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

My observation about this field... - Becky

Posted: Apr 26, 2011

I have been a working MT (IC status) for 5 years now. I am finally making pretty good money, but I have always worked around kids and had to take the first few years slowly. I file jointly with my husband and even had him get more deductions taken out of his checks. This year, after deductions, I was able to get an 1800.00 refund. I consider this good considering I didn't pay anything all year (quarterly). Here is my observation...it seems the the MT field is a good one when you are filing with someone else and have a 2nd home income but not good for single people doing it all on their own. Do any of you agree with that? I see many disgruntled and unhappy people on here, and my inclination is to say, "Get a new job if you're so unhappy," but I am starting to see, with my realization here, that most of the unhappy people are the single ones trying to pay taxes, secure health insurance, etc. If you were supporting yourself in this field really well 10 years back say, and now you can't, I can see why you'd be bitter. I sometimes wish the board were more positive and more people were happy like me with the money and the job and their company, but I do acknowlege we all have different situations. I am sorry to those of you who have seen negative changes in the field and are having a hard time. I really am. But I do want to tell newbies, it's still worth it, but we all have different situations and you have to go in with your eyes open. I personally am very happy, but again, I am not single. Good luck to all.

good point - I totally agree

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the job was good when I had deductions. Now my kids are grown, and the taxes are eating me alive. just not enough overhead to deduct. Over the past 15 years as an MT, I went from 10 an hour when working in the office up to 14 before going on my own as an IC. IC status, I was making up to 75 an hour on easy accounts with lots of templates to lean on. Now, without my own accounts - working for one of the nationals, I barely make minimum wage. Thinking about that girl cooking in the kitchen - really talking about going to that restaurant myself and putting in an ap.

I'm the wage-earner for a 2-person empty nest, still - paying on mortgage still,

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and am doing okay but not great. Would like more, yes. The big problem isn't confined to MT (work that doesn't require even a 2-year college education after all), it's that maintaining what we consider a decent lifestyle now requires 2 income earners, at least in the working and lower middle classes.

$40K is fairly modest income these days for trying to do that. Even as our nation has become substantially more wealthy over the past 30 years, wages have mostly stagnated at our level, and, of course, prices have risen tremendously for most things.

OTOH, two people bringing in that $40K a year each (he's a construction yard supervisor and she's a senior clerk at an insurance agency) wouldn't have much of anything to spare separately, but together they have a pretty home and get to take a nice vacation each year. It just requires producing 2 years of work in 1 to manage that.

Another way to keep MT pay in perspective: The big picture is that, as our nation becomes more and more wealthy, the shrinking middle class has become more and more underpaid. Those people complaining of becoming poorer and poorer actually are because they're working folk in 2011.

My side of the fence - mt2

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I'm single.
I'm an IC.
I don't own a home.
I secure my own healthcare (it's deductible).
I got a similar tax refund as you.

I think more what's happening is the field is more based on Section A jobs - those held by crackerjack MTs who can do any specialty, any dictator, any program, Section B jobs - Good MTs who are stuck with the major companies who have had to promise ridiculous TAT and thus the MTs are not making what they could/should be, and then there's the Section C jobs - crappy pay and support, usually filled by MTs who have not been able to secure a position somewhere else. Not all are newbies, in fact, there are a significant number who have "10 years" "done it forever" "25 years" experience and the reality is they are the MTs who really can't cut the upper tier of required abilities today.

I think newbies should still enter the field. But I think they should be doing better research before they do so. Go cheap - you get cheap.

