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

Pay Attention, MTSOs! - Backwoods Typist

Posted: Feb 19, 2015

Hey MTSOs, I think you need to pay attention. According to a news release, Wal-Mart is INCREASING their minimum wage pay to $9 by April of this year and then no less than $10 by February 2016. Pretty bad when a local grocery chain knows how to treat their employees better than you do...not bring then down like you do. They are trying to shed their bad image. MTSOs...I bet you dont have the grapes to do the same thing WITHOUT raising production requirements. No grapes at all!

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/wal-mart-give-40-pct-workers-pay-raises-29072683

wal-mart - me

[ In Reply To ..]
Wal-Mart, here I come!!!

Wal-Mart - Applied at Cosco

[ In Reply To ..]
There were listings on Craigslist in the Denver Metro area for those demonstrators you see at Costco. They play $11.50 an hour and it is part time. I immediately applied. I have got to get out of this line of work. My work is dwindling down to nothing lately. If I am lucky, I will make $800.00 for this month. I do work part time, not enough work for full time, but that is pretty sad and who knows what is going on with this account. All I know is every MT seems to be on 24/7. So if I hear back from Cosco and get hired, I will take it; at least it is a start. Not as glamorous as Wal-Mart, but somehow I'll manage! LOL I will still keep my MT job. I am going to hang on as long as it lasts, but I do need to find something else. This just totally sucks!

Hope you get it. Costco is supposed to be a - GREAT employer with

[ In Reply To ..]
satisfied employees. Waay better than Wal Mart. Pays much more too, I understand. We are starting to get one in our area, and I'm keeping an eye out. I'd starve before I'd work for Wal Mart.

Costco info - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I was watching the video "Inequality for All" on Netflix, and one of the people interviewed was a Costco employee. She was asked what she was getting paid and she said, $22.00 an hour.

(oops ... I think I should have issued a coffee alert)

Are you in Mobile Alabama because one is being built right now here nm - Gigi

[ In Reply To ..]
I live in Mobile and have looked, but they are not accepting applications yet. It should be up in about a month or two here.

Ten whole dollars an hour? - Think twice

[ In Reply To ..]
Wow! Out of that, single moms are expected to pay for day care and keep food on the table for their families. Wal-Mart is famous for keeping hours part-time so they don't have to provide insurance, so that comes out of an employees check too. If you are looking for better wages and perks than what you currently get, I'm not sure Walk Mart would be the place to go.

Pay Attention to Wal-Mart - They could care less

[ In Reply To ..]
They could pay $20/hour and these companies could care less. The way they treat their employees just goes to show how little they care. Slave treatment, slave wages, and yet they are getting rich and we are suffering beyond belief. Just need to get out. I logged on to work today and there were 12 dictations from today and I probably did 4. It is a feeding frenzy and the owner could care less. No explanation why there isnâ��t any work and she wonâ��t cut back on staff, because she figures, if you donâ��t like it, quit. As long the work is getting done and I am getting my $$, who cares about you. They want 100% and they give 0%, except a measly paycheck and some of those companies out there donâ��t even do that. How many MTs have been screwed over w/o pay? I have. I donâ��t know how this happened, but it has and for the life of me, I cannot understand the horrible treatment they dish out and the QA scores and docking you for the most minute thing, like a comma. GAWD, who does that? Only in transcription. I hear other people talk about their jobs and what they get and what they make and they donâ��t have to know half of what we know or are they under the pressure that we are either and you know what, they like their jobs. I know there are bad ones out there, but I swear I cannot think of anything that could be worse than being an MT in this day and age.

Wal-Mart - Backwoods Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
I know what you mean by not being able to stand it much longer. I know how a lot of my fellow MTs feel because we are all being beat down, drug down and made to feel like scat under their designer shoes. At this point, Wal-Mart and other jobs are starting to look real good, my only problem is my commute. I have at least 30 minutes one way on a good day. Im honestly trying to hold on until spring when all the snow threat is over with.

