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

I think the MTSOs should be forced to pay - sm - Meerkat

Posted: Feb 18, 2012

for all MTs it has forced into poverty or joblessness because of offshoring, VR, and crummy wages to be able to return to school or job retraining FREE OF CHARGE, so we can remain gainfully employed. Most of us who've been in this biz for longer than 4 or 5 years have no hope of being able to afford to go to school. And those of us who've been MTs longer than 20 years need help and advocacy when it comes to job placement, because currently I seriously doubt many companies would hire a 60+ year-old newbie at ANYTHING, except greeting customers at Walmart entrances.

MTSOs, and also AHDI, contributed in large part to the destruction of a formerly solid, middle-class career, and have pushed many women and their families into poverty. They should be forced to cough up some cash to repair some of the damage they've done.

Thank you - I'm with you 100% - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
seriously, I think it's what's referred to "claw back" - the term used in relation to AIG bonuses and etc...

Just like lumber companies replanting forests they've - cut down, middlemen MTSOs - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
should have to repair some of the devastation they've left in their wake, as well.

=^^=

Cutting down forests - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
There are no victims; there are only volunteers.

An MT is no longer a "volunteer" after she's been in - that line of work for so long (sm)

[ In Reply To ..]
(because it USED to be respectable, GAINFUL employment), that it's pretty much all she knows. Especially when we're lied-to almost daily about "how productive" we're all supposed to be on their god-awful VR programs.

And how dare an organization like AHDI insist we must be "certified" MTs, pass their over-the-top, over-nitpicky, and minutia-filled tests in order to be considered "qualified" to work, only to see wages that are next to nothing, and going lower every day. And THEN, they further rub salt in the MT's wounds because, rather than advocating for the very people they want to see mandatorily "credentialled", instead, they're pushing to have the U.S. start sending even more work offshore. TO CHINA.

The one thing that makes me feel we MTs are "volunteers", or part of our own problem, is our collective lack of backbone/chutzpah/cohesiveness/sense of self-worth to have not stood up to this a long, long time ago. But, that's another rant for another day.

AMEN, sister! - BestPostEver

[ In Reply To ..]
That was very well stated. In fact, it's one of the best posts I have seen on here in a long, long time.

You ARE a volunteer - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
IF you allow people/companies to abuse you. It has nothing to do with how long you have been an MT. It has to do with the victim mindset. Don't buy into it.

Wow - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Victim mindset? I was told by several companies that my line count would double with the switch to VR, justifying the 50% pay cut - which DID NOT happen, despite my BEST efforts (it is my way of earning a living after all!) So I was lied to.

Lied to. Intentionally, I feel. How is that legal? Companies have all the data before them, that it is NOT POSSIBLE to double your line count with ESL dictators in VR, crummy VR programs, etc.

Wow, and perfect timing - right after the economy tanks. Wow, and now I'm older than 50. Great. I know it, they know it.

That's the reality - regardless of my "mentality." Also, might want to check "blame the victim mentality" - could be some people suffer from that.

And another thing.... sm - Meerkat

[ In Reply To ..]
although some of them blame "the economy" for some of the more recent paycuts, what can we expect to happen when we're back in a strong economy again?

The jobs being created will not be MT jobs. Not onshore ones, anyway.

As people have more money to spend once again, what can we expect to happen to the price of gas, groceries, and housing? Yup, through the roof.

And what about the MT? Will the MTSOs "give back" a little of their success to the workers who made it possible, by raising their prices to hospitals and raising our pay out of below-poverty level?

Meerkat - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Ah, yes, the entitlement mentality. And no, I am not an MTSO.

No entitlement, just a little help. After all, we helped - all those fat cats get their cushy incomes.

[ In Reply To ..]

I'm a US citizen, I'm entitled to plenty of things! - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Why is it Mitt Romney is entitled to tax breaks that increase his wealth, but I can't even get help FINDING ANOTHER LINE OF EMPLOYMENT??? So I can earn more, and pay more taxes - I have no lobbyist to get a better tax deal for me.

mtso accountability - not an mtso

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, if you do a little leg work on your own and quit looking for someone to do it for you, there ARE programs you can transition to which are (some of them) 100% scholarship. They aren't going to come looking for you and ask if you're interested, however.

To the OP: I spent a while as an MTSO and while some (MedQuist) have totally contributed to the denigration of the profession, the profession has also followed the natural path to morphing itself.

Your post reeks of entitlement. No one is responsible for your choices but you. And believe me, there are just as many (actually more) MTs who contributed to this down-turn. When schools started churning out every Johnny-mom who wanted to stay home and raise kids while she simultaneously worked, but then realized she couldn't do both simultaneously, so the excuses of "I can't work right now because Johnny _____ (fill in the bank of excuses)" OR the MTs who decided they would cut out the middle man and become a contractor and started citing fees of 7 or 8 cpl to undercut what was already being paid.

You can't hold an MTSO accountable for your life choices and where you've ended up. Make different choices. Stop whining and blaming and because a participant in your life instead of trying to hand that job off to others and then complaining you aren't paid for that either.

I want to live in an entitlement society - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
I think human beings are entitled to all sorts of things, particularly in a capitalist economic system. What reeks to one person is perfume to another.

Have a great day.

Where's my job - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
You have as much right to earn a million dollars as anyone else. As my daddy used to say: THE BEST PLACE TO FIND A HELPING HAND IT ON THE END OF YOUR ARM.

