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

MT's enjoying their careers? - potentialMT

Posted: Oct 30, 2011

If you are a MT that actually enjoys your career choice please leave a post or send me an email. I would like to know how you make it work and stay happy with your career choice. All i see on this forum is people complaining about their career choice, low rates and no available work. So how do you handle this? How many jobs do you have, how do you schedule more than 1 job, materials & resources you use to assist you and any other info you can give me. Just like every other career there are ppl unhappy with their choice and there is hard times. I want to hear from people who are happy and enjoying the choice they made in spite of the economic times and changes taking place. Thank you.

Happy as an MT - Old Woman

[ In Reply To ..]
I have to say that, overall, I am happy with my career as an MT. I've been doing this a long time, and even took a hiatus from MT and went out into the "real world" a couple of years ago and found I really didn't care for it out there as much as I thought I would.

How do I make it work? I see all the posts here about low wages and lack of work and work going overseas, and I do agree that we could stand better pay and job security. However, I guess I am just one of those "grow where you're planted" kind of people. I live very simply. I don't have a car note, am not a clothes horse, and do not spend a lot on entertainment, etc. I am thankful for the life that my career provides and really don't aspire to having a lot of material things. Right now, I'm waiting for the pendulum to swing back in favor of MT, and hopefully one day it will.

MTs enjoying their careers - For the most part I do...

[ In Reply To ..]
...enjoy being an MT. I've been an MT for over 25 years, started out in the office setting, like many of us did. I have only one full-time job. Most days, I really enjoy being able to work from home. I do have to set boundaries with family and friends so they know that even though I am home, I am still working. On the other hand, working from home gives me flexibility that an office job wouldn't always allow. I don't punch a time clock though and I see many MTs complaining that they have to. IMHO, if you're being paid on production, then you should not have to punch a clock.

Regarding materials and resources, I have the Stedman's library of books but I rarely need to use them. Like I said, I've been doing this for a long time. When I do need them, they are available and I would never work without them. Of course, I also have a medical dictionary and the Book of Style. The internet is a great resource, when used properly.

Like any job, some days are better than others. IMO, I am one of the fortunate MTs who has not had to deal with speech recognition, not yet anyway, and I hope I never do. Hope this helps!

I do - ERMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been in this business for over 20 years. I now work from home for a 6 hospital system but the bulk of my work comes from one hospital. If we would ever run out of work for my main hospital, we would just jump over to one of the others. I know how truly lucky I am. I have a steady workload and excellent benefits, which is hard to find these days.

I love my MT job - Relative newbie at about 4 years

[ In Reply To ..]
I haven't been doing this as long as the other ladies who have posted, but I came to this field in my mid 40s, so I had been around the block a time or two in office jobs in various industries. I have had up to 2 MT jobs at a time plus one small non-MT part time job that is about 12 hours a week. I recently let one of the MT jobs go because it just wasn't cutting the mustard in a lot of ways for me. I took a huge leap of faith and have focused my efforts on the one MT job that pays more and is straight typing. No benefits, which the other one offered, but I couldn't afford them, so I figured they weren't doing me any good anyway and benefits don't do diddly if you can't pay the mortgage and keep the roof over your head. Juggling 2 or more jobs is just about time management and keeping track of where you need to be and when.

As for resources, I have some of the more basic ones, but since I came into this industry when Google was a major asset, I never got into the habit of using the actual books. I found that when I did go to look things up in the books that I do have, it took way more time than a good Google search, plus I have learned a whole lot more with Google. You have to actually read the different sites and make sure that what you are reading fits in with the context of what you're typing and not just use the first answer that comes up. I find it fascinating and I'll get lost reading about something or other and then 10 minutes later realize I have to go back to work.

Would we all like to be making more money? Yes, absolutely. The way the industry is going, though, those days are long gone. It's a growth pattern that many different industries have gone through. This field is going to very, very different in 10 years and those of us who are still in it will learn to adapt to using different technology and very probably living on less than most people in the mainstream. The living on less part has become a challenge for me. I have learned to make my own laundry soap for pennies a load, I make my own cleaning wipe for pennies a sheet, I can shop and eat really healthy for about $40 a week. That's been a whole new learning experience, but not necessarily a bad one. It's made me reevaluate what is really important and how NOT important "stuff" is.

Do I worry about the changes coming in the future? Yes, absolutely. Do I worry about only having one MT job and not having a backup? You bet. I've spent the last 2.5 years making sure I had a backup plan and because the "full time" companies I chose ended up being such jokes, all it got me was on a steep road towards foreclosure. Now I am concentrating on the one job that has been there for me in a part time capacity since 2008 and I made more money last month than I did the month before with both jobs. Go figure.