Reality of the situation - long-time MT

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I work for one of the national companies and they are arrogant, corporate minded. People have posted negative about this company plenty of times here so there is no need to give a hint of a name. The company uses lingo such as "TL" and "MLS." A manager bragged to me "many hospitals contact me all the time who wish to outsource their work overseas." I don't understand this mindset when thousands of U.S. jobs are affected. Personally I think the manager is an idiot. Also, I would never advise someone to go into this field because there is no job security unless she is lucky enough to get hired in-house which is a dying breed. The trend of this industry being outsourced overseas is here to stay folks. Wax poetic all you like, but google ATA (American Transcriptionist Association) and you'll find a link for an LA Times article dated April 19, 2009 mentioning outsourced U.S. medical transcription to India, Pakistan, Philippines, Caribbean (Trinidad), and China. HIPAA confidentiality federal law only pertains to U.S. borders, not international waters. The older MTs who "complain" on this forum are aware of the economic impact for the domestic MT. Congress doesn't have the desire to make changes because lobbyists pay them to look the other way and want the U.S. work to continue to be outsourced. Perhaps you are rethinking your posts above. Here is something else for you to ponder. Guess what other medical field is being outsourced overseas? Coders. Anyone who doesn't look at the broader picture is being ridiculously naive. You used to hear that transcription work sent overseas was returned and sent to U.S. MTs because it was poorly done in India. That isn't happening like it used to. This used to be a nice industry and now has become cut throat. That is the reality of the situation.

Reality - Anonymous

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Thank you for your frankness. I've had the opportunity to see work transcribed by Indian MTs and truthfully never saw poor quality work, their educational standards are actually pretty high (I'm not a "plant" or an "MTSO" so please don't even go there).

You sound as if you know what you are talking about, so I wanted to ask your predictions on coding. How many years do you think before it starts to look like MT? Currently, I see a lot of coding job opportunities advertised. I'm a student so that is why I was intersted in what you said. My thoughts are that the large facilities may be able to outsource some of their more straightforward cases but that a lot of it will still need to be done on site, I can't see smaller offices or clinics ever sending coding overseas. Regardless, when it comes back someone is going to need to check and double check, thousands of dollars are at stake if the codes are wrong; being off by a single digit in a code or modifier can mean denial of payment or loss of revenue. Computer-assisted coding and other technology may impact the profession some, but I don't know how much. I'd like to know where you are getting your information and if you'd be willing to share more, thanks.

Reality - long-time MT

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I really do not feel comfortable saying anything further other than the source who gave me the information is a member of AHDI. It is employer related but I don't trust open forums like this and I will not jeopardize her or myself by saying much more. She and others with AHDI have gone to Washington DC the last 5-6 years about the outsourcing issue. I would say her information is from others with AHDI? I did not mean to set a discouraging tone, and much of the time I stay away from reading this forum because it is discouraging. For me personally I live in an area where area hospitals still employ in-house MTs (and coders). Local doctors were asked their input if they wanted to keep the dictation local or send it away and they demanded it be kept local with local hospital MTs who work in-house or at home. I pray this industry gets better for thousands of U.S. workers. Spheris was formerly U.S. owned and is now owned by India. I don't care about India's economy or the India MT. They can transcribe dictation from their own country. It's not just India. The work is being outsourced to too many countries. Perhaps AHDI has information on coders. Good luck to you.

Long time MT - Anonymous

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I do transcription on site and am studying coding. AHDI does not represent coders and has nothing to do with the coding profession, so I still don't know where you are getting your information sbout coding to India. Hearsay is not accurate information.

Anonymous - long-time MT

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Then I would say you are a fool for paying too close attention to what is written on public forums. I speculated about AHDI, that's it. If you are so inclined, then do your own searching about coding. If you are reading public forums and are already concerned, then it doesn't say a lot about your confidence in the profession. You addressed me and I didn't have to respond back, but I did. By the way, I don't give ***** about the average India MT and neither do thousands of other domestic MTs.

If you don't care - Anonymous

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Then why did you open the discussion in the first place? I also do not appreciate your profanity. Have a nice day.

Coding - peewee

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Why bother to go to the trouble of doing research about outsourcing coding? I repeat - ANYTHING that can be done using a computer can be outsourced. Outsourcing will not stop because the clients need to save money and that won't stop.

Here's a little more than "hearsay" - X

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Do yourself a favor and google "outsource india," and when you find the site I am referring to, click on healthcare services...Then look around the middle-left portion. ;) Coding IS being outsourced to India. Perhaps not in mass quantities, YET, but it has begun...

Oh, and I am not the "long-timeMT" poster, but I thought you should have some facts. To what degree it is happening, I am unsure, but as a poster said below, if it's done on computer, it can be outsourced.

A lot of the QA, "mentor", and management jobs - are going to India now, as well.