I agree, that's why I use it in the voting booth - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
to elect compassionate for-the-people and not the soulless megacorporation politicians when I can - it's a bit stacked against us, what with Citizens United and all...which will apparently be revisited by the Supreme Court - and hopefully overturned! Power to people entitlements and not megacorporation entitlements!

Entitlement society - Sounds just the those

[ In Reply To ..]
greedy old MTSOs except on an individual greedy level. Yeah,gimme gimme gimme, let someone else pay.

We're all paying right now for the 1% - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
I just want a fair share - yeah, I feel entitled to it. I think everyone on the planet is entitled to a fair share. It's not greed - it's justice. Think about it the difference between greed and justice.

Have a nice day.

Yeah and the paying 50% - are paying for you - Have a nice day

[ In Reply To ..]
blah blah blah, whine, whine whine, gimme, gimme, gimme - let everybody else pay while I'm on this board all over the place, nonstop, complaining of I can't get a job...wah, wah, wah. Try signing off and actually looking for work. Just sayin'

I have a job... - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Not sure what point you are making? Have a nice day.

The point being your - previous posts

[ In Reply To ..]
and never-ending whining about your situation, not to mention previous posts. Seems to expend tremendous energy to whine this much, which could probably be put to much better and productive use...just sayin'

No, I think my whining is quite productive - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
but thank you for keeping me in your thoughts anyway :)

Doesn't seem so - Situation never seems better

[ In Reply To ..]
according to you. Just cannot understand why you are not living in a socialist country if you hate it here so much. Seems it would be your utopia...Have a nice day :)

Where's my job - Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Social has never worked, never will.

Copenhagen is a socialist country that seems to be working great - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
xx

Copenhagen - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Is a city in Denmark, not a country.

Copenhagen - Too funny

[ In Reply To ..]
Shows you how uninformed the socialists in the country actually are, especially about their own socialist entities...LOL. Really enjoyed your post.

Riight! We have NO RIGHT - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
We have NO RIGHT to complain! It's not our place! We should be GOOD LITTLE SLAVES and keep our heads down and our mouths SHUT.

Speak it!!! - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
More and more, it reminds me of Russia in the Czarist era (which lasted quite a long time). Just be a serf, don't expect anything, potatoes and vodka for the poor, Faberge eggs (which I do love!) for the Czar and Czarina!

Why be good little slaves when - Me

[ In Reply To ..]
You can be responsible human beings. Don't keep your heads down or your mouths shut, but don't whine--speak forcefully and CHANGE IT if you do not like it.

We ARE responsible human beings - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Whining makes me feel better. I like to whine. It blows off steam. A person can be all these things at once:

1) Responsible human being.
2) Keep our heads up.
3) Speak up forcefully.
4) Whiner.
5) Sense of entitlement (it's my country too).

However, "change things" - that may be beyond our control - as we can look at history and see people put forth maximum effort to change things, and STILL FAIL (see European history, Asian history, American history) etc. It's not that simple.

Which is precisely what most of us, "whiners" and - "slaves" & all the other MTs.... =^^=

[ In Reply To ..]
would like to have happen. Standing up and doing something about it doesn't start with everyone keeping their mouths shut and just doing their job.

It starts with dislike of the status quo, and a complaint. That complaint should then be the start of DISCUSSION. Unfortunately, discussions about change will always have their naysayers and name-callers. But they should be ignored, and the rest of us who want things to change for the better should KEEP ON DISCUSSING IT. And that is going to include complaints. You can't change something unless you have a clear idea of what it is you want to change.

There are some things I've been wondering about lately, too, such as:

- How many American MTs are there in this country? A thousand? A hundred thousand? Knowing our numbers would be important if we are to know what sort of strength can be gained from those numbers.

- How many MTs know of MTStars? Yes, there are a couple "other" MT forums out there, but this one seems to, for the most part, have the most freedom for open discourse. I think the more MTs that are aware of this site, and visit it regularly, the more input and ideas we'll have. How do we make sure all MTs, new and old, "plugged-in" or isolated, know about the MT forums that are available to them?

- We all know special interest groups (including AHDI) have lobbyists that work in their behalf. What if MTs (and coders too, because they're gonna need it in a few years) were to combine their interests and set about getting a lobbyist of their own?

- Because of what we all want, which isn't that much, really - just a fair deal compensation-wise for doing our job, as well as those jobs kept in the US, we would probably have other worker groups on our side, as well.

- What's happening to MTs isn't isolated only to our profession, but I think ours is the best example of the mayhem that offshoring and corporate greed has wreaked upon US workers. I think our demographics alone would make us an easy study, and a glaring example, of what is wrong with corporate America.

So no, I don't think complaining about the current sad situation of America's MTSO employees is "whining". It's merely a way of opening the disussion about a company treating its workers fairly. Am I asking for them to give us a free ride and perks up the wazoo? No, I'm not. Besides, they already give those things to their holy upper management. All we're asking for is the basic things that ANY worker wants:

An honest day's pay for an honest day's work. Lately, we've drifted so far out to sea from fairly-compensated work in the MT profession, than we can't even see the shoreline any longer.

define fairly compensated - fairly compensated

[ In Reply To ..]
clearly define the crux of the issue for MTs.

Is it fair to make $10, $20, $50 an hour? Is it fair that some have "easier" work than others?

For all its foibles, AHDI is TRYING to standardize medical transcriptionists. It's never been able to be done because there is no certification, no basic education/skill set, as a start. If you can't agree on the basic ideals of what actually MAKES an MT (i.e. is someone who does only family practice clinic equal to someone who can do any specialty, any work type and how do you decide what "fair" compensation is.)