Its bad when a company who has a bad stigma about them would want to shed that. Kudos for Wal-Mart! At least they realize how hard it is to really live off of minimum wage, at least those with the lowest at 7.25. NOBODY can live on that, but like you said, they do not care because their pockets get padded. Karma is waiting and I hope I am around to sit and watch them get what's coming to them. In fact, I'd buy a round.

The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that there are others that feel and go through the exact same thing I do every day. Coming here and being able to read that someone else feels just like I do helps tremendously. Coming here and venting helps as does warning people to stay away. I would not wish this treatment on my worst enemy (well...let's not get too far ahead here!), but sooner or later the MTSOs will push their workforce too far, or a huge mistake will be made by one of the overseas workers, and then the tables will turn. Either way, I wanna see them go down. Like is said, give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves. Never wish bad luck on someone...it can always bounce and come back to you.

I hope one day we are all set free from our "chains" and we no longer are asked why our fingers were not moving for 5 minutes...probably during a time when my head was down and I was bawling like a baby out of frustration. Good luck to you...good luck to us all.

To Backwoods - Try another WAH job

[ In Reply To ..]
There are other work at home jobs out there besides transcription. Someone posted about American Health Connection which does scheduling. I contacted them, but they only want full time, so you might try that and I think there is a job posted here regarding a similar position. Also rental car agencies hire at home workers. Just start doing research and see what you can find. I know it is hard for a lot of MTs who live in rural areas and at the low wages some of these places pay, the commute just isn't worth it. I live in the city or south of Denver in Littleton and I turn my nose up at jobs that only pay $10/hour; might as well transcribe and I would be happy to do that, but I can't rely on steady work, even part time. For a while there the work was off the charts, but she lost that account, of course not telling us. I just gathered from the signature lines on the QA e-mails, so she hired a whole lotta MTs and probably kept them, figuring they would drop off one by one. I have been with this company for four years and it is a dream account and the best QA ever, but I typed 4 reports today and those are clinic notes, not hospital reports, so you can only imagine my line count; a pittance. I hope you can at least find something else and get away from this type of work, it is the worst. Someone posted on the M*Modal site, it is a "torture chamber." No truer words were spoken.

WAH jobs - Backwoods Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
I have looked at other WAH jobs, my only caveat is my internet. I have satellite (Hughesnet) and its rare to find someone that will take satellite. I do not think even Nuance takes satellite, but since I came with a takeover, I have worked at home with satellite with really few issues. Believe me when I say I am looking daily to every other day on indeed.com for jobs, both remote and locally.

Like you said, when you like in a rural place, you have to make sure that driving to that job is worth it. No use to have a job and be car broke. I am currently going to school (was NOT an easy decision to go back) and hope that eventually I can find something else in my new career field. The thing I have noticed more and more is that employers are requiring candidates to have either Associate or Bachelor degrees for relatively simple jobs. An Associate degree required for a janitor? Really?

Had I known what this field was becoming 8 years ago, I would have chosen a different field, but it was good while it lasted. The pay is low, that's for sure. I am married, so that is basically the only thing keeping us from drowning. I don't like being micromanaged as to when my fingers are moving or not. If they paid a decent wage and the management better, then more MTs would be willing to work for them. But they do not and they do not care. The ultimate goal is to do away with us like pieces of trash in exchange for sending what work is still there to India or wherever, justifying to their clients that they cannot get enough US MTs to work for them. I wish their clients knew the real truth, but getting them to believe it from a plain Jane like myself would be like talking to a cinder block wall. They don't care in the end either...cause they have more money in their pockets.

I have almost lost my faith through this whole entire experience of working for an MTSO, but it has come back and I am more determined than ever to get out of MT once and for all. I won't look back other than to say I met some really nice ladies in the process, who have become some of my closest friends. I cannot say that being in MT was a total loss...there was some good that came of it.

