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

Realistic salary for a newbie? - raquel

Posted: Nov 20, 2013

I see a lot of courses claiming that starting salary can be anywhere from $25-$40K per year. I used to work as a word processor years ago and I still type 80+wpm, so I think I'd be good at this job. So what is realistic to expect in the first year as far as salary?

Ah, Raquel... - ...where to begin....

[ In Reply To ..]
With rare exceptions, this is rapidly turning into a minimum wage job.

Re: Ah, Raquel... - ...where to begin.... - raquel

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I realize this is just a job, that's all I'm looking for. I'd just like some feedback on what is reasonable to expect as far as first year earnings if working full-time. I'd really like to hear from MTs that have started working this year. Thanks.

It IS reasonable to expect minimum wage - Dori

[ In Reply To ..]
Only hearing from new MTs isn't going to tell you anything. Most of us make the same crap wages. Most companies have a set pay, meaning you start there, you end there - you will NEVER get a raise. You will find it very difficult to find a job where you actually type out the report. Most of what you will do is voice recognition which means you will simply be "editing" what a junk system puts out. How many words per minute you can type means absolutely nothing in that case. Most companies now treat you worse than a dog. You will be scrutinized to death and will lose your sanity and self respect quickly. These are all reasonable expectations. To dismiss these facts simply because you only want to hear from new MTs who have not had the will to live beaten out of them yet is not doing yourself any favors. If you don't need the money then go volunteer somewhere and save yourself the heartache.

raquel - AM

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No one will hire a newbie. Nick was right; give it up.

As of this past summer, I was making LESS - than min. wage, & Im a 35-year veteran MT.

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*

It all depends on what type of accounts and who you - are transcribing for

[ In Reply To ..]
I'll try and be truthful and to the point without sounding negative, although it's hard not to be negative.

There is no salary really for a newbie, unless you go into an office to work. In 1997 at my first job as an MT in an office setting I made $10.50 fresh out of school.

As an independent contractor that salary varies. It all depends on which system I use (VR versus regular typing). It also depends on the dictator. If you get Dr. Mishobenopalograpery chances are you will make less than if you type for Dr. Smith. Because my pay keeps going down I've now started keeping track of what I make for the day divided by the number of hours worked. My pay rate right now for a bad day is around $3.15 an hour. For a good day I'm getting around $6. an hour and if I have a really good day I get $9. Just all depends. The reason why my pay is so low is mostly due to VR. Sometimes the reports are so bad almost 80% of it has to be retyped, cut pasted, words removed and words added in that the doctor said that the system didn't have in the report. Also having to change things like for instance doctor dictated "was able to be removed". The system had "with stapes in the skin" (had to be changed). The doctor said "after being trimmed to the appropriate length on each end". The system had "The patient currently on each end". Doctor dictated "The tissue expander". The system had "for all which".

Very frustrating and another day of lousy pay for me. This is the norm.

OP, this is the real deal. As a noob, expect even less. - nm - In-House Lead

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.

I didn't read other responses, but wpm is probably what will least determine your income - at first anyhowNM

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x

Realistic salary - Rainwoman

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4 cents a line x 200 lines per hour x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks = $16,640 a year. 4 cents is the going line rate for VR for experienced MTs. 200 lines per hr. is slightly above the minimum required at Nuance, for example, and somewhere around what a newbie might do, if trained. 40 hours a week is IF there's enough work, which is not common these days and you would probably work less. Those courses are lying to get your tuition money! Sorry, but 80 wpm means little these days, you won't be doing much straight typing.

Even if you can type 80 wpm, editing VR will - ruin your typing speed in short order.

[ In Reply To ..]
I had to pretty much relearn to type when I decided to leave my job using VR for a large national MT service. VR reduces a skilled typist to hunt-n-peck.

As things currently stand, you'll be lucky to - scrape by on $800-$900/month.

[ In Reply To ..]
Unless you're a citizen of India, then you might do a little better. But not much.

She only types 80-90 so I think you have - priced her too high

[ In Reply To ..]
Might do 5 or 6$, let's see, oh well she might do $800 a month but she has to learn first, not be able to get a job after that unless she has experience and then try to work and get up that 80-90. I see her balloon being burst very shortly.

Sorry - Realistically

[ In Reply To ..]
Knowing how to type does not mean that you would be good at transcription. Many hiring managers actually make that mistake.

Agree. It's ranked last on an MT skill set, OP. - nm - In-House Lead

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.

