A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Share a positive about MT career - Becky
Posted: Dec 30, 2011
Hi fellow MTs. As we all know, this board can sometimes be full of negative things, and many MTs who once had a good career in this field are experiencing changes that have negatively affected them and their pay and their lives. My heart does go out to these people; however, I thought it would be fun to talk about some positives we have experienced in this field, even if we would no longer recommend the field to a new person.
Personally, I have been an MT for 5-1/2 years, and it is my second career. I used to be a secondary teacher. I absolutely love doing MT work. Besides the joy of working from home, one of the great experiences I have had in this field is how all of the medical knowledge has helped me in my personal life. At age 39, my husband had a stroke and open heart surgery, and we were in the hospital for 7 weeks! I talked to so many doctors, specialists, especially when I was "talking for" my husband who had to regrasp how to speak (he's doing great now 3 years later!). One doctor told me he could tell I "spoke the language!" I continue to enjoy this line of work immensely, and I am glad to "know" each one of you...my colleages from afar!
my positives - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Dont have to pay for gas.
Only put on 40,000 miles on my car since 2001.
Save lots of money on makeup.
Dont have to deal with office politics.
Never have to deal with extreme weather conditions.
Im always here for packages or repair men.
Im never late for work.
Positives - MT
[ In Reply To ..]I had a similar experience not too long ago with my mom...fell and hit her head hard 6 years after having had an aneurysm..knowing her risks I told my dad to bring her to the ER ASAP and sure enough she had a brain bleed. I probably wouldn't have thought nothing of it since she didn't have any symptoms besides a headache if I didn't work for a neurologist and knew the repercussions of hitting your head.
Other than that, here is my list to be thankful for:
1. My work is scheduled around my family...not the other way around.
2. My work uniform is my pajamas which is very important when I'm pregnant and growing.
3. I am able to be here with my kids after school and when they are home sick without having to call in or miss out on a day's worth of work.
4. I make more money now than I ever could in an office or hospital setting.
5. I don't have to worry about building up vacation time because I can take time off any time I want.
6. I don't have a boss to answer to.
7. I don't have coworkers to deal with.
8. I don't have to get ready in the morning to leave for work, I don't have to stay late, I'm not mandated to overtime.
9. I don't have to deal with the public.
10. If my husband happens to get the day off or my kids are home from school, we have more time together because I can schedule my work when it fits my schedule.
11. I LOVE MY JOB!! I can't say that for any other place I've worked where I've physically had to go there.
My positives - or at least some of them
[ In Reply To ..]I enjoy working with medical terms.
I love working at home.
I love working alone.
I can work all day or all night or any combination thereof.
I don't have to risk my life getting to my car when I work overtime.
I don't have to pay for parking.
I don't have to worry about where to go to eat.
I don't have to worry about bad traffic making me late.
I don't have to worry about people with the flu or worse contaminating me.
On blizzards I can turn up the fireplace and snuggle in while I work.
I can have the best of work tools, my choice of a desk and computer.
My reference books and materials are MY reference books and materials.
I prefer not to work in office situations where there are groups of buddies.
I like to set my own goals and meet them.
I'm production oriented.
I love not having to go out in the ice and snow.
I save money on gas, car repair/maintenance, lunches out, shoes, office clothes, makeup (although I do wear it)
My pets love having me around all day.
I don't have to worry about what's happening at my house while I'm gone.
I love to create my own work environment, a beautiful room to work in, a nice view out the window, however cold or hot I want it to be, snacks next to me or not, nobody making so much noise that I can't work, never any strong perfumes making me sick while I'm working, and ... etc. Happy New Year!
My Biggest Positive - A Job When Others Can't Find Work In This Economy - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Being able to bring in an income. It's hard work, but it's a job when a lot of people don't have one.
Positives - curiousgeorge
[ In Reply To ..]Becky, I'm happy to read your husband is recovering well! Reading all the positives just reinforces why I do enjoy MT work. In particular, though, is also knowing the language of medicine. My husband, too, had a severe MI, and one of his symptoms was atypical, but I just happened to be transcribing cardio at the time and recognized it.
I am grateful for what the other posters mention. I am also grateful that I am always learning on the job. It is an interesting line of work!
I have also met some fine people in this industry.
Yes! Forgot to mention I love always having - mthead
[ In Reply To ..]something to learn and something to research! We truly do learn something new every day in this profession!
My positives - Brooke
[ In Reply To ..]I only bought a few maternity items when I was pregnant, because I always wore sweats to work.
My commute is short--just across the hall.
My husband comes home for lunch every day and I'm here to enjoy some extra time with him.
I get to stay home with my sweet baby boy.
If I wake up late I can still shower before work!
My positives - mthead
[ In Reply To ..]1) I love the language of medicine!
2) I love English in particular.
3) I love being available for my kids before school, after school, and when they are sick or on vacation.
4) I love the appreciation I get from very particular dictators who scare the other MTs or even the residents. I'm even friends with the residents they have scared!
5) I love not having to spend time/money shopping for a professional wardrobe, because I'm a "tomboy."
6) I love not having to drive during rush hour, unless it is to take my kid to rehearsal or another school- or theater-related activity.
7) I love, as an IC, being able to drive 2 hours to see my mom in the ER or in the nursing home or wherever she may be, so that she knows one of her children will be with her, always.
8) I love "standing in the gap" for patients whose doctors are too lazy to dictate a proper note and rely upon me to nitpick it to death in order to generate a proper record of what transpired between physician and patient.
