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

I hate what this job has become AND what it - Has Made Me

Posted: Nov 05, 2014

I used to enjoy being in transcription. It was a way I could not only support my family but also be at home for my children when I was needed. Now, it has become nothing more than a humiliating and degrading situation, where I sit and wonder WHY am I still doing this.

I used to believe I was good at my job, and I was proud of my quality and my speed. Lately, however, both have been questioned by Nuance to the point where I believe I am not nearly as fast nor as good as I once thought I was. In dropping just a few lines below the required LPH, the threat of job loss is always imminent. In attempting to pick the LPH back up, yet trying not to sacrifice quality leads to missed errors and those always "encouraging" Fiesa emails in my inbox. During a phone call with my TSM, I joked that maybe I should just quit worrying about quality in order to keep my LPH to the point where Nuance demands - and my TSM said "that's how most of the people on my team are doing it." So - all these years of working to keep my quality up, and now being with a company that demands around 99%, and I'm told to just do the LPH and forget the quality. Oh - and I'm supposed to do this while there is NO WORK across 8 accounts.

I cannot wait until I can get out of this line of work. It supplied what I needed during a season - well now I need a new season. I am tired, beat down, worn out and generally tired of the crap this company dishes out daily to make me feel less than worthy. I just want OUT!

My sentiments exactly - star

[ In Reply To ..]
I worked for Webmedx until Nuance took over in 2011. At Webmedx, my quality reviews were consistently 100%. I never worried about losing my bonus, because I did a good job and kept my LPH above the standard. I loved it so much. I was able to stay at home with my children, not have to pay for daycare, and still make a very good living.

At this point, that has all changed. My Fiesa scores are a joke. I truly believe they cherry pick the reports that get post-audited. It is a system that is targeted for failure. I don't have a problem reaching the LPH goal, but when you are paid peanuts for a job that used to be respectable, the quality is going to suffer. I actually hate my job now. I dread checking my email every day because of those bleeping Fiesa notifications.

To make ends meet, I have been doing some freelance work lately, proofreading college papers, transcribing general dictation... and I now remember what it feels like to be respected again. The clients I work for actually appreciate what I do and thank me for my time and expertise. A few more long-term clients, and I will be able to quit Nuance and get the hell out of MT for good. Gosh, I can't wait!

Me three - Just sad

[ In Reply To ..]
Worked for Transcriptions Ltd, sold to Medquist, quit that crap for MDI, sold to Transcend, sold to Nuance, now feeling like I am back at Medquist. I have done nothing wrong, just tried to go with the flow and do a good job. My reward is pay cut after pay cut and all loss of self-esteem. Age 61, where can I go now????

To me three - from me four

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm 62 and I took partial early retirement and work only part time now. Is this something you could consider? I'm looking for another part time job so I can leave this sinking Nuance ship.

I am 60 - waiting, hoping, praying

[ In Reply To ..]
to get to 62 so I can take early retirement. How do you take partial early retirement and work part time? Will your SS rate change at 65? TIA

Early retirement - ss

[ In Reply To ..]
I took early retirement and work PT. You are allowed to make over 15,000 per year with no penalty. If you go over that for ever 2 dollars over they withhold 1 dollar of that.

You take a reduced rate retiring early, but the stress load that this took off of me is enough to keep me alive long enough to enjoy retirement.

Good luck. Hang in there.

Retiring early - was the best thing I ever did

[ In Reply To ..]
Like you said, the stress load dropped to practically 0. Oddly enough, I'm making more money now than I did when I worked full time.

Early retirement: You can go to SS department and ask for a printout or online too - noname

[ In Reply To ..]
There is a calculator online for Social Security if you sign up or you can go to a local SS office and they can print you out how much you can receive for early retirement at age 62 and each age after 62 based on your projected income. You can also take 1/2 of your spouse's retirement if your spouse is retirement age but only if that amount is MORE than your own calculated SS amount, otherwise you have to take it on your own record. I, myself, feel that I cannot take early retirement because the amount is just too low. You take a 25% hit for age 62 retirement. I am holding out for an extra 300$ or so for age 66 retirement...that could be a car payment or food! I don't think Nuance will get me to 66 though.