These responses don't make sense... - raquel

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IF the pay is so bad, then why are there so many people working as MTs?

Because the schools have lied to you and sm - anon

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told you, you can make 40,000 a year. Some MTs in a small company after a few years under his/her belt, can make that much but most places don't pay more than 7 cpl for straight transcription and most companies have 90% voice recognition and only pay 3 to 4 cpk for that! Sorry, but that's the truth!

Because a lot of us have 25+ years in and its too late - to get a college degree in anything else

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

These responses don't make sense - Rain woman

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Many MTs are leaving. Many use it as a supplement to other income so they can stay home with kids or they're disabled, etc. Many can't find other work, having been an MT for many years and are stuck in low wage work. Check the help wanted ads for pay rate. Call a few local clinics and see if any hire MTs. Do your own research if you don't believe the people who answered you. Just don't believe those who stand to profit from running bogus schools that will train you for such a crappy job.

One more thing... - Rainwoman

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If the answers here don't make sense to you, go on some of the MT forums on LinkedIn. You'll find the answers are similar, but if you need a second opinion...

You don't make sense - Cluckinhen

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A lot of MTs have decades in this field and it is hard if not impossible for them to get out. Others were sold a bunch of lies about how they could stay home with their children, work in their pajamas and make $40,000 a year, and now are realizing they can barely get enough work to make minimum wage. We get complacent about our situation and don't know what else to do. Many are getting out, including myself. Still many others are jumping onto the coding train, which I think will also end up derailing some day. Look up these things for yourself. This site is not the only resource out there. Don't shoot the messenger. You asked for realistic expectations. You got them and don't like what you are hearing.

Re: You don't make sense - Cluckinhen - raquel

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Maybe you should actually read what I wrote. I haven't made any mention about not liking the answers. Only a few have actually answered my questions. I'm asking questions that apparently are too sensitive. What doesn't make sense is why anyone would continue to work for minimum wage. Then I read posts by MTs who make a decent living and I wonder, how bad can it really be? So I will do research, but it looks like I need to connect with some successful MTs as well.

Raquel - Truth about MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, most of this does make sense. If you are determined to work as an MT, just know what you are facing. I was one of the successful ones with a great on site job that paid hourly. I made 40K+ last year but then my employer pulled the plug and the entire department got laid off, the work went overseas. Also, I've done this for 30 years and it took a while to work my way up the ladder, don't expect to start at that salary. You can pretty much kiss good-bye any chance of a job that pays an hourly wage; it is all production pay now and voice recognition editing, so your 80 WPM typing speed doesn't mean much. You might do better if you work as an independent contractor or for a smaller company. I guess my concern is that you were led to believe that if you can type fast you can transcribe. Anyone who has done this for any length of time knows that it takes much more; knowledge of terminology in all medical specialties, anatomy and physiology and pharmaceutical terms. It also requires the ability to reason and use good judgment to know if what the doctor says makes any sense. I think people explained why they continue to work for minimum wage. Unfortunately, for people in their 50s and 60s it is difficult to get out and start new careers. Do your research and connect with some "successful MTs" away from this board, but know that things have changed drastically for all of us and it will not be easy for anyone starting out. I think we answered your questions but didn't tell you what you wanted to hear.

Oh, dear, typing 80-90 wpm, laughing here - Seriously?

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My speed is like 130-140 wpm. Today I made $16.00 per hour and believe me when I say MOST here are not making that an hour. You say you need to connect with successful MTs? What makes you think you got the unsuccessful? Be realistic. People are telling you the truth which you seem to want to downplay. I am not relying anymore on full time because probably if so I could not make enough to pay for everything. Mine is more chump change now and with your speed of 80-90, oh you might expect to make say maybe $5.00 to $6.00 an hour if that. You said you were asking questions too sensitive? Nah, we MTs have heard much more than a question about how much a newby could make in their first year or 2nd or 3rd or forever.

But, but, but - you do not understand

[ In Reply To ..]
The OP is special. She used to do word processing, so clearly she is a cut above all of us. She doesn't really know what an MT does or what is involved in the job, but she knows she'd be good at it. She used to do word processing. We're just a bunch of dumb MTs who are actually doing the job, but what could we possibly know about it? We must not be successful because we're not giving her the answers she wants. She knows more about the job than we possibly could. She used to do word processing.

raquel, I hope you will read this - around the block

[ In Reply To ..]
The people still making a liveable wage are fewer and farther between these days. If you look at the MTs working as employees, you will find that most have someone else's salary to assist in paying the bills.