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This whole country is in really deep doo-doo.

It's Almost Hopeless - earlymusicus

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I went through a one-year MT program at a local two-year college but by the time I finished the program, all the jobs were moved to India and beyond. I'm single, no kids (thank God! I couldn't afford kids!)and find the situation really hopeless, especially when I think of all the tuition $$ I spent on what has turned out to be a useless education. So yes, I'm bitter because I hover on the edge of bankruptcy and homelessness, and in this cold-hearted uncaring society, being homeless is terrifying because America does not care about people. The powers-that-be seem to wish that poor people, elderly peopled, disable people, and the poor would hurry up and die and get out of the way. I've been trying to find a full-time job doing ANYTHING (I've given up on MT)but I'm a 99er and an older worker AND a long-term unemployed person and employers won't even look at people like me, no matter how good our skills our. I though my MT education would be my ticket back to a good-paying job (and it would probably have been, 10 years ago or so), but I feel I just wasted my money; all I did was give my instructors a job. I have no one to go to for help, I am my sole source of support. This depression (I refuse to soft-soap it and call it a "recession") would be easier to deal with if I had someone in my life, I think; especially someone with a job. I may soon just decide that the struggle isn't worth the effort anymore and get out of this life.

You're in my prayers sister - - everyone pray for this gal

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Judging by the posts here, only a few sing the praises of being an MT...the industry is so very depressing. I don't know you, but you can bet I'm praying for you tonight sister. God Bless you and keep your chin up.

She is in my prayers too - long-time MT

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It is hard not to be shocked reading her post. She has my prayers too. The industry is depressing, it's true. MT schools used to guarantee "placement" with a medical transcription service and Spheris was one of those companies who would take new CareerStep graduates. Where is Spheris now? They are India owned like Medquist is from the information I hear. Many MTs were/are displaced and gradually hired back into a stable work environment. I'm talking about in-house. I wish the "powers-that-be" would "lobby" this work stays within U.S. borders and then we would not be worrying about this lady who looked forward to this profession only to have it turn on her. She will be in my prayers too.

Earlymusicus, go get help. Take this message to the - nearest ER. You can do it, but

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your first job is to rescue yourself from this terrible mood. Best wishes.

Re: You're in my prayers sister - earlymusicus

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Thank you, everyone, for your support. It means so much to me - it makes me feel like I'm not so alone. Today's work work is so brutal, and if you're an older worker as I am (59) and a long-term unemployed person (a 99er) it's even more brutal. I made it through today, and it's because you care. You care. Thank you.

Just wanted you to know...s/m - X

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I'm thinking about you and will remember you in my prayers. You are never truly alone. ;)

Dead-on. And precisely why I'm not bothering to - go back to school to learn anything else.

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You are in my thoughts - What I have had to do

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I totally understand your situation. I had to file bankruptcy and almost lost everything, but now I have had to take on a third MT position. I was just barely making it on two and it has gotten worse. I will do this until I find something that pays and as long as I can physically do this. On one job I am an employee and when I paid for my benefits had only a few hundred dollars left over, the other two are IC positions. I too am sole support and it scares me, but I refuse to give in. I wouldn't even state your age, it is none of their business. It is not like any one of us stay for very long at any of the MTSO's these days. We can only take care of ourselves as this has become a selfish profession, the days of caring about employees has gone out of the window. I feel I don't have to account to anyone for my time, I don't have to do anyone else's dirty laundry, have to cook for them or entertain them and I like it. If I want to sit in my pajamas all day, I can do it without anyone remarking about it, and there are days when I don't get dressed. The downside to this profession it my back side has gotten bigger and my hands hurt at times. Hang in there, there is someone else in this world that has it worse.

It's almost hopeless - peewee

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I've gotten a new attitude regarding getting out of this life. Just sit back, don't worry and hope it happens soon. No more fear.

I agree with you - cant be too far off

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no fear

Well, as some of the ones who expect to stay behind, - We're seriously considering doing

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it maybe on a nice little farm near the coast. Have to wait and see what's available, of course. Since I understand there won't be a lot of advance notice, I'll take this chance to wish you a good trip. Sounds like it'll really be something.