Whining on an MT forum about what you perceive as the injustices isn't going to do anything, MTs have been doing it for 15 years and the arguments today are the same, except back in 1996 there were a lot of the attitude of "I don't think good grammar etc is necessary so I'm not giving it for what I'm paid." Or the MTs who went to school and decided they could do the accounts local to them for 3-5 cpl less than the current company was doing it for. They then weren't able to keep up but they had already introduced the mindset, if you're going to get crap, then compensation should reflect that. People want to blame our situation just on MTSOs and technology, etc but some of the liability lies with the MT.

This is the only profession I know of where NOTHING can be agreed on by the majority.

Fair compensation is being able to survive on what - you make, without food stamps, -

[ In Reply To ..]
without having to do without necessities such as heatlh care, or heatlhy food, or electricity, in order to keep a roof over your head.

Yes, that amount is slightly variable, but not THAT much. Most of the blame DOES lie with MTSOs. They convinced in-house employers to close their transcription departments and let the MTSO "take care of everything". Well, they sure took care of everything, didn't they?

When an MT isn't even making in 2012 what she earned in 1975, there is something very, very wrong here.

just curious then - mtmt

[ In Reply To ..]
How do you account for the MTs who are making $40, $50, $60k? Just lucky? I don't think so. The jobs are there for those who can back up their skills. Keep looking. We can't post links here, but there are other sites where you can find MT openings listed.

I find it hard to believe any MT makes $40-50K in 2012. - In 1995? Perhaps. But not now.

[ In Reply To ..]
You have to remember that there are some on this board who, for lack of self-esteem, or one-upmanship, or whatever reason, feel they must belittle anyone who isn't making enough money in this biz. And I think they inflate their earnings, or their lines-per-hour typing speed, or their education that somehow borders on an M.D. degree, etc. Or else perhaps they used to make that amount, and just aren't letting on that they no longer do. Or, they have a different job situation that they're not being entirely forthright about. I'm not talking about the IC with their own accounts listing their yearly GROSS income (not after taxes, supplies, time doing bookkeeping, etc.) Nor am I talking about the rare-as-hens-teeth, small MTSO with good accounts that MTs are still making decent money on.

I'm talking about, on average, MOST MTs, working for MOST MTSOs. And that number is likely far, far greater than the handfull that still believe they're getting a fair deal as an MT employee.

Reading comprehension - not an mtso

[ In Reply To ..]
Where did I say don't complain. I do wonder, however, what all that complaining is getting you. I'm an MT who has been at this gig for 35+ years. I don't allow myself to be taken advantage of. I don't allow myself to work for someone who does not appreciate my efforts. As someone said, I don't VOLUNTEER to be today's punching bag. NONE of you are indentured. So stop whining because all that does is further your rep as someone who can't fend for themselves. This profession was tailor made to be whittled down to the sharp MTs.

I don't understand ANYONE who does not want to work for 3-4 cpl and yet does.

Shame doesn't work anymore...on millions of us - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
"Slave" versus "free agent" in capitalism is a continuum - I think we're pointing out people in very powerful positions for DECADES have been working to push us toward the slave end of things. Karl Rove has stated his objective is to "defund the left" and make the Democratic Party "a permanent minority party." PERMANENT - Rove is a West Point grad - and talks just an old-school European fascist. And all the money is on his side, not us women working at home.

That's not "complaning," those are the political and economic FACTS staring us in the face. Job market, age of job seeker, where you live in country, what your skills are, what your support system is, these are all factors in one's employability/hire-ability. SOME are in our control, and SOME are not - it varies for each individual.

Have a nice day.

Not only the left as a "permanent minority", but the - assault on womens rights in - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
this country has come to the forefront lately in a VERY big way. Take, for example, the recent meeting by some of our elected officials pertaining to women's reproductive rights. It was a meeting attended by ALL MEN, and it was about taking away those rights.

Losing those rights in turn would make a woman a "less desirable" employee, in the eyes of corporate America. If they can take away reproductive rights and other healthcare for women, can loss of VOTING RIGHTS be far behind? Something to think about.

I mean seriously... - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
...have I been in a time capsule, transported back to 1950? How about 1904?

I can't even BELIEVE that BIRTH CONTROL is an ISSUE for ANYONE!!!!!!

It's just shocking. I agree - our situation as MTs and other women in "defunded" shall we say, job categories - men too! - unions in general - is connected to the assault on women's reproductive rights. I don't think assault is too strong a word.

Occupy everything, 'cause they're trying to destroy everything.

I'm a 35+ year MT, too. I did my homework, and - signed on with a respectable MTSO - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
that paid us fairly, was well-respected in the MTSO community, etc. Then, suddenly, that MTSO was sold to a larger one, that started cutting our pay and treating us like cr#p. I gave them a chance, and when I realized that things were only going to get worse, I started looking for another job soon thereafter. I've been looking for several years, now.

Because I DO refuse to work for less than I'm making now (or even what I'm making now, because it's not acceptable), so far that has ruled out almost all MTSOs.

The less than a handful of fair-shake MTSOs that are left, either aren't hiring, don't seem to want 35-year veterans working for them, or are obviously being eyed by the larger, "McMTSOs" looking to gobble up yet another smaller fish.

Getting one's own private accounts seems to be going the way of the dodo, and having run my own business in the past, I really have no interest in doing that again.