All jobs have good points and bad points, MT included. The isolation can be a bit much if you tend to not be much of a people person, the sedentariness of it is a killer if you don't naturally gravitate towards exercise and healthy movement. I'll take that over the office politics, having to deal with people five days a week, all of that other stuff.

What I think is helpful to keep in mind is people who are unhappy are very, very vocal. People who are happy tend not to be so vocal about it and on this board, especially, if you're vocal about being happy you're branded a suit or an idiot or a liar. There's a customer service axiom that says if you have a customer who is unhappy they'll tell everyone they know about their bad experience, but if you have a customer who had a good experience, they might tell 5 or 6 people about it.

The same holds true for the people who are having problems with low work. I don't dispute that they are running out of work, but I think they are far in the minority, but are just very vocal about it. Sometimes you have to switch things around a bit if you're consistently running out of work. You may have to "try on" a couple of different companies before you find the one that is really the right fit for you.

I'll take this job any day over standing on my feet for 8 hours at a stretch in a retail or hospitality job any day or working in a doctor's office with the attendant personalities and politics that go along with it. The good far outweighs the bad for me, and that's a balance that you have to find in any job in any occupation.

"Relative Newbie" I could have written your post! :) - Hayseed

[ In Reply To ..]
I've only been in this line of work for 10 years and I feel the EXACT same way as you! I've done crappy retail jobs, worked HARD outside in all 4 New England seasons on my feet in workboots and dude's clothing for 8+ hours a day, slapped on equally uncomfortable heels and pantyhose and worked in a climate controlled office setting...and it all blew major chunks compared to this gig!

Like you said, the isolation can be the most difficult thing to deal with but, holy crap, I will totally take that over the back-stabbing office politics (almost always delivered with a snotty tone and condescending smirk of course!) by the same type of people who do the cruel anonymous hit and run posts on this board.

I love my job and hope it can continue on for years to come. Unfortunately, I think it's one of those fields that feels, to me anyway, to be almost "too good to be true" and I fear it will come to an end sooner than I will ever be prepared for and then I'll have to go back "out there." That day is gonna be a major weenie shrinker for sure but us chicks are able to adapt and, in the end, we do whatever we need to, to get the job done.
:-)

PS--I work for a small local MTSO as an employee. I'm a "tool" who works a "crappy" shift that no one else seems to want in order to get a kickin' line count, will work extra if asked, and who will volunteer to work holidays even before being asked. I don't complain about ESL or about bouncing from different accounts...I just shut up and ask only questions needed to get the job done and done well. Times are tough, have been for many years now, and it's us workhorses that are the ones surviving and even thriving. Go into this line of work just wanting to work days and no weekends/nights/holidays, or wanting to do only a certain type of work with certain dictators, and you are going to most likely be a hurtin' and unhappy unit unless you can afford to go into it knowing it will only bring in enough money to buy a few beers on the weekend or something.
:)

Love my job and my career - nn

[ In Reply To ..]
For the most part, I love being an MT because of the things that I seem to learn everyday. I have been doing MT for 32 years, learned it on the job and with all the changes in technology, it is amazing how the field has evolved. I am also working for a company and the account that I am on is straight typing. I have done VR and because of having a slight physical disability, I have a hard time with using some of the "commands," so hence with the pay rates for VR, I ended up being evicted from my home as well as the drop in MT pay in general. I also sometimes wonder if some of the newer MTs got into this profession for the "wrong reasons;" i.e., the lure and appeal of working from home, going to an MT school where they did not receive the proper training. I have also noticed as both an MT and a QA person, that people tend to "disappear" when it comes to working on the weekends or they flat out refuse to work weekends. I do understand that there are "family commitments, but again, because of the being able to work from home, many MTs I believe tend not to take this career seriously at times. I worked for a company where I was paid weekly, and thought I would be at the company until the day of my demise. However, because of the fact that people were not willing to work when they said they would, the hospital went with another service. Anyway, climbing off my soapbox, but I will be an MT until the day they cart me off.

Enjoying my career - AnaPhylaxis

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, I not only enjoy my career, I love it. Before MT'ing, I had worked in office in a sales capacity and did take a couple of years' respite to work at a prestigious resort with the high-end fashion industry which I ADORED. Unfortunately, the salary wasn't nearly as high as that I could achieve doing MT work, so I returned after my hiatus and picked up where I left off.