Your situation - mt

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I'm sorry for the position you find yourself in, but the jobs have not, by any means all gone to India and beyond. If you have the skills, there are jobs. Keep trying. Threatening suicide on a public forum is never a good idea. I would recommend you contact a local mental health professional and see if you can get an appointment. Where you are is a terrible place to be. Hang in there.

Becky - Old Pro

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I am going to have to respectfully disagree in a friendly way. I file singly, I make really good money, and I have an excellent CPA. I would never cheat on my taxes, both because it is the law and for moral reasons, but I want every deduction to which I am LEGALLY entitled. I do very well, got a nice tax refund, and think the profession is changing, not dying. Because I am old (pushing 70!), I will be retiring soon, but may still do some MTing part-time to fund my travel needs. I was supporting myself very well in the 80s and 90s and still do well, although am not making as much. No one is. However, I am very grateful to have a good job, nice people to work with, and work to get up to every day. When I retire, I will not need to work so much from a financial viewpoint as just to have something to do. I feel blessed to be in a job I like a lot. Like any other career, there are toads (MQ, IMHO) and nice folks (like where I work now). You just have to overlook the bad and find a place where you can make it work. I look at the economy today versus the nineties. We invest, and I did well in the 90s. Post-2008 is quite another story! The stock market ate my lunch a couple of years ago but it is starting to bounce back. Bottom line: MT is changing but I doubt it will get back to its golden era. I hope I am wrong about that and I could be. I have been wrong about many things before. I think that there are many people in MT these days who do not belong here. It requires a specialized skill-set that not everyone has. I would love to be a civil engineer, but do not have the math skills to do it. So we all have different skills in different areas. I would tell newbies to definitely give it a try--just make sure you don't get hooked up with some of the matchbook schools out there! Unfortunately there are plenty of them these days. Don't think you are saving money by going to a cheapie school; you're not. It will cost you much more in the end when you have wasted what money you have and cannot get a job. (Alas, some of the so-called schools are on the DO NOT HIRE FROM lists of MTSOs.) All in all, MT still a good field, IMHO. Good luck to all.

MT is only worth doing if you've got a husband - to cover those big-ticket items - sm

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like rent/mortgage, car payment, repairs, major grocery shopping, Holiday gifts, household appliances.

If all you need is money for hairdressers, manicures, and entertainment, then MT is great.

MT IS worth doing if you are single - Nick

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I don't call making in the mid-40s too shabby. I can live on it.

I'd have to see the paycheck stubs to believe that one. - n/m

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WOW, just WOW - mt

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Why is it no one is being honest when they share a POSITIVE MT experience?

I make $53-55k. I'm single.

Because your experience doesn't reflect mine (or Nick's) really doesn't negate mine (or Nick's).

WOW - peewee

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You must not be doing much editing, if at all and probably work 80 hours a week. $50K? What year?

peewee - Nick

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I work 36 hours per week, no overtime, no editing, but have two high ESL accounts. Last year I made a little over 45K. (I know because I just filed my tax return.) This was for the tax year of 2010. Come on, people, stop setting the bar so low. I have many friends who are long-time MTs who make 50K. And yes, I do refuse to do editing.

mt - Nick

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I agree, WOW. Some people would rather dis others than work on their own skills. I know many MTs who make over 50K a year. These are people who have great training (not matchbook schools), who work hard, who regard this as a profession rather than a built-in babysitter, who are not distracted, who keep a schedule, etc. I guess it is easier to go the route of "I can't do it, so THEY cannot do it" route than be positive and work on improving their own skills. How sad.

There is an awful lot of - mter

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victim mentality, codependency, and defense of one's weaknesses. I am not sure why those who are so unhappy insist on staying in something that they feel makes them that way, and then feel threatened by those with an entirely different experience. Judging by the general lack of intolerance, it could be they don't get along well enough with people to take the headset off and interact in an office or somewhere else. Life is large. There are lots of other things to do.

My mother is like that. You just gave a perfect description of her. - sm

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I think the one good thing about being a victim is that you don't have to do anything hard or scary. And for scared, nervous people feeling safe and trapped is better than freedom and fear.