That leaves in-house hospital work, which is almost nonexistent in my state. I could move, but I'm not willing to pull up stakes and leave a place I love, in order to land an inhouse job that likely will go all point-and-click EMR within a year or two. Part-time, per-diem and IC positions are unacceptable in their current form, because they don't pay enough to be able to buy health insurance. And as a 35-year MT veteran, I've reached an age where I need to use my health and dental insurance once in a while.

As for "wanting" to work for 3-4 cpl, of course no one does. The newbies are led to believe that's how they get their foot in the door, not realizing that that's likely the most cpl they're ever going to see. And some, like me, have been painted into a corner when it comes to wages. We're not about to quit a current job if we don't have another one lined up. And lots of us, myself included, are merely treading water with their current bad-paying job, while they continue their search for a way out.

So don't judge me, or any other MT, until you've walked in our shoes.

So don't judge me, or any other MT, until you've walked in our shoes. - Pardon

[ In Reply To ..]
I have walked in your shoes. I'm an old MT who has been around the block. I have always refused to work for crap or work for a supervisor who treats me like crap. Maybe I'm just lucky. I've kissed a lot of frogs and am happily in bed with a prince (well Princesses mostly but you get my drift). The jobs for really qualified MTs are out there.

Well, I'm "really" qualified, and been lookin' for 3 years. - I sure do hope you are right! nm

[ In Reply To ..]

WHAT programs? - HaHa

[ In Reply To ..]
It's really easy for you to sit there and make sweeping generalizations about "programs that are out there." You didn't cite DETAILS for a REASON: your statement is erroneous.

For the past few months I have dedicated a LOT of time to researching what may be available. Fact is, the ONLY funded retraining programs are for those on unemployment, and those programs ONLY last 6 months (the duration of the maximum amount of time one can draw UE benefits). Actually, it comes out to about 5 months of actual education after factoring in the preliminary hoops they make you jump through.

wrong again - and still passing the buck

[ In Reply To ..]
IOW, you would like me to spoon-feed you where to find programs. How about searching- government-funded healthcare training programs. Or do you need me to do that for you too? I'm a way left-leaning liberal and very capable of finding ways to make what's available out there myself. If you can't, your first step should be finding out why.

It's called supporting your assertion. - Haha

[ In Reply To ..]
YOU made the assertion that the programs are out there. The onus is on YOU to back up your statement with the evidence to support it.

Oh, that's right -- you don't have any!

Next!

Thank you - you are exactly right - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

sigh grow up - not able to post

[ In Reply To ..]
links here, so that means you have to take the info provided and use your brain. sorry if that's too much trouble for you. Posters like you are the reason I see so many MLS floundering. Simple tasks like finding available training programs should not need to be handed to you.

Maturity level. - Haha

[ In Reply To ..]
"not able to post links here"

That's funny -- everyone else is able to.

"Grow up"

You can save the slurs. Maturity level isn't germaine to the discussion. This is about having the finesse and integrity to back up assertions with data. ("Put up or shut up" comes to mind.)

YOU have ZERO supportive data, ergo you have ZERO point. You have been EXPOSED, and since you have ZERO defense you resort to personal attacks. End of story.

Not an MTSO - SJ

[ In Reply To ..]
At last a voice of reason. Thank you! It is so dishearting to see people slipping into the gimme, gimme, wah, wah, wah routine. There is a little thing called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY at play here. If they don't like it, change it!

Comprehension is fundamental. - Literate

[ In Reply To ..]
We are talking about a DYING INDUSTRY here. ALL dying industries are full of abusive working conditions, lowered wages, etc.

"Change it?!" You seem to have MISSED the FACT that these folks WANT to make a CHANGE and have discovered how DIFFICULT if not IMPOSSIBLE that is to do. There SHOULD BE programs available for U.S. taxpayers! Meanwhile, our government gives TONS OF MONEY to illegal aliens who are NOT even U.S. citizens!

You are incredibly harsh and judgmental toward your countrymen who WANT to improve themselves and their situation. They aren't asking for a "handout," only a temporary HAND UP.

Personal responsiblity - that's why I vote - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
Personal responsibility goes hand in hand with corporate responsibility in a healthy economy. We do not have a healthy economy, because there is too little corporate responsibility - corporations are the biggest wah wah wah gimme gimme gimme babies in the nursery. In my opinion - your mileage may vary.

Accountability - Great post

[ In Reply To ..]
Really sums the work situation up succinctly. I am always amazed that some of us continue to do well despite the fact we have been handed exactly the same set of circumstances as other MTs/MLSs. A lot to be said for frame of mind and desire to succeed, or retraining yourself and/or learning new things with this technology. The technology is not going away.

I think more than a few of those MTs supposedly "doing - well" have hubbies with 6-fig. incomes.

[ In Reply To ..]

I'm a US citizen.... - MT2012

[ In Reply To ..]
How about working part time doing something, ANYTHING, and start taking some college courses? There are a lot of people out there who do that.

Work part time...AND pay for college courses? - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
What's this parttime job that's going to pay for living expenses and "college courses"?

Your degree - is evident

[ In Reply To ..]
You spend a lot of time on here, commenting on nearly every post with comments that indicate your own willingness to help yourself.

I'm all for a hand up not a hand out and I've been willing and able to find programs that have allowed me to further my education, cross train, and even be trained in another profession. Right now, I make more doing MT than I could at anything else but if for some reason, it goes down the drain, I've made it so I can get a job tomorrow doing something else. No one handed it to me, though. I WORKED FOR IT. :)

Your degree - LeeLee

[ In Reply To ..]
Had to let you know I really liked your post. I always have a Plan B in place, like you posted, just in case something falls through, is not a good fit, a company collapses, layoffs, etc. Any of those things can happen to anyone in any profession. Being prepared, and hopefully never needing Plan B, goes a long way to personal security. Has never failed me. Have a great weekend!