I'm a single mother in my 50s raising a child. In 2012, I made $50,000. This year, I will maybe gross $33,000. The last few months, I am seriously working on figuring out how to live in a local state park in a tent. It is like when October first came around, the money spigot got turned off - due to Obamacare. I've been an MT for 20 years - longer if you count when I managed the transcription department.

For the last two months, I have been substituting in the cafeterias of my local school system for $9.50/hour. It is back breaking work. Marathoners don't work this hard when they are training. But I avoided eviction the last two months because of that pay.

If someone told you the starting salary working at home was an attractive figure, and you fell for it, I am truly sorry. I wish their promises came with a truth fairy. Those statements were unrealistic for starting salaries even 10 years ago. Even when pay was really good back in the mid-1990s, my first year I only earned $22,000, and I spent $8,000 that year on phone expenses because that was before there were platforms on the internet.

Everything comes at a price. I truly hope you find a truth that will carry you into a career where you can support yourself, whether it is in medical transcription or in something else. Best wishes to you.

Around the block, how did new health plan - work into your money being cut?

[ In Reply To ..]
I have seen absolutely no difference in the amount of money I am making or have been making this year or last year. What are you talking about your money spigot turned off??? I have never seen a president as blamed for everything like him, never.

freestanding surgery centers are being closed - around the block

[ In Reply To ..]
Because of the low insurance reimbursements, some freestanding surgery centers are being closed and instead operated by hospitals for inpatient surgeries because of higher reimbursements. The hospital has their own transcription service, so I no longer have that work available.

Have asked all offices I have visited and no one - seems to have had new insurance put into effect

[ In Reply To ..]
yet including PT place I attend 3x week presently plus ortho doctor plus PCP and all said they had not noticed anyone on it yet so could not understand how a person could lose money because of reimbursements this soon.

well then the answer obviously is that - around the block

[ In Reply To ..]
that your experience is different than mine. I don't diminish your reality; please don't try to make out like I'm lying for some reason and that you are the authority on the subject.

She's apparently HL bent on that big money - she thinks she will earn SM

[ In Reply To ..]
so let her have at it and then find out all the statements here are true.

Some people need to learn the hard way, unfortunately.

She said wants to talk with, get this, successful MTs - not all these unsuccessful ones here

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Probably talking with the cream of the crop as it is.

well I think she's got the picture now - nm

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nm

You have to be hired first. If I were you I would make a list of companies and - email them

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and ask them what their hiring policy is for newbies. That might give you a more realistic answer to your question.

To Raquel - see msg pls

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Raquel- Maybe I didn't read all the posts thoroughly enough, but I'm trying to determine if you have taken a course yet. Sounds like you are going to do this, and you don't really understand what you're getting into.

If you are determined to forge ahead, you go right on and forge ahead. Just PLEASE don't come back here and say, "I wish I had listened to you guys."

That being said, many of us stay/stayed in this business because we were in it when it was soooo wonderful. From 1998 until 2004, I was making $42,000 per year, 40-hour work week, from home, with lots of overtime if I wanted it. I was in heaven.

That lasted about until 2004, when speech wreck entered in and offshoring was starting to hit in a big way. By 2009, I was sick to my stomach all the time, and I finally quit in 2012. I had only stayed because the health insurance was affordable. I finally got my own private health insurance. It was expensive, but I couldn't take the nonsense anymore.

I really was not/am not qualfied to work in a non-MT office job---so much new software these days. SO, I just do elderly companion work.

People stay because of the health insurance. People stay because they're disabled. People stay because they invested in a school very recently and want to try to make it work. People stay because they're just coasting along until retirement. All sorts of reasons people stay.

First of all, Raquel... - it is not salary it is wages

[ In Reply To ..]
Salary means you are paid hourly but with MT you are not. You are paid by what you do, like piecework. If you can straight type 300 lines per hour and edit 500 lines an hour you will do well, as long as you don't run out of work. Anything less than that, you might want to reconsider your job goals.

Raquel - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
Give it up. This train has left the station. You would make more at Walmart. Newbies cannot get hired, so the idea is moot, anyway. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is what it is.