Too true, you guys. "Life is large." I like that. Sad we have - so many victims too busy

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resenting and hiding from responsibility to go embrace it. If nothing else, this forum would remind me that we're doing pretty good overall here on our little hill.

Yes, it's too true! - Nick

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It kind of reminds me of that saying that THERE ARE NO VICTIMS; THERE ARE ONLY VOLUNTEERS. No one can victimize you without your consent. To hear people whine endless kind of reminds me of that analogy: "I was just sitting there on the train tracks and this big train came along." So, get off the tracks! I once went through a long dry spell without work because the small MTSO I worked for went belly up. I mourned for a couple of days, then got off my duff and started searching again. Eventually I found a good gig.

I'm living off 32,000 but just discharged from bankruptcy - and house in foreclosure

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and moving in with daughter. When I bought my house I was in the 45 to 50,000 bracket. I am still thankful to have a job, which I must say I obtained 2 years ago in-house position, after having worked from home for 10 years.

So many have been hit like that. Don't know if it's - smart, but we took from retirement

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to take advantage of bargain-basement prices and buy a tiny property to be used as a vacation home. We're in the country here, a lot of gas from town, and that one's in the middle of a city, walking distance to stores, activities, and buses but backing to water, wildlife refuge, etc. Low taxes, small area to heat and cool, and the rationale was less self indulgence than that, if everything went wrong and we had to sell our home to pay medical bills say, or if we just got old and stopped working (could that really happen? :), we could always go live there permanently. We'll see how it works out.

But my thoughts weren't really wandering from you in all this: There are still a whole lot of properties out there selling for $20-50K, some requiring only $100 down. Having had the big house, the thought of living in a comfy little one of our own is actually quite pleasant. A real option. How about you?

So many have been hit - Nick

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A couple I know recently moved from San Francisco (a big-bucks city if there ever was one) to southern Florida and bought a nice two-bedroom home for 35K. True story! They cashed in their retirement and savings and paid cash at the closing, so there is no mortage. If you like Florida, you can get lots of bargains for around 20K.

Uhhuh. And a price-range search on a site like Zillow - will turn up many others in climate of choice. :)

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An agent told me that, as we come out of the worst of it, investors are now snapping the good ones up fast. That means owner occupiers have to move fast too (when we were ready to actually make an offer, we scanned for new listings every morning and evening, prepared to jump). Owner occupiers still have the price advantage, though, that we don't have to be able to turn them over for a quick profit. Some, like a lake view that caught my eye in Detroit for $20K, are in very bad neighborhoods, but others are very livable. Our modest but charming and respectable neighborhood of old homes, with water access and even waterfront for some, is priced sooo low even for this incredible foreclosure market because the one access street is through an industrial cannery area serviced by a train that brings in fresh veggies a few times a day. Fishermen used to live in those houses. People who want a "normal" residential neighborhood have literally thousands of alternatives, which drove prices where we bought into the subbasement. A walk down that same street the day we left, though, brought us to an open-air crafts fair in old town an easy walk farther on. Other nearby walks are over a magnificent bridge over an estuary and through a nature preserve.

I run on because lots and lots of wonderful opportunities to buy a home for incredibly little are still out there.

Manicures? - Anonymous

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What are those?

Seriously - Stereotype

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much?

So what does an old MT do? - Greta

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My resume has MT 20+ years. No one will hire me to do anything else. Let's face it, my experience as a biller in 1982 won't cut it today. We've already done the bankruptcy thing and just got the Making Home Affordable loan to save the house. In the 90s I was charging 14 cpl and now am making 8. It's depressing. No one wants to hire an almost 50 year old woman who's been typing all her life. Are there federal programs or $$$ to transition us? I just put an ad on CraigsList to do babysitting. It's just so sad that a career I was once so proud of having has turned into this. So sad.

Greta - Old Pro

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I am nearly 70 and my resume shows I have been an MT since 1968. It has not seemed to hinder me. How have you gone about job-hunting, may I ask? Please don't buy into the belief that no one will hire a 50-year-old woman who has been TRANSCRIBING (not "typing," please) all her life. I will hold a good thought for you.

