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

Some thoughts on - MT week...

Posted: May 20, 2014

Today I was just wondering if the honorees of other appreciation weeks (nurses, lab techs, housekeepers, basically every health-care subgroup) were required to participate in puzzles, games, essays, and otherwise jump through hoops, to get "prizes", usually a trinket or a low denomination gift card? Maybe I'm just sensitive because I've been doing this long enough to remember when gifts, festive meals, respect and all-year-long good pay (the best gift of all) were freely given, no strings attached.

I believe it is time to let the now somewhat insulting MT Week quietly vanish like some ancient medieval holiday. It's obvious that the powers that be spend every waking moment scheming ways to eliminate the US MT occupation altogether so why continue with this charade of "celebrating" a job whose heyday was almost 50 years ago?

In the meantime, happy MT Week to all, and may whatever higher power you believe in help all of us who are stuck with this until something better comes along!

I agree with all but the heyday - being 50 years ago

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Fifteen years, maybe, but not 50.

29 years, - if you consider the

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Reagan proclamation the peak, but you are correct that it probably didn't start going seriously south until about 10 years after that.

It started going seriously south for me - in 2003, when MedQuist

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bought my company and cut the production bonuses. Then a steady downhill slide.

Just re-read the - proclamation

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kind of brought a tear to my eye...

Record-keeping is a vital function in our society, and one of the most important records for every American is the medical record. That record, including reports prepared and edited by a medical transcriptionist from physician dictation, is the permanent history of a patient's medical care.

A century ago, physicians knew many of their patients from birth, knew all their ailments, and provided all their medical care. Today, with medical specialization and greater mobility among people, many skilled physicians may treat the average American during a lifetime. Using transcribed medical reports, each physician can easily and quickly review a patient's medical history even if the physician has never seen that patient before. Because of the work done by trained medical transcriptionists, patients can be assured that the history of their medical care is portrayed accurately and legibly. Medical transcriptionists have therefore become a vital link between the physician and the patient.

It is appropriate for our Nation to recognize the contributions of medical transcriptionists. We should encourage hospitals, allied health education programs, and community colleges to provide appropriate courses of instruction recognizing the high standards that must be met by medical transcriptionists and the vital function they perform.

In recognition of the need for medical transcriptionists in today's society, the Congress, by Public Law 98-609, has designated the week beginning May 20, 1985, as "National Medical Transcriptionist Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate the week of May 20 through May 26, 1985, as National Medical Transcriptionist Week, and I urge all Americans to participate in appropriate ceremonies in observance of this event.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.

So sad...

Get real - BTDT

[ In Reply To ..]
"I urge all Americans to participate in appropriate ceremonies in observance of this event."

At the time of this proclamation, most Americans didn't have a clue what medical transcription was, they still don't. Get real, people, we're not that important. Someone from AAMT lobbied for this proclamation and Reagan (or someone on his staff) signed it; it helped his popularity rating. Someone commented, "so sad." What is sad about it?

How about national fast food workers week, national waste management workers week, national landlords week, national baristas week, etc. No where but in the USA is mediocrity celebrated to this extent. I've been an MT forever but I've learned to put things into perspective. Don't take not receiving gifts this week personally, it probably just was not in the budget.

I agree. I think the heyday was more like 30 - yrs. ago - early to mid 1980s.

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The good ol' days - when you didn't even bother reading job ads. You just walked into a clinic or MT service and said, "Hi! I'm a medical transcriber!" and you pretty much had the job. They'd sit you down at a work station with some work to transcribe, and if you could do it, you were hired. Once I actually walked into a transcription service office with my dog, and they put me to work IMMEDIATELY,while my dog dozed quietly underneath my desk.

I wish I had known back then how badly this career was going to turn out.

I would even appreciate a low denomination gift card with out a "contest"...sm - Tired of typin

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I could supplement my food stamps!

Maybe it is ignored because we are - not considered MTs

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anymore. Language document specialists, editors or typists seem to be the title we are now given. Gracious, it they had to acknowledge we were actual Medical Transcriptionists they may be made to actually "respect" us and what we do. If you read the proclamation above, there was a time when we were considered a vital part of the medical world and were actually respected for the work we did, now we are only considered a financial burden.

