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

Just gotta vent... - Killing me Slowly

Posted: Nov 17, 2014

Feeling so frustrated that MDs can't be bothered to articulate... The company I work for "dings" me for blanks...but their QA is merciless about mistakes. (Non-critical, stupid grammatical issues, i.e., "The son agreed with the plan" versus "HIS son agreed with the plan.")

I am feeling like I can't do this anymore. I am GOOD at what I do, but when audio sucks, what do they expect? I am screwed no matter what I do. If I made more than $13 an hour, (which took me years to reach), maybe I would be able to take this kind of relentless nit picking with a grain of salt. On $13 an hour, I can't afford the freaking salt!!

Starbucks is looking like a way better employment option...I just hate throwing away the years of knowledge I have under my belt.

Anyone else have advice how to push ahead? I feel like I made a huge mistake getting into this field, but I have SO MUCH time invested in it that the thought of walking away hurts my heart.

Thanks for listening if you made it this far. :)

I feel exactly as you do - No name

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been doing this work since the early 1990s, about 25 years now. Did mostly secretarial work before that hated answering the phone and being expected to lie for the boss, so I jumped at the chance to learn something different at age 36. Now I am almost 61 and so regretting that I have wasted all this time on a field where I've gotten steadily rewarded with paycuts. I am good at what I do, but that does not seem to matter in this profession. Very disappointed in how this has turned out through no fault of my own. The dictators are not held accountable at all, yet make 10 times what I do listening to their crap and trying to make sense of it.

Sorry I have not really helped you at all, just commiserating...

Why no union? - Killing me Slowly

[ In Reply To ..]
If any industry needed a union, this one does. I can't understand why there isn't one.

Maybe it's just time to jump ship and cut my losses. I am doing a lot of soul searching about it right now.

One thing is for CERTAIN...the pay scale for the knowledge and skills we are required to have is so out of whack, it's disgusting. I could make more flipping burgers (that is not a slight on food industry workers...just a reflection of the amount of training involved "there" versus "here"), and that's just not right.

I feel so low. :(

Not for a Union - see msg

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I personally would never work anywhere that has a union. They are for sucking the companies dry so they either go out of business or have to lay people off.

I plain old got out of the MT biz a couple of years ago.

To the poster who said she regretted ever going into it, I don't. I had several glorious years of work I loved and an impressive paycheck. I was so happy transcribing (back when there was no ASR), I would actually look forward to getting in the saddle every day.

Good luck to all.

Had a union- got outsourced - anonMT

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I used to work for a hospital, with a union, and they replaced us with a service, of course, which paid us less money. This is soul-sucking. They pay basically minimum wage for MTs and we have to be glued to the keyboard for 8+ hours just to get that. I'm ready to jump ship, but at 53, what do I do? What school can I go to and learn a skill in 1 year? Looking into court reporting, to utilize my typing skills, but I don't know about the $$$.

I Am 59 - see msg

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I am 59 and got out of the biz. Right now, I'm just doing Home Health Aide work. I did get hired for a couple of office jobs that simply did not work out. It wasn't my fault, so office jobs is something you could consider.

I would not invest a lot of training in anything right now, but I think it is wise to take some modern-day office software courses, if you don't have any experience in them, like Excel, Power Point, Quickbooks. Most clerical jobs these days require some level of skill in those.

Those of us in our 50s are in a difficult situation. Most of us aren't up for going ahead with long-term or expensive training in something when we only have a few years left until retirement. I know I don't have the energy to do anything like that. I could come up with the money, but it's just not worth it to me at this point. I hope to retire in 3 years.

Best of luck to everyone. FYI: It is NOT true that people in their 50s are turned down for jobs! Years ago, it may have been like that, but I've had a few offers and they all know I'm no spring chicken.

Hired at my present job way up in - my 60s, age not an issue

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then and not now.

What kind of work are you doing now? - Not Decrepit; Just Old

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Doing same as past 40+years - MTing= nm

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.

I'm almost 65, and I'm getting turned down for - jobs left and right. It sucks.

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nm

here is what worked for me - sm

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Don't put all of your experience on your resume. Only go back 10 years or so.

That was part of the problem.... - sm

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One job I was at for over 25 years. The one before that, 7 years. Apparently in this business, longevity is a liability, not an asset.