Positives - Nicole
[ In Reply To ..]I must say, I normally stay away from this board because everyone is so negative. I have been an MT for 21 years. I was actually laid off of my MT job in 2009. Prior to being laid off, I made pretty close to 60k. In addition, I would bring work home which gave me an additional 7K per year. To be honest, I didn't think I would ever go back into this field. I went back to school for Web Graphic Design and obtained an Associates degree this past October. Guess what? I don't work in that field! I actually have two medical transcription jobs now working from home. I absolutely love it. Thank each and everyone of you for making my day!! I have not seen a positive post on this board in years! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! LETS KEEP GOING MTs!!!!
Becky - Old Pro
[ In Reply To ..]What an upbeat, professional post! You sound like the kind of person who will really succeed at MT. You are the kind of person I can be proud to know. Although I am a 70-year-old lady and no longer have to depend on MT for a living, I am grateful to it for providing me with a good living for many years and, like you, being able to stay at home to work in the latter part of my career. (I simply did not want a nasty California commute. Ugh.) I am so happy that your husband is doing better. More power to him--and to you. I hope he gets better each and every day. Thank you for the upbeat post, and best of success in 2012!
It has always paid my bills and raised a family with it. - ofcoursethosedaysareslippingby
[ In Reply To ..]I like MT'ing, and I wish it was like the good ol' days still. But I did raise a family with it and still paying my bills with it with enough to eat, too. So I'm content.
Thanks everyone! SM - Becky
[ In Reply To ..]Thanks to all who responded. I enjoyed reading each reply! Yes, I thought we all needed to take a minute to just think about the good in MT for a second. I appreciate everyone who wished me and my husband well. Being in the hospital for 7 weeks at age 39 with 2 major things like stroke/open heart surgery was crazy, as you all might imagine, but he is doing great, and we are so very thankful!
Whether you are positive or negative - depends on several things
[ In Reply To ..]besides one's basic personality. A lot depends on where you are, where you've been and who you work for. When you gradually find yourself making half of what you made 20 years ago it's tough to be positive. On the other hand, if you have just started doing this and are primarily supplementing your spouse's income, then it does have some benefits such as being home with family, etc. When someone has been working hard for years and is now unable to meet the bills and is losing everything, positivity is hard to come by.
Tell it like it is - wheres_my_job
[ In Reply To ..]All over the world, companies hire women over men, particularly young women in traditional societies who will be leaving workforce when they marry, or who just want to supplement a male earner's income, so that they can keep the wages down. This isn't just something specific to medical transcription in the United States - all over the Third World, young women, trained to be more "docile" in a traditional society, and also expecting to only be in the workforce a relatively short period of time, is the ideal worker for big global corporations.
Really, when a US transcriptionist (usually female) has her pay cut in half, "it's nothing personal" - they're doing it all over the planet.
I love being on MTStars as much as Facebook!!! - tbur
[ In Reply To ..]This is the first thing that I have truly felt successful with and made a nice career for myself in the comfort of my own home. What started off as just making a little extra money has turned into a lifesaver for my family with the economy crashing and paying all the bills and keeping my son in college. God always knows what is best. As I just accepted a full-time position with doubts, the bottom fell out on the construction business and left us high and dry. Plan B became Plan A and has been wonderful to us ever since. Thank you MTStars and friends for all of the support, advice, and help through the years. I love being on MTStars as much as Facebook!!! You are my second family who can always relate and always know just what to say.
I love my job too - MT/QA
[ In Reply To ..]I started my career, after going to college/tech school, at the age of 21 or 22. I started out as a "ward secretary" at a local hospital. I then got into the medical transcription about 2 years into my career. I am now 50 years old. I have been an MT for a long time. I started doing QA over 9 years ago now. I have worked from home for over 15 years. I have had some ups and downs, but I have learned something new every day. I also had breast cancer at the age of 35 and through that and other family health issues, I have always understood what I was told by doctors. I knew what questions to ask, etc. I know if I went to school to become an RN I would have no troubles with terminology - but at this stage of the game, I am looking forward to the day when I can retire or become a part-time worker. I am blessed with knowing what I transcribe too. It isn't just about spelling. After years of doing this job you learn a lot. I feel some days like I could actually do a C-section on a patient if I had to and would know what I am doing LOL!! It is funny how much we learn over the years, especially in this field. I still love my job and I am thankful for the company I am working for, they are great! I too love MTSTARS. If I am not on FB I am on the MTSTARS boards. Happy New Year everyone. May you all be blessed richly in your job as an MT/QA this year ;)
loving med trans - kristy
[ In Reply To ..]Hi and thanks for being so positive and saying something uplifting. I have been an MT for over 20 years but believed my husband to quit working when we married 7 years ago, that he would always be there for me, but, after being away from it for 7 years, I return tomorrow in fact, at a hospital and am very excited! I should have never given it up and am very grateful to get a chance to do it again, it is very comfortable and what I enjoy also!
Thank you for POSITIVE discussion - EnvisionPeace
[ In Reply To ..]Bravo for starting this positive discussion. These comments are similar to my own story -- and the bottom line is that I am very happy and grateful for my job.
Feels great to know there are so many others on this board who also enjoy their work in this profession, as I do.
Happy New Year !
..... now I gotta get back to work.....
warm wishes to you and yours - ... : )
[ In Reply To ..]
I always diagnose the patients before House - sm
[ In Reply To ..]and it's never "perineoplastic syndrome."
It's always a bigger ego boost than figuring out the Double Jeopardy question (which is usuallu ego-fail).
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