I can get a job tomorrow too - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
"a job" - that's what we come down to in this country - "a job?" Pitiful...

The lack of empathy by Your Degree speaks volumes - about who were really talking to, here......

[ In Reply To ..]
n/m

so then work full-time and go to college. - I have done it and so can you.

[ In Reply To ..]
Many people work their way through college. It isn't easy and I was sleep deprived most of the time, but I did it. I didn't expect someone else to pay for my education.

I'm a socialist, so I do expect society to educate its people - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
we disagree politically - this isn't anything personal. I don't want people in college to be sleep deprived - they're also being deprived of aspects of an education as well, if they are so sleep deprived from working - I've known people who've done it - and THEY say they missed out on a lot. Viva la revolution!

Full time and college - I did it too

[ In Reply To ..]
That's because you and I had self determination and a desire to improve our education and lives. Neither of us did it on someone else's dime either. You have to have a strong sense of self worth and responsibility to do this; so lacking in the entitlement society you see now. Not easy, but well worth it. Congratulations to us both!!

me 3 - work/school

[ In Reply To ..]
I also worked and finished college as an adult. We all had jobs. I think most people do while in college. Did I miss out? On what? Hard work requires absence of many things, but for me the reward was much better.

In this country we are blessed beyond belief compared to most of the world. When I think I have been cheated or not appreciated, I open up my National Geographic or newspaper and say a prayer for some of our fellow humans who sincerely have been robbed.

I respect the socialist,but how sad it is that these societies have been the cause of such atrocities.

me3 work and school - Me4

[ In Reply To ..]
Too many are too lazy to expend the effort. What I find interesting is we are so truly blessed in this country in many ways, but the socialists (about 10 to 15%) are constantly boohooing about their station life. God forbid they would actually better their own lives. They can pursue any life path they choose. I agree with you, most socialists here have no clue what that belief is all about and will never research the countries that employ these policies. I think they must be afraid of the truth and the atrocities they will find. My education, and the process, has served me very well and greatly enriched my life. I do not regret for one minute the effort I put forth in my education..on my own dime I might add (since so many on this board want govt. to pay for everything).

There's another, hidden problem with school I have - yet to see anyone here mention: SM

[ In Reply To ..]
When attending school, it's nearly impossible to go directly into the classes you need to complete in order to be able to change careers.

There is also that hidden problem of PREREQUISITES. Even in the past, when I lived in a communal household and my rent was only $200/month, the problem of prerequisites was daunting and deflating, to say the least.

Many years ago, the Wang was the "big thing" in computers. The hospital I worked for was going to get Wangs. I was currently on an IBM computer, and before that a correcting Selectric, and had run other, more primitive, word processing computers at other jobs in the past.

So I went to the local community college to enroll in the Wang word processing course. BUT, even though I was already a professional typist, and had been for a number of years at that point, I couldn't just take the computer classes! No, I first had to get the "prerequisites" out of the way. Believe it or not, they actually expected me to take a TYPING class! On a TYPEWRITER! I asked if I could simply take a tying proficiency test and skip that part, but no, I had to take 20 weeks of TYPING at night school. I only had the time & money for one class per semester, so this was aggravating beyond description.

So then I get my "typing certificate", and try to enroll in Wang. But NO, now they want me to take a class called "The History of Word Processing". WTH????? No getting around that one, either, so now, after wasting the fall semester on Typing 101, I'm now sitting in a class where they're discussing how computers came to be. As if I even gave a _____. We even had to get up and give little speeches to the class about the history of computers. It was a total JOKE.

So then, FINALLY, I get enrolled in the Wang class. By now a year has gone by, since for some reason they didn't offer Wang during summer school. So each of us gets assigned to a PC. I get #4. It's a learn-at-your-own-pace class, and I'm sailing through it.

Then, towards the end of the semester, suddenly I'm having trouble getting in my lab hours. Why? Because good ol' PC #4 is having issues, and keeps breaking down. Now, they're calling me in the afternoon and saying "Dont' come to Lab tonight, your PC isn't running." And no, they wouldn't let me use a different machine. As usual, there were far too many students and far too few PCs, so "spare" workstations were nonexistent.

So, with 3, then 2 weeks left to go in the semester, through no fault of my own, now I've fallen behind everyone. No amount of skipping unnecessary chapters or typing as fast as I could go could catch me up.

There was no flexibility at the end of the semester, either. I couldn't get my Wang Word Processing certificate. I couldn't get my money back. I asked about taking it in summer school, but of course, it wasn't offered in summer school. I checked at another, farther-away college that had the course in summer, but my course was non-transferable! So I'd have had to start all over again with the *#!~$%* prerequisites, and - you guessed it - the "History of Word Processing".

Needless to say, I threw my hands up in the air at that point and walked away from it. I'd wasted 3 semesters already.

Just as well, I guess. By the time I would have finished that course (if ever), Wang was already obsolete, and the hospital ended up getting another IBM with Word Perfect (which I taught myself), and later switched to Dell and MS Word, which we were all sent to a special class in another town to learn.