Then take back MT Week and do what YOU - IMANMT2

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would like to do. Meet some girls for lunch, print up some T-shirts or grocery bags. If there aren't enough MTs, go for the other people in Health Information, or just your friends and family. Uh, it's a tax deduction. Take out an ad in the local paper Happy MT Week - Your Company (tax deduction). party supplies, food, etc., tax deduction.

At the hospital, there was a game where the doctors were supposed to identify their official signature - needless to say it was impossible. It was mainly for the doctors but it was kind of fun watching them trying to figure out whose signature was whose. And what would they do with snippets of impossible dictation, with permission, of course - that's entertaining with a purpose.

I make it a point to work for smaller services and they hardly ever even mention MT Week. I hadn't heard until today if it actually was, but being May 19, I was wondering if it had started without me.

Thirty-five, 40 years ago, MTs (were they called that then?) were typing on typewriters with carbon paper to make 3 copies. Fix that error. Doctors dictated on machines with yards of magnetic tape that would break and the "machine would eat the dictation" and they'd have to redictate. Word processing was a miracle as were improved ways of recording voice.

We can be our own best PR.

You are never stuck - sm

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It's getting so old reading posts on here from MTs stating how they hate their job, how MT has ruined their lives, how broke they are, etc. Then change it!!! You are all your own worst enemies. If you are broke, then get an education or a different job or explore other options and take action!!! Don't just sit here and complain about it.

We're trying to do that! - clb

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I understand your post completely. Some of us are trying to get out! Whether it's a different healthcare job or a new career path altogether. Some are going back to school, but you need money to do that whether it's a loan or a grant or some kind of job that pays for education. I've applied to hundreds of jobs for the past 6 years and it's hard to "just get out" when you can't get an interview anywhere. I've even gone through temp agencies. It's not that easy! So until we do finally get out, move on, we will come on here to complain because as this is our only outlet as we're all MTs and know what others are going through and can either support each other or not. I used to be the same way too telling people to just get out, whether it's a job or a relationship, but it's not that easy to just get out when you have nothing to fall back on. I'd quit my job immediately if I could but I can't because I don't have a new job to start tomorrow and I have a mortgage.

Just sayin...

then stay off the board and - quit reading

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the posts when others are venting.

I just want to know - BTDT

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When did it become okay to come forward publicly and ask your employer where your MT week gift was, or your Christmas gift (I saw that too)? The 80's are over, deal with it. I used to get amazing bonuses from my employer too. At Christmas last year, we all got something; not as much but I never heard any complaining, most people are thankful to have jobs. Companies have budgets to meet and health care revenue is down across the board. MT in most facilities is number 999 on a list of 1000 funding issues which include patient care and capital expenses. Any MT week activities I ever participated in were generated by the MTs themselves. If you still think it's worth celebrating, knock yourself out. Treat yourself to lunch or purchase something inexpensive that you have been wanting. Buy a new plant or bouquet of flowers. Those of you who work for MTSOs seem to think that cutting back is something unique. No one is guaranteed an annual "just because" raise any longer and when I left my MT job due to cutbacks and moved into another department, I took a pay cut. I've recovered some of it but I'll never see my MT salary again before I retire. Sorry for the rant, but the gravy train left the station, never to return. If your work existence depends on an MT week gift, there's something wrong anyway. Hope all of you are having a good week despite the disappointment.

MT week thoughts - BTDT

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Personally, I'm happy for any recognition I get, even if it is just a thank you for a job well done. Where I work, nearly all of the "weeks" involve some kind of contest or game to win prizes, including nurses' week. None of my employers ever furnished festive meals; we either went out as a group and paid for our own meals or did potlucks at the office. Management usually sent flowers to the group or something like that, individual recognition was rare. We used to get quite a few AAMT freebies in the form of "goodie bags." I had actually forgotten about it being MT week until I saw a thank you and note of recognition on our internal website, and we are very skeleton crew. The pay was never freely given, we earned every penny. And if you think there are no strings attached to being an employee, well, you need a dose of reality. The only way that MT week will survive is if you continue to come forward and want to know what happened to your free stuff. Otherwise, it's just a blip on the radar scale. As an aside, there is no week celebrating coders or some others who also deserve recognition.

Last year the MTSO I worked for sent a card (sm) - Rose

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Inside the card read:
"Wishing you health and prosperity"
Prosperity???? At least it gave ma a laugh!

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