Advice from an old pro - Old Pro

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Raquel, you asked an honest question and I am going to take time to give you an honest answer. I have been in MT since 1968 and retired two years ago (earlier than I would have liked) because of vast changes in the profession. I have been both an in-the-trenches MT and an MTSO in three different states. I have taught medical transcription. I like to think that I know my way around the block here. When I came into this profession, it really was a profession. We were respected and paid well. In the early 90s, I was making close to 100K per year. Then in 1997, everything changed. The large companies such as MedQuist (otherwise known as the Squid) and others came along and underbid smaller MTSOs like me. I recall one time when they actually bid 1 cent a line just to get a contract away from someone else. MTSOs who cared about their MTs (and yes, we did exist--we were the smaller "mom and pop" companies, not the big corporate giants who would eat you for lunch), could no longer offer to pay 11 cpl as we had in the past. Add to this the "matchbooks" that proliferated. These are "schools" that are really not schools but little more than diploma mills that churned out people who were not qualified for the job. Word soon got out around MTSOs as to which schools these were and no one would hire from them. (In my last days, I would only consider grads from Andrews, which has consistently been the best school going.) Unfortunately, the matchbooks often put on "seminars" in which they promise the moon. Women (and men) who want to work from home were quite naturally attracted to the carrot they held out. Unfortunately enough, there was nothing on the end of the carrot stick! If I had a dollar for each applicant who sat there crying with their matchbook "diploma," swearing that they had been told they were qualified, I would be a millionaire. This is the MT world as it is today. In 2011, I was nearly 70 and decided to give it up. I am not "old" by most standards. I am active in sports, including contact ones. I hike. I volunteer to help the homeless. I am active in my faith. In short, I am not quite ready for the junk pile yet. I have a good friend who is an MTSO and sometimes I fill in for her (like during Thanksgiving, etc.) and at other times when her people want time off. That way she does not have to overhire. When I do work, I can still earn about $32.00/hour, which is waaaay down from the $65.00 an hour I was making in the early 90s. (You have to remember that they pay more in California.) But it got to the point that it was just not worth it to do it full-time. I had a good run, but I started decades ago. A few years ago my own niece wanted to become an MT and wanted me to help her. Although I could have easily have paid her tuition at Andrews or any other school, I refused to be a party to getting her into a dying profession. I told her I would help her with tuition for medical school, law school, any of the trades, or anything other than MT, but I also told her that if she was going to become an MT, she would have to pay for it herself. I felt that strongly about it. You don't send people you love down a black hole. I know one woman who became homeless because of the changes in MT. While this is an extreme example and G-d forbid that it happens to anyone else, it could. I feel fortunate to be 70, to be able to stay home with my SO and that MT has enabled me to do what I like--to travel, etc. (We are currently thinking about going to Japan.) We are by no means rich, but have managed carefully and at least have enough food to eat, which is more than many have. Bottom line: The train has left the station. If you don't believe me, please consider this. Let's suppose you go to the best school in the world. (That would be Andrews.) I still, were I in business today, would not hire you because, frankly, why should I? The last time we advertised, we had about 500 applications for one opening. I would take someone with 25-30 years experience, someone who can hit the ground running, and already knows their stuff. Think about it--would you want your neurosurgeon to be someone who was doing his first operation? I wanted experienced people, and so do all of the MTSOs today. large or small. As an experiment, e-mail the larger companies (Nuance, M*Modal, etc.) and ask them if they would hire you as a newbie, and if so, what the terms would be. Then call some of the mid-sized or even small MTSOs and ask them. Read the ads on this very board and see how many of them say no newbies. Bottom line: Newbies do not have a chance, except perhaps doing clinic notes for some doc. You sound like a nice person, a decent person, and someone who does not deserve to be misled. If you had come along in the 70s or 80s, I might have hired you myself. But those days are long gone. Life has moved on. The world has changed. Back in the 70s, if I needed to make a call while I was driving, I had to find a pay phone. Today, I have a BlackBerry. This is one small example of what technology has done to and for us. Are you aware that M-TEC is not taking new students? Does that tell you something? I just hope and pray you were not seduced by some ad in the women's magazines (the matchbooks still do this) and have somehow been led to believe there is a lot of money to be made in MT. There isn't. You are, of course, free to do anything you want to do, but I would think long and hard before embarking on an MT career. If you are going to give money away, you might consider giving it to the charity of your choice instead. Good luck in whatever you do.