So even if I were 25 (which I'm not), and I had the time and the money (which I don't), I know that to get into any course that would use my medical knowledge, such as an x-ray or US tech, or medical assistant, there would be a whole new set of high school prerequisites I'd have to wade through - in the math and science venues, that I never took in high school because I majored in English (thought I was going to be a writer or a journalist). Even if I didn't find all the prerequisites to get into a medical field of study to be too much, my age (63) would definitely be a problem. Not because of my age NOW, but because of the age I would be when I finally graduated.

There just comes a time, for some of us, when going to school (and the mountains of debt it would run up) just isn't the most prudent option. So, all some of us can do is hope that either things in our field turn around enough to allow us to continue in it, or that something else evolves from it that we can do.

Um - educated mt

[ In Reply To ..]
You might want to come into 2012. You can pretty much take a course at a community college for whatever reason. Seems your information is a bit old. :)

With B&M schools fighting for students, online programs filling a niche, and companies looking for specialty-fit employees, going to school while working is very very doable.

I'm a socialist, working and about to go back to school and... - socialist working double time

[ In Reply To ..]
at several points over the years I've worked two jobs and have also worked full-time and put myself through college. I am not lazy, nor do I have my hand out. I constantly hustle to better my life. I am not a spring chicken. Even though I lean strongly to the left politically, I am quite appalled by the entitlement/"hands out" mentality I'm seeing throughout this thread.

I know a libertarian whose benefited from more government programs than anyone I know. Huge hypocrite. I often wonder if this person even puts two and two together. Probably not.

My work hours are normally from 11 AM to 4 AM. - That leaves 7 hrs to sleep, which - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I need EVERY MINUTE OF. If I attended just one class in the morning, say from 8 AM to 9 AM, plus getting ready to leave the house & the 30-min. commute each way to school, and NOT factoring in homework, labs, etc., that would leave me about 3 hours a night to sleep.

I doubt I could pull that off for much longer than a week. If that.

How old were you when you worked full-time AND - attended college? Not 63, I bet.

[ In Reply To ..]
--

For most, "full time" is 8 hours a day. In MT, 8 hrs. - a day wont even keep the lights turned on.

[ In Reply To ..]
*

All above posts are just excuses. - I have done it and so can you.

[ In Reply To ..]
I get it is easier to sit back and complain than to actually do something about your situation. I refuse, however, to live that way. I see the end of my MT career, and rather than sit here and make excuses why I am stuck, I am working toward improving my situation. I could make all the same excuses as above. I could make the excuse that I need to be home for my children. I could make the excuse that I don't have time because I also work more than 8 hours a day, even though I only get 8 hours of pay. I work 7 days a week, often times getting up at 3 am to start my day. I am not saying it is easy. It is definitely a sacrifice for now. But I am not happy with the current direction of my life, and so I am doing something about it rather than sitting around making excuses why it can't be done. And for those of you who always use age as an excuse, I had a great lady in my classes getting her degree in her 70s! I admire her completely. I hope I am as spirited when I reach her age.

Yeah, I'd like to know that, too! I can't even afford - 1 class @ Jr. College on full-time pay! nm

[ In Reply To ..]
*

All the more reason to get out of this dying field! nm - Escape from New York

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Not unless someone else is paying the rent. - Its just me, myself and I, here. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
*

60 year old nebbies - RC

[ In Reply To ..]
It is againt the law to even ask your age

True. But when they have your SS#, they know your age. - nm - Meerkat

[ In Reply To ..]
.

They don't even need that! - Applications

[ In Reply To ..]
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out someone's age from a job application as soon as they read the year you graduated from high school....

I NEVER put the years I graduated, just the names - of the schools.

[ In Reply To ..]
Same goes for the dates I worked at former jobs. Just the name of the hospital or company, and what I did. No dates.

Required fields. - Applications

[ In Reply To ..]
That's fine for your resume, but most online apps have this as a required field. The field MUST be completed before proceeding and only accepts numeric data.

when they see a gray-haired lady fill out an application - they pretty much know

[ In Reply To ..]
really.

It's been YEARS since I've seen any place that will - let you apply in person. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Most are online-only. If you ask if you can print out and mail a hard copy of the application, they say no. Once I drove to the hospital I wanted to apply to, so I could fill out an application in person. (Also, no gray hair here - I'm 60 and look 40). I thought that might give me an "in". But no, they wouldn't let you fill out a hard copy application even if you were standing right there in front of them.

A very good friend became a CPA - alana

[ In Reply To ..]
worked for a year and then 50% of her work at a large firm was sent to Brazil. My brother-in-law made lots of money in IT as a PM and was laid off by IBM. IT jobs are going out of the US now, too. He finally took a PM consulting job with AT&T for half of what he used to make.

If it can be done on a computer, it can be outsourced.

alana - CW

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, and between that and all of the people who are here on science visas who do not belong here (not as long as there are Americans out of work), it makes for a tough economy. Ever typed for a hospital with all Middle Eastern docs? Why are they allowed to come here, get knowledge and take it all back home, when American docs cannot find work? What's up with that. AMERICAN JOBS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS! (Yes, yes, I know, I am NOT PC.)

My hospital is now - alana

[ In Reply To ..]
employing physicians who live in Israel and other countries, supposedly to provide 24/7 coverage on neuroradiology. Funny how they don't mention that in their slick brochures and websites. They started this about the same time they switched to an MTSO. So much for local jobs and local wages being put back into the local economy. And, yes, I have worked for a county hospital that was 99% ESL, however, they were US citizens. That was probably pre-brain drain era.