Especially since I'm trying to find something other than MT-ing. The only way to show I have skills other than MT is to go all the way back to 1970. :(

10-year rule? - curious

[ In Reply To ..]
I've read that this is standard. The experts on this say put the last 10 years on resume (not just for elderly but everyone). Is this true? What if the last 10 years includes only the current employment? The resume is then short. How would the resume be set up?

Disagree - Linda

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I think at least 15 years should be included.

Agree - I pared down my resume and at least - started getting calls.

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I have prior management experience with a BS degree. Switched to FT MT about 18 years ago. Recently started applying to anything with either a decent salary or good benefits (County/City/State) ... I was not even getting calls until I pared my resume way back. I made a "other prior experience category" and just listed the skills I used and a brief description". Sorta felt like I was dumbing myself down .. but it helped. Still no good FT work but do have a part-time job that is a start now. Good luck to everyone.

resume - bugger

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unfortunately so many job posts want "recent" experience in... So having been in this business 25 years, working mainly from home, doesn't look as good as it probably should. Most don't look at what type of experience it takes to work at home and make it work with kids and their schedules, husbands and their schedules...and trying to get the work in that we need to. We have much more experience than they think

They want experience in the skills they need - sm

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Juggling home life is a valuable skill, but it isn't something they need ... at least not unless you tell them about it and phrase it in terms relevant to them.

MTs looking for admin jobs have a problem in that MT stayed focused on word processing long after everything else dropped "word processing" and moved on to a state where everyone uses nearly all of the MS Office package, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access on an everyday basis. Because of that an MT now looks oddly unskilled compared to other applicants.

If you have not looked for a job outside MT in 25 years, your resume may appear to date to before computers. Rephrasing your skills in terms relevant to each employer will help. You might also take some free online classes in Microsoft Office to learn updated computer skills.

During the last big layoff, people found that spending their time updating skills paid off. When you learn a new field, you can then compete on level ground for beginning jobs. Updating skills tells employers you are motivated to learn what you need to benefit them.

Union, non-union so many here outsourced - but know something about court reporting

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I have been outsourced twice, no union either time. I did work with a guy before who thought he wanted to go into court reporting. I am talking about a guy who was extremely fast in MTing. He bought his equipment (very expensive he said), started school and gave it up stating it was too hard. I do know also you have to have extremely fast typing skills so if you are under the 100 wpm class, probably would not make it.

At the same time I went to school to learn MT, - my best friend went to school - sm

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to learn court reporting. She went to school for at least 4 years. She urged me to take court reporting along with her, but I didn't want to be in school for that long. Also, we were both well aware that in order to be certified as a court reporter, your speed on the steno machine had to be INCREDIBLY fast, and not everyone made it.

MT seemed like a better fit for me, so I chose that. And for the first 20 years of my MT career, it WAS an excellent choice. I got paid very well, moved out of my parents' house and got my own place, and MT jobs were so easy to get, I could pretty much live anywhere I wanted, so eventually I chose San Francisco.

Fast-forward to now, and of course we all know what happened to MT as a profession. Meanwhile, my court-reporting friend has her own nice home that she bought herself, and raised several children and sent them to good colleges. Most likely she's retired by now, with no financial worries.

Oh, well... "coulda', should'a, would'a". I made what at the time was a GOOD choice, and after bouncing from job to job during my early 20's, had finally found a job that not only did I like, but I was GOOD at it, and it was in high demand. There's just no way to see far enough into the future to know where our life choices are ultimately going to take us. All we can do is our best.

Meanwhile, if I were advising a young person who was looking into potential careers today, what I would tell them is, "Learn more than one trade!" Go to medical school, or law school, or business college, but learn something else at the same time! Welding! Plumbing! Carpentry! Graphic arts! SOMETHING to fall back on, just in case.

Been there.... - anon

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I tried court reporting. It was fun in the beginning, but it became so difficult as time went on. Literally had to have a mind like a computer, focused with nothing else distracting your thoughts, except what you were hearing and recording. Very difficult for me, so I switched to this. Well, it has served its purpose and made it possible to take care of my elderly parents when needed and so many other things that have come up over the years. Working from home does have its unique opportunities. Sure the pay has been steadily dropping, and that's not good. I guess it's one of those things you really have to look at from both sides. But, I do get where you're coming from. If only we could see what the future brings...