Old Pro - I am exactly.... - Toni

[ In Reply To ..]
...in the same boat you are. Thanks for such a compassionate answer to this young lady's question. Things are getting bad - even for us "big, bad, greedy" MTSOs. Our clients are also cutting us to the bare bones. Fortunately, one big one who was going to go EMR ended up scrapping their system and it's on indefinite hold, so we're still typing reports. I'm fortunate (for now) that I don't have to deal with VR, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I too used to hire newbies, but can't afford to anymore. Can't afford the time it takes to train and proof reports. I just hope it holds together another 2 years when I will be eligible to take early retirement myself. My advice to Raquel would also be to find a different career choice. If you like medical, then I would go into some sort of medical technician or physical/occupational therapy or something like that.

Please see message - not my post but

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http://forum.mtstars.com/513045.html

This link is from a student asking to interview MTs. Please read all their responses. I think this pretty much sums it up. I can give you a list of pros and cons of WAH also if you would like (just from my experience). I was once in your shoes. I graduated from MPTC in WI in 2007 and started MTing in 2008. Oh how I wish I read these boards first. Please do not get into this "career." I started way after the spiral into the black hole and I was "happy" to be doing it in the beginning. When I found out what I got myself into, I've been trying to get out of MT ever since. I'm only still in it because of the insurance, decent money (for now), and I hate driving in WI winter and where I live the higher paying jobs are farther away. But I'm willing to travel in a snowsuit if I have to just to get back to making what I was back in 2008. I thought I would make alot of money staying at home and still be home with my kids. Well, the money isn't that great and I never had kids. I have nothing keeping me at home. BTW, MPTC doesn't even offer MT anymore. That should tell ya something. I didn't want to listen to the vet MTs back then either, but I sure wish I did. I wanted to be a rad tech originally but was working in a chiro office transcribing SOAP notes and thought transcription will be "easy." Ummmmm, NO!! And yes, vet MTs, get a good laugh out of me because I deserve it. I thought I knew everything back then, well I don't. And going back to school is not an option because I will be over 40 by the time I graduate from a new 2-year program and then have to compete with kids. So I'm still an MT until I can get out, and I've been trying....alot of us are trying. It's alot easier to not get into MT in the first place than to get out.

Your mileage may vary - IMHO

[ In Reply To ..]
In answer to your specific question, you can reasonably expect to make minimum wage or less, usually less for your 1st year. Many new MTs find it difficult to obtain work with many companies wanting at least 2 years of experience. This makes it more likely that your 1st MT job will be with a company that offers either an internship (read 0 pay) or a very low training wage, which will further reduce your reasonable expectation of 1st-year income. Additionally, if you are planning to pay for some sort of education prior to embarking on your MT career, you will want to subtract the cost of that education from your 1st year earnings. Let's say you have a production level right out of the gate that is equivalent to $7.50 per hour for a 40-hour week. That would put you at $15,600 gross earnings for your 1st year. That would probably be low enough that you might not owe federal income tax, but you would still owe the 10% self-employment tax or $1560. That leaves you with $14,040. If you paid $5000 for your schooling, that would leave you with $9040 in earnings for your 1st year (state and local taxes notwithstanding).

With that question out of the way, I think that your original question might be little bit short-sighted. You may want to consider what the long-term prospects of this profession are. Granted, they are somewhat bleak with the advent of ACA, EHR, speech recognition, and point-and-click systems, but there are (and will continue to be for a while) places available for individuals with excellent transcription skills. That being said, the choice spots are getting fewer and farther between. There are tons of MTs with far more experience than you competing for those positions. The scarcity of positions and reduction in workload for transcriptionist/editors due to technology are going to make the average MT obsolete in a very short time. It will also make the super-MTSO obsolete with their droves of average and Ã�Â¬below-average MTs churning out error-ridden reports (as they short-sightedly rid themselves of their outstanding talent to bolster their current bottom line). The question you should ask yourself is do you possess the time, skill set, and inclination to become not just a good MT but an outstanding MT; and before you can ask that question, you need to know what that actually entails. It is SO much more than blazingly fast typing skills.

Re: Your mileage may vary - raquel

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate your response. My opening question was just part of my research into whether or not I should even spend the time/money on a course. All these answers have definitely given me a lot to think about.

I make less than $25K per year... - still new

[ In Reply To ..]
I've only been in this a little over 5 years and work FT. With consistent work, never NJA, full 40-hour week and make line count and QA standards consistently, I make less than $25K.

Now figure in NJA, flexing time to make up lines to account for NJA, that's over 40 hours per week so it averages out to less dollars per hour so to speak. We are piece rate so typing 80 wpm doesn't mean a thing.