HMOs (just more greedy middlemen) are also to blame - for this healthcare mess. Remember - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
healthcare before HMOs? When you could get specialty medical care WITHOUT having to first waste an entire day in your PCP's office?

When you had surgery, or a broken bone set, your med. insurance paid for all or most of it?

When your PCP actually knew your name?

When your face-to-face time with your doctor was longer than 5.3 minutes?

When your doctor even LOOKED AT YOU during the visit? (And not at a computer screen?)

When you weren't dropped by your insurance company if you had to use it because of an illness?

When, if you needed a certain treatment or medication, it wasn't DENIED by your HMO?

The list is endless. Where I used to work, SO MANY really good docs quit or retired because they didn't want pencil pushers in corporate offices telling them how to practice medicine. Then, of course, came the onslaught of the ESL medical invasion. Right about the same time MTSOs started morphing from small and moderate-sized operations that valued their MTs, into the BLOATED MONSTROSITIES they are today.

It's been all downhill for us ever since.

"If it can be done on a computer, it can be outsourced". - You hit the nail squarely on the head.

[ In Reply To ..]
n/m

Even HR work is going offshore! - Applications

[ In Reply To ..]
I was considering HR certification until I did some Googling.

More and more HR work is being outsourced and offshored; in fact, HR is right behind IT!

So now I scratch another potential new career off the list...

Similar Messages:

Jun 04, 2015

Can anyone tell me where the employee handbook is now located since they shut down Enrich? If anyone has a copy can you tell me or copy me the part about taking time off sick with a doctor note??? I was out last week due to being in the hospital. I had to run and get a dr note for them from the hospital, well send someone, and have it faxed pronto. I was excused for 3 days work, which I only work part time anyhow. I now get told they are forcing me to use PTO hours for those 3 days, which is 16 ...

Dec 02, 2013

How is this even legal? ...

Mar 17, 2010

I was just forced to abandon a job to save my pay. I've only been in my shift for 1 hour and have gotten the same horrible dictator for every report and have to send them all to QA!!!! I just went into my 4th report and SURPRISE it was the same dictator....This isn't fair!!!!! ...

Jan 18, 2011

The story is I worked on same account for 4 years under MDI with no complaints about my work, always went above and beyond. I was at top of pay scale. Then, Transcend took over a year ago and has been hiring a lot of new employees, probably at a lot lower line rate with the industry the way it is, and now I had a "random" audit done of my work and said I failed and must go thru probation. I said "no" to probation because upon my review, I found it was not random repor ...

Sep 20, 2012

I signed what I assumed was a contract when I was hired and my hours were part of that contract. Can they make you change your hours? ...

Jul 02, 2013

Anybody else facing homelessness thanks to Nuance? This is a serious inquiry, no snark. I'd like to network with others about what it might be like to be homeless because of your employment in this company. ...

Nov 12, 2013

I'm wondering what method do you use in DQS to get the best line count for Mmodal? Do you mostly use the mouse/keyboard combo? Do you use the (annoying/ineffective/slow) feature that is supposed to jump the cursor to line up with the audio position where the editing needs to be done? Do you keep your right hand on the arrow keys and left hand on ctrl/alt/shift keys, moving the cursor past each word (likely the most efficient method, but moving your fingers near constant can lea ...

Jun 17, 2011

Did you apply for unemployment, did you get it, did you have to appeal? I have never lived off the system and figured I payed into it for my entire adult life, and have reached a point where I need financial assistance. I was asked to resign due to being unable to work due to physical inabilty on my part and am stuck, so I applied for it. Just looking for some good news from other MQ employees. ...

Aug 21, 2010

Isn't that a kicker? WHERE IS MY WORK????? Does anyone know how to manage a workload? My CCM obviously needs help! Six months ago, it was "We need Monday hours... move them or else." Four months ago, it was "We need Friday hours... move them or else." Three months ago, it was "We need Saturday evening hours... move them or else." One month ago, it was "I have no Sunday coverage... move hours or else." This month it is "We do not need Monday hours, move ...

Aug 03, 2012

The family practice I go to is using this. The doctor asks questions and constantly inputs into his PC tablet as we speak. Its not looking good for the MT field. Anyone else worried? I worked on a project transferring hospital charts from Legacy to Epic. Once they were done with using us for that project, we were let go with no notice. Just thinking my time is running out and I need to get to medical coding school fast! Then I am worried will medical coding too be forced onto the doctors ...

Sep 22, 2012

So, I used to work Monday through Friday, which is what I was hired for. Fast forward to Nuance taking over and I was forced to change my schedule to include a weekend day, and this is the 4th weekend in a row, there is no work. Makes sense, huh? ...

Nov 06, 2012

As an independent contractor, can the company I am doing work legally make me work holidays? ...

Aug 11, 2014

from KevinMD website "I recently did a tally. Since starting my locums adventure last year, and going to full-time locums in January, I’ve worked in a grand total of 11 emergency departments. Let me qualify that for the occasional visitor to my blog. I decided to do this for purposes of flexibility, finances and a much needed change of scenery. Not because I’m a problem physician, or unable to do the work in a “real” job. I say that to ...

Aug 06, 2010

This is a followup to the issue of "constructive discharge" that was brought up in a thread on this board back on August 3. The original poster stated, and I agree after googling and checking out several sites on the topic, that an employee can claim "constructive discharge" if forced to quit because (loosely quoted from more than one site) "...the employer has made working conditions intolerable. Issues can include...... reduction in ........workload for reasons that are not tied to ...

