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

My MT career is done. - old MT

Posted: Jun 30, 2011

I am just a little fish in a big pond, very rarely posted here, but loved to read the posts! I felt though I had to post tonight as I am very sad. For the last 15 years, I was an MT, but tonight was my last shift and typed my last report - a discharge summary. Same thing I started on all those years ago. My account is going VR on July 1, and I was told my wage would go from 9 cents a line to 4 cents. No matter how they crouch it in rah-rah terms (increased production, maximize time, minimize down time, etc), it still means a pay cut. This was my final straw, gave my notice, and I am officially unemployed after today. I am not sure what I will do now, but I doubt highly it will be MT now. I will look for jobs later this fall and just have a break for the rest of the summer. I am very lucky that I am not the sole support of the family and can fall back on my husband's salary.

I will very much miss this profession. I loved being an MT but don't feel it is a "profession" anymore. Just a service job, like working at-home McDonald's or something. I wish you all the best, and I will ride off into unemployment sunset. God bless.

I don't blame you one bit! - Old and Tired MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I just wish I had a husband's salary to fall back on so I could do the same. I have a lot more years in this so-called "profession" than you do, and some days I could just scream if I have to listen to one more ESL who can't speak English, etc. Actually, I think working at McDonald's would be better considering what we have to know to do this job, our skills, etc. and to be making pennies for doing it is ridiculous. I am very happy for you and wish I could enjoy the summer as you will be doing. Good luck in finding a much better job in the fall-- even if it is flipping burgers, you will probably make an actual living wage!

I would not quit - keyshia

[ In Reply To ..]
I am an MT that has been working in the field for 6 years and love Speech Recognition! I came on doing Speech work and absolutely love it. You will do more work and will probably come out making the same amount you made doing straight transcription. You will not see much difference and in reality the better you get with the speech you will be making more money especially if you have very good dictators! I would get my job back if I were you and don't be afraid to do something new. It will be okay. Give it a try before you just back out. Your arms and wrists and fingers will thank you for it later.

I agree except for a couple things - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I do 1/2 speech recognition and 1/2 regular typing. Speech recognition is so fast that I usually double my line count. In the same amount of time it takes me to type 600 lines of regular typing I can type about 1400 or more lines of SR. Therefore I make more money that way.

Okay, now I can't think what I disagreed about. Maybe nothing. :-)

I think if people are unhappy in the profession then its time for them to move on to something they would enjoy. Maybe that's what I disagreed with (to tell her to get the job back). I think everyone has to choose for themselves what they want to do. Luckily for me I started SR before I ever read any of the posts here, so I had no bad feelings about it ahead of time. I do love working on VR and find myself more productive on it and in the end make more money doing it. It's also a blast when there is a goof up. Makes me laugh.

another old MT - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I must say I completely understand the OP. You need the same brains to do the job but get have or less of wages and/or are working twice as hard to maybe break even. I have tried VR a couple times and it was harder on my arms/wrists than straight transcription and esp harder on my ability to pay attention. To me, it seems like a spectator sport vs being an athlete. Thankfully Transcend is keeping me on a straight typing account. If I am ever forced into VR, I will be gone too.

You have to get used to it - April

[ In Reply To ..]
VR is really something you have to do for a while (more than just a couple times) to really get. When I first started doing VR, I was REALLY slow, and I hated it because I thought my pay was going to be horrible forever, but now that I've been doing it for a while, I'm a lot faster on VR than straight typing and can do over 300 lines an hour, which is something I have never been able to do before.

It is kind of boring though in that you're not engaged in typing the whole time, but it's not exactly a "spectator sport" because you have to pay close attention. The VR computer does get words confused and adds words where there shouldn't be, and we have to be able to recognize what should and shouldn't be there and when the computer has used the wrong word altogether... that's where our medical knowledge comes into play... but you aren't working twice as hard because you aren't doing all that typing. You're just working differently.

I think VR is scary to those who have been an MT for many years because it's a big change and an unfamiliar one, but if you give it a chance for a while, you'll see it's not all that bad, and the speed you pick up after you've been doing it for a while really does make up for the line pay decrease.

(...and some of the VR computer mistakes really are funny!)

Guess it depends - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
on the VR program. Many of them, like the one I am on, are terrible and you won't make more money. They take just as long to edit as type, even with good doctors. I refuse to do it. Some like it, some hate it. I guess it would have been okay to give it a try, then quit if you didn't like it, but enjoy your summer since you can afford not to work.

sad - wishing you the best

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been in MT for about the same amount of time. So sad for you (and all the rest of us too). Consider yourself blessed that you are not among those of us who like me have a disability plus an entire family who depends on me, or many who are single parents. This industry has gone down the tubes and many of us are grieving the loss of a career and livelihood that we have invested our entire lives in. As MTs we have a very broad base of valuable knowledge and skills and I hope for those who leave that they can be put to good use. Being an MT is FAR MORE than a brainless service job, but I agree that's how many of us are treated now.

VR - not the only issue

[ In Reply To ..]
I found the transition to be a productive one also and have made more money with it (possible WITH A DECENT LINE RATE) but I think we all see that our pay because of VR is now being cut further and further. I think there's more pressure editing versus transcribing because you are expected to work a lot faster and it becomes a lot more monotonous. I did however make more money 15 years ago than I do now, and cost of living has about doubled. I think I have had 2 VERY small raises over the past 15 years, both proficiency based, NO cost of living raises. Something wrong with that picture.