Old Pro - Thank you! - mter

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Self-concept is what you sell. If you can't even see yourself as a transcriptionists as opposed to a typist, and believe no one will hire you at the ripe old age of 50, that will come true.

Do a skills-based resume. Google that. Transcriptionists possess more skills than just typing fast. Sell those skills and you'll find something.

Old Pro - Greta

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Thank you for at least making me smile! It really was an elite career. I remember being more important than the coders! Other than some experience as a med sec/rcpt in the early 80s, my resume is basically all transcription. So, how can I take that and make it sellable? I'd love to go back into a medical office, or even better behavioral health (here in FL there is a huge need for addiction counselors, etc). I present myself well, look younger than I am . . . I will google the "skills based" resume and spend some time working on a new me :)

Look at all your skills and attributes - mter

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Just to name a few....

Resilient to change. Entrepreneurial . Adept with current state-of-the art technology, software, etc. Quickly learns new programs. Knowledge of HIPAA. Detail-oriented. Deadline-oriented. Interacts with wide variety of people from doctors/management to clients and patients. In-depth knowledge of pathology and therapies, pharmaceuticals, medical terminology, etc. Accurate and responsible. Flexible. Punctual. Client-oriented. Self-starter.

Now describe any hobbies or skills outside of transcription. i.e. hobbies, volunteer work, managing a household, etc. See, the above doesn't scream "I only know how to do transcription!!!"

Wow - is that me??? - Greta

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I love it! Writing it all down now!

Greta - here is an assignment - Old Pro

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Of course, you don't have to do it since you don't work for me--:)--but you might find it helpful. Tonight before you go to bed, stop and think about your career and your five greatest strengths. List them. Think about them for a couple of days. I think you have far more to offer than you realize. If I were not ready to retire and still was an MTSO, I would hire you!

Old Pro - Greta

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Did you ever consider going into psychology? Thank you for making me open my eyes. I guess after so long in the field and going from grandeur to disgruntled affected my overall perception of my abilities. Unfortunately the field isn't what it was, but I still am great at it, right? Thank you for gently opening my eyes!

Greta - Old Pro

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I am glad things are going better for you. Yes, you are still great at it! And one thing we all need to remind ourselves--MT is the microcosm of a much greater problem--the world economy. We are in a depression (not a recession) and it affects all fields. Ours is more deeply affected because of the offshoring, etc. issue, but I know other people in other fields who are also having a rough time. I do believe that every tough cycle has to end. Hang in there. Things will change, perhaps slowly, but they will change! Take care of yourself!

That's super - long-time MT

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Love the skills/attributes description. I know a lot of "seasoned" MTs who would be flattered at such a description of job skills they possess. This is still a wonderful, respected profession and will be for a very long time. I will always believe that. Thank you for perking up the days of a few. :-)

Greta - mt2

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I'm mid 50s and have been transcribing since the mid 70s. Like Old Pro, I don't have any trouble finding MT jobs. I also have ventured out into the general business world and have been able to use my decades of being a disciplined home worker (remember it's all in how you sell yourself) to get hired for jobs outside of MT as well.

Your post indicates a sense of defeat and I would encourage you to pick your head up and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Others will believe in you too!

Thank you mt2 - Greta

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You're right, I was feeling defeated but there have been so many wonderful people on this site making it seem so possible again! I'd never heard of a functional resume before! I also have to remember the ladies who've always wished they could work at home and raise their children . . . I have been able to do that. I feel a bit better now!

Uhh WRONG!! - sm

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Yes, things are tight, but I make my own car payment, insurance, I pay all the utility bills for our home, health insurance for myself and our child, clothing, gas, and paid for her childcare when I worked in-house. It depends on where you are and who you are working for, how much you will make.

Thank you... - Becky

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Thank you, everyone, for sharing your experiences here. I think this thread has been positive, someone is being lifted up in prayer and many have said they CAN live on MT income as a single person and even get back a nice refund. That is encouraging to hear...I know it is not everyon'e situation, but it is encouraging to hear. Thanks everyone.