I've worked in-house and from home. At times, I admit I miss the companionship of co-workers, helping my co-workers with blanks and having them available to help me, potlucks, birthday celebrations, etc...however, all I have to do is talk to one of my MT friends still working in-house to hear about all of the politics, tattle-taling, etc., to give thanks for working at home.

To me, working from home is such a benefit in and of itself. When I take my meal break, I can snuggle with my husband on the couch for an hour and watch a TV program. I can go outside and take my little dog for a walk. I can lie down and take a short nap. The possibilities are endless without the confines of an office.

Yes, I still shower, do my makeup and get dressed in the morning, as if I was going into an actual office and I do DVR anything I want to watch so I'm not tempted to allow the distraction of the TV to interfere with my productivity. I don't normally answer the phone when working and let my husband take messages. I discourage company during my work week and, since all of my friends know I'm working, they're cool about not dropping by unexpectedly.

So, yes, I do enjoy my career and the comforts of working from cozy home. I no longer have to dread the heat of summer or the bittery cold of winter. And all I need to do is look at my little dog lying on the floor next to me while I work or look over at my husband to remind me just how lucky I am to be making a very decent living and never having to leave the confines of my home to do so.

Good luck to you!

To expound on my post (see message) - AnaPhylaxis

[ In Reply To ..]
I should point out that I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my ideal "fit," but there really are great little MTSOs out there that do only straight transcription with a minimal amount of unintelligible or ESL dictators, pay well and who actually are NICE. You may just have to shop around, so to speak, for awhile before you find the right "fit" for you, but it's an endeavor well worth undertaking.

Also, I still have a stack of Stedman's halfway up the ceiling which I've been debating on selling. After doing this for 15 years, my research needs are pretty minimal and nothing a quick check through some of my reliable and accurate internet sites can't accommodate. I find it's easier to stay in "type" mode and use Google than to take off my headphones, dig out the needed book, skim through it, etc., which slows down my production. Electronic Stedman's is, IMO, a VERY worthy investment for any MT. Pretty much anything you can find in print is now available on CD-ROM and, what isn't on CD-ROM, is provided at very accurate internet sites.

Again, good luck to you!

Loved being an MT, but out after 6 years - LK

[ In Reply To ..]
I have done very well in my 6 years as an MT - do not regret it for a minute. Speech rec has finally meant the end of the road for me, though - I love transcription, not editing garbage spewed out of a machine. It's just not the same. I left my first job when my account transitioned to SR, now just left my second job for the same reason. I won't work for peanuts doing something I don't enjoy. I just took a job that requires my MT skills and knowledge but pays me a decent hourly rate. The MT profession is going down the toilet, but there are avenues to take the knowledge and skills gained as an MT and transition to something better.

Could you expand on that a little bit (sm) - ancientMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't wish to hijack the OPs purpose here, but as a 20+ year MT "veteran" I find myself right where you are ... I love(d) my career until SR and MTSO sweatshopping turned it into what it is today.

I'd love to know what avenue you found as an alternative, because I'm seeing the handwriting on the wall and much as I don't want to, I'll almost have to get out of the profession soon. It's a daunting prospect at my age.

I still love medical transcription, but that's the problem; the erosion of that "transcription" part in the rush to implement a technology that still has a long way to go to live up to its hype.

My profession is dying. I can love it all I want, and I do, but I cannot embrace the changes (MTSO cut-throat competitiveness, SR, and offshoring) that are turning it into something I can barely recognize as a profession.

Sure - LK

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a job transferring patient charts to the EMR. I found it on an MT job board. It's not transcription, but requires the knowledge we have as MTs. I think working with the EMR is one of the directions many former MTs may choose to go in as the MT profession continues its downward spiral.

On the other hand, I'm seeing some positive MT-related things happening - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Recently I've been seeing some positive things related to MT. Yes, there are changes here and there, but I'm in a position where I see MT jobs and descriptions. They are beginning to look interesting in a good way! Who knows if that trend will continue or not. Just when I think the economy is getting better, for instance, it tanks again. There are practically no jobs in any other field, so why should MT be any different, but it appears that we may be. I'm seeing jobs like we haven't seen in this field for several years. The jobs may not want things done the way someone has been doing it for 20 years, so we may lose some people there. They certainly expect more knowledge than ever before, so those who have rusty skills or had a poor education aren't going to do well in the new environment that I'm seeing. Time will tell how this will all settle out over the next 5-10 years. I'm encouraged, or as encouraged as anyone can be when the economy looks more like the Great Depression every day.

Love my job. - QA Person

[ In Reply To ..]
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