My husband is union and he has a job he - loves and we both love the $$$$

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He has worked union now about 15 years. He says he loves his job. He hardly ever sees his boss much less talks with him. He makes really good money, really good. As far as layoffs, yes that happened about 14 years ago for about 2 weeks. It was so nice because I had a list of honey-do items and he had the time then to do those. I also love the perks. We have not paid 1 cent in medical insurance for the last 15 years because that is one of the perks and I am talking PPO Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Sweet.

Years ago, the MTs at the hospital I worked for - were approached by a union - sm

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organizer, and I remember we all felt we didn't need a union. That was because at the time, MTs were hard to come by, we were paid well and valued, and the HMOs and big MTSOs hadn't come on scene yet. The few MTs who worked at home were ICs who picked up and delivered cassette tapes, usually for private practices.

Then came HMOs, who not only ruined our livelihood, they ruined healthcare in general, by buying out all the individual hospitals and clinics, and running them like a big corporate business. Then it became all about the almighty DOLLAR.

Doctors were forced to see more and more patients in less and less time, and to do less for them. They kept hiring more and more management, and less and less actual workers. Nurses were laid off, and those left worked their tails off, with few to no raises.

MTs weren't being laid off quite yet, but the harbinger of things to come was when older MTs retired (yes, we could actually retire back in the 1980s!), new MTs weren't hired; the retiree's work was simply distributed amongst the rest of us who were left.

There had always been small, "mom-n-pop" MT services - the kind where the work was done inhouse, and most places I worked only outsourced their overflow work to them. Then, with the birth of the Internet, work-at-home MT became a reality. At first we thought this would be the answer to everyone's problems: No more commute time or office politics for us MTs, less overhead for the employer by outsourcing more and more of their work.

As older MTs retired, or others just moved to other jobs, their work was now given to the MTSO, not the rest of us. The MTSO got the good dictators; the inhouse MTs got the crap work. This continued for a few more years, and then, during the Great Recession in 2008, suddenly the hospitals went nuts about cutting costs. To do this, they hired even MORE management, and that management cut out everything but the nursing staff. Gardening and janitorial workers were laid off, and replaced by gardening and janitorial companies. The ever-shoddier-looking hospital campus reflected this outsourced work.

They continued to whittle away at their MT staff. Eventually, they hired more management, whose sole job was to "encourage" those who were left in the MT department to quit. This was done by harassment, constantly changing and contradictory "department rules", and ever-more-impossible-to-meet standards being set.

Meanwhile, they fired the few small MTSOs they'd been outsourcing to, and hired Nuance to do all their outsourced transcription, and you all know how the rest goes! They soon sent all the transcription to Nuance, laid off all the remaining MTs, and closed the department.

Would a union have prevented this? It's hard to say, since it never happened, but most likely it wouldn't have. The "get rid of workers" movement in America has been much bigger than the unions, and appears to have come out the winner. Those of us who live and work in the USA are the losers.

Unions - tiredMT

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The only thing that would have changed with a union, is that we were offered the option to "bid" on another union job within the hospital. The only problem was that we were at the highest union pay level at the time ($15/hr - I wish I could get that now) and the next one down was Unit Clerk. A few took that position. Many of us felt we could do better on our own. Some went to school for coding, some just retired early. The rest were given the option to go with the company that was taking our work - seemed like a no-brainer, same docs, same workload, almost as much money. Plus we could still work at home. But that company got bought by another, bigger company, etc., etc., until we were swallowed up by Nuance. With every change, the benefits got more expensive and the pay stayed the same.

Outsourced, told we could have another job in the - hospital, did not have to bid

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Have not been swallowed up by Nuance. I think most here kept waiting around hoping for things to change. They never did but people are still waiting. I never sat and waited hoping things would get better. I worked 2 jobs most of my full time years and now part but that is because now I can and just do not need the extra dollars like in years past.

totally agree - done

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Oh you sound just like me, in the profession for the same amount of time and have watched this job slowly take a nose dive. At this point, while looking for another position, I see nothing but the same companies, same ads. I regret not getting into something else, but it worked for me while raising children, then grandchildren. Now, don't know where to go at my age.

How is that kind of thinking helping you? - That is a valid question.

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I think you need to examine the thinking you expressed in your post. How, exactly is it helping you?

You are "good at what you do." Can't you see that you can be good at something else??

You "hate throwing away the years of knowledge you have under your belt." Where on earth did you get the idea that you would be throwing it away?? What is impeding you from seeing that you can use that same knowledge elsewhere?? In many fields.

