My Nuance Experience - blessed

Posted: Jul 04, 2013

Happy 4th! I too am OOW, although I expected it to be that way. I took a PT position at Nuance back in February after we sold our home, got a rental, then bought a short sale. Having a fixer-upper, a mortgage and a rent payment, I needed some supplemental income. I've been an MT since 1996. Jumped in, no school, no certification. Bought an Olympus transcriber (cassette) and a Taber's. My first client was a general who saw 60+ patients a day. Paid me 8 cpl and trained me. Moved a year later, hit the ground running in my new town - mailed/handed out over 250 flyers. Got 3 clients - 2 surgeons and a general, but needed a little more. Interviewed with the local MTSO and realized how little I knew, LOL. These amazing people hired me anyway and basically finished my training. Fast fwd to last summer. Still with the local MTSO and still had one of my original private clients. When the EMR/EHR mandate hit, my local service lost one of my accounts and I lost half my income overnight. Thank God, not sinking, but having trouble treading water. We prayerfully decided to sell our house, and that brings us to now. Hiring/training with Nuance was relatively easily, although a complex bundle of procedures. I was recruited for a hem/onc, but was switched halfway through training to acute care. VR is at least 80%. I get my hours and rarely run out of work, except on holidays like today. I can usually make up any lost hours, but I only work 20 a week. I'm one of the luckies; my TLs are attentive, communicative and available. I went through the typical FIESA stress, until I decided I wasn't paid enough to get that worked up over it. This is my first experience with a national MTSO, and acute care as well. I had low expectations, understanding it was mostly VR and lower pay (I'm at $13.40/hr currently), but it was better than working at WalMart to fill my empty afternoons. In my humble opinion, if you like MT, get away from the national MTSOs if at all possible and find your own clients or a local service. My private client depends on me and wouldn't have it any other way, so I'll probably do him until he retires. My local MTSO rebounded and made it through the transition, and replaced my lost income with some great accounts - no VR (don't have it), big line counts. My annual income through the years has ranged from $40-$65K, and I'm looking at at least $50K this year again. If Nuance was my FT job, I'd be looking. Also, private accounts beat acute care any day for speed and dollar/hour. If you want to be happy at Nuance, fly under the radar and quit worrying about getting any bonuses. Do your best, pace yourself, and be consistent. I never get the weekly incentive because I don't generate enough lines, but my LPH (270+) and quality meet the criteria every time. I would probably generate enough if I didn't already have a FT job; right now its 13 and 14 hour days until this house gets finished. I'm blessed and grateful for the job, and I'm turning in my two weeks tomorrow. I don't burn bridges and am leaving the door open. I wish all of you wisdom and success in your decision-making, and pray that MT will still be here and will still be a good career choice in the years ahead for those of us who love it. I remain, "Blessed"