These MTSOs will hang themselves eventually, just give them enough rope. I hope every single one of us is able to get out from under these slave drivers and find something more deserving of our time and skill.

You're waiting for spring, too? - gonesoon

[ In Reply To ..]
So am I. I want to move to Minnesota, nearer Minneapolis. Hoping job market will be better, but who knows.

Minnesota - frosty

[ In Reply To ..]
Minnesota has the 5th lowest unemployment in the US. There are job openings everywhere. The retail stores have signs on windows looking for help. Highway bulletin board signs are advertising for help. The newspaper has pages of help wanted ads. It is a great place to live and our highway departments do a very good job of clearing the roads when it snows. That said, I am still doing home MT so I can stay warm and toasty and take care of my old dogs.

Don't know if this is true, but I heard even McDonald's hires at $18 an hour - in Minnesota, sm

[ In Reply To ..]
this info came from a friend who has friends who moved to Minnesota about 2 years ago and have been living and working there ever since because of the employment situation being better there.

There are probably areas - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Areas in some of the wealthy, wealthy neighborhoods probably pay that much. I think around where I live, it is probably more like $10 to $12 per hour.

Minnesota - gonesoon

[ In Reply To ..]
I was up there last fall for vacation - was checking out a town I thought might be nice to move to. The roads were great, really liked the town and the people, felt really comfortable. Am looking forward to going up again next fall, if I can.

Couldn't care less. They could not care - any-less-

[ In Reply To ..]
than they do now.

MTSOs will never change until forced to do so.... - suzieQ559

[ In Reply To ..]
my pet peeve is their screaming at us when reports are out of TAT, and we all know why, because they have to pay fines. BUT, when they is no work, do they care about the MT sitting in front on their desk not making a dime?

Similar Messages:

Feb 09, 2011

I am really amazed at the mentality of people on this board regarding testing. "Geez my personal identity will be stolen etc., yet you are MTs and most of you use cell phones, etc, but have no worries about sending or receiving text messages and having your identity stolen, but you are PARANOID about taking a test -- ie personal information being given. Well yes, my computer was "hacked" but I do not believe it was from MTTEST. If you go into the private sector ...

Apr 21, 2014

Please note the posts in re: KEYS THAT PLEASE. This company *may* be legitimate but they are requesting as part of a test process files up to 32 minutes long, that I believe are *also* current files. A lot of newer MTs (and even not so new) may not realize this can be a red flag for scammers - people looking to get a backlog cleared up for 'free' under the guise of hiring for a true position. Could you consider posting a warning to all posters to be careful about t ...

Mar 12, 2013

Make sure you enter it as jury duty and not "excused no pay." Your CCM may tell you to enter it as the latter but in most if not all states, your employer is required to pay you. ...

Sep 05, 2013

Just need to let off some steam in case a UNM Manager happens to read this board. So tired of all your perky little emails about how the team has to "pull together" on the weekends and show UNM "what this great team is made of." FYI...this team is made of tired MTs typing their fingers to the bone, already having given up on reaching that bonus that barely exists. Getting repeatedly warned about answering emails you send to us DEMANDING overtime responses, while ...

Jan 08, 2014

This is my first time posting, but I hope you can be of help. Is the glucose in the CMP ever expressed as a decimal? I have always thought it a whole number. I left a blank after the glucose value where there was a definite audio blip ending in "point 1." I assumed this was the calcium value and doc cut the beginning off. The account auto sends all blanks regardless of reason to QA. ...

Apr 14, 2015

Nuance is required to pay for your 10-minute rest breaks separately and clearly display it on your pay stub. You are owed 1 hour of pay for every day PAID breaks are not provided going back 3 years. Their nonsense of stating breaks are figured into your line pay is illegal since when you log out to take a break, your production stops. Contact your local labor commission. ...