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and maybe it doesn't make sense, but if you bring a patient's ADT info in through ADT and it says whether the pt is M or F, you'd think the ASR could be programmed to read that particular gender and then use it throughout the report, whether the dictator said he/she or him/her. I don't know...it was just something that crossed my mind while correcting the umpteenth ASR report with gender inconsistencies, when the dictator clearly stated the correct gender in the first p ...

Dec 29, 2009

Lately I have been setting a timer for an hour and have actually done this for a long time, just to see what I do in an hour... seems of late is getting harder to make more than 18.00 to 20.00 an hour... and I have 28 yrs experience... seems to me something has been set that makes it impossible to do any better, no matter the dictators, the difficulty of the dictation, etc, etc. etc... Anyone else seem to think something is up? Not mentioning company... ...

Sep 20, 2011

Doncha just love it when you get an email from the supervisor about a client complaining about the errors in his reports, and there's an error in the email? LOLOL ...

Jan 29, 2012

It is my opinion that transcription, whether it be standard or voice, will be replaced altogether in the very near future. There may be some little independent offices or hospitals that continue, but not for long. I say this for 2 reasons. One is that the hospital I worked for locally started withe EHR about 5 years ago and the introduction of VR about 3 years ago with the push for the doctors to do their own "point & click" type of transcription. The software made a ...

May 11, 2012

Maybe it's just me, maybe it's because it's Friday. However, I am lucky enough to be filling in blanks on some standard reports with just left vs right. My shortcuts are L for left and R for right. Have you ever noticed that L is on your right hand and R is on your left? For some strange reason, I'm having trouble getting that today!! Maybe some wine after my shift will help me feel better. ...

Oct 27, 2009

Don't you wonder why when you were in school you were told about how many jobs there were out there, how your income was endless and depended on how much work you wanted to do? I do have a job, not one that I can live off of, I earn about $200 every other week, but still, at least I have a job. I look at the job board and see how many people have viewed each job and wonder...at least it is just not me, where is the work? I wish that when I was researching school and such that they woul ...

Dec 26, 2009

I am in need of any help I can get.....I was trained as a medical transcriptionist in the late 80's and transcribed for approx 2 years. I am now trying to get back into the field and needless to say my training from back then is not what employers today want. SO my situation involves some major confusion. Here goes, 1. Schools-----OH MY GOD all of them claim to be the best, all claim that they have what you need, etc.....I am looking for some ...

Jan 24, 2012

Been out there a long time. People are either cut-throat, manipulative and shmooze, or your best friend to your face, yet clickish and cruel. (and I SO missed high school) Since when is all of that necessary? Want something? ASK ME DIRECT and if I cannot help you - STOP THERE. Something I said in confidence rub you wrong? TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. ESPECIALLY WHEN I SENSE IT AND FLAT OUT ASK. I'm so tired of the games p ...

Feb 18, 2012

Years I ago I was able to assign {} to the F11 key and when I hit the F11 key in would jump to the next field in my document which was indicated by a {}. I had all my docs set up this way and never had a problem until about six months ago. Does anyone know how to do this. It was a huge time saver especially in docs that are repetitive. thanks for any help. ...

Jul 29, 2013

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Jun 23, 2014

i am considering a career as a medical transcriptionist and would like to contact someone in the fiield. Is this a good field. Are jobs available. What can I epect to earn? ...

Oct 26, 2009

is MT a dying field?? i hear voice recogintion will make mts obsolete plus companies are outsourcing work to India. ...

Mar 01, 2010

How long do you think MT'ing will be around? I'm going back to school to become a social worker, something i've always wanted to do, and need the income while i'm in school. In fact, today was my first day. Its an online course and it will take some adjusting, but I feel its time. I'm following a dream, MT'ing was supposed to be temporary but it is such a cushy job, who would want to leave it? I think the problem is, there ...

Mar 03, 2010

What would be the best way to get into another field? I have been doing neurology now for about 6 years and I am very interested in getting into something else, and really this is the only field I know because I havent had practice with anything else. Im just getting kind of bored with the neurology lingo. If I were to apply for a job that is hiring in a different field, would they consider me a "newby"? Has anyone ever been hired for a field they have no ex ...