I'd planned on working til I was 70, but got a forced - "retirement" when laid off at 64. -sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm hoping I can hold out one more year til I'm 66, so as to get the full amount. I'd much rather work, but here in the good ol' US of A, they think we're washed-up at 55.

Early retirement - Me three

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, thank you for that and I do plan to file for social security at 62. However, I will have to keep working in addition, and thanks to the other poster for the information about the $15,0000. I am actually down to about $20,000 per year now because of the paycuts and fear it will go even less with whatever new pay plan Nuance is now about to hatch. It is sad and disgusting to have ended up this way when we have just as much knowledge and are held to professional standards as folks who make way more than we do.

To me three - from me four

[ In Reply To ..]
The said thing is they make no effort to hold the dictators just as accountable as we are. If they would be made to speak more slowly, not eat while they're dictating, and move the dictating stations to a more quiet area, we might be able to make something of this job, but they won't, so we won't.

My plan is to take a portion of my husband's SS - sm - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, SS says "up to 1/2" of spouse's SS, so I'm hoping I can get between 1/4 and 1/2 of his. Then I'll work part-time and not touch my SS until full retirement age of 67 and 8 months. I have 6 more years to go. :(

Question about taking spouse's SS - Wondering

[ In Reply To ..]
If you take a portion of husband's, what happens when he wants to retire?

Mine is already retired. I don't think you can draw off of them unless they are already collec - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
Check on SS website to be sure.

Just checked - spouse has to be 62 or retired. nm - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
xx

I hear ya, Just Sad! I'm 64, can't live on MT, - no one else will hire me. Oh well.

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm gonna max out the ol' Mastercard for one more year, then take SS. (What little there is) and just keep making the min. payments on the credit card. Most likely I'll die without ever paying if off. Too bad, so sad. They can eat it.

I'm an old TL'er too! - Heading for retirement....

[ In Reply To ..]
I worked for TL way back when before it became Medquist - then on to other companies in between - some good, some not so good - then Webmedx (best company of them all) and bought out by Nuance - I'm 62 and hanging in there for a few more years - hopefully - and then I'm going to become a full-time grandma -

I agree-and I hate what it's done to my family - And my marriage

[ In Reply To ..]
It's so frustrating to try to get enough lines to make a halfway decent paycheck - make enough to pay for insurance - and still have ANY money left over. I get tired of my husband saying "are you ever going to be done?" or my kids saying "why can't you play with me? you're ALWAYS working." And sometimes I feel as though they are right. I am constantly sitting in front of the computer hoping for jobs so I can get through my lines and my hours and make some money. And I feel as though I am cheating my kids because I have the fear of leaving the computer and maybe missing a job . There has to be a better way to make a living other than this

Priorities...Don't miss out on your kids... - me

[ In Reply To ..]
I initially decided on this "profession" to be able to be home and flexible for my daughter with disabilities, and I was able to do that; however, it is just my husband and I now, and when they get done with all the recent "enhancements" to my work, I will be probably be forced to look elsewhere.

I know it is difficult to leave the familiar (and I am speaking as much to myself as I am to you) but you need to reach out and find a new company. I hear there are still a few holdouts that value your skills. If you sacrifice your children and husband to Nuance you will regret it later in life. They are so much more important than the Nuance Torture Chamber. You need to reach out and find a new company or companies until you find the right fit, then leave Nuance. Of course if you really need the health insurance, then that gets more complicated since most small transcription companies cannot offer that, although ObamaCare is an option if you meet the "not over 400% of poverty level income guidelines." Good luck to us all and Family Comes First !! (PS...I am scared too)

