing for the next 2 or 3 decades. For their own sakes, those people really need to understand that this lack of experience and of the skill that should have developed over the years is a severe handicap, putting them more at the level of relative newcomers to the field.

That someone with 30 years' experience would need a mentor for 5 minutes speaks for itself. I'm harshly direct because she should be rueful and humbled, not angry and vituperative toward the company unfortunate enough to have employed her based on the experience claimed. It's an employer, not a babysitter, and there's definitely a limit to how long it'll carry her. Agreeing with her is not only foolish, it's harmful. Somehow I doubt she's working for fun--she NEEDS an income.

BTW, I have used the ALT key for 30 years, and I've worked the last 15 as an MT, the last 7 also as an ME. All years in an era of continuous change have required learning a bunch of new skills. It never stops. That's just the way it is for all of us.

Youre right - it's one of the things that makes VR - harder than regular transcription. nm

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.

BINGO!! Sorry to yell, but I have just really had it - OP (sm)

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it is very sad what this job has come to. I used to get excited about starting work. No more:((((

Aggghh - that one raises my blood pressure at - least 20 points! QAs are useless fluff.

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Well said and timely ... - SoTired

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as this is something that I have on my mind this morning and have come to the same resolution. Enough is enough.

Yes, and you can thank those wonderful - zzzzzzzzzz

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MTSOs for that. Because MOST of them are people out looking for the $$$$$$ and have never transcribed a line of medical transcription in their lives, nor have the rest of their "managers" for that matter. But they've promised the "clients" THE MOON - you name it -- pages and pages of account specifics that change every day?? - WE CAN DO IT, dictators who don't speak?? -- SURE, WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT, Voice recognition that is much more of a hindrance than a help?? -- NO PROBLEM. And guess where all the crap lands - right in the laps of the American MTs, yes, YOU and ME. And guess who pays for it????? I rest my case. But whatever you do, American MTs, DON'T COMPLAIN AND CERTAINLY DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Because those benevolent MTSOs want to keep the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed -- I mean, haven't they earned it!?!?!?! The chickens are coming home to roost.

Excuse me? - Wow

[ In Reply To ..]
You call yourself an MT, but only want the "good" dictators? Bad dictators are nothing new and part of the job. What about the English speaking speed racers? The entitlement here leaves me shaking my head and rolling my eyes. Are you new? Are you an MT with years of experience that hasn't progressed past a certain point? If you have done this for years, why are you not a QA or something? As a QA would you be able to handle ESLs and bad dictators? I mean really, this post is so childish and unprofessional.

The bitter MT is back!! She thinks we are supposed to - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
put up with the BS and she is probably also the one who is screaming don't sue!! LOL!! Get a life lady!

Question - .....?

[ In Reply To ..]
How is doing your job putting up with BS? Aren't we supposed to transcribe all dictators, even bad ones? You people need to find new jobs, this isn't for you.

Question?? - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I have always taken on all dictators, and because of that I can do almost all accents. However, there are truly some cases where there needs to be some education to the dictators (talking on cell phones, whispering, mumbling)...It used to happen when there was in-house transcription. So we are past that and still deal with those dictators, BUT in some companies we get penalized financially for sending in work with blanks, and that is the true issue here IMO, penalizing us for something beyond our control, and I believe that is what the OP referred to. Maybe there should be some protocol in place for not counting these horrible reports (or in some cases horrible audio) against us, that QA cannot understand either? I think we all would welcome this!

What a minute... - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
Why are ICs different from contractors who do landscaping, hauling, painting, etc? Are those men expected to work for the same amount no matter how difficult the job is? Noooo! They charge you more. That is exactly what MTs should do, and I did as an IC. I did one tape for free prior to offering services. It's like doing a free estimate. The horrible dictators would be charged far more than the easy speedy clear ones. That is what MTSOs should do when picking up clients, but I won't hold my breath.

They do that, but do you really think they pass it on to the MT?? - nm

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??