You "feel like you made a huge mistake getting into this field." Why, exactly? How would that be possible?? What "mistake" was it? The "it gave me a good job for x years" mistake? The "It gave me valuable knowledge that I can transfer to another career" mistake?

You have "so much time invested in it" that it "hurts your heart." Forgive me, but someone needs to point out that (a) that is Drama with a capital D and (b) it is the "sunk cost fallacy." Also known as "throwing good money after bad." In other words, you are convincing yourself that it makes sense to keep on working for piddling sums in a hateful industry because you need to get your money's worth out of it. You are even willing to forgo income now to do it. You are losing time and money for every minute you refuse to move on.

You are doing nothing more than trying to legitimize an unwillingness to take action, learn something new, and generally do what needs to be done. You are legitimizing inertia.

I left already. My dramatic feelings of loss lasted about the time it took to get my first paycheck.

You can learn something new. You can learn to love something new. Or, you can sit around moaning about how awful it is that things just won't stay the same forever and ever.

Why would you think that jobs are meant to last forever?

Must be so comforting to have all the answers...but - Killing me Slowly

[ In Reply To ..]
Not that I owe you an explanation, I am HAPPY to provide you with answers to your questions.

You said: "I think you need to examine the thinking you expressed in your post. How, exactly is it helping you?"

I don't remember asking to be psychoanalyzed, and something tells me that maybe you aren't exactly qualified to do so, but I will answer that question to humor you. My post was nothing more than stream of consciousness thinking. It helps me to process my discouragement by discussing with other people who may be feeling the same way.

You said: "You are "good at what you do." Can't you see that you can be good at something else??"

Of course I KNOW I can be good at something else. I am good at a great many things. One of the issues I have is that I love the work I do. Up until literally a week ago, I was okay looking past the not so fantastic pay, but a new QA protocol was implemented, and my productivity has taken a serious hit. FURTHERMORE the reality of my situation is that I do not have the luxury of going back to school to pursue an education in medicine (or any other field) in any capacity. I am the mother of six children. My husband was killed very suddenly 2 years ago, so I am a single mother. This is the first year that I have had children in school all day, so it is the first opportunity to even consider working out of the home. Thank GOD I was working when he passed, because no one thinks they will be killed at 38, so we didn't have adequate life insurance or any kind of long-term safety net for me and the children. We had what we could afford at the time, and always thought we had tomorrow to supplement it. So you know, navigating six kids through grief at losing their daddy while taking care of a home and keeping food on the table is already a pretty freaking full time job.

You said: "You "hate throwing away the years of knowledge you have under your belt." Where on earth did you get the idea that you would be throwing it away?? What is impeding you from seeing that you can use that same knowledge elsewhere?? In many fields."

See my previous reply. Maybe someday this could be a reality for me. Just not right now.

You said: "You "feel like you made a huge mistake getting into this field." Why, exactly? How would that be possible?? What "mistake" was it? The "it gave me a good job for x years" mistake? The "It gave me valuable knowledge that I can transfer to another career" mistake?"

Your arrogance is truly blinding. The mistake I made was not listening to a friend of mine who did this for a living when she told me to pursue another avenue because the industry was changing. The MISTAKE I made was being sweet talked by Career Step. I have never made near what their projected "average salary" was. I take responsibility for that. If I don't have a problem with that, why on EARTH do you? The BIGGEST mistake I made was getting educated so I could have a career that would supplement my husband's income and not one that would give me total and complete financial independence. Again, my fault. Live and learn.

You said: "You have "so much time invested in it" that it "hurts your heart." Forgive me, but someone needs to point out that (a) that is Drama with a capital D and (b) it is the "sunk cost fallacy." Also known as "throwing good money after bad." In other words, you are convincing yourself that it makes sense to keep on working for piddling sums in a hateful industry because you need to get your money's worth out of it. You are even willing to forgo income now to do it. You are losing time and money for every minute you refuse to move on."

