Thank You Medical Transcription - Out-House MT

I quit a job a dozen years ago to jump into the "Work At Home" dream.  I had little money, was quite naive, worked from dark to dark with absolutely no help from the small MTSO, who later ripped me off $5,000.  BUT, I learned.

After my first experience with "running out of work", I just found more work.  I got unusually lucky and found a job and was MTing again in a few days. That gig gave me nearly 10 years of working for another small MTSO.  I got busy and made tons of money.  I grossed 15% of 1 million in one of my best years. Yes, I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, but I grabbed the opportunity and ran with it. I had unreal canned dictation. It was a dream, and that popped recently.

Going back into the industry pool again, I realized what a mess it was in.  It probably was this way year before I even got started, but I just got very, very lucky.

For me to be pressured incredibly to make quotas just to clear, barely, minimum wage, is just very humilitating, but I am still hacking at it. Luckily, I have a great QA team.  I often go to war with QA folks, the ones who just say those stinging comments. But, I am lucky so far.

I have tried to go it alone and build a website and go and solicit work across the nation, but with EHR and SR the last 5 years, it is all but gone.  I will still try though, I don't quit easy.

During the last dozen years we have been able to home school our three children.  Two of them went to prestigous colleges, and the last one is at the learning-how-to-drive-a-car stage.

I often had horrible hours, but I was able to see my kids grow. I  actually went to nearly all of their events growing up.

My main job in life, as a parent, was to be a good one. That was/is my job. I did great at it and now they are almost all gone.

I would like to take my hat off to all the great MTSOs out there and nice QA folks.  I was unbelievably fortunate with my dozen years of work, but I see the end is creeping up on me, as this industry is just beyond comment at times.

I did not take a vacation in years and I am planning to spend a bit of money and goof around soon. Thank you, industry, you made most of my working life very enjoyable.

Yes, I know, I had to battle with office managers who said "that MT is making all kinds of errors."  I attacked that head on and challenged every audit the physician's office would make by overzelous in-house MTs who hated me as an "out-house" MT.  I won every fight, not taking much from the account.  I did my job, did it well, apologized for my errors (and made notes), and defended an obvious unwarranted attack.

My husband and I continue to be happily married after 21 years.

I gave up on AAMT years ago when they were arguing about a name change; kinda silly I thought. The only folks with AHDI now seem to be just for business contacts by the suits.

There is so much more to say about this industry.  It certainly is very amusing sometimes and quite enjoyable other times.  I survived and so can you.

When you start to realize that reaching minimum wage, barely, is your goal in life, it is time to put the oars back in the water. I just landed a temp legal transcription gig and I'll see how that goes. I got that like I did before, I just talked to the owner and said "Pay me nothing if I suck."  Yes, I have to go back to school to brush up on English and probably get legal training basics.  I don't like it, I just realize that I can only gripe so much and then I gotta move.

The main thing is, enjoy the ride, don't take it too seriously (most of the industry was destroyed by ourselves anyway, I think), and know when to say WHEN.

PS - a big shout-out to M*Modal, one of the worst examples I have ever seen in my life.

C-ya!