Feb 14, 2013

Really upset right now - work has dropped off so bad now that I am forced to look for work again. I am upset because there was work on the system and a few of us were asked to stop so that the people that have been there the longest have a chance at work. I dont think this is very fair as I have bills also to pay and surely cannot like this. I thought it was first come first serve. Am I so wrong? ...

Aug 31, 2011

Just a few years ago I was making 50K plus doing the same exact thing I am now getting paid 10-12 dollars an hour for. Does anybody know the real reason for this dramatic change? the details? ...

Dec 20, 2011

When will you MTSOs wise up and realize that pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages of account specs for nitpicky docs SLOW DOWN YOUR MTs? If you had any sense, you would use standardized headings in all reports and then turn that into a positive by telling prospective clients that it expedites turnaround of their reports. That is *exactly* what I did back when I owned my company, and it worked!&n ...

May 25, 2012

If you want experienced qualified MTs who have been doing this for years and years & can do any WT, any accent, any specialty, adapt to any software quickly.... quit requiring them to include a weekend day. Save those for part-timers or newbies. The experienced "oldies" have done their graveyard and weekend time. There are actually some companies who "get" that. If you're wondering why you can't find good experienced MTs, maybe that's why... ...

May 26, 2013

Hello! I'm a small MTSO who had lost some clients due to EMR. I'm not yet ready to give up as of yet because I love this profession very much being in the MT business for the past 11 years. I have heard stories about more and more doctors getting frustrated with EMR and would still want to dictate parts of the medical reports but somehow needed the transcribed dictation interfaced with their own EMR system. I'm very interested to learn how this is done so I can o ...

Mar 31, 2014

Honestly, I hate change but I am ready to jump. I don't ask too much, just to know if I get audited by QA the intent is not to take money off me. From what I can see, both the two big 2 - Nuance and MModal - use QA punitively financially, and while I have no objection to QA, when it is used to pick off MT pay I find that reprehensible and not an incentive to work your heart out, if you get what I mean. If anyone cares to share their company's policies, especially if they don't ...

Sep 05, 2014

on an employee status? Would love to get out of the big N, but I don't want to be an IC at my age. ...

Feb 09, 2015

That would make things much easier for us to plan ahead the rest of our shift; whether to sit there and wait for work, or if we only will be working part of a shift and the work runs out, or if we can sign out and do other things in our personal life that need to be done. I can't see that it's that big a problem or inconvenience for you to simply send an email to all on the account, or instant message, or whatever. You do it when you're begging for he ...

Oct 20, 2009

I could be wrong, but it appears to me that the VR came about as an answer to the problem of offshoring. I am sure many clients prefer to keep their dictation/transcription right here in the USA and request that from the companies they use. Maybe we should not be so adverse to it, as it could be the only means of keeping the work here affordably. ...

Nov 12, 2009

How do you handle using subcontractors (IC's) and still be HIPAA and HITECH compliant? I guess what I'm getting at is after I did some reading on IRS rules for employee versus IC, it sounds almost impossible to have IC and be HIPAA/HITECH compliant. One says I have to provide training/education on HIPAA, yet the other ones says I can't provide training/education otherwise they are an "employee." One says I can't dictate how the work station is set up, etc., but t ...

Dec 17, 2009

Is this just a scam so that employers don't have to pay benefits and employer taxes? I bet if there was an audit, most ICs and MTSOs would be in trouble for using that classification improperly, especially for the full-time positions. I even applied for a full-time secretarial job in a small law office recently, and was told I would be hired as a contractor with no benefits. I was stunned and declined. I need to check with the labor department to see if some of my concern ...

Mar 09, 2010

I have finally been offered 2 jobs after working for a company that required experienced MTs but only pays 24,000 a year - that's right, I am eligible for poverty-level discounts on my utilities while working fulltime as a seasoned MT, making the highest line count on my account. So, I wonder how I can ask: How much money can I expect to make? I want to make 40 grand a year at least. ...

Apr 14, 2010

Let me introduce myself. I am a full time MT with 25 years experience in this business, averaging typing 2000 lines per day, audit scores 98% and above, who willingly works OT when requested, and I have never taken a sick day. I consider my job a serious employment commitment. I am the bread-winner in my family. I don't say this to indicate I make the most money. This means I PAY THE BILLS. You know, mortgage, car payments, insurance, light bill, food on the ta ...

May 06, 2010

I am just curious at what point you stop looking at resumes that have been emailed to you after posting a job. Is it 50? 100? More or less? If I have been away from the board for a bit and come back to find a job that has been posted that I am interested in, if there are more than 200 views to it I generally move on and do not bother with applying. I figured that with that many viewing probably half or more have applied and sending my resume at that point would be ...

Jun 15, 2010

I'm not an MTSO, never was, and never would be if I could help it. In one of the threads below someone mentioned that some larger MTSOs hold it against someone if they post something on a forum like this. I put myself in the position of the MTSO for a moment. What would I do if someone contacted me and told me that one of the MTs that was working for me was trashing me on a public forum. I would go look at it. If I knew who they were, I wouldn't send them any additional work. It wouldn ...

Jul 27, 2010

Let's get to the point here on why most MTSOs are greedy. It is not because the MT makes mistakes or should make mistakes. That is not the issue. The real issue is that MTSOs don't pay what a quality MT is worth! That's where the "greedy" comes in. It also shows that the MTSO obviously doesn't really care about the transcriptionist at all. If an MTSO pays really low, this says to me they are treating the MTs as robot "worker bees" work ...