I love that you assume that everyone can make a job change so easily. I ALSO love that you assume I am staying IN this job. The truth is I am undecided, but I DO KNOW that I can't afford the luxury of being in between jobs, or my family will do without. How DARE you judge me? The simple fact of the matter is, I would make more working at Starbucks than I do as an MT, and that is frustrating to me on many levels. I am actually applying for jobs in several different fields, and all of these jobs pay better than what I am making now. I AM concerned about missing work days for sick kids. (Do you have any idea how many days 6 kids collectively miss in a school year?) Working at home until my youngest is able to take care of herself while I am gone seems to make the most sense SOMETIMES, then other times (like when we are between paychecks and the food gets a little scarce,) it doesn't. Like I said, I am PROCESSING. If you can't understand that, frankly, that's your problem. Oh, and drama with a capital D is your tirade on a post from a total stranger. Maybe YOU should get out more.

You said: "You are doing nothing more than trying to legitimize an unwillingness to take action, learn something new, and generally do what needs to be done. You are legitimizing inertia."

Now you are just being funny. I learn something new every day. I sleep MAYBE 5 hours a night between caring for my family and working. Let me just run off to school too. Good plan. There is zero unwillingness on my part. The PROBLEM is that this decision affects SEVEN PEOPLE in a multitude of ways. I am not going to make any decision like that hastily, and I was reaching out here for some advice and suggestions, not to be nit-picked by someone with a serious superiority complex.

You said: "I left already. My dramatic feelings of loss lasted about the time it took to get my first paycheck."

Yet here you are. On a website called MTStars. You sure you left, or just quit typing for money?

You said: "You can learn something new. "

Duh.

You said: "You can learn to love something new."

Super duh.

You said" "Or, you can sit around moaning about how awful it is that things just won't stay the same forever and ever."

Ummmmm...not sure that's what I did. I think maybe that's your interpretation.

You said: "Why would you think that jobs are meant to last forever?"

NO ONE knows better than me that NOTHING lasts forever. Get over your self-righteous, sanctimonious, RIDICULOUS self, or don't. Makes no difference to me... But how about if you can't say something nice, you just zip it?

One of my MT friends said this forum was incredibly supportive, and it was her idea that I post here. Thanks SO MUCH for reaffirming that every board has a troll.

Oh, and have a nice day.

You have the gift of writing. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Your post touched me deeply. Please pay no mind to the person to whom you responded. That person's post was cold, heartless and extremely judgmental. I am so sorry for the loss of your husband and your children's loss of their father. May God bless you and lead you in the right direction to find the correct path for your future when the time is right for you. Your friend was right, you will find support here. There will obviously be people like the above, but I think the majority will offer friendly, honest and kind advice. I still have faith in humankind.

You go girl! - anonMT

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Killing me Slowly: I have faith in you, I support you, in whatever you choose. Change is harder for some than for others, and you have had your share of it thrust upon you, through no fault of your own. My sympathies for your loss even though I know that wasn't the purpose of your post. I believe you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again - you HAVE to! WE all do what we have to do.

Yes, we all need a little bit of support here and there. That's what I'm trying to cultivate here on these boards, but there is a lot of negativity.

FWIW, there's at least one person (probably a lot more) in your corner, cheering you on. Think about that when you get down.

To Killing Me Slowly: Love your response! - Well said.

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That same poster repeatedly posts, pretending to be 'helping' with 'advice', which is always veiled in condescending insults, which you clearly saw through. Kudos!

If all you wanted was sympathy, why did you ask - for advice?

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If all you wanted was to ventilate, you should not have asked for advice. You should also have mentioned that you were a widow with 6 kids, because that changes things.

There can be valid suggestions even in advice that we don't like. If it makes you angry, the suggestions are hitting closer to home than you think.

Advice? And now posters must describe their - living situation

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How silly. The insulting advice-giver made her own assumptions and certainly every poster venting here does NOT have to describe their living situation and how many kids they have. The arrogant advice-giver's post was, as usual, filled with condescending remarks such as "Drama with a capital D", "sit around moaning about how awful it is", etc. It's obnoxious and they do it every time.

Something to think about... - ICMT

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From reading the above post, I think this person was truly trying to help you. They may have come across the wrong way to you, but I think the point was to "shake up" your way of thinking and help you to realize that maybe you are thinking about things the wrong way.