Pfft... "You people".... you sound like my supervisor. - Just Another "Warm Body"

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no msg

Bad dictators should not get away with it, period! - incognito

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That should never have become a part of the job, to decipher and mind read.

This is a hard enough job without that added burden, and it's only getting worse.

We are paid by the line and this slows us down!!

One of my clients had the answer... - Angie

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He was a radiologist who divided his med students into two groups. One side dictated, the other side transcribed. It was chaos, but it taught them how to dictate!

Smart man! Probably an excellent teacher, too. - Meerkat - (nm)

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And one of the best dictators! - Angie

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I love it! Very smart man. - IAMT

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I think they should put him or his teaching methods in place all over the US if they want accurate medical records entered in the EMR. Tired of this responsibility trickling down to the MT but trust me on this, the MTSO will not defend us either and are too afraid of loosing the almighty buck to offer a suggest a need for improvement to the hospitals and clients.

The post was not unprofessional - it was truthful

[ In Reply To ..]
and the point was not about ESL. It was about MTSOs stealing from us, requiring more production and cutting our pay. Have you been asleep?

It's the PAY, what we are PAID, which is a pittance - suethemall

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$$$$$, that's it.

As I said before, - ZZZZZZZZZZ

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They're scared - BIG time. And when you're scared, and you've used up every one of your "tricks", what do you do???? You get SHRILL (for all you MTSOs out there and your backers, that means "a high-pitched, piercing sound or noise") and attack personally anyone who shines the light on you and the dirty business you're up to - you know, call you a lot of nasty names. I ask you then, "Who is the childish and unprofessional one????" And I'll just add this: "I'm rubber and you're glue, and everything you say bounces off me and sticks back to you!!!!!!!!"

Nobody is scared - you have it all wrong

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The businesses are not scared at all, just planning on moving more work overseas, thats all. Just a speed bump to hobble over and then flying back at 90 mph moving it outta here!

All this lawsuit will change is forcing companies to use a timeclock. That is all. MQ did the same already. Big Whoop. Even more money on another program and another reason to cut the pay of the MT.

You see - this person even admits - zzzz

[ In Reply To ..]
to the dirty business he/she is up to:

"Even more money on another program and another reason to cut the pay of the MT."

I am not an MTSO, I work for MModal - and went through the other lawsuit

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Just repeating first hand experience. I know you like to call everyone a suit, but I am just a worker like everyone else, pay cut in half, ridiculous timecards to punch, not allowed to work outside of shift now, and I just know what is coming for the Transcend employees.

You know, perhaps you're right - zzzzzzzzzzzzz

[ In Reply To ..]
because in the corrupt world we live in, the ones with the most marbles (in this case money) win. But should we just therefore lay down and accept all the greed and avarice (and in this present situation, law-breaking) of some company owners, which leads to less and less for the person doing the work for them? Is that what it has come to? We are still somewhat free in this country. And using the law (for whatever it is worth these days) is still a right and an option when someone breaks the law, even the fat cats. Perhaps nothing will happen, perhaps things will get worse for those who want to continue to work as an MT for these big MTSOs (personally, I don't see how it could get any worse and how anyone would still want to work this way). But a law suit hopefully will shine a light on the shady practices of some people, and I believe at least these big companies will be forced to make some changes that might just benefit the MT. Then again, maybe I am delusional. Perhaps, though, it has been too easy for us to sit in our easy chairs and click a few buttons and apply and get some marginal transcription/editing job. After a long stint as an MT, I am finally out of it, and have found other work - as an editor and a transcriptionist, but not in the medical realm. It took some doing and a bit of leg work. However, there are other opportunities out there, whether they be remotely or on site, for people with a fabulous skill set such as ours that has unfortunately become very, very undervalued in the medical world.

anyone besides me think - WMJ has a new handle? nm

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nm

oh my fan club of one...thanks for your loyalty! - wheres_my_job

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it's so wonderful that you're thinking of me...even when I'm not thinking of you. How sweet of my number on fan!

Nuance has been using a timeclock too... - blondie

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Nuance started using the webclock last year.

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