May 10, 2011

I have a PC with Vista and a PC with Windows 7 and it is done differently than Windows XP. Thought I would never figure it out. Here goes.... Go to <control panel> Click on <Ease of Access Center> Click on <Set up High Contrast> Click on <Choose a High Contrast Color Scheme> A box labeled <Appearance Settings> will come up. There will be a drop down box with different choices. I don't think it matters which theme you choose.&n ...

Feb 07, 2012

not been ONE SINGLE LINE so far in any report that has not needed editing in some fashion. Not ONE SINGLE LINE. Usually multiple things in every line including stupid little words it leaves out, stupid things it adds, repetition by the doctor that it cannot discern, blatant errors of the ASR, punctuation, numbering, and on and on and on --- for 60% of my line rate? If there are folks who have great ASR and can just breeze through with a cursory proofread, more power t ...

Feb 08, 2013

to the endless QAing is done. Do you read intensely, do you learn much, is it tossed, is it sort of a maze for you to go through? Have worked a lot of years, never seen any company this intense on putting its workers through a wringer. I would say some there have the confidence of a slug with all this baloney. ...

Mar 19, 2010

Good thing I signed up for those Friday hours, only to get NJA. What a bunch of Butt Face Jerks. ...

Nov 22, 2012

they blame it on the transcriptionists. I get told that this must be the way the transcriptions are editing the output. Are there really that may bad/horrible transcriptionists in the company??? I don't believe there are that many poor transcriptions..... unless they are using ILP's to train the ASR. Maybe that is the question I should be asking: Is the output so poor because you (the software techs) including ILP editing?? ...

Dec 22, 2013

I've included a link about a bill that proposes stricter definition/penalties for misclassifying employees/ICs. We all know this is rampant in this industry; who would you contact about this? http://www.pepperlaw.com/publications_update.aspx?ArticleKey=2792 ...

Nov 12, 2011

"the importance of smoking sensation was reviewed" one more time, I'm going to lose my mind! Doing a string of notes by the world's laziest, fastest dictator. So tempted to transcribe verbatim and see what happens! ...

Aug 31, 2011

Just a few years ago I was making 50K plus doing the same exact thing I am now getting paid 10-12 dollars an hour for. Does anybody know the real reason for this dramatic change? the details? ...

Dec 20, 2011

When will you MTSOs wise up and realize that pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages of account specs for nitpicky docs SLOW DOWN YOUR MTs? If you had any sense, you would use standardized headings in all reports and then turn that into a positive by telling prospective clients that it expedites turnaround of their reports. That is *exactly* what I did back when I owned my company, and it worked!&n ...

May 25, 2012

If you want experienced qualified MTs who have been doing this for years and years & can do any WT, any accent, any specialty, adapt to any software quickly.... quit requiring them to include a weekend day. Save those for part-timers or newbies. The experienced "oldies" have done their graveyard and weekend time. There are actually some companies who "get" that. If you're wondering why you can't find good experienced MTs, maybe that's why... ...

May 26, 2013

Hello! I'm a small MTSO who had lost some clients due to EMR. I'm not yet ready to give up as of yet because I love this profession very much being in the MT business for the past 11 years. I have heard stories about more and more doctors getting frustrated with EMR and would still want to dictate parts of the medical reports but somehow needed the transcribed dictation interfaced with their own EMR system. I'm very interested to learn how this is done so I can o ...

Mar 31, 2014

Honestly, I hate change but I am ready to jump. I don't ask too much, just to know if I get audited by QA the intent is not to take money off me. From what I can see, both the two big 2 - Nuance and MModal - use QA punitively financially, and while I have no objection to QA, when it is used to pick off MT pay I find that reprehensible and not an incentive to work your heart out, if you get what I mean. If anyone cares to share their company's policies, especially if they don't ...

Sep 05, 2014

on an employee status? Would love to get out of the big N, but I don't want to be an IC at my age. ...