I know it is extremely hard to navigate our situation as MTs right now. My personal opinion is that there really is no choice whether to stay an MT or not. MT is disappearing rather quickly. I'm an IC and have lost 3 accounts to EHR since May and will lose the rest that I have sometime next year. I've also worked for big MTSOs and watched many accounts also disappear to India or to Epic or other EHR programs all while my pay was cut dramatically. I love my MT job as well, but I just don't think it is going to be feasible in the long run. There are other fields that will allow you to use your knowledge without going to school for a prolonged time. You could check at your local hospital or medical offices for jobs as a secretary or records clerk. Your experience would qualify you for those jobs, and you might make the same or more money with better benefits. You could also check with your local colleges for jobs as a secretary. If you have a college in your area that has a lot of deaf students they might have jobs available in captioning (which they will train you for). I would start looking to see what else is available and see if you could transition. If you can't find anything, maybe you could try going back to school part time (there are many places to take classes online) while still doing MT. Coding or health informatics would allow you to utilize the knowledge you have obtained as an MT. Good luck to you. I feel for you and wish the best for all of us MTs.

I hear you, Killing Me Softly... - MomMT

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I agree with ICMT, the above poster had a horrible way of coming across. But as a good MT, your skills and experiences can certainly be of value to you in the future. You are an intelligent, independent, strong woman who can do excellent work for somebody out there - you just have to find the right path.

I am so sorry for the loss of your husband and the enormous responsibility you have with your family, doing it on your own. I can relate, though, about having school-aged kids and wondering if it is too soon to get back into a different line of work. I feel very "stuck" as an MT - been doing it for 10 years. I want to go out and find another job, but I'm just not sure if I can really do that and be available for my kids, too.

I often browse the local jobs on the Internet and sit here and cry because I see the hourly pay that is offered for jobs that require a lot less skill than being an MT. I know I am worth more than these companies are willing to pay, and it can leave me feeling very degraded. I could clean toilets and make more than being an MT. I just think I need to wait another year or 2 (if I can) until my kids are a little older.

I didn't really offer any advice, just know that you're not alone in the struggle.

To MomMT - tiredMT

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MomMT - I know you didn't ask for advice, but I just want to show you the other side of the coin. Even if you are home 24/7, what kind of mother are you being? You may be a better, happier, more energetic mom if you had a job outside the home that filled you up, rather than depleting you. I know I'm not saying this very well, but think about it. Don't let the other SAHMs make you feel guilty. You do the best you can for your kids, and in you heart, you know that's true.

You're right, I didn't ask for advice - MomMT

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and I didn't come here to complain. I know my situation, and right now I am choosing to change my attitude about MT and make the best of it for a while longer. Some days are easier than others. I also have other skills that I am trying to turn into a home business while being an MT that may hopefully help me get out of this profession.

You have no idea what kind of a mother I am to my kids. I have a daughter with special needs, and being an MT has also enabled me to take care of her. She should not even be alive by medical standards. No childcare would have even accepted her with all of her medical needs so that I could work outside the home, and I don't feel at all guilty about being here for my kids.

I was recently shredding some old paystubs from my early days of MT-ing, and the truth is I am working twice as hard, twice as much, making around half as much, only now with much more experience, and it is depressing when you see it that way. I think part of this for many MTs is it kind of a grieving process - having to let go of a job you once loved and made good money doing. That is just the way this profession is now, and that is how I often feel. But I'm not just sitting around crying about it. I am working on a change for myself.

You did not, but the OP did - sm

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She wrote "Anyone else have advice how to push ahead."

No, I did not - MomMT

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I am not the original poster.

Sorry, Killing Me Slowly... - MomMT

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My fingers just automatically typed "Killing Me Softly" :-)!

Can I just say I LOVE THE SUPPORT, sincerity, genuineness and - COMPASSION of this thread?!!?!

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It is nice to see MTs actually supporting each other on this board for a change. How refreshing!

and there he was this young boy, a stranger - to my eye...

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(a stranger to my eye/eyes)? Strummin' my pain...

Look at all the likes you have, Killin' me - slowly...

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14 likes so far. I think you said you're 'newish' to the board--you might not know to look for the "likes" on the lower right corner of your post--you have many supporters. Best of luck to you, and we're all so sorry for your loss. Women are so strong, really, you know you'll make it, we all do, somehow, despite unthinkable adversity. ROAR! SOAR! and ROAR (again)!

To gotta vent - Lee

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Vent away. Understand completely. Unfortunately, the docs are being pushed to superhuman limits as well. The medical field has become so profit-oriented. Push those patients through and make those bucks. Some Dr's are half asleep when dictating. That being said, expecting MTs to walk on water is just as cruel. QA is a joke. We hear a they hear the. Really makes no difference in the report but a major ding just to make us feel inferior. Oh, then we have the "preferred" spellings.

