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Making The Line Count - Ruby Eagle

Posted: Dec 29, 2012

Does anyone else have problems sometimes making the minimum line count that their company requires? Some days I make it & some days I don't. The other day for example, I worked 2 hours (partied too hard for Christmas Day the day before) & I made 13 lines over the minimum requirement. The 2 days after that, I've made a total of 56 lines less than the minimum & I've worked more hours than I did the day I went over the minimum requirement. So when I don't make the line count, then I work on one of my days off in order to try to make it. I know to keep distractions to a minimum & I've done that as much as possible, but if I'm here by myself (I live with my mom who was an MT herself at one time, so knows not to distract me) when mom goes to town & the dogs are in the house, wanting outside, I can't ignore them as their barking is very distracting. There's also the fact that nobody can sit for 8 hours straight without having a major back ache. Some days when I make line count, I have concentrated, but I have also had long reports (23 minutes or longer). I also have a glossary, so that helps. Plus, some of my reports are speech recognition as well. It seems to me that what takes the time is keeping a log of the jobs that I do, doing a little secretarial work on the front screen, looking up medications, words, other doctors' addresses on the internet; in other words, doing basic secretarial work that I don't get paid for. Anybody else have the same or similar problems? I guess I just want to know that I'm not alone.

You are not - alone

[ In Reply To ..]
I have issues meeting the line counts too. On the good days, I come close to meeting the line counts but on others, I don't even come close. At first I thought it was because I spent too much time looking up medications, surgical instruments, blanks, etc. But I cut way back on doing that and am leaving more blanks, and I'm still having issues meeting the line counts. The only thing I do different than you is I don't look up addresses or outside doctors names. If they aren't in the searchable database on the platform, I don't look them up. Someone else who is getting paid by the hour can do that.

I have don't have any kids and live with my mom who leaves me alone for the most part, so I have very little distractions.

I am struggling and frustrated and don't know what to do....

Here all along I've been thinking it's just me, I'm not cut out for this kind of work or something..

The problem is the line count, not you...SM - FBL

[ In Reply To ..]
I have worked in multiple insurance office jobs as a supervisor/manager; we always factored in a 20% "downtime" allowance when setting production goals, recognizing that PEOPLE are doing this work, not machines. People are going to chat, get coffee, have an occasional personal phone call, off day, etc. It is what humans do.

In this business, MTSO's expect workers to go at top speed 100% of every minute of every workday. I can make the line count when I force myself to do that, but it is way too hard on the body and mind, IMHO.

And I think you are wrong - PR

[ In Reply To ..]
While I am working my mind is on that and that alone, not taking an occasional phone call, not chatting, day off (that will not count into my line count at all, so mute on that one), etc. I have never had an issue getting my line count and keeping it. All people are not cut out for this line of work. It does not matter if you know terminology and can type, you need to be fast whether straight or VR. I have no idea what my line count should be for the day, in years have never paid attention to it because have always exceeded what is expected. This work is so much easier now with templates and glossaries. Years ago when I learned this job we had nothing like that. We looked up all words, medicines, procedures, operative equipment and the like in books, did not have anything close to as fast as the internet and still no issue with the line count, in fact 1 time working inhouse the supv. wanted anyone who did over such and such a count for the day to do paper work- I exceeded every day and told her that would be unfair for me to have to do that. I sit here a full 8 hours working straight through, only getting up to take a quick stretch about 3-4 times for less than 3 minutes each. It can be done and is done by others. I like making money and the last time I worked my hourly average was $21.00 and that was almost 100% VR at 4 cpl. As far as QA, we are required to keep at least 98% or above.

More power to you! - FBL

[ In Reply To ..]
By "off day", I meant a day when one is not feeling her best or has more challenging work than usual.

Again, not fazed by that - PR

[ In Reply To ..]
I do not think a required line count is that high to where a good transcriptionist cannot acquire. Some people just not cut out to do, bottom line.

it depends on your accounts... - in my opinion

[ In Reply To ..]
If I could work my entire shift on my primary account and not run out of work, I could regularly get about 1000 lines over my line quota. And I was getting that and making bonuses almost every pay about a year ago. Then I was put on so many different accounts. Some accounts I work on a few times a month.

One great account I had was a line bonanza. Then it just disappeared. No explanation, just never saw it again.

Now I'm on numerous accounts, dealing with accounts specs, flipping from one to the other constantly, looking up the account exceptions and the exceptions to the exceptions. So it isn't easy to make minimum line counts now.

One of my first MT jobs was inhouse, and we didn't have internet access, so reference books had to be used. I didn't have trouble with line counts because I only worked one account, and knew it so well.

Also, some accounts have good audio, the dictators rarely dictate around a lot of noise, they are few ESL's to listen to. It's just luck of the draw in my opinion.

If I could live in a dream world - PR

[ In Reply To ..]
I, too, would have the best of audio, dictators that had absolutely no noise around and maybe 1 person that tried to speak English like most of us do. Ok, where is that dream job? Not mine and probably not most any's who work doing this type work. I have had back to back ESLs and grit my teeth they are so, so horrible but, like I said before, I am never below my line count, never. No one would ever convience me that all are made out to be able to do this job, nothing. Some people barely can type 80 wpm and if you have to straight type and get the work done, just do not see it happening.

not talking about a dream job - IMO

[ In Reply To ..]
Just saying accounts are so different, it is like comparing apples to oranges. I agree not everyone can do this job. But if someone is struggling to make line count, it doesn't mean that MT is incompetent.

That's why people go back and forth on this board about hating/loving the job or hating/loving a certain company. Lots of variables at play.

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