I think what I hate the most in this job - Feeling Hopeless

[ In Reply To ..]
Is the fact that, in other jobs, when you've worked in the same field 5, 10, 20 years - you are lauded, praised, and paid for your knowledge and your skill level. In this profession, it seems as though all the work and experience you may have over the past however many years means NOTHING - it is simple viewed as a way to say "Oh, you've done this 20 years? then you shouldn't make that mistake in QA" - and a chance to ding you and your self esteem. I regret making the decision to leave school years ago, thinking I could make this into a career - it has done nothing but make my life more difficult and looks to only do more of that with the "exciting revelations" forthcoming from this greedy company.

That may have been true at one time but--sm - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
when I talk to people in other fields, many are just as frustrated and underappreciated as we are. It is not a good employment time. Most people are dealing with some degree of crappy benefits, stagnant pay, or possible layoffs. I think that is what feeds my feeling of hopelessness. I have a degree but if I were to look for work outside of the home, I am not confident that my lot would improve. In my state, teacher's are having their classroom size increased, pay is stagnant. Other professions it might be a miracle to get a job. I am looking at this is not the way I want to live my life and may just quit and let the chips fall where they may. Everybody would likely get paid, eventually, but the rat race is not worth it.

you're right - me

[ In Reply To ..]
I lost a son to illness and because I was raising my kids alone after my ex took off with a married woman, I couldn't be with him at the hospital most of the time and it's haunted me until this day. I heard the same thing, can't you go with us, why don't you ever go to the mall. All that dedication didn't mean squat, first time I got sick, out the door.

Amen! - Backwoods Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
The words of your post say EXACTLY how I feel.

I have only been in transcription 8 years, but before being outsourced to Nuance I had no issues with QA or production, albeit we were paid on the basis of minutes per hour. I was on-site, but always wanted to go home and work because of a long commute.

Since being outsourced to Nuance, life has been hell. It has made me question why the heck I ever got into this, but then its the same as everybody else....I wanted to be home. I wanted something flexible. I also wanted something that if my kid was asked what I did, they could be proud to tell what I did for a living. Now, I think if I was my kid, I would hang my head in shame. To me, MT has become synonymous with sweatshop and slavery, degradation and hate. Oh how I long for the days when my work was appreciated and that I WAS appreciated too.

I love working at home. To be honest, that is the only thing that has saved us (hubby and I), but it has put a strain on our marriage. This job has made me bitter and not realizing it, I was being bitter towards my hubby. I do not have kids, but right now that is a good thing. Honestly, I was depressed and just didn't care. Right now, I still don't care, but I have become determined to get out of this slump and leave this dump of a job for one that will appreciate me for me and my experience. I am currently in school and I am hoping that my gamble pays off. Anytime you go back to school it is always a gamble.

There are still employers out there that actually show appreciation to those who work hard and have dedication. Right now, I have bad nightmares about this place. I keep having one about a foreign lady screaming YOU WORK NOW! YOU NO PEE, WORK NOW! WHY FINGERS NO MOVE? Nuance does not get the fact that you either have quality without quantity or quantity without quality...they have never went hand in hand. If we were paid by the hour a wage matching our worth, they would get a glorious balance. Better account management coupled with that and they would stand a better chance of keeping employees and not chasing off their best assets. It is sad what MT has become. I used to make a good living but now...well...we are all in the same boat. We are not paid nearly enough and they know it, but all they are concerned about are their luxurious vacations and lifestyles while the grunts work the ditches.

As soon as I am able to leave this mess, I am out. Leaving the familiar is scary and believe me, it was hard to make the decision to go back to school and learn a new career. Its overwhelming at times. But I saw it as not having any other choice.

I wish you lots of luck on finding a way out...and I am sure many others out there are wishing you luck too. Where one door closes, another opens. It's just hard to wait for that door to open when its pouring out here. Hugs and love, and don't lose hope. Keep your head up...how else are gonna see your ray of light? ;)

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