The advice you requested - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Start applying to Starbucks. You will probably find that they have a much greater appreciation for a good ear and great command of the English language. Depending on what starting pay may be, there is a good chance that it would much less time to make more progress with better working conditions and benefits.

To Killing Me Slowly - nmmt

[ In Reply To ..]
Let me please convey to you my deepest heartfelt condolences for your loss. It is hard for me to imagine all the emotions that you have been feeling.

As far as MT goes, for those of us who are still in it at this time, I believe most of us have been disappointed by what has happened to a once promising career. I myself would jump at the chance to work at Starbucks. I left the legal field to do MT, and now wish I had stayed in legal, because when you've been doing this for the last 20+ years, no one will give you a chance to go back because my skills are not current.

Something you may wish to consider would be insurance agent, insurance adjuster, or realtor. I don't believe there is a lot of time or expense in the training and testing. Because of your situation, maybe you could find an agent who would be willing to hire you and mentor you and could be flexible when your children become ill. Maybe they would be willing to let you work some in the office and some from home. I do know that a lot of the insurance adjusters work from home. Sometimes the insurance companies hire transcriptionists to transcribe the accident interviews that the adjusters record.

I don't know if you work as an employee or IC, but maybe you could do the MT as a part time job and something else out of the home.

It seems like the longer I live, the fewer answers I have to my own life. I could swear I thought I had more answers 20 years ago.

Home Depot - nana7

[ In Reply To ..]
My daughter has worked for Home Depot for 2 years and she makes almost what I make with 20 years experience.

She started out in the flooring department, then every opportunity she had she learned a new department, paint, applicances, cashier, mill works and each time she learned a new department she got a raise. Then about 1 month ago she applied for a floor supervisor position and got it. Now she is supervisor in mill works and makes $15.00 to start. In a year or two she will be making more than I am.

Some of the associates that have been there for years are making what I make and they don't have the knowledge that I have.

She started out making $10.50 an hour and knew absolutely nothing about working at Home Depot. She was a stay at home mom for a lot of years before deciding to get a part time job there. Now it has turned into a full time job with decent pay and good benefits that she does not need. Point is I would never have thought you could make good money working at Home Depot.

Look outside the box. I am just floored that in 2 years she is making almost as much as me. I would never have given Home Depot a thought if it weren't for her.

I am still making decent money in this profession so I am okay with being in this business for now. I am averaging between $18-20 per hour so I am still doing okay. But to make more I have to produce more and we all get to the point we just can't produce more and I am there. I bust my butt every day to type more but I think I have maxed or burned out but I just can't do more. But I will not give my 20 years experience to someone for free. They now expect us to be miracle workers for less and I can't justify that anymore.

home depot - anonMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Believe me, I have thought of all these ideas - with all the home repair jobs I have done on my house, I feel I know as much as half the people who work there -- I just need an in, esp. with no retail experience to speak of.

I like the insurance adjuster/transcriptionist idea - a friend of mine who is in the legal field suggested some WC claims need someone with medical knowledge to type/interpret medical records. Haven't looked into that yet. The insurance adjuster down the street from me works at home several days a week, and drives an Expedition (company car) Must be some money there !!

to killing me softly - dont judge

[ In Reply To ..]
I am so sorry for your loss, you are in a tough situation all around. No one should judge you and that response was totally unnecessary. Your sudden loss and the responsibilities you hold now are tremendous. I stayed home to raise my kids (I have 4) because the daycare cost was not worth working. I was working to pay someone to take care of the children I birthed and bringing home nothing. I took in daycare kids and did transcription for years. I went back out to work, the kids were in school and could do it at that point. Then there were the elderly parents who needed care. I came back home. Now they are gone and here I sit having been laid off again because of workload wondering what to do and why didn't I get more education . I can do so much more, but its who will take the time to hire you so you can show them what you can do. We are all on different paths in life, no one should judge us for the decision to stay at home with the kids (and work) or go out into the workforce and work. Its our decision. I wish you the best in your difficult situation and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

totally understand - MTburned out

[ In Reply To ..]
Totally understand the frustration. I'm nearing 50 years of age, been doing it for 20+ years. At the peak of this industry I made 40,000. Now it's minimum wage. I got out. QA killed it.

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Dec 07, 2009

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Jan 07, 2010

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Jul 17, 2010

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Nov 01, 2010

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