Too many years here and disagree with double production. - nonn

[ In Reply To ..]
There is absolutely no way you can do double and just have horrible ESL dictator s and then try to edit the report and do all that that account wantas. Number when VR does not number, bold, when VR does not bold, sentence structure when VR does not place a period or a comma, VR types a lot of horrible errors and does not know there are 3 different two/to/too. Oh, but take a test and YOU have to know that for 4 cents. This field has always profitted some and surely not the transcriber. I hardly EVER get a good dictator whose report does not have to be edited. Yet, our pay is based on just that. I DO believe that those reports are all flying offshore, at least that is what I think.

Sadly I want to do the same and you are right. - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I always felt I was making a difference...not I feel so low and ashamed of not chosing a more job that gave you some self pride. Now what though, I even ask myself. Where do we go from here? Even McDonalds does pay more and more profit sharing and benefits. Soon, I will see you on the other other side also. You are not riding alone. God help us all.

I am actively looking for a job to get out - sm -

[ In Reply To ..]
though I do have a good MT job, at the moment anyway, never know when that will change. But need a job with benefits (IC now) don't want employee status as a MT as I like the flexibility but will be fine with a job with steady pay, and regular 8-5 hours, and benefits (in case my husband loses his job, again you never know). Applied to 3 local jobs this week, ad was placed on the 20th, I hesitated like an idiot, emailed on the 28th, position filled already. The other two I know will be open for a little while and have submitted my application to the one, deadline was today, (third time....position keeps opening up but from the description is is not a bad job....so if I ever get an interview maybe I can find out), and have a call into the other as I already work there (very part-time) and need to find out what I need to do since I am already an employee (lots less red tape as you have to be investigated and fingerprinted, etc, and I have already been thru all that and passed). Really hoping I can get that position, they call it para-professional, sounds like a fancy name for gopher from the job description they have up. In any case I can do either position w/o any issues and get paid nicely to do it. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed, and will just keep on trying until I succeed, though my game plan is to probably keep doing MT for a year or two in order to pay off some bills quicker, and cover the added expenses I will have with gas, clothes, etc. Luckily both are close....5 and 11 miles so not too bad. ---I wish you luck in your future endeavors!

Done too - tjarch

[ In Reply To ..]
I feel your "pain". I also "retired" from the MT business 2 weeks ago. I was kind of sad the first few days, but soon got over it - you will too! I'm taking some time off, then will look for something else to do. It is extremely sad what has happened to this business - we can thank the companies who off-shore and thank VR for that. What a shame. Good luck to you!

Anyone who can do VR faster than typing is a slow at typing - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
I can edit at 390+ lph and still can't make the money I did typing. I too am having my last day today. I am sad to be leaving it, but with the pay rate benig so low, I cannot make the lines they want in the time I am available to work. I have found myself putting in daytime and nighttime hours just to come close, and I need to work nights only.

My accounts were horrible for VR as they are mostly ESL who really cannot speak English well at all. When I went to all VR, my pay was slashed dramatically and I've not been able to bounce back. Luckily I have found another job that is straight typing doing psych work. Pay is double what VR is and I'm making about $5-7 more per hour than I was with VR.

You have that right! - Old and Tired MT

[ In Reply To ..]
There is no way I can do twice the work with VR. I type really fast and the horrible ESLs on the accounts that I have are a disaster with VR. I spend a lot more time making the corrections than if I were to just type the whole thing myself, but at half the line rate, of course.

old MT - shorty

[ In Reply To ..]
I do agree that VR is slower and definitely a lower pay scale. I am doing approximately the same number of lines I did in the past with most SR but am making about 1/2 of what I did 4 years ago doing straight typing. Understand full well the degree it pushes one to consider leaving the profession. I could work locally and make more doing something I hated. I do agree that it is getting harder to do anything but SR because that is where the industry is headed. Remember, the companies are in it for profit, not to make us happy.

Good for you, old MT. I'm glad you are able to just - take a breather and hope you

[ In Reply To ..]
have a lovely summer.

It's true, the health industry, regarding us as an expensive problem they will get rid of, are eager to push us out, with all that comes with that. It's likely that the industry'll eventually find back-end help is still needed to work with the computers and that the wheel will turn, but in the meantime I envy you for getting out of this mess. The abuse and exploitation in many small and large forms are doing their job, and more and more of the better people, like you capable of creating better choices for themselves, are leaving.

The best to you wherever you do go. :)

TAKE ME WITH YOU - Pleeeeez - Fingers

[ In Reply To ..]
I have tried to get out for a couple of years. Still here, unfortunately. I am in a golden handcuff situation. Too old to quit, too young to retire, can't go back to school, and too old to get another job. MT for 30 years, and not much experience outside this profession.

Also, I live in a very small rural community. We are 1-1/2 hours from any major city. When a job is advertised, 50 people apply. I know my age is holding me back and/or I should lie about my income on my application/resume because no one is going to want to match what I have been making.

My account has gone 50/50 VR and straight typing. Some days I don't do bad on the VR actually, but it is not comfortable work like the typing is for me. I do get almost 6 cpl though, 9 cpl for straight. My income is a little lower, but not half like some MTs complain of. I am short maybe $400 per month. I am still making more than I could elsewhere, so I have been determined to learn the VR and do well on it. I am on a small account with very good dictators. I am in a better position than most. These easy, high paying accounts with good companies are rare. Many simply can not land what some of us have. I do not blame them for being bitter. If this one dries up for me, and most of these do at some point, I will be job hunting again. Hope it will not be in this business. This business has been very good to me. For the last 12 years, I have been able to make over $40,000 M-F without working nights, holidays, or weekends. These are rare indeed, and I live in fear of losing it every single day.

Felt the same way - ME

[ In Reply To ..]
I feltt the same way when my company switched to 80% VR, but after 5 months of doing VR, I actually prefer it. I am averaging 500 lph for the most part now. It did take some getting used to, but my hands do not hurt like they did prior.

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