Mar 03, 2010

I'm just curious is all. I've been reading for months a lot of posts of people who are unhappy, their going to leave, telll their bosses off, they deserve more, etc, etc. It's literally been going on months. I have a job I like, it pays lower than all the people here say they get paid, but I like it. There are times we run out of work, but I make due (and I'm a one income family, so is distressing sometimes), but I like my doctors and my supervis ...

Mar 07, 2010

I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was very independent and a home body. I'm also very disciplined and prefer to work alone. When I made more than my friends with degrees, I stayed...I feel like a criminal for how much I got paid for how little I do. Easy money, ability to stay home, no managers lurking over shoulder. We are the last man on the totem pole here in the medical "profession" and we are getting cut out. It was too good to last forever. ...

Mar 26, 2010

You know the MT field is bad when even the fly-by-night "work-at-home" make $20 an hour companies don't even advertise for MT anymore. My husband has been job hunting and we've been checking the online job search engines daily. I haven't seen one single ad like we used to see on the matchbook covers. Now they have a different scheme. It's all work at home in call centers and make $20 an hour. ...

Jun 16, 2010

Does anybody know the particulars of the legislation that was passed back in the 1950s (I think) that really started our field by making it a law that documentation of health care had to be typewritten? ...

Oct 15, 2010

I am going to be anonny as I do not want people to know who I am and call me lazy or whatever they decide to call me. I lost a job not long ago, found another one for peanuts, but am going to turn them down as I can get more unemployment. Plus with unemployment, I know how much I can count on each week. It is steady. I know it will not last forever, but.... I am just tired of the stress and worry of is there going to be any work. At least now I know how much I ...

Mar 23, 2011

Why can't it just go back to the way it was? Those of us who have been transcribing for 20+ years are kind of hurting now, or anyway I am. I used to have a service, had no middle men, no corporate people to support. This was back in the 80's, and the only limitations I had were demographics. If I took work too far away, I had to have more and more delivery people, but at that time, there were only a hand full of transcriptionists. Those were the days of "a line is a line", "pica ...

Mar 28, 2012

I hope you'll watch this video about photojournalists. It's very interesting all on its own, but particularly how the major news agencies are refusing to pay for professional quality and using free amateur photos instead. In particular, I would like you to observe what the expert Ed Greenberg says about how photojournalists are viewed by the news agencies - as "passive and childlike". People who are too timid to protest the way they are being treated. People ...

Jul 16, 2012

Unit clerks, physical therapy aides, central service techs, radiology techs, housekeeping...anyone but us? And the main difference is - we work at home alone, disorganized and unable to do anything for ourselves. They know this, and they exploit it. ...

Nov 21, 2012

Does this sound family to anyone at all familiar with oncology? Thanks to all who help! ...

Dec 29, 2012

Do you use the title of MLS instead of MT? Is that the more appropriate title we have now according to AHDI? Do recruiters or office personnel know what an MLS is or what we do? Medical language specialist certainly sounds more professional to me, a specialist at something, but I wonder if interviewers are going to ask me what an MLS does and I have to explain. Maybe I should just stick with MT. What do you put on your resume? Thanks. ...

Mar 25, 2013

After reading everyone's posts about how these companies are always running out of work, but always hiring, it's very discouraging to even apply for a position. I'm currently PRN with a clinic that is suppose to be going EMR sometime this year and I've been out of work for the last 5 days. No work = No pay!!! I got on here to see what everyone was saying about some of the companies out there I could apply with for part-time work and it's just so discour ...

Apr 26, 2013

dictated: experiencing ASR interpretation: extirpated dancing in her I had to look up extirpated!!!!!! ...

Feb 19, 2015

I would like to re-enter medical transcription field after 4 years of retirement. Any suggestions on how and what to do to re-enter. Is there a short review course that could be helpful? ...

Aug 03, 2010

In our speech machines in DocQmanage Enterprise Platform, we can either go to member longin or "About DocQment Enterprise Platform". In DocQment Enterprise Platform it actually states "Solutions include interactive speech recognition for clinician SELF-EDITING" and shows a picture of 2 doctors looking at a computer screen editing. Then go to upper right and open up Duke Primary Care and the case study. Duke Primary Care improves their process with SpeechQ. Rea ...