Realistic salary for a newbie? - raquel - Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I haven't been a newbie in 30 years, but I work for a hospital, as an employee, 40 hours per week (no OT) and I grossed 56,200+ last year. Will make more this year because of too much OT. It is a decent living, if you find the right circumstance.

yes I'm sure she could find something like that - not nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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I thought I was prepared, but I was still shocked. Man, must be really nice. ...

Sep 23, 2014

Help us help you?!!! http://emedia.advanceweb.com/HM?a=FtX7Cqsc3_Ni8SA9MKJcRXvnGHxKLJ2w-gjtS5kGaNU60bBhOG5mpqVsje_HhdD-fUrq ...

Sep 25, 2014

I found this very interesting in regard to a study done that shows the American worker has no idea the disparity between his salary and his CEO's salary. This is from the The Boston Globe on 04/28/2014:What does it take to become the most overpaid executive in Massachusetts? Or, more to the point, how much does it take?The answer is a little bit north of $29 million. Thatâ��s how much the Burlington speech recognition company Nuance Communications Inc. paid its chief executive, Paul ...

Mar 22, 2015

On the Advance for HIM web site there is a salary survey from 2014. On the graph of average salaries, MTs were the lowest (even below billers) with average salary of just over 29,000. Coders made over 49,000. Pretty interesting ...

Mar 30, 2010

I do medical transcription for a local specialty practice. They are transitioning to EHR and gave notice to their MTs that they would be cutting back on their MT needs starting next week. Today, the office mgr. called and asked if I would be interested in a Scribe position. In short, I am. The manager would like to learn my salary requirements. I am thinking of asking to start at $10/hour. Does that seem reasonable. N.B. Idaho ranks 49/50 in per capita i ...

Sep 21, 2010

Does anyone have any idea what MQ pays the supervisors and how you go about applying for the position? ...

Dec 19, 2010

Wondering if anyone can tell me what the starting salary might be for an inpatient coder with CCS with no coding experience but with 5+ years transcription experience (NYC/NJ area). I would like to know what the salary might be before I sign up for a course. Thanks! ...

Feb 02, 2012

I am looking for work and notice some companies ask for a salary history. I feel uncomfortable about this, not sure why, but I think it is to their advantage to know this info, not mine. In my case, I worked for my last company for 5 years with one raise and the companies before that are ancient history. How would one handle this. I am not even sure if I have that info on some of my companies. Why do they want this info? ...

Sep 13, 2012

I was thinking of finding a course to take medical coding and wanted an at-home position in this field. Can someone please tell me an average pay that I would expect to make? I tried looking online and everything says "it varies", so just a ball park figure would be great, so I can decide if I want to pursue that or something different. TIA:) ...

Nov 12, 2014

I am not trying to sound discouraging, but when do I get this supposed 34,020 salary that it says on BLS website MTs are suppose to make. I graduated from my training in 2009 and have worked for 2 companies, niether of which has offered me anything close to that, and where do they get the $16.34 per hour figure from anyway? ...

Mar 29, 2015

See the AHIMA page below for a link to their 2012 salary survey, the latest one. It includes coding salaries. The national average was 49,222. Their careers map is also on that page. Very helpful so you can see where you can go from coding. ...

Apr 13, 2015

What do you feel is a "fair" salary for a Radiology transcriptionist that has at least 10 years experience? ...

May 04, 2010

I've been sending out resumes and cover letters as much as I can and reading lots of forums trying to get a feel for what to look for in a good company. Can the experienced MTs share their knowledge/wisdom on what to look for in a new employer? What is a good starting rate? What are some questions to ask of a potential employer? What should we stear clear of? I've been reading the company boards and find that there seem to be more negative responses/comments on so many companies, the ...

Jul 18, 2010

I have been with my current company for a number of years, but due to a number of changes that have been instituted in just the last few years, I have realized about a 37% reduction in income, at the same time that I am considered "one of their best," and am back to my income level of the early 1990s. I see foreclosure looming. That VR/SR has become the majority of the work is the largest factor in this drop. Are there MTs who are working for companies with little or no VR ...

Jan 18, 2011

I am interested in hearing what those of you with experience in this business would consider a reasonable salary or wage in today's market for doing MT. What do you think the average earnings are for doing medical transcription today. Would you say $40,000 a year would be over the top, average, or low. Better yet, if you knew a company was paying an average salary of $40,000 a year, would you consider that laughable or something worth looking into? All ...