Feb 09, 2015

That would make things much easier for us to plan ahead the rest of our shift; whether to sit there and wait for work, or if we only will be working part of a shift and the work runs out, or if we can sign out and do other things in our personal life that need to be done. I can't see that it's that big a problem or inconvenience for you to simply send an email to all on the account, or instant message, or whatever. You do it when you're begging for he ...

Oct 20, 2009

I could be wrong, but it appears to me that the VR came about as an answer to the problem of offshoring. I am sure many clients prefer to keep their dictation/transcription right here in the USA and request that from the companies they use. Maybe we should not be so adverse to it, as it could be the only means of keeping the work here affordably. ...

Nov 12, 2009

How do you handle using subcontractors (IC's) and still be HIPAA and HITECH compliant? I guess what I'm getting at is after I did some reading on IRS rules for employee versus IC, it sounds almost impossible to have IC and be HIPAA/HITECH compliant. One says I have to provide training/education on HIPAA, yet the other ones says I can't provide training/education otherwise they are an "employee." One says I can't dictate how the work station is set up, etc., but t ...

Dec 17, 2009

Is this just a scam so that employers don't have to pay benefits and employer taxes? I bet if there was an audit, most ICs and MTSOs would be in trouble for using that classification improperly, especially for the full-time positions. I even applied for a full-time secretarial job in a small law office recently, and was told I would be hired as a contractor with no benefits. I was stunned and declined. I need to check with the labor department to see if some of my concern ...

Mar 09, 2010

I have finally been offered 2 jobs after working for a company that required experienced MTs but only pays 24,000 a year - that's right, I am eligible for poverty-level discounts on my utilities while working fulltime as a seasoned MT, making the highest line count on my account. So, I wonder how I can ask: How much money can I expect to make? I want to make 40 grand a year at least. ...

Apr 14, 2010

Let me introduce myself. I am a full time MT with 25 years experience in this business, averaging typing 2000 lines per day, audit scores 98% and above, who willingly works OT when requested, and I have never taken a sick day. I consider my job a serious employment commitment. I am the bread-winner in my family. I don't say this to indicate I make the most money. This means I PAY THE BILLS. You know, mortgage, car payments, insurance, light bill, food on the ta ...

May 06, 2010

I am just curious at what point you stop looking at resumes that have been emailed to you after posting a job. Is it 50? 100? More or less? If I have been away from the board for a bit and come back to find a job that has been posted that I am interested in, if there are more than 200 views to it I generally move on and do not bother with applying. I figured that with that many viewing probably half or more have applied and sending my resume at that point would be ...

Jun 15, 2010

I'm not an MTSO, never was, and never would be if I could help it. In one of the threads below someone mentioned that some larger MTSOs hold it against someone if they post something on a forum like this. I put myself in the position of the MTSO for a moment. What would I do if someone contacted me and told me that one of the MTs that was working for me was trashing me on a public forum. I would go look at it. If I knew who they were, I wouldn't send them any additional work. It wouldn ...

Jul 27, 2010

Let's get to the point here on why most MTSOs are greedy. It is not because the MT makes mistakes or should make mistakes. That is not the issue. The real issue is that MTSOs don't pay what a quality MT is worth! That's where the "greedy" comes in. It also shows that the MTSO obviously doesn't really care about the transcriptionist at all. If an MTSO pays really low, this says to me they are treating the MTs as robot "worker bees" work ...

Jul 29, 2010

Man...sometimes I'm sorry I upgraded to Windows 7 64 bit last October. It is not compatible with many MTSOs' tech, so I can't apply. ...

Jun 23, 2011

I have worked for a company for almost two years now (MT for 11 years) and am wondering why, all of the sudden, for about a week now I have been getting nothing but dictators that I am not familiar with. They are part of my pool and I have had dictations from them in the past, but never exclusively. I have only gotten two dictations in this time period from the dictators for whom I normally transcribe. I understand wanting everyone on the team to be familiar with all ...