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

Just wondering how many MTs.... - MT on way out

Posted: Jul 12, 2013

...can hardly stand to listen to another syllable of these dictators (I think they're supposed to be professionals?) who can hardly put two words together? I had a resident dictate over 30 minutes of absolute garbage today and this was actually an extremely sick patient. This is why I go to the doctor visits with my family members these days. Family members absolutely have to stay on top of things because we could encounter one of these residents/fellows who, in all honesty, may have the best of intentions. Unfortunately, they can't dictate a patient's consult to save their lives.

I did the best I could to "fix" their dictation, but honestly, why is that my job? I really used to love the "end product" that I, as an MT, was able to produce but I just may have hit the wall today. Perhaps, because I am in school and so close to getting out of MT, these types of situations are just making me glad I'm making my exit, or maybe it's just scary to think that these new residents/fellows/NPs are treating me or my family.

I'm a few months from early retirement - Glad to go

[ In Reply To ..]
It isn't the inexperienced doctors that get to me, it is the low pay and lack of consistent work. If I were younger, I would be in school but I have ridden this job to the end of the line, and I am just going to retire and enjoy my life. Good luck in your future career.

me 2 - anon.

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm 2 months away from early retirement, but I'm going to make them fire me. Just knowing I can afford to quit has taken an unbelievable amount of stress off me.

me 3 - miller

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with all of the above.

a bit longer.... - 4moreyears

[ In Reply To ..]
I am in the same boat with everybody. I have been doing this for over 25 years and have seen this industry go through some major growing pains, to a fantastic job, to just horrible. I have 4 years to early retirement and I am just hoping to hang on until then. Sometimes people ask me about what I do and I used to be so proud of saying that I was able to work at home, the hours I wanted, with great pay, and a sense of pride, and encouraged folks to give it a try. Not anymore. I feel overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated, and at times they make it seem like they are doing ME a favor by giving me work. I tell people to run for the hills. I'm too old for school, too specialized to get a different job, and I'm just hanging on by a thread until I can stop and relax.

You know what happened to me? - used to be so proud too

[ In Reply To ..]
and then I gradually came to see just what a ridiculous job this is, transcribing medical reports that no one ever looks at and no one cares about. Back in the day, when I made $50,000 a year, people acted like it was an important job and I believed it too, but now I know different. It's not an important job people. Stay in it or get out of it, either way, it's still not an important job, and people are laughing at you if you think it is.

a bit lonhrt - Natasha North

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree. I used to work for Transcend where my boss's favorite saying was, "Every report is a life" What a joke. If that were true, the doctors would try harder, but they don't even care. Why should I?

Me too too! - cm

[ In Reply To ..]
My story is the same as all yours. 38 years as MT. After many years of being unhappy and watching my income fall from $40K to $15K and working longer and harder hours for it, I left my last MT job in May. I'm living on credit cards until Oct, when my early retirement checks begin. The horrible low back pain that has come on over the last few years is much better, I sleep VERY well every night, and, after 7 weeks, I'm just beginning to feel the effects of *relaxation* -- no deadlines, no pressure to get back to work, even on days off. No pressure! Pure heaven! The lower monthly retirement check I'll get now is a very acceptable trade off for 4 more years of physical and emotional pain I would have had to endure for another few hundred bucks. I'm done.

totally agree - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't care what other people say about how important this job is. It's not important anymore.

It hit me the other day after transcribing report after report of careless dictation. Absolute garbage. I thought to myself, whose idea was it to make a job out of this? It just has become such an absurd concept.

Got a year left in school then I'm out. I hope I can make it one more year in this joke of a "profession." It's not an important job. It's busywork in the lowest form. This may cause a fuss, but NO ONE can convince me otherwise.

"Nobody reads this stuff ..." - cm

[ In Reply To ..]
About 25 years ago I was transcribing a report. Someone was over his shoulder. I had the sense that person was shaking his head or being critical in some way of having to dictate. Dictator paused and said to him very clearly, "Nobody reads this stuff. Really. Nobody reads this stuff!" They both seemed to feel it was a waste of time. That's when I learned it was senseless work. Thanks, Doc, but I didn't need that.

20 months. sm - SSER

[ In Reply To ..]
I started my early retirement this year...only working 20 hours a week now and enjoy it. Once my husband files for early retirement in 20 months, I'm done, hopefully. If things get even worse with my company before then, at least I can leave. phew

MT on the way out - Natasha North

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with everything you say. As of today, I am done with medical transcription after 30 years. When I started, this field was OK, though no one ever appreciated you. But with the start of these home companies, like Nuance, Transcend, MedQuist, Keystrokes, they have created a slave labor market with standards no one can achieve without ending up with stress and work related injuries. They fire you at the drop of a hat if you can't meet their 99% QA score, or you supposedly made a HIPPA violation, or you don't type the 2000 words an hour that is required. None of the bosses of this place are transcriptionists and can't even spell. At my most recent job one of them kept sending out an email, "Emergancy, we need help on this account!" Duh! She sent this email out not once, but over and over. And the doctors these days! With my MT certificate which took a year of school, how am I qualified to fix the report of a medical doctor who is mush mouthing his way through a report and making no sense at all? I'm not the doctor. But I get blamed if the report is not correct, not the doctor. I'm done. It's too bad there are so many transcriptionists who are desperate to work at home, but maybe some day the numbers will decrease and some of these at home transcription places will crash and burn. That will be a good day. I no longer want to kill myself for less than minimum wage to make these CEOs rich.

Whenever I think of - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
any more, this song comes to mind...

http://youtu.be/eih67rlGNhU

So sad.

I'm out next May, have been working on certification for - something else. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
xx

I'm out in 2-3 months and I can't wait! nm - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
x

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